The mainland of the Federal Empire of Xia, the Guangnan Governor's District, Jiangcheng City.
A coastal industrial city.
It was famous for its automobile manufacturing and fine machining.
It was almost eleven o'clock at night.
In a small alley in the east of Jiangcheng City, Ling Ping'an looked at the alley that was gradually devoid of people and sighed, "Why is this business getting worse and worse!"
"At least I could earn some utility bills last month..."
"This month, I didn't even earn any utility bills!"
Ling Ping'an was the owner of this bookstore called 'Qiyuan'.
The bookstore was opened in a small alley next to the industrial park in the east of the city. Its business used to be extremely good.
But ever since Ling Ping'an took over, this business had inexplicably gone downhill.
At first, it could still earn some money, but slowly, it could only earn some living expenses. Now, it simply didn't do a single business for a month.
It was as if ever since Ling Ping'an came, the existence of the bookstore had become thinner and thinner in this area.
At first, people would still remember that there was a bookstore called Qiyuan. There were many books and they were affordable, so they often came to buy books.
Slowly, people seemed to not remember this matter.
Many people didn't seem to know that there was a bookstore in the alley in front of their house.
What was strange was that the nearby neighbors were all very familiar with Ling Ping'an.
They would greet and ask about his well-being every day.
It was just that when it came to buying books, they would forget about this.
Fortunately, the store was his own.
Therefore, there were no expenses. Ling Ping'an could still write some online novels and earn some royalties.
In addition, the central government of the Federal Empire had subsidies and preferential policies for college students to start their own businesses. Therefore, their lives could still continue.
It was this lack of business that made Ling Ping'an's head hurt.
Pulling down the shutter door, Ling Ping'an turned around and looked at his bookstore.
The area wasn't big, only thirty square meters.
There was an old cashier counter at the door. Next to an old cashier was an old computer.
In the window behind the counter, there was a framed photo that looked like a family photo.
However, the photo frame was too old, so the photo was a little yellow and blurry, making it hard to see clearly.
After the counter, there were rows of bookshelves neatly arranged.
Nameplates divided all the books into categories.
There were popular science books, teaching books, and all kinds of reference books and bestsellers.
There was just no business.
"No matter what, I have to sell at least one book this month..." Ling Ping'an thought, "Otherwise, it would be a failure!"
As he thought about this, Ling Ping'an couldn't help but take out his phone.
"If there's wine today, let's get drunk today. If there's worry tomorrow, let's worry tomorrow …"
"Why are you thinking so much?!"
"Let's play a game first!"
Playing games was his greatest hobby, second to none.
But he didn't know if he was careless or for some other reason, but his phone fell to the ground with a clatter.
Ling Ping'an quickly went to pick it up.
But his counter was a very old-fashioned one, and the space under the counter was very small. So, when he picked up the phone, his head hit something under the table under the counter.
Kacha!
A gray object fell in front of Ling Ping'an.
It was a ball the size of a thumb.
It seemed to be made of wood, and its surface was painted with some indescribable paint. It looked a little strange.
Ling Ping'an took it and sat on the chair. He felt that this thing had been stuck under the counter a long time ago.
"My parents … put this under this counter? Or did Auntie put it under this counter? "Ling Ping'an muttered to himself.
This bookstore was a legacy left behind by his parents.
However, when his parents left, he was only ten years old, so this bookstore, along with his parents' other legacies, were all taken care of by his aunt.
It wasn't until he graduated from university that his aunt returned these things to him.
With this question in mind, Ling Ping'an held the ball and observed it carefully. He realized that its appearance seemed to be a closed eye.
Moreover, this thing seemed to be able to be twisted open!
He tried to gently twist the ball in one direction.
Something that surprised him happened.
As he twisted, the eye that seemed to be closed actually began to slowly open.
"This design... is wonderful!" Ling Ping'an couldn't help but praise.
Kacha.
As he twisted it open, a part inside the ball seemed to be activated.
An incomparably sharp knife stretched out from inside the ball. With a whoosh, it cut Ling Ping'an's finger, took away a drop of blood, and then retracted!
"Ouch!" Ling Ping'an cried out in pain. He quickly held his hand and blew.
