45 Chapter 45 (Two in One)
◎【Hell Scroll】：I am torn apart.jpg◎
With the addition of a helper, Ye Ping'an's order volume doubled. Zheng Xin was left in the kitchen, unable to deliver food, and the restaurant was completely busy.
The roasted chicken leg rice he prepared was very popular. After all the goods were sold out, Ye Ping'an closed the shop and counted the money, his teeth showing and his eyes not being able to see his smile.
Both part-time job and main job are flourishing!
Zheng Xin dragged his body, having only eaten a few mouthfuls of rice, and slowly came out with a rag to clean the table. He was so tired that his face looked numb and he just wanted to finish the work quickly.
"Xiao Zheng."
As soon as Ye Pingan opened his mouth, Zheng Xin shuddered. "Boss?"
"Don't be nervous." Ye Ping'an shook the large clay pot of soup and scraped out the murky liquid at the bottom with a spoon. "You're too busy to eat, and I can't help it if the vegetables are sold out... Come, sit down and have some soup."
Zheng Xin held the bowl of warm soup and almost cried.
After a busy day, he finally heard some human words! In the Xile Hotel, even the wounded were being treated like animals!
Ye Pingan pulled out a chair and sat across from him. "Although you're average looking, average craftsmanship, not very hardworking, and your eyesight isn't great..."
Zheng Xin's forehead was throbbing with veins, and Ye Pingan changed the subject, "But.
"I approve of your desire to be an apprentice. Unfortunately, you've run into a shady clothing merchant. You need to be treated properly. From now on, you can cut dough in the kitchen, without the tiring running around. Don't worry, I'll definitely urge the police to investigate quickly and help you seek justice from the unscrupulous merchant!"
Zheng Xin felt as if he was being scolded for urging her to change the package when she kept calling him "black-hearted".
Not tired? If not, then don't assign him any work!
Help him get justice? Ye Pingan wants to get compensation as soon as possible!
Zheng Xin gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sound, "Thank you, boss."
"Well, you're sensible." Ye Ping'an responded to the thanks with confidence.
Ye Ping'an smiled, but his smile seemed to harbor ill intentions. "But business is pretty good. I'm thinking of hiring another waiter. Do you have any recommendations from fellow townspeople?"
Zheng Xin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt surprised.
He had wanted to continue the mission, but after a day, he realized that his body couldn't keep up. If only someone else could come, it would be just right for him!
Zheng Xin perked up. "I wonder what kind of waiter the boss wants? One who's good-looking? One who's good-tongued?"
But his good looks with a "peach blossom face" were ignored by Ye Ping'an. Zheng Xin really didn't know what she would find beautiful.
...In the past three days, Zheng Xin has been getting close to Ye Pingan whenever he gets the chance. However, Ye Pingan seems to have no feelings for him and even resents him for wasting time on his work!
Ye Ping'an waved his hand. "Well, being pretty and having good manners is just empty talk. It's better if you have it, but it's okay if you don't. I just have one request."
Zheng Xin waited for a few seconds, staring at each other, "Huh? Go ahead."
Ye Pingan curled his lips, "You know."
Zheng Xin:?
What does he know?
Wait, could it be!
Zheng Xin's lips trembled in disbelief. "I'm introducing someone from my hometown, and I have to work for them myself..."
History, repetition, reenactment.
Ye Pingan was dissatisfied. "Why are you saying such harsh words? As an apprentice, shouldn't you pay your master? Just tell me if there is anyone. If not, I will put up a new recruitment notice. It's not difficult to recruit people anyway."
"Don't!" Zheng Xin hurriedly stopped him, putting on a mask of pain. "I have fellow villagers. I'll ask."
Ye Pingan patted his shoulder cheerfully and said, "Okay, ask as soon as possible. The sooner the newcomer arrives, the easier your work will be."
Zheng Xin watched her go upstairs with a gloomy face.
After a busy day of business, Ye Ping'an's steps were light, but he was the only one who was exhausted.
easy?
If new people could come, he would leave overnight! He would never work for this weird capitalist again!
After confirming that Ye Ping'an had left, Zheng Xin couldn't wait to take out the hidden communicator.
During the day, the snipes from the Investigation Bureau almost found his stuff, but luckily he hid it well.
Bai Lu's message flashed on the screen: [The Investigation Bureau was dispatched once, what happened? ]
Zheng Xin recounted her baffling morning experience, concluding: "My judgment was wrong. The owner's artifact probably wasn't controlling the direction." After she dealt with the [Funeral Clothes], she felt no more weakness from the artifact's cost.
