Chapter 16: Unexpected Gains
At midnight, there were four minutes left until the time of Jiang Yuzhen’s reported m*rder spread around the campus.
The exact time of Jiang Yuzhen’s m*rder was now untraceable, and the security guard who found her body only knew it was roughly around midnight.
The time of 0:04 was likely added for dramatic effect by some student spreading the urban legend to make the story seem scarier.
With time passing, people began to believe it.
In fact, high-level urban legends, during the circulation of their tales, experience shifts in powers or degradation, resulting from such minor changes to the stories accumulating over time.
…
The night felt like a dying person, the cold wind like the last breath gasping out a murky sound from the throat.
At exactly midnight.
Jin Yecheng arrived at the midsection of Gate Four’s main pathway, next to a nearly collapsed bulletin board, looked around, squatted down, and took out a package containing incense and joss paper. He checked the time, holding a lighter, waiting for 0:04 to arrive.
The dim light of the screen illuminated his pale face, reflecting in his eyes as he stared at his phone, until the time displayed on the screen jumped to 0:04.
“Click… click…”
With two soft sounds, the lighter instantly burst into flames; the cold wind blew, flickering the flame as if it would extinguish at any moment.
Jin Yecheng raised a hand to shield the flame and cautiously approached the red candle inserted in the soil.
Then.
As if teasing him, the cold wind suddenly surged, “whoosh!” blowing away the yellow paper weighted down by stones, sending it flying everywhere and extinguishing the tiny flame of the lighter.
In the instant the surroundings plunged into darkness, a series of faint sounds entered Jin Yecheng’s ears.
“Rustle—rustle—!”
The sound came from the grass nearby.
On either side of Gate Four’s main pathway, there were patches of trees, planted with peach and pear trees, serving as one of the agricultural college’s experimental fields, with a gravel path running through them.
However, since urban legend incidents had emerged nearby, it quickly fell into disrepair.
Over time, the neglected peach and pear trees intertwined with wild grasses and flowers, wildly growing in the limited space, twisting their bodies into bizarre shapes.
The wild grasses were so dense that they could easily conceal something the size of a person, or even larger. Jin Yecheng thought.
He felt he was being watched by something.
“Whoosh—!”
Suddenly, about ten meters away from him, a shadow pushed aside the wild grass, bursting forth in a twisted form and landing steadily.
It was a girl dressed in a green long dress, her limbs twisted backward, lying on the ground, her neck torn at the throat, headless.
Seeing this scene, Jin Yecheng’s face turned pale instantly, his body numb, his chest heaving violently, and he erupted in a desperate scream.
“Ah! Ah—ah—! Jiang, Jiang Yuzhen, don’t come closer! It was Hu Chuan who harmed you, not me! Please spare me!?”
Indeed, he had come to seek Jiang Yuzhen’s forgiveness, but when the shadow of d*ath truly closed in, he could not face it calmly.
This was the instinct of biological survival!
The headless girl rapidly charged toward him, then paused slightly less than five meters away and darted into the small grove beside the road.
The figure was instantly swallowed by the tall grass…
————
On the other side.
After slipping into the grass, Luxianbei quietly observed that young man, stunned for a moment.
“Why does that person look familiar?”
“Wait… Goodness, isn’t that Jin Yecheng?”
“No wonder I sensed a familiar scent from him earlier; it turns out to be the smell leftover from the burning incense!”
However, even if he was an upperclassman, scaring him was still necessary. Otherwise, directly using charm ability to search memories would be too much for an ordinary person to handle.
Luxianbei thought, calming down slightly, and quickly began to ponder.
Students of Huacheng University, as well as nearby merchants and residents, all knew that Gate Four’s main pathway was haunted; no one came here during the day, let alone at night.
Risking being attacked by an urban legend, he had come here at midnight to burn incense and joss paper, and when frightened, shouted the senior’s name, uttering such words…
Didn’t this imply he was significantly connected to the senior’s d*ath and felt guilty because he knew certain hidden truths?
If that was the case, then he could not be overly frightened at once… Luxianbei thought.
The sudden surge of fear would explode in a person’s mind like a bomb, shattering their mental world into bits—at best causing fainting, at worst, driving one to insanity or even dying on the spot.
But it also made it impossible for Jin Yecheng to divulge everything he knew.
The cause of the decapitated senior’s d*ath remained a mystery.
Even the files related to the Siye Society simply recorded: [Died from an attack by an urban legend or spiritual ability user. Cause of d*ath: decapitation. Assailant: unknown.]
Sometimes, when Luxianbei thought of the decapitated senior, she felt quite sorry for her—getting involved with the wrong people was unfortunate enough, but even her d*ath was unclear, and she never planned to take revenge on the bitches and dogs that indirectly caused her d*ath.
