Chapter 26: The Magical Shop (14)
The suction spreading from beneath his feet felt like temptation from hell. Qi An's vision dissolved into frightening darkness, and the warm molecules in the air were replaced by cold and chill. By the time the dim lights shone upon his eyes again, Qi An had already been transported into another room.
It was a damp, dilapidated dwelling, completely different from that beautiful, fairy-tale meadow.
Desolation filled the entire space.
Shelves lined the walls, but they were shattered and broken. A half木质棍悬在半空，不停地发出吱吱呀呀的呻吟。这种残缺让上面摆放着的物品也开始摇摇晃晃，让人忍不住担心它们会掉下来和地面上铺满的破碎品相伴。
这里凌乱得几乎没有落脚的地方。
Qi An stared at the faint bloodstains scattered across the floor, frowning. This place had undoubtedly witnessed a fierce battle. Zhang Zhaoqi and the others had fought against the ghosts here—their clash had damaged the surrounding displays, leaving them with varying degrees of wear. The destruction was almost catastrophic.
But there was one exception.
The painting hanging in the center remained completely intact. Despite the fragile, thin walls around it, it seemed more solid than any metal display, its image perfectly preserved even as the surrounding walls developed mottled cracks.
Qi An narrowed his eyes, gazing at the serene meadow and statue within the painting. A faint light flickered in his eyes.
He stepped over the broken debris on the floor and approached the mural, then reached out to touch it. Just as his fair, jade-like hand was about to make contact, Qi An paused. He examined the familiar scene within.
This was a place he had truly experienced. He had sat on the grass within, chatting with the doll, wandering about now and then.
The beautiful environment in the painting made people instinctively lower their guard. The wall surface was abnormally smooth, and this elegant, ancient painting held a magnetism that made one want to reach out and touch it. Yet just as his hand was about to make true contact, a profoundly strange sense of crisis bloomed in Qi An's heart.
It was as if the moment he touched it, he would... never be able to escape.
Forever trapped within this seemingly beautiful environment.
Qi An's expression shifted. He stared at the painting thoughtfully, then forcibly turned his gaze away from the mural that held such strange allure for him.
The distance between his fair, soft hand and the yellowish mural grew wider. The oil lamp flickering with weak light seemed to tremble for some reason, and the already dim lighting in the room grew even darker.
The only active person in the room walked clockwise around the space once, finally arriving before the partition door on the west side.
The discernible signs of combat grew suddenly intense and then mysteriously disappeared here.
Zhang Zhaoqi and the others were most likely to have proceeded in this direction.
As Qi An pushed open the door, his gaze flickered back to the painting for an instant. That was a separately created space. Constructing each such space required enormous energy. Thinking of his mission, Qi An's eyes narrowed slightly.
The reason their main quest remained unfinished was that they couldn't complete the condition of 'surviving.' Before the quest could be fully completed, there were still things to consider, but the situation had become clearer by now.
The people in the shop didn't welcome outsiders like them. Apart from Qi An, Zhang Zhaoqi and the others had immediately clashed violently with the ghosts the moment they arrived. Judging from the intensity of the fighting and the dolls' reactions, it wasn't hard to see—they were fighting to kill.
To complete the main quest, they had to preserve their lives while being hunted by ghosts. The conditions for judging the quest successful remained unknown. Among the other two quests, the 'Save the Children' quest had unclear objectives, making completion still difficult.
Looking at it this way, only the other quest—'Kill the Shop Owner'—was the easiest to complete. Not only was the quest description unusually clear, but Qi An had already learned the shop owner's true identity.
But...
Qi An felt a strange sensation in his heart. The moment the side quest 'Find the Shop Owner' was completed, Qi An had sensed a faint premonition—this quest was the most difficult to complete among the three. Killing the shop owner definitely wouldn't be that simple.
The subtle similarities between Gu Wang, the dolls, and the ghosts.
The 'magical' nature of the shop mentioned in the quest description.
And this separate space that could only be constructed with sufficient enormous energy.
Qi An licked his somewhat pale lips, the crystal-clear saliva moistening them into an eye-catching redness. Qi An's expression remained mild and indifferent, carrying a visible sense of weakness. But when he made this gesture, it somehow added a hint of... allure.
Like a blooming peach blossom—the outermost layer a soft, fresh pale white, the inner part a hazy, beautiful light pink.
The door was pushed open.
Even though Qi An had anticipated something, when the hidden gloom was truly revealed, he still froze for a moment.
Beyond the door were countless eyes gleaming with blood light.
Unlike the low, cramped shop, the space here was vast. Qi An saw a corridor that seemed to have no end, countless rooms connected around it, and... ghosts of strange and bizarre forms scattered throughout.
