Cataclysm Chapter 126: Extras·Ghost Marriage 06

Chapter 126: Extras·Ghost Marriage 06

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The dark clouds parted, and the cold, pale full moon cast its light on the earth, as though draping it in a layer of silver frost, making the entire school feel unnervingly cold. The sound of heavy breathing echoed in her ears, but she couldn’t tell what made it. Perhaps it was her own breath, but whose was the other one? She had no idea.

She could only run forward because something was closely following her. She could hear its breathing right behind her. From her chest to her throat and nose, it felt like fire was scorching her, causing immense pain and difficulty in breathing. She knew it was the result of intense physical exertion, but she couldn’t stop. If she did, she would end up like the others, dragged away and killed.

She pushed open the warehouse door where the sports equipment was stored and slammed it shut, locking it and bracing her back against the door. The thing outside slammed against it, making the door tremble violently. The girl moved some of the heavier sports equipment to block the door. Through the window, she saw the thing outside: a mass of flesh twisted into a grotesque shape.

Fear gripped her, and she deeply regretted her decision. She shouldn’t have agreed to her classmates’ suggestion to explore the school at midnight, especially when students had been going missing recently. Why had her curiosity been so strong?

She crouched on the floor, hugging her knees and covering her ears, eyes squeezed shut, unwilling to hear or see anything, praying for dawn to come. She didn’t hear the sound of a grotesque ghost outside, its face full of twisted flesh, becoming incredibly angry when it saw something in the warehouse. She also didn’t see the huge head that appeared above her, its tongue hanging down, saliva dripping from the red tongue onto the ground with a ‘drip, drip’ sound. The long hair of the head fell to the ground and quietly crawled toward the girl.

During the day, the girl had never had the patience to listen to the school’s eerie legends. The legends warned about not entering the girls’ bathroom on the second floor, not staring at the clock in classroom 3, not looking into the mirror by the school’s entrance, and… absolutely never going into the warehouse where the sports equipment was stored!

The girl let out a sobbing cry, and the ghost outside slammed against the door with even more force. Its mouth had been robbed of its food, and it was furious. But it was too late. The foul-smelling saliva dripped onto the girl’s arm. She felt something strange as the saliva continued to drip onto her. Curious, she leaned in to smell it, only to gag from the disgusting stench. When she looked up, she saw the head of a female corpse floating above her, grinning, its bright red tongue hanging in front of her to lick her face.

The nauseating stench wrapped around her sense of smell, making her roll her eyes in disgust. Even worse, fat white worms were wriggling out of the corpse’s eye and nose sockets, falling onto the girl’s hair and face.

“Ahhhh!!” The girl screamed wildly, pushing the sports equipment away from the door to try to escape, but the head of the female corpse’s long hair wrapped around her neck and violently yanked her into the air. Her tongue hung out, her eyes rolled back as she struggled painfully.

At some point, the ghost outside that had also been coveting the girl disappeared, but neither the girl nor the ghost in the warehouse had any attention for it. Just as the female corpse’s head was about to snap the girl’s neck, a loud shout came from outside, “Come with the wind, gather the true qi. No evil shall stand, those who offend will perish. By the decree of the Emperor of the Northern Yin, Fengdu!”

The warehouse door burst open, and visible dust shot out. Among the dust, a talisman flew through the air and pierced the head of the female corpse with the Fengdu ghost-slaying curse. In an instant, white smoke billowed, and the head screamed in pain as it released the girl and quickly retreated, attempting to escape.

“Think you can run? Not so easy!” Chen Yang rushed in, grabbed the female corpse’s long hair, and threw her to the ground with immense strength, creating a deep dent. After the corpse’s head had no strength to resist, he kicked it upright and placed a copper coin on its forehead. With a red string, he tied ten knots around its fingers, chanting, “You died from emotional harm and suicide, but you never reported to the underworld. You’ve killed three people in this warehouse. Now, even if you want to be reborn, you must first go to hell to atone for your sins!”

Upon hearing this, the female corpse’s head, knowing Chen Yang’s purpose and fearing the underworld, screamed and begged for mercy, “I was wrong, please spare me!”

Evil spirits and vengeful ghosts who had caused death could never be trusted, and this was not only what Grandpa Wu had taught him but also what Du Shuo had instructed him. Chen Yang remained unmoved and directly called upon the ghost officials of Fengdu, “…All officials, drive them away. I hold the righteous decree… to expel them. By the decree of the Emperor of the Northern Yin, Fengdu!”

The sound of iron chains and the footsteps of the ghost officials were like a mountain pressing down on the evil spirit, making it tremble in fear, unable to even struggle as it was dragged away. The ghost official also greeted Chen Yang, and according to custom, Chen Yang burned a few ingots of gold for him. The ghost official declined a couple of times before happily accepting them and also flattering his wife, “You caught four evil spirits this month, and according to custom, we’ve already recorded it. We will definitely not forget to reward you.”

