Chapter Thirty-Two: The Witch’s Hell Kitchen
After a long night of fun, it was time to indulge in some creepy development.
Finally back in front of the apartment building, Luxianbei let out a sigh of relief, and a thought popped into her mind.
Entering the apartment building, she chose not to take the elevator.
In the middle of the night, a girl with unusual hair color, carrying a bronze statue and dragging a large black suitcase, was indeed quite eye-catching.
Although the Siye Society might not pay close attention to Jingyi Apartment, it was best to be cautious just in case.
Pushing open the heavy iron door of the safety passage, the stale air mixed with dust rushed in.
Holding the Ming King statue in one hand and the suitcase in the other, Luxianbei carefully entered, quietly closing the door behind her to avoid making any noise.
Climbing the stairs, taking advantage of the quiet, she began to analyze her experiences from tonight.
The hidden descriptions in the séance game tonight felt deeply sinister.
From similar descriptions, I could sense that they referred to a secret yet powerful urban legend.
Tonight, I disrupted its ritual; its absence doesn’t mean it won’t keep an eye on me now. I need to find a way to quickly uncover its origins and prepare for what’s to come.
It’s a pity that my authority within the Siye Society is too low; otherwise, I could directly search for related records in the society, which would make things much easier.
I wonder how I can turn my temporary work into a permanent position and become a formal agent of the Siye Society?
The mysterious girl before had told me to avoid conflict with the Siye Society if I wanted to live, but she didn’t say I couldn’t join, right?
If I can’t beat them, it’s reasonable to join, right?
Although the people in the Siye Society are a bit abnormal, they wouldn’t go as far as to k*ll their own kind, would they?
While pondering this, Luxianbei let time slip by unknowingly, and when she came back to her senses and looked up, she realized she had already reached the floor of her apartment.
She pushed open the iron door of the safety passage, walked through the corridor, and entered the password to unlock her door.
“Creak—!”
With a slight sound, the security door opened a crack in the darkness, and immediately Luxianbei heard a commotion coming from inside the house.
“Hurry up! That woman is back, stop messing around, and clean up quickly! Eye, why are you dazing off? If she sees you, she’ll be angry again!”
“I’m not afraid of her! I was born free, who dares to look down on me!”
“Freedom is a false proposition; since the moment you entered this world, your fate has already been determined—either by succumbing to reason or bound by the law. Even if you d*e to escape the shackles of life, there are still stronger chains awaiting you!”
“False Teeth, you’re starting again, aren’t you? Don’t think acting deep here will exempt you from cleaning! Now, take this stick in your mouth! Then go stir the spider web in the corner.”
Luxianbei, “…”
Listening to the commotion in the apartment, she paused at the door, waiting for those little creatures in the house to finish tidying up.
She could almost foresee what kind of scene she would encounter upon entering, so she decided to wait a bit longer. Out of sight, out of mind—to avoid unnecessary anger.
After the bizarre ritual and hearing those maddening calls, she felt a bit off.
It was as if the demon sleeping within her had been awakened, and her mind was filled with violent thoughts.
Though this abnormal state was still within her control, she could not guarantee she would manage her emotions if provoked.
After a few minutes, when the noise inside the house gradually quieted down, she slowly pushed the door open.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a terrifying figure.
“Welcome back, great Witch!”
A one-eyed figure, hair disheveled, with white teeth, wearing a flowing white dress—an amalgamation of various urban legends stood at the entrance in a bowing greeting, making the entire apartment feel eerily ominous.
After a moment of acceleration, the atmosphere gradually calmed down.
Luxianbei stole a glance at the figure hovering in mid-air, seemingly on the verge of falling apart. She, carrying the Ming King statue and dragging the suitcase, walked directly into the apartment.
d*mn, is this what you call a welcome? Anyone not in the know would think you’re setting a trap for me!
I detest this formalism!
It’s so creepy…
Seeing Luxianbei enter, the gathered urban legends fell silent, their fear palpable as a wave of oppressive low pressure filled the room, making them shrink into the corners and only show their eerie shadows.
Luxianbei walked to the center of the living room, with a thud, she placed the suitcase on the coffee table and turned to beckon the hidden urban legends in the dark corner.
“Come here, I have something to ask you.”
The urban legends, “…”
What’s going on? The atmosphere feels a bit off.
We cleaned up well, there isn’t a single hair left; what could she be dissatisfied with?
Could it be that she didn’t succeed in her hunt tonight and is planning to randomly pick a lucky companion to become a meal?
After some contemplation, the urban legends all turned to look at Eye.
“You, why are you looking at me?”
“Sorry, Brother Eye, as the saying goes, ‘If a friend dies, the path must be cleared for the monk. We must put your contribution to use!’” Mafun said seriously. “In the years to come, we will remember your contributions.”
“Some urban legends are born great and d*e glorious; Brother Eye, fare thee well. In the afterlife, let’s drink to our remembrance,” False Teeth lamented.
“Eye, I’ve actually always… I’m sorry…” Sleep Dress stammered.
Luxianbei, “…” Hey! Don’t say ambiguous things like that just before someone dies! It puts psychological pressure on the deceased!
After hearing her companions’ words, Eye felt something was off about the atmosphere. As they encroached upon it, it suddenly let out a terrified scream.
“Don’t come near me!”
