Chapter Fifteen: The Return of Twilight
The Workers’ Gymnasium located on the southern edge of Huacheng city has been around for over thirty years.
The basketball court, football field, swimming pool, and various food stalls and hotpot restaurants surrounding the venue have long been rooted in the childhood and youth memories of many.
However.
People’s nature has always been to tire of the old and welcome the new, and whether to cling to the past is merely a personal choice.
Since five years ago, when the Urban Sports Stadium was completed in the Huacheng New District boasting newer hardware, more expansive space, and better surrounding facilities, the only thing that people still talked about here was its cheap fees.
And that sole advantage faded away almost a year ago with the permanent closure of the swimming pool.
Now, apart from the elderly living nearby who come for morning exercises, very few people visit this place.
The Workers’ Gymnasium, much like many of the older buildings in a city, is gradually being forgotten, with the various food stalls that appeared alongside it sporting signs announcing “Shop for Rent” or painted boldly with the word “Demolition” in bright crimson.
Perhaps one day, someone who has left unforgettable memories here might suddenly think of it, return to reminisce about the past, only to find that not even a trace of ruins can be found.
At 4:14 AM, near the Workers’ Gymnasium.
A somewhat shabby small delivery truck slowly drove through the entrance of the Workers’ Gymnasium, proceeding along the main road and after traversing half the venue, suddenly turned onto a side road leading to the swimming pool.
The Workers’ Gymnasium backs onto a dilapidated shantytown that is now gradually being demolished without any new construction, and that area has become desolate, devoid of any light.
The swimming pool is sandwiched between the gymnasium and the wasteland, with only a slightly narrow old cement road cutting through a small grove, directly leading to the swimming pool entrance.
As the small truck drove along the cement road, it was flanked by uniquely shaped trees, some bushes having grown onto the road, scraping against the vehicle like sharp claws, making a faint crunching sound.
Soon, the swimming pool of the Workers’ Gymnasium appeared at the end of the road.
The swimming pool was the first facility among the Workers’ Gymnasium to close, with the official reason being that the water purification equipment had aged, and after multiple water quality tests were found to be unsatisfactory.
But.
Those in the know understand that the real situation is far from that; there is definitely some unspeakable secret hidden behind that seemingly reasonable explanation.
After all, simply failing water quality tests wouldn’t require blocking the road to the swimming pool or putting up barbed wire on its walls.
Rumors have long circulated that the true reason for the swimming pool’s closure was negligence in management, leading to the drowning of a girl inside, who then turned into a water ghost, dragging others with her.
Even a long-term morning exercise participant claimed that on overcast mornings, at dawn, they had heard the weeping of a girl coming from the direction of the swimming pool, and when they followed the sound, they saw a figure wandering in the empty, dirty open-air swimming pool.
If it weren’t for the old man’s good health and kind heart, otherwise seeing such a scene might have made him collapse on the ground, perhaps demanding a hefty sum from the gymnasium.
But if the gymnasium were extorted, it could only swallow its anger because there truly are urban legends existing in the swimming pool, so they would have to spend money to ward off disaster.
However.
That money wouldn’t come from the gymnasium, but from the Siye Society.
After all, if it weren’t for the Siye Society hunting urban legends nearby, causing the lingering spirit energy fluctuations to generate a series of bizarre phenomena, the swimming pool could have at least survived a few more summers.
This was the place where Jiang Li hunted Mu Se (Female) almost a year ago.
————
The small truck stopped in front of the swimming pool, and soon several men exited the vehicle, led by Li Tanghan and his father’s confidant, Cai Jin.
They were to conduct a transaction here tonight, a trade involving spirit energy items.
Although the location chosen by the client was somewhat remote and bizarre, having conducted countless similar transactions, they weren’t worried about being blackmailed.
The patronage of the Haze God could ensure the fairness of their trades most of the time.
————
“Bang—!”
