Translator: CinderTL
"Hmm?" Wu's gaze paused, as if he had noticed something strange. He had clearly sensed the presence of the Gate on the other person, but why had it disappeared?
"Creak..."
A sharp, grating sound echoed in his ears. He frowned slightly as the painting on the easel beside him began to bulge outward, revealing a grotesque ghostly face.
The canvas was torn open, revealing a bloody gash. An arm reached out from the frame, and soon, a blood-soaked female ghost crawled out.
Her eyes were crimson, and she was gasping for breath, her body covered in bloody wounds. It seemed she had fought her way here, the large blade in her hand still dripping with blood.
"Bastard!" Weng Qing, who no longer looked human, hunched over like a zombie, her blood-red eyes fixed on Wu. "I'll make you pay for Banana Wolf's life!"
In the next moment, the large blade came slashing down behind Wu.
Perhaps it was Weng Qing's courage, or perhaps he hadn't expected a ghost to break through such a barrier, but Wu instinctively tried to pull back his hand.
But he suddenly realized that his hand was being sucked in by a strange force.
Not only could he not pull it out, but it was also being dragged into the other's body.
The seemingly fierce slash landed behind Wu, the man in black, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea—completely ineffective.
No matter how strong her resolve, it couldn't bridge the gap in power.
Weng Qing, her eyes red, looked at the blade in her hand, and then, with a roar, she lunged forward. Even if she had to use her teeth, she would bite this creator of all urban legends to death.
The sharp blade cut through her body, and before she could even touch the hem of his clothes, she was flung heavily against the wall.
She collapsed at Jiang Cheng's feet, her breath faint.
What truly caught Wu's attention was the man before him, the man named Hao Shuai. His powerful presence gave Wu a completely new sensation.
He was curious, but not afraid.
At least for now, the other party was far from being a threat to him, though dealing with him would be a bit troublesome.
"It seems... I'll have to cut you open to find that Gate," Wu said, gripping the hilt of the blade with one hand and slowly twisting it. Blood flowed from the wound.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. The physical pain was nothing compared to the torment in his mind.
Fragments of memories pieced together and rearranged, their sharp edges tearing him apart.
"Buzz..."
A buzzing sound rang out, and Wu's movements paused. A soft hand suddenly rested on his shoulder. "Stop this," Lin Chen appeared beside him.
Lin Chen was wearing a simple dress, her pale face already streaked with tears. "Stop this," she cried out, "You weren't like this in the beginning, were you?"
Wu's gaze focused on Jiang Cheng's pocket.
The pocket was torn open.
The painting hidden inside the pocket.
It was gone.
It was that woman who had suddenly appeared!
She had taken advantage of the moment of attack to rush to Jiang Cheng's side, steal the painting, and then awaken Lin Chen, who had been in the bedroom.
"I'm sorry," Lin Chen slowly embraced Wu's stiff body from behind. The warmth of her touch spread through him like water.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have depicted your image in my despair. I was too selfish. The despair I couldn't bear shouldn't have been passed on to you."
"Let go." Lin Chen, awakened by the painting, had a glimmer of light in his eyes. "Don't continue down this wrong path."
A massive painting unfolded behind him, and one after another, figures emerged from it. The despair in their eyes gradually washed away, becoming clear and pure.
"Heh." Wu retracted his gaze and looked towards Jiang Cheng across from him. "Come out, I know it's you!"
A phantom-like figure stepped out from behind Jiang Cheng, or more precisely, from the shadow behind him, and with a backhand motion, pulled out the knife that had been plunged into his chest.
The figure was dressed in a white trench coat, forming a stark contrast with Wu, who was clad in black. It was like light and darkness, two different extremes.
As the man raised his head, his face was revealed to be identical to Wu's.
Yet, their auras were completely different. The one in black had sharp features and an air of menace, while the one in white exuded a gentle and amiable demeanor.
It was Wu's benevolent side.
"You've done well enough," the man who looked exactly like Wu said. As he withdrew the knife, Jiang Cheng staggered but ultimately managed to stand firm.
He felt as though half of his blood was burning, while the other half was frozen, with icicles forming in his veins.
Just moments ago, it seemed he had touched a memory lock in his mind, and the fleeting information violently impacted his thoughts.
So much so that what was happening before him felt hazy.
In his confusion, Jiang Cheng felt a sharp pain in his palm as the knife's blade sliced through it, followed by a cold sensation.
"This Gate should be left to you," the benevolent Wu said, taking Jiang Cheng's hand. In the next second, the two of them appeared behind the bronze Gate, pressing the blood-stained hand against it.
In an instant, immense pain coursed through Jiang Cheng's body, and countless blood threads from behind the Gate tightly wrapped around his hand.
Dark red inscriptions began to appear on the Gate, like the most ancient and obscure language.
"Is this what you call letting go?" The black-clad Wu turned his face to look at Lin Chen behind him, two lines of bloody tears streaming from his eyes.
"For the so-called good in your heart, you would watch me die?" The black-clad Wu laughed, pulling the corners of his mouth. "Watch as my Gate is slowly taken away?"
Lin Chen's body trembled.
"Sister, you can forgive those who hurt you, but you would kill me? Kill the one who would do anything to protect you?" The bloody tears fell into his mouth as Wu looked at this weak woman behind him.
"Where was he when I protected you, when I killed those who hurt you?" Wu extended his hand, pointing at the identical version of himself.
He couldn't understand why the other could live in sunlight and warmth from the very beginning.
What was even harder for him to accept was that the other could have their sister's love all to himself.
Is this fair? "Why?" Wu roared in agony. "Just because he spouts benevolence and morality? Just because he only offers a few meaningless words of comfort after you've been hurt?"
"Sister, only I can protect you!"
"Whoever bullies you, I will kill them, turn them into Urban Legends, make them live in eternal fear, and atone for their actions!"
"As long as... as long as we have enough Urban Legends, sister, no one will ever bully you again! As long as I am alive, no one can harm you!"
Streaks of red curses began to surface on his body, only to snap abruptly. The restraints that had been suppressing him started to melt away like ice and snow.
The walls of the room began to crack with massive fissures, and the sky outside started to take on an eerie and bizarre appearance.
The world behind the Gate, under the influence of Wu in black, began to lose its stability, even teetering on the brink of collapse.
The long-suppressed despair finally erupted.
"You hypocritical bastard," Wu slowly rose to his feet, staring at the man who looked exactly like him, as the shadow behind him began to twist and distort.
In the sky outside, a blood-red crescent moon began to rise.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c572. [+4]
🔔Early Access at $1.
✔Translated (5) Series, (2.8K+) Chapters, (3.9M+) Words.