Nightmare (26) - Bewitchment

"Teacher?"

The Lingren slowed down and repeated it in a half-smile, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

After a couple of seconds, he suppressed his smile, leaving only a faint, unreadable expression. "This is quite unexpected. You've never called me that before. It makes me feel a little... flattered."

He reached out a hand, as if to ruffle Yu Xing's hair.

To the viewers in the live stream, the two people's actions seemed rather strange. While they appeared to be at odds, their movements also suggested a habitual, close social distance, implying that both had previously allowed each other to get close.

But to say that the two are friendly... that would be blind.

The malice and wariness between them could not be concealed even with a flawless smile, not to mention that just now, Yuki had used the restraint of the key ring to stab the Lingren.

She applied it directly to her neck, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Is it too much to call someone who can teach me something a teacher?" Yu Xing asked with a smile, subtly taking a step back to avoid the Lingren's hand. The Sheqing Dreamscape at her fingertips twirled lightly before settling into place.

The cold light reflecting off the Lingren's fingers was undoubtedly a declaration that if he tried to make that move again, the dagger would not hesitate to slash him.

Unlike the cold, hard tone emanating from the weapon, Yu Xing's tone was as if she were speaking to a close elder, "I really like what you taught me."

"Ha, you've improved quite a bit over the years." The Lingren, observing his skillful grip on the dagger and the disappearance of hatred and madness in his eyes, sincerely praised him.

"Actually, I haven't improved much. I'm quite clumsy," Yu Xing laughed, then reached out a hand and touched the fabric at the Lingren's waist. "Huh? Why is there a tear here?"

The Lingren lowered his gaze slightly, letting the seemingly harmless hand explore the tear. Curiously, the hand moved aside several layers of clothing, and the person, as if unaware of the situation, asked, "The edge of the tear is very clean; it must have been cut by a sharp weapon. Hmm, there's no wound. Looks like I guessed wrong."

"Heh." The Lingren couldn't help but let out a syllable filled with genuine laughter, the sound of Zhao Yijiu's sacrificial dagger piercing the spot where Yu Xing's teammate had been.

Yu Xing really did learn a lot from him.

Especially when it comes to blatantly lying and finding the right angle to provoke someone, they can both mock and annoy them while simultaneously probing their situation.

"You're not mistaken, the wound has healed." He stopped Yu Xing's hand from reaching for the small cloth bag hanging at his waist, and chuckled, "I'm telling the truth. It's been a long time, and you've improved a lot."

After Yu Xing's gaze lingered on the cloth bag for a second longer, he added, "The direction of your personality development is somewhat unexpected. It seems I haven't paid enough attention to you, otherwise I wouldn't have only found you after you found a way into the absurd world."

"Hmm, I thought about it for a long time before I figured out the way." Yu Xing tilted her head to look at him. "But are you sure you want to talk to me in such a serious tone? Compared to the you when you were teaching me to sing opera, I still prefer... the you who mocked me in the fire."

"That's no fun. Besides, you're not the little kid who would cry at the slightest bit of mockery anymore." The Lingren smiled, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

They all knew that what they were referring to now was the great fire that tore away all pretense.

The victim was able to calmly bring up the matter, while the perpetrators dismissively attributed Yu Xing's despair at the time to "crying after a few sarcastic remarks," as if the fire had been blurred and forgotten in their minds.

But that's impossible.

They were all just using the initial conflict between them as a tool to test each other.

Yu Xing gripped the dagger tightly, and his gaze gradually changed.

The Lingren stood still, waiting for his attack, which was not so childish after many years.

He knew that the pretense of good feelings was only temporary. Since the humiliations of the past had not completely worn away the pride in Yu Xing's bones, the remaining pride would not allow Yu Xing to continue to greet him with a smile.

Although... he still really liked Yu Xing.

Since Yu Xing has already become a predictor, if possible, he will let Yu Xing... enter the Single Prism and return to his side.

Whether she becomes utterly depraved, her mind twisted and no longer cares about the past, or she harbors resentment and lies dormant by his side, waiting for an opportunity to kill him forever, he welcomes it all.

Lingren knew everything his subordinates in his guild did. When Han Yan's little girl tried to use her emotions to attract Yu Xing to join Single Prism, for a moment, he was quite looking forward to it.

