Chapter 24: Devil

As he was sitting comfortably inside his room, Feng Yu Lan heard m.u.f.fled noises coming from the doorway. Suddenly, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine; he sensed something was amiss.

The grimoire in his hand trembled violently and, without warning, a few words materialized:

【Escape now! There’s a strong killing intent nearby!】

Although Feng Yu Lan had always thought this magic tome was stupid, he had to admit that it was his weapon, his partner; no matter when or where, Feng Yu Lan had to trust it! Therefore, at the sight of these sentences, he promptly hopped out of his hospital bed. The wound at his waist hadn’t fully healed, and there was still a dull ache, yet he had no choice but to endure it.

With the grimoire in hand, Feng Yu Lan darted to the washroom inside his private ward and locked the door. Just when he slammed the door shut, he heard a slight creak from outside. It seemed that someone had opened the door to the room, very slowly and carefully. Feng Yu Lan didn’t dare peek. He barricaded the bathroom door and clung to the magic tome, shivering uncontrollably. With a hushed whisper, he asked the grimoire for advice on how to deal with this matter.

【You have to get away from here, escape far away as possible! Climb out the window!】

Feng Yu Lan glanced at the window inside the lavatory. His room was on the fourth floor. It wasn’t a good idea to jump out of the window from the fourth floor; however, he had no other options. If he didn’t do it, Feng Yu Lan was sure that he’d be crushed to bones by the uninvited guest outside!

“I’m so f.u.c.king unlucky! I’m practically being chased everyday by someone who wants to kill me!” Feng Yu Lan grumbled indignantly. But he didn’t dare delay. He hoisted himself up using his hands and feet and climbed out of the window. Feng Yu Lan looked down and immediately became dizzy from seeing the scene at this height. The grimoire changed again, this time giving him new lines:

【Now, I’ll teach you your first incantation. It’s a spell that can make your body float, but this spell can only last up to three minutes because your powers are weak. Remain vigilant at all costs; do not let your guard down. 】

Reciting the floating spell was very brief. Feng Yu Lan read the incantation from the grimoire out loud. The words were a bit difficult and awkward to p.r.o.nounce, and Feng Yu Lan didn’t know what these words meant, but once he finished reading them, something miraculous occurred. It was as if he were lighter than ten catties1, as if the earth’s gravity no longer applied to him. To put it simply, he was unbelievably light; so light that even the slightest breeze could lift him into the air.

Feng Yu Lan was shocked by the magical effects of the spell. He immediately jumped out of the window and leapt onto the water pipe on the edge of the wall. He’d never felt so agile before; he systematically began to climb down the water pipe. He had just reached the third floor when he heard the door to the bathroom open. The footsteps didn’t pause and the sound gradually approached the window.

【Hurry up! He’s here!】

This time, the grimoire didn’t wait for Feng Yu Lan; it suddenly flew away to his side. The pages of the book rapidly turned over, and several large characters flashed before Feng Yu Lan’s eyes. Feng Yu Lan was in a haste; he anxiously climbed down as fast as he could. Just at that moment, a person poked their head out of the window above and looked down. Feng Yu Lan inadvertently glanced back up and caught sight of the other, and with just one glimpse, his face paled in sheer terror.

From what he could see, the person’s entire body was clothed in black, a black jacket paired up with a black shirt. Based on the other’s stature, the person was undoubtedly a man; however, he had inky black hair that reached his shoulders and that was slightly tousled by the wind’s breeze. Feng Yu Lan wasn’t able to see the other’s face clearly due to the ferocious-looking demon mask he wore. In fact, Feng Yu Lan was so startled by the masked face that he nearly released his grip on the pipe.

The pages of the grimoire continued to flip rapidly. This time, however, the magic tome flew directly in front of Feng Yu Lan’s face. Several lines of bold cursive obstructed his view:

【What are you gawking at! Hurry up and go! You want to be stabbed with a knife again?!】

Feng Yu Lan returned to his senses and proceeded to climb down the pipe in a hurry. But the masked man’s following actions soon made Feng Yu Lan’s jaw drop. He saw the man climb out the window of the fourth floor of the building just as he did, but afterwards the other jumped straight down from there!

