Could it be...
Shen Ye held his breath and tapped the message with a trembling finger.
The message contained a video.
He hurriedly opened it.
Before the shaking camera, a girl in a long white dress stood by a railing.
Bright moonlight illuminated her graceful figure, but she never turned around, showing only her back to the camera.
Night stretched vast and dim beneath the boundless light of the cold moon.
She leaned against the railing, gazing out at the shimmering Vast River.
Frostlike moonlight set off her delicate figure, and the wind tousled her long hair. She looked like a peerlessly beautiful fairy banished to the mortal world.
Suddenly.
A male voice rang out:
"Song Qingyun, what kind of boyfriend would you like to find in the future?"
Still without turning around, the girl rested her chin on her hand and gazed into the distance at the moon over the river, speaking in a languid tone:
"I've never thought about that."
Another male voice rang out:
"You can start thinking now. You're almost an adult, after all-who knows how many outstanding young men have been waiting desperately?"
The speaker seemed to command considerable respect.
From that point on, quite a few people began urging the girl to talk about her preferences in a partner.
Seemingly unable to withstand their persuasion, the girl brushed back her windblown hair, turned slightly, and looked toward the camera.
Her eyes were like a dazzling sea of stars, her willow-leaf brows picturesque, her skin fairer than snow and frost. Her smile held a clever, graceful charm.
Moonlight hung low over the river, while she tilted her chin proudly, letting the boundless moonlit river night frame her figure as both appeared before the camera.
She possessed such peerless beauty, yet seemed entirely unaware of it and cared even less, as though-
She utterly disdained being counted among other beauties.
She parted her red lips and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, melodious and moving:
"I remember visiting the Shen Family once for New Year's when I was little."
"My younger sister and I were chased by a very fierce dog. Only Brother Shen Ye stepped forward to stop it."
"Brother Shen Ye was very nice. I've always remembered him."
"If I were to find a boyfriend-"
"I'd want someone like him."
The image disappeared.
The video went black.
After a while, the surrounding wind, moonlight, laughter, and conversation all vanished.
The person filming seemed to have entered a quiet space.
The camera pointed at the floor.
A male voice rang out. "Shen Ye... who is he?"
Another young man gave a series of mocking laughs. "We've already checked. That kid is completely ordinary. His path won't cross hers again."
"Can you be sure how Song Qingyun feels? What if she goes looking for him?" another male voice asked.
Silence fell around them for a while.
The earlier male voice that commanded considerable respect suddenly rang out:
"Find a way to deal with this. I don't want to see that Shen Ye appearing in front of Qingyun."
The others answered one after another:
"Don't worry. It's nothing."
"We don't even need to handle something like this ourselves."
"Get someone to do it. Make it look like an accident."
"It's simple..."
"It's just a matter of money."
The authoritative male voice said, "Mm. Find someone to have a little fun with him. Consider it a little lesson."
The image went black again.
The video ended.
Shen Ye closed his eyes for a moment.
He had imagined countless possibilities. At one point, he had thought someone was targeting the Shen Family, or wanted to strike at his parents by killing him, or that the previous owner of his body had inadvertently learned some secret.
He had even-
Thought someone knew that this body harbored a soul from another world and wanted to destroy him.
But he had never imagined that the truth would be like this.
-So absurd.
He stood up silently, turned, and left the room, heading downstairs along the stairway that had not yet broken apart.
The walls were covered in corpses.
The corridor was filled with corpses.
Even the ceiling was covered in bloody corpses.
All the corpses here were looking at him.
Not only that, even the corpses on the corridor walls turned their gazes toward him.
"You... seem to have something to say to me?"
Shen Ye said.
A girl in a hotel uniform said, "Thank you for helping kill that demonic man."
"Yes," a man in a police uniform said. "We were no match for him. He killed us all. Only you avenged us."
The other corpses voiced their agreement.
Shen Ye shook his head, feeling unable to speak.
What?
That man was clearly hunting me.
I was the one who dragged you into this.
And what exactly was that shadow just now?
At that moment, one corpse finally asked the question buried in their heart:
"I really want to know. Why did that demonic man kill us?"