Li Tanghan slammed the truck door shut, glancing around the environment with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
If it weren’t for his mistake last time, his old man wouldn’t have sent him here to atone; he probably would never come to this ghostly place.
Is this a place for people? No wonder it’s haunted!
Moreover, to add insult to injury, he had to come here with Cai Jin…
Li Tanghan thought, stealing a sharp glance at Cai Jin directing bodyguards to unload cargo a short distance away, silently spitting.
He had never liked this guy; after all, his old man trusted him far too much, almost like a biological son.
If it weren’t for Li Shunian frequently assigning important tasks to Cai Jin without granting him any financial authority, Li Tanghan would suspect that Cai Jin was his old man’s illegitimate son.
“Be careful, lift it gently, just like that!”
Cai Jin directed the bodyguards to carry a large wooden box down from the truck, then retrieved an object wrapped tightly in black cloth from inside. Judging from its outline, it seemed like a floor mirror.
Seeing the item pulled from the truck, Li Tanghan’s eyes lit up.
He has always had a keen interest in spirit energy items, and the collection in the underground vault of the Hongshan villa was almost entirely gathered out of his own fascination.
However, those collections of his were indeed equivalent to junk compared to the spirit energy items his old man flipped behind his back.
At this moment, seeing the treasure, Li Tanghan couldn’t help but approach Cai Jin curiously, asking, “Is that the mirror used by Mu Se? Can I take a look?”
Cai Jin glanced at Li Tanghan, who was half a head shorter than him, and coldly replied, “I advise you not to do that. It carries the lingering spirit energy of Mu Se.”
“Pfft, of course I know that; it’s just that someone saw Mu Se’s reflection in the mirror while looking into it, right?” Li Tanghan dismissed.
“But she was killed by that girl from the Siye Society long ago, wasn’t she?”
As soon as Li Tanghan’s voice fell, he realized he had misspoken.
In a daze, he felt a pair of resentful eyes glaring at him fiercely, a chilling sensation lingering on his back as if someone icy was pressing against him.
Seeing that Li Tanghan had fallen silent, Cai Jin cast him a sidelong glance and sneered silently, tossing him a pair of wire cutters.
“Although the boss said you just need to observe, if you’re really free, you can help by cutting the locks and barbed wire.”
After finishing, Cai Jin ignored whether Li Tanghan agreed and turned back to direct the bodyguards to move the cargo.
Li Tanghan looked at the wire cutters in his hand, then at Cai Jin’s departing figure. Coming back to his senses, he spat and mumbled something quietly while walking toward the barbed wire surrounding the swimming pool.
A few minutes later.
Li Tanghan’s bodyguards were carrying the black cloth-wrapped floor mirror into the swimming pool.
As they stepped into the swimming pool, the temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.
The Workers’ Gymnasium swimming pool is open-air, and its smooth floor, covered in dust after abandonment, is littered with leaves blown in by the wind, which, after rotting in the damp environment, had transformed into clumps of black viscous substance, giving off a strange odor.
The empty pool’s drainage system seemed blocked, with foul-smelling dirty water accumulated at the bottom, riddled with pits, and a bright silver longsword was plunged into the center of the pool, reflecting the moonlight as if suppressing something terrifying.
Just looking at those profound cracks and pits, along with the nearly buried longsword, one could imagine a brutal battle had taken place here.
As Li Tanghan’s group carried the floor mirror into the swimming pool, seven figures cloaked in black robes and wearing masks were already waiting at the edge of the pool.
Li Tanghan looked at the figures; even though their bodies and faces were masked, they still made him feel uncomfortable and unwilling to approach.
So, he stopped in his tracks at the entrance of the swimming pool, watching from a distance as Cai Jin and the bodyguards presented the floor mirror to those figures.
After a brief negotiation, the leading figure gestured to another figure beside him, who then retrieved a black package from a nearby corner and handed it to Cai Jin.
“Pleasure doing business. Here’s my business card; feel free to contact me if needed.”