Mommy! Feng Yu Lan was so frightened that he cried out loud. The masked man instantly dropped to the same level as Feng Yu Lan. He shot out his arm and clutched Feng Yu Lan’s clothes, dragging him down! Feng Yu Lan’s mind blanked from the weightlessness of the fall. It was only a matter of seconds. He felt himself approaching the ground, getting closer and closer. He suddenly thought of Luo Jian, how Luo Jian fell from the mast. Perhaps this was what he was feeling back then… But how could this be? At that time, Luo Jian left the scene unscathed.

He and the masked man plummeted to the earth; however, this man exhibited a strength far greater than ordinary humans. He rolled on the ground once, reducing the impact of his fall, and then he stood up, spread his arms wide, and caught Feng Yu Lan! Feng Yu Lan didn’t feel any pain from falling down, but he still didn’t realize it at the moment. Time froze for him; he simply stared at the masked man, utterly dumbfounded.

Ah! So this was the reason! Feng Yu Lan registered. No wonder Luo Jian was unharmed after falling from such a great height; it turned out that whatever happened back then was exactly the same as now!

But the masked man wasn’t the Stalker, and Feng Yu Lan wasn’t Luo Jian.

Feng Yu Lan heard the masked man let out a weird chuckle from under his disguise. The sound was eerie, hair-raising. Such creepy laughter coupled with that monstrous demon mask was beyond chilling; Feng Yu Lan didn’t dare look at him! This scene practically made it seem as if he had returned to that dark, gloomy, desolate ghost ship!

Feng Yu Lan immediately began to struggle. He twisted in the masked man’s arms, hopped out, managing to free himself, and staggered backwards, trying to escape. However, in the very next second, the man kicked him to the ground. The man wore a pair of seemingly expensive, black designer sports shoes. He viciously stepped on Feng Yu Lan’s back; sadly, it was no coincidence that he stepped near the wound on Feng Yu Lan’s waist.

Feng Yu Lan abruptly shrieked in agony! “f.u.c.king h.e.l.l! This s.h.i.t hurts! The wound’s going to open up! Ahhhhh! It f.u.c.king hurts!”

In that instant, Feng Yu Lan suddenly recalled the murderer who had stabbed him with a knife back then, but he didn’t know whether the masked man in front of him was the same person. When he was stabbed on the street, Feng Yu Lan’s back was facing the killer, so he wasn’t able to catch the other person’s appearance. Not to mention, he ended up falling unconscious from that sharp, excruciating pain at his waist.

Nevertheless, Feng Yu Lan had still managed to hear the killer’s laugh right before he succ.u.mbed to the darkness. Piercing, delirious, arrogant, a mix of many things. He could clearly distinguish the malice, the animus, the insanity, contained within the voice.

The masked man soon drew out his knives. Feng Yu Lan discovered that this man carried two weapons on him, a long sword and a short knife. Feng Yu Lan studied the two knives and identified that the longer one was a tang dao, while the shorter one was a surgeon’s knife.

Similarly to Luo Jian, this man was skilled in using knives; but different knives induced unique attacks. Longer knives were used to slash, to cut down another without restraint, to pressure another with one’s powerful momentum. However, shorter knives were like vipers, silently lurking in the dark, quietly waiting for the opportune moment to strike their prey dead, treacherous and unrivaled.

The male before him was undoubtedly going to use the longer knife. He took out his tang dao, faced Feng Yu Lan, and cut down. Feng Yu Lan didn’t have Luo Jian’s agility; he was only able to dodge that first blow before all of his strength left his body. He could only watch on distraught as that long, sharp dagger drew nearer. Feng Yu Lan was terrified…but, interestingly enough, he soon grew tranquil.

Since his mind was now calmer and clearer, he naturally thought of the brief, difficult-to-p.r.o.nounce floating spell and whether he could employ it once again. Feng Yu Lan mouthed the words then spoke aloud. His body turned light in an instant, and he evaded the masked man’s second attack.

