**Chapter 52: See You in Half an Hour**
Just like a newly hatched chick treating the first creature it sees as its mother due to instinctive behavior, establishing trust in others heavily relies on making a strong first impression.
In Luxianbei’s perspective, the judgments made by the three spiritual ability users about her identity—whether they trust her or regard her with suspicion—could significantly impact their future decisions.
As she took out Hu Yue’s bone flute as a token and unleashed her charm ability on the three spiritual ability users, she was even prepared for an emergency escape if things went awry.
Fortunately, these three spiritual ability users were not particularly strong-minded. Under the influence of her charm ability, merely seeing her alluring motion as she retrieved the flute from her collar had already sent their spirits reeling, temporarily sparing them from the misfortune of being struck in the back of the head by Ling Tai Purification.
Of course, it was only temporary.
Once through this door, no one’s head was safe! Luxianbei thought.
“Hehe, so you’re the Golden Girl! My brothers and I have heard of your reputation long ago, but seeing you today, you are even more stunning than the rumors suggest!”
Seeing that the three spiritual ability users had no immediate malicious intent, Luxianbei secretly sighed in relief. She stood up and made a symbolic bow to indicate friendliness.
“Flattery aside, since you three have no objections, please come inside and rest for a bit. Once our other two friends arrive, we can discuss the plans for tonight together.”
As Luxianbei spoke, suppressing intense shame and resistance, she gradually intensified the release of her charm ability, her captivating eyes intentionally casting flirtatious glances at the three spiritual ability users.
d*mn it, why do I feel like I’m getting more skilled at this kind of thing?
If this continues, I won’t end up on some weird path, ultimately leading to a heart-wrenching bad ending, will I?
Luxianbei thought, resolutely deciding that once the core of the mythological species’ urban legend was restored, she would immediately seal away the charm ability granted by the witch species.
Fire element is superior; the mind element can step aside!
The charm ability, evoked by the core of a high-tier witch species urban legend, did not carry the intense sensory stimulation associated with the charm abilities of lower-tier witch species or elemental species, which incited the most primal impulses physiologically. Instead, it was gentle, offering a mental enjoyment that could easily lead to obsession.
It was like basking in warm sunlight, accompanied by intoxicating music, as a mild breeze carrying the scent of flowers enveloped one, causing them to unwittingly succumb to its influence.
The three spiritual ability users gazed at Luxianbei, and it took them a moment to snap back to reality, following her lead into the small house.
As soon as they entered, they noticed the windows were covered, and the entire room was dimly lit. They couldn’t help but frown and turned back, intending to ask Luxianbei something, only to see her casually closing the door behind her.
With a soft creak, the entire house plunged into darkness.
Before the three spiritual ability users could react and strengthen their vision with spirit energy, Luxianbei sprang into action.
With a swift motion, Ling Tai Purification was drawn from the metallic box hidden behind the door. In the darkness, she sensed the flash of predatory thoughts in her mind while using her movement technique to dart forward.
Then…
With a swift hand, the sword fell, accurately intercepting the heads of the three startled spiritual ability users as they panicked to dodge, striking them hard.
“Ah—ah—ah—!”
Three screams echoed in the pitch-black room, followed by the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground, and a faint metallic scent of bl**d began to fill the air.
Luxianbei, “…”
d*mn, why did it end up with bl**d again?
These three guys, while slightly weaker than Hu Yue and that woman in terms of spirit energy fluctuation, still reached the level of 1.1 old rabbit. How could they fall so easily?
Are they going to d*e from a single hit? Luxianbei thought, about to check on the condition of the three spiritual ability users.
At that moment, a filthy and chaotic spirit energy fluctuation faintly emanated from the small courtyard outside.
In the darkness, upon sensing that spirit energy fluctuation, Luxianbei’s gaze slightly narrowed.
————
The clouds were as dark as ink, the sky was gloomy, and sharp cold winds danced with swirling snowflakes.
From afar, a dilapidated three-story building, long uninhabited, stood amidst the wind and snow, exuding a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
Occasionally, someone would hurriedly pass by this building, avoiding lingering gazes, except for one person—Wang Er, who lived across the small river from the building.
Wang Er was a freelance writer, using articles written online to make a living. Sometimes, after staring at the computer screen for too long, his eyes would grow tired, prompting him to look out the window to ease his fatigue.
