**Chapter 38: Cohabitation**
Holding the potion crafted by Gu Qiqi, Luxianbei walked to the end of the night market and stopped.
He silently recited to himself, “Among this batch of potions, is there at least one that could be harmful to me, with the front being yes and the back being no?” He pulled out a copper coin from his pocket and tossed it into the air.
“Cling——!”
“Snap!”
As the coin spun in mid-air, Luxianbei, who had already predicted its fall, reached out and caught it.
“Tsk! Is there really a hygiene issue? Tsk! I was thinking of having her confess herself.”
Unexpectedly, her character was so solid.
If it were me, I would have disclosed my bank card password and even my deepest, darkest secrets long ago.
Luxianbei thought to himself, turned around, and glanced toward the direction where Gu Qiqi was in the night market. After a brief consideration, he tossed the coin into the air again.
“Cling——!”
The coin spun in mid-air, reflecting the metallic sheen around.
Luxianbei stared at the coin, not waiting for his eyes to heat up and make a prediction; he abruptly extended his hand and grasped the coin tightly.
He intended to divine whether Gu Qiqi intended to harm him, but at the moment he tossed the coin, he suddenly didn’t want to know the answer.
Tsk, such things are unreliable, totally unreliable.
If a person’s good or bad must be determined through divination, wouldn’t I turn into a copper coin myself?
Luxianbei self-deprecatingly put the coin back in his pocket, then opened the small box that held the potions, took out the harmless ones, placed them in his backpack, and then closed the lid again.
The safe potions, I’ll consume myself if necessary; as for the problematic ones…
I’ll find an opportunity to let the enemy try them out and see what side effects they actually have, Luxianbei thought.
————
By the time Luxianbei returned to the apartment, it was nearly midnight. He took out his key, opened the door, and was greeted by a pitch-black living room.
“I’m back! Is anyone home?”
He called out lightly a couple of times, but no one responded.
Jumeng wasn’t home playing games, and the little urban legends around the house seemed to have gone somewhere. The whole place was eerily quiet, reminiscent of the time when he had just moved in after leaving Water Brother’s home.
Luxianbei rubbed his hair, turned around, and walked upstairs, throwing himself onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his heart.
Isn’t Stinky Sister’s injury still not fully healed?
What was she running out to do at this late hour?
If her injury was fine, why was she still lingering in my house?
————
In the early hours.
In the small garden on the top floor of the library at Huacheng University, flowers quietly bloomed under the night sky.
A girl sat on the fence, her legs dangling outside, and through a fierce mask, her large eyes gazed at the moon in the sky, softly humming an ancient tune.
After a long time.
A faint sound of footsteps emerged from the corner of the garden, and a figure slowly materialized from the shadows, approaching her and bowing slightly.
“You’ve come? What’s the rush? You’re not trying to urge me to help you find that mythological species urban legend, are you?”
Jumeng said, pouting a bit.
“It’s been so long with no clues. I reckon she might have already left Huacheng.”
“That’s not it. You misunderstood,” Lin Yiqi shook her head and said, “After all this time, I’m not as hung up on that matter anymore.”
Even if I find her, beating her up wouldn’t bring me any substantial benefits, Lin Yiqi thought.
“That won’t do!” Jumeng swung her fists a couple of times, sternly declaring, “If I, Jumeng, say I’m going to smack someone, then I definitely will!”
“Don’t worry, before I leave, if I can find her, I’ll definitely help you take revenge!”
“…” Lin Yiqi fell silent for a moment, then nodded, “Then thank you in advance.”
“Actually, I came to find you today to tell you that if possible, it’s best to leave Huacheng as soon as possible,” Lin Yiqi’s tone suddenly changed.
Jumeng tilted her head, a hint of confusion crossing her eyes, “Why do you say that all of a sudden? Haven’t I been good about not asking you for offerings lately?”
After all, the food at Luxianbei’s place is pretty good… Jumeng mused.
Lin Yiqi once again bowed slightly to Jumeng, explaining, “I’m not advising you to go back for that reason.”
“You’ve been busy with love lately…”
“Mm?” Jumeng frowned and made a nasal sound.
“Uh, fishing for guys?”
