Crashing into Daylight

An immense pressure hung heavily over everyone’s head, and not a soul dared to speak. Panicked, Chen Ran sent a message to Xu Yinian through the Shared Heart incantation. [It’s no wonder he came to the auction! He’s got something to do with this damn place!]

Xu Yinian instinctively turned his head to refute him. [There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Yu Huai wouldn’t do something like this.]

Chen Ran didn’t think that he would continue speaking up for Yu Huai even at this juncture. He was somewhat infuriated with his stance. [He’s already blocking your way, what sort of misunderstanding could there even be?]

“The both of you,” Taking notice of the little actions and interactions between the two of them, the chill in the tone of Yu Huai’s voice dropped several degrees, “are talking through the Shared Heart Incantation?”

Chen Ran stayed silent. He’d initially assumed that Xu Yinian would stay consistent with his behavior; he hadn’t expected him to casually admit to it, letting out an ‘ah’ of acknowledgement, his tone even laced with a tinge of surprise. “How did you know?” 

Chen Ran, “…”

Chen Ran: [Are you an idiot?! You’re telling him the truth now??]

Sure enough, Yu Huai’s expression grew thoroughly gloomy. Xu Yinian’s back went numb, as though there was a crushing burden weighing on his back. His instincts held him back from acting recklessly, but a long-fingered and slender hand grabbed hold of his wrist, yanking Xu Yinian out from the barrier!    

The alarming sight of a ferocious ghost1 demanding his life scared the demons out of their wits as they frantically retreated. “Holy shit holy shit holy shit!”

“It’s over… Yu Huai really is a part of the organizers!”

Xu Yinian only felt that the five fingers gripping onto him were a heavy shackle, one that tugged painfully on his wrists. Yu Huai was using too much force to pull him, causing Xu Yinian to crash into him. Before he could steady himself, a sudden chill shot through his heart. 

It took a second for Xu Yinian to react – the Shared Heart incantation between him and Chen Ran had been forcibly shattered by Yu Huai. 

“Xu Yinian!” Chen Ran could also sense that something had happened. Both his hands pressed against the barrier, his face a picture of anxiety. In spite of the perilous situation they were in, the demons standing by the side could not help but break into discussion. “He’s really Xu Yinian?!”, “Since he’s fallen into Yu Huai’s hands, won’t he be stripped of a layer of his skin?”, “How is one layer even enough? His pitiful life definitely won’t be spared!” …  

Chen Ran’s shouting caused the Ghost to turn his head, the dark irises belonging to the demon surging with an icy and ominous glint. Yu Huai cast a contemptuous glance in his direction, and Chen Ran’s back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat. 

“Shut up.”

Following this command, Chen Ran’s upper and lower lips were forced shut. He could no longer open his mouth and could at most let out a muffled whimper. The demons who had previously had the guts to gossip all immediately ceased their chatter, with not a single soul daring to make the slightest noise. 

Sensing the undisguised murderous intent that Yu Huai exuded, Xu Yinian summoned up the courage to ask, “You… you have something to do with the auction?”

Yu Huai’s gaze flickered onto him. Straining against the pressure, Xu Yinian urged him, “The underground auction is responsible for the death of so many. Even if you don’t care about the lives of humans, the Demon Slayer Bureau will come looking for you. If they put out a wanted notice—”  

Even if they declared him a wanted person, they might not be able to do anything about Yu Huai.

Xu Yinian grew flustered but still continued on. “Even if they can’t defeat you, there will still be demon slayers following you every single day. If you think about it, isn’t that going to be so irritating? How about you end this here and volunteer your confession…”  

Yu Huai was unmoved as he looked at Xu Yinian, the murderous intent emanating from the former not restrained at all. As Xu Yinian continued speaking, he heard the faint sound of a slight cough. Realizing that this demon had likely grown impatient, he could only grit his teeth and proclaim solemnly, “Yu Huai, repent and the shore is at hand!”

His admonition was loud and clear. Everyone present did not even dare to breathe too hard, all terrified that Xu Yinian’s blood would spill and be splattered all over the ground in the next second.  

The Ghost raised an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Xu Yinian’s nervous disposition, the former surprisingly slowly smiled.

It was neither a sneer nor a gesture that carried mockery. When his smile was coupled with those pair of uniquely-colored eyes, even his eyebrows became softer. Xu Yinian stared at him blankly; his originally tightly-strung nerves twitched untimely, veering directly in another direction. 

—Yu Huai was so good-looking when he smiled. 

This thought had only just swept past his mind when Xu Yinian’s upper and lower lip clamped shut involuntarily. He could also no longer open his mouth to speak. 

What the hell?!

Xu Yinian’s eyes widened. Yu Huai’s eyes swept over his astonished and panicked face, then resumed his previous expressionless demeanor. “You’ve certainly got a lot to say.”

Xu Yinian made to retort, but could only let out intelligible sounds of protest. 

“You’re already setting up a Shared Heart incantation for your graduation assessment; when you enter the Demon Slayer Bureau in the future, will you be carrying out assignments hand-in-hand?”

Xu Yinian inwardly thought that this was bullshit. If it weren’t for the ineffectiveness of regular communication charms underground, who would want to be associated with Chen Ran through an incantation specifically used by couples?

But Yu Huai could not hear his inner thoughts. A translucent barrier rose from the ground, with Yu Huai taking advantage of the opportunity to let go of Xu Yinian. The latter did not even have time to react before an indestructible barrier imprisoned him within a square inch of space.    

Xu Yinian stared at him in a daze. It was only after a long moment that he dared to be certain that Yu Huai had actually locked him up.

After Xu Yinian recovered, he struck at the barrier ceaselessly. The way that Yu Huai observed Xu Yinian as he stood imprisoned inside was akin to that of watching a beautiful butterfly in a glass cage. His palms pressed against the transparent surface of the barrier, as though he yearned to intimately clasp Xu Yinian’s hand. Yet the words that came out of his mouth were without mercy and absolutely relentless.  

“How about you just stay inside and never come out for an eternity.”