However, the spell didn’t last long. Feng Yu Lan was eventually forced to a dead end. They jumped down from the fourth floor of the building and ended up in a deserted alley behind the hospital. This narrow area place was completely abandoned; there was not a soul in sight, and every spot was littered with heaps of trash.

He couldn’t call on anyone for help at this place. This was the end of the line for Feng Yu Lan. His grimoire hovered beside him; the pages continued to flutter wildly, but Feng Yu Lan had no energy to read the words that were written down. He felt that the masked man was merely amusing himself, that he wasn’t actually in a hurry to kill him. Instead, he toyed with him like how a cat would a mouse, entrapping its prey slowly, ever so carefully driving the small animal to hopelessness. At long last, Feng Yu Lan helplessly slouched against the wall behind him, finally giving up this futile resistance.

“Are you going to kill me?” Though the answer was quite obvious, Feng Yu Lan couldn’t reconcile himself to his loss. This was truly the worst. In the end, he wasn’t going to die in the chambers; rather, he was going to die in the real world… But perhaps that was a good thing. Luo Jian would be better off without him; at least he would no longer be a burden if he was gone.

Deep sorrow filled Feng Yu Lan’s heart as he thought of Luo Jian. My dear brother, it seems I have to go now; remember to say sorry to our parents in my stead.

Feng Yu Lan wasn’t someone who feared death. He may appear timid at times, but he knew it, and Luo Jian also knew it; in reality, Feng Yu Lan’s courage was far greater than Luo Jian’s. He was extremely optimistic, he was brazen; no desperate situation could force him into the pits of despair. If he were born with a healthy body like Luo Jian, he’d be able to accomplish anything that Luo Jian could.

But G.o.d was fair. Feng Yu Lan’s health was very poor. From the moment he came out of his mother’s womb, he was never as lively as other children. When he was younger, he was born with countless serious illnesses and nearly died several times. As he grew older, his condition slightly improved; however, it was still much worse than the average adult male. Every day, Feng Yu Lan detested his own weaknesses; he loathed the fact that he practically resembled a girl.

It was all because of his frailty that he would always stick to Luo Jian, experiencing things together, encountering anything together. And even though Luo Jian was more of a coward than he was, Luo Jian always had to be the one to stand up for him, he always had to be the one to protect him!

“f.u.c.k this s.h.i.t!” Consumed by self-loathing, Feng Yu Lan abruptly s.n.a.t.c.hed his grimoire, which was suspended in the air beside him, and softly hissed, “I want to live. Tell me everything you can. Tell me all of the spells that will let me survive!”

【Even if you pay a heavy price for it?】

“It doesn’t matter even if I go to h.e.l.l and become a devil!”

He yearned strength, his ardent need for strength was unquenchable! To surpa.s.s all, to conquer over everything, to forever be powerful, to absolutely never be trampled under the feet of the strong! For this reason, he would sacrifice all that he possessed; it didn’t matter whether he burned in the depths of h.e.l.l for all eternity or if he turned into the devil, he would not hesitate!

【Then become a devil.】

A series of long incantations appeared on the pages of the grimoire. Feng Yu Lan glanced at it once then looked up at the masked man in front of him. The man c.o.c.ked his head to one side and slowly dragged the tang dao on the ground, issuing a harsh, grating noise. By now, he seemed to have lost interest in toying with his pitiful prey. His murderous intent grew increasingly threatening as he gradually strode towards Feng Yu Lan, his footsteps became even more oppressive by the second. Feng Yu Lan didn’t stop chanting under his breath; he didn’t stop uttering those long, complicated syllables. A pale hue colored his youthful face; his voice grew indistinct as those strange and intricate spells spilled from his parted lips. It was like the aria of an evil creature, like an eerie melody that scorned the world’s virtues and vices.

【May G.o.d forgive you for my sins.】

Feng Yu Lan bowed his head and silently recited the incantation, unaware that this one phrase had emerged from the pages of the grimoire.