However, when he wasn't paying attention, the ball automatically opened in all directions, revealing what was hidden inside.
It was a yellowed note made of an unknown material.
When Ling Ping'an discovered it, the note was already stuck to his hand, as if it was stuck with glue.
He curiously opened the note and found an inexplicable poem written in clerical script.
He couldn't help but read it softly, "There is stupidity hidden in the gentle land. Nanke is blind in his dreams. Today, I know that I am me. A small boat crossing ten thousand worlds!"
"What?" Ling Ping'an couldn't help but complain, "Who wrote this poem that doesn't rhyme, has no beauty, and has no logic?"
"No wonder he hid it!"
But before he could finish his complaint.
He felt his vision turn black, and his eyes sank into darkness.
He sat on the counter in a daze.
The note in his hand ignited without a fire.
Soon, it turned into ashes and fell on his body.
At this moment, the entire bookstore was filled with the cries of wolves and ghosts.
An unknown fog seeped out of his body and filled the bookstore.
On the wall of the bookstore, there seemed to be something wriggling inside and outside the bookstore.
It was a murmur, like the whispers of galaxies against the background of the starry sky.
Tentacle-Like things crawled from the ground to the bookshelves of the bookstore and then drilled into the books.
They secreted a thick asphalt-like liquid, dragging all the bookshelves into an invisible abyss.
Then, these things began to whisper to each other.
They emitted a terrifying and taboo language.
The thick fog spread out from outside the bookstore, blocking all strange phenomena and cutting the entire bookstore off from the world.
An evil eye appeared on the glass door of the bookstore.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw everything in the bookstore. He made everything quiet down and blocked all the abnormalities. Then, he slowly disappeared into the door. The bookstore returned to normal. Everything was the same as before, except for the inexplicable fog outside the door.
Ling Ping'an also woke up from his daze.
He seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened just now.
"What did I do just now?" He asked himself, "Why can\'t I remember?"
"Forget it... forget it..." After thinking for a while, he really couldn\'t remember. He picked up his phone, "Let\'s play games!"
… …
Holding the dagger in her hand tightly, Han Li suddenly turned around and stabbed the dagger into the dark air.
"Ah...!" A monster with a human body and a ghost head appeared from the darkness. Dark green blood flowed down drop by drop.
Han Li kicked its chest, then suddenly pulled out the dagger, poured her spiritual power into it, and slashed forward.
A dazzling light burst out from the dagger.
A monster with wings on its back struggled in the light.
Han Li walked in front of it expressionlessly and said in a low voice, "Rest in peace!"
The dagger suddenly pierced through its heart, and the monster turned into ashes.
With the temporary death of the monster, a demon-hunting battle also temporarily ended.
But Han Li knew that they would appear again.
Monsters could not be killed!
Putting the dagger back into the scabbard at her waist, Han Li squatted on the ground and panted heavily.
Under her black combat suit, her skin and flesh were cracking bit by bit.
She took a medicine bottle from her waist, poured out a few green pills, and swallowed them with her head raised.
The cracked skin and flesh healed bit by bit, and the pain gradually faded.
However, Han Li understood that one day, her body would collapse because she used too much spiritual power.
When that time came, she would also become one of the monsters and become the nightmare of this world.
This was the fate of the demon-hunters.
It was also the sorrow of the world.
She raised her head and saw the street in front of her. A thick fog shrouded everything.
In the fog, there was only a flickering light.
Han Li stood up, tightly holding the dagger at her waist, and stepped into the fog.
This was the mission of the demon-hunters — to investigate the unknown and kill the monsters.
Following the fog, Han Li kept moving forward toward the place where the light was.
Everything in front of her was so quiet.
Only the light in the fog was guiding her forward.
Soon, Han Li walked to the place where the light was.
It was a light coming from behind a closed door.
Han Li raised her head and looked at the building in front of her. It was an old building, only three stories high.
The mottled brick wall was covered with dust, and a signboard came into view: "Qiyuan Bookstore?"
She frowned slightly, "Is there a bookstore called Qiyuan in Donglin City?"
As one of the few demon-hunters who were still alive in Donglin City, Han Li remembered the name of every shop in the city.
Moreover, this bookstore had appeared in such a strange fog.
No matter how she looked at it, she felt that it was necessary to investigate.