All she knew was how to goof off with the urban legends on campus, occasionally hiding in a corner of a classroom to listen to lectures or sneak peeks at handsome boys in the boys’ shower. She had never done anything harmful.
The handsome boy, Luxianbei, looked at the decapitated senior’s foolish and pitiful state and once thought about helping her find her true killer.
However, after reviewing the Siye Society’s files, Luxianbei fell into silence.
Her situation seemed like that of a malicious criminal passing through a city, randomly murdering a girl who was out alone in the dead of night for some reason.
There was absolutely no way to investigate!
In Z Country, there were thousands of homicide cases each year, half of which were incidents involving urban legends or spiritual ability users.
Although this figure was still less than the data from most countries before night became longer, it did not provoke widespread panic.
However, isolating urban legend attack incidents from these astounding homicide numbers and finding the real murderer was still quite a headache for the Siye Society.
If the assailant also moved around and did not operate continuously, the difficulty would rise several levels.
Reality once made Luxianbei abandon the idea of helping the decapitated senior find her killer.
But now…
HELLO, BOY, WANNA PLAY A GAME!
Luxianbei gazed at the panicking Jin Yecheng, her eyes narrowing as a cold glint flashed in them.
Rest assured, senior, I will not harm your physical body until you fully disclose everything you know.
Even if you faint, I can find a way to revive you and keep you conscious. Luxianbei thought.
She had already tried it before; under the influence of the effect of [Royal Authority], even the mental shock equivalent to Wang Ying’s level could be withstood, let alone a bit of fright.
As long as she controlled the degree well, it would be fine as long as she didn’t scare Jin Yecheng to d*ath all at once.
Thus, Luxianbei focused her mind and began attempting to control that half of the “missing” Zhipianxian.
Soon she realized that perhaps because she had shifted from her previous casual mindset to a serious one, her control over that half of the missing Zhipianxian had greatly increased.
Then…
She looked down, the half Zhipianxian, arms bent back like an insect, crawled to her front, raising its severed neck that had a dark hole.
It seemed like it was looking at her, along with the head she held in her arms.
“…”
Alright, I may have been overthinking things.
Although it still moved in a bizarre manner, at least it wouldn’t run off anymore, right?
This was progress; progress was a good thing! Luxianbei thought.
————
Earlier, that headless figure briefly appeared and then vanished, failing to calm Jin Yecheng’s emotions. Instead, it made him even more anxious.
Preparing himself mentally, fear didn’t subside as expected; it was like a bomb strapped to his body that, after the fuse burned out, did not explode.
The fear that couldn’t be released brewed continuously in his heart, ultimately turning into a block of icy cold stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow, breathless, and bone-chilling.
The wind seemed to have grown stronger, tugging at the dense wild grass and branches, casting bizarre shadows.
The wind’s sound resembled a wolf howl, a woman weeping softly.
Jin Yecheng knew that shadow hadn’t gone far; it was lurking nearby.
He saw it!
He saw the shadow darting through the dense grass.
It sometimes seemed human, running on two legs; sometimes, it jumped like a zombie; sometimes, it moved on all fours like a beast, and sometimes it crawled quickly in twisted postures incomprehensible to humans.
“Ugh—!”
Suddenly, Jin Yecheng heard a cry, his body jolting.
“Ah! Ah—don’t come closer, don’t come closer!”
He uncontrollably screamed and rushed forward without a second thought.
This time, he heard clearly; it was definitely not the wind, but a woman’s cry.
That cry was a dry wail without tears, heavy, coarse, and tragic, like the sound of someone’s throat being slit, making one feel horrified.
Indeed, Jin Yecheng had come here burdened with guilt toward Jiang Yuzhen, longing for her forgiveness, and should have faced everything that might happen with calmness.
But when the shadow of d*ath completely enveloped a person, they became an animal.
Guilt, pain, fear… all emotions were trivial before the instinct to survive.
Perhaps that wasn’t Jiang Yuzhen at all, but rather the thing that killed Jiang Yuzhen! Jin Yecheng thought.
His mind was filled with scenes of that thing hunting him, ready to k*ll.
It would catch him as easily as grasping a chick, tearing his flesh bit by bit, consuming his brain, eye sockets, entrails, and finally chewing his bones to bits, sucking out every ounce of marrow!
————
“Run? Do you think you can get away? Even if Water Brother were here, he couldn’t escape today!” Luxianbei said fiercely as she watched Jin Yecheng flee in panic.
As she spoke, her thoughts shifted, and that half Zhipianxian suddenly soared, darting over the dense canopy of peach trees like a hawk, swiftly catching up to Jin Yecheng in an instant.
Then it passed over him, stopping three or four meters ahead, hooking its toes on a tree trunk, its body leaning forward as if swinging like in a game, “whoosh!” it flew out.
