by Feng Yue
First blinding him with Mirror and Light and then Magnet…wait, was this multiple casting? Quickly, Charles felt a strange ripple through his thread. It was the chaos created by two runes forced together.
“Oh, no way, right?” Charles was slightly stunned, thinking, “Where did you learn this? It’s unique to the School of Modifications, created by those lunatics crazy for destruction!”
Ye Qingxuan put his hands together. When he slowly pulled his hands apart, a blinding electric arc shot out. He smiled at Charles from behind the electric light. “Don’t be so impatient…who’s going to crossdress hasn’t been decided yet.”
137 Gentle Moonligh
“Bai Xi, I’ve witnessed many miracles and wonders in my life. I’ve seen saints turn into demons, and I’ve seen demons who received redemption. It’s simple because love and hate all come so suddenly.
“But is there anything that can stop him if neither love nor hate can change him? Is it the starry sky above him? Is it the morality in his heart? Or is it death, which no man can escape?
“I’ve only met one creature like this, and it was enough to me feel that all my efforts were in vain. He was the second person that made me doubt myself. Thankfully, I had prepared myself when I learned who he was.”
Hermes glanced at Bai Xi and sighed. “Haven’t you noticed his queerness? When he was being hunted by the entire city, his lenience was mocked, and his kindness trampled, but he still didn’t change his ideas or give up on his beliefs.
“Even when those pieces of trash wanted revenge, he stayed true to the standards in his heart. He only did to them what they did to him, and nothing more…He never even thought about a much simpler solution—killing them all!”
“That just means he’s a good person!” Bai Xi retorted.
Bai Xi’s response stunned Hermes into silence. He burst into laughter as if he had heard the joke of the century. “A good person? Don’t joke, Bai Xi. He was practically born to be a dark musician! If he’s a good person, why would he learn something like Black Friday? Its intensity is prominent in dark music scores.
“Music scores have souls, Bai Xi. It helps them choose the most suitable master. If it chose Ye Qingxuan, it proves that he has a dark nature that even he can’t perceive! Haven’t you seen it? When he conducts the terrifying music, his movements are like flowing water…it’s practically an art!
“For him, killing someone is easy.” He stared at Bai Xi and uttered, “The reason why he hasn’t killed anyone yet isn’t because of kindness or mercy. He simply…looks down on them. He thinks that they aren’t worthy enough to change himself. When he realized that this world conflicted with his ideals, he didn’t try to change himself. Instead, he wanted to change the world into what he wants…
“He’s that kind of monster!”
Bai Xi fell silent, unable to reply.
In the silence, Hermes picked up his teacup and drank elegantly.
“My apologies for revealing the ugly truth. Pretend that I never said anything and forget about it,” he advised gently. “Go back, study hard, and stop fooling around with him. Stay in your refuge and don’t worry.
“Downtown is an amusement park for these monsters. It’s not a place for you to throw temper tantrums. If you’re not willing to let go, sooner or later, you’ll die because of him. You’ll die in pain…”
“Hermes!” The girl’s voice cut him off. Bai Xi stared at him with pure black eyes. There was thunder and lightning in those eyes, furious and destructive. As if she were giving the last warning, she emphasized each word as she uttered, “You can shut up now.”
“Okay, okay.” Hermes smiled helplessly and raised his hands in surrender.
Bai Xi looked away and continued reading the music score in her hands, returning to normal. It was as if nothing had happened.
—
In the long afternoon, Bai Xi would sometimes look up and ask something, and Hermes would answer in detail. He seemed just like a responsible teacher, explaining the essence of the music scores in layman terms.
Finally, the sun set in the sky. In the fading light, Bai Xi stuffed the music score from Hermes into her bag. Her fingers touched something cold and she hesitated. Looking up, she asked, “You’re a really powerful alchemist, right?”
“Not just powerful.” Hermes pointed at himself. “You should say that no one in the past or future can be better than me.”
Bai Xi put something on the table. “Help me fix this up.”