Li Tanghan vaguely heard Cai Jin say this to the leading figure, handing over a business card, and then he watched as Cai Jin led the group of bodyguards back toward the exit.
“…”
Is that it? Is the transaction complete? It didn’t seem too difficult!
d*mn, just this little matter, and my old man says for me to learn well from Cai.
Isn’t it just doing this task; what’s there to learn?
Before visually confirming it, Li Tanghan had always thought the spirit energy item transaction scene his old man described as highly dangerous must be a constant balancing act where buyers and sellers were always vying against each other.
But now…
This™ is no different from a vegetable market! Li Tanghan complained inwardly, and just then, Cai Jin brushed past him.
Watching Cai Jin’s back as he left the swimming pool, Li Tanghan rolled his eyes and muttered in a voice only he could hear, “Tsks, you just did this little bit of work; what’s there to be so proud about?”
With that, he followed the others and sluggishly got back into the truck.
The small truck slowly drove away from the swimming pool, entering the cement road surrounded by dense woods, gradually fading into the distance.
Sitting in the truck, Li Tanghan quietly contemplated how to explain to his old man that he should complete a transaction alone next time when suddenly, Cai Jin beside him tapped the back seat of the driver’s seat and said in a serious tone, “You can stop here.”
As the words fell, the bodyguard driving nodded slightly and parked the truck by the roadside.
Immediately, Cai Jin opened the door and got out, turning back toward the swimming pool.
Wasn’t the trade already completed? Why go back? Li Tanghan froze for a moment, then after some thought, he opened the truck door and followed after him.
Cai Jin walked along the leaf-strewn path, hearing footsteps behind him; he glanced back without showing any intention of stopping Li Tanghan…
————
Meanwhile, inside the swimming pool.
In the filthy pool’s center stood an ancient, rusty floor mirror; the mirror’s smooth surface, however, reflected not a single scene around it, instead enveloping it in darkness.
In the myriad of swirling dark energy, one could vaguely see a woman with long hair cascading down, slender and holding a strange allure, sitting deep within the mirror, facing away from its surface.
At the ancient mirror’s front, seven masked black-robed figures knelt orderly around the mirror, carefully stacking various alchemical materials around it while softly chanting.
“The shadow chased by the madman, wandering in the twilight of the fallen, stepping upon the beautiful bright red river…”
As whispers echoed in the pool, the woman deep within the mirror vanished, and the darkness within deepened further.
Gradually, vague transparent forms that were hard to describe began to emerge around the mirror, brightly colored yet overlapping, with a pale rust-color mist spreading in all directions.
“Bang—!”
Suddenly, the mirror was forcefully struck by something, producing a muffled sound as the floor mirror shook violently.
A pale, twisted-faced woman surfaced from the darkness in a contorted and eerie pose, pressing against the mirror, her bulging eyes narrowing to pinpoint red pupils filled with malice as they peered outward.
In the next instant, a scream erupted, sharper than weeping and more piercing than shrill howls.
“Ah—!”
Amid the terrifying and disorienting scream, the black cat’s fur, the mottled rabbit tail, unknown flowers, top-grade amethyst, and an astonishing number of Primordial Spirits… all the alchemical materials twisted into countless fragments in an instant.
The black-robed figures surrounding the mirror trembled slightly, bl**d seeping from their ears, while the leading figure, seemingly responding to the inherent question in the scream, said solemnly, “This is a transaction…”
“We will awaken you, complete your shortcomings, and in return, you will lead this Hundred Demons Walk. This transaction is a win-win situation.” the black-robed figure continued.
The scream slightly diminished but continued, clearly dissatisfied with such an answer.
“As one of Huacheng’s most powerful urban legends, you deserve this land, and the only price you need to pay is to become a vassal of my master.” the black-robed figure continued.
As the words fell, the terrifying scream suddenly ceased.
The transaction was established!
