You know, I really don"t like posting the chapters in parts… ¬､¬ Therefore, full chapters will be posted starting the next one. And don"t worry, the next update will be RoM.

Chapter 2 – Devouring Shadow

Yingyao is roughly translated as shadow demon. Yaoguai are monsters/devils/demons/goblins, also more popularly known as yokai. Yes, those are the demons in Residence of Monsters. I chose to use yaoguai this time because it has a more diverse meaning in this series.

Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.
Author: Four Feet (四隻腳).
Translated by: Yujuan.

I stopped, taking deep breaths, and turned my head everywhere in search of that voice.

Nothing existed in the darkness.

"Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo…"

That voice kept on calling out to me.

I didn"t know if it was a figment of my imagination caused by my own nervousness, or there was really someone calling out to me in the darkness, but, I recognized this voice…

"Ah Ying? Ah Ying? Is that you?"

I trembled slightly as I questioned, but the voice did not reply.

Gradually, a bright face made of dense mist emerged before me.

It was the face of a young woman, a tear-shaped birthmark on the corner of her right eye.

The woman looked at me with a face full of smiles, floating in midair.

"Ah Ying… Ah Ying…"

The instant I looked at that face, tears streamed down my face.

"I"m sorry… Ah Ying… I"m sorry…"

I muttered as I slowly walked forwards, unable to keep myself from reaching out a hand at her face. Right before my fingers touched, someone suddenly pulled my arm, abruptly pulling me back.

Hoooonkk—

Following a violent trumpet-like sound, a bus seemed to fly close and across my body.

A cool breeze swept into my face, cries of alarm from the surrounding sounding out, and for some reason, the limitless darkness instantaneously vanished, and the world before me regained radiance.

I became clear-headed, and realized that I was actually standing in the middle of the road!

If that person hadn"t pulled me back, I would already have been sent flying by that bus by now.

Cold sweat on my back, I turned, not quite recovering from the shock. That person who had stopped me wasn"t just anyone, it was kun! 

"Xiao Mo, are you alright?"

kun gazed at me, his handsome features containing a gentle and faint smile.

His smile was very comforting, almost as if it had a sort of mystical healing effect.

I swallowed some saliva, nodding stiffly.

kun pulled me up, bring me to a much-secluded corner. He suddenly said, "How about you let me help you?"

"What?"

kun smiled subtly, "Xiao Mo, there"s something sticking to you, right?"

I widened my eyes, asking hurriedly, "Y-you know what that is?"

kun laughed indifferently, turning to move under a bright streetlight, then beckoned towards me, "Come over here."

Although I had no idea what he was doing, I obediently walked over, standing below the streetlight.

The light reflected my shadow from above my head to my feet, the shadow as black as lacquer.

"Stand there, don"t move for now."

As kun said this, he brought out a red string from somewhere.

He placed the string on the ground, circling it around me, then said, "Alright, come out."

I carefully stepped out the circle made of red string, and when I turned, I realized in shock that although I was out of the circle, my shadow had remained in its place!

No, that was probably not my shadow, i-it was that thing!

That thing that had swallowed me up earlier!

I stepped back with some lingering fear, staring at that black ma.s.s anxiously.

That black shadow kept on rolling around in the red circle, b.u.mping all sides, as if it urgently wanted to escape the circle, but could not break through.

kun squatted, pulling one end of the string and gradually gathering the circle.

As the surface area of the circle grew smaller, the scope of where the black shadow could move became lesser, until at last, it was completely fixed in the red circle, unable to move.

kun pointed towards the black shadow, saying, "Use your blood to write your name on it."

"Hah? Use my blood to write my name?"

I glanced blankly at him, not understanding his meaning.

kun did not reply, and after two seconds I obeyed, biting my finger and writing my name on that black shadow.

"Alright. From now on, you are its master. Without your command, it cannot move freely." kun stood, clapping his hands, "Of course, he will not dare to tease you anymore."

"Tease me?" I stared.

kun smiled, "That"s right, it loves mischief."

Hearing this, the corner of my mouth couldn"t help but twitch.

If my understanding was correct, what he meant was… swallowing me up in one bite, and causing me to almost be hit by a bus, was all a prank?

Black lines fell down my face, and thinking about it, I couldn"t help but ask, "What exactly is this thing?"

kun smiled slightly, "Now that you are its master, you can now command it to come out and let you see its true appearance."

"Uh, will it be… scary?"

I looked at that black ma.s.s, my mind surfacing with the image of a three-headed six-armed ferocious beast, pausing for a few seconds. I said with fear and trepidation, "C-come out."

With those words, that black ma.s.s did not make a move.

I looked at kun, puzzled.

kun laughed lightly, "It doesn"t dare come out. It"s scared that you will hit it because it teased you before this."

I felt that this was quite amusing, and sighed, "Alright, I swear I won"t hit you, now come out."

The black shadow circled by string moved a little, then a little, and slowly rose up, almost like a swelling balloon. It swelled and swelled, becoming rounder, and finally bounced out of the red circle.

I couldn"t see what exactly that was and just felt a black shadow jumping out head-on at me, giving me a shock. I cried out, falling onto the ground. As I lowered my head to look down closely, there was now an addition of a fluffy, black basketball-sized furball.

"W-what is this! Don"t come over! Don"t come over!"

I pushed the black furball away, and who knew that not even after one second, it bounced back to me, jumping onto my shoulder, turning its body, and revealing round yo-yo-like eyes beneath the black fur. Almost face-to-face, it blinked at me.

"Uwah! A ghost!"

I climbed up at threw myself at kun for protection.

smiled, patting my shoulder, "It"s alright, it won"t bite you!"

"That thing bites?"

I glared at that black fur ball in incomparable alarm.

kun nodded, "Yes, it has teeth. It will bite, but it will not bite its master."

The black fur ball bounced a few times, its mouth splitting open, revealing a set of tiny sharp teeth.

"f.u.c.k! What exactly is that?"

"Yingyao."

Calmly saying these two words, kun smiled as he looked at me.

I stuttered, "Y-Yingyao? You"re saying… this thing is a…  Y-yaoguai?"

"Yes, a yaoguai."

kun"s tone of voice was wholly unfazed.

I couldn"t keep my calm, opening and closing my mouth disbelievingly, saying blankly, "There are actually, actually… yaoguai existing in this world? You must be joking!"

kun shook his head, saying indifferently, "Most of the time, what humans do not see does not mean it does not exist."

These words were pretty thought-provoking.

I looked at that black fur ball with some amazement, then looked at kun.

kun"s lips curled up, but he did not speak.

Alright then. No matter what, as long as it did not hurt me, anything was fine.

I sighed deeply.

-  - 

More about Ah Ying next~