Chapter 12: Perfect Match, So Perfect!
In the master bedroom’s bathroom.
At the moment when Luxianbei caught the red thread connecting Jacob’s wrist, the wind outside suddenly grew exceptionally fierce.
The cold wind of early winter howled past, carrying the spirit energy fluctuations of urban legends, gradually taking away everyone’s body temperature while bringing waves of seemingly nonexistent cries.
Only at this moment did Yang Yi and his two companions, who were stunned by Jacob’s bizarre behavior, suddenly come to their senses and hurriedly retreat towards the bathroom exit in a panic.
Although they could not see the urban legend floating outside the window, they could hear it…
They heard the faint cries carried by the wind, sharp and thin, like a dying wild cat, whimpering while wandering in the wind.
That cry sent sharp pains through the parts connected by the red thread, the pain quickly spreading throughout their bodies, like being scraped by a kn*fe, making them roll on the ground in agony.
Combined with Jacob’s strange behavior a moment ago and his current unconscious state lying on the ground, Yang Yi and his companions’ remaining doubts about Luxianbei’s statement that the urban legend game had truly summoned an urban legend were instantly replaced by fear.
All they wanted now was to run; they didn’t care at all whether Luxianbei could solve the unseen urban legend.
In the blink of an eye, only Luxianbei, Du Sixian, and the unconscious Jacob remained in the master bedroom.
Meanwhile, the urban legend floating outside the window was gradually falling into a disadvantage in the tugging contest with Luxianbei over the red thread.
Then.
Suddenly it realized something, swung its sharp-clawed arm, and violently severed the red thread connected to its abdomen, accompanied by a shrill, painful scream, and turned to fly into the night sky.
Luxianbei, tugging at the red thread, suddenly lost strength, stumbling forward. After steadying himself, he instinctively took two steps forward to the windowsill, but upon seeing the twenty-story drop below, his heart tightened, and he silently retreated.
Though he had barely grasped the technique of short-distance flight while practicing swordplay with Qing Ji in his dreams, he hadn’t had the chance to try it in reality.
Moreover, even short-distance flight relied on the premise of being urban legend-ified.
Hearing the crying sound outside gradually fade away, he looked at the tiny black dot that was the urban legend boy and then cast his gaze to the red thread in his hand, which was gradually dissipating, focusing his eyes.
Want to run?
Fall into the hands of the Siye Society’s elder, can you escape?
You think you’re me?
He muttered inwardly, turning to say something to Du Sixian, but found she was already prepared first.
An Qing’s training for Du Sixian had some effect after all.
Although she had been startled into a daze when following Luxianbei and seeing the urban legend outside the window, as soon as she sensed the urban legend was about to flee, she forced down her fear, stabilized her mind, and took out a disposable spirit energy item that the Siye Society used to track urban legend spirit energy fluctuations — the Thousand Night Barn Owl.
It was a palm-sized, white paper owl adorned with golden powder, and upon closer inspection, those golden specks turned out to be tiny and intricate incantations.
According to legend, the Thousand Night Barn Owl could track urban legends for up to a thousand and one nights, depending on the user’s spirit ability.
When Luxianbei learned of this spooky tool’s existence, he had been relieved that on the night he devoured the Witch’s egg, due to the sudden situation, no one had brought along a disposable spirit energy item.
Otherwise, as a fugitive urban legend after becoming a witch, he might have been caught and imprisoned, or perhaps even had attempted to fly out of the asylum a few times.
However, another reason why no one had brought the Thousand Night Barn Owl was likely that there simply weren’t many.
After all, this item was not easy to make, and the allotment given to each agent was limited; main agents received three each month, while proxy agents like Luxianbei and non-main agents like Du Sixian only got one.
After Du Sixian infused spirit energy into the Thousand Night Barn Owl, the tiny golden characters on the paper owl lit up completely.
When Luxianbei approached and brought the broken red thread into contact with the paper owl, it vibrated twice, accompanied by a sound that resembled pages flipping, “swish, swish,” before suddenly splitting into three.