Yet, from his study’s window, he could never escape the sight of the abandoned three-story building across the river. Watching it, he would sometimes be unable to resist letting his imagination run wild.
He wondered what kind of people once lived there, perhaps a woman; he would think about how beautiful she might have been and whether she was still alive, if she would ever return.
This endless speculation became an essential entertainment activity during his breaks for quite some time, until a few days prior when he saw that slender woman walk into the small building’s courtyard.
The woman Wang Er saw was naturally the Golden Girl.
As a spiritual ability user possessing the Mountain Spirit Seal, while the Golden Girl did not have a controllable charm ability like Luxianbei’s, her spirit patterns, known to ensnare woodcutters in the mountains and lead them to their doom, unconsciously emitted a mesmerizing effect.
Some say that after seeing a certain person, all other women in the world feel like inadequacies. After seeing the Golden Girl, Wang Er also faintly experienced this feeling.
Since that day, his infatuation with the Golden Girl spiraled out of control as he waited by the window every day, even neglecting his writing. After several nudges from his editor, he responded with a pigeon picturesque.
Today, after waking from an afternoon nap, he, as usual, moved to the window, finally spotting that cherished figure he had deeply longed for.
Amidst the vast whiteness of the snow, she was dressed in white, holding a bright red oiled paper umbrella, gracefully walking along the ancient street’s green stone path. Her hair cascaded down to her waist, swaying slightly in the wind. Everything around her seemed to lose color, and her slender figure radiated a faint cold light, as if she would step into a dream with a single misstep.
Watching her figure, Wang Er took a deep breath and couldn’t help but call out, “Miss!”
Then…
She paused, her body seeming to float as she turned slowly, looking toward the source of the voice and revealing her face hidden beneath the red umbrella. Wang Er’s pupils instantly constricted.
Beneath the loose hair of the monster was a pale, swollen face devoid of eyes, nose, and mouth. On her bare skin, a seemingly distorted human face was drawn with lipstick, eyebrow pencil, and foundation, while countless half-illusory black lines scattered around her visage like a kindergarten child’s chaotic doodles.
Ghosts have no face; a painted skin made up… Upon seeing the woman’s appearance, Wang Er recalled a legend he once saw online about a painted skin urban legend and thought to himself that he had disturbed something, quickly retreating beneath the windowsill, silently praying the monster hadn’t noticed his presence.
Only then did he realize that he wasn’t actually bewitched by “love at first sight”; he was simply a lecher.
————
In front of the three-story building, the Painted Skin urban legend looked around but found no source for the voice, then drifted effortlessly into the surrounding walls, entering the courtyard.
Where is everyone? We agreed on a time to meet…
Seeing the empty courtyard, the Painted Skin urban legend appeared puzzled and paused for a moment, releasing its spiritual sensing to find the faint spirit energy fluctuations coming from inside the house, before slowly moving forward.
Arriving at the front door of the small building, the Painted Skin urban legend again hesitated for a moment, then lifted a bony hand and gently pushed open the iron door.
“Creak—!”
With a soft sound, the door opened, releasing an air filled with dust and mildew. Inside the dimly lit house, furniture lay dusty, and three pale-faced men lay on the ground, a trickle of crimson bl**d seeping from their heads.
A woman stood with her back to the door, hunched over in front of the three unknown fates. Turning her head slightly, a rigid and unnatural smile hung on her petrified, cold face, partially shadowed, casting a menacing gaze through the gaps in her slightly disheveled white hair.
In her hand was a rusted broken sword, bl**d dripping from the blade onto the ground, making a faint “drip, drip!” sound.
“You’re finally here? Don’t be afraid, it’s all a misunderstanding. I can explain.”
The woman spoke in a chilling tone, slowly straightening up and walking toward the door.
Witnessing this scene, the Painted Skin urban legend was startled, instinctively stepping back, its heel hitting the threshold, causing it to stumble. When it regained stability, it fearfully glanced into the room, only to find that the woman had already disappeared.
At that moment, a shadow slowly appeared behind it, whispering in its ear, “Where do you think you’re going? Since you’re here, you should stay and keep them company.”
