Chapter 219: Are His Parents Not Talented Either? |
After the morning classes, Lu Yibei left the university early and took the bus to Peony Street.
Looking at the receding autumn scenery of the city outside the window, he couldn’t help but think of the issues he had discussed with Jumeng before.
…
One afternoon, a week ago.
“Meng, I have a question.”
“What the hell? Are we that close for nicknames now?”
Something was amiss. Yibei, who was always rude towards her, suddenly became more affectionate, even giving her a nickname.
“That’s not what you said in bed last night,” he pouted.
“That’s not,” she rolled her eyes, kicking Yibei away from the bed. “If you’re that annoyed with me, you should have asked somebody to come over to repair the air conditioner in the living room! Aren’t you annoyed that I’m in your room every night?”
“Oh, you’re disgusting. What do you want to ask? I have a raid to get back to!”
“Right, ahem!” He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “I’m about to become a full-time employee at the Night Division, and I’ll be retrieving my runes. When I was thinking about it, I suddenly came up with an idea.
He intentionally spoke slowly, making sure that there was nothing strange about her expressions: “What would happen if I drew runes onto an urban legend?”
“Is this your idea?” Jumeng laughed. “This is old news! This is a tried-and-true method of strengthening oneself by drawing upon runes that have been left behind by others.”
So, urban legends can draw upon the powers of other runes? He thought. “In other words, there is no danger in urban legends drawing runes?”
Her gaze was still fixed on the computer. “Under normal circumstances, runes are just like tattoos. There is no danger to it other than a little pain.”
“Under normal circumstances.”
“That’s right,” she shrugged. “The not-normal circumstance is when the runes an urban legend draws upon are much more powerful than their own. In that case, they will likely be replaced. If a human covers their entire body with tattoos, do they still look human to you?”
So, there’s a condition, he frowned inwardly. I am just an ordinary boy, so the Night Division must be reluctant to use more powerful runes for me, right? In other words, I’ll be o-okay!
“And one more thing,” Jumeng said, raising a finger.
“What is it?”
“When are you going to get a bigger sofa at home? That small sofa is really uncomfortable for me to sleep on.”
Shui once said that a man is unhappy without a large sofa. However, he would also emphasise laying a cloth over the sofa because if it gets dirty, it’ll be hard to clean.
For a simple kid like me, the bed is way more comfortable than my sofa!
…
Just as the boy was rushing towards Peony Street in An Qing’s office.
An Qing was sitting in front of the computer, entering data regarding an urban legend’s anatomy into the file. At that moment, somebody knocked on her door.
Knock knock!
“Please come in.”
An Qing looked up from her screen and called out softly. The door of the office was pushed open, and Du Sixian walked in holding a pink laptop.
“An Qing, is it okay for me to post this video like this?”
She clicked on the video—a voluptuous woman was wearing a mask and a white coat, and next to her, there was a huge fire.
Within the fire, a vague figure struggled in pain.
The woman began speaking, “Hello. Today, I will barbecue this zombie. If this gets more than 100,000 likes, I will upload a video of me eating the zombie.”
The entire video was edited to have funny post-production effects—sensational, exaggerated, absurd, but haunting enough to question the reality of it.
“Not bad!” An Qing smiled and nodded, “I’ll leave this to you, and once you’re done uploading the video, you can go back and rest. The both of us were out too late last night.”
“Alright,” Sixian nodded as she turned around to leave. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she stopped and asked An Qing, “Wait, I have another question.”
“Go on.”
“You didn’t actually eat the zombie, right?”
“Of course I did!” Her red lips curled up slightly as she smiled.
?
Although she had known for a long time that there was no ordinary person in the Night Division, she felt that she couldn’t accept the fact that her other mentor would eat other urban legends.
“Just kidding—look at you! Did I scare you that much? Go and upload the video and rest.”
Right. How could her mentor do such a terrible thing? Thankfully, it was a joke! Sixian smiled as she left An Qing’s office.
As she left her office, it became quiet again. An Qing focused her attention on her work, picked up a blood bag from the drawer, and inserted a straw.
“Silly girl, there’s nothing delicious about zombies,” she muttered. “No blood in them at all.”
…
Du Sixian went on several missions with An Qing. Although she was just a trainee and could not help much, she was still very tired as she was not used to the Night Division’s routines.
After passing through most of Peony Street, she came to the B&B, where she had lived for a long time. When she returned to her room, she immediately threw herself into the soft bed.
Lying on the bed as she stared blankly at the ceiling, Sixian frowned slightly.
I can’t sleep now. I haven’t mastered the spells and incantations I learnt some time ago. I should train.
“Desolate wilderness; bones, ash… ignite the fires in the night, blazing brighter and brighter.”
Once she finished chanting, she immediately stopped, letting the restless psychic energy within her quell. Then, she started her second incantation.
The sixteenth spell, [Desolate Flames], was destructive. She knew that if she released it at will, it might blow a hole in the ceiling.