If he could, he would definitely reward Han Xinyi handsomely.

Then, have Han Yan personally kill Han Xinyi.

Anyone who lays their hands on his things should be prepared for death and despair.

But only for a moment. The next instant, he dismissed the idea, because Han Xinyi couldn't do it.

Even if a person Yu Xing's personality changes over the long years, certain things hidden deep within his soul will not change until he is completely destroyed.

He's the one who will completely destroy Yu Xing's personality; no one else can do it, absolutely no one.

Ugh, what the hell are they talking about?!

A friendly meeting? A long-awaited reunion?

I don't believe you for a second. Did you see Xing's defensive posture? He's constantly unleashing his Lingren attack potential.

Rather than saying that, I'm more inclined to believe that Xing was always looking to attack the Lingren.

Damn, every time the "black box" period comes out, it makes people grit their teeth in anger.

Wait, did you guys notice? Xing actually touched the Lingren! Wasn't there a rumor that the Lingren was a germaphobe, and if someone touched him, he'd make that person suffer a terrible fate?

So they're acquaintances, and their relationship seems... well, it's hard to explain. I'm guessing they've fallen out.

I feel like those two are alike, two two sly guys with smiles on their faces.

Although I couldn't hear what they were saying, I inexplicably felt that their expressions and movements were remarkably in tune with the murderous intent surrounding them. I suppose many people have had this contradictory feeling.

Those who perform deductions, especially those with high levels of alienation, all have their own stories to tell.

The Lingren actually let Sachi touch his waist. Wasn't he afraid that Sachi might have some highly aggressive sacrificial offering?

Fortunately, he was actually taller than the Lingren... no, much taller.

Judging by his height, Cold Wine is about 185cm tall, slightly taller than Lengjiu, but the difference is more noticeable when he stands next to the Lingren.

Wow, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned the height. The Lingren's aura is too strong, that deep, abyss-like presence, like a huge monster with its mouth agape, waiting to devour everything beneath a calm surface of the sea.

Or perhaps it's already in the monster's mouth somewhere unseen?

Damn it, why am I being persecuted here? Those of you with thalassophobia, please use a different analogy!

Just as the audience started to veer off-topic, discussing everything from height to temperament, suddenly, a cloud of blue mist exploded, instantly engulfing the two people standing at the door of the lady's room!

The audience screamed "Ahhh!" to express their excitement. In the mist, the Lingren's figure seemed to be shrouded in a thick veil, making it difficult to see clearly.

On the other side, opposite him, Xing's figure had completely disappeared, and no one knew where she had gone.

Well, now that's bad enough. Not only can we not hear anything during the black box time, but our vision has also been artificially blocked.

He was cursing and swearing.

In the mist, the Lingren calmly glanced around and sensed a strong ghostly aura emanating from the blue mist.

"Ghostly aura..." he murmured softly, seemingly talking to himself, but in this fog-shrouded environment, even a casual hum from him would be clearly heard by the mist's owner.

The Lingren's tone brightened, seemingly pleased. "Have you finally accepted your powers and are willing to use them?"

"Hehe... A Xing, you see, accepting that past isn't so hard. Since you can use this power to deal with me, why don't you think about how you would have lived a very ordinary life without me?"

"After waiting so long, you can finally get your revenge. Are you really happy? In this world, besides me, no one else will call you A Xing anymore..."

"Are your family members worth hating me for so many years? They lost their judgment after I seduced them a little, keeping me at home like a mistress, wanting to watch me even if I didn't do anything;

"After learning that you were learning opera from me, I told you that a noble young master shouldn't get too close to lowly people like actors, and introduced your sister to all sorts of seemingly well-off but actually filthy friends;

"And those servants who have endless gossip, who are always two-faced... all for them?"

The Lingren could no longer see Yu Xing, but that did not prevent his beautiful voice from flowing through the mist.

He was like a demon tempting others to fall into an abyss, manipulating their thoughts with seductive words. "Try thanking me, and then use this power to do something more meaningful, wouldn't that be better? Suppressing yourself will not lead to good results; you will only become a monster without the ability to think. Unlike now, although you are still a monster, you can think, you can feel, and you can find happiness."

"Why not follow your heart and pass those dark emotions on to the world?"

