Chapter 12

Thank you sol10 for the power stones. I just saw the notification. Thank you for your support.

Lin Lang grabbed his arm, pulled up his sleeve, and saw his upper arm covered in shimmering bite marks.

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The sky was like a thick black mist, pressing down heavily, with only a hint of moonlight like a light veil, turning everything into ink-black shadows at a glance.

As Fang Ji got closer to home, he could see the light in the main hall still on from a distance, its dim yellow glow piercing through the darkness, lonely amidst the black.

It was already past 2 AM, and Fang Ji entered the house quietly. He saw Lin Lang dozing off at the table. Upon hearing the noise, Lin Lang lifted his head abruptly, his expression slightly relaxed upon seeing Fang Ji.

Fang Ji paused his steps and said, "Didn't I say I'd be back late today? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I... I was afraid I'd wake up halfway and couldn't sleep," Lin Lang said. "Have you eaten?"

"Not hungry," Fang Ji smiled awkwardly. "Is there water? It's dark at night, and I accidentally fell again, got covered in mud. I want to take a shower first."

"No problem," Lin Lang got up and headed outside. "You sit for a while. I'll go to the kitchen and heat some water." After saying that, he lifted the curtain and walked out. Soon, sounds came from the kitchen. Fang Ji's smile faded slightly as he turned to look in the direction of the inner room. He saw the door ajar, revealing a thin line of light.

A Shui stood behind the door, quickly glancing at him through the crack before lowering her head, about to close the door.

Before it closed completely, it encountered resistance. She froze, looking up, and saw Fang Ji holding onto the door panel, pulling it open.

She was startled and glanced beyond Fang Ji's shoulder, anxiously looking outside.

"It's fine, he's gone for now," Fang Ji said, lifting her hand and examining it closely. After a moment, he saw that most of the frostbite on her hand had healed, leaving only a few faint red marks. His expression eased.

A Shui's gaze shifted, landing on Fang Ji's face. "...Brother?"

"I'm okay," Fang Ji lifted his head, giving her a faint smile. "I've been holding back for too long. I really wanted to talk to you for a while."

A Shui furrowed her brows and whispered, "Brother, where did you go so late? Could it be..."

"After we get back, I'll tell you slowly."

A Shui stared at his face, about to say something else, but Fang Ji quickly made a gesture for her to be quiet. "He's coming back soon. Eat your meal properly. From now on, just like before, don't talk to me." He looked at A Shui's face, tightly holding her hand. "Even if I have to die, I'll take you home."

After Fang Ji finished showering, Lin Lang had already laid down to sleep. The coal lamp was dimming. Fang Ji lay down beside him, wearing his clothes.

He half-opened his eyes, watching the flickering dim light in the lamp, seemingly struggling in its final battle against the darkness. After a short while, it finally couldn't hold on, extinguishing with only a wisp of misty white vapor rising up. In the blink of an eye, even that wisp was devoured by the night.

Outside the window, the evening darkness grew heavier, overwhelming all the lights – lamplight, moonlight, starlight – engulfing everything and all shadows. Suddenly, a few blood-red lights emerged on the horizon, aligned in pairs, casting a distorted and monstrous giant face. Several gray rats moved restlessly on the face, their eyes blood-red, ceaselessly gnawing at the face.

Squeak... squeak...

Sounds of gnawing and scratching started, and Fang Ji followed the sound, seeing Wang Quan's face, blurred and covered in blood. His pitch-black eyes were fixedly staring at Fang Ji.

Grr... grr...

