HAGLTP Chapter 68

The basement was silent. No one dared to respond to Yin Sen’s words.

Yin Sen looked much like he did in the old photographs; in those long-ago black-and-white images, his complexion was a lifeless dead white, and now it was the same.

He was a vengeful spirit that had emerged from a bygone era, eager to devour any living being that came near.

Yin Sen’s gaze swept over the fallen Tan Xiaoqing and Qiqi, glanced at the still-dazed Guo and Jiang, and finally landed on Gu Anzhou, who held the ritual blade.

“Young man, how about making a deal with me?” As he spoke, a smile appeared on Yin Sen’s face.

Gu Anzhou did not answer, only watching him warily. What was the difference between making a deal with the vengeful spirit that had trapped them here and trying to bargain with a tiger?

Yin Sen was unfazed: “Since the ritual blade is already in your hands, why not make a wish for me? If it succeeds, I promise to let you leave.”

“What is your wish?” Gu Anzhou asked.

Yin Sen elegantly adjusted his cuffs: “My wish, hmm…”

He surveyed the basement with the appreciation of an art connoisseur, from the darkened floor to the bloodstains congealed on the walls, and the quietly decaying corpse in the corner—these were all his masterpieces.

“I once wished for boundless power and wealth, to rise above everyone. Later, I found true joy in watching the struggles and sufferings of others in the hotel.”

“I enjoyed that joy for a long time, but now I am tired of the passive hunting. I want to leave here and see the broader world outside.”

Gu Anzhou was no fool; he was well aware of this guy’s danger. Just one Autumn Twilight Hotel had led to so many lives lost. If he let him out, what kind of disaster would follow?

Facing Gu Anzhou’s silence, Yin Sen remained calm. He walked over to Tan Xiaoqing, leaning down to examine her gradually fading lips: “You seem to care a lot about this woman, even though she cares for someone else.”

“What do you want to do?” Gu Anzhou tensed up.

“I don’t need to do anything.” Yin Sen’s graceful smile looked cruel, “Just let her lie there, and soon she will die, die in my territory, and then become my slave.”

“Never to leave here.”

Gu Anzhou’s grip on the ritual blade suddenly tightened, so hard that his joints began to turn white.

“By the way.” Yin Sen seemed to suddenly remember something, lightly tapping his forehead with his knuckles.

“You actually don’t need to worry too much about being separated from her. If you refuse my offer, I will kill all of you, and then you can all reunite here.”

Gu Anzhou forced a bitter smile. Yes, he had no bargaining chips in this deal; their lives, their freedom, were completely in the hands of this vengeful spirit.

Even if he truly made a wish according to the other’s demands, there was no guarantee that the other would really let them go.

As Gu Anzhou fell into silence again and again, Yin Sen gradually lost his patience, his long, pale hand reaching toward Tan Xiaoqing’s head.

“Don’t…” Gu Anzhou’s heart sank, instinctively wanting to rush forward.

“Wait.” A cold voice suddenly came from behind.

“Don’t turn around, just listen to me.”

“The ghosts in this hotel all have their weaknesses, and Yin Sen must have one too.”

Gu Anzhou’s eyes brightened. He restrained his urge to turn around and patiently listened to the other.

“Have you noticed that he has been forcing you to make a wish, yet he never touches the ritual blade himself? It could be that the ritual blade can only be used by the living, but there is another possibility: according to Yin Sen’s arrogant personality, even if he were to commit suicide, he would choose the most unconventional method.”

“For example, ending himself with the ritual blade.”

“This is just my guess. Whether to try it or not is up to you.”

As Yin Sen’s ghostly hand was about to touch Tan Xiaoqing’s eyes, Gu Anzhou gritted his teeth; he could no longer hesitate.

He charged forward.

The cold, dark ritual blade struck toward Yin Sen’s hand, and for the first time, the previously calm and composed Yin Sen, who seemed to be playing a game of cat and mouse, changed his expression.

He suddenly stepped back, quickly creating distance between himself and Gu Anzhou.

Gu Anzhou’s eyes lit up, continuing his attack.

In the corner behind them, Cui Yunjin commented on the situation: “He hasn’t undergone martial arts training; even with the ritual blade, it’s hard to win against Yin Sen.”

Xiao Lu nodded: “I know, but if we suddenly appear and demand he hand over the ritual blade, what do you think his reaction will be?”

A person who has fallen into despair will not give up their last straw of hope.

Repeatedly pulling and tugging would only waste time and allow Yin Sen to enjoy the spectacle, with almost no positive effect.

Cui Yunjin: “Master Lu, you really are heartless this time.”

Xiao Lu leisurely lounged in the corner, watching the show: “I’m just a false medium doing a job for money. Since this boss hasn’t paid, he should do the dangerous work himself.”

Cui Yunjin: “…”

When did this guy become so cold-hearted?

Yin Sen was a vengeful spirit of many years, with blood on his hands while alive, and now he had lingered in the Autumn Twilight Hotel for years; he was not an easy opponent to deal with.

Even if Gu Anzhou held the weapon that could restrain him.

But Gu Anzhou had already reached a dead end; he had no choice but to move forward.

Behind him were his brothers, his lover; he could not retreat, could not lose.

His body was already stained with blood, ghostly energy continuously seeping into his wounds, making him feel an unusual chill, almost causing him to drop the ritual blade.

Yet Gu Anzhou was not without a chance; Yin Sen seemed very afraid of being touched by the ritual blade. So as long as he could successfully let the blade graze Yin Sen’s body, even just a little, he would win.

“Bang—”

An invisible force slammed Gu Anzhou against the wall, making him feel as if his internal organs were about to shatter, and the ritual blade was knocked from his hand.

