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墨書 Inktalez
The long, pointed tongue flicked in and out as she closed her eyes, a white mist enveloping her. Her delicate face shifted between human and serpent, blurring the line between reality and illusion.
My legs felt weak as I shrank down beneath the balcony. Tian Yuan rushed over to my side, pressing against my legs, while Tao Wu inexplicably wanted to follow. I immediately told her, "Stay in the dark and don't move. That woman is across from us."
Tao Wu peered out from a distance, then reached out her small hand towards me, fingers splayed and then clenched tight. I suddenly felt a force pulling me in. "Sister, she's gone. She shouldn't have noticed."
I sat on the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. "That's good."
I quickly got up and shut the sliding door of the balcony, then sat on the sofa with Tian Yuan's fluffy body in my arms, still feeling a chill run down my spine. "That woman is definitely a snake demon."
I shivered and hugged Tian Yuan tighter, my voice trembling. God knows that among animals, snakes terrify me the most. Just seeing a picture gives me goosebumps; once, I saw a snake on the road and was so scared I cried. Because of that, I basically freeze up at the mere mention of snakes.
Who would have thought that this time it would be a snake demon? Judging by her appearance, she must have lived for a long time. "She can't be like Bai Suzhen and be a giant python, right?"
"Sister, are you afraid of snakes?"
I nodded. Tao Wu looked at me for a moment before pouring me a glass of water to calm me down. Finally, she placed a piece of Realgar in front of me. "Sister, I think today it's because Tian Yuan's feet touched some Realgar powder that the snake demon reacted this way. Realgar is a snake's nemesis; if we grind it into powder and place it at the door, she won't be able to come in."
"Tao Wu, thank you."
After such a scare, I found it hard to sleep. I held onto Tao Wu and talked for a long time in the living room until exhaustion finally took over and I slowly drifted off. When I woke up, it was already dawn. In my hazy state, I felt someone lift me up. When I opened my eyes, Jun Chong lowered his voice and said, "It's still early; sleep a little longer."
"Jun Chong, you're back?"
I struggled to get up, but he pressed me back down and carried me back to the room. "Tao Wu has already told me about yesterday's events. Since it's a snake demon, there are ways to deal with it. The full moon is approaching; we can't let things get complicated—we need to resolve this quickly."
"I have a large piece of Realgar that someone sent me; maybe it can be useful."
Jun Chong took off his outer garment and lay down beside me, covering us with a blanket. He let me rest my head on his hand before saying, "I had sensed a demonic aura for a while, but it was masked by the stench of corpses, so I couldn't identify which type of demon it was. When Tao Wu told me someone sent you Realgar, I realized it was a snake demon. She must have been injured by the Realgar and will definitely seek to gather Yang energy and spirit, but what she craves most is the soul. I will work with Shizui to capture her. If you're afraid of snakes, you should stay indoors. Tao Wu will sprinkle some Realgar powder around; it will keep the snakes away."
"Mm."
I nestled closer into his embrace, my palm resting on his chest. His skin felt smooth and slightly cold, and I could sense a faint metallic scent of blood in the air he brought with him—subtle yet undeniably present.
He had been out for a day and night before returning, exhaustion etched across his features. I found myself unable to speak more than necessary, leaning against his chest and whispering softly, "Jun Chong, you must be tired. Rest early; I'll keep you company."
Jun Chong paused for a moment, then leaned down to kiss my forehead, his voice hoarse as he replied, "Okay."
I watched as he closed his eyes. After a long while, I cautiously extended my index finger to trace along his brow and down his features, closing my eyes to picture his face.
I wanted to engrave his image in my mind so that even if we couldn't meet again, I could recall his likeness whenever I closed my eyes.
"Jun Chong, you will succeed, and then you'll stay by my side forever without abandoning me. As long as you are alive, no matter how much suffering you endure, I will bear it all with gritted teeth. So please stay safe."
I reached out and held him tightly. Unbeknownst to me, his closed eyes flickered open slightly; beneath the thick lashes lay hidden turmoil. His long fingers twitched ever so slightly but ultimately did not embrace my little body.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again. When I awoke, Jun Chong was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly got out of bed to find something to eat.
At that moment, Shizui was holding Tian Yuan while studying the piece of Realgar. He waved at me when he saw me come out. "Anxin, who sent you this stone?"
"I don't know."
"Why would someone send Realgar? And I heard from Tian Yuan that you coincidentally ran into the snake demon."
"The delivery slip didn't have a sender's name or phone number, so I'm not sure." I sat beside him and slowly recalled the latter part of his statement. My eyes widened as I stared at him and pointed at Tian Yuan in his arms. "Did it tell you?"