“You think I’m you?”
“Then is it… developing followers?” Lin Yiqi weakly suggested.
Recalling her daily interactions with Luxianbei, Jumeng wrinkled her nose and said, “I guess you could say that? That guy really relies on me a lot!”
Lin Yiqi, “…”
Why is there a hint of affection and pride in her words?
Forget it, this doesn’t concern me.
“You’ve been staying indoors lately, so you probably haven’t noticed. Huacheng has been a bit unsettled during this time. Not long ago, I prayed to Lady Zigu and…”
“What? You’re going to that dirty fellow again?” Jumeng interrupted.
“After all, I’m one of her devotees, right?” Lin Yiqi smiled bitterly, “When you’re not around, I have to rely on her to ensure my safety and the children’s safety.”
“…”
Jumeng was silent for a moment, shrugged noncommittally, “You can keep talking.”
“When I prayed, Lady Zigu told me that urban legends in the vicinity are starting to converge on Huacheng. It’s likely…”
Upon hearing this, Jumeng squinted, interjecting, “Is some urban legend trying to organize a Hundred Demons Walk?”
“Mm.” Lin Yiqi nodded, “After all, Huacheng’s ley lines haven’t had a master for a long time.”
“Mm…” Jumeng rested her chin on her hands, pondering for a moment, “If that’s really the case, it could be troublesome, but there’s nothing to fear.”
Nothing to fear? Lin Yiqi slightly parted her lips, just about to say something when she suddenly remembered something and hesitated.
Although trying to take over an area through a Hundred Demons Walk is akin to declaring war on all the urban legends within that area, making it a highly dangerous endeavor.
However, Jumeng has already done this three times when expanding Peach Source territory, each time thoroughly annihilating any legends attempting to resist.
So, a Hundred Demons Walk may not be a big deal for her.
Still, she can’t just interfere with it, right? Lin Yiqi thought, considering that more than half of her strength must remain with the great tree in Peach Source, deterring mischief.
Otherwise…
If she were out having a blast and turned back only to find the base crystal taken apart, that would be too embarrassing.
“Alright!”
Just as Lin Yiqi was deep in thought, Jumeng jumped down from the fence, walked beside her, and patted her shoulder, “I get it now, thanks for the reminder. It’s good that I treated you well!”
“However, preparing for a Hundred Demons Walk takes a lot of time, so it shouldn’t be coming anytime soon. I should head back to Peach Source first before then.”
“Also, a Hundred Demons Walk is a clash of deities; mortals suffer. You’d best not join in the fun. If you accidentally get caught up in it, with your abilities, there might not even be left a scrap of bone.”
“Mm.” Lin Yiqi nodded, “I understand.”
Seeing this, Jumeng shrugged, a burst of green light suddenly surged around her body, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed into a shiny magpie, flapping her wings, preparing to fly off when she seemingly remembered something, circled in mid-air, and landed on Lin Yiqi’s shoulder.
“By the way, when you have time, go back and visit your grandma! She’s been missing you. Also, don’t bring that ghost child; your grandma doesn’t like that thing.”
After saying this, she flapped her wings, soared into the air, and quickly disappeared into the night.
————
At midnight.
On the rooftop of Building 3 of the Jingyi Apartment Complex, several bizarre figures gathered, appearing as if haunted.
They were the various urban legends residing in Luxianbei’s home.
A coat lightly floated from a dark corner, shaking its pockets at the urban legends. “Crash!” With a sound, a dozen or so urban legend cores the size of rice spilled onto the ground.
It was the first time it had participated in “conquering territories” with the urban legends, successfully destroying a nest of shadow monsters concealed in an abandoned parking lot near the Jingyi Apartment.
Those shadow monsters, with spirit energy levels barely reaching D-Rank, were no match for the coat, lasting less than half an hour before the few lucky survivors scattered in flight.
While the other little urban legends stared hungrily at the cores on the ground, Mafun stepped up and cleared its throat, saying, “Ahem! Before we feast, I’d like to say a few words.”
“Hunting shadow monsters is our team’s first grand victory after the triumph over cockroaches and snails!”
“And again, we are…”
“Whoosh——!”
“Ah——!”