Following this, with a cry, one paper owl flapped its wings and transformed into a slender white shadow, swiftly flying after the direction the urban legend had escaped.
The other two hovered in front of Luxianbei and Du Sixian, their heads pointing toward the direction of the flying paper owl and occasionally adjusting their angles.
Luxianbei held the paper owl with both hands and infused it with spirit energy again to make it split further, turning to Du Sixian and said, “I’m going to chase after the urban legend; you stay here to handle those three who just ran away and notify the Special Action Team’s older brothers to finish up here quickly and come support me.”
After a pause, Luxianbei suddenly realized that charging in alone might be a bit reckless, so for safety’s sake, he added, “By the way, let them be quick; I might not win against that guy, and if they come late, I can only let them carry me to the Siye Society’s welfare cemetery.”
Although facing an urban legend with a 0.7 rabbit, my chances of winning are quite high, it’s still necessary to have some contingency plans.
Luxianbei thought to himself, turning and running outside, casually grabbing the guitar case leaning against the door on his way.
Thus.
The clueless boys and girls downstairs watched in confusion as the service boy, who had won a lot of money, fled with a large guitar case, taking a while to snap back to reality.
Du Sixian watched Luxianbei leave, quickly got up, and headed towards the small gym next door. Just a few steps in, her pace suddenly paused for two seconds, tilting her head.
Does the Siye Society even have a welfare cemetery? Why didn’t Qing Sister tell me?
This thought flashed briefly in her mind, and then she shook off her musings, turned the corner, and pushed open the door to the small gym.
“Creak—!”
At the moment of opening the door, seeing the scene inside, Du Sixian’s mouth twitched.
Inside the small gym, five robust brothers from the Special Action Team were joking and laughing while skillfully tying up Yang Yi’s small group of three on the ground.
In the corner beside them lay a boy who had tagged along to mooch off food and drinks, quietly lying there like a salted fish that had lost its ambition and was being played with by others…
“Don’t move, this knot is quite complex; if tied wrong, it’ll hurt you later.”
“Hehehe, another job, oh no, I mean Agent Du…”
Du Sixian, “…”
———
In front of the Jin Tan Grand Hotel, a taxi came to a stop.
“Bang—!”
Accompanied by the muffled sound of the door closing, Zhang Shan rolled his eyes at the boys and girls strolling away with their arms around each other.
These young people nowadays!
It’s clearly a party held by a friend of a friend; they received a call and had the audacity to attend?
Even if they came, they had the nerve to complain about how silly the host was on the taxi? What thick skin!
Zhang Shan secretly mocked those departing young boys and girls, shook his head, and restarted the car. He was about to leave the hotel, drive around a bit, and since there appeared to be no business, head home early to livestream, when suddenly someone yanked open his car door.
He didn’t even see who opened the door; as soon as someone sat in the back seat, he heard a cool, calm voice that, although it belonged to a male, had an oddly familiar tone.
“Driver, drive!”
Zhang Shan was taken aback, looking through the rearview mirror, and after confirming that the passenger in the back seat was a young boy, and not with pink or white hair, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, young man, even if you want me to drive, you have to give me a destination, right? Or is your idea of ‘driving’ different from mine?”
“I should clarify! After the night gets longer, most of those big swords in Huacheng have closed up, and I don’t know where is open now.”
Hearing Zhang Shan’s voice, Luxianbei paused for a moment, observed his profile, and his gaze immediately became subtle.
In fact, he didn’t have to take a taxi to track that urban legend boy.
When he went downstairs, he was still torn about whether to risk being photographed while running down the street at superhuman speed.
As soon as he went downstairs, he saw the taxi parked in front and thought nothing of it, so he just hopped in, and ended up…
Running into an acquaintance.
What is this? This really is a troublesome fate!
If only Zhang Shan were a pretty and seductive big sister rather than a scruffy uncle, some romantic subplot would have developed long ago.
