Chapter 38 Who are you? Don't touch me like that.
It was 1:45 PM when night fell.
Hearing voices, he closed his book and promptly turned off the study light.
After saying goodnight to Ichika, he obediently walked back to his room.
However, just as he reached the corner under the corridor, he suddenly stopped and looked back a few times.
"Okay, nobody's here."
After confirming that no one was following him, he quickly made a handprint to revert to his original form, dropped his bag, and tiptoed along the path to the side gate of the Hua Palace.
Tonight he's going to the Bell Tower to find the contact person named "Murong He".
Wen Rensheng is eighteen years old this year. He entered the Golden Core stage two years ago. His original form and human body are both stuck at the age of sixteen and have not continued to grow.
Although it is often mistaken for a puppy because it is so small, it still likes human voices very much because of its body which can move freely, which is very convenient for a yokai.
For example, today, taking advantage of his smaller size, he quickly reached the side door.
Compared to the heavily guarded main gate, this place is only guarded by a young emerald snake, which is currently coiled on the plaque and dozing off.
Hearing the voice, he looked up at her, took two deep breaths, and then, holding his breath, stepped out with one paw.
Be careful, don't disturb...
He deliberately sent the Green Snake a box of pastries during the day, which contained a lot of calming and hypnotic incense, which is why she slept so soundly.
Hearing voices, he carefully stepped through the side gate, then slid down the grassy slope, rolled twice, and finally slipped out of the Hua Palace, returning to Cangzhou City in the night.
He transformed back into human form, and just in case, he hid his tail and wolf ears, lest the other party be another spy sent by the Heavenly Court.
Hearing voices, he leaped up the wall and onto the clock tower, looking down at the view.
Because of the curfew, Wenrensheng had never seen a black market before, and this was the first time he had sneaked out at night to play.
The city of Cangzhou at night is completely different from that during the day. After the lanterns are lit, the entire city of Cangzhou is filled with interplay of light and shadow, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere, as if it were covered in a glass lamp.
The monsters on the road gradually revealed their true forms. Some of them were quite large, reaching a height of one or two zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), and slowly squeezed onto the narrow bluestone road. One of their tails could sweep over several night market stalls.
Hearing the voices, he couldn't take his eyes off them, but he was still thinking about finding the Incense of Rebirth, so he forced himself to calm down.
He glanced down at the clock tower and indeed found a figure wearing a straw hat, leaning against the wall with a sword in his arms.
"Is that him?" Wen Rensheng touched the dagger at his waist. "He looks dangerous. I'd better be careful."
But despite being cautious, he was, after all, there to do business, so it was necessary to give him a hard time.
After saying that, he leaped down silently along the wall, intending to land right in front of the man so that he would realize that he was actually a master.
But as soon as he took a step forward, the man suddenly looked up at him, a cold glint flashing across his silver mask.
"…………"
Startled by the sound of voices, he hurriedly said, "Hey! Don't go any further..."
Before he could finish speaking, the person, as if playing a prank, deliberately took a step forward and stood in the spot where the voice was about to land.
"Varied……?!"
Although Wen Rensheng's lightness skill was quite good, it was still impossible for him to dodge without any foothold. In his haste, he only had time to tumble and roll over twice.
Just as she was about to fall on the person, she heard a voice and thought to herself, "It's over," and covered her face in despair.
Whoosh!
The next moment, she landed in a pair of strong arms.
...It was caught!
Hearing the voice, he took a couple of breaths, moved his hand away, and saw that he had been caught horizontally in the arms of the man in the straw hat.
The man held his thigh with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his waist, his fingertips pinching his waist muscles. The embrace was intimate and natural, as if he had hugged him like this countless times.
I could hear the voice; the person was wearing very thin clothing, and I could feel their warm palm pressed against my skin through the fabric, causing a slight itch.
His face flushed instantly, and he jumped off the man's arms, his hair standing on end.
"What are you doing!" Wen Rensheng said, embarrassed and annoyed. "You clearly saw me about to jump down, did you do it on purpose?"
That's outrageous!
And why are you touching his legs and waist?!
Hearing the voice, she angrily complained, "Although you caught me, thank you, I could have landed safely even if you hadn't caught me. It was completely unnecessary!"
"And...and I just saw you deliberately walking forward. What do you mean by that? Do you think it's cool? You...you..."
He rambled on and on, venting all his anger, but the person in front of him didn't respond to a single word.
He stared at me with a half-smile, not moving an inch, making me feel uneasy.
Hearing voices, he shuddered and shrank back.
Why are you looking at me like that... Do you know me?
The man shook his head and said in a low voice, "I don't really know him."
The voice was unfamiliar; I had never heard a human voice before.
He then examined the man closely for a moment and discovered that the right half of his face was covered with a silver openwork mask.
This magical artifact, which can be recognized by its voice, is very common in the martial arts world. It contains a kind of magic that makes it impossible for others to remember one's appearance or recognize one's voice.
They were quite cautious. They judged someone as unreliable based solely on their name, but it seems they were wrong.
Hearing voices, he squinted and moved closer.
"You... are Murong He?"
The other person didn't move, waiting for the person to curiously look them over before briefly replying, "It's me."