Before Mafun could finish speaking, a shadow flew in from the side, knocking it off the rooftop railing with a chilling scream that faded into the distance.
“You’re too talkative!”
“Although the organization’s name is made up of different parts from everyone, how can you finish it every single time; who can stand that?”
The Eye swore as it called the other urban legends to gather around the urban legend cores on the ground.
“Ignore it, let’s eat, let’s eat!”
As it spoke, its round body extended a few bl**d-red tendrils from the center.
Accompanied by a sound reminiscent of flesh squirming, it split into five petals, revealing a multitude of sharp teeth and extending several oddly shaped tendrils that coiled at the ground, consuming three of the urban legend cores.
Seeing Eye eating, the other urban legends also revealed their grim faces and began to feast.
For a moment, on the rooftop of Building 3 of the Jingyi Apartment Complex, cold winds surged, strange lights flickered, and the faint sounds of chewing mixed with the noises of flesh squirming were heard non-stop.
That eerie scene resembled a chilling illustration of a hideous beast consuming its prey.
After a long while.
“Burp——!”
The Eye, full after eating, let out a long belch and then mumbled, “Hmm, I feel like we are strong enough now. How about…”
“Shall we organize a Hundred Demons Walk? Take Huacheng in one go?”
Upon hearing this, its friends were immediately frozen in place, even forgetting to swallow the urban legend cores in their mouths.
“…”
A D-Rank urban legend actually dared to say it wanted to dominate Huacheng?
Had it perhaps swallowed a Liang Jingru?
What difference was there between this behavior and a child who had just graduated from kindergarten wanting to dominate Lily of the Valley High? the urban legends thought.
“Is there something wrong with what I said? Even if we can’t, we represent that woman, right?”
The urban legends, “…”
It seems to make a bit of sense?
So, with the tacit approval of the other urban legends, the Eye boldly stepped firmly onto the path of its own demise, aiming for a higher, larger, and stronger direction.
————
The next day, at five thirty-seven in the afternoon.
The autumn rain brought a touch of chill, silently drifting down like silkworms spinning silk, densely weaving under the canopy, while the misty rain draped over the entire city.
In a book bar across the street from Happy Neighborhood, a blonde girl in a leather jacket, exuding a rogue charm, sat by the window.
The rain continued to fall, condensation forming on the window, and the girl traced peculiar, disordered lines of unclear meaning on the glass.
Once she finished drawing, it became clear that it depicted a “One Bamboo” Mahjong tile.
Jiang Li was grateful that she had arrived early at the book bar across from Happy Neighborhood, avoiding a fate plagued by the damp chill.
Perhaps because she had been taken by the Solar Eclipse Society on such a day when she was little, she had always disliked this kind of wet and humid weather that wouldn’t even let her clothes dry.
Then, thinking of a certain undelivered message, her heart grew even heavier.
She had promised to meet in the afternoon, but several hours had passed without a glimpse of the person’s shadow. Even social media had been set to do not disturb mode.
If it weren’t for the fact she had already claimed the reward on the urban legend chat software site, she would have started to think that perhaps out of fear of potential dangers inside Happy Neighborhood, they had fled at the last minute.
Staring blankly out the window, as the sky darkened, she finally retracted her gaze and resumed reading the half-finished book “A Farewell to Arms.”
It’s a long novel by the renowned writer Hemingway.
The protagonist of the novel is a deserter.
Holding the book, Jiang Li had barely read a little when she heard footsteps approaching, and upon looking up, she saw the soaked white-haired girl with a guitar bag, casually sitting across from her.
“Sorry, I’m late. I went to practice at the cultural center and hit some traffic on the way.”
“…”
Jiang Li stared at Luxianbei for several seconds in silence before calmly stating, “According to Huacheng’s drainage system and traffic conditions, in routes within five kilometers in the urban area, average traffic congestion should not exceed twenty minutes, yet you are three hours late.”
“Isn’t that bad luck? On my way here, I hit red lights at every intersection and crosswalk, and there were even old ladies crossing the road, making the fare over ten yuan more than normal; it’s simply magical.”
Jiang Li fell silent again, turning to look out the window, her eyes gazing at Happy Neighborhood, shrouded in the rain, softly saying, “At this time today, it’s probably too late to investigate.”
