Nachtgespräche in seltsamen Geschichten

Kapitel 21

Yuan Peilin only hoped that the long-haired man's words were sincere.

Before they knew it, Yuan Peilin realized that they had entered a very old residential area. Most of the houses he saw were old bungalows, which seemed to be uninhabited, perhaps because they were about to be demolished.

Just as Yuan Peilin was about to turn and leave, he was suddenly stopped in his tracks by a powerful demonic aura. Then, an object flew out from the alleyway in front of him and fell to the ground with a "thud".

It was a man. He lay on his back on the ground, his hands tightly gripping his neck, his eyes bulging, and the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably; one could imagine the pain he was enduring. Yuan Peilin sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do to help.

"Actually, he's already dead; it's just his body that's reacting. Hehehe."

A woman in red emerged from the alleyway, smiling as she looked at the stunned Yuan Peilin: "Do you like it? The way he died...?"

Yuan Peilin raised his head and replied calmly, "I'm sorry, I have no interest in watching these."

"Hehehe, what an interesting young man." The woman in red squinted her eyes, paused for a moment, and said, "My name is Kotoha."

"Oh, but I don't want to know your name."

“You need to know this.” A hint of longing appeared in Kotoha’s eyes. “Because I’m the one who’s about to kill you.”

Before she finished speaking, Kotoha suddenly swung her arm at an extremely fast speed, and a stream of black particles coalesced into a column and shot towards the boy not far away.

Although he couldn't immediately figure out what was rushing towards him, Yuan Peilin knew he absolutely couldn't be hit. In an instant, he used his left leg as a pivot, rotated counterclockwise halfway, and then used the momentum to stomp on the ground, his body shifting exactly one body length away from its original position, and the "black pillar" finally missed.

However, Yuan Peilin did not show any signs of relaxation. Moreover, he felt something strange in his left shoulder.

"That was a beautiful flash. Young man with spiritual power, I wonder if your blood is just as dazzling?"

As if in response to Kotonoha's words, a muffled "snap" resounded, and a cloud of blood erupted from Harabayashi's left shoulder. The sudden pain nearly caused the injured boy to collapse to the ground. So he was hit after all…

"As expected... it's bright red too... How exciting. Hehehe." Kotoha's eyes truly turned blood red, like a bloodthirsty beast.

"What a freakish older sister!" Yuan Peilin ignored her injured arm and instead had Yan Ye throw a powerful spiritual energy projectile. The high-density energy slid through the air, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.

With a deafening roar, a shockwave spread outwards. However, when the smoke cleared, the woman in red was completely unharmed, and a dense net made of vines appeared out of thin air in front of her.

Plants…? A plant sorcerer? No, that's not right. A true plant sorcerer is someone who uses spiritual power to influence plants, giving them rapid movement or causing qualitative changes. This girl named Kotoha is using demonic power, and those vines look like low-level plants growing in the demon realm.

---janeadam

Reply [49]: Harabe didn't have much time to think, because he noticed that the vines in front of Kotoha began to wriggle and intertwine, gradually forming a vine whip nearly three meters long. The other end was already in Kotoha's grasp, but she didn't seem to be wielding it forcefully; it seemed to be alive as it coiled towards the boy.

Yuan Peilin found dealing with this long, flexible weapon extremely difficult. Especially in this old-style residential area, the roads were narrow, and there was very little space to dodge. Finally, after making several unwise backward leaps, the boy was forced to a corner, watching as multiple rings formed by the vine whips came rushing towards him.

If entangled by this thing, there wouldn't be much chance of escape. In this desperate situation, Yuan Peilin suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Following his hazy consciousness, he made a grasping motion with his right hand, swinging his arm and unleashing a massive surge of spiritual power. A white beam of light formed from spiritual energy drew a beautiful arc through the air. Where the light passed, the severed vines fell to the ground. The crisis was finally over.

This…this is…? Yuan Peilin stared blankly at the “weapon” he had hastily created in his right hand, momentarily forgetting the terrifying enemy not far away. It was a sword formed from spiritual energy!? The entire sword wasn’t a static object; it was burning and pulsating like flames. Yes, this was a sword of spiritual power!

The woman in red, Kotoha, was clearly surprised by what had just happened, but her surprised look was fleeting and was quickly replaced by a blood-red ferocity.

People with this kind of potential should die!

