Debuff
This disappeared disciple had not been eliminated.
What... had he become? A part of the rules?
Duan Qinghe was in a trance. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead; he actually felt a greater sense of oppression than when he faced the old monk.
That oppression did not stem from spiritual pressure or killing intent, but from a more essential... "looking down"?
Duan Qinghe was not a dull person, so at this moment, he could acutely sense that he was standing at the edge of a silent, ancient well, catching a glimpse of the immeasurable darkness within...
If he were to converse with this person, could he still avoid those fatal traps?
He clearly didn't know much about this disciple surnamed Han, yet the hope in his heart had become incredibly slim...
He remained silent in his apprehension.
Then he heard Han Shuangjian speak first: "On the first day of work, under the giant Buddha, what did you say to Xu Yingshi?"
"..."
Duan Qinghe slowly raised his head, meeting the deep, dark eyes of the person in front of him, suspecting he hadn't understood the depth of that question.
It definitely wasn't as simple as its literal meaning... What had he said to Miss Xu?
Duan Qinghe quickly recalled, but could only remember one sentence, and only one. Their conversation that day was clearly incredibly rushed; how could it hide any profound secrets?
He answered as calmly as possible, "I asked Miss Xu about the collapse of the inner wall."
"How did she answer?"
"Miss Xu said she was in a hurry... to use the restroom."
"Why do you remember it so clearly?"
"..." Duan Qinghe choked back his words. He glanced at Han Shuangjian with some astonishment, then quickly hid his expression and said, "The flow of time here is different from the outside world. In reality, not much time has passed, so naturally, I still have some impression of it."
Shuangjian remained noncommittal.
He had a strong desire to destroy something.
But he couldn't actually eliminate the person in front of him. That included the Sutra Recitation Pavilion he was heading to next; he couldn't eliminate that annoying sutra-chanting monk either.
To make a move meant his greed had not vanished, meaning Yingshi's "suppression" of him had not worked.
Therefore, no matter how much malice grew within him, he only asked in a low voice, "Have you ever asked about her birthdate?"
"Birthdate, this... never." After a moment of bewilderment, Duan Qinghe seemed to catch some emotional details. He tentatively added, "I am already twenty-five this year. Although I don't know Miss Xu's exact age, I imagine there is quite a gap between us. I merely see her as a little sister from next door."
"...Little sister?"
Hearing the faint sneer in that voice, Duan Qinghe's breath hitched. Did he still say the wrong thing?
Wasn't it enough to just express that he had absolutely no interest in Miss Xu?
How could he remedy this...
He was extremely panicked. Right now, his sword was not in his hand, and he had no spiritual power in his body. Under the crushing weight of the rules, he had no power to fight back.
Seeing the flickering candlelight of the lantern in front of him, Duan Qinghe simply closed his eyes, only blaming his lack of innate talent. In this Tian'gang Martial Arts Gathering, he was afraid his journey would end here!
But the expected "end" did not arrive. He waited and waited, only to hear a cold demand: "Do not ask her so many questions anymore."
Who was "her"?
There was absolutely no second candidate to confuse her with; this sentence could only refer to Miss Xu.
It seemed their conversation under the giant Buddha during the day had all been heard by Han Shuangjian... Where was he at that time? Could it be that he could already spy on every moment of change in this Wujian Temple?
Duan Qinghe felt somewhat awkward and somewhat terrified. With a pale face, he nodded, recalling his hands shaking twice earlier—could that also have been a warning from this person?
"If you have any doubts, ask me now." Han Shuangjian looked at him quietly.
Duan Qinghe found it very difficult to look into those eyes without dodging, even though he knew he should take this opportunity to figure everything out and ask the questions haunting his mind, such as: Why did you replace the old monk's role, and how did you do it? Was the old monk killed by you? How did you figure out the rules here? What must the craftsmen do now to advance? Are we opposed to each other, or is there room for cooperation?
But his lips were tightly pursed, and he truly couldn't utter a single word.
The silence lasted long enough. When Duan Qinghe raised his head again, there was no one in front of him.
He silently breathed a sigh of relief, still unaware that the weakness he had exposed had earned him an indifferent, fleeting glance at the very end.
...
Bai Fangsui sat rigidly at the table, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles.
The Sutra Recitation Pavilion at night was no better than during the day. The doors and windows were all tightly shut. She couldn't see the giant Buddha in the courtyard, nor could she walk out of the room like she did during the day—although she ultimately gained nothing from that either.
To avoid the disciples inside, she couldn't go alone to investigate the old monk's scattered dry bones.