Shen Ye opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt unbearably stifled.
Xiao Mengyu had gone too fast.
He could not keep up with her speed at all.
Big Skeleton had to protect him and could only abandon the pursuit.
I'm too weak...
Damn it.
He clenched his fists.
Damn it all!!!
He suddenly raised his eyes and said earnestly:
"Everyone, if you can, I hope you'll choose somewhere else to be reborn."
"I hope you can live with dignity in other worlds."
"Instead of dying like this, helpless, humiliated, and filled with attachment, leaving your loved ones in anguish."
"-You should all go."
"Please don't worry anymore, or remain attached to anything here."
"One day, when I'm strong enough to investigate everything and find the person behind it-"
"I'll kill him myself."
"I swear I'll do it!"
The corpses present listened quietly to his oath, then whispered among themselves, quickly passing word of what had happened here to the other corpses.
Before long.
Every corpse in the Hotel knew about it.
-That boy had sworn to avenge them.
"Thank you..."
"If you have the chance, please avenge us. But first, you must stay alive."
"You must live to a hundred, free from illness and disaster."
"I hope you gain even greater power and kill the one behind this."
"We'll watch over you from Hell."
"You must live well."
"..."
Every corpse was thanking him and offering him blessings.
He gave no response, merely letting his gaze sweep over the corpses one by one, as though listening intently.
Big Skeleton whispered, "The art sustaining them has ended. They've returned to the Netherworld."
Shen Ye still did not listen.
-Only those words echoed in his ears:
"Find someone to have a little fun with him..."
A little fun.
He walked all the way to the Hotel lobby and stood still.
The real Shen Ye had died several days ago.
Chen Haoyu was dead.
Luo Feichuan was dead.
Tens of thousands of people in this neighborhood were all dead-
Every one of them had parents, teachers, and friends, and some had siblings and children too.
They should have had lives of their own.
But they were all dead.
After death, their corpses had been bound here, unable to move, subjected to the control of the Blood Demon Art.
This was just a little fun?
This was just-
A little lesson?
It felt as though something inside him had been set alight.
Yet he merely pressed his lips tightly together, letting his face turn pale and cold.
-Someone whose allegiance was unknown was still hiding nearby. He still needed to stay calm.
Suddenly.
A female voice came from the distance:
"You're still here."
Xiao Mengyu landed lightly in the lobby.
"What was that shadow?" Shen Ye asked.
"It got away-it was far stronger than I imagined, definitely not human. I suspect it's connected to 'Calamity.' If we anger it, the consequences could be unimaginable."
Xiao Mengyu said.
"Calamity?" Shen Ye repeated.
"Yes-I sensed some kind of anomalous force field just now. Perhaps he let it leak out by accident," Xiao Mengyu said.
Shen Ye nodded silently.
He had seen an "anomaly" before.
"Calamity" was supposedly above even an "anomaly" and could easily destroy a city.
In that case, Xiao Mengyu's decision not to pursue it was the wisest choice.
-This girl was considerate, too. Even with Big Skeleton standing beside him, she asked nothing.
Xiao Mengyu put away her sword and gave Shen Ye a slight bow:
"Your power remains on me and has given me many insights. I'll take you back now, then I need to find somewhere safe and start improving my strength."
Shen Ye glanced at her.
The "Holy-Blessed One" entry above her head would last a while longer.
He hoped she could make a breakthrough.
But before that-
"I watched the video you sent me, but some things still aren't clear," Shen Ye said.
-This was what he had risked his life to come here for.
After a brief silence, Xiao Mengyu said softly:
"I've already investigated everything, but it's complicated. I suggest you don't ask any more questions."
"Who are those people?" Shen Ye asked directly.
"Just go. I won't tell anyone you were here," Xiao Mengyu said.
"Who are they?" Shen Ye persisted.
"Children of a few major families. I couldn't find out anything more specific," Xiao Mengyu could only say.
"I seem to remember you came from a prominent family too," Shen Ye said.
"Not just me. You actually come from one too-but our families fall far short of theirs."
Xiao Mengyu continued calmly, "I've already exposed this, and everyone who died in this entire neighborhood today died because of what they did."
