A Dark and Windy Night for Murder
"Knock knock!"
Who is it?
"It's me, Xue Jiuyao. I need your help with something."
Xue Jiuyao's tone was respectful, just like any normal person asking for a favor.
Immediately afterwards, he heard Shisui reply coming from inside the room.
"The door isn't locked, just push it open and come in."
Xue Jiuyao followed his instructions and entered, her expression the same cold and composed demeanor she often displayed when interacting with Yue Jian.
Without wasting any time on small talk, he got straight to the point and asked, "Could you please switch shifts with me?"
"Something happened to my family, so I have to leave Moonwhite Shoal for a while. I won't be back until at least noon tomorrow."
"Ah... night shift," Shisui said, feigning a hint of reluctance, "Have you asked the boss?"
"Well, the boss said if you can accept it, then we'll change it."
Tears welled in Xue Jiuyao's eyes, and her speech quickened, making her words slightly muffled and choked with emotion.
"Please, as payment, I'll give you my wages for today and tomorrow."
A hint of greed flashed in Shisui's eyes, but it vanished when his gaze deliberately met Xue Jiuyao's.
He nodded, deliberately raising his voice slightly, "Really? Okay then! I'll switch with you!"
What followed was a flurry of mutual compliments and polite remarks, with phrases like "thank you very much" and "you're welcome" echoing throughout.
After a while, Xue Jiuyao, who needed to maintain her "I have something urgent to do" persona, finally spoke up to interrupt this endless round of polite formalities.
"Mr. Yue Jian, I need to report back to the boss. Once I'm done with this, I'll treat you to a nice meal."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it," Shisui's tone inexplicably carried a hint of sincerity. "You can go ahead and get busy."
He clearly didn't want to continue these pointless conversations.
He decisively saw the guest out, then Shisui the room door shut and locked it in one swift motion.
Now that the appetizers are finished, we can wait for night to fall.
Unlike large cities such as Qiongfang City and Chen City, Moonwhite Shoal at night is not brightly lit.
Because Moonwhite Shoal did not uniformly install streetlights on both sides of the road.
Even if they possess mineral veins, they don't make them public.
In fact, he still belongs to an underdeveloped region, and mediocrity and inconspicuousness are his main characteristics and protective color.
However, Moonwhite Shoal is not entirely dark.
The Moonwhite Rocks, which can be seen everywhere in the city, emit soft, wispy white light after nightfall.
The faint glow, barely noticeable during the day, gathers into a soft nebula at night, enveloping this riverside city.
The white light only shone in the town in scattered spots, and the most eye-catching thing was the dock on the riverbank, which was almost entirely built of Moonwhite Rock.
The ground paved with Moonwhite Rock and the pillars carved from Moonwhite Rock are quite conspicuous at night.
Not to mention the dreamlike scene created when light shines through the glazed tile roof.
As Shisui stepped onto the dock, he looked up and saw the glazed dome, which became exceptionally beautiful under the refraction of light.
However, no matter how beautiful the ceiling of the dock was, the workers couldn't be bothered to look at it anymore.
Having worked here year after year, seeing the same scenery every day, I've gotten used to it.
Small groups of workers were still taking inventory of the goods in the temporary warehouse.
One of them looked up, easing the pain from looking down for so long.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Shisui approaching.
"Good evening, Mr. Yue Jian."
As he greeted them, the surrounding workers also began to greet him politely.
"Alright," Shisui interrupted them, "Hurry up and get busy, then go back and rest."
"Okay, Yue Jian."
"We're wrapping things up here; we'll be finished soon."
A moment later, Shisui watched as the workers closed the list containing all the goods, put the goods away one by one, and sealed the boxes.
Then, the numerous containers were arranged in order at the designated location.
Only after all this was done could the workers finally go home.
The workers greeted the "Mr. Yue Jian" they were referring to and then left.
Only Yue Jian, also known as Shisui, who was in charge of guarding the goods, was left alone among the cargo boxes.
Silence began to spread in the cloudy night, and the soft glow of the sun offered only meager comfort.
A dark and windy night, a perfect time for murder and arson.
The outsiders have left, so when do they plan to make their move?
Shisui jumped onto the top of the cargo container, propped himself up on one leg, and sat there casually, idly playing with the Flesh Crystals in his hand.
"Call--"
The cold river wind blew through the night, tossing the ends of her Shisui, black hair.
The next moment, something unexpected happened!
The entire dock suddenly darkened, and the arrow, carried by the wind, hurtled towards Zi Sui, aiming Shisui the back of his head!
"Clang!"
A black longsword replaced the bright red crystal, appearing abruptly in Shisui's hand.
He flicked his sword backward in a flourish, instantly deflecting the arrow that was inches away.
"Sizzle!"
The arrow, knocked away by the horizontal attack, embedded itself in the now-dim Moonwhite Rock floor beside them.
The moment Shisui's gaze turned to the direction from which the arrow had been fired, the tip of the arrow suddenly exploded.
With a soft, crisp sound—"Whoosh!"—thick smoke instantly enveloped Shisui.
A dark figure appeared at that moment!
He darted into the fog that blocked his vision with lightning speed, like a fish entering water in the darkness.
His matte clothing and weapons, combined with his superb skills, made him blend into the dark fog.
Shisui did not activate his Kakugan; he was unsure whether his opponent could see through the fog or had some other trick up their sleeve.
Before the space is sealed off, the enemy has the possibility of escaping, and he will not reveal his Ghoul characteristics at this time.
Moreover, losing one's sight is merely a minor injury for Ghouls.
Moreover, this is merely a cover made using the darkness and fog.
Fine Feather Powder floated in the air, spreading through the gray fog, gradually enveloping and gathering.
Then, the long sword formed by the Koukaku was swung horizontally, and the Psychic Energy that tore through space, along with a sharp gust of wind, swept past.
"Clang! Click--"
The blades clashed, held their ground for a moment, and then quickly separated.
The thick fog swayed violently in the dwindling pale moonlight.
The two exchanged blows several times in the blink of an eye. Then, as Shisui's swordsmanship became increasingly fierce, the number of times the black shadow dodged also gradually increased.
The situation remained deadlocked until --
"Sizzle!"
Bright red splattered, and specks of crimson even flew out of the mist and dripped onto the white, patterned floor.
The shadowy figure attempted to flank and launch a sneak attack, but Shisui stabbed him in the left shoulder with a backhand strike.
With a twist of the longsword, the Koukaku longsword embedded in the enemy's body suddenly raised its black spikes.
"Snap!"
A barely perceptible groan escaped as the shadowy figure's left arm was ripped off at the joint and fell to the ground with a thud.
The dark figure quickly retreated, intending to make a strategic withdrawal to the rear.
But will Shisui let him go?
The Feather Powder filling the dock suddenly exploded, and the space was instantly locked!
Immediately afterwards, eight Bikaku and a huge Ukaku shot out, their Bikaku converging and intertwining in mid-air.
A powerful, heavy blow slammed down!
"Bang!"
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."
The dense fog was torn apart by the strong winds whipped up by the attack, and the Moonwhite Rock floor was plowed with trenches up to a meter deep.
Shisui gathered his Ukaku, which gleamed with a crimson metallic sheen in the night, and leisurely landed on top of the highest cargo container.
His Kakugan looked down at Xue Jiuyao had just managed to dodge the attack and was now exposed.
A wicked smile crept across the Ghoul's lips.
Congratulations on advancing to Second Stage! Keep up the good work!