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墨書 Inktalez
The weather was favorable, and the next day turned out to be overcast, with no sun in sight. However, the summer heat still lingered, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. Around nine o'clock, it started to rain, a light drizzle that continued without any sign of stopping.
Jun Chong concealed his presence once again and slipped into the charm hanging from my bag. I set out, naturally heading towards the Photography Studio. However, halfway there, Jun Chong instructed me to make a detour to the Crystal Shop first.
"Why?" I asked.
"I saw that man through Tao Wu yesterday. The aura of death surrounding him was quite intense. Later, he transferred that aura to the Noble Lady, which is why it disappeared. But that was only temporary. If he truly is what I suspect, then there’s only one reason why the aura of death would vanish at the Crystal Shop."
"What reason?"
I stood by the roadside trying to hail a taxi. On rainy days, public transport and taxis were always crowded. After standing in the rain for quite a while without success, I opened my umbrella and continued to try to catch a ride while talking on my phone with my earphones in; this way, people would think I was on a call.
Jun Chong didn’t answer my question directly but instead asked, "I guess you didn’t see the aura of death at that time, but you felt a murky presence, right?"
I nodded vigorously. "That’s right; it felt strange at the time, and then it disappeared shortly after."
"That disappearance is akin to him transferring the aura of death to the Noble Lady yesterday. You didn’t notice because you were at a distance and couldn’t sense it. If nothing unexpected happens, the Boss of the Crystal Shop is also in danger."
"Oh no, really?"
"Very much so."
Jun Chong's tone was firm, and I didn’t dare linger any longer. I hurried towards the Crystal Shop and finally managed to catch a taxi along the way. By the time I arrived at the shop, the owner had just finished a transaction and was cleaning some crystals. Upon seeing me, he paused for a moment before smiling warmly. "Miss Gu, what brings you here today?"
"Ah, I came to check out some crystals."
As I smiled and stepped inside, my eyes flickered. Jun Chong was right; there was indeed an aura of death lingering on the shopkeeper's forehead. He had always been kind to me, like an older brother from next door. The thought that he might die made me feel uneasy.
"What do you want? I'll give you an 20% discount," he said when he noticed my expression change. Concern etched on his face as he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Ah, I'm fine." I bit my lip, wanting to tell him what I knew, but would he believe me? If I were in his shoes, I certainly wouldn’t believe it either.
Jun Chong remained silent as I chatted with the shopkeeper for a while. After purchasing a string of Tourmaline, I left, and the shopkeeper warmly escorted me to the door, saying, "Welcome to come again next time."
"Yes, I will definitely come back."
I walked along the street in a gloomy mood and calmly asked, "Jun Chong, is he really beyond saving?"
"Don't worry, he won't die."
"Huh?"
Jun Chong's voice was filled with disdain and contempt, mixed with a sense of hostility, as if he were sulking after a defeat.
"But you just said—"
"That's why the Su Family is the most despicable." Jun Chong gritted his teeth and appeared beside me. When I looked up, I saw the malice in his eyes, ready to explode at any moment. "Call Su Ziqian and meet him."
I was baffled by Jun Chong's anger but still called Su Ziqian. After hanging up, I asked Jun Chong, "Is that shopkeeper also from the Su Family?"
"Hmph."
Jun Chong snorted coldly, taking my hand and heading toward the Photography Studio. Since I had arranged to meet Su Ziqian for lunch at noon, we still had time to go to the Photography Studio.
Not wanting to pry further into Jun Chong's thoughts, I prepared to head to the Photography Studio when suddenly a torrential downpour began outside. I had no choice but to wait under the awning of another shop until the rain eased.
"This rain feels so chilly."
"Are you cold?" I saw a hand reach out from under an umbrella, testing the rainwater. "There's a heavy chill in this rain."
"Jun Chong, it's that man!"
I suddenly spotted him crossing the street ahead. He walked lightly, one hand in his pocket and the other holding an umbrella, moving through the downpour with an air of ease.
"Follow him."
I opened my umbrella and crossed the street. Fortunately, his pace wasn't too fast. I held the umbrella and pretended to be leisurely shopping as I trailed behind him. After a short distance, I saw him enter a store. Looking up, my brows instinctively furrowed. "Fourth Cafe."
"What's wrong?"
"This place gives me a bad feeling. It smells of blood and rot inside. Tao Wu said there's a barrier set up in front of this shop."
I hesitated to go in; that feeling was quite unsettling. Jun Chong remained silent for a moment before Tao Wu's voice came from the side. " Lord, that man left through the back door."
"Ah? I must have been too careless; he must remember me."
"Not necessarily," Jun Chong said in a low voice. "He noticed me. Tao Wu, continue to follow him."
"Understood."
I asked, somewhat confused, "You concealed your presence, and he still noticed?"
"The Necromancer is as sensitive to presence as a Grim Reaper."
"Necromancer?"
The term sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure if it was what Lin You had mentioned yesterday.
