Ishida Shinichi stared blankly at the black shadow on the wall behind him, his mouth agape, unable to utter a sound. The shadow, half in the wall and half floating in mid-air, suddenly sprouted two green flames from its head, presumably serving as eyes.
For some reason, Ishida Shinichi, unable to scream or move, suddenly had a thought: with those two flames, the shadow looked much better, more human.
Was Yamada Shinichi afraid?
No, he wasn't.
Because it didn't matter anymore. He had been truly scared moments ago, but now, he wasn't. What else could happen? At most, they would kill him. He had come to terms with it.
Of course, the main reason was that there was no other option.
The black shadow slowly descended from the wall, floating before Ishida Shinichi.
Ishida Shinichi’s mouth remained open, his eyeballs following the shadow upwards. Perhaps he wanted to see what this thing was up to. Humans are like that; knowing it was a monster, their damnable curiosity drove them to see what a monster looked like.
It was like when he lived in the countryside as a child, and his mother told him not to play in the stream under the bridge, for there were man-eating demons there.
Little Ishida Shinichi was extremely curious. What did demons look like? Were they scarier than the big dog at his grandmother's house?
It was better not to tell him. The more you forbade him from going, the more curious he became.
Then, driven by unbearable curiosity, Ishida Shinichi went to the small bridge to look for demons.
As a result, Ishida Shinichi's mother was dragged into the under the bridge by the demon to save him.
Curiosity had killed his mother.
Even now, in his sixties, he hadn't changed this damned habit.
He looked at the black shadowy demon and, impudently, winked at it. A creature that feared nothing.
The next moment,
The black shadow shot into Ishida Shinichi's eyes. Ishida Shinichi's body trembled slightly, and he froze.
A few seconds later,
Ishida Shinichi could move again. He turned and knelt, looking at the antique oil lamp on the table. A wisp of black mist flashed in his cloudy eyes.
...
After his massage, He Li took a comfortable bath and sat in the room, lost in thought.
At this moment, Xiao Yue appeared opposite He Li, sitting cross-legged, his right hand supporting his chin, looking at He Li with a half-smile.
He Li smacked his lips and said with some annoyance, "Xiao Yue, why are there so many demons in Japan? Wherever you go, there are demons. Do you think Japan is too small, and all the demons are crowded together?"
Xiao Yue smiled, finding the troubled He Li very amusing. At the same time, he knew that He Li was genuinely bothered. Ever since he came to Japan, he hadn't had a moment's peace.
He said, "Perhaps. But it doesn't matter. We'll leave tomorrow. As for the demons you've encountered, kill them if you want, or leave them be if you don't. These are not things you need to worry about now."
As Xiao Yue was comforting He Li, he was about to say something more when a familiar voice sounded from outside the door.
"He Li!"
"He Li, are you there? Answer me."
"He Li, where are you? Come out quickly."
He Li: "???"
Damn it! Did that annoying pest chase him from Tokyo to Kawasaki?
He Li's composure shattered. The critical point was that apart from understanding the words "He Li," he understood nothing else. What was this demon saying?
"Xiao Yue, did you hear that? Can you find it? No matter what kind of demon or god it is, I have to kill it. What is it babbling about all day? You call me... You should speak Chinese!"
Xiao Yue shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I can't find it. This thing is very strange, seeming to exist and not exist. I can hear the sound, but I can't find what's making it."
He Li lowered his head, feeling helpless. What was it saying?
Just as He Li was feeling helpless, there was a knock on the door. The voice spoke in English: "Guest, are you resting?"
He Li looked up. Recognizing the voice as the innkeeper's, he responded, "No, please come in."
The door opened, and the innkeeper, Ishida Shinichi, stood outside, bowing slightly. He didn't look at He Li but kept his head down and said respectfully, "Guest, it's late. Please rest early. I will prepare breakfast for you tomorrow morning. If it's convenient for you, you can have some breakfast."
He Li was feeling agitated. Hearing Ishida Shinichi's words, he nodded casually and said, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, boss."
Ishida Shinichi received a reply but did not leave. He slightly raised his head and glanced discreetly at He Li. Seeing that He Li was looking down, appearing quite annoyed and unenthusiastic,
Ishida Shinichi narrowed his grayish-black eyes, wanting to make a move, but seeing the long saber in front of He Li, he hesitated.
He Li waited for a moment, and seeing that Ishida Shinichi hadn't left, he looked up at him and asked, "Boss, is there anything else?"
The moment He Li looked up, Ishida Shinichi lowered his head again and asked, "May I ask if you need some calming tea?"
"No, thank you. I need to rest," He Li waved his hand.
"Alright, rest early." Ishida Shinichi closed the door and left.
He Li paid no mind to Ishida Shinichi's odd behavior, nor did he sense any demonic energy from him. Of course, the most significant factor was the annoying voice in his ear, which was disturbing him to the point of extreme irritation. With a sigh, he threw himself onto the bedding and pulled the covers over his head.
Ishida Shinichi walked along the corridor to the inn's front desk. By now, his eyes had turned completely black, and his face was stiff as he approached the counter.
The receptionist girl at the front desk was drowsy, her eyes half-closed. Seeing the boss arrive, she quickly stood up and called out, "Boss."
However, Ishida Shinichi ignored her and plunked himself down in front of the computer.
The girl looked at Ishida Shinichi, puzzled. What was wrong with the boss? But she didn't pay it much mind; old men were sometimes a bit peculiar, especially elderly people living alone with no children around.
Ishida Shinichi, however, began browsing the check-in records on the computer and then used a translation software to scan them.
He Li, Male, Date of Birth, ID Number: xxxxxxxxxx.
"His name is He Li..."
Ishida Shinichi's black eyes flickered slightly.
As he was muttering to himself, "So this person is called He Li... His flesh smells so good, containing extremely strong spiritual energy. If only I could eat him..."
A voice sounded in his ear.
"He Li!"
Ishida Shinichi's eyes widened, and he subconsciously looked up.
"Ah?"
Ishida Shinichi responded, and two seconds later, the voice in his ear exploded with excitement.
"You finally answered me, He Li, oh He Li, you finally answered me!"
A series of voices sounded in Ishida Shinichi's ear.
Immediately after,
The wooden door of the inn's lobby burst open with a bang, and a black whirlwind swept in. In almost an instant, the black whirlwind swept Ishida Shinichi away.
The girl at the front desk was stunned, standing frozen behind the counter. What was going on?
In the guest room,
He Li suddenly threw off the covers, blinked, and hey! The voice was gone!
...