Ling Yan was far away from them, her thumb rubbing the back of her hand. She looked at Gu Zhong, a faint, hesitant light flickering in her eyes.
"Ayan, wake me up."
Gu Zhong walked to Ling Yan's side, took her hand, his eyes overflowing with tenderness, and whispered like a lover.
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Author's Note:
It should be accompanied by the background music from Young Justice Bao.
Chapter 124 Swordsman and Exorcist (Part 10)
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The old woman led the group deeper into the palace.
The further you go in, the more vibrant the people you meet become, and even the colors around you seem to brighten up.
"Another quack doctor has arrived..."
"Will the Queen be cured this time?"
"Does the King value the Queen or not?"
"I think he doesn't value it at all; he hasn't come even once in two months—"
"Nonsense! If we didn't value it, why would we be recruiting doctors from all over the country to enter the palace?"
"It's clear they don't value him. Ever since Lady Hu entered the palace, the Queen can only see the King during festivals. The King's heart has long since changed..."
Gu Zhong could hear their whispers, most of which were speculations about the love and hatred of the palace's master.
"Silence! No unauthorized discussion!"
The old woman shot a sharp glare at the group of gossiping maids, startling them into scattering like birds and beasts.
"Please excuse my poor appearance, gentlemen."
She then smiled apologetically at everyone.
“That Mrs. Hu—”
Chu Cheng vaguely remembered that when they went to see the king before, the king was just about to go and look for this lady, which made him a little curious.
"Just a vixen from outside the palace!"
The old woman suddenly straightened her face, displaying the arrogance and resentment of a servant of the main wife. Her face was so dark it looked like ink was about to drip from it, clearly indicating that she did not want to mention this Madam Hu any further.
Seeing that she was angry, Chu Cheng suddenly felt a little scared and dared not say another word.
For no apparent reason, Gu Zhong was quite interested in this Madam Hu, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask her about her.
"arrive."
The old woman led them to a stop in front of a door.
The vermilion-painted pearwood door was tightly shut, and the red on the door frame seemed to flow like a real substance, as if it were stained with real blood.
Two palace maids dressed in pink silk palace gowns stood guard outside the door, motionless.
Their pale faces, illuminated by the red and dim oil lamplight, appeared as thin as paper.
"This old servant will not go in. I entrust Your Majesty to you all. I hope you can heal Your Majesty."
The tightly closed door opened automatically without any wind, revealing a pitch-black interior. The red door frame contrasted sharply with the dark interior, resembling a gaping maw waiting to devour any prey that willingly walked in.
The old woman grinned, revealing a wide smile to them. Her sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness, sending a chill down their spines.
"It's only natural for doctors to have a benevolent heart."
Chu Cheng and Ling Ying, as if they hadn't noticed anything amiss, quickly bowed and responded.
Gu Zhong was momentarily dazed, but he also bowed to them.
After getting up, they walked toward the dark doorway with normal expressions.
Only Lingyan remained standing still.
After being reminded by Gu Zhong, Ling Yan realized that their understanding was different from her own.
This must be the power of the demons here, subtly distorting the perceptions of everyone who enters the realm—this palace is the demons' domain.
Here, it is God.
Everything here proceeds according to its own thoughts and desires; they cannot see any strangeness because everything can be automatically rationalized in their minds.
It was set up so that the queen was simply ill, the king ordered the palace to be sealed off, and they were the doctors who came to treat her.
So the queen was indeed ill, and none of the palace servants could leave the palace; they truly became healers.
Along the way, Chu Cheng would occasionally tug at the empty space on his shoulder, as if he were really carrying a medical kit. Ling Ying muttered to herself all the way, and if you listened carefully, you would hear that she was reciting some prescriptions, as if she was preparing to take the imperial physician's examination.
Gu Zhong is the only one who is relatively normal, but she is constantly struggling between normal and distorted perceptions, which leads to various contradictory and hesitant behaviors.
Even someone as powerful as Gu Zhong was affected, which shows how bizarre the demon's abilities are.
No wonder that no matter how many people the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion sent, none of them returned.
Facing the unknown without preparation, when perception is distorted and the world appears completely different, how can one perceive the impending crisis?