Furthermore, her thinking is strange, and her eyes seem to lack any sense of strangeness. I suspect the shop owner's perception has been distorted by the creature. The Investigation Bureau is also coaxing her into thinking, trying to coax her during communication. The Bureau may have pieced together a very special E-level creature, or perhaps, it's not even E-level.
After briefly stating his judgment, Zheng Xin immediately suggested that he could be replaced by someone else by recruiting a waiter.
Bai Lu flatly rejected the idea: "No. Since the owner has accepted you and doesn't seem to have discovered your intentions yet, you should make good use of the good relationship we've had."
Zheng Xin: ...I have no friendship with her! Is this the kind of friendship you have between a capitalist and a self-produced ox or horse?!
Bai Lu slowed down his tone and soothed him, "I know you've paid the price and are anxious to recover. But Ye Ping'an doesn't know what it is. You know it, and the Investigation Bureau knows it too. They just took the strange thing away from the store today. There must be someone outside watching, waiting for you to escape."
[Funeral Clothes] were taken by the Investigation Bureau. If you come back like this, I can't protect you. A new person entering the store won't be as conspicuous as you, so they can cooperate with your actions. When the new person arrives and the Investigation Bureau's attention is diverted to investigating the new person, I can mobilize the base's strongest C-rank.]
Zheng Xin's eyes lit up, and he didn't rush to leave: [Who can really mobilize C-rank? Which god is it?]
Bai Lu: [Whether she's D- or E-rank, the C-rank spirit [Hell Scroll] will definitely be able to figure out her secret. Then, with the [Paper Mannequin] cooperating to create chaos, you can take the strange creature and escape the Bureau's attention.]
Zheng Xin gritted his teeth and did it! But...
Zheng Xin: [You need to ask the newcomer to bring money. The account I prepared is empty.]
Bai Lu was surprised: [Where is the money spent on your activities? ]
Zheng Xin was embarrassed to say: […Being a waiter requires payment.]
Bai Lu: ??? What a greedy person!
Bai Lu Wu Yu: [Got it. I'll be there the day after tomorrow and send you the information tomorrow.]
Zheng Xin was anxious: [Come tomorrow! I'll be exhausted the day after tomorrow!]
Bai Lu: [Tomorrow, we can only arrange for non-ghost masters, and their operational experience may not be good.]
Zheng Xin: [Anyway, I need help.]
White Deer: ...
-
Ye Pingan woke up and went downstairs to count the newly delivered dishes. Zheng Xin ran over with dark circles under his eyes, looking like a wandering soul. "Boss, it's arranged. My...my cousin Cheng Yi is coming to be a waitress. She just finished the college entrance examination, and her family asked her to come and try and learn a new skill. This is her photo. She'll be here this afternoon."
The girl in the photo has regular features, but a gloomy and world-weary expression.
Hmm... doesn't seem like the personality of a capable waiter.
But as long as I can deliver food, run errands and clear the tables, that's enough.
The most perfect waiter would be a food delivery robot. Unfortunately, they were too expensive, and Ye Ping'an had yet to see one with particularly impressive performance.
Ye Pingan nodded, "Okay, it's her."
Cheng Yi stood at the sunny intersection, looking at the store in front of him that was crowded with customers and doing a booming business, his mind was still confused.
Early in the morning, her parents, who believed in the cult, pulled her out of the small bed on the balcony with a fanatical look on their faces, saying that a messenger from God had given her a mission. They sent her here without even letting her eat a meal.
Complete the mission well and you will have the opportunity to gain the power of the gods.
They were extremely jealous, "Why not us? Why wasn't the opportunity to be blessed given to your brother?"
Ye Ping'an brought out the dishes and saw someone in a daze not far from the door.
She recognized him, smiled, and waved, "You're Cheng Yi, the waiter job candidate, right? Come, let me see how you do your job."
The place was bustling with people as they entered. Diners looked at the new waiter and said, "Boss, you should have hired someone a long time ago. Hire someone, open a branch, and we'll have more food to enjoy!"
The owner of the shop is said to have "divine powers," and so do the adults she needs to assist in completing her tasks.
Cheng Yi wasn't jealous, nor did she want anything. She wished these lunatics who had inexplicable powers and gave lunatics hope would die.
However, the atmosphere in the store was completely different from the cults she had encountered in the past.
The boss was neither arrogant nor annoying as she had imagined, nor did she look dangerous or weird. She seemed just an ordinary boss. The diners were not crazy about her, but they all liked her very much.
