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墨書 Inktalez
"What is the relationship between the vampires and the Thunder Array?" The situation was becoming increasingly complex and chaotic, leaving me somewhat bewildered.
"The first person that comes to mind when it comes to creating such bizarre formations is that individual. This person has been subjected to drugs that enhance their mind and body, but the cold poison from those drugs has seeped into their meridians. Every few days, they must consume human blood to alleviate the effects and survive. Isn't that quite a coincidence?"
"Who is this person?" I felt a chill run through me. No matter who this individual was, using the lives of innocent villagers for experimentation was utterly inhumane—a cold-blooded animal.
"It’s someone from the Mirror Gate," Yin God said solemnly. "We have been in the Mirror Gate for over a decade, yet we have never seen this person. This individual is the only one raised personally by the current sect leader. We only know they are a prodigy, but we have never met them. Many in the Mirror Gate refer to the sect leader as 'father' out of respect, but this person bears the sect leader's surname."
Again with the Mirror Gate! So, this must be someone akin to the sect leader's own child?
"What is the sect leader's surname?" I felt my voice tremble slightly; I had a premonition of what was coming.
"The Mirror Gate Sect Leader's surname is Rong, and their name is Rong Fu."
Rong! Just as I thought. I recalled how Nie Qiuyuan had casually asked Hongxi about his surname, and Hongxi had hesitated for a moment—instinctively, he must have known he bore the surname Rong.
I couldn’t react in time and thought we were just unrelated characters, so I blurted it out?
Night Phantom glanced at me before continuing, "That person I mentioned, their surname is Rong, and their name is not Xian; they are known as the Vermilion Bird of the Mirror Gate."
I gasped; this was an unexpected revelation!
"From the very beginning, Nie Qiuyuan sensed something was off. It wasn't until he pieced together all the clues that he concluded this person might be the Vermilion Bird. He just didn't expect that the Vermilion Bird would be so young."
"How did Nie Qiuyuan sense something was wrong from the start? Was it just because that child was strong?" I asked curiously.
"The boy named Hongxi—aren't all those in that house his relatives? From examining the corpses on the ground, only a pair of adults could possibly be his parents, but both of them had single eyelids while Hongxi has double eyelids. Logically, a couple with single eyelids cannot produce a child with double eyelids."
"Ah?" Nie Qiuyuan observed far too closely, and at that moment, he even picked up on such details. Single eyelids and double eyelids refer to genetic traits—single eyelids are recessive; theoretically, children of two single-eyed parents can only inherit single eyelids.
Nie Qiuyuan's comprehensive grasp of on-site information and his ability to quickly mobilize relevant resources in response to situations—just this one detail left me in awe.
"And also, based on the many physical characteristics of the corpses in that room, the likelihood of those individuals being related by blood is very low. It is highly probable that they are just a few unrelated people who happened to come together," Night Phantom continued. "Zhenzhen, if you look closely, flesh and blood do not lie."
"Ah..." Hearing the words "flesh and blood do not lie," I suddenly felt at a loss, experiencing a slight sense of temporal dislocation.
I wanted to say something more, but Night Phantom suddenly moved like lightning, covering my mouth with his hand. He wrapped an arm around me, signaling me to remain silent.
I felt a surge of anxiety; I knew he must have a reason for this. I obediently allowed him to guide me as we quietly got up from the bed and moved to the window, where he poked a hole in the paper.
Peering through the hole, I saw several large trees outside the inn. The faint moonlight cast a hazy outline of a figure. Just looking at that person filled me with extreme shock. What on earth was this?
The figure crouched silently atop a branch, slender in form. In the moonlight, I could see that their skin was as pale as ice and snow, with long crimson hair cascading down. Their eyes were large and bright, with an unusual crimson hue that set them apart from ordinary people.
Is this a human? Although their hair color and skin tone had changed, the contours of their features remained unchanged. That face belonged to the boy we had brought back from Death Village—Hongxi.
Hongxi crouched on the branch, his body seemingly weightless. His expression was blank as he intently gazed at the window of the room next door, lost in thought. Next door was indeed Nie Qiuyuan's room.
