Crashing into Daylight
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Flame in Water
Xu Yinian stood still and unmoving.
It was only after Yu Huai had walked past him and was far away that he realized he’d
clenched his fingers into a fist and marred his palm with red marks.
When Yu Huai had passed him, his behavior was nothing out of the ordinary. It was as
though he’d passed by a stranger. On the other hand, his female companion was unabashedly
curious, purposely turning her head to look at him several more times.
After a long while, Xu Yinian let out a breath.
With great difficulty, he finally managed to stop his imagination from going wild when the
female demon slayer responsible for on-site coordination hurriedly walked towards him.
“Xu Yinian?” The female demon slayer had only just found out that he was the Young
Master Xu of the rumors and could not help but give him a second look. “Go to Box A18 on the
second floor. The VIP in that box wants to see you.”
Xu Yinian’s heart skipped a beat. “Who wants to see me?”
To be able to occupy a box on the second floor, that person had to be wealthy and
respectable, but none of the people Xu Yinian was familiar with that satisfied this criteria were
attending the auction.
“You’ve already guessed it, right? His status among the demon species is extraordinary,
we can’t reject him.” The female demon slayer couldn’t hold back and urged in a whisper, “If
anything happens, shout for someone. There are demon slayers patrolling the corridor.
Moreover, considering it’s broad daylight right now, not even he can do anything untoward
here.”
Xu Yinian hesitated slightly, then nodded.
“Hold on.” The previously silent Chen Ran suddenly asked, “Even if he yells for help, do
those patrolling even dare to break in?”
The female demon slayer laughed awkwardly.
“Don’t go.” After finishing his sentence, Chen Ran turned to the female demon slayer.
“Just say that you couldn’t find him, that if there’s anything to discuss, we’ll have to trouble Yu
Huai to contact him privately.”
8 包厢: A kind of private room for guests.
“This…” The female demon slayer appeared hesitant.
“No need.” Xu Yinian took a step forward. “Let’s go.”
Chen Ran tsked. “I’ve never seen someone like you, so eager to serve your head on a
platter.”
Xu Yinian answered carelessly. “I’ll let you broaden your horizons today.”
Chen Ran felt that his good intentions had been as good as fed to a dog. He laughed
coldly, “Since you don’t know what’s good for you, then go ahead and see yourself to your death
then.”
Xu Yinian turned a deaf ear to his mockery and ridicule, walking with a swagger as he
caught up to the female demon slayer. The latter was afraid he would back out, her high heels
click-clacking as she headed into the auction hall.
Draped over the booth that sat in the center of the hall was a scarlet velvet curtain. Tall,
pure white pillars stood on either side of the booth, and beneath the stage sat a full house of
guests. Two male attendants pushed a Japanese woodblock painting9 up onto the stage. With a
graceful demeanor, the female auctioneer merrily introduced the piece. “Up next in the auction
is this piece titled, ‘Sparrow Beneath The Lamp’. The scene the artist is illustrating is one of a
noble lady from ancient times giving birth. A sparrow demon hides by the beams of the room,
eyeing its prey covetously, watching and waiting for the opportune moment to devour the
newborn…”
Xu Yinian was unable to pay attention to the introduction of the priceless painting. He
was not actually as calm as he appeared to be. In reality, he was disconcerted, his demeanor
dazed and distracted.
Why was Yu Huai looking for him?
Earlier on, Yu Huai had not done anything unusual in front of so many people. Had it
finally come the time for him to settle the score in private?
He hadn’t imagined that after all of the messy things that had happened, Yu Huai was
still as composed and considerate, not forgetting to spare him some face even in such a
situation. Once he thought about this, bitterness welled up within Xu Yinian’s heart, and along
with that exasperation came a feeling of anticipation he should not possess.
9 浮世绘: Ukiyo-e, literally translates to ‘Pictures of the Floating World’. It is a style of Japanese woodblock
print and painting from the Edo period depicting famous theater actors, beautiful courtesans, city life,
travel in romantic landscapes, and erotic scenes. Source.