Although she had created an opportunity to talk to Xu Yingshi, that mischievous woman kept her mouth shut about the truth, only playing dumb. She was clearly Han Shuangjian's accomplice... Bai Fangsui didn't need to find conclusive evidence; she firmly believed that the person who killed the old monk was definitely him.
How were her Master and the other immortal elders deceived by Han Shuangjian?
Bai Fangsui completely couldn't believe that such a cold and crazy person was not a demonic cultivator. At least at this moment, her judgment was further deepened.
...But what should she do? How could she catch him and punish him?
Was there really a way to break the deadlock in these scriptures?
Bai Fangsui stared at the pitch-black small characters spread out in front of her. She closed her eyes forcefully, suppressing the flash of irritation between her brows.
Right at this moment, she heard some strange noises outside the pavilion. "Click," it sounded like a lock falling into place.
Bai Fangsui stood up from the futon and walked towards the door.
Her heart tightened slightly, knowing there was someone outside.
Standing sideways by the door, she vigilantly waited for the sound of knocking or pushing the door, but there was none.
There were only sounds of heavy objects being stacked and accumulated.
Bai Fangsui didn't react until the sounds completely ended and the space returned to silence. Only then did she somewhat blankly push against the door panel with the back of her hand—it wouldn't budge.
She was locked inside the Sutra Recitation Pavilion.
The other party had not only locked the door but also found countless heavy objects to "seal" the exit!
Without any spiritual power, she would undoubtedly be trapped here...
Bai Fangsui felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Confusion, fear, and anger all swept over her. She didn't even know the true identity of the entity trapping her!
But in the dark, the figure of the disappeared Han Shuangjian surfaced in her mind again.
What should she do now? She had to get out of here no matter what!
...
As a wandering soul, Yingshi was completely unaware of the "busyness" of the evil ghost.
She only knew that after waiting for a long time, she finally reached the moment when the door opened and the familiar sense of "pilgrimage" descended.
Then, with a blink of her eyes, she had appeared in the courtyard—no longer in that narrow prison. This time, Shuangjian consciously placed their contact outdoors.
That made sense. Having been suppressed inside for so long during the day, of course she needed to come out for some fresh air now!
"Shuangjian!"
Spring Day
Yingshi had long tossed last night's romantic atmosphere to the back of her mind, immediately reporting, "The extra chanting monk in the Wujian Temple is Bai Fangsui! She wasn't eliminated at all and has joined this round of the second trial. Both she and Duan Qinghe are highly suspicious of you now. Normally, when someone realizes you're missing, they would assume you were eliminated, but they both suspect that your disappearance is connected to the old monk's death..."
"I know," Shuangjian replied. "There is no need to worry."
There was indeed no need to worry, because he had already made a personal appearance to verify those two's suspicions.
He was the one who did it, so what?
Shuangjian's candid attitude and the calmness in his words always had a way of soothing all the unease in one's heart. Yingshi immediately calmed down as well, feeling that it really wasn't a big deal.
"Oh!"
So, with the secondary business reported, ultimately... they still had to return to the main business of tonight.
She had been summoned here by the evil spirit to "satisfy" him, so Yingshi quickly lost her calm once again.
Her eyes flickered, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito. "Then... Shuangjian, what do you want tonight?"
She tilted her face up slightly. The candlelight accompanying the evil spirit cast a hazy, illuminating soft glow over her, carrying a subtle divine aura.
It was as if no matter what demand he made right now, she would first try to understand it, and then clumsily yet sincerely nod and say "okay."
She would tolerate, respond to, and satisfy all his greedy desires, even if they went too far...
Shuangjian's fingers resting by his side twitched slightly. He looked away and said in a low voice, "I want to consolidate the bond of our blood pact with you."
Consolidating the blood pact...
Yingshi had already made an excuse to avoid it once because her thoughts weren't pure enough, but hearing Shuangjian propose it again now, especially in this specific setting... It seemed he really cared about the blood pact being suppressed!
Could it be that the discomfort caused by being restrained by mystical arts was exceptionally severe for Shuangjian?
Yingshi had no reason to refuse, nor did she have the ability to do so.
But at the critical moment, she still babbled to cover her tracks. "Shuangjian, um... it's possible that after we consolidate the blood pact, you might feel some intense and weird emotions. But those messy emotional fluctuations aren't necessarily the shared sensations brought over by the blood pact. They could also be a debuff brought upon you by your identity as an evil spirit!"
Her expression was serious, and her voice trembled. She tried hard to clear her suspicion by giving him a heads-up, lest her unmentionable little thoughts be laid bare on the table... even though she had already made it quite obvious.
