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墨書 Inktalez
Brother Rong gasped for breath, and someone immediately handed him a glass of water. He gulped it down and exhaled deeply before speaking.
“Today, I was supposed to deliver something to a client. When I passed by the guardrails in the back of Area Seven, I heard someone screaming. I went over to check and saw it was Xiaoqian. She was running desperately, her face filled with terror. I was puzzled as to why she wasn’t at work, but before I could catch up, I heard a sound that was like a dog but not quite. It was a strange noise that made my legs go numb; I almost thought an earthquake was coming.”
“Brother Rong, get to the point,” someone urged impatiently.
“What’s the rush? I almost got scared to death! Luckily, I’m blessed and managed to escape.”
“Alright, Brother Rong, we’re all worried about Xiaoqian’s safety!”
Lin You pushed a chair toward him and urged him to sit down with a cheerful smile. Brother Rong appreciated this and continued.
“Just as I called out to her, a gigantic bull came charging after her from behind. How could Xiaoqian run fast with those little legs? She was quickly caught. That giant bull bit down on her legs, and in just a few bites, Xiaoqian was swallowed whole.”
“A gigantic bull?” Lin You and I exchanged glances before asking, “Does it have fur standing up like a hedgehog and a roar that sounds somewhat like a dog?”
“Yes! How did you know?”
Could it be Qiongqi?
But Qiongqi is usually invisible to ordinary people. Why would Qiongqi suddenly appear to attack humans? In typical novels or anime, there’s usually a mysterious disappearance followed by the gradual revelation of the monster's existence.
None of this seemed logical. The appearance of Qiongqi in the mirror was already unsettling. Although Su Ziqian had been involved to some extent, he only wanted us to know where Qiongqi was in order to break the third seal.
“Brother Rong, did you call the police?”
Someone asked, and Brother Rong sighed. “Of course I did, but they wouldn’t take the report because I was too scared to even take a photo at the time. And Xiaoqian was swallowed whole—there wasn’t even a shoe left behind; it was completely clean.”
"Yesterday morning, it rained over there, and that area is under development, so the ground is all muddy."
I muttered to myself, and suddenly something flashed in my mind. I immediately turned to Brother Rong and said, "Brother Rong, please help me take a two-hour leave. I have an urgent matter."
After saying that, I ran off. If Qiongqi really had appeared there, it would definitely leave footprints. As long as I could confirm they were Qiongqi's footprints, perhaps Jun Chong would have a way to find Qiongqi. I had to tell Jun Chong about this.
Just as I left, Lin You also approached Brother Rong and said, "Please help me take a leave as well. I need to step out." Instead of leaving the Su Family, she went directly to Su Ziqian's office, where Su Ziqian was resting.
I contacted Jun Chong and then headed to the Seventh District that Brother Rong mentioned. This area is the development zone of The City. Aside from laborers and construction company personnel, there were hardly any people around. However, Xiaoqian's home was nearby, so it wasn't surprising for her to appear here.
"This should be the place—the railing area Brother Rong mentioned; it's just this section." As I spoke, I searched for footprints, but the ground was completely clean with nothing at all. "How could there be nothing?"
Jun Chong stood aside, squinting his eyes. He raised one hand and after a long while lowered it and opened his eyes. "It's not that there are none; it's that they have been tampered with."
"You mean someone is covering up Qiongqi's tracks so we can't find them?" Jun Chong nodded. I asked again, "Is it Su Ziqian?"
"No," Jun Chong denied. "If he wanted us to discover Qiongqi, he wouldn't obstruct us from unraveling the third seal."
"Then who could it be?" Thunder rumbled in the sky as dark clouds gradually enveloped the earth, hinting at impending rain. "And why would Qiongqi appear to eat people? Wouldn't it be safer for him to quietly seek out his targets?"
"Qiongqi is a man-eater and incredibly strong; in his eyes, humans are merely ants—food to fill his belly. The only reason I can think of for him showing himself now is that his spiritual power is starting to dissipate and he is about to lose control."
"If he completely loses control, wouldn't that be disastrous for your seal?" I paced back and forth with my chin resting on my hand, feeling increasingly anxious like the overcast sky. "We must find Qiongqi as soon as possible before he completely loses control."
"Qiongqi is one of the Four Great Beasts; he's not an ordinary beast. He has his own thoughts, so the targets he chooses must be spiritual practitioners. This way, he can both satisfy his hunger and condense his own spiritual power."
"But I haven't sensed any strong spiritual power from Xiaoqian."
Jun Chong suddenly smiled, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. "For the Ancient Beast, powerful spiritual energy isn't important; what matters is pure spiritual energy. Though it may seem unremarkable, its power is immense and serves as the best healing elixir. Have you noticed that Xiaoqian is different from others?"
"A bit. She's very innocent and cute, without any scheming. Talking to her feels relaxing and pressure-free."
"Exactly. A person with pure spiritual energy can be seen through at a glance by someone like us, but you still lack control, which is why you feel this way."
"If that's the case, Qiongqi will definitely look for another target. We must find him before he finds us."
Jun Chong chuckled softly, looking at me with a smile. "How do we find him?"
