Chapter 64: Are the Master and the Sword Both Betrayers?
A blue and a red flow of light, containing the powers of flood and fire, intertwined and collided under the ceiling, instantly tearing apart the tentacles attacking Jiang Li, as steam condensed into droplets that fell, resembling a light rain.
Seeing that the effect of the spell was substantial even though the amplification was less than double, Luxianbei couldn’t help but softly praise, “Whoa! The ancestor’s spell is impressive!”
Initially, when Qing Ji taught her the “Flowing Bell Fire Devouring,” he claimed it was a simplified version of the “Four Beasts Bright Sky Cannon.”
Having experienced the simplified proxy play in her youth, Luxianbei felt uneasy hearing such claims, so she didn’t have high expectations for this spell at first.
It’s like drawing cards; the higher the expectations, the quicker the disappointment.
However, while Luxianbei was casting the spell with a mindset of wishing for a blue sky and white clouds, she was pleasantly surprised to find that what she got was a golden epic, which made her extremely happy.
The light cast by the “Flowing Bell Fire Devouring” clashed above Jiang Li’s head. In that moment, she used the spell to clear a path among the tangled tentacles, lowered her body, and with a push of her toes, glided smoothly across the ground, swiftly retrieving the guitar bag.
At that moment, she got a brief interval and threw a meaningful glance at Luxianbei.
Why would a ghost tale use the precise spell of the Siye Society?
Moreover, who taught her the spell…?
Luxianbei’s spell wasn’t a commonly used one by the Siye Society.
In fact, just like mathematical equations, which can yield a unique solution through different methods, theoretically, the same kind of spell could exist in various casting methods.
“Dim sky, cold wind rises, blowing apart the cloud curtain, snow stretching for thousands of feet. North wind, white snow!”
Just as Jiang Li was momentarily dazed, an overwhelming coldness suddenly enveloped her surroundings, and in the blink of an eye, a fierce wind howled, carrying powdery ice crystals that rushed past her.
Those powders expanded upon contact with her pale tentacles, transforming into waves of ice-blue, sweeping outward.
“The North Wind and White Snow,” another spell recorded by the Siye Society, was cast by Luxianbei in a different incantation method.
Jiang Li dodged the sweeping tentacles overhead, lunging forward a few steps. When she steadied herself, she looked at Luxianbei, tilting her head, her big eyes filled with greater confusion.
“…”
Don’t look at me like that!
After all, drawing cards is something which, once you’ve got the goods, how could you possibly stop easily?
Unable to stop, wanting to flaunt the good card she drew…
Such is human nature!
Luxianbei thought to herself, expressionless, shrugging her shoulders, pointing to the guitar bag beside her.
“Buzz——!”
Just as Jiang Li successfully obtained the guitar bag and was about to turn back, a terrifying buzzing suddenly exploded in the surrounding space.
The ghost tale residing in the Happy Neighborhood initially appeared as if wandering in a half-asleep state, so all its attacks were instinctual.
However, after Luxianbei had repeatedly cast spells to block its attacks, it awakened!
The surrounding candle flames extinguished with a shriek, and the area suddenly darkened, enveloping the entire space in profound abyssal aura.
With the shriek, a suffocating smoke spread, filling the air with countless pale, cold, airy tentacles that lightly danced, resembling sleeves of costumes blown by the wind.
They surged toward Luxianbei and Jiang Li, like a amorous snake swarm, twisting and piling together, almost instantly surrounding them.
As that muffled sound gradually sharpened and became terrifying, Luxianbei felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her head, her body stiffening as she was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness with bizarre illusions flashing before her eyes.
In her daze, she seemed to see a young boy standing on the street of Jin Guan City, that was the seventeen-year-old Luxianbei.
He was discussing with his father which internet café to go to that night to play games, as if the proposal to rush to the next attraction had never been brought up.
The next day, in the city outside the internet café, the sun rose as usual.
Thus, his life was rebooted.
In the days that followed, he entered the Chinese Language Department at Huacheng University as guided by his father, almost failing in his first year.
It wasn’t that he didn’t study seriously, but that the professor named Ma was too strict, causing many in the class to fail.
Everyone secretly complained that Professor Ma was unreasonable, but no one interacted with him too much, and so when he mysteriously disappeared while pushing forward a research project, no one cared.
Although university life turned out to be a bit duller than Luxianbei imagined, it wasn’t too unbearable, except for staying up late playing games, which got him red-eye at one point.
On the day he went to the doctor, he took a taxi home; as they slowly drove through the streets, he saw in the distance an inconspicuous corner where a person wearing a rabbit mask was continuously ignored by passing pedestrians, looking somewhat pitiful.
Luxianbei couldn’t help but say to the taxi driver, “People nowadays really have it hard, handing out flyers in the sweltering heat and no one takes one.”
The taxi driver glanced outside, paused for a moment, then looked at Luxianbei strangely and said, “Yeah, it’s pretty tough.”
The following days were unremarkable.
Classes, exams, playing games, and before long, graduation season crept up on him.
