Chapter 48: Qiye’s Seventh Night
“Phil, what are you…?! Xuan’er’s soul is about to be devoured?!”
The situation wasn’t reflected in any titles or statuses.
My eyes widened, and I turned around sharply to look at Xuan’er.
However, from her unnatural expression, I could almost confirm that something was indeed wrong.
Xuan’er awkwardly scratched her cheek and said, “Uh, it’s not that serious…”
“How could it not be serious?!” I yelled directly.
I understood the situation perfectly. A devoured soul meant that even one’s existence could disappear along with it.
“If your body is still intact, there might be a possibility of revival. But if your soul has problems, then… first, tell me, Xuan’er, what’s wrong? What happened?”
But Xuan’er didn’t answer my question. She just turned her head away, silent.
…
I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, suppressed my anger, and turned to Phil, asking, “Phil! What’s going on?! Tell me!”
…
Hearing my agitated words, Phil glanced at Xuan’er and said, “Miss Xiangyue’s soul has become about half the size of a normal soul.”
“It’s already been devoured?!”
It was such a dangerous situation!
It should be something that affects one’s memory, but Xuan’er had been hiding this fact all along; it must have been very painful.
“It’s not like she’ll simply die, but she’ll slowly lose her memories. Things she remembers today, she might forget tomorrow. When she can’t even remember her own name, she’ll completely disappear.”
“I’ll never let that happen!”
“No, we’re going back right now! Our organization has so many extraordinary people! There must be someone who can help her.”
“If that doesn’t work… even if I have to go to hell myself, I’ll find a way. Or I’ll go find Lianbing and take her private jet.”
I grabbed Xuan’er’s arm and started to walk back. Xuan’er, who had been pulled a few steps, understood my intention.
“Hey! Juncheng, calm down and listen to me. It’s not that serious!”
“This isn’t serious?!”
“Don’t yell. I have… I might be showing my emotions too much on my face, which makes me look a bit…”
Xuan’er shrank her shoulders, showing a slightly scared expression.
“It’s not up for discussion! Hmph, I was too hasty. I’ll help you solve your soul problem. We can’t delay this any further!”
“…No, it’s not…? I’m a ghoul too. The other half of my soul is in Xue Qing’s body, so it looks smaller. It’s just to maintain balance…”
Xuan’er’s soul was indeed half in Xue Qing’s body. I was too hasty.
But it couldn’t be just that.
“No, if it were just that, Phil wouldn’t have been so casual about it.”
Xuan’er would never tell me if she could avoid it, so she told me directly this time. Her answer, frankly, exuded an aura…
“Miss Xiangyue’s soul’s surface is completely covered by something.”
After Phil finished speaking, he didn’t speak again.
“That’s the Gluttony Hair’s domain, isn’t it? It’s just that part that’s entangled with my soul, not something dangerous!”
Xuan’er herself hated lies, so she probably wasn’t acting.
“When I examined your soul, Miss Xiangyue, there was nothing unusual.”
“But it looks like it…”
“What’s going on? Xuan’er?”
…
Facing my scrutiny, Xuan’er shrank her shoulders, like a child who had made a mistake.
The situation remained at a stalemate until a voice broke the silence.
“Hmph, your worries are completely unnecessary, because I have no intention of devouring souls.”
“Huh? Who?!”
Besides the three of us, there was no one else nearby, but a strangely deep male voice sounded.
“Wow! Hair, don’t talk…!”
As I turned towards the source of the voice, Phil suddenly showed a surprised expression and pointed at Xuan’er.
“Jun, Juncheng! It’s from there!”
The ends of Xuan’er’s long hair suddenly converged and transformed into a mouth with serrated teeth.
The voice that spoke was indeed this mouth-like hair!
“Gluttony—”
“Are you kidding me?! Got a problem?! You damn brat, why are you calling me Hair Grandpa!”
It could actually talk now! No, it seemed like it had spoken before, but its form had been even more bizarre then. It was truly… and only I saw it. SF Light Novel.
I felt like it was quite different from this aggressive Hair Grandpa.
“…Let’s talk as we walk. We need to find a place to eat first,” Phil suggested, holding up a bag of snacks.
Xuan’er grabbed the ends of her hair with her teeth.
I thought so too. My hair suddenly felt… it would be better to talk seriously. Therefore, I decided to find a place to talk. After ordering a few dishes, we started a new round of conversation.
Soon, at Xuan’er’s suggestion, we found a place. The first question was to find out the problem.
He seemed very interested in the Gluttony Hair. It wasn’t the first time he had seen it, and it seemed to have a separate consciousness.
