Free Web NovelHolding the potion refined by Gu Qianqian, Lu Yibei walked to the end of the night market and stopped.
He silently recited in his heart, "Among this batch of potions, is there at least one bottle that will harm me? Heads, yes; tails, no." He took out the copper coin from his pocket and tossed it into the air.
"Clink--!"
"Slap!"
While the copper coin was still spinning in mid-air, Lu Yibei, who had already made a prediction, reached out and caught it.
"Tsk! So there really are hygiene issues? Tsk! I was originally planning to let her confess herself."
I didn't expect her psychological fortitude to be so good.
If it were me, I would have confessed my bank card password, and even the darkest little secrets deep within my heart, long ago.
Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, turned around to look in the direction where Gu Qianqian was in the night market, thought for a moment, and tossed the copper coin into the air again.
"Clink--!"
The copper coin spun in mid-air, its polished surface reflecting a metallic sheen in all directions.
Lu Yibei watched the copper coin, and before his eyes could heat up and make a prediction, he suddenly reached out and grasped the coin in his palm.
He wanted to divine if Gu Qianqian intended to harm him, but the moment the copper coin was tossed out, he suddenly didn't want to know the answer anymore.
Tsk, this kind of thing is unreliable, unreliable.
If a person's good or bad is judged through divination, wouldn't my true form turn into a copper coin?
Lu Yibei mocked himself, put the copper coin back in his pocket, then opened the small box containing the potions, took out the potions that had no problems, put them in his backpack, and closed the lid again.
The potions with no problems, I'll use them myself when necessary. The problematic potions...
I'll find an opportunity to let an enemy try them and see what side effects they have. Lu Yibei thought.
----
By the time Lu Yibei returned to the apartment, it was already close to midnight. He took out his key, opened the door, and what greeted him was a pitch-black living room.
"I'm back! Is anyone home?"
He called out softly twice, but no one answered.
Ju Meng wasn't home playing games, and the Little Freaks in the house had also run off somewhere. The whole house was quiet, as if he had returned to the time when he first moved out of Shui Ge's house and into this place.
Lu Yibei rubbed his hair, turned and went upstairs, threw himself onto the bed, stared blankly at the ceiling, his mood inexplicably heavy.
Isn't Smelly Girl's injury not fully healed yet?
What did she run out to do late at night?
If the injury is fully healed, why is she still staying at my place and not leaving?
----
At midnight.
In the small garden on the top floor of the Huacheng Institute of Technology library, vibrant flowers quietly bloomed under the night sky.
A young girl sat on the railing, her legs dangling outside. Through a grotesque mask, a pair of large eyes gazed at the moon in the sky as she softly hummed an ancient ballad.
After a long while.
From a corner of the garden came the sound of light footsteps. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows, walked up to her side, and bowed slightly.
"You're here? What's the rush in looking for me? Don't tell me you want to rush me to help you find that mythical Strange Tale?"
Ju Meng said, pouting her lips.
"It's been so long, and there's not a single clue. I reckon she probably left Hua City a long time ago."
"No, You misunderstood." Lin Yiqi shook her head and said, "After so long, I'm not so concerned about that matter anymore."
Even if I find her and beat her up, it won't do me any substantial good. Lin Yiqi grumbled inwardly.
"That won't do!" Ju Meng swung her fists twice in the air and said fiercely, "If I, Ju Meng, say I'm going to beat someone up, then I must beat them up!"
"Don't worry, before I leave, if I can find her, I'll definitely get revenge for You!"
"..." Lin Yiqi was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then I'll thank You first."
"Actually, I came to find You today because I wanted to tell You that if possible, it's best to leave Hua City as soon as possible." Lin Yiqi changed the subject.
Ju Meng tilted her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. "Why are You suddenly saying that? Haven't I not asked You for offerings during this time?"
After all, the food at Lu Yibei's place is quite delicious... Ju Meng grumbled inwardly.
Lin Yiqi bowed slightly to Ju Meng once again and explained, "I'm not persuading You to go back because of this."
"You've been busy dating recently..."
"Hmm?" Ju Meng frowned and let out a nasal sound.
"Uh, fishing for sugar daddies?"
"Do You think I'm like You?"
"Then... developing followers?" Lin Yiqi said weakly.
Recalling her daily interactions with Lu Yibei, Ju Meng pursed her lips and said, "You could say so? That kid is quite dependent on me!"
