Chapter 136: The Divine Meal of the Malevolent God
“Lu Qingyi, Lu Qingyi!”
A soft calling sound reached Lu Xibei’s ears, and the bustling scene before her instantly vanished, leaving only the dilapidated appearance of the three-story building she had first seen.
Following the voice, she looked at the girl standing at the front door of the building, hands on her hips, pouting as she said, “Hurry up and come in! What are you standing there for?”
“I’m telling you! Standing by the roadside like you were just now is very dangerous…”
As the girl chattered away to herself, she pushed the door open and turned to walk into the ancient three-story building.
Should she go in or not? Lu Xibei hesitated for a few seconds as she looked at the girl’s back before finally stepping forward to follow her.
Yumen Pass was rife with danger. Staying close to a Siye Society guardian, while not necessarily the safest option, was certainly much safer than wandering alone outside.
Unless this guardian was actually a counterfeit from an urban legend within Yumen Pass; in that case, even if she wanted to sneak away, she would probably be caught.
Moreover, from what the girl had said earlier, it seemed she had entered Yumen Pass much earlier than its gates had opened, meaning she likely had a certain understanding of the situation inside.
If she could quickly familiarize herself with the circumstances in Yumen Pass through her, it would facilitate future actions, Lu Xibei thought.
Crossing through the building’s main entrance, the light dimmed before her.
Navigating around the silk-screened partition at the front door, once her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see the interior of the room, Lu Xibei was slightly taken aback.
Unlike the desolate exterior of the building, everything inside maintained the appearance of centuries past.
In the main hall, the crimson pillars loomed high, adorned at both ends with gold threads depicting cloud patterns, immortals, and bats. The deep brown tables and chairs were arranged harmoniously in the vast space, almost brand new, as if guests had never left.
Directly opposite the main entrance stood a stage, covered with a bright-coloured, exotic-patterned carpet, which brought to mind scenes of beautiful dancers performing the Hu Xuan dance.
Time seemed to have stopped here; even the lingering scent of wine and perfume in the air had not dissipated. It was unknown where the singers and dancers who once thrived here had gone.
Flourishing and desolation coalesced into a strikingly contrasting image under an unknown force.
Seeing this, Lu Xibei couldn’t help but ask the girl, “Elder sister, is this place… really safe? I feel like something’s not quite right!”
The girl tilted her head, wearing an “I understand” expression, and waved her hand, saying, “I know what you’re thinking. Actually, when I first discovered this place, I thought something was off too and was worried that there might be some terrifying existence hidden inside.”
“However, since I found this place, I’ve been living here for more than half a month now without any issues. So it should be safe.”
“Don’t worry! Even if there is a hidden threat, I can keep you safe.”
Under the girl’s guidance, Lu Xibei climbed the stairs on the east side of the main hall up to the third floor. After walking through a short hallway adorned with paintings, vases, and potted plants, they arrived in front of several black-painted doors.
The girl stopped at the door, turned around, and flashed a bright smile at Lu Xibei. “These rooms are probably where the singers and dancers used to stay. Most of the stuff inside is new, so choose a room!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xibei momentarily stunned, snapped back to reality, and boldly said, “Can I stay in a room with you?”
“Uh, we’re all girls here, so it’s not inconvenient to stay together. It’ll be good to look out for each other!”
“Besides, you can even tell me about the situation in Yumen Pass, right?”
“…”
While she couldn’t remember how many times she had used this excuse, it worked, so why bother questioning it?
Honestly, this place looked eerie, and if it weren’t for this guardian’s company, she wouldn’t have entered at all; since she was in, she might as well stay with her!
Even if she accidentally saw something inappropriate, it would be a future problem when the girl wanted to k*ll her after they got out. For now, holding on tightly was the priority. Lu Xibei thought.
“Ah…” The girl visibly froze for a moment, scratching the back of her head and saying, “If you don’t mind, I don’t have a problem with you staying together. The next room is vacant and has sheets and quilts, just grab them yourself.”