“…” Luxianbei looked expressionlessly at the group of urban legends tangled in the corner, a moment of silence following.
It seemed that they weren’t just a bunch of joyful goofballs but also highly dramatic in their thoughts!
“Whoosh—!”
Just when Luxianbei was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a swoosh as something cut through the air, flying straight towards her. Reacting reflexively, she reached out and felt a slippery, moist sensation in her palm, as if it were alive, struggling and wriggling.
“d*mn you, bastards!” Eye cursed.
Luxianbei slightly parted her lips, “You…”
“Shut up, you shameless beast! You can do whatever you want; if I frown, it counts as me being soft!”
But, you don’t even have brows to frown! Luxianbei thought to herself and continued, “I was just wondering who among you knows the correct way to consume the core of the urban legend.”
Eye wriggled a bit but didn’t make another sound.
Who would want to d*e if they could live?
“Bang—Squeak—!”
Seeing Eye quieting down obediently, Luxianbei turned around, lifted the suitcase onto the coffee table, and unzipped it.
As the suitcase opened slightly, a faint scent of bl**d mixed with charred flesh wafted out, and a wave of sinister spirit energy fluctuations spread, causing the urban legends to gasp in shock.
Although the spirit energy fluctuations coming from the suitcase were much weaker than when Luxianbei released her own, they still brought a significant sense of oppression to these lesser urban legends.
“Cough, cough!” Luxianbei cleared her throat, “So, who knows how to eat this?”
Though the cores of the urban legends looked thoroughly cooked, their exterior still resembled synthetic leather and textiles, making them unappetizing.
“……” The urban legends fell silent.
“Just eat it; it’s definitely eatable!” Mafun broke the silence first, “I swear on my character.”
“When I was wandering outside, I witnessed a mountain ghost devouring a cat demon; it was truly a sight to behold! It swallowed the entire thing—bones and skin—without leaving a scrap!”
“Rough!” False Teeth said, “Though I’m not well-read, I’ve heard secrets about high-level urban legends; I heard they consume them by sucking!”
“s*ck?” Luxianbei frowned, “How do you s*ck? What part do you s*ck?”
“o*al apparatus!” False Teeth replied with certainty.
Luxianbei, “??? ”
The high-level urban legends you’re talking about must be a completely different species from me. They’re probably far removed enough to be reproductively isolated.
Look at me; where would I find an o*al apparatus suitable for sucking?
After some inquiries, Luxianbei seemed to understand something. She swept her gaze across the urban legends and said blandly, “Don’t tell me none of you have ever consumed the core of an urban legend?”
“……” The urban legends exchanged glances, engulfed in another round of silence.
How could a bunch of lesser urban legends have the opportunity to consume the core of an urban legend?
Not being devoured by other urban legends was already considered good luck.
“Kuku—!” Eye suddenly let out a low chuckle, “Hehe, I knew this little sprite would ask such questions! Why didn’t you ask me instead?”
Luxianbei squinted at Eye, testing, “Have you ever consumed it?”
“No!”
I knew it! Luxianbei thought expressionlessly, landing a punch on Eye, then instructed the other terrified urban legends, “Hold it down; don’t let it escape.”
“I have some experiments I’d like to conduct!”
Since she couldn’t get useful information from these guys, she could only consume it directly.
However, to be safe, she needed to first determine how much was a safe amount to consume.
Although Luxianbei suspected that consuming the core of an urban legend directly might have some side effects, discussing toxicity without considering the dosage was just playing with fire. Even cyanide, when the dose is low enough, cannot harm a person, right?
In any case, it’s better to be a bit cautious about this matter.
While contemplating, Luxianbei picked up a charred humanoid figure and turned towards the kitchen.
Hearing this, the urban legends panicked. Though Luxianbei’s target was Eye, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of sympathy for a fallen comrade. However…
Under the ** duress, they hesitated for only a few seconds before happily choosing to betray their teammate.
……
In the kitchen, accompanied by a series of clattering sounds, Luxianbei rummaged through the cabinets to find her family’s ancestral set of kitchen knives.
All the knives were stored in a brown leather case—three knives in total: a slicing kn*fe, a carving kn*fe, and a chef’s kn*fe, almost capable of handling any Chinese dish.
Since Luxianbei’s accident and hospitalization, she hadn’t touched these knives for nearly two years, but to her surprise, these long-sealed knives showed no signs of rust.
Could it be that these knives are truly the divine weapons my father spoke of?
Just as this thought crossed Luxianbei’s mind, she quickly negated it herself.
Pah! How is that possible!?
He’s just a novelist; what does he know about divine weapons?
If my family’s ancestral knives were divine weapons, wouldn’t our ancestral chromosomes be even more powerful?
Luxianbei thought, gripping the handle of the chef’s kn*fe, her gaze sharpening as she pressed down on the core of the urban legend with one hand while drawing the kn*fe to slice.
“Clang—!”
“Let’s smash some garlic and make a cold dish?” Luxianbei murmured to herself, while the urban legends watching her slice the core of the urban legend in half felt a chill run down their spines.
It… was that easy to cut through? A kn*fe that can easily slice through the core of an urban legend means it can also easily k*ll urban legends, right?
Watching Luxianbei gradually cut the core of the urban legend into small pieces, they immediately realized that the kitchen was no longer a kitchen but a hell for urban legends.