As it spoke, a spirit energy fluctuation filled with chilling and bloody sensations instantly enveloped the Painted Skin urban legend. The impact of the spirit energy sent a buzzing through its ear, and it faintly heard countless girls’ sorrowful wails.
In a state of horror, the Painted Skin urban legend’s face, appearing almost drawn, rippled, and its brows almost dissolved under the concentrated spirit energy.
The next moment, the air rang with a bone-piercing hum, and sword shadows whistled toward it, as the powerful impact surged into its consciousness like a raging beast.
“Crackle—!”
Accompanied by the sound of paper scraping, an ancient scroll with primitive writing fell to the ground.
Luxianbei looked at the scroll lying quietly on the ground, scratched her head and murmured softly, “Don’t tell me I just killed another one?”
“Forget it, now’s not the time to dwell on that. Once I deal with the last urban legend, I should go find Mao Sanyou.”
Though she said that, while speaking, she quietly resolved to seek out her ancestor for a proper guide on the correct way to utilize Ling Tai Purification.
————
4:12 PM.
A phone rang in the doctor’s office of the intensive care unit at Tangcheng University Affiliated Hospital.
The moment the phone rang, the duty doctor quickly answered, soon hearing an astonishing message from the nurse on the other line.
The patient, Mao Sanyou, who was just admitted in the morning, had gone missing!
“How is that possible? A person that large just disappears?” The doctor said nervously.
“Yes, yes! I just went to change another patient’s dressings, and when I came back, he was gone.” The nurse said weakly.
“Have you checked the surveillance footage?”
“Doctor, I was just about to tell you that!” The nurse’s voice trembled. “We’ve viewed the footage, and just as we did, the shadow flashed, and the patient disappeared. Do you think this could be an urban legend incident?”
Upon hearing this, the doctor instinctively looked toward the office door.
Only to see the hospital corridor in the evening empty, cold winds carrying the faint scent of disinfectant. Under the pale lights, the floor lay scattered with shadows. From a distance, it evoked thoughts of whether some bizarre figure might be hiding in an unseen corner, casting a malicious smile toward this side.
“Gulp—!” The doctor swallowed, weakly saying, “That can’t be! Where are you waiting? I’m coming over to take a look.”
————
In the depths of darkness, having been asleep for an unknown amount of time, Mao Sanyou began to revisit that nightmare.
In his unending dreams, he returned again and again to that strange, dark, enormous cavern.
Wandering through that confusing, labyrinthine vast space, surrounded by invisible creatures, he repeatedly felt the presence of his father’s kin, which had long since descended into corruption.
This hellish torment led him to great pain, yet it seemed he could never wake up again, as if he should forever remain here, trapped in the endless nightmare.
Thus, he saw again the blinding golden light emanating from the monster possessing the powers of the golden crow, and he returned once more to the “starting point,” beginning a new “cycle.”
However, this time, as soon as he opened his eyes, he noticed a faint red light illuminating the dark cave not far ahead.
Gazing towards the source of the scarlet light, he cautiously stepped forward. When he found the light’s origin, he froze.
On the stone wall, just a step away, was a tiny line of words, seemingly written with the smallest brush dipped in bl**d, that he could only barely decipher with extreme effort.
As he leaned closer and focused, he found himself flooded with questions.
“Hey, are you there? If so, reply.”
What kind of nonsense is this? Mao Sanyou was taken aback, instinctively stepping back a step. Just then, he noticed another faint red light not far ahead.
Driven by curiosity, he moved forward again and soon came upon another line of similarly bl**d-written small letters, but this time it was slightly larger than the previous one.
The wall read: “Did you have lunch today? You probably didn’t, right? If you haven’t eaten, hurry up and get up to eat!”
Mao Sanyou furrowed his brows and continued moving forward. Then he saw more and larger bl**d-red letters.
“Are you there? Let’s chat! I have something to tell you.”
“Are you there? The time is about right; it’s time to get up and study. Black hair doesn’t know to diligence and study early; you’ll regret your late reading when you’re older!”
“Get up, get up; someone wants to be your dad. Do you know that?”
…
Countless small letters filled the stone walls ahead like a barrage of messages, giving the impression he was playing a dark cave exploration game when suddenly the computer got infected with a virus, uncontrollably spamming garbage advertisements.