The two cracked lips trembled, emitting intermittent short sounds from the throat. Pieces of the skin on his face began to peel off, like decaying berries oozing liquid, revealing the red muscle texture underneath. Suddenly, he raised his hand and grabbed Fang Ji's arm, his long and sharp nails piercing into his flesh. The skin and flesh split open, and blood flowed out instantly, exposing the white bones underneath. Fang Ji stared coldly at him, also raising his hand to grip Wang Quan's throat. Wang Quan made a muffled groan, his poisoned gaze locked onto Fang Ji's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fang Ji! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Fang Ji's expression remained unchanged as he exerted force. A cracking sound was heard, and Wang Quan's neck tilted, slumping to the side, the light in his eyes suddenly dimming. Fang Ji's eyes darkened, just as he was about to let go, Wang Quan's head suddenly moved, his lips curled into a sinister smile, corners pulled up all the way to his ears, revealing a malevolent grin.

Fang Ji's expression changed, and the shattered red shadows vanished abruptly, as a girl's voice sounded from the shadows:

"Brother? Who did this?!"

Fang Ji froze for a moment, only to see that the face transformed into that of a young girl. She grabbed his arm, her gaze fixed on his lips, her face filled with annoyance.

His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively pulled his arm back, his gaze falling on the girl in front of him, who was half a head shorter. He stammered, "No... nothing!"

"And you're still saying nothing happened?" The girl tightly held his wrist, pointing at the black scratches on his arm, scolding him sharply, "Do you think I'm blind?!"

Fang Ji swallowed hard, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, "I... I accidentally did it myself. Really, I'm fine."

The girl stared at him, not saying anything for a long time. Fang Ji bit his lower lip, averting his gaze from her. "I'm tired, you should go to sleep too."

The girl remained silent for a while, before finally blurting out, "Fine!" She let go of his hand, tucking his arm under the blanket, and ordered, "Turn off the light and sleep! I'm going back to my room!"

With a snap, the room plunged into darkness. Fang Ji wrapped himself in the blanket, curling up, holding his arm that throbbed with pain, tears silently rolling down his cheeks.

...

"Let go of me, damn it!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the darkness, causing him to shiver. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a school corridor. Not far away, a crowd had gathered, and children's cries of surprise could be heard from all around.

He lowered his head, avoiding the children running past to join the commotion, and silently walked in the opposite direction of the crowd towards the classroom.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm, touching his wound in the process. His heart skipped a beat, and he raised his other hand to clutch his head tightly, trembling as he stammered, "No... don't!"

"Fang Ji! What are you doing?!" a girl's voice rang out.

Fang Ji was taken aback and looked up to see a girl from his class tugging at him with an excited expression. She pointed towards the end of the corridor, saying, "Quick, go and see! Your sister's gone crazy! She's biting people like a dog!"

Startled, he followed her finger's direction and saw his sister hanging onto a boy who was three heads taller than her. She was fiercely biting onto his arm. Fang Ji's gaze landed on the boy's face, and he froze in place.

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, and he raised his fist, punching the girl's forehead. The girl took the blow head-on, her forehead turning red instantly, but she didn't let go. The boy's arm, however, was in intense pain, and blood flowed down his arm, forming a small pool of blood on the ground. He screamed in agony, collapsed to the ground, mouth twisted in pain, sobbing and crying out. While crying, he reached for the girl's face, squeezing it harshly, pulling and twisting it, attempting to yank her off him. The girl narrowed her eyes, then suddenly shook her head violently like a dog. The boy's screams immediately changed in pitch.

At first, the surrounding students were intrigued by the commotion, but when they saw the blood, they were instantly stunned. They screamed and scattered in all directions.

Several teachers, following the sound, came out as well. As soon as they saw the scene, they were shocked and hurriedly tried to pull the girl away.

However, the more they pulled, the more agonized the boy's screams became. Fang Ji stood there, staring at the scene before him, trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly, one of the teachers noticed him and quickly grabbed his hand, urgently saying, "Fang Ji! Quickly tell your sister to let go!"

"No..." Fang Ji stared at the boy's face, his expression full of fear. "I don't want to!"

"Hurry, go! Your sister is hurt too!"

Fang Ji's face turned pale, and he suddenly exerted force, pulling his hand back. "No!"

