Nachtgespräche in seltsamen Geschichten

Kapitel 18

He changed his outstretched arms to vertical ones and quickly made a diagonal cut inwards, drawing a symmetrical "V" shape. At the same time, a blade of the same shape swept towards Yuan Peilin, almost filling the narrow path.

Yuan Peilin felt as if the air in front of him had been ripped open in two places. With a sense of crisis, he took two quick steps back, then leaped to the side, landing on the stone wall and jumping as high as he could.

It seemed that the tracker released the V-shaped air blade according to the distance. As soon as it passed Yuan Peilin's feet, it gradually dissipated without leaving a trace.

Yuan Peilin breathed a sigh of relief, having finally managed to dodge it. If he had been hit by such a "thing," even with the protection of his spiritual energy shield, his body would likely have been torn apart.

Then, the death will be gruesome.

However, if one relaxes at this moment, the consequences will be the same. After landing, Yuan Peilin quickly condensed a spirit energy bullet and threw it at the pursuer. He then sprinted forward, intending to launch a series of attacks while the pursuer was dealing with the spirit energy bullet.

---janeadam

Reply [40]: However, the handsome stalker had no intention of dealing with it at all. After another seemingly easy wave of his hand, the resulting air blade accurately hit the spirit bullet, or rather, sliced it apart.

"Wh...what!?" Even Yuan Peilin would lose his usual composure in this situation.

The spirit energy bullet, split in two by the energy blade, lost its cohesive force and vanished completely into the air, while the energy blade continued its journey towards its final target. At this moment, Hara Peilin looked comically as if he were engaged in a duel between knights with the energy blade.

Of course, the seventeen-year-old boy had no intention of imitating the spirit energy blast he had fired. In such high-speed movement, he had no choice but to use the only effective, and also the ugliest, move—rolling sideways on the spot.

Up until now, the stalker hadn't even moved a step, watching the boy run and jump around as if it were a show. But despite repeated setbacks, Yuan Peilin hadn't lost his fighting spirit.

Just as he stood up from the ground, something came to mind.

The thought process took only a moment. Once he made up his mind, Yuan Peilin immediately gathered all his spiritual power and rushed towards the pursuer.

"Want to do some more useless work?" the tracker chuckled, unleashing two more energy blades in quick succession.

The air blades slid across the ground at incredible speed, leaving two long trails, and were about to collide with Hara Pei-lin. However, Hara Pei-lin did not dodge; instead, he extended one hand to make contact with the foremost air blade.

"Idiot! Do you want to die?!" The stalker finally cried out in alarm.

However, things didn't go as he expected. Yuan Peilin suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of air from his hand, which collided with the air blade and instantly neutralized its power. Then, the young man, now in control, extended his other hand and cleanly dealt with the subsequent air blades in the same way.

"This...this is...?"

The handsome young man quickly recovered from his surprise and finally unleashed a powerful aura. With a forward swing of his arm, more than a dozen air blades formed an impenetrable net of air that swept towards Yuan Peilin, who continued to charge forward at an undiminished speed.

The same thing happened again out of control. Yuan Peilin shouted and unleashed all his spiritual power, creating a powerful shockwave centered on him. It swept away all the energy blades.

Yuan Peilin finally managed to get close to the pursuer. He swung his hand repeatedly, aiming at his opponent. However, the pursuer once again revealed a wicked smile. Almost simultaneously, a spiraling gust of wind suddenly blew around his body, and before the attacking youth could react, he was sent flying.

"Not bad, you can actually use spiritual power to this extent."

The stalker chuckled at the fallen boy, but didn't attack. Instead, he unexpectedly leaped onto the wall.

Let's talk again next time we meet. Goodbye!

Yuan Peilin stood up, clutching his slightly twisted back, his face contorted in a mournful expression:

"What's going on? Who is this...?"

...

---janeadam

Reply [41]: Episode 2 Incident

The sun struggled to radiate its last rays, dyeing a few clouds on the horizon a deep red—a magnificent sight, yet tinged with a sense of melancholy.

Since arriving in this city, the frequency of inexplicable events has increased significantly. It seems that it's difficult for a person to maintain a good mindset in a constantly changing environment; at least Yuan Peilin admits that he can't do it.