Had he grown suspicious? Had he found us here? Yes, as an ordinary young merchant encountering a village of corpses, remaining so calm and even daring to investigate was already quite unnatural. It was normal for him to be suspicious and want to clarify our identities. But now he seemed lost in thought without making any moves. In fact, I believed that looking at the window would reveal nothing inside.
I felt a rush of anxiety and couldn't help but start squirming. I signaled to Night Phantom with my eyes, urging him to go to Nie Qiuyuan's room to prevent any unforeseen events from occurring, but Night Phantom shook his head to stop me.
Outside, Hongxi remained still like a statue for quite some time. Perhaps even Zhuque had his own concerns?
Just then, a lantern flickered closer from afar, accompanied by the sound of a gong.
"Dry wood burns; heart fire ignites. In the deep of night, secure your doors..."
It was three o'clock.
The crimson shadow froze for a moment before suddenly flashing like a ghost. Then came an extremely faint muffled sound from below, followed by something thudding to the ground. I could see a paper lantern rolling away several steps before it flickered out.
Night Phantom tightened his grip on me, stifling an involuntary gasp that threatened to escape my lips. I squirmed anxiously; I feared that perhaps the watchman had fallen victim to a vampire's attack.
Night held me tightly, whispering in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Don't move. There's nothing we can do."
I lost track of time until Night finally released me, but I still hadn't recovered from the terror. The image of Hongxi's cold red eyes lingered in my mind.
"It's okay now. He's gone," Night reassured me.
I stood there for a while longer. My heartbeat gradually steadied, only to be replaced by a growing, seething anger.
"What is the Mirror Gate? What are they?" I couldn't bring myself to shout, but the fury inside me felt like it was about to explode.
What were these people? Under the guise of upholding justice, they showed such disregard for life. Those who don't respect life have no right to talk about justice! They were nothing more than a group of scoundrels using the banner of righteousness to seize benefits and satisfy their own desires!
Night Phantom gazed at me quietly, his expression unreadable.
"You're just a kid!" I grabbed his sleeve. "You two big men should be able to take him down together! Why not just eliminate him the moment you saw him?"
I froze, unable to believe those words had come out of my mouth. What was I doing? Was I inciting Night Phantom to commit murder?!
Night shook his head.
"We can't be sure. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise don't understand each other at all. It's clear that unless we know them well enough to strike at their weaknesses in one blow, it's very difficult to kill any of them. If we act and fail to kill him, the repercussions would be devastating."
"If our identities are exposed, the cleanup will start with those around Black Tortoise: Da Chun, Melan, Wanzi Mountain, Yichuan County." Night Phantom looked at me as my anger made my breathing quicken and lowered his gaze. "Zhenzhen, and you too. So we can't take that risk."
Though I was impulsive, I wasn't foolish. In that moment, I understood everything he said. I even felt as if I could touch the flames of his inner turmoil. To be able to vent one's feelings is a form of happiness; to hold it all in silently and endure while doing what is right—how excruciating that must be.
"I'm sorry..." I finally calmed down and apologized to Night for my foolishness.
For some reason, he smiled with relief.
I sighed deeply. "So, what should we do next?"
"Leaving early for Chang'an."
"Are you not worried?"
"Not really."
"What about now?"
"Just sleep. I won't leave tonight; I'll stay here to watch over you, so nothing will happen."
There seemed to be no point in discussing gender differences with Night Phantom, as he never appeared to see me as anything other than a friend. Even if I refused, he would likely remain here, right? Indeed, having him here tonight felt safer.
Moreover, I couldn't believe that the lives of hundreds could be dismissed so easily in his mind. Neither Night nor Autumn would think that way.
"Hmph! Don't think you're having fun now; you'll regret it later!" I thought bitterly, directing my frustration at the detestable Mirror Gate.
I obediently climbed into bed while Night quietly sat by my bedside. I had grown so accustomed to his presence that it felt as if he blended into the surrounding air, barely noticeable. Without needing him to say much, I quickly drifted off to sleep.
In the latter half of the night, no nightmares came to disturb me.
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