“By devouring, you steal…?”
“Haha! That’s right! Isn’t this grandpa amazing!”
“Um, Mr. Hair…”
“Call me Hair Grandpa!”
…
Why does he only correct my name? Forget it.
“Well, Hair Grandpa, you’re saying you don’t eat…? My teeth don’t even have gaps, and I’m growing on her! Why would I devour her soul? Are you suicidal! Are you stupid?”
“Uh, then why did you entangle Xuan’er’s soul?”
“Can’t I just float around if I feel like it?!”
I didn’t know what to say.
“You’re anxious as if you’re an idiot.”
“To dissolve your own soul? Only this guy would do something so stupid!”
“You wouldn’t have encountered Fafa either.”
“I don’t remember that time very clearly, and if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t have wanted to.”
“Do you think encountering me is a good thing?! Huh?!”
“I think it’s a good thing.”
“So you’ve lived for hundreds of years and you’re still so naive! The hair also moved along with it.”
Amidst the shouting match, the dishes were served, and we started eating. Where did it all go?
“Not bad.”
After the hair finished eating, it said, like a dog licking its mouth.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the hair. “You’re right, this guy’s body definitely has a problem.”
“Hmph, I guess you’re not completely useless.” SF Light Novel.
This guy was referring to… Xuan’er.
He had committed all three taboos of the ghoul, and it was already… that uncontrollable hunger was a sign.
“Three taboos…”
“And not killing, right?”
“Right, Xuan’er did it for us.”
“She devoured many ghouls using the Gluttony Hair.”
“And this is what caused the problem. Do you understand what to do now, kid?”
“I understand.” I looked at Xuan’er, and I had done this before.
Instead of following my thoughts, I picked her up and sat in her seat, then placed her on my lap.
“Juncheng, what are you doing?”
I ignored her and continued my actions, using a steak knife to cut my finger and letting the blood drip in front of Xuan’er.
“Wait! Juncheng, what are you doing?! I won’t drink it!”
“If you don’t drink it, I’ll force-feed you, even if I have to pour it down your throat.”
“How could you!”
Xuan’er tried to jump away, but I immediately hugged her with my free hand.
“Is it okay? It’s okay, right?”
“If you don’t drink it, my blood will be shed in vain… and it’s just…”
Xuan’er was still hesitating, but I had already filled the bowl and picked up the blood porridge to feed Xuan’er.
Xuan’er refused to open her mouth.
It suddenly felt like I was feeding medicine to a child. But you have to eat it even if you don’t want to!
Phil immediately understood and came to my side, holding Xuan’er’s hands to stop her from struggling.
“I’m giving Phil a signal.”
I pinched her cheeks.
“No matter what, I won’t open my mouth.”
“Ugh, then don’t blame me—”
I inserted my finger into her mouth. Since it was just one finger, even if she pursed her lips tightly, she couldn’t stop my finger.
Then I used my finger to rub her gums. The uncomfortable sensation made her involuntarily make a sound.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Her clenched jaw loosened. I seized the opportunity and inserted another finger.
Slippery saliva was produced in large quantities, flowing onto my hand along with my finger.
Xuan’er looked pitiful, with tears in the corners of her eyes. But— I had to make her drink it!
“I’m sorry…”
I fed the porridge mixed with blood into her mouth.
“…Ah…”
She could only swallow the porridge and drink my blood. White porridge with red blood overflowed from the corners of her mouth. Only when I saw it filling her small stomach did I release her tongue and wipe away the dripping liquid with a napkin.
At this point, Xuan’er had no resistance left. Phil released her hands, and she didn’t react.
“Ugh, did she get angry?”
Apologize quickly.
“I’m sorry, Xuan’er. If you wouldn’t drink it, I could only…”
Before I could finish apologizing, I heard even breathing. Xuan’er had already closed her eyes.
“She fell asleep…”
“She fell asleep?”
“Why did she fall asleep?”
“Qiye is also worried about Xuan’er…” It wasn’t just me who was worried about Xuan’er.
“Speaking of which, Xuan’er herself is asleep, and you can still act?”
“Hmph, although I’m parasitic on her soul, I’ve already devoured and absorbed many other lives. I’m already…”
“Okay, okay, Hair Grandpa is mighty!”
“Hair Grandpa’s tone is a bit harsh, but he’s actually a good hair, hehe.”
“Kid, don’t treat me as a companion. Always maintain a defensive stance… I can’t even imagine myself. I’m not some kind being. The perception of that pretty boy over there is correct. I’m very likely to do…”
“Come to think of it, why did I choose to parasitize hair?”
“What does this mean?”