On the table was an army crossbow with the serial code scraped off. Under the dying sunlight, the dangerous weapon looked calm. Stunned, Hermes looked at Bai Xi. He seemed to understand something in her eyes and he smiled. “Yes, my monster princess.” Picking up the bow, he walked to his workshop.
His eyes softened when Bai Xi could no longer see him. They were full of tolerance, as if watching a stubborn child who wanted to scoop up the moon’s reflection in water. But how long could she play the game with Ye Qingxuan if she did not want to dirty her hands?
—
Charles had ultimately escaped the cross-dressing punishment after crying, throwing a tantrum, and threatening suicide, but Ye Qingxuan now had so much blackmail material in his hands. It would be much easier to communicate with this annoying senior in the future.
Charles had agreed to practice with Ye Qingxuan whenever and wherever the youth wanted. He had also promised to get hit without fighting back so Ye Qingxuan could become more familiar with the music score. With a talented prodigy like Charles to coach him, Ye Qingxuan would be able to make up for his lack of experience quickly. By that time, he would have consumed the rest of the rune stones, and he would be able to enter the Rhythm level within one month, recreating Charles’ terrifying achievement.
Of course, it was nothing to Charles who had told the public it had taken him one month when it was only two days in actually. But it still sounded good! Maybe Ye Qingxuan could get some more money from the *sshole school board too!
Late at night, Charles squatted in the corner of the basement, crying after not being able to fight back. Ye Qingxuan, who had basically grasped Bolero, pushed the door open in high spirits. As he turned back to see Charles, he could not help but hold his belly and laugh. Charles could fall to such a state too!
Humming, Ye happily headed toward his bedroom. There was a pile of rune stones waiting for him there. But when he passed by the living room, he noticed the lonely girl on the sofa.
As if she had finally come back after playing, she had washed up and was now curled on the sofa. She stared at the night sky, deep in thought. In the night, moonlight fell on the steps. It was silver-white, just like the girl’s long hair. But she was not supposed to be so quiet.
Stunned, Ye Qingxuan asked softly, “Bai Xi?”
The girl jolted up. She stared at Ye Qingxuan for a long time and then looked down, seeming unhappy. “Cousin, you haven’t gone to sleep yet?”
“What’s wrong?” Ye Qingxuan reached for her forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
Bai Xi swatted his hand away and rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Then what’s wrong? You’re so serious and quiet, I thought I saw you wrong.”
“I’m thinking,” Bai Xi said grumpily. “Thinking.”
“…” Ye Qingxuan did not know what to say. He did not know what expression to put on his face. He just wanted to say, “Cousin, you just have to play without care. ‘Thinking’ doesn’t suit you.” But he would probably get beaten up if he said that, so he decided against it.
“Ha, what are you thinking about?” Ye Qingxuan tried really hard to act like a good older brother and forced a smile onto his face. “You can tell me and I’ll help you out.”
“…Cousin, your smile is disgusting.” Bai Xi moved back in disgust.
The corners of Ye Qingxuan’s lips quivered. He really did not know what to say.
Bai Xi sat beside him and went blank again, holding her chin silently.
All that could
be heard in the stillness were the chirping of insects. The moon shone through the window, landing on the girl’s hair. One could not tell what was moonlight and what was her hair.
Ye Qingxuan gazed at her in silence for a long time before finally looking away.
“Cousin,” Bai Xi suddenly spoke up.
“Yeah?”
“Being hunted is something that you should get angry at, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So are you angry?”
Ye Qingxuan nodded. “Yes, very angry.”
“But…” Hesitant, Bai Xi murmured, “Why didn’t you kill those people at the cemetery and in Ganlu City?”
“…” Ye Qingxuan was taken aback, confused. “You’re still caught up on that?”
“Yeah, am I not allowed to be?” Bai Xi’s eyes flashed.
“Yes, yes, of course you can!” Ye Qingxuan put his hands together, begging for mercy. “I can’t control what you think about.”
“So why didn’t you kill them?” Bai Xi got up close to him, staring deep into his eyes as if looking for his disguises and lies.
