Chapter 115 Killing the Grand Duke Jupiter (Part 3) "Monster"
The first rays of dawn pierced through the window lattice and fell upon the chests and trunks in the center of the room.
Song Qiling straightened his clothes, checked his belongings, and then walked out of the courtyard, locked the door, and turned around.
Suddenly remembering something, he paused, turned and walked to the gate of the neighboring courtyard, tapped it with his finger, and said, "Junior brother, I'm going out."
After she finished speaking, she waited a moment.
Inside the door, however, all was quiet, without the slightest sound.
Knowing her junior brother was probably still asleep, she sighed and leaned closer to the door, calling out, "Remember to come and support me today, don't oversleep!"
After giving his instructions, he turned and left.
At the market, crowds gradually gathered.
Song Qiling laid out the talismans she had drawn one by one on the simple wooden stall, but she felt inexplicably unsettled.
She wasn't particularly bothered by the lack of customers at her stall; it was just a trial run, and the poor business was to be expected.
But as the sun climbed higher and higher, his junior brother still hadn't appeared.
This isn't like him.
Even if I overslept, I should have arrived by now. Could it be that I was held back by something else on the way?
Suddenly recalling his reaction when I woke him up this morning, an inexplicable unease crept into my heart.
She casually flipped through the talismans in front of her, but finally couldn't sit still any longer. She hastily packed up her stall and hurried back.
"Junior brother?"
The courtyard was quiet, and Gu Lianzhou's gate remained tightly closed.
Song Qiling knocked on the door again, this time with more force. "Is anyone home?"
No one answered.
The unease suddenly intensified.
Without further hesitation, she drew the dagger she carried with her, inserted it into the crack in the door, and flicked it upwards.
With a soft click, the door opened.
Upon reaching the door of the bedroom, they repeated the process, pushing the door open and entering.
Looking around, the room was still furnished as before, the windows were bright and clean, and the bed was made so neatly without a single wrinkle that it seemed no one had ever stayed there.
Song Qiling, skeptical, paced around the room, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings. He muttered "Excuse me" to himself before stepping forward to examine each item.
The tea set on the table was neatly arranged, the ink in the inkstone had long since dried, and the orchid he kept on the windowsill was still green. Everything was the same as when he was at home, except that he was nowhere to be seen.
Song Qiling stood there, stunned, a sense of emptiness and bewilderment welling up inside her.
Where did they go?
Did they leave unexpectedly and miss their way back? Or did they encounter some urgent matter and leave without saying goodbye?
Suddenly, the image of his junior brother's gloomy appearance from yesterday flashed through his mind, and he knew something was wrong.
My junior brother...
Could something have happened to him?
As the sun rose higher, her stomach began to rumble uncontrollably. Song Qiling lowered her eyes, rubbed her chest in annoyance, picked up the celadon teapot on the table, poured herself half a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
The icy tea slid down my throat, but it couldn't quell the anxiety in my heart.
Just as I was about to put down my teacup, I suddenly heard a very light footstep outside the door.
You're back?
Song Qiling's eyes lit up. She dropped her teacup and rushed outside, running to the courtyard gate and looking up expectantly.
But then he saw Wan Hongling standing outside his house, holding a blue cloth bundle. Startled by her flustered appearance, he turned around and hesitantly pointed to the half-closed courtyard gate: "Young Master Song, what are you doing in Young Master Gu's room?"
Song Qiling was also surprised: "Miss Wan? It's you?"
Her gaze fell on the package, and after a moment, she realized what she had done and said, "I'm sorry, I'm so forgetful, I've caused you a lot of trouble."
After saying that, she reached out and took the blue cloth bag, the worry in her eyes still lingering. "This morning I couldn't find my junior brother anywhere, so I thought I'd wait for him in his room for a while."
Upon hearing this, a strange look flashed in Wan Hongling's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke: "Yesterday I came to deliver clothes, but you weren't there. It was Master Gu who opened the door. I saw that he looked gloomy and asked me... what secrets we were hiding."
"A secret?" Song Qiling frowned slightly. "Why are you asking this out of the blue?"
Wan Hongling also frowned: "At that time, I was thinking that perhaps your identity, Song Langjun, had been exposed, and that's why Gu Langjun noticed it? That's why he asked me about it, so... so I retorted. Could it be because of me that he's avoiding you?"
As she spoke, Miss Wan became increasingly guilty, and her voice grew weaker.
Her provocative words yesterday really infuriated people, and that Mr. Gu seems to be a vindictive person. Perhaps, as she said, he is taking out his anger on Mr. Song for her unintentional remarks...
Song Qiling disagreed: "But he was fine before I went to bed last night, and he promised to go to the market with me today. My junior brother always keeps his word and wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."
At this point, she had come to a realization.
My junior brother wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, and the room was so tidy.
Could it be... that an accident happened last night?
Is it the demon inside him causing trouble?
Or perhaps... the Gu family has come knocking on our door?
“Speaking of last night…” Wan Hongling seemed to suddenly remember something and lowered her voice, “By the way, Mr. Song, have you heard? Things were not peaceful in the south of the city last night. It is said that there were cultivators fighting, with golden light flashing everywhere and the noise was terrifying. They even blew off a whole bunch of roof tiles! It’s still a mess there now.”
A battle of wits in the south of the city?