Cheng Yi was dragged away in a daze. As soon as she entered the kitchen, the delicious chicken legs flashed before her eyes and her stomach growled.
"Haven't you eaten yet?" Ye Ping'an asked.
"I..." Cheng Yi covered her stomach with her hands, her face flushed with embarrassment, not knowing what to say.
"There are a few chicken legs in this oven. Let's eat a couple of mouthfuls of rice first."
Ye Pingan directly stuffed the bowl into her hand and said, "The store is too busy. Hurry and deliver the food after you finish eating."
Take a spoonful of rice and pour a little sauce on it. The aroma of hot rice is steamed with honey, which melts into an amber-colored salty and sweet dish that goes well with rice.
Smells so good.
It's much more delicious than the food in the cafeteria. Even the delicious food my parents buy for me every day can't compare to this bowl of rice. No wonder this restaurant is so crowded.
Cheng Yi ate voraciously, and felt a warm feeling in his empty stomach.
Feeling a strong gaze, Cheng Yi turned around in shock.
The man squatted on the ground, cutting bones with a crackling sound, staring at her and the rice in her hands with resentment. Half of his face was bloody and torn, the other half was handsome, making him look particularly terrifying and sinister, exactly as she had imagined him to be.
Before Ye Pingan noticed them, Zheng Xin forced a smile and greeted the newcomer, "...cousin."
The last mouthful of rice that Cheng Yi stuffed into his mouth suddenly became a little hard to swallow.
Cheng Yi responded coldly.
Ignore him and Ye Ping'an, just concentrate on your work, thinking of yourself as a real waiter.
The business was over in a flash, and Ye Ping'an became angry when he saw the unpeeled lychees in Zheng Xin's basin.
"Xiao Zheng, why are you slacking off again now that a new employee is here? I picked out the best of these new lychees. If you can't peel them all today and make desserts, the taste will change by tomorrow! You'll have to pay me back then."
Zheng Xin: ...The key point is the last sentence, right?
Seeing Ye Ping'an start to scoop rice, Zheng Xin obediently lowered his head and quickened his pace.
If you don't hurry up, there will be one more person eating today, and maybe there won't be a single bite left for him. Wouldn't he starve to death?
Cheng Yi silently took the rag back to the kitchen and washed it in the sink.
Ye Ping'an looked out and saw that the table in the lobby was polished to a shine, which immediately brightened his eyes.
"Xiao Cheng, you're much more diligent than your cousin. You see work and finish it before I tell you. You're really capable! Here are two chicken legs left, I'll give you one."
Cheng Yi:?
Zheng Xin:!!!
Chicken drumstick! He wants to eat it too!
Feeling Zheng Xin's burning gaze, Cheng Yi quickly ate the chicken leg.
At night, under Zheng Xin's fixed gaze, Cheng Yi gave up the good option of sleeping in the carriage and chose to sleep on the floor in the kitchen.
As soon as Ye Ping'an left, Cheng Yi took out the box that the "messenger of God" asked her to bring and handed it to Zheng Xin.
Zheng Xin opened it and took a look. As soon as he saw the yellow paper of [Paper Man], he immediately closed the lid.
"You did a good job today." Zheng Xin quickly threw his work out. "Get up at four tomorrow morning to mop the floor, and prepare the meat at five..."
"Oh." Cheng Yi nodded expressionlessly.
Her daily routine is no different from what she has at home, and she can even learn a skill.
Zheng Xin was surprised, "Don't you think it's excessive?"
Cheng Yi did not answer but asked: "My Lord, is there anything else you need my cooperation with?"
Zheng Xin: "Not these days. I just need to do more work so I can rest. I'll let you know if there's any action."
One day, two days.
Zheng Xin couldn't understand why he was disliked even more when the taciturn newcomer came to do the job?
The more he urged Cheng Yi to work behind his back, the more work he threw at him. Ye Ping'an stared at Zheng Xin with increasingly unfriendly eyes, and his life-threatening orders increased instead of decreasing.
Fortunately, he finally felt that there were fewer investigators following him.
During the rare free time in the afternoon, Ye Ping'an would either go out to the vegetable market or the fruit shop, or lean on a chair outside the door to bask in the sun, watch videos, or take a nap.
Seeing Ye Ping'an leaning against the door with a chair, Zheng Xin immediately notified Bai Lu to take action.
