Returning to where Chu Nuan is…..
Treated to the highest honor possible in this extravagant casino she arrived at. Chu Nuan sat on a single seated couch on the side of this private room. Installed with a full bar, an area to play darts along with a large gambling table in the middle. She instead chose to sit on the corner of the room where sofas are placed.
Legs crossed casually over one another, her left hand loosely clasped around the rim of a cup while another holds a glowing mirror. Before they parted ways, Chu Nuan gifted Xie Luochen a winter coat. Other than the fact that this coat is a powerful defensive gear, an additional purpose had been installed.
Staring intently into the mirror, the image of Xie Luochen polishing his daggers appeared on the screen. From him carefully putting on the coat she gave him, to his slow purposeful walk on the streets. Every single action is witnessed by Chu Nuan with the only flaw being her inability to hear the voices from the screen.
Intense concentration made her oblivious to the arrival of someone new.
Walking in with strong confident steps, a man wearing a sapphire colored suit came in haste. Broad shoulders, long legs, short brown hair paired with phoenix eyes and thin lips. Although slightly out of breath, his eyes lit up with joy the moment its gaze landed on the woman sitting on the couch. Taking a deep breath of air, the man smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothing before heading to where Chu Nuan is.
Folding his arms while lifting his chin up in a 60 degree angle, the man snorted with blatant contempt. But the words that came out of his mouth contained a certain amount of coyness. "Hmph! Chu Nuan, you're finally here after one thousand four hundred and forty-four hours, twenty-four minutes and twelve seconds. But don't flatter yourself into thinking I've been waiting for you. Today just happened to be a free day off for me, that's all."
Expecting a reaction to be given only to receive silence in return, a feeling of being neglected suddenly welled up. Eyes reddening with an aggrieved surge of unjust, he pouted. "Hey-"
"Crack!"
To his absolute horror, the cup in Chu Nuan's hand starts to develop thin cracks. At each passing second, the fissure began to grow in number until it shattered with a loud clang. Half the cup burst into dust while the other half fell onto the ground into countless shards.
_________
Following Xie Luochen's journey into the nightclub, Chu Nuan's mood can still be considered relaxed while looking at the two youths eating leisurely. Even offering a light chuckle when Lei Lin tried to steal a piece from Xie Luochen's plate, only to get his stolen instead. Their small bantering serves to lighten her terrible mood. She never once questioned the motive behind them going to a nightclub instead of staying at the hotel. The first reason lies in the trust built on Xie Luochen's character and the second reason came from the expressions worn on their faces. She cannot believe someone who's on the verge of falling asleep after eating is out there to pick up wild flowers (women).
So what became the problem?
The complications started when a group of alluring females approached with purposeful steps. Heavy makeup, short dresses that reveal large amounts of flesh, and glowering gazes filled with the intent to prey. They act as if a group of old friends joining a gathering while naturally sitting beside the two men.
Taking every within plain view, Chu Nuan's fingers unconsciously exert strength onto the rim of her drink. Pale slender digits furl into the sides of its solid material and pierced gradually like a knife slicing into tofu. So effortless and gentle that for a second, caused the misconception of it being an illusion.
But the creaking sound of something on the verge of demolition sounded clearly within this silent room. Informing others, especially the man shivering behind Chu Nuan the truth, it's not a hallucination.
Carefully making his way behind the raging woman, the man peeked discreetly over her shoulders. Seeing the familiar face shown on the reflective screen, he couldn't help but shout in surprise, "isn't that the Young Master?!"
Abruptly realizing the lack of tact when a fatal glare shot his way, he immediately covered his mouth with both hands and retreated in fear. After waiting a few minutes to see her lack of response, he held his breath as his steps moved closer once again for a better look.
It really is the Young Master! But why is he in a club with those women? They know each other? Hey, hey?! What is that woman doing? Too close, too close! Ahhh!!! The young master is giving Her Honor a green hat!
Crack!
The cup in Chu Nuan's hand disperse into dust as the scene of Xie Luochen smiling with a beguiling touch displays itself onto the mirror's surface. Followed by their group leaving the club, the recording chased them all the way to the nearest hotel.
Ending with the shrill death cry of an innocent cup, the room returned to heavy stillness. Chu Nuan sat motionlessly on the couch with eyes closed as though asleep. The mirror left on the side disappeared bit by bit with a swipe of her hand.
Knowing the anger brewing and not willing to receive the brunt of its force, the handsome man knelt beside the couch. Similar to a child who'd done wrong, he lowered his head with his two hands resting formally on his thighs. Calculating the amount of time needed to stay in the same position before being allowed to get up. A duration of around ten minutes passed before the sound of Chu Nuan's gloomy voice echoed into his ears, shocking him back to reality. "Sit."
Even without fully processing the command, his body moved before his mind. Sitting upright with faint joy, the man beamed at the woman in front of him, pondering what to say.
In a terrible mood, Chu Nuan's eyes narrowed dangerously, "if you need to fart, then fart, I don't have time for you."
"Yes…" that man answered at first with sunken shoulders, but suddenly as if remembering something, he straightened his back and crossed his arms with an arrogant expression. "Chu Nuan, don't forget, I was the one who called you here. This is technically my territory right now. You should know-" before completing his sentence, dagger-like glares rush in his direction. "Should know how to make yourself comfortable. Haha, that's right!....."
"...." Looking wordlessly at the idiot in front of her, a sigh could only escape with the shake of her head. "Return with me."
"No!" As if receiving an order to die the man shook his head rapidly in defiance. "I'm not leaving yet. I invited you here for a duel. Unless you win against me, otherwise, want to bring me back? In your dreams!" As if a warrior ready to fight to his death, the man glared alertly at Chu Nuan. Ready to bolt whenever necessary.
Sighing tiredly at the childish tantrum, a small thought flashed through her mind. Peering at the man with droopy eyes, she asked, "you didn't run away from Hell just because you lost that poker game, did you?"
Pupils shaking unnaturally, the man stuttered, "o-of course not! Why would I get upset over a small game like that. Besides, you cheated, I could have won in different circumstances." Feeling a little uncertain, the act of reaching out to hug the nearest cushion is enough to show his real thoughts..
"Oh." Fully reading into his logic, but too lazy to care, she replied without interest. "So, what do you want to play? Another game of poker?"
Shaking his head enthusiastically, he replied, "I'm sure you felt the unusual amount of negative energy in the air. Recently I found a few unauthorized doors to the underworld. Many small ghosts escaped through those gateways, causing the influx of energy."
"Hm? I didn't receive any reports on it."
"It could be that the amount of ghosts that managed to escape is only 1/10000 of the many entering Hell. Plus with the bridge being repaired, a good deal of personnel are transferred as manual labor. It's normal to not notice so quickly."
"That right, thanks to a certain someone, trouble keeps piling up."
"...haha…." scratching his head sheepishly, his lips twitched. "The rules are simple, right now, it is 7o'clock, within five hours, whoever captures the most ghosts within this time frame wins."
Looking seriously at Chu Nuan, he continued, " I know you have a lot of unanswered questions. I will patiently explain later, but right now, give me a chance. Give me this chance to prove my worth to you."
Returning his serious stare, Chu Nuan looked at him motionlessly before standing up from her seat. "I'll indulge you this one time." She said while walking towards the door.
"Let the game begin." Her voice lingers even though her back view has long disappeared.