The dozen or so broken vines that had just fallen to the ground suddenly began to wriggle again and were growing at an alarming rate. Just as Yuan Peilin realized something was extremely wrong, he suddenly felt a tightness all over his body; he was now firmly bound by the vines.

"Die!"

Accompanied by Kotoha's brutal scream, one of the vines suddenly separated, its tip opening to reveal two rows of terrifying fangs, biting towards Harabe's left chest—the location of his heart—like a venomous snake.

"Ugh!" Yuan Peilin couldn't help but groan in pain. His mind was blank, but his body didn't give up the fight, subconsciously gathering the remaining spiritual energy within him. An explosion rang out, sending up a cloud of sand and gravel, mixed with completely shattered vines, centered on Yuan Peilin.

The boy remained standing, but his head hung limply, lifeless.

"Hehehe, you actually detonated spiritual energy around your body. It's truly remarkable that you could do that." Yan Ye slowly approached Yuan Peilin. "However, it seems that you only have death to live on now."

In an instant, a slender leaf appeared in Kotoha's hand, hardening into the shape of a sharp blade.

Just as the blade was about to slice through Hara Pei-rin's neck, Kotoha suddenly felt a chill approaching her. She reacted swiftly, dodging to the side.

Not far away, several people were running towards them. Not them!? Oh well, this boy is doomed anyway. Kotoha chuckled, leaped onto the roof with a spring of her leg, and disappeared into the distance.

He felt nothing at all, his head was spinning, and he desperately wanted to sleep. Maybe... he wouldn't wake up again after falling asleep... He should be happy to see his mother... Yuan Peilin no longer had the strength to stand, and his body slowly slumped against the wall to the ground. He watched his blood flow silently out, bright red...

Many faces began to appear before Yuan Peilin's eyes. He slowly identified them: Ya, Fei Ya, Nan Ying, Qi Guangjian, Tian Qingyi, and Gu Xiangning and... Qing Lin Anxue...

They all became increasingly blurry, until finally... they turned into complete darkness...

...

Winter nights come quickly, and the wind becomes sharp at this time.

Qing Lin Anxue knelt in the hall, motionless, gazing through the wooden sliding door at the somewhat desolate courtyard outside, her eyes flickering with an uncertain light.

This state of affairs continued for a long time until a door in the hall finally opened slowly, and footsteps broke the silence. But Qing Lin Anxue did not turn around; she simply looked down at her face, as if trying to avoid something…

“…Yuan Peilin…” A slightly magnetic male voice sounded from behind the girl, sounding hesitant, and after a long pause, he continued to say the next few words.

"...We're finally safe and sound."

"...Is that so?" The seated girl opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to look at Li Fengjian standing behind her.

"Hmm, when he received the fatal blow, he seemed to hastily erect a spiritual energy barrier around his body, which is why his heart was preserved intact. However... if it had been any later, he probably would have died from excessive blood loss." Lu Fengjian paused, then said with a smile, "He's really lucky to be alive; that was a direct attack on his heart."

"I see..." Qing Lin Anxue's tone softened.

Are you relieved now?

"Why?"

Lu Fengjian looked at the girl with a half-smile, who had a surprised expression on her face, and after a while, he repeated himself in detail: "Now that you know Yuan Peilin is alright, are you relieved?"

“Sorry? I… don’t understand what you mean!” Qing Lin Anxue turned her head to the side and answered in a firm tone.

"Never mind, never mind, just pretend I was talking nonsense." The handsome young man waved his hand, turned around and walked out, muttering to himself as he did so.

"What an enviable guy."

...

---janeadam

Reply [50]: Am I... still alive? Yuan Peilin slowly opened her eyes. What came into view was an unfamiliar room. The room was very dark, and she could only barely see her surroundings. It seemed that apart from the unlit chandelier, everything was made of wood: cabinets, floors, clothes racks...

So he'd been rescued. The boy, now in a strange place, looked down at the bandages on his body and the tattered, blood-stained clothes that had been removed from his clothes. The faint scent of wood in the room improved Yuan Peilin's mood considerably, but the wound on his left chest still throbbed with pain.

How long has it been since he suffered such a serious injury? The last time must have been three years ago, when his mother was still alive… Just as Yuan Peilin was slowly recalling the events, the sliding door to the room opened with a slight scraping sound. The intense light that streamed in stung the injured boy's eyes.