With a helpless sigh, and with a heart full of incredibly complicated emotions, I pushed open the apartment door.

Only now do I realize that everything in the house is too monotonous; there's almost no change whatsoever. Whether it's the table, chairs, sofa, television, or…

The white pigeon that hadn't moved from the bed the whole time.

"Hey, Crow! When are you going to stop sleeping?!"

To the boy's furious shouts, the white dove merely opened its eyes a crack, not even bothering to move its head.

"There's nothing I can do, I'm not as energetic as you young people."

“Young man…?” Yuan Peilin hung his uniform on the hanger, then slumped weakly into the soft sofa. “…Crow, how many years have you lived?”

The crow finally raised its head, stood up, shook its pure white feathers, and glared unhappily at the boy who had asked the question: "Don't you understand that this kind of question is very impolite?"

"...What does it have to do with anything? You're not a woman..." Yuan Peilin suddenly realized something, her voice becoming somewhat strange, "Hey, you're not really just a..."

"This is none of your business!" Crow interrupted Yuan Peilin, her gaze fixed on his face. "But what happened to your injury? Were you beaten up while peeping in the women's changing room?"

"Hmph, this isn't funny at all." Yuan Peilin touched his wound; it wasn't deep, only a few drops of blood. "I got injured while fighting with a complete stranger for no reason, and..."

"and?"

"He seems to have the same ability to manipulate air pressure as you."

"Oh," Raven said without any surprise, "Did you win?"

"What a joke. If he wanted to kill me, I really wouldn't be coming back."

"..."

Yuan Peilin stood up, walked to the window, faced the setting sun, but his gaze seemed to fall on something much farther away: "He didn't even use his full strength, maybe not even half of it." As he spoke, he slowly turned his head, a strange emotion appearing in his eyes, "I suffered a crushing defeat!"

The room fell completely silent for a moment, with only the intermittent sound of car engines driving by on the highway outside. After a long while, Crow finally broke the unsettling silence.

"If you're hungry, there's food in the fridge."

"……Thanks."

Watching Yuan Peilin's retreating figure disappear into the kitchen, Ya muttered to himself:

"Get stronger quickly."

...

Meanwhile, in a quaint old mansion on the outskirts of the city, a few very special people have gathered. These "special people" are those who differ from ordinary people, whether in strength or weakness. Of course, they certainly don't seem to be the latter.

The large hall was devoid of chairs, save for a few cushions and a small table on the pale yellow wooden floor. Several cups of hot tea on the table emitted wisps of steam that rose in a winding path. Simple, yet perfectly in harmony with its surroundings, it exuded a serene and solemn atmosphere.

"It's still the same here, nothing has changed in the past two years..." The handsome young man sitting in the center said with a smile as he looked around.

“Cousin, two years isn’t a very long time,” a girl with an indifferent expression replied.

“An Xue…” the handsome young man looked at her with interest, “but you’ve changed quite a bit.”

"I?"

"Yes, it's much colder than before, but it's also much prettier..."

---janeadam

Reply [42]: "Really...?" Seemingly unable to bear the other party's gaze, Qing Lin Anxue lowered her head and changed the subject, "My father is not here this time, so I am very grateful that you can come and help."

“No need to thank me. This series of attacks on exorcists is unusual and has already attracted the attention of ‘Lingsha’.” The young man pointed to the two other people sitting next to him and continued, “That’s why we transferred the Kaneman brothers from Nasimi to work together.”

The Kahneman brothers, as they're called, are two blond, blue-eyed Westerners—more precisely, twin brothers around twenty years old. Like all twins, they are almost indistinguishable from one another. To outsiders, it seems as if some foreigner has used a remarkably sophisticated clone technique.

"You two have worked hard." Qing Lin and An Xue bowed respectfully to them.

The Kahneman brothers quickly nodded to the girl.

“Miss Qinglin, you’re too kind.” Kahneman, who was either the brother or the younger brother, said in a Western-style Eastern language, “As a member of ‘Lingsha,’ doing these things is a basic obligation.”

"Then I'll leave everything to you."

Qing Lin Anxue stood up from the cushion and bowed to the three of them one last time.

“However, An Xue,” the handsome young man slowly sipped his hot tea, “are you really going to be the bait yourself?”