Thus, she walked forward and gently knocked on the door of the shop, "Is anyone there?"
… …
"Is anyone there?" He had just finished playing a game and was hesitating about whether to play another game when Ling Ping'an heard a female voice coming from outside the shop.
"Who is it?" Ling Ping'an stood up, walked to the door, and pulled up the shutter door.
He saw a tall woman wearing a strange, tight-fitting black dress, a felt hat, and a mask that looked like black silk standing at his door.
"Role-playing?" Ling Ping'an thought to himself, but he didn't take it to heart.
However...
"Why is it foggy outside?" Ling Ping'an was puzzled. He clearly remembered that before he closed the door, although the alley outside was as quiet as usual, and there wasn't even a shadow of a person, the street lamps were still on. Moreover, the moonlight tonight was very beautiful, and the moon was very big.
How long had it been!
There was a thick fog outside, and even the light of the street lamps couldn't be seen.
However, he didn't take it to heart. After all, the weather these days was getting more and more abnormal.
It often rained for half a month, and it would dry for two months at a time.
"Excuse me..." Ling Ping'an looked at the woman in front of him and asked, "Are you here to buy books?"
… …
Han Li looked at the man in front of her warily.
His body looked very thin and ordinary, as if she could strangle him to death with a finger.
But...
His face was shrouded in a layer of fog that no one could see through. Only a pair of metal-framed glasses was exposed.
Under the two thin lenses was a pair of pitch-black eyes. Some kind of heart-palpitating fire flickered in them.
This made her swallow a mouthful of saliva.
The nervousness and uneasiness in her heart rose to the peak.
Fortunately, Han Li was a hunter who wandered in danger and terror. She had seen countless terrifying and scalp-numbing things in the world.
Therefore, she knew that in the face of such an unprecedented situation, she should be calm and try her best to avoid angering the existence in front of her.
She took a deep breath and tried her best to calm herself down. She tried her best to use the calmest tone and asked, "Do you sell books here?"
She carefully held her eyes and looked behind the man.
All she saw was a space that was as boundless as an abyss, dark and silent.
Everything around her seemed to be shrouded in an uneasy atmosphere.
There seemed to be pairs of strange eyes spying on her in the darkness, sizing her up with ill intentions.
How was this a bookstore?
It was clearly a nightmare hell, the devil's lair!
Han Li's face instantly turned pale. Nervousness and uneasiness immediately filled her body and mind.
… …
Ling Ping'an looked at the woman in front of him strangely.
It was a little hard to understand.
"Why is she so nervous?"
"It's just buying books, what's the big deal? She's acting like a thief, so nervous... "
Looking at her outfit, Ling Ping'an laughed. He roughly understood, so he laughed, "Customer, I have the book you want here..."
"Do you want to take a look?"
In recent years, with the popularity of various animations and e-sports, role-playing had gradually become popular.
Many cute ladies had made a lot of money because of this.
However, there were still many parents who felt that role-playing was immoral and not doing proper work.
The woman in front of him was probably the kind of person who loved role-playing but was opposed by her parents and could only secretly learn to dress up, right?
This could be seen from the way she was dressed.
Although it looked like she had put in effort to dress up, in fact, even a layman like Ling Ping'an could see it.
There was no essence!
… …
Han Li raised her head and looked at the blurry face in front of her. It was as if all her secrets had been seen through.
She swallowed hard and nodded carefully.
… …
"Customer, please wait a moment!" Ling Ping'an turned around and walked to the bookshelf.
He walked to the end of the bookshelf and carefully picked out a book from a row of reference books.
He looked at the title of the book seriously.
"The Secrets of Role-Playing" was a very authoritative role-playing book in the Federation. There were many exquisite illustrations in it. More importantly, it also had a tutorial, which was very suitable for beginners to read.
Holding this book, Ling Ping'an walked in front of the customer and handed the book over, "Customer, you can take a look... This book should be very suitable for your current needs..."
… …
Han Li watched as the man with a blurry face turned around and walked into a dark abyss.
As he walked into the abyss, Han Li saw something that looked like asphalt squirming in the abyss. Then, the man's figure completely disappeared from her sight.
Han Li wanted to seize this opportunity to escape this terrifying and strange place.