The ancient floor mirror suddenly seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, crashing down violently onto the ground, shattering into countless pieces without making a sound, as if it melted into the stagnant water at the bottom of the pool.
“Glug—glug—!”
In the silence, a light sound of liquid churning echoed out; bubbles surged from what seemed like the long-blocked drain, then burst, spreading strands of crimson bl**d.
Seeing this, the black-robed figures exchanged glances and rapidly retreated toward the edge of the pool.
In the next moment, the stinking fresh bl**d gushed forth from the drain as if it were boiling, as if a major artery had been severed, quickly filling the entire pool.
The dark red liquid rippled in the pool, seemingly alive, exuding vitality.
A powerful life force.
The dense stench of bl**d spread.
Almost as the bl**d filled the pool, a surging cold wind howled through, instantly enveloping the black-robed figures, dispersing them chaotically and almost lifting them off the ground.
Within the roaring wind seemed to mix some mysterious whispers, sweeping past their ears: weeping, wailing, cursing…
Then, in an instant, all sounds came to a halt, plunging the swimming pool into a dead silence.
“Splash—!”
Accompanied by a thick sound of water, a stunning face slowly emerged from beneath the bl**d, eyes wide open, then extending both arms toward the sky.
Then, the bl**d in the center of the pool began to recede.
Thus, twilight returned.
A slender, enchanting figure emerged, entirely n*ked in the center of the pool, apparently indifferent to the surrounding gazes as she freely showcased her alluring form, her white skin seemingly bathed in moonlight, scarlet droplets cascading down her skin and long hair without leaving a trace.
“Jiang Li…”
At the moment the bl**d in the pool completely receded, the woman’s ruby lips parted, uttering two words, and then her eyes narrowed in thought.
She would forever remember that girl who disguised herself as a potential spirit energy user, using her as bait.
It was that girl who lured her step by step into the trap, leading to her encirclement and d*ath here.
If this Hundred Demons Walk succeeded, and she became the King of Urban Legends in Huacheng, the first thing she would do is to take Jiang Li as her vassal, enduring eternal torment.
In contemplation, she grasped the longsword that had once pierced her chest, exerted force, crushing it, sending silver shards glowing with pale blue light flying in all directions…
————
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In a luxurious casino of unknown location, inside a traditionally decorated private room.
At the mahjong table, Jiang Li’s face suddenly turned pale, feeling a rush of bl**d and a metallic taste flooding her mouth.
Through blurry vision, she played a two-character tile, and immediately heard the three peculiar-looking individuals at the table shout in unison.
“Hu!”
“Pure Seven Pair!”
“Dark Seven Pair!”
“Dragon Seven Pair!”
“Pay up—!”
“…” Jiang Li remained silent, gritting her teeth as she pushed nearly all the chips she had accumulated over the past two days onto the table, then taking the last remaining chip worth “5”, threw it down saying, “I’m done!” and got up, leaving the private room.
As Jiang Li stepped out, Ahua, who had been waiting outside for some time, hurried over. Seeing her pale complexion, she anxiously asked, “Miss, what happened?”
Lost?
But that shouldn’t be possible!
Even if those three urban legends were triplets and shared a psychic connection, it wouldn’t be enough to win against my mistress! Ahua thought indignantly.
“Nothing, someone just awakened Mu Se…”
While speaking, she tightened her grip on the chips in her hand and walked towards a nearby Texas Hold’em table.
“Let’s go, Ahua, we’ll start over.”
Ahua, “…”
Although Jiang Li appeared indifferent, looking at her back, Ahua couldn’t help but feel a wave of worry.
When they had slain Mu Se, Jiang Li had deliberately dispelled some spirit energy to prevent her from reviving in a short period.
Now that Mu Se has been awakened, surely the mistress must be injured, right?
Is it really okay for her to continue gambling while injured? Ahua thought anxiously.
(EMMM, I’m a bit unwell today; I wrote slowly, and just finished now, sorry everyone.)