The girl with a calm expression gently raised her head, her tone filled with determination: "This is the best way. I am the eldest daughter of the Qinglin family. If the perpetrator is targeting exorcists, I believe they will definitely not let this opportunity pass."

"It's very dangerous. If we can't save you in time, things will be terrible."

"Really?" Qing Lin Anxue smiled faintly, like warm sunshine that could thaw everything. "You are Lu Fengjian, who is known as the 'Demon Blade' in the world of spiritual energy."

...

Night had fallen, and in the heavily polluted air of the bustling city, only a few faint rays of moonlight could be seen, which were immediately shattered by the bright lights.

People living here enjoy the safety and reliability of reinforced concrete and the convenience of motorized appliances, but few realize that they are drifting away from nature and could be discarded like useless garbage at any time.

Perhaps ignorance itself is a kind of happiness.

In the heart of the city lies a quiet, even deserted, residential area. This is especially true at night; the streets and alleys are practically deserted, with only the occasional passing car adding a touch of life.

This residential area is called "Art Museum".

Few people know why this seemingly ordinary place was given such a strange name. However, there are rumors that it is inhabited by many people with eccentric behavior—yes, just as strange as its name.

Under the cover of night, in a place where the atmosphere became extremely eerie, a young girl slowly walked towards them. Dressed in white, with light steps and a cold expression, a neurotic person who suddenly saw her might mistake her for a ghost.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a chill, but Qinglin Anxue seemed oblivious, merely smoothing her slightly disheveled hair with her slender fingers. The streetlights along the road illuminated her delicate figure, making her appear even more slender.

Will the murderer fall for it? Qing Lin Anxue, who was originally very confident, began to waver. If the other party had even the slightest bit of vigilance, they would suspect her purpose in walking alone—it was clearly a trap.

Judging from the previous attacks on exorcists, the perpetrators' actions were not a simple spur-of-the-moment decision; it seemed to be the result of meticulous planning and preparation. Because the perpetrators were extremely cruel, none of the victims survived, so even the identities and numbers of the attackers remain unknown.

The exorcists here also organized several raids, but all of them ended in failure.

Perhaps this time too… Qing Lin Anxue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she found that the end of the road was almost within reach. Once outside, she would be in the bustling city center. In other words, if she couldn't lure out the perpetrator here, it would basically mean that this operation would also fail.

The clamor of the crowd could already be faintly heard. It still wasn't working. Just as Qing Lin Anxue was inwardly mocking her naiveté and preparing to take the last few steps, she suddenly felt her feet being bound by something. Looking down, she saw several thick, rope-like objects extending from the ground, instantly growing longer and tightly binding the girl's body.

Vines!? Qing Lin Anxue quickly calmed down, but the vines tightened, almost suffocating her. Even more dangerous, a huge flower bud began to grow at the end of one of the vines, bursting open in the next second. The petals were a vivid blood red, appearing eerily bright in the dim streetlights. The huge flower opened its mouth wide, revealing two rows of sharp teeth that snapped at the prey's head.

However, the alluring carnivorous plant did not get to drink the blood of its beautiful prey. Because, with a burst of cold air, it was frozen solid. The carnivorous plant and the girl were covered by a thick layer of ice, looking from afar like an ice sculpture of great artistic value.

The stillness lasted only a few seconds. With a loud crash, the ice shattered completely. The carnivorous plant, along with the ice, was torn into countless fragments, while the girl stood unharmed.

"Hehehe, not bad, Miss Qinglin."

The girl whose name was called turned around and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a woman standing steadily at the crook of a lamppost. Her age was impossible to guess from her appearance; she was mature and sexy, wearing a strikingly red low-cut suit.

"...Demons...?"

Qing Lin Anxue clearly sensed an unusual demonic aura emanating from the other person, yet she couldn't discern any demonic characteristics from her. The most likely remaining possibility was a demon, a being somewhere between a human and a demon. However, the demon realm and the human realm were not interconnected; only the occasionally appearing "dimensional wormholes" could barely allow lower-level demons to pass through. It would be extremely difficult for the highest-level demonic beings, the demon race, to reach this place. As she pondered, she suddenly noticed the woman in red above slightly raising her arm, scattering countless granular objects.

"Go think about it in hell!"