“Based on my experience, it’s best to find a place to rest at night in Yumen Pass. If you want to do something, wait until daytime.”
“Yumen Pass was originally built on the frontier to suppress a large divine realm that sought to invade the Central Plains. Even without its master, at nighttime, the core that maintains the operation of the divine realm and various solidified spell formulas still take effect, suppressing the spirit energy flow of all spiritual ability users and urban legends inside the city.”
Lu Xibei, “….” There’s actually such a thing? Why did I not feel anything? But it’s nice to finally hear something useful after following her for so long.
In deep thought, she asked, “But elder sister, why did those shadows earlier seem unaffected by the suppression? They looked quite lively to me.”
Could it be I am in the same category as those ghostly things? That doesn’t make sense!
The girl pouted, “Who knows? Maybe they’ve been in this damned place too long and have adapted? It’s like other animals can’t get used to the filth of a dung pit, but the bugs born in it can thrive like fish in water.”
After a pause, she added, “By the way, when I said daytime and nighttime, it refers to the outside time. You can’t feel the change of light inside Yumen Pass; you can only roughly estimate it through the intensity of spirit energy fluctuations.”
“In short, odd things abound in Yumen Pass. When you come back later, I will slowly tell you. For now, go grab a pillow and quilt, okay? I’ll lie down for a bit; call for me when you’re back.”
With that, the girl pushed open the door in front of her and stepped inside.
“Okay!” Lu Xibei replied, took a couple of steps forward, and pushed open the next door.
Once inside the room, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Upon finding the bed, she jogged over, grabbed the pillow and quilt, and started to head out.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, focusing on the task at hand, as she had resolved before entering.
However, as she passed by the bedside vanity, perhaps catching a glimpse of the exquisitely made jewelry or being attracted by the scent wafting from the slightly open makeup box, or maybe in this intensely nerve-wracking environment, noticing a mirror and instinctively wanting to check…
In any case, her gaze inadvertently swept past the bronze mirror on the vanity.
Then… she saw the reflection of the room in the mirror.
Red ochre pillars, layers of differently colored, cloud-like curtains, a screen embroidered with orchids, and paintings of landscapes… The room reflected in the mirror was almost identical to the one outside.
The only difference was that Lu Xibei saw her own reflection in the mirror, with a pair of little feet floating above her head, wearing pink embroidered shoes adorned with mandarin ducks and butterflies.
It was as though someone had hanged themselves there, their feet just dangling three inches above her head.
In the past, upon seeing such a sight, Lu Xibei would have been scared enough to scream, then bombard the ceiling with Zhipianxian, causing it to collapse.
But now, the lingering warmth of human life still surrounded her; she wouldn’t feel fear in this situation.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t feel fear, but the fear that arose in her heart disappeared as quickly as it had come, like being blown away by the wind.
Seeing this scene, she merely raised her hand to touch the top of her head and entered a brief period of self-questioning.
Did she touch something?
No!
Even if there were urban legends or the like, did it attack me?
No!
Since it didn’t attack me, does that mean it has no malice?
At least not for now.
Thinking of this, Lu Xibei shrugged and silently placed the pillow and quilt back on the bed, saying, “Sorry for intruding!” before leisurely leaving the room.
Even if that thing hadn’t attacked her, she felt that taking someone else’s belongings freely might lead to retaliation, and that was uncertain.
In fact, not having a quilt or pillow wasn’t a problem at all; squeezing in with the girl was fine. If worse came to worst, she could just stay awake all night.
Lu Xibei, oh Lu Xibei, you’ve really changed, to the point that it frightens me!
In such a haunted place, seeing that kind of sight, her first thought was about observing and not disturbing the urban legend, which was far better than having something unseen scheming in the dark.
At this rate, she would end up getting herself killed!