Yes, it was quite distressing. In order to facilitate commuting, she bought this room in the B&B.
…
“Desolate wilderness; bones, ash…”
Laying on the bed, having practised the mantra countless times, she suddenly felt exhaustion washing over her like a tide. Then, her vision went dark, and she fell into a restless sleep.
…
The biting, cool wind carried the tepid mist, slapping Sixian in the face.
She woke up, and after a brief daze, she found herself in the dreamscape that seemed to avoid her for a period of time. Looking around at the dilapidated streets, her eyes felt strange.
In the past month or so, she had only entered the dreamscape when she was practising spell number nine, Qian Lian*.
*t/n: Qian Lian literally means red-banded, usually referring to the non-venomous, red-banded snake.
At other times, when she was practising other spells like [Flow of the Earth], [Winding Vines], or [Surge], she was not able to enter the dreamscape, making her progress extremely slow.
Now that she was practising a fire-related spell and waking up in the dreamscape again, she suddenly felt enlightened.
I only enter the dreamscape when I practice fire-related spells! So, a special condition must have been triggered to allow me to enter this realm!
Thinking about this, she suddenly remembered what An Qing had said to her.
“You may be a little upset when I say this, but the gap between you and a genius is imaginably big, but don’t be discouraged. Legends are legends for a reason. Even if you aren’t as strong as them, you can still be very powerful.”
“Maybe you can consider specialising in a spell with a certain attribute.”
Looking around the dreamscape, she couldn’t help but clench her fists slightly.
Since I’m here, let’s practice [Desolate Flames] again.
“Desolate wilderness; bones, ash… ignite the fires of the night, burning brighter and brighter—I cast thee, desolate flames!”
As she finished reciting it, fire suddenly ignited in the palm of her hand. The fire rotated violently and formed a vortex, quickly compressing into a black hole-like fire. With its intense pull, she immediately shot it out of her hand as it fell to the ground, causing a violent explosion as thick smoke filled the air.
…
When Yibei arrived at the Night Division, Jiangli was already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing him, she still maintained her cold attitude, nodding towards him and saying, “Come. Everything is ready.”
She turned around and limped deeper into the building.
He followed closely behind, opening and closing his mouth several times. He hesitated for a while before asking, “Hey, um, is it dangerous for me to draw upon runes?”
Although he got a definite answer from Jumeng, he felt that there were discrepancies between her and Jiangli’s statements, so he wanted to ask for a different point of view.
“Yes,” she simply nodded.
Shit.
“Every home is vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, gas leaks… in the same way, anything related to psychic energy carries its own risk,” she explained.
Staring at her back, he frowned and murmured, “But compared to the risk of me working here in the future, it’s negligible.”
“You’re quick,” Jiangli said, slowing down to match Yibei’s pace. “But aren’t you good at escaping sticky situations yourself?”
“Isn’t that a bad thing?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she said, looking forward coldly. “Of course, unless you prefer to be buried in a grand ceremony where I stick the flag of the Night Division’s owl on your grave, I’ll gladly help you choose a resting place.”
“I think I prefer running from sticky situations.”
…
Entering the dark, endless interiors of the Night Division, they walked past the seven offices, venturing deeper into the darkness, and both sides seemed to be littered with identical iron doors.
As they walked, he could see some silk-like shadows floating in front of him from time to time. They were like ghosts, but they didn’t feel like ghosts. It just felt like a tangible wind blowing in front of him.
Following closely behind her, he silently counted the iron doors on both sides, and upon reaching the 32nd door, Jiangli stopped, produced a copper key, and opened the door.
“Go in and strip. I will be inspecting your body.”
He tilted his head immediately as if to confirm whether she really wanted to check him out.
Having a beautiful girl check out my body? Not bad!
As if she had guessed the thoughts in his head, she calmly closed her eyes and spoke, “Put away those strange thoughts; you don’t need to take off your underwear. To me, it doesn’t really make any difference whether you strip or not.”
The interior of the room was simple. It was clean and reminiscent of a clinic. In the room, there were a few glass cabinets, a medical bed, and a chair.
However, unlike the beds used in the hospital, there were a few restraint straps by the side of the medical bed.
This seems weird.
“It’s rare for us to have somebody retrieve runes. That bed was moved from the mental hospital for you to use temporarily. Now, strip and lie down. Time is precious.”
How does she sound so clinical and cold? He cursed, stripping according to her instructions.
Lying down and leaning on the pillow, he stared at the ceiling in boredom. Just as he was about to say something, Jiangli pulled the restraints and tied him tightly to the bed. Under the light of the room, he saw a pair of cold eyes staring at him.
At this moment, he realised that Jiangli had not lied just now; it didn’t matter if he was wearing clothes or not.
Fuck! What the hell is going to happen to me?
“Preparations are done. You wait here, and I’ll call the person who will help you draw upon the runes.”
“Aren’t you the one helping me?”
“Of course not—drawing runes is a technical job that requires a high degree of alchemy, and there are only two people in Huacheng’s Night Division who can do it.”