Mao Sanyou forced himself not to pay attention to the almost mind-polluting spam, but even when he closed his eyes, he could still hear countless girls whispering in his ears, echoing the words on the wall.
“Stop talking, stop talking! I’m telling you not to say anything!”
Finally, unable to hold it in, Mao Sanyou let out a desperate shout, and immediately felt the world spinning around him.
The entire universe seemed to be turning, the cavern collapsing and shaking violently.
Then…
A piercing cold wind brushed against Mao Sanyou’s face, abruptly waking him from what felt like an endless dream, opening his eyes to an empty space covered with weeds and blanketed in snow, followed by a tightness in his body.
“……”
What the hell is this place? Why am I tied up? It feels like I’m hanging in mid-air.
Mao Sanyou blinked in confusion, and soon heard a gentle voice from above.
“You finally woke up! If you didn’t wake up soon, I would run out of spirit energy!”
Following the voice, he looked up to see a girl dressed in pure white down, squatting on a dilapidated building’s rooftop, expressionless as she chewed on spicy sticks.
“It’s you? You’re the witch who played with my aunt yesterday!” Mao Sanyou exclaimed.
As he spoke, he glanced at Luxianbei, then at himself, realizing that she had tied him up like a “live worm” and hung him from the rooftop of a desolate building.
“Recognized me? That’s good; it saves me from unnecessary introductions,” Luxianbei said casually, her breath noticeably weaker.
She initially thought that by using Mengmeng’s Natural Talent Skill to infiltrate Mao Sanyou’s dream would be a technical task, but after hands-on experience, she realized it was more like a physical feat of S-rank level.
No one knew what kind of strange thing had hurt Mao Sanyou, making even Mengmeng’s talent inadequate to fully infiltrate his nightmare.
Forced into a corner, Luxianbei had to rely on the “wall message” method, spending nearly an hour to wake him up, consuming a significant amount of spirit energy to do so.
However, typing out messages in the dream was so fast; if she could type like this online, she wouldn’t occasionally lose debates with others, later growing angrier about it and struggling to sleep all night.
Luxianbei inwardly muttered as she slowly pulled Mao Sanyou up, raising an eyebrow at him, “So, tell me, how did you get hurt? Can you contact Jumeng now? I have a big plan I want to discuss with her. Don’t say you don’t know; you wouldn’t want someone to take you as their dad, right?”
“By the way, do you want to eat some spicy sticks? These are really delicious!”
Mao Sanyou, “…”
————
4:45 PM.
At the South Tianjiao Railway Station, the entrance of the high-speed train from Tianjiao to Tangcheng.
“Da-da-da!”
The rapid sound of shoes hitting the ground came from behind. Jiang Li turned her head to see Ahua rushing over with a thermos cup, gently frowning, and teasingly said, “Ahua, you can’t always be in such a hurry. There are so many people at the platform; what if you bump into someone?”
“I’m sorry, Miss. I was just worried about delaying your departure!” Ahua said, lowering her head and weakly handing the thermos to Jiang Li. “Miss, I’ve made you tea.”
Jiang Li took the thermos cup, glanced at the time, and lightly shook her head. “There are still twenty-five minutes; we’re totally fine.”
After a pause, she looked toward the entrance and changed the subject, “Alright, you can leave it here. I have to go in now.”
“Miss…” Ahua called softly, her face showing hesitation, wanting to say something but stopping short.
Having been with Jiang Li for so many years, Ahua immediately recognized her thoughts. She patted Ahua’s shoulder and softly said, “Ahua, I really can’t take you this time. You’ve seen the document; it clearly states that only B-level and above spiritual ability users can participate in the operation.”
“Miss, I’ve reached that level…”
“B-1 isn’t enough.” Jiang Li said calmly.
At her words, Ahua’s head drooped, looking like a deflated balloon, nibbling her lip.
Seeing this, Jiang Li silently sighed, gently ruffling her hair and softly reassured her, “Don’t worry; I’ll contact Luxianbei as soon as I arrive. With him here, I’ll be fine.”
Hearing Jiang Li mention Luxianbei, Ahua’s expression brightened slightly. “Make sure to contact him as soon as you get off the train, please don’t act impulsively.”
“Got it.” Jiang Li smiled and shook her head. After saying this, she turned and walked toward the entrance.
