CH 130

“I remembered.”

The peculiar sense of reality dislocation and the helpless “observer perspective” where nothing could be done, all had an answer. Only “he himself” could influence him to such an extent.

That was his memory; that was the reality that had happened before.

However, under the urgent seal, they became fragmented. Now he had to pick up the broken fragments and put them back together in their heartbreaking original state.

Chaos, struggle, blankness.

Perhaps his sanity also wanted to save itself, and as the memory approached that sad endpoint, it appeared increasingly shattered.

Yin Ren had always been very skilled at modifying and sealing memories. However, even the powerful Yin Ren could not change the established reality.

He could have eliminated or beautified them, but instead he chose to preserve them almost coldly in their original form. He slowly drank the poisonous soup that passed through his intestines.

“I remember everything now.”

Yin Ren’s voice became much clearer.

The blood in his memory lingered and refused to dissipate, leaving behind the image of the tragic scene in his mind. Yin Ren subconsciously wanted to retreat to his memories and immerse himself back into the initial peace; the memories accompanied by kisses and casual talks—

Back then, all he had to worry about was the slightly nauseating dining environment and the long-awaited barbecue buffet for over twenty years. He was in the midst of a newly started awkward romance, and his biggest concern was “how to stop Zhong Chengshuo from getting old”.

That person will not age anymore.

Yin Ren forced himself to open his eyes and pulled himself out of the world of memories.

In front of him was no longer a pool of blood in the sunset, and the stairs seemed to lead to hell. He was sitting on a chair, with a faint mist rolling on the slate floor, and a starless night sky above his head.

He could feel countless ancient defense barriers around him rumbling as they cut off this small area from the outside world.

The B- and C-level investigation teams participating in the competition were all staying in this spacious stone building. Yin Ren could hear quiet conversations and sobbing and smell the strong scent of blood.

But he didn’t have the energy to ponder all of this.

Because the peculiar questioner was right in front of him.

“… You’re awake.” The questioner let out a long sigh.

In front of Yin Ren was a strange willow tree that emitted a scent similar to that of Fu Xingchuan. Various human facial features of different sizes grew on its thick trunk, which was clearly an exceptionally odd and somewhat comical scene. However, Yin Ren’s heart was completely devoid of thoughts.

He was equally uninterested in thinking about what it was.

“How long has it been?” Yin Ren asked expressionlessly.

“Five hours,” the willow tree—Fu Wuya answered, his voice somewhat heavy. “Every time you mentioned the part of your memory about the idle chat on ‘Primordial Elements’, you wouldn’t continue on your own.”

Yin Ren didn’t respond.

That was how memory seals worked. To break the seal, “gradual external guidance” and “relative calmness within oneself” were both indispensable. As a safety fuse to prevent himself from breaking down, this mechanism was quite effective.

Through each inquiry, the seal gradually dissipated, and the memories of the past few hours returned in full force. Like waking up from a long dream, the blood on Yin Ren’s face had dried up.

…Unfortunately, the buffer of the seal could only prevent collapse, but not eliminate the pain.

Numbly sitting in the chair, Yin Ren still had Zhong Chengshuo’s blood-stained hardcover notebook on his knees. His consciousness was approaching blankness, and his stomach was very hungry, but he didn’t feel like eating anything.

He was in a strange state of suspension, with countless emotions surging up simultaneously. Yin Ren didn’t know which ones to deal with first, so he just stayed where he was.

This place was a bit desolate. In just a few short months, he had become accustomed to having someone else around.

He had a strange subconscious feeling that Zhong Chengshuo was still around, just called away by Shian to do something, and that was why he wasn’t by his side.

That person was strong, and there were still so many mysteries that surrounded him. He also had elderly parents to support, and research on the Divine Descent and Evil Spirits hadn’t been completed…

They hadn’t even had time to figure out how to take their relationship to the next level.

How could Zhong Chengshuo die?

