Chapter 27 Holding Hands (Revised) Who plays with you often?! ...

The crying sound came from near and far, sometimes shrill like a sob, and sometimes turning into an eerie chuckle.

Mingjian pushed open the door, and the four of them followed the sound toward the empty street. Perhaps it was because of the saying that people in the city should not go out at midnight, everyone in the city closed their doors and extinguished their candles at midnight, and the long street was eerily empty.

After walking for a long time, the sound finally stopped abruptly in front of Qin Shi Tower.

Mingjian, filled with surprise and doubt, lowered his voice and said, "We didn't go to the wrong place, did we? How did we end up back at Qinshi Tower?"

“We didn’t go wrong, this is the place.” Song Heyu held a compass in her hand and said in a deep voice, “There’s something strange about this building. It seems that the madam lied when we came here during the day. There must be something hidden here, otherwise the woman’s crying wouldn’t have disappeared here.”

"Why don't we go in and take a look? If we wait until tomorrow, the place will probably be deserted," Gu Zhi suggested, holding her sword.

Song Heyu hesitated. His upbringing wouldn't allow him to do something so impolite. "...Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

He wanted to say something more, but Xiao Bumian had already opened the door.

Gu Zhi and Ming Jian followed behind Xiao Bumian, seriously discussing whether it was faster to leave through the door or climb through the window.

Song Heyu: "..."

Oh well, it's already open.

He followed them.

Inside the Qin Shi Tower.

Mingjian looked around and saw that the hall inside the building was deep and dark, with dark red lanterns swaying between the pillars. The entire space was shrouded in a dim yellow light, as if it were covered by a thin veil.

He saw Xiao Bumian looking up at the second floor, and he looked up as well.

"Is there something?" Mingjian asked in a low voice.

Xiao Bumian's lips curved slightly. The smoke from the incense burning in Qin Shi Lou blurred his usually gentle features, making even his smile seem ambiguous.

It appears and disappears intermittently.

"Hmm," he said, a faint smile still playing on his lips, but his voice carried a hint of excitement, "It has the scent of that monster."

Mingjian sensed something was wrong; Xiao Bumian's smile usually meant trouble.

He stepped onto the stairs and went up to the second floor, only to find fine water droplets condensing on the wooden handrail. This dry autumn night in the inland city shouldn't have been so damp.

The moment his suspicions began to grow, the madam's sinister voice suddenly came from behind them; she had appeared behind them without them even noticing.

"If you gentlemen have urgent business..." The lantern in the madam's hand cast flickering light on her pale face, "you may come again tomorrow. Qin Shi Lou does not have the custom of receiving guests at midnight."

Mingjian was almost scared to death by that shout.

He was already feeling guilty, and now he's been caught red-handed.

Mingjian turned around and saw the pale blue candlelight in the lantern in the madam's hand flickering in the wind. The withered leaves behind her swirled on the ground, and the thick clouds that had obscured the full moon were blown away by the wind. The bright moonlight shone down, casting the madam's shadow long and thin.

Song Heyu bowed respectfully to the madam and said apologetically, "This is not what we wanted, but recently there have been evil spirits causing trouble in the city, and they seem to be getting bigger and bigger. The people in the city are terrified. Moreover, Princess Yunyue's wedding is just around the corner. The Demon Extermination Division only wants to close the case as soon as possible."

"Tonight, while we were resting in the courtyard, we unintentionally heard a woman crying. After following the sound, we found that the sound disappeared right in Qin Shi Tower, which is why we were disturbed."

The madam stared at them for a long time, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Gentlemen, you must be mistaken. Qin Shi Lou is only for men. Where would you hear a woman crying?"

"Whether it's there or not, we'll find out by going up and taking a look, won't we?" Gu Zhi raised an eyebrow, somewhat impatiently.

Upon hearing this, the madam's face immediately turned ugly. She said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, we are just a small business owner. Why are you so aggressive? Besides, although our Qin Shi Lou has a bad reputation, our women are artists who don't sell their bodies. Entering other people's rooms in the middle of the night would only tarnish their reputation if word got out."