Luxianbei graduated smoothly, Lu Ming also lifted his burdens, and one day he threw him a line, “Xiao Bei, you’ve grown up, it’s time for me to pursue the life I want!”
And he disappeared into the sunset with Water Brother, leaving Luxianbei feeling a chill in his heart.
In the days that followed, he ran the restaurant his father left behind. Relying on the inherited skills, the business thrived, and in just two years, he saved some money, and plans for renovating and expanding the restaurant were soon underway.
Business was booming, but Luxianbei’s life remained plain, like a bowl of clear water.
The only ripple in that bowl was the girl who came every night without fail since he took over the restaurant, eating a bowl of instant noodles.
Though she had a disabled leg and always used a cane, she was truly gentle and beautiful, and she would compliment Luxianbei as the “prince of Mudan Street.”
Finally, on the evening of the restaurant’s closing for renovation, Luxianbei saw her preparing to leave with a disappointed look at the “Closed Notice,” gathered his courage, and holding a bowl of instant noodles along with a ring box, walked up to her.
“Jiang Li, I have something to tell you…”
“I’m willing.”
From that day on, it was a long time of companionship until old age.
————
Pale tentacles entwined around Luxianbei’s head, crawling as if searching for a soft place to take root.
The air holes on the tentacles opened and closed, producing sharp sounds akin to a string instrument, crafting beautiful dreams that violently intruded into her mind, continuously disturbing her thoughts.
Amidst those disruptive sounds, though there were no concrete words, they incessantly conveyed an extremely tempting message to her—Do you want such a life? Offer up your remaining years, and I will give it to you.
“Remaining years are so long… Moreover, I didn’t particularly like that dream you just showed me!” Luxianbei mumbled, swaying as if drunk, her gaze hazy.
The ghost tale, “…”
Not liking it is not a problem; among your countless life possibilities, there will always be one that you absolutely adore.
It will be found, and you will sink into it to achieve happiness.
Just like all the people here.
————
In the night, the last ray of light.
Unbeknownst to when, people began to refer to Huacheng as such, claiming it was because a single guardian ghost tale resided there.
Du Sixian sold off the dozen or so already uninhabited properties at a low price to earn a chance to follow the cargo transport team to Huacheng.
However, less than a hundred kilometers away from Huacheng, the convoy was attacked by ghost tales, scattering the entire team, leaving their whereabouts unknown.
At that moment, she and the last remaining driver were driving the final truck, racing desperately along the long-abandoned highway.
Outside the window, chilling cries continuously sounded, and the dense fog ahead seemed impossible to escape.
“Bang——!”
Suddenly, something exploded in the valley ahead, producing a loud noise.
The next moment, dazzling red flames shot up from the valley, trailing long tails as they fell toward the dark ground below.
Du Sixian’s eyes widened, fixated on that dazzling brilliance; through the rain and fog, she caught a glimpse of a figure that looked like a fallen sun, getting closer.
It was a petite red-haired girl.
In an instant, the red-haired girl landed on the road ahead, swinging her long kn*fe in a fierce motion, emitting a dazzling light.
Under that light, the heavy truck appeared to fall apart, shattering inch by inch. The slicing wind and scattering metal shrapnel blinded Du Sixian.
In the darkness, she felt herself falling into a warm and solid embrace.
After a long time, when she opened her eyes, she saw the expressionless young boy.
The boy gently said to her, “Miss, you are safe now. Welcome to the ‘Last Ray of Light in the Night’; I am the master here.”
————
At Mudan Street, inside the Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, in the control room, Luxianbei was shouting into the microphone.
“Internal broadcast of the Siye Society, internal broadcast of the Siye Society—!”
“I, the legendary son of Lu Ming, Luxianbei, have won the championship in the 13th National Spirit Energy Exchange Competition.”
“To thank everyone for their continuous support, let’s have dinner together tonight!”
“I’ll be cooking myself!”
————
As the sun set, on the tower of Mudan Street.
Nanling Yaohua turned her back to Luxianbei, choking back tears, and said, “Do you know, I don’t want to marry him, I just want to be with you!”
“……” Luxianbei looked at her back and nodded, “Alright, then I will elope with you!”
As soon as those words fell, footsteps hurriedly approached from the stairs of the tower. Turning to look, he saw Jumeng and Gu Qiqi rushing over.
Seeing this scene, Jumeng pulled Gu Qiqi, who was about to step forward, and whispered, “Let’s go, we’ve come at the wrong time.”
“No! You guys came at the right time!” Luxianbei turned and shouted at the two, then mischievously spread his arms and walked toward them.
————
The ghost tale continued analyzing Luxianbei’s life possibilities, searching for the route that satisfied her the most.
Gradually, its greyish-white swollen body started to spasm uncontrollably, flickering between the real and the unreal.
It didn’t know what it had mistakenly glimpsed.
It only knew that it had never seen someone with so many varied possibilities in life.
In the past, when it influenced other residents of the Happy Neighborhood, based on everyone’s key life nodes and choices, there were at most a thousand possibilities.