Lin Yiqi, "..."
Why do I sense a hint of doting and smugness in her words?
Never mind, this kind of thing has nothing to do with me.
"You've been staying mostly indoors recently, so You probably haven't noticed that Hua City hasn't been very peaceful lately. A few days ago, when I was praying to Purple Maiden Adult..."
"What the heck? You went to find that dirty guy again?" Ju Meng interrupted.
"I am His kin, after all, aren't I?" Lin Yiqi gave a wry smile. "When You are not here, I can only rely on Him to ensure the safety of myself and my child."
"..."
Ju Meng was silent for a moment, then shrugged noncommittally. "You continue."
"When I was praying, Purple Maiden Adult told me that the urban legend in the surrounding areas have a tendency to gather towards Hua City, I'm afraid..."
Hearing this, Ju Meng narrowed her eyes slightly and interjected, "Is a certain Strange Tale trying to organize a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?"
"Yes." Lin Yiqi nodded. "After all, the ley line of Hua City hasn't had a Master for too long."
"Hmm..." Ju Meng rested her chin in her hands, thought for a while, and said, "If that's the case, it is a bit troublesome, but there's nothing to be afraid of."
Nothing to be afraid of? Lin Yiqi slightly parted her lips, about to say something, but seeing the seemingly harmless figure in front of her, she suddenly remembered something and hesitated to speak.
Although, trying to occupy an area through a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is equivalent to declaring war on all the urban legend within that area, which is a very dangerous thing.
However, Ju Meng had already done this kind of dangerous thing three times when expanding the territory of Taoyuan. Each time, she annihilated the urban legend that tried to resist.
Therefore, a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons might truly be nothing to her.
But, she probably won't interfere, right? Lin Yiqi thought. After all, more than half of her power has to remain on that big tree in Taoyuan to deter petty thieves.
Otherwise.
If she's having a blast outside, only to turn around and find her base crystal dismantled, that would be too embarrassing.
"Alright!"
Just as Lin Yiqi was thinking, Ju Meng jumped down from the railing, walked up to her, patted her shoulder, and said, "I know about this matter now, thanks for the reminder. It wasn't for nothing that I was so good to You!"
"However, a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons takes a lot of time to prepare, so it shouldn't arrive that quickly. Before then, I should have already returned to Taoyuan."
"Also, a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is a matter of immortals fighting and mortals suffering. You'd best not join in the fun. If You accidentally get caught up in it, with Your limited ability, I'm afraid not even bone fragments will be left."
"Okay." Lin Yiqi nodded. "I understand."
Seeing this, Ju Meng shrugged. A brilliant emerald light suddenly rose from her body, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed into a sleek, glossy Magpie. As she flapped her wings, preparing to fly away, she suddenly seemed to remember something, circled in mid-air, and landed on Lin Yiqi's shoulder.
"Oh right, if You have time, go back to Taoyuan and see Your Grandma! She misses You a lot. Also, don't bring that ghost child, Your Grandma doesn't like that thing."
Having said that, she flapped her wings, took to the air, and quickly disappeared into the night.
----
At midnight.
On the rooftop of Building 3, Phase 3 of Jingyi Apartment Complex, several strange figures gathered together like ghosts.
They were the urban legend living in Lu Yibei's home.
Coat floated lightly out from a dark corner and shook its pockets towards the urban legend. With a "Clatter!", over a dozen rice-sized Strange Tale core bodies scattered across the ground.
Today was the first time it had followed the urban legend to "capture territory," successfully destroying a shadow demon nest hidden in an abandoned parking lot near Jingyi Apartment.
Those shadow demons, whose Spiritual Energy fluctuation level barely reached D-level, were no match for Coat at all. They lasted less than half an hour, and the few that luckily survived scattered and fled.
Just as the other Little Freaks were staring at the Strange Tale core bodies on the ground, drooling, Maotuan (Hairball) stepped forward, cleared its throat, and said, "Ahem! Before we start eating, I'd like to say a couple of words."
"Hunting the shadow demons is another great victory for our 【Ambassadors of Love and Peace, Models of Morality and Conscience, Handsome Men and Beautiful Women Demoness Warrior Group】 after the great victories against the cockroach rats and snail monsters!" ƒrēewebnovel.com
"It's also our 【Ambassadors of Love and Peace..."