Hearing the voice but finding nothing amiss, he withdrew his gaze with some skepticism and said, "Alright, I can't stay out for too long. To be frank, do you still have any 'Incense of Rebirth' on you? I'd like to buy some from you."
"You want this?" Murong He picked up the sword again and said, "I do have it, but unfortunately I didn't bring it with me today."
Hearing the voice, he said disappointedly, "You didn't bring it? Didn't they say this thing is in high demand right now? If you had it with you, a lot of people would be fighting over it."
Murong He smiled and said, "Things of too high value cannot be measured in silver. I will only sell this Rebirth Incense to those who are interested in it."
Someone you find agreeable?
Tch, so pretentious.
Hearing the voice, not wanting to lose to him, she also adopted an indifferent attitude, casually waving her hand and saying in a low voice:
"Never mind, since you didn't bring it today, I don't need it."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
When Murong He saw that he was about to leave, a look of panic flashed across her face, and she subconsciously stepped forward and grabbed Wen Rensheng's arm.
"Wait, don't go."
They've taken the bait.
Hearing the voice, he thought to himself that his acting was quite convincing, and he had immediately captivated the audience.
He snorted inwardly, then feigned indifference and lightly shook off Murong He's hand.
"What, is there something else?"
Murong He's tone softened a bit, and he said with a hint of helplessness, "I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you. If you want the Rebirth Incense, come here to see me at midnight tomorrow, and I'll bring it to you, okay?"
Hearing the voice, dissatisfied, he continued to shake his head: "If you're the one who tells everything, then I've wasted my time today. There's no sincerity in this, I'm not buying."
After saying that, he lifted his foot to run away.
Murong He had no choice but to grab him again and continue to concede: "Then you can tell me when we'll meet, okay?"
Hearing the voice, he finally relented and turned back to Murong He.
"Where do you live?" someone asked.
"...Around here," Murong He hesitated for a moment, then said, "you want to come to my house?"
Wenren nodded and said, "Yes, I will come after my morning class tomorrow at 9:00 AM."
He didn't mean to make things difficult for Murong He, but he couldn't just keep giving the green snake sister who guarded the gate sleeping pills every day, could he?
It's too much to ask them to meet in the evening.
And how am I supposed to explain this to my master when I get home? Am I supposed to say that I secretly went out to meet someone in secret?
The master, who locks him up at the slightest sign of trouble, would definitely think he's made friends with some kind of gangster.
Murong remained silent for a while, seemingly considering how to respond.
Hearing the voice, he knew his concerns. Being a matchmaker was a dangerous profession, and one couldn't just tell others where one lived.
He then considerately said, "It's fine if we don't go to your house. There's a teahouse nearby called Fufeng Pavilion. We can meet there and exchange money for goods."
After saying this, fearing that Murong He might be worried, he emphasized, "I'll take the things and leave immediately, I won't delay you at all—"
“It’s alright if it takes a while,” Murong He interrupted him with a smile, “as long as you come.”
Hearing this gave me goosebumps.
What do you mean by "as long as you come, that's fine"...?
Why is this monster talking so frivolously, as if they're very close?
Moreover, whenever he hears a voice, he feels that the person has a familiar scent. He can't quite describe it, but he just can't help but want to get closer.
Just now, when he was holding himself, for a moment, he heard voices and almost thought it was the mountain god coming to find him.
Especially the warmth of his palms and the strength of his grip on my waist, for some reason, the sound of human voices made me instinctively want to stick my tail out and wag.
It's unbelievable that I would react like this just from being touched.
This is simply... outrageous!
Hearing voices instantly made her irritable, and her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, as if she had thought of something embarrassing.
Considering the person in question was still in front of him, Hearing the voice, he quickly shook his head and said, "Alright, alright, that's settled then. We'll meet at Fufeng Pavilion tomorrow. Don't tell me you don't know him, okay?"
After saying that, upon hearing a human voice, he dispelled his transformation spell, turned back into a little wolf, and ran away.
"etc……"
Murong He took a step forward, intending to give chase, but Wenrensheng, who had reverted to his original form, fled extremely quickly, giving him no chance at all.
He was like a fish entering the water; in the blink of an eye, he sank into the night and disappeared without a trace.
Murong He stood there, staring blankly in the direction Wen Rensheng had left.
After a moment, he came to his senses, sighed softly, and raised his hand to remove his mask.
The spell was broken, revealing a young face beneath the mask, with grayish eyes and a faded mark between his brows.
He lowered his head and opened his palm, revealing a pair of black and white beads, the beads smooth and delicate, with a subtle luster within.
He rubbed the jade beads with his fingertips, the blue thumb ring on his knuckles gently tapping against them.
This was a birthday gift he gave to Wenrensheng, and it was the only token between them.
Unfortunately, it left behind the sound of human voices before leaving Fangze Mountain, and then there was no further news of it.
Over the years, I can only rely on this string of beads as a memento.
"Sound after sound..."
He lowered his eyes slightly and murmured.
"I've finally found you."
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Author's Note: Because my tail was constantly being teased at night, I've developed a habit of wagging it whenever Mu touches me, but I'm completely oblivious to human voices (what the hell am I saying?).
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