After Jiangli finished speaking, she patted Lu Yibei’s head gently and said, “Okay, just lie down obediently. After you’re done, come to my office, and I’ll explain the other things to you.”
After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the door.
Only two? I feel bad about this.
“W-wait! Who are these two people?”
“An Qing and Bai Kai,” she said calmly before shutting the door behind her, and the room fell into a dead silence.
Bai Kai? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?
Fuck! Now is not the time to scare yourself!
“Wait a minute, Jiangli? Jiangli! Please, come back! I don’t want Bai Kai! I want An Qing! I don’t want Bai Kai! I want An Qing.”
He struggled against his restraints, squirming like a baby as he yelled. The door suddenly opened with a whoosh, and an illusory silver figure flashed in.
The person who came in wore a mask, a medical cape, and a protective suit. However, Yibei recognised who Bai Kai was in an instant. Those eyes—he could recognise those evil, charming, arrogant eyes from anywhere.
Yibei felt that, after his father passed away, Shui had transferred all his strange antics towards Yibei. Now that he was tied up on the bed, unable to move, almost naked, and at his mercy… How messed up was that?
Bai Kai pushed in a medical trolley filled with various materials and a bottle filled with liquid nitrogen.
“Kid, you want An Qing instead? Seems like you like her a lot.”
Yibei simply looked down at his restraints and didn’t speak. He simply nodded wordlessly.
“Doesn’t matter. Just think of me as An Qing, and let this ol’ man see how your body is developing,” he said in a strange tone, tracing his chest with his fingers, causing goosebumps to erupt on his body.
Silence wasn’t an option. He could no longer hold his words.
“Jiangli! Help me! If you don’t come back, I’m going to get a gulp!”
As he shouted, Bai Kai filled his mouth with a strange liquid that melted into his mouth, funnelling down his throat before he had time to react.
“W-what did you do to me?”
“Something to make you good for me,” Bai Kai muttered. “I won’t hurt you; it’s an oral anaesthetic to help ease the pain.”
As he spoke, there was an uneasy and strange smile reflected in his eyes.
He’s freaking me out!
He wanted to protest but realised that the anaesthetic had taken effect and he could no longer talk.
“Ah… agh… mm…”
“Not enough, it seems,” Bai Kai said, stuffing another oral anaesthetic down his throat.
His throat felt full, and his eyes widened at the sudden intrusion. He forced himself up slightly, and after uttering a few ahs and ohs, his vision went dark as he slumped into the bed.
…
His godson fell back onto the bed limply, and the room became quiet.
Seeing that he had fallen asleep, Bai Kai immediately took action. He dashed back to the door, putting his ear against it.
Confirming that there was nobody outside, he quickly placed soundproofing and psychic-concealing spells on the four corners of the room before returning to the bed.
He gently caressed his forehead, then slapped open the lid of the liquid nitrogen tank. The next moment, a spear covered with spikes with the texture of ruby flew out from the inside.
This is the core of Ifrit. In order to obtain its core, Bai Kai suffered serious injuries, which forced him to rest in his master’s cave for more than half a month.
As soon as the core wrapped in frost met with the air, bursts of golden-red light shimmered instantly, melting away the thick layer of frost and filling the air with bursts of fog.
Taking advantage of this, he skillfully picked up various materials from the cart with his left hand, and silver light surged like a storm in the palm of his right hand.
Rainbow fragments, cold iron, frosted silver, glacier stones… Various materials were immediately crushed into a powder as they met the light of his palm and were controlled by his psychic energy to an accuracy of 0.1mg. They were then mixed together.
When he finished, the core of Ifrit had heated up to a terrifying level and hovered in the middle of the room like a miniature Sun.
He quickly used his psychic energy to pull the crushed powder and sprinkle it on Ifrit’s core.
In an instant, bright flames rose into the sky, burning the spear bright red.
The spear screamed with the intense heat as if coming from the void itself.
Huge, terrifying shadows were projected out of thin air on the four walls of the room; they had two horns and hid a strong figure and an evil elf that existed only in legends.
After the last burst of dazzling light, the scattered light and shadow shrunk violently, and in an instant, all of the psychic energy was condensed and interwoven into the spear.
Holding the spear, Bai Kai took a step forward, raised his hands, and stabbed into Yibei’s chest fiercely.
Letting go, he took two steps back and took out a stopwatch, starting it.
“Alright… let’s see… Do you inherit more traits from your father or that damned woman?”
A soft sound of steam burst into the room, and the smell of burnt flesh and blood flooded the room.
Absorbing Ifrit’s core, Yibei began to twitch violently.
Jet-black liquid seemed to spurt out of his chest like a geyser, and Bai Kai’s eyes widened.
“Fuck! Fuck! What the fuck?”
Why is there so much Disaster in Bei’s body?
Where are his parents’ traits? It’s over!
Bai Kai was in a panic and even considered for a moment that he had lost his godson, wondering if the Disaster Liquid had somehow seeped into his system.