Warm reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause the loss of reading progress. Please save Your book shelf and reading record in time (screenshot saving is recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused to You!
"Ah--!"
Maotuan (Hairball)'s words were not yet finished when a black shadow flew from the side, knocked it away, sending it flying over the rooftop railing, and letting out a chilling scream that faded into the distance.
"You're the one with too many f***ing words!"
"Although the organization's name was created with everyone contributing a phrase, who the f*** can stand You reciting the whole thing every time?"
Eyeball said this grumblingly, then called out to the urban legend, who gathered in front of the Strange Tale core bodies on the ground.
"Everyone, ignore it! Let's eat, let's eat!"
As it spoke, several thin, bloody lines spread from its round body.
Accompanied by a soft sound of flesh wriggling, as if a starfish were feeding, it split into five lobes, revealing dense, sharp teeth and extending several strangely shaped tentacles. With a sweep on the ground, it incorporated the three urban legend core entities into its body.
Seeing the Eyeball begin to eat, the other urban legend also revealed their ferocious faces and started feeding.
For a time, on the rooftop of Building 3, Phase 3 of the Jingyi Apartment Complex, eerie winds rose, strange lights flickered, and the sound of fine chewing mixed with the soft wriggling of flesh was incessant.
Those strange scenes were like a painting of evil gods' servants brutally feeding.
After a long while.
"Gulp—!"
The Eyeball, having finished eating, let out a long, drawn-out burp, then mumbled, "Emmm, I feel like we're strong enough now. How about..."
"We organize a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons? Let's just take over Hua City in one go?"
As soon as these words were spoken, its companions were instantly stunned, so shocked they forgot to swallow the urban legend core entities they held in their mouths.
"..."
A D-level urban legend, actually daring to dream of dominating Hua City?
Had it perhaps swallowed a Liang Jingru?
What was the difference between this behavior and a child who had just graduated from kindergarten wanting to dominate Suzuran High School? The urban legend thought.
"Is there something wrong with what I said? Even if we can't, we represent that woman!"
The urban legend, "..."
What it said seemed to make some sense?
So, with the tacit consent of the other urban legend, the Eyeball took a firm and steady step towards a higher, larger, and stronger path on the road of seeking death.
————
The next day, 5:37 PM.
The autumn rain, carrying a hint of chill, fell silently, weaving diagonally and densely under the sky like silkworms spinning threads, a hazy misty rain enveloping the entire city.
In a book bar across the street from the Happiness Community, a blonde girl with a roguish air, wearing a leather jacket, sat by the window.
The rain was still falling, and the window was covered in a layer of white mist. The girl used her finger to draw messy, strange, and meaningless lines on the glass, making it impossible to tell what they were.
Only after she finished drawing could it be seen that it was a "One Bamboo" tile from a Mahjong set.
Jiang Li was somewhat relieved that she had sat down in this book bar across the street from the Happiness Community early, avoiding the fate of being entangled by the cold and dampness.
Perhaps it was because the weather was like this when she was taken away by the Eclipse Society as a child, so she had always disliked this kind of damp and humid climate where even clothes wouldn't dry.
Then, the thought of a certain someone's unreliability as a pigeon made her feel even more depressed.
They had agreed to meet in the afternoon, but several hours had passed, and she hadn't even seen a trace of her. She had even set her social media to do not disturb mode.
If she hadn't already confirmed and claimed the bounty on the urban legend chat software Website, Jiang Li would have thought she had perhaps chickened out due to fear of the potential dangers within the Happiness Community.
She stared blankly out the window until the sky had almost completely darkened, then she retracted her gaze and continued to read the half-finished copy of "A Farewell to Arms" in her hands.
It was a long novel by the famous writer Hemingway.
The protagonist of the novel was a deserter.
Jiang Li held the book and hadn't been reading for long when she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. Looking up, she saw the soaking wet, white-haired girl approaching with a guitar case on her back and sitting down casually across from her.
"Sorry, I'm late. I went to the cultural center to practice instruments this afternoon, and there was some traffic on the way."
"..."
Jiang Li stared at Lu Yibei in silence for a few seconds, then said calmly, "According to Hua City's drainage system and road traffic conditions, the average traffic jam within a five-kilometer radius of the city center won't exceed twenty minutes, but you're three hours late."
