◎ Lies ◎
Where the ghost shadow stood, the surrounding temperature plummeted.
He Yupu’s hair stood on end, and he bit his lip firmly. Under extreme fear, his fragile throat ached as if pierced by a dull blade, and his heart sank heavily, making his very blood feel sluggish.
The deterrence this ghost shadow brought him was greater than all the other ghosts he had encountered combined.
Seeing that he did not respond, the ghost shadow coldly touched the tips of its fingers to the young man’s forehead. It felt like a venomous snake tongue licking its prey, filled with terrifying aggression and killing intent.
As the ghost’s hand rested on his shoulder, a continuous, chilling sensation seeped into his skin. What was more terrifying was the feeling that a sharp bayonet had pierced his heart. It felt as if something was being extracted from his lower abdomen, and his perception of the world began to warp.
Legend has it that ghosts love to eat human flesh. To defend against them, three Life Lamps appear on a person’s body to protect their physical form. When a person walks alone at night, a hundred ghosts follow. If the Life Lamps are extinguished, the person is near death; thus, they are also called Life Lamps.
He Yupu could clearly feel that the Life Lamp on his shoulder had been snuffed out. Worse, this ghost was now coveting the Life Lamp atop his head.
[Warning!] [Player He Yupu is under attack by a ghost. Mental value has dropped to 66.7%. Spirit Vision has been activated. Please close your eyes and quickly move away from the current location!] [Newbie Tip: If your mental value reaches zero in the dungeon, the player will irreversibly turn into a monster!]
His body temperature continued to plummet. After Spirit Vision was activated, he looked up to see that the room was filled with dense crowds of ghost shadows, standing silently and staring at him. Compared to the one before him, their bodies appeared translucent, with their transparency reaching 60%.
If all three Life Lamps were extinguished and these ghosts gained solid forms, He Yupu would surely die under their fangs.
Looking at the ghost that had so easily snuffed out his Life Lamp, He Yupu suddenly formed a bold hypothesis.
He wiped the blood from his lips, his eye corners red and wet, looking pitiful. “Village Chief, I have finally found you.”
Without warning, he threw himself into the embrace of the ghost shadow before him. His blue cat like eyes were filled with attachment, and he clung tightly to the entity, refusing to let go. “She scared me to death just now. Look, my neck is red from her choking me, and I was almost kicked out of the inn!”
He Yupu lifted his eyes, biting his lip like a child who had been bullied and was seeking comfort from a parent, waiting eagerly for the other party to seek justice for him.
The Village Chief’s lips curled into a cold, eerie arc. Its right hand snuffed out the Life Lamp on He Yupu’s head without hesitation. Instantly, countless eerie screams erupted one after another. Lightning outside the window tore the sky in half, leaving behind jagged remnants of light.
The illusory ghost shadows in the room became one third more solid. He Yupu could clearly see their expressions now, which were vicious and cruel.
The Village Chief looked at this reckless human and sneered, “Do you know how I became the Village Chief? You should put away such low quality tricks.”
Its fingers lightly brushed over He Yupu’s right shoulder, the location of the final Life Lamp.
The light of the Life Lamp flickered, about to go out. The ghost shadows, their faces mangled and bloody, licked their lips in anticipation, ready to pounce.
Under this immense pressure, He Yupu felt no fear. Instead, a smile crept onto his lips, hidden by his long eyelashes as he stared straight at the entity. Had Shen Weiran been there, he would have recognized this as He Yupu’s signature look at the sucker gaze.
He Yupu lowered his eyes, feigning a deceptive grievance and disappointment. “Are you really going to kill me? But I have a way to leave the inn.”
The hand of the Village Chief, about to snuff out the final lamp, paused. Its pure black eyes carefully scrutinized the young man’s micro expressions. Unfortunately for the ghost, He Yupu’s gorgeous face was too deceptive, and his emotional control was flawless. It could discern no change in his expression.
“I left to study when I was very young. After seeing the big world, I did not want to return to this small village, nor did I want to admit I belonged to it.”
He Yupu’s eyes were filled with guilt, his voice raspy. “I truly am a villager, but honestly, I do not even remember what my parents looked like.”
The Village Chief probed, “You did not want to admit it? What, were you ashamed?”
He Yupu nodded honestly.
The Village Chief remained silent, nearly unable to restrain its hand, wanting to crush this honest child instantly. The Village Chief’s face turned ugly, and it ground its teeth. “You are this shallow and greedy for wealth?”
He Yupu looked as if it were a matter of course. “Why else would I look for a patron?”
The Village Chief grew angry. “Then go find your patron! Why come back here?”
“I am just a vain person like that.”
He Yupu offered a self deprecating smile, spreading his hands. “So I got my retribution. My patron did not want me anymore and ran off with someone else. I could not get over it and came crawling back in the middle of the night to commit suicide.”
His tone was frank, yet the hurt in his eyes was nakedly exposed, like a bad child who had committed a grave sin, looking at his own actions with bewilderment.
Seeing him look so pathetic, the Village Chief found its scolding words suppressed in its throat, letting out only a heavy huff. It was still somewhat suspicious and asked again, “Since you have a way to leave, why did you not send yourself away?”
He Yupu put his hands behind his back, looking away guiltily. “He came back to look for me.”
“Who came back to look for you?”
“My patron, Xie Jingyan.”
The Village Chief seemed to guess something, its brow twitching violently. “And?”
“I wanted to hate him, but he came back for me.”
He Yupu lowered his eyes and whispered, “When I saw him, all my anger vanished. I could not bear to let him suffer in this strange inn, so I sent him away first.”
[Huh? Did Xie Jingyan not leave on his own? Did I lose my memory? That cannot be possible.]
[Poor little beauty. His patron dumped him, yet he is still making excuses for him and even risked his life to trick the ghost, all just to leave the inn to see him.]
[Damn, does this scammer have a heart? If I catch him, I will hang myself right in front of him!]
The trap Xie Jingyan had laid to kill him was twisted by He Yupu into capital for survival, ruthlessly drained of all value.
He Yupu remained silent, a flicker of vengeful pleasure crossing his heart. He could not wait to see the look of fury on Xie Jingyan’s face.
The Village Chief’s roar of uncontrollable rage snapped He Yupu back to reality. “So you fucking sent him away?”
It was usually composed, but long years trapped in the inn had worn away its patience; escaping the inn had become its greatest obsession. That this beautiful young man would so calmly and clearly state he had given away his chance to leave for a lover who had abandoned him made it impossible for the Village Chief to stay calm.
He Yupu diligently maintained his lovesick persona. “If one is overly calculative, that is not true love.”