“Ha…” Yin Sen’s face was filled with cold amusement.

Foolish ants, daring to resist him!

A chilling hand pressed down on Gu Anzhou’s left shoulder, crushing his bones in a punishing instant.

“Ugh—” Gu Anzhou let out a suppressed cry of pain, cold sweat streaming down his forehead like beads.

“Perhaps I should remove your limbs, so you will obediently listen to my demands.” Yin Sen’s eyes glowed with dark energy, the ink-like color occupying his eye sockets, a terrifying aura replacing the delicacy of his form.

He reached out toward Gu Anzhou’s right shoulder.

“Let him go!” A loud shout came from behind, as Guo and Jiang rushed forward, brandishing the fallen ritual blade toward Yin Sen.

“Hmph.” This crude and uncoordinated attack elicited a disdainful sneer from Yin Sen.

In the next moment, Guo and Jiang were thrown to the ground, rolling several times before the ritual blade fell from their hands.

Yin Sen turned his head, his pitch-black eyes fixed on him: “So reckless, I might as well start with you—”

His words suddenly halted, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face.

The dark ritual blade pierced through his abdomen; he clearly remembered that Guo and Jiang’s blade had already fallen to the ground, so how could it be in Gu Anzhou’s hands?

A smile appeared on Gu Anzhou’s sweat-drenched face: “The tacit understanding between good brothers, a guy like you would never understand.”

Just now, Guo and Jiang’s charge at Yin Sen was merely a feint. His true intention was to return the ritual blade to Gu Anzhou; at the moment it fell, he tossed the blade toward Gu Anzhou, while the one that landed was just an ordinary knife hidden in his sleeve.

Yin Sen staggered to his feet, the black energy on his body spreading uncontrollably, rushing out from within him.

Unlike the previously scattered ghosts, which were attacked by objects resembling old relics and only needed time to reassemble, the one attacking him now was the very ritual blade he had used to commit suicide.

Yin Sen felt his soul boiling, his power scattering uncontrollably.

“No…”

He tried to reach out, wanting to pull out the blade embedded in his body. But as soon as he touched the blade’s surface, it felt as if he had been electrocuted, and he recoiled.

“Ugh—”

He was about to “die.”

This time it was a complete dissolution, returning to the darkness.

Yin Sen barely supported his body, step by step moving toward the end of the basement. There lay the items he had prepared for the ritual; this time he would not lie again. No matter what price the gods demanded, he was willing to pay.

Forty-eight mirrors, arranged layer by layer in a hexagonal pattern.

By the time he reached this point, Yin Sen could no longer be recognized as human; he resembled a remnant scorched by fierce flames, weakly crawling toward the center of the mirrors.

“Born at the beginning of time… coexisting with the stars… your humble lamb… I pray to you…”

“Save me, I am willing… to give up everything I have…”

“I beg you…”

“Save…”

Yin Sen’s humble pleas grew weaker and weaker, but there was no response in the darkness.

·

Gu Anzhou and Guo and Jiang supported the unconscious Tan Xiaoqing on either side.

Xiao Lu leaned against the wall: “Are you just leaving like this?”

Gu Anzhou’s face was still pale, but his expression was resolute: “From the moment we stepped into this place, we became somewhat lost, and we began to become less like ourselves.”

“We thought about it, and the ethereal wish is not as practical as the happiness right in front of us.”

Guo and Jiang nodded as well; the greed and impulsiveness that had been deliberately hinted at by Qiqi gradually faded.

He realized he was just a second-generation rich kid with no grand ambitions; the shares in the company were enough for him to be happy for a lifetime. Why compete with his brother? If he took the family fortune, would his brother manage it well? Based on his understanding of himself, he might end up ruining the company.

In the end, Gu Anzhou solemnly said to Xiao Lu and Cui Yunjin: “I don’t know what you want, but the price of making a wish must be great. If it’s not absolutely necessary, it’s better not to compare.”

·

As Yin Sen’s ghost dissipated, the power maintaining this nonexistent basement also weakened. Xiao Lu and the others hurriedly moved to retrieve the ritual blade before the basement disappeared.

…

“What do you mean by this?” Xiao Lu frowned, looking ahead with some confusion.

Just then, when the ritual blade came into view, Cui Yunjin had snatched it up before him. This was behavior that had never occurred before, making Xiao Lu feel very strange.

Cui Yunjin held the ritual blade, a nostalgic expression on his face, as if he had crossed distant time and space to reunite with an old friend.

He stood amidst a reflection of mirrors, looking toward Xiao Lu.

At that moment, his expression no longer resembled “Cui Yunjin,” but rather that elusive Mr. A.

Mr. A’s long fingers caressed the blade: “In fact, Yin Sen’s wish was wrong from the very beginning; he lied, and the subsequent hopes and despairs were merely the gods mocking him.”

“The gods never appreciate lies.”

“But they won’t expose the lies; they will only allow the liar to be consumed by their own desires, leading to a tainted soul, forever wandering in place.”

As he spoke, Mr. A began to unbutton his clothes, revealing a well-proportioned, smoothly contoured body.

Then, under Xiao Lu’s gaze, he grasped the ritual blade, pointing its edge toward himself.

The blade pierced through flesh, and blood-red, intricate runes blossomed across his body. His expression remained calm, as if he were seated on an altar in splendid attire, reciting solemn prayers.

The scene was bloody yet devout.

Xiao Lu’s vision suddenly blurred, countless familiar yet strange images whirling rapidly before his eyes.

Two similar voices reached his ears, one from in front, the other seemingly traversing the starry sea, crossing unknown darkness and void, ultimately ringing in his ear.

“Born at the beginning of time, coexisting with the stars, your devout servant, prays for your gaze…”