The madam was furious. She never expected the four men to return so suddenly. If she had known this would happen, she should have thrown that filthy thing out of the room this morning.

Gu Zhi, holding his sword, looked at the madam with a half-smile, "You've repeatedly obstructed us. Are you afraid of tarnishing their reputation, or are you afraid we'll find out something?"

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Zhi drew his sword and pointed it at her. "We will never tell anyone about what happened tonight. If you don't tell anyone, then no one will know, right?"

That doesn't make sense.

The madam's smile slowly faded, and she sighed, saying meaningfully, "If that's the case, then you'll have no choice but to stay here."

After she finished speaking, the madam's elongated shadow trembled slightly, and a puddle of water at her feet shimmered with an eerie blue light under the moonlight.

The next instant, several dark figures slowly crawled out from behind her.

"Kill them," the madam ordered with a grim face.

"You guys go up first, leave this to me and Gu Zhi!" Song Heyu's sword flashed like lightning, slashing down a black shadow that was flying towards them.

A strong fishy smell gradually filled the air.

Mingjian was about to summon his natal sword when he heard Song Heyu's words and pulled Xiao Bumian upstairs.

Gu Zhi, holding a sword, coldly instructed, "Your cultivation levels and Xie Hanwei's are too low. This is not a place for you. Go upstairs first."

As he spoke, he turned his head, intending to throw a few talismans at Mingjian, only to find that Mingjian was already on the second floor.

Guzhi: "..."

He silently turned back and continued killing the shadowy figures.

Damn Mingjian and Xie Hanwei! They were the two who ran the fastest!

-

As Mingjian ran up the stairs to the second floor, he suddenly felt his footing falter. Looking down, he saw a sticky, dark shadow wrapped around his ankle. The thing was still wriggling, and distorted human face outlines floated on its surface.

Mingjian: "..."

Damn it!

He kicked the dark figure away with force and continued to pull Xiao Bumian uphill.

Only when the dark figure stopped chasing, perhaps blocked by Gu Zhi and Song Heyu, did he ask, panting, "What was that thing? Why was it so troublesome?"

“Hmm,” Xiao Bumian looked down at their clasped hands, naturally slipping his long, jade-like fingers between them until they were tightly interlocked. Then he smiled with satisfaction and said calmly, “Have you ever heard of soul-nurturing? As long as the limbs of a dead person are nailed shut with soul-devouring nails, their soul cannot be reborn. From then on, it can only hide in the shadow of the person who cast the spell and obey his commands.”

Mingjian hadn't noticed Xiao Bumian's subtle actions, but after hearing them, he felt a chill run down his spine.

A muffled groan came from downstairs, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

"Gu Zhi and Song Heyu can't possibly be outmatched, can they?"

Mingjian was still a little worried, even though he had already run up.

But don't drag others down if you shouldn't.

Xiao Bumian's eyelashes trembled slightly as she led Mingjian toward the corner room. "Perhaps."

It would be better if he were dead.

This way, Mingjian can focus all the attention on him.

Mingjian “…”

Well, let them fend for themselves.

It wasn't until they reached the front of the room that Mingjian realized the two were still holding hands.

Mingjian: ? ? ?

Xiao Bumian is taking advantage of him again.

He released Xiao Bumian's hand, which he had warmed by his touch, and looked at the room with some surprise, "Isn't this the room we saw this morning?"

The warm, soft touch in his palm seemed to linger, and Xiao Bumian rubbed his fingertips together somewhat uncomfortably.

He smiled and said, "Yes."

Mingjian immediately understood and wondered why Xiao Bumian had stopped back then.

"Why didn't you say so this morning?" Mingjian asked, puzzled.

“Because there were three people inside this morning, two of them men seemed to be doing what we often do.” Xiao Bumian paused, “I don’t know why, but I felt really disgusted.”

Mingjian remained silent for a moment.

Who plays with you often?!

They've barely played together, okay? At most, only twice.

