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墨書 Inktalez
Outside Zhou Yuanyuan's apartment building, Lin Xiyao dialed the unanswered phone for the third time.
"She never does this," Lin Xiyao stared at the phone screen. "At least she would reply to a message."
Qiu Mo Xuan stood beside her, the collar of his black trench coat turned up, obscuring half of his face. A passing girl glanced back at him repeatedly.
"There’s a strange aura," he suddenly said.
Lin Xiyao's heart tightened. "Zhou Yuanyuan's?"
"Not just hers." Qiu Mo Xuan looked up at the fifth-floor window. "It’s mixed."
The elevator was out of order. Lin Xiyao and Qiu Mo Xuan had no choice but to take the stairs. By the time they reached the fourth floor, Lin Xiyao was panting and stopped. "Wait... I need a moment..."
Qiu Mo Xuan frowned and suddenly bent down, lifting her off the ground.
"Hey! Put me down..."
"Too slow."
In three strides, he covered the remaining stairs. When Qiu Mo Xuan set her down in front of Zhou Yuanyuan's door, Lin Xiyao's face felt hot enough to fry an egg.
Knocking on the door yielded no response. Qiu Mo Xuan pressed his hand against the door lock, and with a click, it swung open.
"This is illegal..." Lin Xiyao protested quietly but followed him inside anyway.
Zhou Yuanyuan's apartment was astonishingly messy. Cosmetics were scattered everywhere, and takeout boxes piled high on the coffee table. Strangely, the walls were plastered with yellow paper covered in red characters.
"What... is going on?"
Qiu Mo Xuan tore off a talisman and rubbed it between his fingers. "Inferior goods."
The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Lin Xiyao pushed it open, her scream caught in her throat—
Zhou Yuanyuan was curled up in the corner, holding a glass jar. Inside the jar floated a glowing... goldfish?
"Yuan Yuan?"
Zhou Yuanyuan suddenly looked up, her eyes bloodshot. "Don't come any closer!"
Lin Xiyao froze in place. It was then she noticed the bandages wrapped around Zhou Yuanyuan's wrist, the blood seeping through had already turned dark.
Qiu Mo Xuan stepped forward, pulling Lin Xiyao behind him. "Foolish."
"What do you know!" Zhou Yuanyuan screamed hysterically. "Little Jin needs me!"
The goldfish in the glass jar suddenly thrashed violently, causing the jar to rattle loudly. Qiu Mo Xuan sneered and reached for the jar.
"Don't!" Zhou Yuanyuan lunged forward. "He will die!"
Qiu Mo Xuan easily sidestepped her, his hand gripping the jar's opening. "It should have died long ago."
Lin Xiyao finally found her voice. "What on earth is happening?"
Zhou Yuanyuan sat on the ground, tears mingling with her mascara as she spoke, "Last month... I found Little Jin in the park's pond... He was injured..."
"And then?"
"He... he can talk," Zhou Yuanyuan sobbed. "He said that as long as I feed him a little blood every day, he can grant my wishes..."
Qiu Mo Xuan interrupted her, "How many times have you fed him?"
"Seventeen... or maybe eighteen times..."
Lin Xiyao gasped. Zhou Yuanyuan looked frighteningly thin, her collarbones jutting out; no wonder she had noticed how much weight Zhou Yuanyuan had lost.
Qiu Mo Xuan lifted the jar and held it up to the light. "Carp Spirit, it's about to transform."
Suddenly, the goldfish in the jar let out a piercing scream that caused cracks to appear in the glass.
Qiu Mo Xuan's fingers tightened, and with a loud bang, the jar exploded, sending water splashing everywhere.
"No!" Zhou Yuanyuan lunged forward but was held back by Lin Xiyao.
The goldfish among the shards began to swell, its scales peeling away to reveal dark greenish-black skin underneath.
Its mouth opened wide, stretching back to its ears, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.
"Be careful!" Lin Xiyao tried to drag Zhou Yuanyuan away but was overwhelmed by a wave of foul odor that knocked her to the ground.
The monster fully revealed its true form—a three-meter-long serpent, with its abdomen still bearing the remnants of untransformed fish fins. It opened its gaping maw and lunged at Zhou Yuanyuan.
Qiu Mo Xuan stepped in front, his right hand morphing into a dragon claw, which pierced straight through the serpent's throat. Black blood splattered against the wall, hissing as it corroded the surface.
The serpent convulsed, emitting a human-like plea: "Spare me... Lord Long Jun..."
Qiu Mo Xuan expressionlessly twisted its neck until it snapped.
An eerie silence fell over the room. Zhou Yuanyuan collapsed to the ground, her eyes glazed over. Lin Xiyao felt her stomach churn violently, struggling to keep from vomiting.
"Yuan Yuan..." She wanted to help her friend but was stopped by Qiu Mo Xuan.
"She’s been poisoned."
Zhou Yuanyuan's wrist was completely wrapped in blackened bandages, with veins protruding like tree roots crawling up her arm.
"Is she... going to die?" Lin Xiyao's voice trembled.
Qiu Mo Xuan did not answer. He grasped Zhou Yuanyuan's wrist and leaned down to lick the wound.
"Ugh—" Zhou Yuanyuan thrashed violently. "Let go of me!"
Black blood surged from the wound as Qiu Mo Xuan expelled a breath of dark energy. The "roots" on Zhou Yuanyuan's arm began to recede.
"Go find Bai Zhi," he said, releasing Zhou Yuanyuan. "She has the antidote."
Lin Xiyao quickly supported the weak Zhou Yuanyuan, asking, "Who is Bai Zhi?"
"The fox from the herbal shop."
Zhou Yuanyuan suddenly grabbed Lin Xiyao's collar, saying, "Your boyfriend... just now... his hand..."
"Don't look, don't ask." Lin Xiyao covered her eyes. "Let's get out of here first."
As they reached the door, Qiu Mo Xuan suddenly turned back, looking toward the bathroom. "Someone has been here."
On the bathroom mirror, a strange symbol was drawn in black blood, as if half of it had been wiped away.
Lin Xiyao's heart tightened. "Does it look like the crack on the jade pendant?"
Qiu Mo Xuan's golden pupils narrowed into thin slits. "It's not a coincidence."
As they left, the sensor lights in the hallway flickered on and off.
Lin Xiyao supported Zhou Yuanyuan down the stairs, feeling as if someone was watching them from behind.
As they turned a corner, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a pale face pressed against the first-floor window.
That face... had no features. Lin Xiyao thought she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again, there was nothing wrong.
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