They had all stopped their current actions as if drawn by something, their expressions filled with the satisfaction of having caught a sweet scent. Their eyes seemed to have a targeting function, all looking in the same direction. This gaze was extremely aggressive, containing profound obsession and killing intent.
Like a group of addicts enslaved by their habits for years.
And the delicate youth standing at the doorway was the poppy that could drive them mad.
This fatal attraction was like something dissolved into their marrow, unstoppable. It destroyed their reason but would also bring harm to the poppy.
They wanted it, wanted it so badly their hearts felt like they were going mad. They wanted to obtain it for excitement and satisfaction—this intense emotion bursting forth from their souls transformed them into beings of uncontrollable excitement.
So they searched frantically for its traces, wanting to possess it, dominate it, savoring this indescribable pleasure bit by bit, and then... completely destroy it.
[An'an, let's run!] This killing intent, nearly substantial in form, made one's hair stand on end. The system's voice slightly changed. It wasn't that it didn't believe in its host's abilities, but those ghosts staring at them were simply too numerous, their expressions too frantic.
[There's no escape.] Qi An's expression changed little. His voice answering in his mind was cold and clear, at odds with his appearance, possessing a calm steadiness in the face of danger.
[Then... then what should we do?!]
The physically frail youth pressed tightly against the doorframe. The door that had been pulled open earlier was closed again by some unknown force, becoming heavy and difficult to open, completely sealing Qi An's retreat.
The boy's fair, slender hand gripped the door handle tightly, as if using all his strength upon it. The blue-tinged veins on the back of his hand barely showed, his fragile, easily broken palm curved into an alluring arc due to his movements.
This beauty-filled weakness made the madness in those countless eyes grow even more intense. They couldn't restrain themselves, revealing a bestial fervor. Qi An seemed to curl himself into the corner from fear, the suddenly hardened door firmly blocking his escape. He trembled his lashes while gazing at the grotesque ghosts staring at him, then helplessly lowered his beautiful, dark eyes.
[If I guessed correctly...] The cool voice in his mind paused. The system heard its host speak in his pleasant voice with a hint of playfulness, [Someone will come to save me.]
This indescribable attraction wouldn't fade with the passage of time; instead, like fine wine carefully crafted, the more it aged, the more rich and intoxicating the fragrance became.
The red in their eyes gradually deepened, the killing intent within almost shocking to witness. When the string symbolizing reason completely snapped, all the ghosts scrambled toward the youth.
Rapid shadows streaked through the air, creating trails. As expected, just as the red-eyed ghost leading the charge was about to truly rush toward Qi An, the door opened.
A broad, warm chest pressed close to him. That person pulled him into an embrace, bringing him back to the low shop. The man holding Qi An's waist slammed the door shut. With a loud bang, this door that had been easy to push at one moment and difficult at another was sealed again.
The door was locked.
Even though Gu Wang made no extra movements, the door seemed to have fused with the wall.
In the embrace, Qi An could clearly hear the ear-splitting howls coming from within, along with the crashing sounds of something trying to break the door open again. These sounds were loud at first, but when they realized this decrepit door truly couldn't be pushed open, they unwillingly howled a few more times before leaving one after another.
Qi An looked up at Gu Wang holding him. The other wore the school's uniform. The loose, ordinary clothes still outlined his muscular build. The boy's messy bangs were dampened by sweat. When he saw Qi An looking at him, he smiled brilliantly.
"Thank you." Qi An's words carried a trembling tone of someone still startled, like a small animal that hadn't yet let down its guard.
"You're welcome." The boy rubbed his hair, then after a moment of silence, said cheerfully, "After all, you're the object of my love at first sight."
"Do you like me even a little bit now?" Gu Wang's tone carried affection and teasing. When he noticed the youth in his arms seemed dazed and gave no answer for a long while, he shrugged, somewhat disappointed. "No, huh."
"You really won't give me a chance? I'm really quite reliable, you know." Gu Wang's voice seemed somewhat hurt, but his expression remained as warm as sunshine. Qi An maintained his expression of someone still frightened, feeling slightly complicated inside.
Gu Wang's behavior was far too like that of a sunnily bright boy experiencing his first love. His eyes when looking at Qi An seemed to glow. This affection carried the passion and purity particular to young people. If it weren't for the system notifying him of the quest's completion, he might have doubted whether his earlier judgment was mistaken.
Nearly no one would connect him with the shop owner.
And—
If it were his past self, after experiencing the situation he had just faced, he might really have fallen for him.
