A Good-for-Nothing

186. The Spectral Market (2)

Translator: Dragon Rider

That was a gigantic, spooky, black figure. It didn’t have a human trunk. On its neck was that little boy’s head, which had been scorched by lightning. Its face was a horrifying sight: the flesh was blackened and burnt and farthest removed from the fair-skinned face it used to be; its lips had been split in the middle, looking like a cross-shaped saber wound, curled up to reveal a row of sharp, drooling fangs.

Also, emanating from its throat was Li Zong’s voice. “Don’t be afraid, He Zheng. I’ve come to help you.”

The other hand of the black figure was gripping a leash the other end of which was attached to the burnt black dead body of a dog. It was a blood-curdling sight.

He Zheng almost vomited with disgust.

“What are you standing there for, He Zheng! Run!” Qiu Luo swung his sword at the monster’s approaching head once again.

It was after hearing these words that He Zheng reacted, immediately taking to his heels and yelling, “Come to the temple! They don’t dare approach that temple!”

Qiu Luo successfully injured the clumsy monster with that sword strike. Wounded, it flied into a rage, growl issuing from its throat. At this time, as if that sword strike of Qiu Luo’s had flipped some kind of switch, those shadow-like pedestrians roaming on the street seemed to be activated. While rushing, He Zheng noticed that some of the pedestrians slowly swiveled their heads to look in this direction. He inwardly muttered “Damn it!” and then spurted madly towards the temple.

“Run! All these monsters are going wild!” shouted He Zheng at Qiu Luo.

Qiu Luo also came to realize that the situation was dire. Without a second thought, he quickly gave another sword strike to slow down the monster and then tore off following in He Zheng’s wake.

Those shadow-like people were gaining ground on them at an alarmingly fast speed. Originally they’d been ten paces away, but the next second, they were within an inch of catching up with He Zheng and Qiu Luo.

Qiu Luo, while dealing with those shadow-like people, tried to protect He Zheng. The temple was so near, but they were having great difficulty getting closer. The roar of the giant monster with the little boy’s head was approaching. He Zheng, his insides going cold, was about to fall down to the ground at the front doors of the temple when suddenly a muffled moan came from behind him.

He Zheng inwardly shouted “Crap!”, wheeled around and saw that Qiu Luo’s chest was penetrated by a dark black, intangible, spectral claw, an anguished look on his face. The monster pulled it out of Qiu Luo’s chest and uttered “Eek?”, clenching and unclenching his claw.

“Qiu Luo!” He Zheng cried out. Eyes popping, he abruptly grabbed Qiu Luo’s wrist and gave him a sharp pull. When he thought about it afterwards, he had no idea how he managed to summon up that much strength, but at that moment, he instantly drew Qiu Luo over and then gave him a push which sent him staggering forward through the well-worn front doors before toppling over with a pained groan.

He Zheng saw him enter the temple, but before he could feel a sense of relief, the huge monster had arrived and its shadow started snaking its way up his hands and shanks. Having no time to worry about the pain it might cause, he quickly bit through the tip of his right forefinger and was just about to begin drawing a Fu in the air when the shadow twisted itself around his hands and legs. The little boy’s head collapsed into giggles, its voice as innocent as it had been, reaching out the claw covered with Qiu Luo’s blood at He Zheng.

He Zheng started struggling madly. “Let go of me, you freak!”

The little boy’s head was still giggling as the bloody, spectral claw closing in on He Zheng’s face.

“You’re a terrible person, Big Brother. How could you do this to my favorite body? Now you’ll have to give me your own body in compensation.”

“Stop using Li Zong’s voice. It’s disgusting, you monster!”

He Zheng tried hard to stay collected. He was suspended in mid-air with his limbs gripped by the monster, the spectral claw bearing down on him. Though He Zheng had a ferocious look on his face, his insides felt as though they were turning into ice. Was he going to meet his end here? he wondered.

He Zheng could smell the repulsive, funky odor from the bloody claw now, the little boy’s head laughing harder.

“I’m going to gouge your eyes out first, because you’re so bad.”

The claw was getting closer and closer and Qiu Luo’s blood on it dripped into He Zheng’s eyes. He Zheng, whose eyeballs were suddenly veiled by blood, instinctively closed his eyes.

The giggle from the boy’s head was getting increasingly louder.

Right at the moment when He Zheng began to feel pain in the eyes, a golden light abruptly burst forth from the middle of his forehead and suddenly, his limbs, which felt as though they were about to be ripped off from his trunk under the strain, were freed from the monster’s grip and with that he bodily fell and landed heavily on the ground. Crying out in pain, the monster kept backing off. He Zheng ran his fingers across his burning forehead, scrambled to his feet and sprinted towards the front doors of the temple.

He Zheng twisted his head back and saw that the boy’s head, which was the only human part the monster had, ignited spontaneously like a Fu and with that the monster fell to the ground and started writhing in agony, but He Zheng had no room in his head to give it any more thought, for those shadow-like figures on the street were still making up ground on him, their faces deadly pale, their mouths split in the middle just like the boy’s, revealing their fangs from which saliva was dribbling.

These ghosts were, without doubt, fierce, bloodthirsty and ruthless.

When a ghost floated in front of him, He Zheng finally made it into the temple.

As expected, those ghosts indeed were very afraid of the temple, and none of them dared approach.

Qiu Luo let out a groan and leaned against a wall of the temple, sliding to the ground, holding his chest which had been penetrated by a claw, his hand buried in blood and the mangled flesh at the wound.

He Zheng came back to his senses from the horror and ran up to Qiu Luo. His eyes burned slightly as they fell on Qiu Luo’s bleeding chest and a droplet of red liquid rolled down his cheek from a corner of his eye. “You’re going to be fine, Qiu Luo.”

The night outside was going darker, as if the sky had been covered by ink and there would never be another dawn.