However, just as she turned around, she saw a pair of twisted evil eyes waiting for her on the door.
Immediately, she didn't even dare to move.
She could only stand there in a daze.
A moment later, Han Li saw the man's figure walk out of the darkness.
He was holding an evil crimson book in his hand.
The cover of the book was blood-red, as if there was blood surging from it. In a trance, Han Li even saw something that looked like blood vessels densely covered it.
He handed the book over and said in a tone as easy-going as a real bookstore owner, "Customer, you can take a look... This book should be very suitable for your current needs..."
However, when Han Li heard this, she only felt that this was an order.
If she didn't read it... she would die.
Han Li had no choice but to reach out and take the crimson book that was obviously not a good thing. Her palm immediately felt a boiling temperature.
There seemed to be something like magma flowing in the book.
Her body trembled as she lowered her head and carefully looked at the cover of the book.
Countless ravings immediately filled her brain.
Therefore, she also knew the name of this book: "Lower Abyss Research Report".
A book that recorded forbidden knowledge.
Han Li's hands trembled as she flipped open the cover of the book. Black worms wriggled on the pages of the book, forming evil and terrifying words, outlining forbidden pictures.
The ravings from the nightmares of hell echoed in her ears.
He stuffed those terrifying words and taboo pictures into Han Li's mind.
Thus, Han Li knew what kind of knowledge those terrifying words and taboo pictures carried.
This was a book that recorded more than a hundred kinds of forbidden knowledge about ghosts and evil spirits.
Not only did the book record the forbidden knowledge about those ghosts and evil spirits, but it also recorded how to deprive them of their power, make them into potions, and use special methods to consume them.
… …
Ling Ping'an looked at the girl in front of him, who was trembling and about to cry because she had finally gotten the professional books she wanted. He was also very gratified.
Everyone had hobbies.
For example, he always liked to write online novels. Although he had always been a flop and didn't earn any money, he was often ridiculed by people who knew.
But liking was liking.
As long as it didn't affect others and didn't hinder the public order and morals of society, Ling Ping'an felt that outsiders shouldn't point fingers at other people's personal hobbies.
With this experience, he had developed some empathy and knew how to empathize with others.
Thus, he walked to the water dispenser, poured a cup of water, handed it to the woman in black, and said softly, "How is it? Do you like it?"
… …
Han Li found it hard to describe her feelings at the moment.
Afraid?
Fear?
Happy?
Happiness?
She didn't know.
But there was one thing she was very clear about. The book in her hand was the hope of the world.
The hope to bring the deformed world back on track after the Cataclysm.
The hope for the world to return to the golden age that his father and grandfather spoke of.
There were no ghosts or evil spirits.
A girl her age could freely study, socialize, and fall in love in the university campus.
Not like this.
It was a world that was falling apart, and everyone was living in fear and nightmares.
People like her had no choice but to bear the last hope of mankind.
Walking in the midst of terror and danger, bearing the consequences of aberration at any time.
"What do you think? Do you like it? "A gentle male voice came into her ears, and a glass of water was handed to her.
Han Li raised her head and saw flames rising in the pitch-black eyes of the man with a blurry face.
She quickly bowed deeply to him, "Thank you, I like this book very much!"
"May I ask …" Han Li raised her head and asked sincerely, "What price should I pay to obtain it?"
… …
Ling Ping 'an smiled as he looked at the girl in front of him, who was filled with the aura of a chuunibyou.
"She's too immersed in her role!" He thought to himself.
But he didn't mean to mock or ridicule her at all.
Young people, who hadn't been chuunibyou before?
Therefore, he only honestly offered a price, "Thank you, 55 yuan!"
It was a very fair price.
… …
Han Li's mood was extremely nervous.
She knew that there was nothing in this world that didn't require a price.
Just like demon hunters, in order to hunt ghosts and evil spirits, they had no choice but to seal a ghost or evil spirit in their bodies.
They used their power to expel ghosts and evil spirits.
But the result was that the ghost sealed in their bodies would break out of the seal.
It was a nightmare for demon hunters to become humans.
And this book, this taboo book, recorded the taboo knowledge of more than a hundred kinds of ghosts and evil spirits. There was also a way to deprive them of their power and then completely destroy them.