Qi An's expression changed extremely subtly. This change wasn't noticed even by Gu Wang, who had been watching him the entire time. But the system, with its precise observational ability and years of working alongside Qi An, discovered it keenly.
[An'an, this guy doesn't have good intentions!] The system's voice suddenly appeared in his mind, [Look, from the moment he wrapped his arm around your waist until now, how much time has passed? He still hasn't let go! Clearly he's taking advantage of you! Don't say he didn't notice—look at that dog-like happy face of his! I think it's completely intentional!]
[Be good.] Qi An uttered a single word softly. But even so, the system felt its ears grow hot and fell silent. In its mind, it frantically imagined using its nonexistent eyes to glare fiercely at Gu Wang.
It would use its gaze to mysteriously defeat him, kill him—especially using sharp eye-daggers to cut off that dog paw!
"You... why do you like me?"
The youth in the embrace still spoke with a trembling undertone. His expression was the same as the moment before, but Gu Wang suddenly felt something was a little different. He sensed the youth seemed to have become unusually serious. A subconscious voice told him—he must give a good reason.
His heart inexplicably grew nervous. Gu Wang maintained his sunny smile and said, as if teasing yet also serious, "I don't know either. The moment I saw you, I liked you... as if we had met somewhere else before. I've had a secret crush on you for a long time..."
"Then finally waited for you, that kind of feeling..." The boy smiled, "So strange, when we clearly never met before..."
Yet there was a... feeling that you would be mine...
Qi An didn't speak. His long, thick lashes stopped trembling. His features remained as fragile and delicate as ever, but Gu Wang could see a flicker in his eyes—like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, carrying a beauty he couldn't describe.
"What's wrong?" Gu Wang blanked for a moment, then smiled, "Don't tell me you were moved by this clichéd line?"
Qi An only looked at him, then shook his head. "Why did you come here?"
"Some things happened at the academy." Seeing that Qi An didn't want to say more, the boy answered his obviously topic-diverting question as if it didn't matter, "The day you disappeared, many people at the school disappeared too, and there were constant rumors about ghosts and monsters. Although in the end they all came back, but..."
"They all became somewhat strange. And those supernatural incidents seem to be increasing. Even though the school explicitly prohibited and strictly monitored them, many people still stayed up at night seeking to encounter those supernatural worlds. Now, though the academy still appears peaceful on the surface, privately it's already in complete chaos..."
"Because you hadn't come back for so long and there was no news from the school administration, I came looking for you. I didn't expect that, just as they said, encountering supernatural events could bring you to another dimension." The boy still hadn't released Qi An. His warm breath drifted to Qi An's ear as he spoke, "Doesn't that make you even more touched?"
"I risked my own safety and danger to specially come save you. Wasn't I especially heroic and handsome when I played the hero saving the beauty just now? Are you really sure you won't reconsider?"
[He's lying!] Seeing that his host seemed to be flirted with by this dog pup, the system couldn't help but bubble up again, [As the shop owner of this store, how could he not know where you are? And it was him who carried you into that painting! Now he's putting on this act—really... wolf with wicked ambition!]
[I know.] Qi An's usually cold tone paused slightly, [It's just...]
In the end, he still didn't speak. Gu Wang smiled as if accustomed, his smile as sunny as before, "Do you want to go back to school?"
"However..." The boy's voice seemed somewhat confused, "I came through a door. It was there when I first arrived, but now I don't know why it disappeared... It seems we're trapped here."
Qi An glanced at him, a flicker of something unknowable passing through his eyes. Only then did he ask softly, "Is it this door?"
Gu Wang followed his gaze and saw that a door, crimson to the point of appearing black, had suddenly appeared in the room. His expression stiffened, nearly losing control of his disguise as he grit his teeth.
He shouldn't have designed the way into the shop like this! Now all sorts of nobodies could get in, and it was making a fool of him.
"That's right, this one." Gu Wang's tone remained mild. Qi An seemed to glance at him timidly, then turned his gaze toward the door slowly being pushed open.
Along with the ominous dripping sounds, the figure entering grew increasingly clear.
The one who entered was... Fang Delian.
His seatmate.
Qi An's eyes narrowed. Once again, he grew wary of this seatmate of his, who seemed to be hiding some secret.
The boy who walked in had eyes full of confusion and puzzlement, his walk unsteady and swaying. But the moment he completely stepped into the shop, Qi An noticed that the eyes beneath Fang Delian's large, clumsy glasses started, as if suddenly remembering something—first dazed, then enlightened.
The boy's voice drifted through the low shop. His tone remained self-deprecating yet wasn't lacking in resolve, "Boss, is the boss here? I want to make a deal..."
"I want the entire academy to return to normal!"