Companions
That figure full of cowardice and gloom knelt in the snowy ground, his eyes full of hollowness and despair.
Bang——!!
A gunshot rang out,
A bullet pierced through the wind and snow, striking directly into the center of Jian Changsheng's brow!
A wisp of cinnabar-like fresh blood drifted out, silently blending into the snowy ground beneath him. Jian Changsheng fell backwards face up, collapsing in the wind and snow with hollow eyes, unmoving.
Opposite him, a figure draped in a vermilion Theatrical Robe, with a section of ruptured intestines hanging from his waist, staggered to his feet...
His gaze slowly swept over Jian Changsheng on the ground, ultimately fixing on the only one still standing, Sun Bumian, and spoke hoarsely:
"Come on... Didn't you want to kill me? I said, if you want to completely kill me, it takes two shots!!"
Before he could open his mouth to say anything, a black palm stretched out from behind him like a ghost. After lightly patting the crown of his head, a smear of white light flashed, and Sun Bumian pitched forward and collapsed to the ground.
"... Dawdling and hesitating, truly troublesome." Mo Lian seemed to feel extremely displeased with the interference from Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian.
What he wanted was only to liberate the Calamity of Mockery within Chen Ling's body. Whatever happened to the other few guys didn't matter.
"Who are you?"
Chen Ling stood weakly in place. Excessive blood loss and hollowness made his vision turn black, and even his thoughts were incomparably heavy... He looked at the figure slowly walking over in front of him and asked hoarsely.
"Me?" The corners of Mo Lian's mouth slightly turned up,
"I am the person who came to control you."
Mo Lian knew that Chen Ling's spirit had already been tortured to its limits, and this was exactly the best opportunity to steal his "reason". His black leather gloves were gently raised...
In the next moment, a smear of faint light flickered. Chen Ling's figure vanished out of thin air without a trace, leaving only a small snowman silently falling from the sky.
Mo Lian was taken aback. He turned his head to look, only to see that Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian from just now had also turned into two snowmen respectively...
And Jiang Xiaohua, who had fallen in the snowy ground at the very beginning, had disappeared without a trace.
What background did this Jiang Xiaohua have, to surprisingly be able to silently escape right under the nose of a Thief Saint, and even take Chen Ling's trio away?
Mo Lian's face instantly turned ashen.
"A curse substitute huh... Do you think you can shake me off like this?"
Mo Lian snorted coldly. With a sway of his figure, he vanished from his original spot.
...
Not far away.
Three mud-like figures fell out of thin air into the accumulated snow.
White hair danced silently in the wind and snow. A deep knife wound still remained on Jiang Xiaohua's chest, and scarlet fresh blood flowed down along the wound... But even though that knife struck a vital point, he still hadn't died.
"A curse to restore memory... I only know one kind."
As Jiang Xiaohua murmured softly, he took a strand of hair from each of the three people's heads. After knotting and tying them together, his fingertips rapidly wove them into a connected ring from end to end.
Among the three lying on the ground, only Chen Ling still maintained a sliver of consciousness. He blearily opened his eyes and asked hoarsely:
"Who... are you?"
Even though he had already met Jiang Xiaohua twice just now, at this moment it was still as unfamiliar as the beginning.
Jiang Xiaohua patiently answered while weaving the ring:
"My name is Jiang Xiaohua."
"Even the Divine Pathways have forsaken me... Why, are you saving me again?"
"Because you said, you would take me out." Jiang Xiaohua paused, and this time, he added in a small voice, "And you said... we are companions."
"Companions?" Chen Ling tried hard to recall something, ultimately shaking his head bitterly,
"I don't remember..."
Chen Ling felt his eyelids were very heavy. Perhaps his injuries were too severe, or perhaps he had lost too much blood. At this moment, his inner heart was like a bottomless hollow. As he continuously forgot, unprecedented emptiness surged over like a tide.
Just as Chen Ling was about to completely close his eyes, Jiang Xiaohua earnestly responded:
"It's okay, even if all of you forget... I will remember."
Chen Ling blearily closed his eyes.
Jiang Xiaohua placed this ring in the center of the three. After chanting a few incantations, an Aura of the Path of the Witch God spread in the air...
"Curse."
Jiang Xiaohua pointed a finger in mid-air at that ring.
In the next moment, the Auras of Chen Ling's trio surprisingly became like that hair ring, connected to each other, their souls and bodies silently circulating. That hair ring also vanished without a trace along with it...
After doing all this, Jiang Xiaohua's expression was incomparably exhausted. His eyelids drooped, and his pale lips didn't have a trace of blood color.
Just as he was about to get up, a ghost-like figure had already appeared behind him at some point in time;
The black Cane twisted and turned into a Long Sword. With a casual swing in mid-air, a cold light flashed, and Jiang Xiaohua's figure suddenly stiffened in place...
An extremely thin blood line split his whole person in two from the center.
Warm fresh blood splattered like a fountain onto Chen Ling's trio.
...
Crackle crackle——
The noisy sound of firecrackers echoed on the street. Amidst the Deafening Celebration, Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes.
At some point in time, he found himself situated in an incomparably bustling street. Countless figures shuttled and crowded beside him, men and women, old and young, beaming with smiles. The cheerful chatter and laughter coming from all directions, and the lively noises like the New Year in the distance, plunged him into deep blankness...
"Where... is this?"
Chen Ling's consciousness was somewhat chaotic. This feeling was like... like dreaming, dreaming a dream halfway between wakefulness and chaos.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, Happy New Year. Brother Wang, a new year brings a new atmosphere!"
"Hahahahaha, oh right, our family still has a lot of New Year's goods, bring the child to grab a handful!"
"No need, no need, this child doesn't eat them."
"It's fine, there's plenty, grab a handful to go. When the child goes to school next year, let them get some auspicious air!"
"Then we won't hold back! Nuannuan, hurry and thank Uncle."
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"..."
The liveliness and noise of the New Year flowed past Chen Ling's side, yet he seemed like an outsider, completely out of tune with everything.
Just as Chen Ling was confused, a burst of cheers and applause came from ahead. In the next moment, an Awakened Lion nimbly leaped onto the high poles, blinking its eyes and spitting its tongue, looking incredibly lifelike!
The laughter of children and the applause of adults rolled over like a tide. That Awakened Lion tossed and turned, jumping and moving, harvesting who knows how many cheers, then leaped in front of several children in one bound. Its hands popped out from under the Fabric, gently rubbing...
Two bright red Candied Haws appeared as if by Stagecraft, and were handed to the nearest two children.
The sound of gongs and drums grew even louder. That Awakened Lion shook its head and tail, returning to the poles. With a spit of its long tongue, two Red Paper scrolls rolled open on the left and right like couplets, with four large characters written on each:
"Good Fortune and Auspiciousness, Peace Year After Year."
Chen Ling looking at these eight large characters, always felt they were somewhat familiar. He stood alone amidst the festive liveliness, falling into deep thought.