It was another long night sheltered by the hazy moonlight.
September has come to an end. Everything cooled down so quickly that no one was prepared. The streets were also deserted. In this remote alley, no one wanted to stay for one more moment at night like this.
This is a cheap inn. The site is not big, but it covers three floors. From a distance, it looks precarious. The rooms on the top floor even have air leakage and are the cheapest. This is an inconspicuous place, where an extraordinary guest stays.
There is no wind tonight and the air is still cold. He sat alone by the window, and the small room was illuminated by candles. The sharp blade was held in his hand and had just been carefully wiped. He raised the horizontal knife, and the dark blade reflected a lifeless face.
The fire trembled slightly for a moment, but no wind came.
He tilted the knife out of the window and let the candle shine on it to examine the scratches carefully.
"That's my teacup," he said without looking back.
The monster sitting by the bed at some point held up the cup on the bed table and was stunned for a moment. Then he smiled.
"You should kill him."
He knew that he was talking about the man who came to intervene.
"There's no need," he said quietly. "It costs a knife and there's no reward."
"One fly attracts swarms of flies."
"I do not care."
"That's right...you are an expert when it comes to protecting yourself wisely. But for one thing, the quality of this tea and the location of this shop are not very suitable for your status, right?"
"I don't like publicity." He put the knife into its sheath, and the blade was tightly sealed. "I don't like staying here and get out as soon as possible."
"Oh, Mr. Tang is so ruthless. It's too cold outside."
"It's quite pretending."
"It's really shameless." Mr. Xueyue put down the tea cup, "Don't forget who rewarded you with the money you recently received. If I hadn't stopped her, I'm afraid that woman would have died under Sister Yun's piano."
Tang He turned his face slightly in his direction.
"That woman is admittedly not very powerful, but looking at her attire, she is from Xueyan Valley. When I fought with her, I felt that her martial arts and swordsmanship should not be underestimated. With those two cripples trying to kill her, she might not be good enough. Whoever takes action at that time will still not be able to turn to Zuo Zhenmen."
Lord Kutsutsuki lazily propped himself up beside the bed, resting one hand on the small wooden table and lifting up the other party's tail with the other. The latter just frowned slightly to show his displeasure, thinking that if he said something annoying again, he would immediately chop off his hand.
"You know what? You are very powerful, but you are a little bit disliked by others."
"There are so many places where I'm not welcome, and it's not your turn to point fingers."
"You are too arrogant, Tang He."
The figure beside the bed flickered and disappeared in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the monster suddenly sat next to the big table, resting his face on one hand. He took a breath and continued:
"You have the capital - but you can't underestimate others too much. Defeating ten enemies with one force is indeed your style. But only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle."
"speak English."
"You let monsters speak human language?" He said happily, "But... those sisters are not easy to deal with. Most people have three souls and seven souls in one body. But the two of them are like each other's ears and voices, Like limbs, like a soul supporting two bodies at the same time. One person can't help it no matter what."
"I alone am enough."
"Yes, you have always been 'alone'."
He knew what Lord Xueyue meant, and his brows furrowed even more. Tang He realized that he could not speak too harshly about the six-path impermanence in front of him that he did not understand - and also the monster that he did not understand. Lord Kutsutsuki was right, he did need his help. Because he knows what he wants and how to do it.
It was a bargain he couldn't refuse.
Naturally, the bargaining chip is the transaction, and the transaction has a price. As for what Lord Kuoyue wanted from him or what he was doing, this cunning monster really didn't mention a word. Tang He was not stupid, but he was very aware of the danger of this situation. Not mentioning a cost never means mutual benefit - there is no such thing as a win-win, just like there is no free lunch or pie in the sky. Everything, everything, is secretly marked with a price, and you can only see it if you are smart enough.
He knew that he was not smart enough in front of Hongxuan Changye, after all, the other party was so good at cheating. Therefore, either the price is something that he cannot afford for the time being, but Lord Xueyue is willing to put in a long-term effort to catch the big fish; or it is something that he is unwilling to pay, but Lord Xueyue insists on, and he knows that he will not let go.
Indeed, another possibility cannot be ruled out - he may not have thought about what he wanted to ask for from himself. The mind of monsters has always been elusive, especially the damn foresight of Six Paths Impermanence, which makes it even more difficult to grasp. In a short period of time, he had clearly realized that even if Lord Kuchuetsu was just looking for fun with him, it was not impossible.
There are many people who kill for fun, not to mention monsters.