...Wait, why is he getting hung up on this kind of question?

Mingjian could see a blush spreading across his face, and could only curse Xiao Bumian in his heart as a big pervert.

He didn't want to talk to Xiao Bumian anymore; he was afraid that if they continued talking, he would want to bite Xiao Bumian to death.

However, what Xiao Bumian meant was that there was only one person in the room at the moment.

Mingjian gently pushed open the door, the old wooden hinges creaking dully. Inside, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the festive atmosphere. The bright red bed curtains gleamed with a somber sheen, and the scattered peanuts and longans were already shriveled. The bright red "囍" character was pasted crookedly on the window.

Behind layers of gauze curtains, a slender figure could be vaguely seen dressing before a mirror, and a mournful song drifted out, "Red candle tears... brocade quilt cold... when will my beloved... return home..."

The dim yellow bronze mirror vaguely reflected a pale profile, the comb teeth made a soft rustling sound as they brushed against long hair, and the candlelight on the table occasionally crackled and popped.

The eerie scene sent chills down Mingjian's spine. He stepped forward and asked, "Young lady..."

Before he could finish speaking, the figure paused in his dressing, then turned his head. His pale face was streaked with tears, and one crystal tear after another slid down his cheek. He chuckled softly in a hoarse voice, "Girl? I'm not a girl."

Having said that, he turned back to continue applying his makeup, murmuring, "If only I were a girl, but I'm not. That's why Minglang doesn't want me, he doesn't want me anymore..."

Mingjian was taken aback. He thought the voice belonged to a woman, but he never expected it to be a male merman. However, this male merman had an extremely handsome face, with bright eyes and white teeth, and looked like a beautiful woman. If it weren't for his pointed ear fins, which are unique to male mermen, one would not be able to determine his gender from his appearance at all.

"I'm sorry," Mingjian said.

The merman's voice was as light as a feather, his fingers nervously twisting a strand of hair. "It's alright."

Seeing that he didn't sense any malice, she asked him, "May I ask who you are?"

"Me? I'm Yuzhu." He turned his head, a soft "crack" sound coming from his neck, and his smile was quite eerie.

He tilted his head, a gesture that should have been playful but looked rather strange on him. "Weren't you looking for me?"

Male prostitute Yu Zhu?

Didn't the madam say that Yu Zhu had caught a cold and went home to recuperate?

But why is he at Qin Shi Lou!

Ming was shocked, but he didn't show it. He was about to take two steps forward when Xiao Bumian grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him to his side.

"There's a formation around him, don't go near him," Xiao Bumian said gently.

Mingjian then noticed that dark red patterns were slowly flowing on the floor around the embroidered stool where Yuzhu was sitting.

Yu Zhu suddenly chuckled, "This young man has a good eye."

He licked his chapped lips. "There really is... a formation around me."

As he spoke, the blood-red patterns suddenly glowed with an eerie red light, illuminating the entire room in a crimson hue.

Ming noticed a layer of cold sweat seeping from his back.

This merman is a lunatic.

"Hahaha," Yu Zhu laughed at his reaction. Looking at the two of them, he suddenly asked, "Do you like him?"

Mingjian paused for a moment, and it took him a while to realize that Yuzhu was talking to him. Mingjian pointed to himself, "...Me?"

Yu Zhu nodded, "Yes."

Mingjian was caught off guard by this sudden question. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer.

Turning her head, she met Xiao Bumian's ambiguous smile.

Mingjian: "..."

Kill him. Can he say he doesn't like it?

He said, "What if Xiao Bumian goes crazy on the spot and twists his neck?"

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Author's note: I didn't have time to revise it after finishing it last night, and I've been busy ever since I woke up. After a reader pointed it out, I reread it and felt that the pacing was a bit off, so I made some minor revisions. You can read it again, but it's okay if you don't. I didn't change much.

The changes are as follows: Yu Zhu's storyline has been slowed down; she won't be offline until the next chapter, this chapter is just a brief encounter with her. [Pigeon]

Love you all~