After a round of self-criticism in her mind, Lu Xibei returned to the door of the girl’s room.
As soon as she pushed the door open, she heard a series of intermittent snores.
A bad premonition slowly arose in her heart. She closed the door behind her, quickly walked to the bed, and found the girl.
As expected, the girl was already asleep.
She lay sprawled in a big “person” shape on the bed, her quilt pushed aside, and her abdomen rose and fell gently with her breath. With each rise and fall, the terrifying penetrating wound on her abdomen visibly healed at a rapid pace.
After a few breaths, the originally bloody wound stopped bleeding.
It was as if sleeping was her way of healing.
However… in such a haunted place, she really could fall asleep!
“d*mn! Just like that? You’re a pig?” Lu Xibei observed for a moment, confirming that the girl was truly fast asleep, and muttered a curse in a low voice, “Seriously, weren’t you supposed to tell me about the situation inside Yumen Pass? Planning to send me a dream to explain?”
After complaining, she glanced around, found an armchair, moved it over to the bedside, sat down, leaned back in the chair, and closed her eyes to rest.
The world seemed to quiet down at once, leaving only the girl’s intermittent snoring in her ears.
In this silence, Lu Xibei’s thoughts started to turn involuntarily.
Looks like she would have to wait for her to wake up to ask about the situation in Yumen Pass.
Tsk, who knows how long she plans to sleep? Will Water Brother encounter danger during all this time?
Oh yes, and what about the Miracle Cult members and the half-urban legend tribe? They might have entered Yumen Pass ahead of me; I wonder how they are doing… Lu Xibei thought.
————
Meanwhile, near the city gate of Yumen Pass.
In the dark and cramped space, a man struggled to suppress but could not control his increasingly heavy breathing, bl**d pouring from the penetrating wound on his thigh, flooding his nostrils with a foul smell, causing dizziness.
He wanted to vomit but dared not open his mouth.
He felt his o*al cavity and even his entire digestive tract occupied by some viscous substance, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he would end up like his recently deceased companions, having his insides torn from his mouth down to his abdomen.
It was some kind of urban legend melted into the air, trying to search for something from their bodies, like a child delightedly unboxing beautifully crafted gifts on the first day of the lunar New Year, only to end up in a panic after finding nothing and tearing apart the “packaging” in frustration.
“Ah—! Don’t come closer, don’t come closer!”
“Help, help!”
“Miracle, miracle…”
In the unseen corners, the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves echoed in succession, merging into a desperate cacophony that drowned out the ancient, dilapidated streets.
Perhaps another person had died, whether from the Miracle Cult or the half-urban legend tribe, it was uncertain…
One after another, one after another…
Like dead grass knocked down by the wind, the man thought.
If he could choose again, he would never participate in this operation.
Though he believed in the fragrant Guardian Flower, which protects every Miracle Cult member at all times, the facts also proved that as long as one firmly believed in the blooming of the Guardian Flower, everything would work itself out.
Just like the Miracle Cult members, braving the ancient crossbow maintained by solidified spell formulas on the city wall of Yumen Pass, yet still, nearly half of the members successfully passed through the gate and entered Yumen Pass.
But unfortunately, less than ten minutes after entering Yumen Pass, he realized it was an abandoned land, a place where even the radiance of the Guardian Flower could not illuminate…
The man felt that if he survived, those ten minutes of experience would undoubtedly become a nightmare he could never shake off.
In this place, it was filled with urban legends that defied common sense and cognition…
No, perhaps it would be more fitting to describe them as malevolent gods.
They had insatiable, insatiably greedy appetites for food, without wisdom, without humanity, only driven by hunger.
It was as if all urban legends and spiritual ability users entering Yumen Pass were merely food, and this vast Yumen Pass was their dining table…
No one could escape their hunt!
Everything had already ended, the man thought, as he slowly closed his eyes.
Then, the sound of flesh being torn apart echoed abruptly in the darkness.