But Tang He knew very well that he was not one of them.
Everything he did, anything he took, and anyone he killed, he had a reason for. Reasons are different from excuses. Excuses are used to deal with other people, while reasons can convince oneself. Whether it is about purpose or utilitarianism, he admits that at least every reason he has is legitimate - or thinks he is legitimate.
For this purpose, he visited the famous Bai Skeleton Lord a few years ago. But he didn't get the answer. It would be better to say that the answer was not what he wanted. However, he seemed to have seen him in Wule City... It doesn't matter. He always forgets unimportant things quickly.
"If you have nothing to do, just go." He said calmly, "This bed can't accommodate two people."
"Nothing serious, but...have you ever heard of Wangui Zhi?"
"I heard that Liangyue-kun's belongings were lost." He responded simply.
"Huh? Why aren't you moved at all?"
"What does it have to do with me?"
"It has nothing to do with you... but it does have something to do with me and the good sister you miss so much."
Tang He was stunned for a moment, and then quickly came back to his senses. He looked at Lord Xueyue with doubts in his eyes.
"Don't dare to tell me any nonsense just to fool me. What Wangui Zhi remembers is your monster's things, and Tang Yu..."
Halfway through his words, he swallowed it back. He seemed to vaguely understand something.
"That's not true. The fate of the Six Paths of Impermanence is tightly held in the hands of that adult... There is no name in the book of life and death. Naturally, there will be no memory of me in the book of ghosts. What's more, it is just an evening book. It's just what Wen Xiang wrote, and he and I are colleagues, so he can't do anything to me. However, he wrote me in, but it can't change anything. He just made it clear that I am a monster. Ridiculous, right? Limitation. The strokes are clear and fast. Anyway, the so-called non-my race..."
"To the end with Tang Yu——"
"Why are you so anxious? This is not what you want to say. Your puppy must have been written on it... Just look at how its memory is described, and you will know that your sister... Although if you take this as your goal, you will become a lot of people. A human opponent still needs to kill a lot of people who get in the way.”
He had to admit that he was tempted. As for killing people, he didn't care how many. Tang He looked at Lord Xueyue. The smile in his eyes did not diminish. The golden three-sun moon became more and more eye-catching, making people dizzy.
"Actually, you want this thing, right?"
"Well... I didn't want it at first. When another colleague and friend of mine told me that Wan Guizhi was stolen, I had no idea, just like you. But I have changed my mind now."
Tang He didn't care what happened to Lord Xueyue, but he did want to know the reason. Knowing the reason, he can judge the sincerity of Lord Kutsutsuki and the potential to frame him. So he didn't interrupt him and waited quietly for him to continue.
Lord Xueyue, however, kept silent.
"It's nothing special, don't expect so much." He smiled, "I can't tell you enough... I need an agent. This is what you are worried about and the price for me to help you. How about it, it's a good deal, right?"
"acting?"
"After all, it belongs to Liangyue-kun. If it appeared in my hands, even that adult would find it inappropriate."
"The demon Yama is really tolerant of you."
"That's nature. Where there is light, there is shadow. Where there is good, there is naturally evil. And there are some evils that the Lord of Naraku cannot do. At this time, I have to do it for you."
Tang He could easily understand the meaning of his words. The so-called agent of Lord Kutsutsuki is nothing more than a puppet. He is not a person who wants to be manipulated by others. He only likes to get money to do things. It was obvious that Kuchuzuki-kun would not pay him. After his goal is achieved, he will definitely come up with new ways to limit and control himself. This isn't what he likes either.
But Tang He would not give up this opportunity. So after the thing is done, getting rid of this monster requires an appropriate time.
"So what if Wan Gui Zhi is in your hands or mine? Without the judge's pen and Liang Yue-kun's bloody ink, the words on it cannot be changed."
"You're an assassin, don't you know how to get it?"
"..."
"Tsk, think about it carefully."
The candle swayed again, this time with a breeze. It's too fragile, like a slim hope. Even so, it is still burning hard, providing a ray of light in the suffocating night.
The other street separated from this place is more prosperous, as if a wall separates the two worlds. There were two bored people sitting on the eaves of this store. Sometimes they looked at the hazy moonlight, sometimes at the starry street scene.
Suddenly, Yue'e stretched out her hand and pointed at the somewhat dilapidated, three-story post station in the distance. The entire area was dark, with only a faint warm light coming from the windowed room at the top.
"There."
"What?" Cheng You looked over.
"There's a very warm feeling there."
"Really."