Even if he died, that person should die in a heroic battle instead of disappearing like this, suddenly, like a soap bubble.

Zhong Chengshuo definitely wouldn’t leave like this.

Yin Ren rubbed the hardcover of the blood-stained notebook. Zhong Chengshuo really liked this little notebook. Now it was covered in dust, and Yin Ren didn’t know if that person would show a distressed and conflicted expression.

The fire in the ancestral hall flickered, illuminating the exquisite and grand murals of Zhong Yi.

Seeing Yin Ren sitting there like a statue, Fu Wuya’s huge eyes turned to him. “This is the Fu family ancestral hall, so it’s relatively safe for now.”

“I’m here, and it’s considered ‘safe’?” Yin Ren raised his eyes dully.

The eyes on the willow tree turned, scanning the people taking refuge around them. Its lips moved slightly, and a voice whispered into Yin Ren’s ear, “I know you’re an evil, but you’d rather seal your memories than lose control in a crowd. It would be a bit much to exclude you again.”

“……”

Yin Ren didn’t continue with the topic. He continued to look at the notebook cover with English words he couldn’t quite understand. Yin Ren knew that if he opened it, he would see Zhong Chengshuo’s handwriting. It was very neat and beautiful, like print font.

The hard leather cover was light and sturdy, but he didn’t have the strength to open it.

“Where is Fu Xingchuan?” Yin Ren changed the subject. “Speaking” had never made him so tired.

Fu Wuya said, “I am here to represent the Fu family. What do you want to do?”

“I just want to know the general location of Sunken Society’s headquarters,” Yin Ren replied almost rightfully. “They have no use for Zhong Chengshuo’s body. Only his blood relatives have a need for it—so as long as I can find his blood relatives, I can bring him back.”

“We haven’t yet found out who the intruder who fired the shots is. Including Zhong Chengshuo, he shot and injured two people and severely wounded five others, but he didn’t show any malice, making it extremely difficult to prevent.”

“But one thing is certain, he committed the crime through interstitial space. I happen to be familiar with this, and this is currently the safest place in all of Haigu.”

Fu Wuya didn’t directly deny Yin Ren’s request.

“This matter is not urgent, Yin Ren. We can talk about it slowly—”

Bang!

A series of explosions rang out, and murals of Zhong Yi in the ancestral hall were destroyed. When the smoke cleared, the wall plaster fell with a loud clatter. The solemn faces of the Zhong Yi statutes were now only filled with despair.

Outside the ancestral hall, countless Zhong Yi statues of various sizes shook at the same time. Something flesh-like oozed from their faces, forming a blur of chaos.

The voices of the surrounding Shian people stopped completely, and they each assumed a defensive posture, searching for the source of the attack in confusion. Yin Ren remained seated in his original position, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

His back was slightly bent, and his breathing was particularly difficult. His face was very young, but his breath aged in an instant.

“I’m in a hurry,” Yin Ren said. “I’m tired, and I don’t have time to continue playing with you, the children of the Fu family.”

The eyes on the tree trunk widened suddenly.

“Did that kid write down eating malt sugar mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the family rules? When I taught him that spell, he always said—when he starts a family and becomes successful, he must write this in the family rules.”

“Who are you…”

“Let’s see, the group of kids I brought with me clamored to slay demons and monsters together when they grew up. I didn’t expect that this little group would continue to this day. The name Huajisi was formed and led by Fu Liu, right?’

Fu Wuya’s black eyes suddenly shrank.

“You’ve been wanting to find out who I am, haven’t you?”

Yin Ren raised his eyes; his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were blood red.

“Now I have given you proof—your ancestors were saved by me from the mouth of a wild boar. Are you disappointed?”

The branches of the willow tree trembled and rustled. The surrounding winds grew stronger, and the master’s wavering clearly affected the nearby protective spells. The space emitted a squeezed sound.