"The Undead are vengeful spirits of those who died with hatred, while the Necromancer is a derivative of these beings. They are neither human nor ghost, living among humans but carrying the aura of death, capable of bringing death to anyone at will. They were once akin to Grim Reapers but later collectively rebelled against the underworld's tyranny and were hunted down; they should have been completely exterminated by now."
With Jun Chong's explanation, I understood. If that man truly was a Necromancer, it would explain why his aura of death appeared and disappeared intermittently.
"What is the relationship between the Mirror Demon, Qiongqi, and Necromancer? The Necromancer told the Mirror Demon to help them obtain human bodies and transfer souls, while Qiongqi is the main culprit chasing after the Mirror Demon. But what connection exists between Qiongqi and the Necromancer?"
"Do you remember I mentioned before that Qiongqi carries the aura of Curse?"
I blinked in surprise, my mouth slightly agape as the thought that flashed through my mind slipped out, "Could it be that the Necromancer cast a spell on Qiongqi, allowing him to summon the Mirror Demon into the human realm? But I don't understand why he would do that. You said the Mirror Demon cannot survive in the human world."
"No," Jun Chong countered, "it wasn't the Necromancer who cast a spell on Qiongqi."
"Not him?" My confusion deepened. "Then who could it be?"
"What we know about Shi Qingqing and Noble Lady is that they are both connected to Su Ziqian. At least one has a close relationship with him, while the other is an employee he hired. They have been in close proximity."
Jun Chong's voice rose and then gradually lowered, and after a brief pause, he reached a conclusion.
"The Necromancer merely established a connection between the Mirror Demon and humans. It doesn't matter whether that human is about to die; he is only responsible for the transmission. The Mirror Demon has repeatedly fled to the human realm due to casualties, ultimately leading to Qiongqi emerging from the mirror. This leads us to only one conclusion."
I began to piece together what this meant. If we set aside the Necromancer, we were left with Curse, Mirror Demon, Su Ziqian, and Qiongqi. Connecting these elements together led to a clear conclusion.
"Are you saying that Su Ziqian is the one who cast a spell on Qiongqi? He used the appearance of the Mirror Demon to draw us into this situation, knowing that once we sensed the aura of the beast, we would inevitably get involved." I heard Jun Chong affirm my guess with a sound of agreement, but I still didn't understand his purpose. "What is his goal in doing this?"
"The goal is—"
"Of course, his goal is to have the Lord of the Abyss quickly break the third seal so that I can bring Anxin back to the Su Family sooner."
Su Ziqian's voice chimed in from behind us, smooth and confident. Dressed in a sharp black suit, his handsome face wore a warm smile that could charm anyone even in the rain.
He held an umbrella in one hand and a brocade box engraved with Bagua in the other, standing three meters away from us. His voice was soft yet resonated clearly in our ears.
"Anxin, white Soulstone, the third seal of the Lord. In exchange for this, you will come back with me to the Su Family." Su Ziqian appeared to be in high spirits, his smile radiant. "And I don't just mean Su Group!"
"The third seal?" I furrowed my brow slightly as my hand instinctively grasped the pendant on my bag. "Qiongqi is the third seal?"
Jun Chong had mentioned that seals two through five contained Ancient Beasts, which included divine beasts, magical beasts, and demon beasts. We had no way of knowing which type it was. Could it really be that Qiongqi was suddenly revealed as the third seal?
"If you don't believe me, you can ask him! He would never mistake his own sealing aura; otherwise, why would he have released Qiongqi last night? It was because the time wasn't right; recklessly breaking open a seal would harm him."
"Su Ziqian, do you know why I hate the Su Family?"
Jun Chong's figure gradually emerged to my side, slowly taking shape. The color deepened from transparent until he fully transformed into his former self. A cool breath mixed with the chill of the rain made me shiver slightly.
As I moved my hand, he quietly grasped it. Jun Chong didn't turn around, but I could feel his habitual protection over me. My heart stirred as I tugged at his clothing from behind, choosing to lean on him.
"That's because the people of the Su Family always consider themselves superior, meddling in others' affairs while proudly wearing the title of being helpful, which makes them hard to like."
"So you didn't love Su Yi back then because of this, right?"
As soon as Su Ziqian's words fell, Jun Chong hurled a black fireball toward him. Su Ziqian stood still, tilting his head aside as the fireball whizzed past his ear. The flame's tail brushed against his hair but did not ignite; it vanished behind him.
I was astonished by Su Ziqian's prowess. Without extremely high spiritual power and combat experience, it would have been impossible for him to evade Jun Chong's attack so gracefully.
On the other hand, I was surprised by Jun Chong's impatience.
Yes, impatience. From Su Ziqian's remark to his attack, that was the impression I got—just those two words.
He claimed not to like Su Yi, yet he became so furious over a single comment from Su Ziqian. His calm heart stirred with ripples and waves.
Su Ziqian flicked his hair where the fireball had passed and smiled slightly at me, saying with a hint of schadenfreude, "Anxin is jealous!"
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