The orbs that were her eyes were so close and so full of pure focus that Ye Qingxuan leaned back subconsciously. He was nervous for some reason.
Bai Xi studied him and murmured, “Do you have some unspeakable difficulties? Childhood trauma? Made some kind of vow? Or under someone else’s influence?”
“…” Unable to reply, Ye Qingxuan could only shake his head. “It’s not that complicated. You’re overthinking.” He reached out to stroke her hair, laughing at her grumpiness. “That’s all you wanted to ask me?”
“Yeah.” Bai Xi looked away. “Since you’re not going to tell me, just pretend I never asked.”
“It’s not unspeakable.” Lying on the sofa, Ye Qingxuan stared up at the moon. His expression softened. “It’s because I promised my mom that I’d be a good person.”
“Oh…” After a long time, Bai Xi nodded as if she understood. She did not quite understand but, for some reason, she suddenly became happy. There was nothing to worry about.
Maybe because it was too tiring to be curled up in a ball, she stretched and sprawled out on the sofa. Her feet rested on the armrest, and her toes curled and opening as if she were playing a game. Her hair fell on Ye Qingxuan’s body, covering him like moonlight.
“Your mom…what was she like?” Bai Xi suddenly asked. She peered at the youth’s silhouette.
After a pause, Ye Qingxuan said quietly, “Kind and gentle, but never had a choice.”
“Oh, just like my mom.” Bai Xi nodded in agreement. “What about your dad?”
“An *sshole.”
After hearing Ye Qingxuan’s straightforward reply, Bai Xi laughed. “Oh, just like my dad.”
“Yeah, we’re all the same. What’s so different about everyone?” Ye Qingxuan murmured as he got up. “Go to sleep. It’s getting late.”
He was walking up the stairs toward his bedroom when Bai Xi’s voice sounded behind him. “Cousin!”
“Yeah?” He looked back.
Bai Xi was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, staring in his direction. She asked seriously, “Take me with you when you go out, alright?”
Ye Qingxuan thought for a moment and smiled. “Okay, I will.”
Satisfied and happy, the girl sprang up from the sofa and ran to her room.
In the silence, Ye Qingxuan gazed at the moon outside the window. The moonlight was gentle.
138 Who is the Monster?
While Charles was still stunned, the currents flew out under the guidance of magnet. Without any deliberate control, they thrashed onto the nearest metal items like long whips. The screws suspended around Charles!
With a crisp sound, the screws in Charles’ control immediately went wild and shot out. It was fortunate that Charles had escaped from the range beforehand and was unharmed, but cold sweat seeped from the back of his neck, rolling down.
An electric current thrashed the place where he had stood like a whip.
“Wait! When did you learn so many instantaneous notes?”
“This morning,” Ye Qingxuan said vaguely. “It doesn’t matter that you can read anyway. I’m faster!”
“There’s no skill in this at all.”
“I don’t need any skills. I just need to win!”
A flame then swept from Charles’s side and dissipated after crashing into the barrier formed by Air. The corners of Charles’s lips twitched, and his body became blurry. Rune Blur.
Next, a frost ray brushed past him. As he stumbled back, Ye Qingxuan approached step by step. In this perilous situation, Charles’s expression finally became slightly serious. Even if he had expected this, Charles still could not help but get cold sweat. Facing such an endless fighting style, he could give Ye Qingxuan the chance to turn the tide if he remained on the defense.
Charles deciphered the youth’s attack and dodged back. He left a string of Shackle runes at his feet to create a trap.
Ye Qingxuan stopped on the edge of the trap. Charles smacked his lips. Fighting with such a fast learner was really annoying, but he could still win with his years of experience!
But the next second, his expression changed. “The same thing again?”
“It works!” Behind the trap, the youth threw a ball of light. The mirror matrix followed and expanded, and a sharp light flashed, blinding Charles.