"Believe me, you will... gain more pleasure than killing me for revenge."

Ring ring...

A crisp clinking sound of crystals rang out behind the Lingren. The Lingren turned around with a smile and saw a long-haired man in a gorgeous blue robe, adorned with transparent crystal pendants, floating in the air and looking down at him.

"I must admit, that sounds very nice." Yi Qing tapped his closed folding fan against his palm, his deep blue eyes filled with admiration. The hem of his blue robe fluttered without wind, causing the crystal pendants to clink together. "If what you say is true, then I agree with you. Killing a useless family member will definitely make a person more interesting."

The Lingren seemed unsurprised by the appearance of a powerful Sheqing Ghost, tilting his head slightly and listening with great poise to Yiqing's assessment.

Then his smile faded slightly, his gaze drifting around as he said, "I'm very happy to hear your approval, sir. It's such a blessing for me, A Xing, to have someone like you by my side."

He continued, "I guess the next sentence will begin with 'But?'"

This was the first time Yi Qing had appeared before anyone other than Yu Xing since leaving his own world. His keen sense of ghosts told him that this human before him possessed such immense power.

Moreover, it is said that only one-ninth of the Lingren are standing here.

Yi Qing's curiosity continued to surge. This was so interesting! He wondered what the outcome would be between the complete Lingren and himself, whose abilities hadn't been weakened by the system.

However, this assumption cannot be realized for the time being, because his own current strength is also restricted by the system to a level that matches Yu Xing's current strength.

"That's right, but unfortunately, that's how it was supposed to be. But since you brought it up beforehand, my opening can only be 'that's right,' right?" Yi Qing swooped down from the sky, enveloped in a blue mist, and a hint of the bluish-gray of a vengeful ghost finally peeked through her beautiful appearance.

An immense chilling aura pressed down on the Lingren from all directions, but the Lingren remained unmoved and even chuckled softly.

"But Little Xing said I can't listen to you, otherwise he won't let me out of any interesting places he goes to in the future." Yiqing's lips curled into a strange smile, showing no sign of being coerced, but rather quite happy.

The blue shadow suddenly pierced through the Lingren's body, carrying a chilling whistling force. The surrounding blue mist swirled wildly, forming a collapsing vortex.

The Lingren's body felt unreal for a moment, then a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

There were no visible wounds on his body, but his face beneath the mask was much paler than before, and even his eyes were slightly dimmer.

"Too bad, you can't kill me, that's the rule." He took out a handkerchief that came with his character, calmly and carefully wiped the corner of his mouth, and then asked good-naturedly, "Mr. Sheqing Ghost, who loves to play, please tell me, where did you hide A Xing?"

"Three minutes have passed, and half of them are already gone. If you don't hurry up and kill me, aren't you worried I might say something detrimental to him during the live stream?"

The black box's effect is limited to a radius of two meters around the user, which means Yu Xing is very close to him.

However, the blue mist belongs exclusively to the Sheqing Ghost, and it is very strange. The Lingren, who are restricted from using offerings, really can't find it for the time being.

He just wanted to look at Yu Xing more, fixing his gaze on Yu Xing, not letting it slip away for even a second... He missed Yu Xing so much.

His escaped artworks.

Now that we've found it again, of course we should take it back... right?

Yi Qing whistled. "You should thank this shameless system for imposing so many restrictions on me. However, I was just bored and wanted to get some exercise. Also, as Yu Xing requested, I'm just giving you a small gift in advance."

"How does it feel to have your soul corrupted?"

The Lingren, feeling the bone-chilling cold, the pervasive pain and dizziness, gradually widened his smile, "Not bad, thank you for the gift, I like it very much."

"Since you like it, take a few more." Yu Xing was behind him, carrying an exquisite and elegant Chinese candlestick in her left hand. Inside the candlestick, a red candle burned quietly, its light veiled by a blue mist, until it finally reached the feet of the Lingren.

The skin on the hand holding the candlestick was constantly rotting and then rapidly growing back to its original state, repeating this process that was excruciating to watch, and the rotting was spreading to the arm, body, and face.

Yu Xing the immense pain, Yu Xing didn't even flinch. He felt a surge of pleasure as he watched the Lingren exhibit the same symptoms.