Zheng Xin was washing the spinach with great effort. The mud on the roots and leaves made his eyes dizzy. He cursed Ye Bapi in his heart for being lazy and enslaving him.
A tall and thin young man walked through the door with an easel in his arms. The canvas was displayed outside. It was in the exotic Ukiyo-e style, but only one corner was painted, and most of it was still blank.
The painter glanced at Ye Ping'an casually and walked away with his easel before attracting the attention of the investigators who stayed behind.
Ye Ping'an glanced at it casually.
The treasure bowl she hung in the lobby is still the most beautiful.
She couldn't appreciate art, but she saw that the painter had a pale face and dark circles under his eyes as thick as a panda. It was obvious that he was an artist who worked late into the night and needed to eat some medicinal food.
But the painter was in a hurry, perhaps on urgent business, so there was no need to force his business.
Zheng Xin watched the painter leave and became secretly excited.
[Hell Scroll] Anyone who has "seen" it up close, painted on canvas, will die. This powerful divine power kills invisibly and swiftly. By the time the Bureau of Investigation realizes it, they've already fled.
This time, a C-level spirit was activated, so no matter how magical Ye Ping'an's tricks were, they had to admit defeat. Blame her for being ignorant of the current situation and insisting on working with the Investigation Bureau to go against the trend of the spirit's arrival.
On the contrary, he hoped that Ye Ping'an's monster would be more powerful. If he was eaten without even struggling, how could he justify his patience these days!
Cheng Yi finished washing her assigned bowl of spinach. She noticed Zheng Xin hadn't washed much of it at all, staring intently at Ye Ping'an. She felt something was amiss.
Zheng Xin's half-human, half-ghost face showed a sneer and excitement at times.
It seems like something big is about to happen.
Could it be... that the C-level deity that Zheng Xin casually mentioned is about to take action?
Those who possess "divine powers" are not good things. But Boss Ye is a little different.
As long as she worked hard, she wouldn't be scolded, but would be praised and have enough food to eat. Just like she had expected.
Cheng Yi hesitated for a moment and took the initiative to speak, "Boss."
Ye Pingan turned his head, "What's wrong?"
Zheng Xin stared at her coldly. Cheng Yi stammered, "Boss Ye also watches cat and dog videos?"
"Yeah, fluffy things are so cute. But what I've been brushing lately isn't cats or dogs, but foxes. Look at this fox, its whimpering is so tempting to rub it."
Ye Pingan felt a little regretful. "I was planning to raise a fox, but I hadn't decided on a name, and the fox I met ran away."
Cheng Yi didn’t know how the “god” made his move, but maybe it had something to do with the location of the door.
She racked her brains for an excuse. "I... have seen some interesting fox videos. I'm done now. Boss, do you want to watch them with me?"
Ye Ping'an nodded and said, "Just send it to me."
Zheng Xin's gaze almost burned Cheng Yi's back. She shut her mouth, searched for the most popular videos and sent them to Ye Ping'an.
Forget it, why should she risk her life for something between a "supernatural" lunatic?
Ye Pingan was scrolling through videos of foxes. "I've seen these. 'How do foxes bark?' 'Big King!'"
"Hey, I figured it out! Let's call my fox 'Aifei'!"
Ye Ping'an laughed while watching the video, and Zheng Xin sneered and touched the box containing the [Paper Man] in his arms.
Laugh, you won’t be able to laugh soon.
The painter made many detours, avoiding any possible surveillance locations, and reached the rooftop of the residential complex that Bai Lu had identified for him.
The other people in the meeting were keeping watch for him, and everything for changing clothes and evacuation had been prepared on the rooftop.
From the rooftop, you can see the intersection where the Xile Hotel is located from afar. The young owner, leaning leisurely against the door, is just an almost invisible blur.
The painter set up the easel and unfolded the unfinished "Ukiyo-e" canvas.
Amidst the waves of dark colors, a small area of the canvas is painted with countless green-faced, fanged demons. Staring at the canvas for a long time, the demons in the corners seem alive, their eyes moving and their fangs bared.
When the canvas is filled with evil spirits, that's when the [Hell Scroll] will be revived!
The painter avoided the evil spirit's position, cut open his palm, made a stroke on a blank area of the canvas, and immediately stopped.
In an instant, all the patterns on the canvas disappeared, leaving only the scarlet brushstrokes.
A terrifying chill rushed up his arms from the canvas, as if countless icy fingers were drilling into his skin and tearing it apart.
There was no need to continue writing; the blood automatically spread across the canvas, quickly outlining blood-red lines.