He subconsciously closed his eyes. Focused entirely on reading Ye Qingxuan’s aether, he grinned. “Sure enough,” he thought. “You can’t keep it up. You’re still just a rookie…”
Amid the fighting, Ye Qingxuan’s movement slowed for an instant, and his aether began to dissipate. Taking advantage of this, Charles charged rather than retreating. He could not see, but he pressed a note directly onto the youth’s chest.
In an instant, Air and Flow collided, setting off a terrifying wave! Boom!
Wait, it did not feel right. He opened his dazed eyes and saw Ye Qingxuan flying upside down. In mid-air, Ye Qingxuan’s body cracked onto mirror shards.
It was an illusion created by the rune Mirror. When the illusion was gone, Ye Qingxuan was revealed. He stared at Charles’s startled look and smiled. “Hey!”
He had fallen into the trap…The corners of Charles’s mouth twitched. His vision swam and the shadow of a fist zoomed…
Boom! Charles fell down, his vision went black.
—
When he woke up, it was evening. There was beef stewing in the pot, emanating the scent of meat. He heard the sound of his belly rumbling. He was hungry.
He climbed up from the couch with difficulty and rubbed his sore cheek. “Wow, I thought we were brothers. Why did you have to be so cruel? You lured me over there so you could punch me? Where’s your dignity as a musician?”
Ye Qingxuan rolled his eyes. “I knew that your sense and control were all better than mine, and clearly you knew my strategies… Why would I stupidly fight you with runes? Am I a retard?”
“Your ability can only be improved when you are exposed to the fight itself!”
“Well, I would rather not improve in this way.” Ye Qingxuan put a bowl of beef stew in front of him and said with concern, “Come on! Eat while it’s still hot.”
Charles was suddenly moved. “Rare to see that you also care about me.”
“No, I just don’t want to waste time.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and raised a pink dress. “After all, you still have a little skirt to wear when you finish this…”
-
Half a day before, it was just an average afternoon. Tick tocks sounded in the clock shop as always. It was peaceful and quiet of course—it was yet another day without much business.
But the boss was not impatient at all. He drank his afternoon tea at ease. Sometimes he would raise his head and say something to the little girl who was reading behind the counter. Most of the content was nothing important, like how the ice cream vendor did not sell today or that the old man deserved to not make any money and so on.
Watching him leave, Hermes shook his head and smacked his lips. “Shaman that old man, seems like he’s really going to do it. I’ve underestimated him. Is he really not afraid that the Royals will be provoked and force him out again? Or is he really certain they’re too caught up on the curse to care about him?
“But his declaration of war has already made those dogs desperate. I’m afraid they’ve come to the point that they’ll get outside help. At this point they’ll probably accept any help, even the power of Satan.”
“You are so noisy!” The girl behind the counter looked up emotionlessly. “I’m reading.”
“…Haven’t seen you in a few days and you’ve become one of those musicians who love learning? I’m so happy to be your teacher!” Hermes pretended to be moved, and waved his hand. “You must cherish life, study hard. Don’t be like your monster cousin.”
“What?”
“Ha, just a slip of the tongue. Don’t mind me,” Hermes shrugged.
“Either finish your words,” Bai Xi frowned, “Or just don’t say anything at all.”
Hermes sighed and raised his hand in defeat. “Bai Xi, have you ever thought that you don’t truly understand your cousin?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what I said.” Hermes shrugged. “You have the same white hair, the same age, the same language, and even the same smile, but have you ever felt in any moment that you don’t actually know him?”
“No.”
“No as in you don’t feel that way, didn’t realize it, or have never thought about it?” Hermes raised his eyebrows. “You should know better than anyone else that this guy isn’t normal.”
Bai Xi was silent. The clock shop resumed its stillness.
-
In the faint tick tocks, Hermes gazed down at the cup in his hand. In the afternoon sun, dark red tea rippled in the exquisite porcelain tea cup, shining like blood. It was supposed to be such a delicate and beautiful afternoon tea, but it somehow made one think of gloomy things. Perhaps the gloominess came from its owner, the seemingly smiling youth.