I hesitated for a moment, then put my mind to work until a lightbulb went off in my head. "How about using me as bait?"
"No way!"
Before I could finish my sentence, Jun Chong interrupted me. I pouted and said playfully, "I mean we can disguise my pure spiritual energy to lure him out. Once he appears, you can take action; I won't get hurt."
"Your idea isn't bad, but Anxin, I don't want you to get into trouble because of me. Just leave Qiongqi to me."
Jun Chong took my hand and started walking back. I didn't know what kind of spell he used, but suddenly an umbrella appeared in his palm. When he opened it over my head, the summer rain began to pour down heavily. His thoughtfulness warmed my heart.
"Has Su Ziqian been looking for you lately?"
"No." To prevent others from noticing the umbrella floating above my head, I tightened my grip on the handle. "I haven't seen him since the first day I went to the Su Family."
Jun Chong frowned slightly but didn't say anything more. With fifteen approaching quickly, I was genuinely worried that we wouldn't be able to find Qiongqi.
As we walked forward, it felt like I had never strolled in the rain like this before—sharing an umbrella side by side.
Although the rain was heavy, soaking the edges of our clothes, having him by my side made it a beautiful picture even without the shelter of an umbrella.
The sound of the rain drowned out everything else around us. We walked and talked about other things, and just as I was saying we should head back, I was suddenly pulled into Jun Chong's embrace, tightly held against him. The rushing wind howled in my ears, bringing an unpleasant chill and a faint Blood Taste.
I felt a burning pain on my right arm. Looking down, I saw that the flesh on my arm had begun to rot, revealing glimpses of white bone beneath.
The umbrella had fallen to the ground, filling with rainwater. Jun Chong's body radiated Malice, and he gripped his sword tightly, his killing intent rising. Yet the surroundings were eerily quiet; there was nothing but a long arrow lodged in the ground not far from my feet, which suddenly crumbled into dust with a soft sound.
“Jun Chong, what’s wrong?”
My heart raced as the pain in my arm intensified, becoming unbearable.
Jun Chong immediately cut into his palm, letting his blood drip onto my wound. But instead of healing, the rotting flesh turned to charred blackness, and half of my arm went numb in an instant.
“Damn it,” Jun Chong cursed under his breath. “I was careless; I didn’t notice the attack from behind in time. This is Miasma. My spiritual energy hasn’t fully recovered yet, so I can’t heal your wound. If only Heart Eyes were here, you could heal automatically.”
I covered his mouth with my hand and shook my head. “I’m fine; it doesn’t hurt anymore. It just looks bad. I’ll be okay if I wear long sleeves to cover it.”
“No way.” Jun Chong frowned deeply, his body filled with increasing Malice. The suppressed anger within him seemed ready to explode at any moment. “This is Miasma. If it stays in your body, it’s a deadly poison that must be cleansed.”
“What should we do?”
Jun Chong held me tightly, still gripping his sword. “We need to go back first. I’ll use my spiritual energy to force the Miasma out of your body. Don’t worry; it’ll be fine.”
I knew that without me, Jun Chong wouldn’t need to waste his spiritual energy like this. His lost energy hadn’t fully recovered yet, and now he needed all of it to subdue Qiongqi and break the third seal. But since I had been ambushed and injured, saving me would mean wasting more of his energy.
Such a coincidence made me suspicious; the one who had attacked us with Miasma must have been trying to hinder our search for Qiongqi. But who would do such a thing? The King of Hell or the Demon Realm?
After all, this is Miasma; if the Underworld King can obtain it, so can those from the Demon Realm.
“Could it be Qi Yi?”
Upon hearing my question, Jun Chong paused in his hurried movements but still replied, “It’s not him. The other party is deliberately concealing their aura. If it were him, he wouldn’t resort to such despicable means, but it’s likely someone from the Demon Realm. Anxin, you must be careful; the Demon Realm has already come to the human world.”
I nodded in agreement. Qi Yi hadn’t shown up since my return, and I had no idea what he was thinking. He always walked a fine line between good and evil, harboring a deep hatred for Jun Chong while treating me well.
Several times I had encountered him, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu, as if I had seen him before. Could it be that we were connected in a past life?
Qi Yi.
As soon as I reached my doorstep, I saw Su Ziqian leaning against the door. Upon noticing our return, he lifted his half-closed eyelids and revealed an elegant smile. “Anxin, you’re finally back.” He glanced at my injured right hand resting on Jun Chong's shoulder and blinked. “Do you need my help?”
“No need.”
Jun Chong didn’t even look back as he walked past him into the house. Surprisingly thick-skinned, Su Ziqian followed closely behind. Seeing Jun Chong place me on the sofa, he chuckled and said, “The fifteenth is approaching quickly. Qiongqi isn’t as easy to conquer as Taotie; are you sure you don’t need my help?”
I began to understand Su Ziqian’s purpose for being here; how did he get this information so quickly?
Jun Chong poured a glass of water over my wound. I didn’t feel any pain, but the clear water quickly turned black.
Su Ziqian clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk tsk, this level of Miasma is difficult to cleanse. The longer it drags on, Anxin’s hand will be ruined. Are you sure you don’t want my help?”
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