Worship the Lady (14)

A figure Bo Yi knew very well was crouched low on a ceiling beam.

After all, they had only just met not long ago.

At some point, she had climbed up above Bo Yi's head and was now lying there silently, watching him. The arms on her back stood raised in the darkness, writhing wildly, like a bouquet of unrestrained flowers blooming from her back.

"Drip..."

"Drip..."

Water dripped from her hanging hair onto the photograph. The round droplets slowly rolled down its surface, carrying away the dust in their path, and the blurred figures obscured beneath it grew clearer little by little.

But Bo Yi had no attention to spare for that now. His gaze stayed fixed on the woman overhead as he held his breath and began backing away, very slowly, one step at a time. He moved with extreme care, afraid that any sound would alert her.

One step, two steps... he slowly backed out from beneath the beam where she lay.

Only after he was out of her immediate attack range did Bo Yi let out a soft breath. It was then that he realized he was still clutching the picture frame. The water had washed away most of the dust on the photograph. At least all three faces were now visible.

Since I've already brought it this far, Bo Yi thought, lowering his head to take a look.

The photograph had yellowed somewhat, and perhaps because of the limitations of the camera, the people in it were not particularly clear either. Still, he had just seen black-and-white versions of two of those faces on the wall, so they were easy enough to recognize. Only the remaining face-

It was so blurry that Bo Yi instinctively brought the photograph closer to his eyes.

Yet that perfectly ordinary motion made the woman, who had been silent all this time, suddenly let out a piercing scream. She sprang down from the beam, the densely packed arms on her back spreading through the air like an open net. Her body traced an arc through the air, hurtling straight at Bo Yi like a falling meteor, with the wind whistling around her.

Furniture crowded the room, leaving little space to dodge. Bo Yi simply flicked his wrist and hurled the picture frame like a weapon.

He was gambling.

Gambling on whether that photograph mattered to her.

Fortunately, he won. The instant she saw the frame fly away, the woman, already airborne, stretched out the arms on her back and pushed against a nearby piece of furniture, changing direction to chase after it.

Bo Yi seized the opportunity, snatched the paper knife from the desk, and sprinted toward the door.

He had barely gone any distance before he heard something cutting through the air behind him again.

Bang! A figure flew over his head and slammed down right in front of him.

She hunched over on her knees, the arms behind her braced against the ground and shifting slowly, her gaze fixed on Bo Yi. Her long hair dragged across the floor, leaving winding trails of water.

She also completely blocked his way out.

Looks like there's no leaving peacefully... Fortunately, his wounds had healed this time. Bo Yi twirled the paper knife between his fingertips and flexed his fingers. Then, the instant she lunged again, he met her head-on without dodging.

The two figures immediately became locked in combat.

"Tsk."

With some distaste, Bo Yi once again dodged a sneak attack from one of the hands on her back.

Having this many hands is practically cheating.

Neither could get the better of the other. In the end, even when a faint light appeared on the horizon, all Bo Yi had managed was to cut off a lock of her hair with the paper knife.

He watched her retreat into the room little by little. Only after she had vanished completely into the darkness did he leave the house, carrying the dripping lock of hair.

The dawn light was cool and faint. The black fish had climbed down from the walls and were rapidly retreating along the road.

Curious, Bo Yi followed, wanting to see where they would go. But he had only taken one step closer when the fish surged away from him like a tide, scattering in every direction with him at the center.

"Huh?"

Not quite convinced, he took another step forward. This time, the fish retreated even faster. Two of them were in such a hurry that they collided and rolled over together twice on the ground.

Only a short while ago, he had been casually "plucking" fish off the walls, yet now they could not get away from him fast enough... and the only thing that had changed about him was-

He slowly lowered his head. The lock of long black hair in his hand seemed to have an endless supply of water to drip. Despite the distance he had walked, it still felt just as wet and slippery.

As though it were still alive.

Bo Yi considered it for a couple of seconds. In the end, rather than let go of the hair, he raised his hand and swung his arm hard in the direction the fish were retreating. Water droplets flew off the hair with the motion. The tiny, clear drops landed among the fish, but it was as though a bomb had been thrown into that black "ocean." A circle of empty ground instantly opened around the spot where they fell.

So that's it... Understanding dawned on Bo Yi's face. The hair was so useful that he even entertained the horrifying thought, Should I just use this hair to herd all the fish into my courtyard?

But the thought had barely surfaced when he heard sounds of fighting from the house nearby where they, the players, were staying. Among those sounds was a muffled grunt from a familiar voice.

Bo Yi put the thought aside for now, turned, and headed toward the sounds.

Bo Yu stood in the courtyard in a sorry state. Her face was pale, and she looked utterly exhausted. Several holes had been torn in her clothes, leaving them almost unrecognizable. Her exposed skin was covered in wounds and bruises, scratches left by fingernails, bite marks left by teeth... some deep, some shallow, but all of them beaded with blood.

The other players surrounded her. Blood still stained the corners of their mouths and their teeth as they stared hungrily at Bo Yu in their midst, saliva constantly dripping down their chins.

They looked just like Jiang Xiaofeng had when he went mad.

Bo Yi even spotted Xu Xiaoyang and Du Yong among them.

Huh... come to think of it, when Jiang Xiaofeng went mad earlier, those two were pounding frantically on the door outside. But later, they left without a sound.

Why did they leave of their own accord back then?

Bo Yi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

A moment later, he slowly lowered his head and looked at the hair in his hand.