Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Costumes

Yang Xiao: "!!!"

A chill rushed up from his feet, nearly shattering his crown, leaving him numb. This time it was a genuine numbness; his hands and feet were icy cold, and it felt as though his veins were filled with frost.

Terrible images materialized in his mind, as today he had actually carried the costume to the temple and the Daoist monastery.

Yang Xiao resigned to his fate, realizing just how malevolent this object was, and it was clear that it had latched onto him.

He took the costume out of his backpack and laid it flat on the bed. The moment his fingers touched it, there was an indescribable chill, yet the costume itself wasn’t damp at all. It didn’t look like it had been stripped from a Drowned Ghost; instead, the golden threads and the pearl decorations were quite exquisite.

Apart from the inherent horror it elicited, the costume in and of itself could indeed be considered a fine piece of craftsmanship.

Yang Xiao supplicated before the costume, more devout than he had been earlier at the temple, "Lady Chun, I was deceived by Master Feng... Tch! That old geezer from the Feng Family, and that’s why I performed the Settle Guests for them, but that wasn’t my intention. Ignorance is no fault, and besides, you’ve already had your revenge. So why keep bothering me?"

"Right, the nonsense I said at the temple today please don’t take it to heart. All that about asking the Buddha to suppress you, I was just messing around. I was actually praying for the Buddha to bless you, hoping you’d be reborn well in your next life, and moreover, I’ve donated a hundred bucks in merit for you!"

"If you still have any unfinished wishes, just tell me. But please don’t trouble yourself to appear before me; just send me a dream, that would be enough. I’m not very brave, so I beg you to be gentle, even in my dreams."

Yang Xiao rambled on with a tirade of nice words, but the costume continued to lie quietly on the bed, without showing any reaction.

After a moment, Yang Xiao was startled by his own sudden thoughts. A reaction? Did he actually expect the costume to stand up and applaud him while saying, "Well done?"

A non-responsive costume is the best kind.

After waiting a while longer and seeing that the costume truly had no reaction, Yang Xiao’s courage gradually grew. He wondered if perhaps the costume was simply following him, unable to harm him.

He had written many supernatural scripts himself, and some scripts provided certain rewards to the survivors after their completion. Could this costume be such a reward?

If that was the case, the roles had switched. Yang Xiao was now the master of the costume.

With that thought, he no longer knelt. Standing up, he pointed somewhat timorously at his backpack, commanding the costume, "Uh... bring me the bag over here."

The costume had no response.

"It doesn’t work like this?" The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more he felt something was off. He stared at the costume for so long that he began to feel an urge to wear it, which frightened him enough to look away immediately.

"Something’s not right. This thing is too bizarre. Let’s leave it be for tonight; tomorrow I’ll see Kuang Hongyi and ask if he has any ideas."

He didn’t dare to sleep in the room tonight—who knows whether the costume might get up silently once he fell asleep and stand by his bed, looking down at him. The mere thought of it was thrilling.

He unfolded the quilt, laid the costume flat on the bed in the shape of a person, and then cautiously covered it with the quilt again. Yang Xiao stuffed a bottle of mineral water into his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and said, "Well... Ms. Chun, you rest well, I won’t bother you anymore." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

No matter what, Yang Xiao knew the costume wouldn’t harm him for the time being, and this was already a great outcome. He had planned to spend the night in the hotel lobby, but as he sat idle, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Eventually, he looked up and saw a net cafe across the street through the hotel’s glass door.

He decided to go online for a bit, play a few rounds of games to relax. Recently, Yang Xiao had been way too tense. After recharging and swiping his ID card, he sat down in a bustling area and opened a game called "League." Seeing the familiar interface pop up, Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. His slender fingers danced skillfully across the keyboard, a delight to watch.

"Teemo top or I’ll feed!"

"I can switch, I can switch. I can also play support, but I only play Ashe or Miss Fortune."

"AD, what’s with all the asterisks?"

"Hey, no need to cuss. How am I supposed to farm if you won’t let me kill minions?"

...

Gaming is definitely a cure for the soul, whether it’s healing others or yourself, and Yang Xiao was clearly the latter.

After playing a few games, his mood improved greatly. His teammates were all decent folks. Although he hadn’t won a single match, several ADs sent friend requests one after another.

As the night deepened, Yang Xiao closed the game and chose a comedy movie to watch. Now that it was late and he’d have to walk through the night streets, he thought better of returning to the hotel.

Yang Xiao opened his backpack to double-check, confirming that the costume hadn’t followed him, and then he settled down to watch the movie, pondering what he’d ask Kuang Hongyi when they met the next day.

The slightly noisy environment of the internet cafe provided him with a long-lost feeling of safety. Overcome with the fatigue of the day, his eyelids grew heavier, and finally, his head lolled to the side, and he fell asleep on the sofa.

By the time he woke up, it was already bright outside. Yang Xiao had slept deeply and for a long time. Checking his phone, he found it was almost 2 p.m.

He hurried back to the hotel, lifted the bedding, and Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. The costume was still there, obediently lying on the bed just as he had left it.

To be honest, it would be more frightening for the costume to suddenly vanish now since he couldn’t predict where and when it might reappear.

Yang Xiao quickly folded the costume and stuffed it into his backpack. After checking out of the hotel, he found a family restaurant to fill his stomach, and then took the subway to Sixi. He had agreed to meet Kuang Hongyi at Yin Zhe Coffee House on Sinan Road at six in the evening.

Yang Xiao was accustomed to arriving a bit early for such matters. He planned to scout around beforehand. He could sense that Kuang Hongyi was no ordinary guy, probably a desperado, and it wouldn’t be surprising if such a person did something unexpected.

After some thought, Yang Xiao decided not to reveal the matter of the costume to him just yet. For now, the costume didn’t seem to pose a threat, and Yang Xiao suspected it might be a reward from the Nightmare World, possibly a treasure.

With that in mind, the reason for Kuang Hongyi’s invitation became more complex. It could well be an attempt to sound him out and possibly eliminate him for his treasure, just like in the novels.

By four in the afternoon, Yang Xiao had arrived. The area was part of a business district with heavy foot traffic. He pulled his hat low, wore a mask, and with hands in pockets and backpack on, he easily blended into the crowd.

Luckily for him today, there was a police car parked not far from the coffee house, which added a bit more confidence to Yang Xiao’s step.

He walked back and forth several times and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, he sidled up to the police car and used it as cover, peering cautiously through the coffee house’s large window. The glass was reflective, and he had to squint hard to see inside. There weren’t many people, and Kuang Hongyi had not yet arrived.

It was just at that moment, the window of the police car rolled down, and the man at the wheel took off his sunglasses and grinned, "Chu, are you looking for me?"