"You don't know?" Shizui said, a hint of surprise followed by a slight smile. "I forgot it was sealed. As a human, you wouldn't be able to hear it. The little one is very worried about you. It sensed that the snake demon has been following you since you left, and when it realized there was Realgar in the package, it smeared a bit on its own feet."
"Is it that clever?"
"It's a fox, naturally sensitive and more attuned to danger than ordinary creatures. Having it around is actually beneficial for you. You call it Tian Yuan, which might indeed validate the bond between you two. But I don't know who sealed it; the seal won't come off anytime soon, so you need to be careful."
"It's fine. Haven't I faced enough challenges already?" I said as I picked up Tian Yuan from his arms, lifting its little head with a smile. "To me, it's like my little pet. Since this is a fateful encounter, abandoning it just because of danger would be unkind. I believe we can turn peril into safety; perhaps Tian Yuan is our lucky charm!"
"Mm." Shizui glanced at his watch and stood up from the sofa. "I have something to attend to outside. Jun Chong was a bit tired yesterday and might sleep longer. Take good care of Tian Yuan; I'll be back before dusk."
"Okay."
Not long after Shizui left, I heard persistent knocking at the door outside—one knock after another. Since it wasn't my house's door, I was too lazy to check. However, the knocking continued for quite some time without any sign of stopping, which started to annoy me as I worried about disturbing Jun Chong.
So I set down Tian Yuan and walked to the door to speak with whoever was there. To my surprise, when I opened the door, there was nothing in the empty corridor.
"Where is everyone?"
"Miss, what's wrong?"
"Tao Wu, did you hear knocking?"
"I did, but it's stopped now."
"Oh!" That reassured me. Just as I was about to close the door, suddenly a hand shot out and gripped the door tightly—bony fingers clinging on desperately. A hoarse voice rasped, "Help me... save me."
I jumped back in fright and screamed. The next second, a tall figure blocked my view and forcefully pushed the person outside, slamming them against the wall across the corridor. The impact was so strong that she bent over and coughed up blood.
I was startled and reached out to grab Jun Chong's shirt. "She's still a person."
"The corpse energy is spreading; soon she won't be human anymore. Just look at her."
Before me stood a very young girl, about my age, dressed in a simple, plain dress. She was emaciated, her entire face sunken in, resembling skin stretched over bones. Her eyes were wide open, bulging as if they might fall out at any moment.
Though her appearance hadn't aged, her voice was hoarse, devoid of the youthful tenderness it once had.
I hesitated for a moment before stepping outside, but I didn't dare get too close to her. "W-What happened to you?"
She moved slightly, as if trying to reach out for me, but upon seeing Tao Wu's sharp fingers blocking her way, she held back and struggled to look up at me. "Someone told me you could save me. I don't want to die; please help me. I don't want to end up like Rong Xiaoxiao and Xia Yu. But I know my time is running out. If that snake demon isn't killed by tomorrow night, I'm finished. Gu Anxin, I don't know who you are, but please, since we live in the same neighborhood, help me just this once. I'm begging you—save me."
Frowning, I sensed she must know many things we didn't. I turned to Jun Chong, who sighed and waved his hand dismissively before turning away. "Bring her inside," he instructed Tao Wu.
After Tao Wu brought the woman inside, I closed the door behind us without noticing the yellow powder at the entrance had been disturbed.
I poured a glass of water for the woman and waited until she calmed down before speaking. "If you want my help, you need to tell me everything you know; otherwise, we can't do anything."
"Okay." The woman took a sip of water, cradling the cup in her trembling hands. After several deep breaths, she began to recount what she knew about the snake demon.
"A few months ago, one day Rong Xiaoxiao gathered me, Xia Yu, and another girl named Xiaofeng together. She said she had found a Magical Weight Loss Pill that not only helped with weight loss but also sculpted the body. Once successful, it would never rebound; no matter how much you ate, it wouldn’t matter. Even if it didn’t work at all, it wouldn’t harm your body because it was just a health supplement. Since it was still in development, they were offering free trials. Little was also helping a friend recruit participants; during the trial period, all expenses would be covered and each participant would receive lifelong insurance or something similar. You know how women are about their figures; even a slight imperfection can lead to judgment from others. No matter how beautiful your face is, for men, an attractive body outweighs a pretty face. Besides Xiaofeng and me, both Xia Yu and Rong Xiaoxiao were overweight. But Xiaofeng and I were very focused on body sculpting; we ate little and sometimes felt painfully hungry. If there really was a pill that could keep us slim forever without dietary restrictions, it was incredibly tempting for us."
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