If Yu Huai wanted to get even then he could get even...
At the most, he would let Yu Huai take his anger out on him.
While that was his decision, when the female demon slayer that had led the way left, Xu
Yinian stood alone and hovered outside the box for quite some time.
He took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.
“Come in.” The voice that had answered did not belong to Yu Huai but to an unfamiliar
female.
Xu Yinian pushed the door and entered.
Unexpectedly, the person greeting him was that beautiful-looking female companion
from earlier. She did not sit in the seat opposite Yu Huai but had instead respectfully remained
standing.
“Hello, Young Master Xu.” Nan Zhi greeted him with a smile.
There was a flameless diffuser in the box and from that drifted the faint scent of
sandalwood. The space inside was larger than Xu Yinian had expected; there was an armchair
on both sides of the long table where a porcelain tea set rested, and on the empty seat was a
stack of cushions that was clearly soft and comfortable.
After he’d come in, Nan Zhi took her leave, closing the door behind her, leaving him
alone with Yu Huai in the room.
Curtains hung from the box on the second floor, not obstructing the VIPs from the view
of the auction taking place on the first floor. Conversely, those on the floor below were unable to
see what was happening within the boxes above. Yu Huai sat by the window, his line of sight
unmoving. From start to finish, he didn't turn his head at all. Xu Yinian couldn't help but draw his
gaze towards his side profile.
The eye and hair color of demons were typically bright colors; while Yu Huai’s hair color
was an uncommon deep ebony, his eye color betrayed his demon heritage.
It was a dark purple, like an elusive gemstone.
A memorable color like this further intensified how deep-set his eyes were. Xu Yinian
was untimely reminded of that joking title of number one face in the Demon Realm; looking at it
objectively, Yu Huai's appearance was indeed worthy of claiming such a title.
As compared to five years ago, he seemed to have grown taller some.
His disposition had also changed. Five years ago, Yu Huai had just graduated from
Maple Bridge Academy not long ago, and he had still carried a youthful air about him. Today,
even if he were to be sitting idly, he would give others a sense of oppression that could simply
not be neglected.
While he waited for Yu Huai to speak, Xu Yinian secretly observed him.
After waiting for a long time, Yu Huai still did not say a word, as though he had forgotten
that there was someone else in the room. The waiting game made Xu Yinian increasingly
uncomfortable; he chose the lesser evil, toughening his skin to take the initiative to ask, “Why
are you looking for me?”
Yu Huai finally turned back.
All of the light in the room had gathered to crash into that pair of unusual eyes. Xu
Yinian’s breathing paused for an instant, and it was in precisely this void that he heard the
explanation being given by the female auctioneer downstairs.
“... This item was produced in Cangzhou10. As they say, ‘To the south of Cangzhou, a
flame burns in water.’ There is a demon race native to this place that specializes in setting fires.
After they die, their flesh and blood will burn out on their own, leaving behind only the bone.
Their bone is the ultimate fuel; after being set on fire, it will continue to burn, never to
extinguish.” The screen behind the female auctioneer flashed an image of the item being
auctioned. “This is part of a rib belonging to a Flame in Water. It has been sealed in this glass
ball filled with water for twenty years. As you can see, it still continues to burn in the water.”
Xu Yinian’s expression was blank.
“To the south of Cangzhou, a flame burns in water.” The teacher standing at the podium
had utilized a proverb. His explanation managed to deconstruct the profound phrase into simple
terms, and when matched with the glistening treasure in the instructional video, the interest of
the students was unwittingly peaked.
Xu Yinian was in the midst of fixedly watching this sight when a figure leaned close to his
ear out of the blue, whispering, “Do you like this one?”
Xu Yinian immediately turned his head around.
He sat in the last row of the classroom, in a seat close to the back door. Yu Huai had
waltzed over to his side at an unknown time and was currently lightly pulling out the chair to sit
down.
10 沧州 is a city in Hebei province, China. I’m unclear if the author meant to refer to the actual city but it’s
an interesting fact all the same!