"Isn't that just bad luck? All the way here, I hit red lights at every intersection and crosswalk, and every now and then there were old Grandma crossing the road. The fare was more than ten yuan higher than usual, it's simply magical."
Jiang Li was silent again, turning her head to look out the window, her gaze sweeping towards the Happiness Community across the street, shrouded in the rain. She said softly, "At this time today, I'm afraid there's not enough time to go in and investigate."
"Outsiders are prohibited from entering and leaving the Happiness Community after 8 PM. If not..."
"Bang!"
Jiang Li's words were interrupted by a soft sound. Lu Yibei took something out of her bag and slapped it on the table.
"Who said we're outsiders? We're residents now, okay?"
She actually rented a house in the Happiness Community. Was this what she had been doing these past few days? But... Jiang Li looked at the housing contract on the table, tilted her head, and asked in confusion, "We?"
"Yeah!" Lu Yibei pointed at Jiang Li with one finger and at herself with the other, saying seriously, "It's you and me. Didn't you suggest that we complete this bounty together?"
"How can we investigate thoroughly without living there? To be reasonable, all the anomalies in the Happiness Community happen to the residents, right? How can we investigate if we don't live together?"
Although there was some truth to it, Jiang Li frowned slightly. "I don't think it's very convenient."
"I'm a girl, and you're a girl. What's inconvenient about it? You don't think I'll eat you, do you?" Lu Yibei retorted. "Or do you have some little secret you can't tell?"
"Shouldn't it be you who has a little secret?"
"What little secret could I have?" Lu Yibei puffed out her chest and winked at Jiang Li, saying, "I'm just a plain, ordinary girl!"
"..."
Jiang Li's face was expressionless. She looked at Lu Yibei's chest, then at her own. The difference was immediately apparent. Then, she quietly pulled up the zipper of her Coat.
The thought that the girl in front of her, who was even more feminine than herself, was highly likely to be her unreliable subordinate made her feel that this matter was simply too absurd.
How did she manage to be so comfortable and so skilled?
Didn't she feel any shame at all?
"Even if we're going to live there, we should at least see what the house {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} is like before making a decision, right?"
After a moment of internal grumbling, Jiang Li made a compromise.
She felt that insisting too much at this time would make her seem problematic, and she might expose her identity before Lu Yibei did.
In that case, wouldn't she lose?
"I went to see it yesterday. There's nothing special about it, except that someone died there not long ago. You'll know when you go later," Lu Yibei said nonchalantly.
Jiang Li, "..."
————
Because it was raining, there were few pedestrians in the community. Not long after the two entered the Happiness Community, there were only the two of them left around.
Looking around, the community was very large. Twelve buildings stood in a circle around them, with scattered lights on them, as if they were weaving some kind of strange text, making the buildings look like tombstones covered in writing.
Standing below and looking up at the buildings would give one a very uncomfortable feeling, as if the buildings could collapse at any moment, burying everything in the community.
The night wind, carrying rain, blew through, the plants swayed, and the branches rustled. In this community that looked particularly warm and harmonious, there was an unsettling atmosphere that even Spiritual Energy could hardly detect.
It was like a ferocious beast invisible to the naked eye, sleeping, and once awakened, it would lead the entire community to an unpredictable and terrifying end.
Standing in the community, Lu Yibei seemed to sense something and gave Jiang Li a look: It really seems like there's a problem!
Jiang Li nodded knowingly, responding with her eyes: I feel it too!
Then.
The two of them almost simultaneously gave each other a look: Let's go, we'll talk about it when we get back!
————
When Jiang Li followed Lu Yibei to the rental house, she realized she had been tricked—Lu Yibei had rented a small, exquisite apartment with one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom.
Standing in the living room of the apartment, Jiang Li's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.
How were they going to sleep with only one bed?
Was Lu Yibei trying to do something strange by taking advantage of this opportunity?
Seemingly sensing Jiang Li's unusual expression, Lu Yibei quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to sleep with you."
Jiang Li narrowed her eyes slightly, "..."
Those words sounded strange, with a hint of trying to cover something up?
"Uh." Lu Yibei paused and explained again, "Actually, I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight."
"Then what are you planning to do?"
"I want to go out for a walk and see if the residents of the Happiness Community are as friendly as the rumors and their behavior suggest."
Lu Yibei said, putting down the guitar case on her shoulder, taking out a brand new suona from it, and turning to walk out the door.
Jiang Li, "???"