"My brother died the same way."
"There has to be some resolution to this."
"What resolution? Will they face justice? Or will they be shot outright?" Shen Ye asked.
"No..."
Xiao Mengyu looked at him, sighing inwardly, and said:
"Perhaps, after a long time, they'll be punished."
"Punished?" Shen Ye repeated.
"A few words of reprimand, being forbidden to leave home, things like that. Then they might offer you and our Luo Family some compensation by way of apology."
As Xiao Mengyu spoke, she couldn't help shaking her head herself.
"Who would believe that crap?" Shen Ye said expressionlessly. "They've already made their move, but they failed to kill me and accidentally killed your brother instead. Next, they'll do everything they can to wipe out both of us, before anything changes and we come looking for revenge someday."
"But... those families are among the strongest in the entire world, and Song Qingyun is the focus of everyone's pursuit," Xiao Mengyu said.
She lowered her head.
"All on my own..."
"Even our Luo Family is nothing more than an ant beneath the bright moon before them."
"So there's a good chance those scions will hunt you down next, and no one can help you," Shen Ye said.
"That's the price I paid to learn the truth," Xiao Mengyu said.
She paused, then continued:
"We should actually count ourselves lucky that we happened to encounter an assassin like Skinner this time. He cared more about his own feelings than his mission."
"Otherwise, any other assassin of the same caliber would never have told us the truth."
"We probably would never have known the truth."
"The entire team of killers is dead. I think that should be enough to comfort my brother's spirit in heaven."
"Goodbye."
Xiao Mengyu said all of this in one breath and gave Shen Ye a slight bow. As though she dared not look at his face again, she turned and left.
Everything around them was silent.
She walked outside, one step at a time.
Shen Ye suddenly spoke. "If you had the strength to kill all those scions... would you do it?"
Xiao Mengyu lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and said coldly:
"Stop joking. Their families are incomparably powerful. They're the cornerstones of civilization for the entire human world. If I did anything, my family might be-"
"Never mind that. I'm only asking, can you accept this?" Shen Ye interrupted her.
Humm-
The longsword vibrated without cease.
Unable to restrain herself any longer, she let out a despairing, furious cry, drew her longsword, and slashed at the street outside.
Rumble!
Her slash split the entire street open, and the building opposite slowly collapsed.
The girl lowered her head and wiped away her tears. Carrying her longsword, she stumbled a few steps and ran out.
She was gone.
Shen Ye was left alone in the building strewn with corpses.
He stood there for a while, then suddenly stretched mightily, a radiant smile appearing on his face.
"It's over. Time for us to head back too."
"How are you planning to handle this?" Big Skeleton asked with interest.
"I thought someone had a blood feud with me. Turns out they were just playing around, so there's nothing to think about," Shen Ye said with a smile.
"I don't believe you," Big Skeleton said.
"The most important thing in life is to be happy. Put everything else aside. Don't dwell on it," Shen Ye said.
He waved at his surroundings.
"Hey, whoever you are, if you don't come out now, I'm leaving!"
There was no reply.
Shen Ye climbed onto the Ghostfire Motorcycle, put on his helmet, and prepared to leave.
"I don't believe a word you just said," Big Skeleton said.
"You don't understand us humans. We humans think that just staying alive is hard enough, so we have to be happy," Shen Ye said, spreading his hands.
"But you can't just let people slaughter you," Big Skeleton said, its tone exasperated at his failure to stand up for himself.
"This is what we pursue as human beings. I'll tirelessly seek that happiness and strive to fill this life with satisfaction," Shen Ye said.
"How are you going to pursue it?" Big Skeleton began to catch his meaning.
"Isn't that simple? They want to play, so let's play-until I've killed every last one of them, to honor the souls of all the innocent people who died today, and get a little revenge for myself while I'm at it. When that time comes, my heart will be filled with joy. I'll even feel that this life hasn't been wasted," Shen Ye said.
"That I believe," Big Skeleton said happily.
It turned into a ball of ghostly fire and sank into Shen Ye's ring.
The Ghostfire Motorcycle let out a high-pitched roar, shot out of the building in an instant, and sped away down the street.