This Is Mine

At 10 p. m. sharp, the Underground City was plunged into darkness.

Yu Xing had already made arrangements for Xiao Jiang, choosing a small house not far from him, also on a high slope, and close to the edge of the city.

Because Xiao Jiang came down at an inopportune time, he didn't have time to tell the other party much about the Underground City. As darkness fell, he returned to his room amidst the slightly complicated gazes of the other believers.

Yes, although he was "in the right" in the daytime argument, some seeds of doubt were still planted in the hearts of believers, causing some people's eyes to keep drifting towards him as darkness fell.

Yu Xing remained unfazed as she returned to her room and closed the door under their watchful eyes, cutting off their prying gazes. After sitting on the wooden bed for a while, the power of the curse began to spread throughout the house, sealing off and isolating the movement of every believer.

The darkness and silence were quickly broken by the sounds of ghosts walking by. Perhaps the revelry of the previous night had given these ghosts a different kind of joy, because today their jumping and hopping sounds were much louder. I'm sure many believers are terrified and don't want to wake up the next day to have to cleanse the whole city again.

Yu Xing yawned and decided to take a nap. Most of the believers were still awake and more alert than usual, so if he made any noise, he would be easily discovered.

One hour.

Two hours...

Three hours.

Around one o'clock in the morning, Yu Xing opened her eyes. Her retina was blurred by darkness, and she felt dizzy, like patches of color in varying shades.

He sat up, rubbed his forehead, and raised his eyebrows as he did so.

It wasn't that he planned to wake up at this time; in his plan, he wanted to wake up two hours later.

But... someone doesn't want him to sleep.

In this dimly lit, enclosed room, there was another person's breathing, hidden in the shadows, soft and ghostly.

"Yu Fengchen?"

Yu Xing's calm tone was punctuated by a rising tone at the end, adding an indescribable hint of mockery to his composure.

Something moved in the shadows, and then, with the emergence of a soft white light, a face that at first glance seemed unreal and excessively exquisite appeared in Yu Xing's sight.

The oddly shaped oval silver-rimmed glasses perched on the high bridge of the nose gave the wearer a cool and unapproachable air.

"How did you know it was me?" A clear, steady, yet slightly cold voice came from the opening and closing of that face's mouth.

"Besides you, oh, and me, besides the two of us, I can't think of a third person who could break the curse on the door silently." Yu Xing shrugged. "What are you doing standing at the foot of my bed? It's kind of scary."

"Are you still scared?" The man holding the mini light source moved something, making the light brighter and illuminating half the room.

The newcomer's figure was also completely exposed. It turned out that Yu Fengchen had somehow stolen a sect robe from the reception area and was wearing it now, looking quite like a local.

Yu Xing rolled out of bed, straightened her wrinkled robes, and squinted as she approached Yu Fengchen: "A midnight attack, what are you trying to do?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the glowing object in Yu Fengchen's hand; it turned out to be a large white lantern.

The lantern had the word "Happiness" written on it, and I don't know where it came from. It was like laughing at a funeral. It was weird and absurd, and it fit Yu Xing's taste.

"I just came down. This is the best place to get intelligence," Yu Fengchen, seemingly not intending to waste any more words with Yu Xing. "Why bother asking around when there's a shortcut?"

"Well said." Yu Xing scoffed.

He had only met Yu Fengchen a few times, but perhaps due to the timeline, he always felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

So when we spoke, there was a strange sense of familiar understanding between us.

So there was no need for further wrangling. The two exchanged a glance, Yu Fengchen knew that this was the time for him to show sincerity comparable to the intelligence he had gathered.

"It's like this, the relationship between Ghost Tree and me is immense. I need Ghost Tree's power, as you saw in the tomb palace last time." Yu Fengchen noticed that Yu Xing seemed very interested in the lantern in his hand, and warily pulled his hand back slightly. "... This is mine."

Yu Xing: "... I wasn't planning on robbing you, please continue."

Yu Fengchen wasn't entirely convinced, and moved the lantern further away from Yu Xing: "So after receiving your information, I decided to come and give it a try, and I brought Jiang Jieleng along as well. His strategic planning skills are very suitable for assisting me in various situations."

"Jiang Jieleng, ah, Xiao Jiang." Yu Xing understood.

Yu Fengchen paused, then continued nonchalantly, "The timeline is too messy; I don't remember when you first learned his real name. It's not important anymore."

"Obviously, according to my timeline, it's now." Yu Xing grinned, looking utterly irritating.

"... In short, Jiang Jieleng very smart. He can be a great teammate for both you and me. You can trust him appropriately." Yu Fengchen didn't want to look at the smug look on his face, so he slightly shifted his gaze.

"I had him take my place so I could completely disappear and do whatever I wanted more easily without anyone watching me."

"I suppose you also need a knife like this, so let's cooperate?"

Yu Xing stroked his chin and looked Yu Fengchen up and down. Last time, at the bottom of the tomb, he had personally seen Yu Fengchen covered in eerie and beautiful black patterns. He didn't see them this time, which he found regrettable.

"Cooperation is fine. I brought you here with the intention of cooperation. Otherwise, why would I want you to come down here and cause me trouble?" Yu Xing pouted. "But I have a question."

Yu Fengchen: "Ask."

"You now..." Yu Xing hesitated, "Have you been to the tomb? Has your black cat come back? Do you remember me seeing you before?"

A barrage of questions bombarded Yu Fengchen like a cannonball, making his usually aloof face look incredibly irritable.

He pushed up his glasses and interrupted, "Did you ever see me with my black markings drawing power from something?"

Yu Xing kept quiet for a moment, a smile playing on his lips, Yu Fengchen that he would keep staring at Yu Fengchen if he didn't answer.

"Although I already know you're interested in my tree patterns, you don't need to ask me these questions every time you see me. It makes you seem like some kind of pervert with weird fetishes." Yu Fengchen's temples twitched twice. "I haven't been to the tomb palace. Judging from your reaction, that was a long time ago. My cat is still in the Witch's hands."

"Oh." Yu Xing looked at the fair-skinned Yu Fengchen with a hint of regret.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: This is mine