Xu Yinian lowered his voice despite the happy surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be out
on an assignment right now?”
“It ended earlier than expected. I’m just in time to accompany you for class.” Yu Huai
asked again. “Do you like the Flame in Water?”
Xu Yinian answered with an affirmative.
Because of Yu Huai’s appearance, he was in a good mood, with traces of happiness
lighting up his eyes.
Watching him, Yu Huai felt an itch in his heart. He mentally calculated his remuneration
from his latest assignment, then rubbed Xu Yinian’s head, “I’ll buy it for you after a while.”
But that promise was never fulfilled in the end.
Not long after, Yu Huai’s mother died tragically and the Ghost11 race had been
completely annihilated. The only one to survive was Yu Huai. He went on a massacre, escaping
to the Demon Burial Grounds after the Demon Slayer Bureau had put out a wanted notice for
him and declared him a fugitive. At this time, the relationship between humans and demons had
reached freezing point.
As the demons had mentioned, Xu Yinian had disregarded their engagement and broken
up with Yu Huai after the incident. To have pulled away when the other party was experiencing
the most difficult time… in any case, Xu Yinian was the one who had done wrong by him.
Xu Yinian listened as the bid price for the Flame in Water continued to rise, unable to
decipher the feelings that were growing inside him.
He struggled to suppress his emotions, but his voice was still a little hoarse, “You came
to look for me… Did something happen?”
“What I owed to you back then, I’ll repay it back today.” Compared to Xu Yinian who was
faking his composure, Yu Huai’s tone could be considered rather calm. As he spoke, he pressed
down on the bell on the table to increase his offer.
Xu Yinian felt like he had been stabbed by him, his heart throbbing.
The female auctioneer paused for a moment, then loudly announced the bid price, “Box
A1, three million!”
11 Not an actual ghost but one of the demon races.
The initial price of the Flame in Water had been hovering around a couple hundred
thousand, and this time it had been directly raised over twofold; an uproar could be heard
offstage.
Xu Yinian reminded him, “The price has already been inflated, any better of a Flame in
Water would only set you back a million or so.”
Despite Yu Huai’s constant cold and indifferent manner, Xu Yinian still could not stop
himself from talking to him. He’d already prepared himself to hear even more piercing words
from him.
Instead, Yu Huai tugged at the corner of his lips, his tone peculiar, “Did I ask you for
money? What are you so bothered about?”
? Something didn’t seem quite right.
Caught off guard upon hearing his goad, Xu Yinian was left dumbfounded. He couldn’t
help looking in Yu Huai’s direction.
Yu Huai locked eyes with him, the tip of his brow raised. Xu Yinian felt a sense of
foreboding. In the next instant, Yu Huai’s gaze shifted to his thighs, “Not forgetting to stand
guard even after entering a box, you sure do enjoy being a bodyguard.”
“...”
Xu Yinian had been ruthlessly rendered speechless. He thought back to how he’d just
minutes ago felt that Yu Huai’s demeanor was as good as before…
Good demeanor his ass.
The rest of the world said that Yu Huai’s temperament had changed greatly, and while
Xu Yinian had also prepared himself before coming here, he’d never imagined that his words
would be this harsh.
Being mindful of all that the other party had gone through, Xu Yinian endured it, silently
pulling out the armchair to sit down.
While they had been talking, the female auctioneer in the hall knocked the gavel. After a
short while, someone outside knocked on the door of the box.
“Hello there. As per your instructions, the Water Fire that you successfully bidded for has
been delivered here directly.” A male attendant carried a dark sandalwood case, bowing as he
entered the box.
Yu Huai signaled towards Xu Yinian with his eyes, “Place it on his side.”
Seeing that the male attendant had immediately left after putting down the case, Xu
Yinian hastily refused, “I don’t want it.”
Yu Huai took his reaction in stride, speaking with mockery in his eyes, “What, you don’t
want it if it comes from me?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Xu Yinian opened his mouth, “Giving me such a big gift the
moment I come, it’s not appropriate.”