As that half Zhipianxian swept through the air, Jin Yecheng was fortunate enough to run right beneath it.
Thus, the torn neck brushed over his head as it instinctively grabbed his shoulders, locking his joints, and yanked upward!
“Riiiip—!”
With a crisp sound, the hands of that half Zhipianxian tore apart at the wrists, crashing down with Jin Yecheng.
“…”
Seeing this, Luxianbei, not far away, clicked her tongue expressionlessly and quietly approached.
EMMM, although there was a slight mishap, as long as the outcome isn’t affected, that’s good.
Now…
Therapeutic time begins!
Luxianbei thought as she quietly activated [Royal Authority], releasing a faint mental impact to keep Jin Yecheng alert and avoiding unconsciousness, while privately preparing a healing spell she had learned from Fu Xinyi.
Medic One Luxianbei, ready to go!
Luxianbei thought, tightly holding the head in her arms in a throwing posture and forcefully throwing it forward, watching as the head arced and landed, then, like an elastic ball, bouncing and rolling next to Jin Yecheng.
————
Feeling something pass by overhead, followed by his feet leaving the ground, then a heavy crash down.
After experiencing all of this, Jin Yecheng slumped to the ground, dazed for a while before regaining his senses.
Feeling the tight grip on his shoulder, he cautiously glanced sideways, and when he saw the severed hand gripping him tightly, his scalp tingled, quickly looking away.
“Creak… creak…” The soft sounds of swaying branches came from above.
Jin Yecheng swallowed hard, looking up; in an instant, the fear that had brewed in his heart for a long time exploded.
Above him, the “corpse” of the headless girl hung down, her toes hooked onto the treetop, directly suspended.
Her severed neck, a dark hole, looked like a huge, deep eye without whites, staring down as if to consume someone’s soul.
Jin Yecheng was frozen, like a clay statue, staring blankly upward.
Yet, in this state, he unexpectedly felt very clear-headed.
It was as if a strange power was stimulating his nerves, giving him strength.
Several times, when he felt he was about to faint, that power forcibly woke him up.
It felt as if they wouldn’t let him d*e, even if he wished to.
“Thump… thump… thump…”
A dull sound came from behind, like a ball bouncing.
Then Jin Yecheng saw a head roll to his side.
The head had pale long hair, the tips stained with some red, likely bl**d.
Amidst the disheveled hair, a pair of wide-open, lifeless eyes locked onto Jin Yecheng, and a raspy voice suddenly invaded his mind.
“Long time no see, Jin Yecheng, do you remember me?”
Hearing this, Jin Yecheng’s pupils constricted sharply, but surprisingly, he didn’t react excessively; he merely gave a weak smile and calmly said, “Jiang Yuzhen, have you come to get revenge on me?”
By this point, there was nothing left to fear!
“True, I shouldn’t have followed them that day; otherwise, it wouldn’t have… ”
Luxianbei, “…”
Did you take me for the senior?
Very well, that’s the effect I wanted!
His current state was just right; he wouldn’t turn into a mindless wreck on the spot, and he could easily be influenced by slight mental attacks. Luxianbei thought.
“Revenge? Heh, although those who disregard life do not deserve to have it, you are not the true murderer, right?”
“I… of course not.”
Pushed to the brink of a mental breakdown, Jin Yecheng seemed like a puppet on a string; influenced by the charm ability, he answered without hesitation.
“Oh? Then let me guess, the one who did it was Hu Chuan, right?”
“No, it wasn’t!” Jin Yecheng quickly explained.
“Shut up!”
The scream echoed loudly in his mind, cutting off his words.
“Even now, you still want to lie for Hu Chuan? Heh, perhaps I should start eating you from the tongue!”
“It wasn’t Hu Chuan, I swear! I can tell you everything!” Jin Yecheng said, his eyes vacant as if recalling something, then he muttered to himself.
“That day, after you left…”
Upon hearing the details of the senior’s scummy boyfriend and the green tea b*tch discussing finding someone to teach her a lesson, Luxianbei felt a surge of anger rising in her. The hands that had been resting on Jin Yecheng’s shoulders quietly climbed up to his neck, almost unable to suppress the impulse to snap it.
However, rationality told her that Jin Yecheng was at most an accomplice, and he hadn’t finished speaking.
Moreover, if she did k*ll him, Professor Ma would surely be heartbroken; the last time Lu Xu accidentally died during the urban legend incident, his hair turned significantly gray, and he aged a lot.
“You brought someone in? Who? Haha, do you think I would believe a trick like that?”
“An ugly guy, seems to be a wizard,” Jin Yecheng said.
Luxianbei, “…” A wizard? I’m a centaur knight! Are you scared or not?!