Chen Yang waved his hand and smiled, “Just record it under brother Du Shuo’s name.”

“Alright, no problem.” As a couple, it didn’t matter whose name was recorded. The ghost official understood.

After exchanging pleasantries, the ghost official left since he still had to capture wandering souls and wild ghosts. Chen Yang stretched his arms and legs, cracking his joints. Tonight, he had resolved the terrifying rumors about a middle school in the area, so his work for the month was complete. He turned to look at the girl lying on the ground, unsure if she had fainted from being choked or from fear. He walked over and used a calming spell to wake her up.

An Mi slowly regained consciousness, suddenly recalling the female corpse’s head she had seen and screamed. Chen Yang shrugged his shoulders to block one ear and snapped his fingers in front of her, saying, “Quiet.”

An Mi stared blankly at him. Chen Yang said, “It’s alright now, you should head home quickly.” After speaking, he got up, wrapped the red string and copper coins back around his left hand, and began walking home. If he didn’t return soon, Du Shuo would come looking for him. They had set a time, and if he wasn’t home by 2 a.m., Du Shuo would appear in front of him.

The warehouse door was wide open, cold moonlight poured in, and the February wind howled, creating a terrifying sound. An Mi, who had already broken into a cold sweat from fear, trembled as she followed behind Chen Yang, running up to him and asking, “Are you… the top student of the third year at XX High School, Chen Yang?”

Chen Yang nodded, “Do you know me?”

“I knew you. I went to this school too, senior year. But I was in the regular class. My name is An Mi,” An Mi said, laughing awkwardly. She suddenly thought of her other classmates, and her expression changed instantly. “My other classmates are still at school. What should we do?”

Chen Yang replied, “I’ll have them wait for you at the school gate. You can go home together. Don’t randomly come to places like this again. You could run into unreasonable evil spirits who would kill you right away. You won’t always be lucky enough to have someone rescue you.”

An Mi, feeling embarrassed, twirled her hair and said, “I know I was wrong. I won’t dare again. But… are you a Tianshi? Like the ones on TV and in movies? I didn’t know they were real.” Her eyes were full of admiration. Not only was Chen Yang a top student, but he was also a ghost hunter and exorcist. That was some impressive stuff.

Chen Yang smiled and glanced at An Mi’s flushed cheeks and shy expression, immediately raising an alert in his mind. He planned to casually mention that he already had a partner to turn down An Mi if she confessed. He had used this tactic to reject several girls before, and it worked well. Back in his second year of high school, he had made a bond with Du Shuo, and with Du Shuo’s personal guidance, his Taoist skills improved significantly.

From being a target of ghosts and monsters to escaping their clutches, Chen Yang had transformed into a hunter. He became a renowned and feared Tianshi. With no more ghost disturbances, his academic performance soared, and he quickly rose from the bottom of his class to the top ten, eventually securing the first position and the chance to be accepted into B University in the capital. On top of that, Chen Yang was quite handsome, making him the object of admiration for many girls at school.

An Mi stared at Chen Yang’s handsome profile, her heart racing with nervous excitement, her fists clenched as she tried to encourage herself. Just as Chen Yang opened his mouth to speak, “Actually, I—” An Mi suddenly interrupted him, throwing herself at him and cupping her fists in front of her chest. “Master, please take me as your disciple!”

“…”

Chen Yang kept a straight face. “I have things to do. I’m leaving now, goodbye,” he said, and with a swift movement, he was gone in the blink of an eye. An Mi, watching the distance between them grow, felt a pang of regret but comforted herself with the thought that they were at the same school, so there was still a chance. A cold wind whistled, and An Mi shivered before running quickly toward the school gate.

Chen Yang crept into the house, and as soon as he took a few steps, the lights in the living room flickered on. He looked at Du Shuo, who was sitting in the living room, immediately standing up straight and walking over. “Still waiting for me?”

Du Shuo glanced at the time. “One minute left.” It was almost two a.m., and just as he was about to leave, Chen Yang returned. “You’re a bit late today. With your skills, it shouldn’t have taken this long. Did something happen along the way?”

Chen Yang’s eyes gleamed as he nodded. “I went to that haunted school and found some students sneaking in for an adventure, but they got entangled with a ghost. It took a bit of time to save them, but there were no major issues.” He tugged at Du Shuo’s sleeve and gently shook it. “Are you angry?”

Du Shuo glanced at him, then couldn’t help but pinch the back of his neck and replied, “No.” He wasn’t the type to get upset over such small things. “Go take a shower and get some rest. Isn’t school starting tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Chen Yang nodded. Since school was starting the next day and it was the second semester of senior year, he had to prepare for the college entrance exams. That meant he couldn’t go out hunting ghosts or exorcising spirits at night anymore, nor could he accumulate merit for Du Shuo. “Are you hungry? I’ll make some late-night snacks after my shower.”