Therefore, Han Li didn't know if she could afford the price.
While she was nervous, Han Li heard the other party's answer, "Thank you, 55 yuan …"
Hearing this answer, Han Li frowned.
55 yuan?
Money?
Impossible!
She looked at the person in front of her and the abyss-like void behind him.
Would such an existence need such a low-level currency like money?
Perhaps, there was a hidden meaning.
So, what did he mean by fifty-five yuan?
Han Li couldn't understand no matter how she thought about it.
But she really wanted the book in her hands too much.
Therefore, her face turned red, she gritted her teeth, and endured the pain to remove the short blade and the scabbard from her waist.
She placed it in front of the person and bowed deeply, "Can I exchange this for this book with you?"
…..
Ling Ping 'an looked at the short blade that the girl handed over.
It was an extremely exquisite knife. The scabbard was wrapped in real leather, and the hilt was inlaid with yellow and green stones.
"That's not very good …" Ling Ping 'an said softly.
This short blade should be the other party's love.
Ling Ping 'an knew that role-playing enthusiasts had fanatical feelings for the equipment of some anime, movies, and games characters.
Therefore, he guessed that this short blade should be the equipment of a character that the girl in front of him liked very much.
He couldn't do something like snatching someone's love.
Moreover, what was the use of this role-playing thing?
Was it a decoration?
"Please accept it!" The girl bowed deeply.
She seemed to think for a moment, took out a bag of tea-like things from her pocket and handed it over, "This is the most valuable thing I have other than this spirit blade!"
Ling Ping 'an immediately felt some pity when he heard this.
"Poor child …" He couldn't help but imagine a child who loved role-playing but ran away from home because of her parents' opposition. She wandered the streets late at night and finally found professional books, but because of her lack of money, she had no choice but to pawn everything that she thought was the most precious on her body.
After thinking for a moment, Ling Ping 'an finally accepted the things that the other party handed over.
"I'll keep these two things for you first …" Ling Ping 'an tried his best to use the most gentle tone and said to the other party, "You can take the book away first …"
"Go home early …"
"Your family should be looking for you …"
Han Li raised her head and looked at the man with a blurry face. The flames in his eyes were extinguishing bit by bit.
"Is this the way to send the guest off?" She thought to herself.
Thus, he bowed deeply, gripped the book in his hand tightly, and turned around in fear.
The evil eye at the door had disappeared without a trace.
Han Li took a deep breath and walked forward bravely.
…..
He watched as the girl in black walked out of the door.
Ling Ping 'an put the short blade that the other party had pawned and the bag of tea leaves into the counter and locked it.
Then, he walked to the shutter door and looked outside.
It was still a thick fog. He could only vaguely see the girl in black walking in the fog.
Thinking about it, it was so late and the fog was so thick.
The girl looked to be at most seventeen or eighteen years old.
He was somewhat worried in his heart. Although the security in Jiangcheng City had always been good.
However, it was not very safe for such a girl to walk alone in such a thick fog. What if she missed her step and fell into some sewer?
After thinking for a moment, Ling Ping 'an picked up a flashlight from the counter and turned it on. A strong light immediately shone out from the flashlight.
Thus, he picked up the flashlight and chased after her.
"Customer … customer …"
…..
Han Li walked out of the strange bookstore door and immediately felt relieved.
Then, she carefully walked back in the direction she came from.
Her hands were tightly holding the book in her hands.
Even though it was boiling hot, it made her hands hurt.
The thick fog around her was getting thicker and thicker.
This made her a little unable to tell the direction and see what was ahead. She could only rely on her memory to move forward in the direction she came from.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Customer … customer …"
Han Li turned around and saw the strange man in the bookstore running all the way to her with something in his hand.
His face was still indistinct, which made him look even stranger in the thick fog.
In his eyes under the glasses, flames were burning like never before, as dazzling as the sun.
"With such a thick fog, you definitely can't see the direction clearly …" The strange man stuffed the thing in his hand into Han Li's hand. "Take this and go home early!"
Han Li took the thing.
It was a flashlight.
It was very ordinary and common.
Han Li held it and shone it forward. The thick fog seemed to be thinned by the lightning.
It allowed her to finally recognize the way back.
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