The painting shows the end of the food street that the painter just "saw", the intersection next to the shops, and even the gaps between the bricks are clearly visible.
The only thing missing is the Xile Hotel in the middle and the defenseless young owner standing at the door of the hotel.
As the blood-colored line approaches the center, its speed slows down.
The painter glanced fearfully in that direction from afar. "Isn't this blood enough?... The favor of a C-level deity is impossible to conceal. At most, there are D-level monsters. How long can you hold out with a weak D-level?"
The lookout whispered, "The Bureau has detected a strange change in the aura. We need to hurry!"
The painter gritted his teeth, squeezed the blood from the wound, pressed the empty area in the center of the canvas again, and his face turned paler instantly.
The Xile Hotel appeared on the canvas, followed by a chair, then a foot, a torso, and a hand holding a cell phone...
This time the blood line spread faster, but the speed was still incomparable to when drawing the surrounding environment.
The blood-red canvas outlines a young woman leaning against a chair, but her eyes are not painted.
The painter breathed a sigh of relief. "[Hell Scroll], everything is depicted. Now it's time to add the finishing touches."
The painter cut open the wound that was gradually stopping bleeding, and blood gushed out.
The canvas seemed to have turned into a sponge, swallowing up all the blood that had been released.
A strange chill rose from the end of the food street. The surroundings were so oppressive that it was almost impossible to breathe. Even the sunlight seemed to become dim and fake, like a painting.
"Falsehood" spread to the front door of the Xile Hotel, and the woman in the painting gradually had blurred eye outlines.
If the canvas just now was a sponge, at this moment, the canvas was like a blood-sucking monster, madly sucking more blood and flesh from the painter's wounds.
The painter's face suddenly changed. He tried to pull his hand away, but it was sucked tightly onto the canvas. His entire body was also sucked towards the painting bit by bit with great force.
"Why is it so difficult?! I clearly haven't drawn any power beyond C-rank!"
The palm disappeared first, then the arm...
The painter was frantic, struggling to move his finger and tapping the eye that still hadn't appeared. "Draw it! Draw it and swallow it. Then I still have hope of survival! Even if I revive, I'll have a chance to become one of the spirits in the painting!"
Swish——!
A terrified scream like a ghost's cry came from the scroll, and a faint but extremely sharp tearing sound came from under the painter's fingers.
The strange scroll that no one could destroy cracked into a thin crack where the painter poked it, as if it had turned into ordinary, fragile paper.
The painting is almost complete, and all the details are clearly visible and perfect.
The moment the finishing touch was completed, all the blood lines on the canvas were distorted, as if they were splashed with a basin of water, and turned directly into blurred blocks of color.
The blocks of color dissipate and melt, dissolving into shadows that no longer exist.
The Ukiyo-e of evil spirits that appeared and disappeared with the blood was looming, but at this moment the waves were shaking, the evil spirits were crying and running away, and black cracks appeared on the canvas, as if the sky was collapsing.
Unable to draw.
Should not be drawn.
Drawing itself is not allowed!
The cracks grew larger and larger, and the more they appeared, the more the canvas on the easel began to shatter, as if the hell in the painting was about to crack and shatter.
There seemed to be a spring hidden in the crack, gushing out large streams of black mucus, the gurgling sound like crying and complaining.
Like a painting with no paint left and the evil spirits in it gradually disappeared.
The painter looked at the torn scroll in horror, and in the blink of an eye, he became emaciated.
Like a mango that had been drained dry, his skeleton barely holding up his skin, too weak to even struggle. His flesh and blood disappeared too quickly, leaving his empty skin swaying in the wind.
how so?
What on earth happened?!
The ghost in the painting's blood-red eyes trembled with fear as it stared outside with resentment.
The black liquid was like a ghost hand, grabbing the nearest painter and dragging him into the painting.
A tiny figure appeared in the hell of the shattered painting. The outline of the painter could be vaguely seen, looking around in panic.
There was no such thing as a spirit in the painting, or any power gained by replacing the ghost in the painting. The painter, with his skinny bones, crawled and rolled to escape from the mouths of the ghosts.
But escaping was useless and would only shatter him faster.
After devouring the Ghost Controller, the scroll fragments began to wriggle, struggling to move away from the center of the scroll.
"Ah!!! They're eating people!"
The lookout was stunned by the strange scene. He saw the painter disappear with his own eyes and was so scared that his scalp was tingling. Only then did he remember to run away.
【Author’s words】
Today is 12.6 thousand. And in the evening
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