After filtering out the unfortunate options, truly satisfying and fulfilling lives typically had less than a hundred outcomes.
But this guy…
The life nodes exceeded normal limits, merely the good endings exceeded a thousand kinds.
Moreover, it did not understand how such a person burdened with misfortune could have so many bad endings, the proportion of which was hundreds of times that of a normal person, and as in-depth analysis continued, the quantity further increased.
There were countless terrifying, desolate, heart-wrenching, world-ending, and even endings that it could not comprehend, touch, or analyze, with overwhelming information that nearly threatened to overwhelm its core existence.
Its core was already near collapse, but once this process began, it could not stop. An arrow on the string must be loosed, and it could only hold on.
At that moment, it suddenly saw that in Luxianbei’s life branches, an ending emerged where she fought and perished alongside a certain high-tier ghost tale.
And that ghost tale was the “benefactor” that helped it strengthen its core and gain power, allowing it to bring “happiness” to more people!
Why did this happen?
The core of the ghost tale trembled, spirit energy swirling chaotically. In the shock and bewilderment, the high-pitched, piercing sound of the string instrument vanished for a moment.
Controlled by the pale tentacles, Luxianbei also twisted her body at the same time, as if she was about to awaken.
In a moment of panic, the ghost tale was about to play the string instrument again when suddenly the mournful sound of a two-stringed instrument began, playing a piece titled “Good Fortune Comes.”
The music flooded her ears, disrupting the sound of the string instrument. Luxianbei’s body trembled slightly, and the next moment, her dazed eyes gradually returned to clarity.
Collecting herself, she followed the direction of the music, and saw Jiang Li, clad in dazzling silver armor, standing amidst the wildly dancing pale tentacles, playing the two-stringed instrument and raising an eyebrow at her.
“Could it be? [Heart gesture]”
Luxianbei nodded.
“A little understanding! [Heart gesture]”
Seeing this, Jiang Li furrowed her brow slightly, and during the pause in the music, she lightly kicked the suona beside her foot toward her.
Luxianbei reached out and caught the suona that flew toward her, looked at Jiang Li, slightly nodded, silently took out her round-framed sunglasses, put them on, and then slowly brought the suona to her lips, taking a deep breath.
“Doo——!”
As soon as the first note was blown, the penetrating sound instantly spread throughout the space like a flowing stream.
The melodies of the suona and the two-stringed instrument surged together, peacefully like spring water, calming all spirits.
Just listening quietly, one could faintly feel as if it was bringing the long-suffering dead to the liberation they deserved.
The ghost tale’s body, entrenched in the vast space, ceased its squirming.
Although she didn’t know the principle of how the ghost tale’s movements were suppressed by the music, seeing its effectiveness, Luxianbei felt thrilled and sent a gaze toward Jiang Li.
“Change the song?”
Jiang Li rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Can’t help you.”
Thus, Luxianbei suddenly blew a long note, then switched the melody from “Good Fortune Comes” to “Requiem.”
“……”
Jiang Li fell silent for two seconds, silently sighed, and fell into rhythm with Luxianbei.
In the music of their duet, the countless pale, cold tentacles tightened more and more, and the once enormous grayish-white body that almost filled the entire activity center shrank down to a fraction of its size.
The shriveling tentacles took root in the heads of the wandering residents of the Happy Neighborhood, suspending them in mid-air, swaying like fruit.
Nameless wooden gravestones trembled, colliding together, producing muffled sounds as a large amount of thick smoke surged forth from their skeletal bodies.
The lingering resentful spirits wandering failed to disperse, weaving through the smoke, wailing, crying, and growling, tinting the nearby area with a grayish-white and oppressive color.
Seeing that the ghost’s actions were completely suppressed, Luxianbei glanced at Jiang Li, preparing to signal her to start acting and k*ll the ghost, only to see her lower her two-stringed instrument, lightly flick her wrist, and with a flash of deep blue light, a long kn*fe appeared in her hand.
In the next moment, Jiang Li stepped forward, leaped into the air, accompanied by a shadow of a centaur with white hair gliding behind her, her hand lifted the kn*fe, and a blue shimmer flowed on the silver blade.
“Ding——!”
Just as the blade was less than an inch away from the ghost’s body, a sound of metal clashing suddenly echoed.
A broken sword appeared out of nowhere under Jiang Li’s kn*fe, creating invisible ripples from the point of impact.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she rotated her wrist, trying to change direction to strike again at the ghost, but the broken sword preemptively blocked her.
She recognized that broken sword; it was Luxianbei’s, which she had seen when opening the guitar bag earlier.
In surprise, she turned her head to look at Luxianbei and shot her a questioning look.
“Care to explain? What’s going on?”
Luxianbei, bewildered, glanced between the ancient sword and Jiang Li, vigorously shaking her head.
“I don’t know! Did it betray us?”
Jiang Li facepalmed, “……”
The master and the sword are both betrayers? I’m really exasperated. Betrayal at such a critical moment?