“Happy Neighborhood is off-limits to outsiders after eight o’clock; if it comes down to it…”
“Thwack!”
Before Jiang Li could finish, she was interrupted by a light sound as Luxianbei pulled something from his bag and slapped it on the table.
“Who said we’re outsiders? We’re residents now, okay?”
Didn’t she just rent a place in Happy Neighborhood? That’s what she had been doing these past days. However… Jiang Li looked at the housing contract on the table, tilting her head in confusion, “We?”
“Of course!” Luxianbei pointed at Jiang Li with one hand and himself with the other, seriously stating, “It’s just you and me. Didn’t you propose that we should accomplish this bounty together?”
“If we aren’t living together, how can we investigate in depth? Logically, all the abnormal phenomena in Happy Neighborhood happen to the residents, right? How can we investigate without cohabiting?”
Though it seemed somewhat reasonable, Jiang Li wrinkled her brow, “I think it’s not very convenient.”
“I’m a girl, and you are too. What’s inconvenient about that? Is there a chance I can eat you?” Luxianbei retorted, “Or do you have any secrets you shouldn’t let out?”
“Isn’t that you who has secrets?”
“What secrets could I possibly have?” Luxianbei puffed up his chest and threw a flirtatious glance at Jiang Li, “I’m just an ordinary girl!”
“…”
Jiang Li maintained a stiff face, looking at Luxianbei and then down at herself, the differences between them starkly apparent, and she silently pulled up the zipper of her clothing.
The thought of the girl in front of her, who oozed more femininity than herself and was highly likely to be her unreliable subordinate, made her feel that this whole situation was absurd.
How could she manage to be this casual, this skilled?
Didn’t she ever feel any shame?
“Even if we’re going to live together, we should at least check what the room is like before making plans, right?”
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Li conceded.
She felt that insisting too much at this time might make her seem suspicious, and it might even lead to her identity being exposed earlier than Luxianbei’s.
If that happened, wouldn’t she lose?
“I looked at it yesterday. It’s nothing special; just that someone died there not long ago. You’ll see when you go there later.” Luxianbei said nonchalantly.
Jiang Li, “…”
————
Due to the rain, there were very few pedestrians in the neighborhood, and not long after the two entered Happy Neighborhood, they found themselves the only ones left.
Looking around, the residential area was quite large, with twelve buildings standing in a circular formation, some lights twinkling intermittently, creating an uncanny text that made the buildings look like tombstones filled with writings.
Standing beneath the buildings and looking up gave an uncomfortable feeling, as if the buildings might collapse at any moment, burying everything within the community.
The night wind, carrying raindrops, shook the plants, and the branches rustled; this seemingly warm and harmonious neighborhood concealed an unsettling aura that even the keenest senses struggled to detect.
It felt like an unseen, ferocious beast slumbering just out of sight, poised to awaken and lead the whole community towards an unpredictable, terrifying end.
Within the neighborhood, Luxianbei seemed to sense something, exchanging a knowing glance with Jiang Li: it seems there truly is a problem!
Jiang Li nodded in understanding, responding with her eyes: I feel it too!
Then.
The two almost simultaneously exchanged glances: let’s go, we’ll discuss it back home!
————
When Jiang Li followed Luxianbei to the rented property, she realized she had been tricked—Luxianbei’s rental was a boutique studio, consisting of one room, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom.
Standing in the living room, Jiang Li’s face looked as if it were about to drip with water.
How can we sleep with only one bed?
Was Luxianbei trying to take the opportunity to do something strange?
Seemingly sensing that Jiang Li’s expression was somewhat off, Luxianbei hurriedly explained, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sleep with you.”
Jiang Li squinted her eyes, “…”
That sounds odd, carrying a hint of a cover-up.
“Uh.” Luxianbei paused, reaffirming, “In fact, I didn’t plan on sleeping at night.”
“Then what are you planning on doing?”
“I want to go outside for a walk and see if the residents of Happy Neighborhood are as friendly as rumored.”
As he spoke, Luxianbei set down his guitar bag and pulled out a brand new suona, turning to walk outside.
Jiang Li, “???”