A slender figure walked gently in from outside.

"Senior...has he woken up yet?" Although his voice was still indifferent, it was much more mellow than before.

Yuan Peilin remained silent for a moment before replying, "Yes, I just opened my eyes." He tried to sit up, but quickly felt too weak.

“Your injuries are severe; you’ve been unconscious for two days.” The girl knelt down.

"Two days..." Yuan Peilin searched his somewhat sluggish mind for the meaning of this word and then smiled bitterly, "I'm probably going to get scolded to death by the teacher."

"It's okay." The girl smoothed her chest-length hair and explained to the senior who looked puzzled, "I... I've already asked for leave for you."

"...Thank you, Qinglin, junior." Just now, Yuan Peilin had been thinking about how to address Qinglin Anxue, but in the end, she chose the original way. Perhaps, this was the most appropriate.

"……Um."

Then, the two fell silent. However, there was no awkwardness, perhaps because they were usually quiet people who cherished silence.

Afterwards, Qing Lin Anxue stood up and said softly, "You must be very hungry after not eating for two days. I'll go and prepare some food for you."

After her junior's comment, Yuan Peilin realized her stomach was indeed empty; no wonder she felt so weak. As she thought this, Qinglin Anxue had already left the room. Perhaps she should look forward to her cooking.

Isn't it a bit boring to just wait like this...? Maybe I should take a nap. But the injured boy didn't get his wish. Because another unexpected person suddenly appeared.

The reason for using the word "flash" is that compared to Qing Lin Anxue's lightness like a feather, this person can be described as striding like a meteor.

"Hey, Pei Lin, didn't expect we'd meet again so soon, did you?" The newcomer casually sat down cross-legged and looked at Pei Lin's injuries: "Although it's not ideal in this situation."

This time, Yuan Peilin was genuinely surprised. While Qing Lin and An Xue's rescue of him might have had some merit, the appearance of this young man, with whom he had inexplicably fought before, was truly unexpected. Thus, the boy experienced a brief lapse in speech, finally managing to utter a single sentence after a long while.

"...How do you know my name?" And you called it so affectionately.

The young man paused for a moment before realizing what he had done, then slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, right! I didn't introduce myself last time. I'm Lu Fengjian." As he spoke, his expression suddenly turned serious. "I'm also Qing Lin Anxue's distant cousin."

"...My junior's cousin?"

“Yes, but only in name; we’re not related by blood, and…” Lu Fengjian smiled mysteriously, “we can get married…”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Yuan Peilin felt like he was being mocked. After a moment of silence, he met Li Fenglu's gaze: "That doesn't seem to concern me..."

“Ah…that’s true!” The handsome young man rested his chin on his hands, staring intently at Yuan Peilin. “However, you are truly an enviable fellow.”

"Huh? What do you mean?"

“When we found you, you looked more like a corpse, with blood everywhere,” Lu Fengjian said, recalling the scene. “An Xue stood there motionless, and the expression on her face… was something I’d never seen before.”

"The expression on your face when you first saw it?"

“Yes, I was completely stunned, like a mother who has learned that her child has died.” Lu Fengjian paused for a moment before continuing, “Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but that’s roughly how it happened.”

Yuan Peilin shifted his gaze to the ceiling, trying his best to imagine Qing Lin Anxue's expression at that time, and an indescribable feeling arose in his heart.

“I really wanted to kill you back then,” Lu Fengjian said with a wicked smile. “However, I would never do that.”

"oh?"

"Because more than seeing Anxue cry for you, I'm afraid of seeing you live a good life."

Will it?

“At least that’s a possibility…” Ryuka Ken wanted to say something more, but suddenly noticed the girl walking towards them, so he had to change his words: “It seems I’ve been here for too long.”

"What's been too long?" Qing Lin Anxue had already entered the house and gently placed the wooden plate in her hand on a small table.

"It's nothing, I have to go." Lu Fengjian said as he stood up. "It's best to talk about the attack on you when you're feeling better." Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly turned back. "Ah, Pei Lin, I forgot to mention..."

"...What is it?" Judging from the expression on the handsome young man's face, Yuan Peilin felt that it must not be anything good.

"Luckily, your lower body wasn't injured."

"……Why?"

“An Xue wrapped those bandages on for you herself.”

Under Qing Lin Anxue's cold glare, the mischievous young man finally chuckled and slipped away.

---janeadam