Just as he finished speaking, the boy let out a roar. Fang Ji's heart suddenly raced, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground. When he looked up again, he saw blood welling up in the boy's eyes. Suddenly, the boy fiercely glared at the girl, then lifted his elbow and slammed it onto her head.

Fang Ji's breath caught, and he watched as blood surged from the girl's forehead, flowing into her eyes.

There was a moment of silence all around, followed by an explosion of noise. Everyone was shouting. Fang Ji sat paralyzed on the cold ground, watching countless legs rushing before his eyes, the cries piercing his ears, and then receding like a tide. He saw the girl's face covered in blood, slowly turning her head to glance in his direction.

Fang Ji held his breath. He saw her abdomen rapidly swell, bursting through her uniform's hem, revealing a series of grotesque purple-black stretch marks. Her body shriveled rapidly as if drained, her cheekbones protruding, her face gray-white. Her hands, as thin as chicken claws, trembled. Her pale yellow hair was wild like severed stems in late autumn. She was drenched in blood, and her eyes seemed like a cold pool of stagnant water. Two lines of bloody tears rolled down her face and landed on her swollen belly.

Fang Ji's expression froze in an instant. He stared blankly at her, his legs still trembling weakly, and he stammered, "Fang..."

"Fang Ji?! Fang Ji!"

Fang Ji suddenly opened his eyes, the gory dream shattered and dispersed. He stared straight ahead, dazedly looking at the emptiness before him, as if he had lost his soul. Suddenly, he sat up abruptly.

Lin Lang stared at him in astonishment, about to say something, but then he saw him raise his upper arm and bite into his own arm.

"Fang Ji?!" Lin Lang's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly grabbed his hand, exclaiming, "Let go! What are you doing?!"

Fang Ji's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaved violently, and he bit down on the flesh of his arm as if in a frenzy, blood surged out abruptly.

"Fang Ji!" Lin Lang quickly tried to pry his teeth apart. "Let go! Don't do this!"

Fang Ji's expression changed, and he finally released his grip, raising his eyes to look at Lin Lang's face. His gaze gradually cleared. "...Lin Lang?"

Lin Lang grabbed his arm, quickly feeling around, his heart sinking as he pulled up his sleeve to see his upper arm covered in shimmering bite marks, almost no unmarred flesh left. Besides the fresh bite, several other areas had already healed. He usually covered them with his sleeves, so they were completely hidden.

Lin Lang's face turned pale in an instant. Fang Ji pulled his arm back and lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment.

The air grew still. After a while, Fang Ji managed to force a smile. "I just had a dream. I dreamt that I turned into a dog..."

Lin Lang stared at him silently, his expression hard to read. Fang Ji's voice faltered, and he pulled the blanket over, trying to sound appeasing. "So... let's sleep, alright? I won't stir up anything, okay...?"

Lin Lang continued to look at him. Fang Ji shifted his gaze away. He was about to lie down when Lin Lang's arm moved slightly. Fang Ji blinked and saw him slowly raise his hand, hesitantly bringing it close to his own sides, as if wanting to embrace him but seeking his consent at the same time.

Fang Ji didn't move, and Lin Lang swallowed nervously. His arm tightened gradually, pulling Fang Ji into an embrace.

Fang Ji's eyes flickered, and he lowered his head, burying his face in Lin Lang's shoulder. "If you wanted to hug me, you could have just said so. Why be so cautious? I won't hit you!"

He said that, but his words trembled slightly. He raised his hand, gently caressing Lin Lang's back. He felt the stiff tension in Lin Lang's posture gradually relax, his arms tightening around Fang Ji a bit more.

"There's no one here except you and me. You can cry if you want," Lin Lang suddenly spoke.

"I won't cry."

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Lin Lang paused, lightly rubbing his fingertip against his own skin, feeling the slight indentation of bite marks, causing his fingertips to warm slightly. "If you want to talk about it, you can."

Fang Ji smiled, hugging him a little tighter. "If you're willing to go with me, I'll tell you."

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Tn: After that gory scene we finally got some sweetness, huh?