“It’s appropriate as long as you return what you owe me.”
And there it was.
Xu Yinian felt his heart sink, inwardly lamenting that there was truly no such thing as a
free Flame in Water. After beating around the bush, Yu Huai was finally going to settle the score
with him.
Three million to buy his life… It wasn’t an unreasonable deal.
“Alright.” He strengthened his resolve; there was no turning back. “Whether you want to
kill or dismember me is up to you.”
“Up to me?” Yu Huai repeated ambivalently.
“I won’t fight back.” Xu Yinian put forth his greatest sincerity. “I also won’t retort.”
Yu Huai was silent for a moment before abruptly laughing. “Who told you…”
Without waiting for him to finish, there came a knock from the outside, one that followed
with Chen Ran’s voice. “Hello there, is Xu Yinian inside? My apologies for interrupting; our team
has met with a bit of a situation last minute and requires his assistance downstairs.”
Xu Yinian instinctively turned towards Yu Huai. The faint traces of laughter on his face
from before had completely disappeared, and he’d returned to his earlier cold and distant self.
“I’ll forget it for today. You can go.”
He was letting it go just like this?
Xu Yinian wavered, not moving for a long time. Chen Ran who stood outside the door
was still cautiously snooping. Yu Huai had already withdrawn his gaze, as though he was
uninterested in depleting any energy on dealing with him.
His death sentence had suddenly been deferred. Xu Yinian stood up, his feelings mixed.
“Bring it with you.” Yu Huai’s voice echoed from behind him.
Xu Yinian faltered for a moment, then accepted the Flame in Water that had cost an arm
and a leg without saying a word.
“Remember your promise.”
“Don’t worry.” Xu Yinian didn’t turn back. “I won’t go back on my word.”
The door of the box was opened from the inside. On noticing that Xu Yinian had
somehow retained his limbs, Chen Ran froze. However, he reacted quickly, putting on his show
till the very end. “Someone’s making a commotion downstairs. We don’t have enough people on
hand, come with me to provide assistance.”
To be honest, regarding whether or not to get him from upstairs, Chen Ran had in fact
hesitated. But after thinking mulling it over, even though he didn’t like Xu Yinian’s hooligan-style
of handling things, he still didn’t want to see this person die upstairs. Furthermore, they were in
the middle of an assignment, and he was the team leader.
If the news got out, he would be humiliated.
Xu Yinian frowned, pushing the limit of the phrase ‘unable to distinguish between good
and evil’. “You came looking for me just for this? Can’t you handle it?”
“...” Chen Ran was almost unable to breathe. He snapped, “Idiot.”
After finishing his sentence, he turned to go, suddenly feeling a pair of eyes fall on him.
Yu Huai was sizing him up.
Chen Ran had met many demons before and had even personally killed numerous
demons while carrying out missions, yet there was not a single one that gave him such a
suffocating sense of oppression. What was even scarier was that he could feel the killing intent
emanating from Yu Huai.
Upon realizing this, Chen Ran’s back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat.
Xu Yinian was totally unaware of this exchange. He swiftly bent down, moving deftly to
place the Flame in Water by the door.
“I won’t go back on my word, but I don’t want this thing—” After speaking, he grabbed
Chen Ran, tugging him along and running downstairs.
Having his wrist grasped by Xu Yinian, Chen Ran felt like Yu Huai’s gaze had appeared
to grow colder. Something supernatural was at work; he’d turned his face, wanting to see what
kind of expression Huai was currently wearing.
Just as Chen Ran turned back, he felt a chill run down his spine. The nerves all over his
body had gone into overdrive.
The demon who had remained alone in the room was looking straight in their direction.
Due to the angle, half of Yu Huai’s face was blurred within the shadows, causing one to feel
exceedingly oppressed for no explicable reason.
The intensity with which Yu Huai’s eyes clung to Xu Yinian was almost eerie. It was as
though he wanted to confine Xu Yinian within a square inch of him, never to ever leave his side
of his own accord.
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