Yin Ren’s long hair was blown by the wind, maintaining his wretched posture. Compared to Fu Wuya, who had transformed into an evil tree, he looked even smaller.

He had saved many people and killed even more. Human life was as insignificant as weeds to him, but he couldn’t even stop such an attack.

The so-called Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi never had a strong sense of justice* nor was he omnipotent.

*Hate evil like an enemy (嫉恶如仇) Idiom referring to a strong sense of justice and the determination to fight against evil and injustice, as if one’s personal enemy was involved.

He killed evil spirits to satisfy his hunger. He briefly traveled with mortal children because he wanted to talk. He entered the human world on a rainy night a few months ago because he liked excitement.

At that time, Zhong Chengshuo pushed his bicycle and led him into the world in the pouring rain.

Yin Ren’s fingers trembled slightly.

The hard cover notebook slipped off his fingertips and fell onto the stone floor with a snap.

The last page of the notebook opened upward, revealing rows of neat handwriting. Yin Ren bent down to pick it up, and his movements completely froze when he saw the words.

[This is Zhong Chengshuo’s personal notebook. If you see this line, I am probably already dead.]

Zhong Chengshuo wrote this.

[I met an evil named Yin Ren. Since he asked me to meet him alone, there is a possibility that he may kill me.]

This sentence was carefully crossed out, and only a rough outline could be seen… Yin Ren struggled to recall. It was probably related to the Bai Yongji case, the night he invited Zhong Chengshuo to have an “accomplice negotiation”.

[Recently, I successfully entered Shian. In addition to a normal last will, I need a more special one. Whoever reads this last will, if I die from unnatural causes and am targeted for murder, no matter how the case looks, please thoroughly investigate my death and don’t delay.]

[If you are a Nightwalker, if you can discover my secret during your investigation, you will obtain my research materials on a certain case from these years. Hand it over to Shian, and you will receive a generous reward. If you cannot find it, please hand this last will to Shian, and the reward you get may be less.]

The “secret” mentioned in this passage… Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo was referring to his secret base. That guy only took him there once, and Yin Ren naturally assumed that there would be many more opportunities in the future.

Yin Ren read slowly, as if this would allow him to continue the conversation with the missing person.

[If you are from Shian, simply report ‘the Other Side’.]

[If you are the one who killed me, then my luck is really bad and there’s nothing to say. I wish you luck that you won’t be discovered during the investigation, although I think it’s unlikely.]

Even if it was a farewell note, this person’s tone was very irritating. Yin Ren could imagine Zhong Chengshuo saying these words in a rigid manner, and the corners of his mouth twitched subconsciously.

[In addition, don’t cremate my body. Please donate it to Shian too.]

Yin Ren rubbed the last line. His movements were as light as feathers, as if that line of words would be awakened.

“I will,” he said softly.

……

Sunken Society, Haigu Branch, underground corpse vault.

“Have you heard? The one who just came in was wrapped in a body bag and fell into the morgue out of nowhere,” said one of the guards mysteriously. “I saw ‘Compensation for Gengsheng Town’ written on it.”

“Shh, don’t say that. When the boss comes to confirm, I don’t know how bad his face will look,” said the second guard, who was clearly a zombie. It scratched its dry skin. “Just throw the body over. Who knows if it’s an apology or a provocation? The less you know about what’s going on up top, the longer you’ll live.”

The human guard gave it a look that spoke volumes.

“Right, the body is locked in the deepest part, isn’t it? I don’t know what precious material it’s made of, tsk tsk…” It cautiously changed the subject.

The two guards were in a dark freezer room located several floors below ground level.

In the cramped space, the metal morgue cabinet was as thick as a safe. This place was too deep, so the surveillance cameras had been replaced with layers upon layers of surveillance spells. The whole space was like a stone coffin buried deep underground, with no light to be seen inside.

And in this deepest corner of the darkness, in the almost-solidified silence of death…

“Click.”

A very faint sound came from the morgue cabinet.