“No need. I have a question for you. Why did you let the ghost register my name for the evil spirits?” Du Shuo asked.

Chen Yang leaned closer to Du Shuo, obediently extending his neck for him to pinch. He narrowed his eyes, seemingly enjoying the sensation. Without caring, he replied, “I was accumulating merit for you. Aren’t you a little ghost servant? If you want to be promoted or become a ghost immortal, you need merit. In the past two years, you’ve been either handling duties in the underworld or staying by my side, teaching me, and you haven’t had time to accumulate merit for yourself. So, I did it for you.”

Du Shuo’s heart, which had been calm for thousands of years, suddenly skipped a few beats, and the erratic feeling made him freeze. His hand, which had been pinching the back of Chen Yang’s neck, instinctively withdrew, and the uneasy sensation in his chest didn’t feel too good.

As the Emperor of Fengdu, Du Shuo didn’t need this feeling of losing control, and he didn’t like it. So, he stepped back, distancing himself from Chen Yang and putting his hands behind his back as he said, “Go take a shower.”

Chen Yang didn’t notice Du Shuo’s discomfort and turned to walk upstairs while asking, “I’ll make the bed for you. It’s getting cold, so we need to add an extra blanket. Your hands were really cold when I touched them earlier.”

Chen Yang still slept in his own room upstairs, while Du Shuo had been sleeping in Chen Yang’s parents’ bedroom for the past two years. At first, Du Shuo rarely stayed over, but in the second year, the number of nights he stayed increased, and recently, he stayed every night. For Chen Yang, it was naturally welcome because, without Du Shuo, he would be alone in the whole building, and the cold and loneliness weren’t easy to handle.

Du Shuo’s fingers curled slightly, and he hadn’t realized his body temperature was lower than most people’s. He lowered his gaze, rejecting Chen Yang’s offer to make the bed. “Don’t make the bed anymore.”

Chen Yang turned around on the stairs. “Why?”

Du Shuo replied, “It’s not appropriate.”

“How could that be?” Chen Yang widened his eyes slightly. “I used to make the bed for my grandpa, Grandpa Wu, and my parents. In the winter, when I made their beds, they’d be warmer, and it felt more comfortable to sleep in.”

Du Shuo stared at Chen Yang expressionlessly, his eyes narrowing slightly. His tone turned dangerous. “You made my bed because you’re filial?”

Chen Yang blinked, then turned and headed upstairs. “I’m going to take a shower.” He heard Du Shuo’s cold snort behind him and quickened his pace toward his room, feeling inexplicably guilty. It wasn’t really his fault, though. Over the past two years, Du Shuo had been teaching him Taoist arts and had even started managing some of his irregular habits, gradually making Chen Yang rely on him more. He began to see Du Shuo as an older brother, or even a father figure.

Furthermore, some of Du Shuo’s habits reminded him of the elders in his village. For example, he loved drinking tea, he had a fondness for alcohol, and he liked to stand with his hands behind his back. He couldn’t stand seeing Chen Yang sit or stand improperly, so he forbade him from eating snacks, especially candy. More importantly, ever since Grandpa Wu passed away, he had been visiting him in his dreams, worrying and urging him to be as filial to Du Shuo as he was to his own parents.

For about three months, he kept reminding him of this, gradually erasing the sadness Chen Yang had felt over Grandpa Wu’s passing. In the end, when he finally bid farewell to Grandpa Wu, he had no expression left and could no longer cry.

After Chen Yang finished his shower and put on his pajamas, he came out and dried his hair. He quietly opened the door and found the living room downstairs had already been darkened. Du Shuo’s door was firmly shut, so Chen Yang sneaked downstairs, retrieved the whole jar of candy hidden in the cupboard, and stashed it in his own room.

Just as he was closing the door, Du Shuo’s door opened. He walked out, glancing at Chen Yang’s room with a cold smile. He hung upside down from the ceiling and peered through the window to watch. He saw Chen Yang struggling with the candy jar for a while before finally hiding it away and going to bed. Satisfied, Du Shuo returned to his room.

Once Du Shuo was gone, Chen Yang immediately jumped out of bed, pulled out the candy jar, and turned on a small desk lamp, grinning slyly. While reviewing his textbooks, he unwrapped the candies and quickly finished the entire jar. Afterward, he brushed his teeth and returned to bed, still wearing a sweet smile.

A month later, Chen Yang, with a toothache so bad it had made half of his face numb, tearfully grabbed Du Shuo’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go. “It hurts.”

Du Shuo, frustrated, said, “Be good. We’re going to the dentist now.” He pried open Chen Yang’s mouth to take a look. Luckily, only two teeth were rotten, one of which had decayed all the way to the nerve, causing the pain to spread through half his face. The other just needed a filling. He was still young; his teeth hadn’t all rotted yet.

Chen Yang clung tightly to Du Shuo, his eyes red, sniffling. “Okay.”

 

 

 

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