Song Qiling's expression changed slightly, "Why would ordinary cultivators fight in a densely populated area? Since they are cultivators..."
Could it be that they are exorcising demons?
With a buzzing sound in her head, Song Qiling didn't have time to ask any more questions. She hurriedly thanked Wan Hongling and turned to walk into her room.
However, he returned shortly afterward, looking hurried as he walked out.
"Young Master Song, where are you going?"
Without turning his head, Song Qiling replied, "South of the city."
-
Before even reaching the destination, a scene of utter devastation could be seen from afar.
Amidst the ruins, several government officials were conducting an investigation, while many neighbors gathered around, discussing the situation with lingering fear.
One of the watchmen was speaking most enthusiastically; surrounded by the crowd, he was vividly describing his experiences from the previous night:
"...You didn't see it! The black and red lights collided, like lightning striking ignite a fire in the earth! With a loud bang, a whole row of roof tiles were blown off, the ground shook, and you could feel the malevolent aura from a great distance—it was terrifying! I almost thought I was going to die last night..."
The night watchman's words struck Song Qiling like a heavy hammer.
She stood there, feeling a chill in her limbs.
As a fellow sorcerer of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, how could she not sense the lingering spiritual energy fluctuations in the air and the familiar traces of magic among the broken walls and ruins—clearly the work of Chu Yue?
The other power, though unfamiliar, faintly exuded a sense of familiarity that she was unwilling to admit... The deep rope-like indentations on the wall and the lingering demonic energy amidst the mess on the ground instantly plunged her mood to the bottom.
The one who fought to the death with Chu Yue last night was my junior brother.
Her gaze swept over the messy ditch and broken tiles, trying to piece together the scene of last night's fierce battle and find clues about her junior brother's whereabouts.
It wasn't until the government officials began clearing the area and impatiently waved away the onlookers that she snapped out of her daze and wandered back with the dispersing crowd, her mind elsewhere.
The journey home seemed exceptionally long.
She didn't know how she got back to Lake Stone Lane. It wasn't until she pushed open the familiar courtyard gate and entered her junior brother's empty dormitory that she seemed to regain a sense of reality.
The room was dimly lit, with twilight seeping in through the cracks in the doors and windows, casting a gray shadow over everything.
Song Qiling fumbled to light an oil lamp on the table.
The tiny flames flickered, dispelling a small patch of darkness, but making the rest of the room seem even more gloomy.
She stared blankly at that point of light, and suddenly felt it wasn't enough.
That's far from enough.
If my junior brother comes back, he probably won't be able to see the road in such dim light.
I wonder if he was injured?
His current state is definitely unstable, and if he were to expose his demonic form in front of others, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Or perhaps... he has already been subdued by Chu Yue and taken to the Tianji Sect?
Upon having this thought, Song Qiling suddenly stood up and paced around the room helplessly twice.
If that's the case, she'll fight her way back to Tianji Sect and rescue him!
Suddenly, he remembered that the two forces in the broken walls and ruins were evenly matched, and Chu Yue was even forced to use a blood talisman.
For him to be so troublesome, his junior brother's strength must be considerable.
Perhaps he has survived this ordeal.
Thinking of this, I felt a little calmer.
She turned around and found a few candles to light.
The candlelight flickered on, illuminating the room brightly.
After doing all this, she was exhausted. She leaned against Gu Lianzhou's bedside, still dressed, without even taking off her shoes and socks, and closed her eyes in a daze.
As night deepened, the candle flame hissed and emitted black smoke, the melted wax piling up at the bottom of the candle, resembling layers of white jade pagodas.
As the lights flickered, a soft, black tentacle slipped through the crack in the door. Next, a strange, rounded part with two black eyes squeezed in as well. After being squeezed through the crack, it deformed slightly, then popped back to its original shape. The remaining tentacles followed in succession.
The "monster" was pitch black, its body resembled an octopus but was more rounded, and its tentacles were soft and elastic.
It moved silently and purposefully toward the bed, leaving a trail of black mist in its wake and exuding an ominous aura.
It bypassed the screen in the center of the room, crawled under the table, and climbed along the bed frame. When it touched the soft fabric, it visibly paused.
Until it completely froze.
Song Qiling slowly woke up, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she met a pair of dark and shiny black beans.
In the candlelight, those eyes were wet, showing a mix of panic and feigned composure.
Song Qiling was in a daze and couldn't distinguish between dream and reality, so she asked in confusion, "Hmm?"
The noise seemed to awaken the "monster," and its slippery tentacles recoiled as if cramping, frantically leaving the fabric and the edge of the bed. Just as it was about to crawl towards the ground, a hand came flying through the air and grabbed it accurately and forcefully.
"Why are you running?" Song Qiling's brow twitched. She bent her elbows and sat up halfway, leaning against the bed. She looked down at the thing in her hand and remained silent for a moment.
After a moment, he tentatively asked, somewhat uncertainly, "Junior brother?"
The object in my hand was soft and slightly warm, shaped like a sitting octopus, yet it was a strange creature not recorded in the "Records of a Hundred Things in the Mountains and Seas".
But this soft touch was extremely similar to the feel of her junior brother's dodder in her memory.
and……
Her gaze returned to those dark eyes, which darted around in alarm, unable to meet her eyes.
She couldn't help but chuckle.
It was truly astonishing that she could see embarrassment and guilt in the eyes of an octopus.
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