Luxianbei grumbled inwardly, glancing at the direction of the paper owl discreetly, and said nonchalantly, “Uncle, please head southwest; I’ll tell you what direction to go as we drive.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shan slightly furrowed his brow, realizing that such passengers, who only knew the general direction but not the specific location, were not uncommon; he had even had passengers who simply told him to keep driving when they got in.
However, just as he was about to leave, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the guitar case beside Luxianbei, and then he thought of a serious question.
“Hey, young man, I should clarify! I won’t go to places outside the urban area at night!”
Although the young boy in the back seat appeared completely unrelated to the urban legend girl who often came to haunt him, seeing the guitar case made Zhang Shan anxious, almost giving him PTSD.
“Don’t worry, we won’t go.”
Shouldn’t be… Luxianbei added silently in his mind.
Upon receiving Luxianbei’s affirmative reply, Zhang Shan relaxed a bit and shifted gears, starting the car.
The taxi drove away from the Jin Tan Grand Hotel, heading down the deserted night streets.
Over the next few minutes, Luxianbei transformed into a stoic, withdrawn human GPS.
With his guidance and Zhang Shan’s tacit cooperation, the car sped like a mad dog unleashed, chasing the “scent” of its prey, going faster and faster, getting closer to the urban legend, quickly crossing half of the city and arriving at the city’s other end, near the streets of Fuchun Road.
Under the night, the shadowy trees on both sides of the street were dotted with older buildings, with only a few lights shining here and there.
As they continued forward, buildings with no inhabitants became more and more common, and amid the few residential structures, the surroundings grew increasingly quiet, with no chirping of insects, the wind also stilled, and the light dimmed further.
In the dark corners, small heaps of garbage stirred by nocturnal creatures brought waves of foul odors, and from somewhere unseen, a faint “swish, swish” sound hinted at leaking water pipes.
Although this place appeared much “friendlier” compared to the infamous Shihhekou Middle School or the South Suburb Slaughterhouse, being in such an environment, combined with the passenger behind him who had not said a word other than leading him, made Zhang Shan inevitably hesitate.
“Ahem, young man, do you believe there are urban legends in this city?”
Are you starting again? Luxianbei slightly furrowed his brow and replied calmly, “I believe.”
“Well…” Zhang Shan licked his slightly dry lips and continued, “You see, this place is too deserted, the popularity has declined, and when people fade away, other things…”
“You mean there are urban legends nearby?” Luxianbei tilted his head and asked.
“Maybe…” Zhang Shan said, “I’m just saying there might be; it’s just a guess.”
“Oh, since it’s just a guess, that means generally speaking, they don’t exist, right?” Luxianbei nodded, “Um, uncle, please turn left at the next intersection.”
“Alright!”
Zhang Shan instinctively responded, skillfully turning the steering wheel to change direction at the intersection, but then he furrowed his brow tightly.
“…”
Wait, why am I listening to him?
Wasn’t I just trying to discourage him?
Zhang Shan muttered inwardly, continuing to persuade Luxianbei, “Young man, don’t be superstitious! Let me tell you, I’ve had several encounters with female ghosts before, that one was white-clothed, long-haired, green-faced with fangs, and had hands full of claws sharp as daggers.”
Luxianbei, “…”
Besides me, has Zhang Shan picked up other urban legends?
He can’t be talking about me, right? No way, no way, right?
Although it feels somewhat shameful, I think I still look quite adorable after becoming urban legend-ified!
Luxianbei mused, pressing for more, “Then what?”
“Then…” Zhang Shan continued, “Do you know where the female ghost wanted me to take her? Shihhekou Middle School!”
Luxianbei, “…” Alright, that’s settled; he’s definitely talking about me!
“Do you know what kind of place Shihhekou Middle School is? That place…” As Zhang Shan continued, he suddenly caught sight of something outside the windshield, his pupils constricted, and he slammed the brake.
“Screech—!”
The sound of the brakes rubbing against the tires made a grating noise that sent a shudder through Luxianbei as he unexpectedly crashed into the front seat. Once he regained his wits and looked out the window, he finally understood why Zhang Shan had stopped suddenly.