“His name… I think it was Zhang Shuo.”
“Wait! Who?” Luxianbei’s heart raced, letting out a startled cry.
She hadn’t expected such unexpected gains in helping the decapitated senior.
Like pulling an SSR on a tenfold draw while trying to pull an SR.
“Uh…” Seems her shout startled Jin Yecheng; he froze for a moment before explaining, “Actually, I’m not very sure; I just heard Hu Chuan call that guy Master Zhang, also called Brother Shuo. I guess his name is Zhang Shuo…”
Zhang Shuo, code name: Offering Plague, a high-ranking member of the Solar Eclipse Society, one of the killers involved in the attempt on Lu Ming’s life.
But was it really such a coincidence that it was the same person?
If so, an A+ level spiritual ability user coming to Huacheng could not possibly be just to k*ll the senior.
Then what was his true purpose? This matter was worth investigating!
Luxianbei thought, sharply questioning, “Tell me! Where is Hu Chuan now? Can you contact him?”
A spiritual ability user of Zhang Shuo’s level, Jin Yecheng likely couldn’t get in touch with him.
However, since that guy named Hu Chuan previously had interactions with him and could call him for help, he might be a good lead.
“This…” Jin Yecheng showed a troubled expression, “Cannot contact him. Ever since you were murdered, that guy has changed—he doesn’t even hang out with us anymore and keeps messing with things like Buddhism and Taoism. He’s probably afraid of your revenge, right?”
“We thought he was kind of creepy, so we gradually stopped playing with him, and soon our contact was cut off.”
Tsk, you just got murdered!
Luxianbei first controlled the head on the ground, glaring at Jin Yecheng fiercely before falling into deep thought.
He was so frightened and under the influence of the charm ability, he shouldn’t be lying.
Upon reflection, it wasn’t too difficult to find Hu Chuan; just needed to figure out how to check the school’s records, and if that doesn’t work, she could ask the Urban Legends Chat Group for assistance.
Since that’s the case…
“Alright, this is none of your business anymore. You can leave now!”
As she spoke, Luxianbei dissipated the charm ability and [Royal Authority] placed on Jin Yecheng, simultaneously releasing a healing spell from a distance onto him.
Jin Yecheng’s body softened, collapsing to the ground, and in his dazed state, he heard the voice ringing in his mind, expressing surprise.
“Ah? You’re actually letting me go?”
He suspected his ears were malfunctioning.
“What? If you don’t want to leave, I can also find a spot nearby to bury you, so you can be a ghost under a peach blossom tree,” Luxianbei said coldly.
Hearing this, Jin Yecheng’s eyes gradually regained their light as he rolled and crawled, hurriedly standing up and preparing to flee.
“Wait!” Luxianbei suddenly remembered something, calling out softly.
Jin Yecheng froze, turning around to look at the severed head on the ground, trembling and unable to move.
“Don’t think that being alive is a given; when you go back, you must pray daily for atonement, respect your teachers, and care for your juniors, especially care for your juniors. Help them with paperwork, serve them meals, answer roll calls, take notes, you know?”
“And you can only eat meat on Saturdays and Sundays, not allowed to play games, forbidden from watching adult films, no staying up late, no smoking or drinking, and exercise for two hours every day, read at least three books a month, and learn one new hobby a year—uh… uh… just like that!”
“I’ll be watching you at all times, and if you violate any rules, the consequences are on you.”
After hearing “Jiang Yuzhen” make the most outrageous demands in the fiercest tone, Jin Yecheng was dumbfounded.
What does she want to do?
Why does she want me to do these things? This doesn’t seem like revenge!
And…
“What am I supposed to pray for? Who am I praying to?”
“Oh, right! I forgot about that. Just…” Luxianbei thought for a moment, then earnestly said, “Pray according to the prayer I told you!”
“Listen carefully! From the fruitful progeny born from the Fushang Sacred Tree, the king of a thousand magpies, the challenger who refutes misfortune with wealth, the lord of the 800-mile Peach Spring, the master of fate and offspring, and the exalted being who excels at virtue for the people, your servant Jin Yecheng seeks your protection.”
“Just pray like this!”
Trust me, this prayer, combined with the previous requirements to improve yourself, will bring you good fortune until you can hardly take it. Luxianbei added inwardly.
“Scram, before I change my mind!”
Upon hearing this, Jin Yecheng felt as if he had received a great reprieve, using all fours to dash out toward the outside of Gate Four.
Luxianbei watched him leave from the shadows until his figure vanished from sight, then just as she was about to step out from her hiding place to collect the scattered parts of the paper Zhipianxian, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly came from the distance.
“Ah—!”
That seemed to be Jin Yecheng’s voice? Did he get silenced right after giving me the information? Luxianbei’s gaze sharpened.