"...A debuff?" Shuangjian tilted his head to look at her.
"It means a continuous negative effect," Yingshi explained. "I accidentally used a gaming term..."
"...I see. I understand."
Shuangjian pursed his lips and nodded gently, but his heart quietly felt a piece missing.
He did not like his complete ignorance of Yingshi's world.
Although he had tried his best to imitate her, he knew how many flaws there were in his act.
Poverty and illiteracy were merely his most rudimentary disguises. Yingshi believed in them without a doubt, fundamentally because she chose to believe, and needed to believe.
His deceiving skills were not that profound; it was just that the deceived was also blindfolding herself in self-deception.
She had no choice but to subconsciously ignore all the anomalies, because she needed a companion.
This realization birthed a sensation bordering on pain, perhaps better called tender affection, making him urgently want to do something—
He wanted to understand Yingshi better, to comprehend every word she said, to participate in everything about her, and even to shatter the barrier between their two worlds...
What he wanted most of all was to swallow her into his stomach.
These desires were his greed, a bottomless pit that mere gazing could not satisfy...
"..."
Shuangjian gazed intently at Yingshi's oblivious appearance, and that thirsty sensation that made him swallow repeatedly returned.
If Yingshi found out, she would probably find it dangerous...
Without changing his expression, Shuangjian slit his wrist. Drops of bright red blood flowed down, and he brought it to Yingshi's lips.
Yingshi seemed incredibly eager to cooperate with him here. This time, her tears were exceptionally obedient, pooling in her eyes without needing to be forced. As she looked up at him, the unshed tears were captivating.
She herself seemed a bit surprised. She blankly wiped the corner of her eye with her hand, stared at the moisture in a daze for half a second, and immediately stood on her tiptoes to deliver it to Shuangjian's lips, as if afraid to waste it.
Meanwhile, her other hand did not stay idle. She quickly supported Shuangjian's bleeding arm, carefully leaned her head over, and took a shallow taste with her soft, warm lips.
"..."
Terribly enough, with a boom in her head, the continuous soothing and comforting sensation of the blood pact's resonance struck fiercely. An itch traveled along her blood vessels straight into her heart, then violently exploded. All her senses were even more intense than the first time they formed the pact!
Yingshi had the illusion that her soul was being sucked away, and that illusion lingered for a long time. Although it was comfortable to the extreme, it brought a sense of panic. She had to fiercely hug something, possess something, in order not to be completely routed by that turbulent current... She burrowed into Shuangjian's embrace and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.
Inexplicably, the tears were no longer props that needed to be used, yet they lingered without fading. The heat inside her body had nowhere to vent, so it all climbed upward, turning into water droplets evaporating from the edges of her eye sockets.
"Wu..."
Yingshi let out a muffled breath that was somewhere between a sob and a moan. Her entire body uncontrollably went limp as she pressed herself even tighter into Shuangjian's arms.
Shuangjian let out a muffled groan and almost instinctively tightened his arms, holding her firmly.
The evil spirit indeed had a greedy instinct, making him want to demand more... but he could not.
The trembling of the body in his arms, the overly fast heartbeat transmitted through the fabric, and those chaotic, intense emotions that surged toward his consciousness, making it impossible to distinguish whom they belonged to... all of this made him dizzy.
His breathing was completely thrown into disarray. This was the consequence of consolidating the blood pact. Two independent souls were once again crashing onto the same shore by the tide, swept into that sea of confusion by the surging waves they stirred up. There was no escape, and absolutely no possibility of remaining unaffected.
Having experienced the washing of the seawater, Yingshi felt incredibly confused and ashamed of her out-of-control physiological reactions. She buried her face even deeper, revealing only her earlobes, which were red as if dripping blood.
"...Shuangjian." Her voice trembled astonishingly, but she still tried to express herself. "Did... did you feel it? This time seems... especially intense... I feel a little dizzy..."
It was far more than just dizzy.
Shuangjian opened his mouth, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't produce a proper sound. He could only let out a low, hoarse vibration from his chest: "...Yeah."
Even with just a simple response, Yingshi shivered once again.
"It must be... a double debuff... brought about by adding the blood pact on top of our identities as an evil spirit and a wandering soul." She spoke intermittently, "It will be fine after resting for a while..."
"...Yes."
Shuangjian fixed her gaze on an empty point in the air, echoing the statement with equal certainty.
But in reality?
Between the two of them, the number of people who knew that these changes could not be entirely blamed on the debuff was, surprisingly, exactly two.