The seemingly normal yet strange behavior of all the palace servants in the rear hall now seemed to Lingyan like a puppet show she was not very familiar with.
Perhaps they have all been murdered, or perhaps they haven't.
But at least for now, Lingyan felt no life in this palace.
She didn't know why she wasn't affected, but what was obvious now was that, as the only sober observer, she was the only one who could break the deadlock.
The demon that manipulated everything seemed overly confident that no one could escape its control, so it blatantly exposed itself in the most conspicuous position—right in front of Lingyan.
This house, which exudes an eeriness, is inside, or rather, that is it.
Once a person goes in, there is no way they can come out; they naturally become the monster's meal.
"Sir? Aren't you going in?"
The old woman turned her head towards Lingyan, and the two palace maids who had been standing by the door like paper figures also looked at her with chilling eyes.
—It was watching her.
Here, any action that deviates from the demon's expectations will alert it and draw its attention.
What will happen if we are discovered?
Seeing her companions seemingly under a spell, completely unaware and walking step by step into the demon's trap, Lingyan decided to take the initiative.
She pulled a silken ribbon from her waist, rolled the group of people who were foolishly leaning towards the demon's mouth into a circle and pulled them back, then launched an attack directly into the dark, wide-open room.
The house shook, and the back door slammed shut with incredible speed.
The kind-faced old woman instantly transformed into a blue-faced, fanged monster, lunging at Ling Yan.
The two palace maids guarding the door turned into paper figures, floating lightly in the air, and then, with a gust of demonic wind, they also came close.
If it were merely a strange phenomenon driven by demons, Lingyan could easily handle it.
However, the companions she had just saved, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, launched an attack on her without any regard for the facts.
Chu City alone was enough to keep her busy.
"Be careful of this demon; it's not simple."
It was clear from Chu Cheng's instructions to his companions that the demon, sensing the danger, had once again altered their understanding of the situation.
They transformed back into exorcists, but now, in their eyes, Lingyan had become the demon, and it seemed no one noticed that one of their companions was missing.
"Gu Zhong! What are you standing there for?"
Gu Zhong did not join the battle, which earned him a rebuke from Chu Cheng.
Fortunately, she didn't join, which gave Lingyan a chance to barely keep going.
"Please take heed!"
Remembering Gu Zhong's request, a glimmer of hope ignited in Ling Yan's eyes. As she fought, she called out to Gu Zhong, hoping that he could hear her call.
Gu Zhong hesitated, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Before her was a fierce battle with demons. She knew that she could end the battle in an instant with her sword, but for some reason, she felt that something was wrong and she could not bring herself to swing the sword.
She began to recall how the night had begun.
Demons dwell in the palace. Entrusted by the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, they enter the palace to exorcise the demons. She, along with Chu Cheng and Ling Ying—
Wait, what do Chu Cheng and Ling Ying have to do with her? They're all insignificant people. There's one most important person who's been overlooked!
Who was it? Why would she forget? Something's not right.
Gu Zhong's thoughts began to struggle; his distorted cognitive logic could not reconcile itself, and he fell into doubt and wavering.
"Please take heed!"
At that moment, a hazy voice seemed to come from another world, like a bolt of lightning piercing through the chaos of thoughts.
"Ayan—"
The confusion in his eyes vanished, and Gu Zhong's gaze became clear and sharp.
The cold sword was drawn.
A sword aura swept across the house that still stood intact, but instead of shattering it as expected, it was met with a shrill scream, followed by a long silence in the night sky.
The chaotic attacks in the arena all came to a halt, and everyone who was under control clutched their foreheads in pain.
The strange creature that the old woman had transformed into, along with the paper figure, crumbled into powder and vanished into the night.
"Ayan!"
Gu Zhong hurriedly ran past the irrelevant people lying haphazardly on the ground to Ling Yan's side and pulled her into his arms.
It's not easy to fight against many opponents, let alone when every move they make is deadly. Ling Yan also has to hold back, and after such a fierce battle, she is already covered in wounds.
Now that the demons have been vanquished, and her mind has relaxed, she didn't have time to say another word before fainting in Gu Zhong's arms.