Awkwardly watching Jiang Li’s departing figure, Ahua silently took out a tissue to dab at the corners of her eyes, which had become slightly damp.
After the journey of realizing a dream, Ahua felt that if she had to entrust Jiang Li to someone, it could only be Luxianbei. In such circumstances, Luxianbei could guarantee her safety, so other situations ought to be the same.
But somehow, when it truly came to handing her lady over to Luxianbei, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes reddening.
Her mood was inexplicably similar to that of a mother sending her daughter off to get married.
————
5:20 PM.
On the rooftop of an abandoned distillery.
After hearing Mao Sanyou recount the events, Luxianbei rested her chin on one hand, chewing on a spicy stick and assessing him, clearing her thoughts.
“So, Jumeng asked you to help suppress the vast spirit energy left behind after your father’s passing in the Fushang Sacred Tree, but while you were transforming most of that spirit energy into the Fire Crow to infiltrate the Peach Source, you were attacked by other Fire Crows and even saw your father, who had undergone boundless reincarnation, in the cavity of the Fushang Sacred Tree?”
Mao Sanyou’s expression darkened, firmly correcting her, “That definitely wasn’t my father!”
“Uh… Sorry, my wording was off,” Luxianbei quickly apologized, then followed up with a question, “So, you’re saying you’re not a spiritual ability user, and your spirit pattern isn’t Wind Rat?”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier! If I’d known your spirit pattern wasn’t Wind Rat, I wouldn’t have hung you on the rooftop to catch the wind and stripped you to increase the surface area of contact.”
Mao Sanyou gave Luxianbei a look filled with “Is this my fault?” and lamented, “You never asked me, though!”
“Uh, my bad.” Luxianbei replied again, then shifted to another question, “If I may ask, what type of urban legend are you?”
“…” Mao Sanyou sized up Luxianbei, hesitating slightly before answering, “The Bennu bird, which is equivalent to the Egyptian phoenix…”
“Excuse me, let me interrupt!” Luxianbei looked at him with confusion, “Isn’t your father a creature from Z Country mythology? How could he produce a creature from Egyptian mythology?”
Mao Sanyou responded somewhat impatiently, “My mother possesses part of the powers from Egyptian mythology.”
Upon hearing this, Luxianbei suddenly found clarity in her heart.
The immortal Bennu bird is said to be the transformation of the sun god Ra’s soul into a divine bird.
Mao Sanyou’s father has the power representing the sun in Z Country mythology, the golden crow, while his mother has powers from Egyptian mythology. It isn’t surprising that the offspring would inherit some abilities representing Ra, the sun god.
However…
Can powers of an urban legend be born in such a way? What is the mechanism behind it? Why is there no relevant record in The Book of Siye? Luxianbei mused.
She faintly sensed that the reason there was no relevant record in The Book of Siye wasn’t simply an omission or that such cases weren’t common.
While she pondered, Mao Sanyou’s voice broke her thoughts.
“You’ve asked me so many questions; it’s my turn to ask you one, right?”
Luxianbei nodded in acknowledgment, “Go ahead.”
“Your urban legend power is the swollen woman, right?” Mao Sanyou stated flatly.
Luxianbei tilted her head, “What’s that?”
“Otherwise, why are you so annoying? It’s as if your greatest joy comes from tormenting other beings, leading them into fear and despair, ultimately driving them insane.”
Luxianbei, “…”
She opened her mouth, wanting to refute Mao Sanyou’s misconception about her, when suddenly the sound of flapping wings came from above. Moments later, a magpie landed on Mao Sanyou’s shoulder.
The magpie chirped in Mao Sanyou’s ear for a while, then took off again. After watching the magpie fly away, Mao Sanyou looked at Luxianbei and said, “I received a reply from my aunt. She thinks your plan is feasible. Let’s meet at Chunfeng Residence in half an hour.”
Seeing that Jumeng approved her plan and resolved the most critical manpower issue, Luxianbei let out a slight sigh of relief. She was about to say something to Mao Sanyou when her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.
Taking out her phone to check, she instantly fell silent.
Jiang Li: “I’m almost in Tangcheng. Let’s meet at the train station in half an hour.”
Luxianbei, “…”
What the hell, half an hour later? Did you two agree on this?