Ahead was an unfinished residential area, a building that only had its outer shell completed standing in the shadows like a giant corpse.
Projects like these, abandoned due to the surge of urban legends, became relatively common after the night grew long; the places Luxianbei dealt with that transformed into urban legends every night in University City were similar unfinished buildings.
The rusted railings surrounding the building seemed to have gone unmanaged for a long time, and the construction materials and various tools piled up on the site were gradually turning into unmanageable waste.
On the outer wall of the building, someone had spray-painted various characters with red paint; judging from the content, they seemed to be the venting of workers complaining about unpaid salaries.
“Return my hard-earned money!”
“Heartless developer, no conscience!”
“k*ll! d*e!”
The grotesque and peeling handwriting, combined with the bright red paint, appeared extremely glaring.
Luxianbei took a sneak peek at the paper owl hidden in his pocket and discovered its glow had already dimmed, indicating that the urban legend it tracked was within five hundred meters.
And his eyes, which had begun to heat up slightly, further reminded Luxianbei that the urban legend might even be hiding nearby, peeking from the corner.
Meanwhile, looking at the scene outside the window, Zhang Shan calmed his heart and said weakly, “Little, little brother, I can only take you to here; I can’t go further…”
Seeing that Zhang Shan hesitated to speak, Luxianbei frowned and asked, “What’s going on? Are there urban legend tales here too?”
Although Jiang Li’s catalog of urban legends had detailed records of those in Huacheng, that catalog had last been updated three months ago and may not be as well-informed as the taxi drivers wandering the city.
Moreover, Luxianbei had only read it once or twice and couldn’t recall it perfectly, inevitably missing some information.
“…”
What do you mean “also”? So, you’ve been to places with urban legends before?
Zhang Shan’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a bead of sweat on his forehead.
Sure enough, anyone carrying a guitar case wasn’t a good person!
Although there hadn’t been any urban legend rumors reported here recently, it had been a construction site for one or two years, and there seemed to have been deaths nearby during the New Year; he knew these things.
In short, this was not a good place!
“Little brother, can you tell me what you came here for? I’m a bit anxious.”
“Uncle, don’t worry, I won’t harm you; I’m not a bad person,” Luxianbei replied lightly.
But I suspect you’re not human! Zhang Shan thought to himself, but he didn’t dare to say it aloud.
Seeing Zhang Shan stop talking, Luxianbei shook his head, took out his phone, and used the QR code payment method that Zhang Shan trusted the most to pay the fare, then opened the car door and got out.
Zhang Shan gripped the steering wheel tightly, watching as Luxianbei walked a dozen meters away, before his intense curiosity compelled him to lean out of the car window, calling out to his retreating figure, “Hey, young man, what on earth are you here for? You should tell me!”
If you don’t tell me, I’ll definitely have insomnia tonight… Zhang Shan thought.
Hearing the shout from behind, Luxianbei furrowed his brow and silently pulled out the spirit purification technique from his guitar case, slightly tilting his face to glance at Zhang Shan.
“This journey is to slay malevolent spirits!”
The lines spoken by the ancestor were just for effect; is that too much? Luxianbei grumbled inwardly.
Distantly, in front of the building resembling a giant’s corpse stood the young boy, sword in hand.
His cold side profile, melancholic gaze, hair tousled by the wind, and the ancient broken sword across his hands made it seem as if all that remained in his sight was his suave departing silhouette.
Zhang Shan watched Luxianbei’s retreating figure, his nostrils flaring slightly, and his eyes gradually becoming fervent.
Why do I suddenly feel this young man is a bit handsome?
Perhaps… I could include him in my story?
That’s right, the beautiful and fierce female ghost and the cold and handsome young man, yes, they are a perfect match, so perfect!
In that moment, Zhang Shan felt his urban legend story had transcended with the addition of romantic elements!
So…
I’m out of here, out of here!
Rush back to write the script!
Zhang Shan thought, skillfully making a U-turn, shifting gears, and speeding away.
