Exiting the grand hotel and into the night street, a chilling wind filled with malicious energy blew past. Signaling the end for certain ghosts and the start of tonight's hunt. Chu Nuan glanced at two differing directions before choosing the road on the right, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, vibrant indigo orbs gradually envelope the surrounding area. Flickering on and off like fireflies on a summer night, they chase after the bounding figure on the roof.
Choosing to stop on one of the taller buildings, Chu Nuan closed her eyes and relaxed herself. Instantly, countless orbs encased around her figure to form a large glowing sphere. Blinding light illuminates the area, but mysteriously fails to attract attention from passing people.
Allowing the flood of information to flow in, numerous childish voices resounded near her ears.
"There's one over there!"
"The place I'm dwelling in has a whole group!"
"The owner of the house I'm staying at said his sister's boyfriend's friend's aunt said that there is something strange going on in her daughter's house!"
"Your Honor, shall we continue to follow?"
Excitement, respect, and impatience intermingle as these small globes await their next set of orders.
Small, weak, and lacking in physical existence, these creatures are annalists from Hell. Tiny beings that travel between worlds for the sake of recording and witnessing the deeds of every living entity. After a book is filled to the brim with the act of each individual till death, the logbook is then delivered to Hell for the responding officer to arrange then delivered to one of the Kings.
Due to their isolating nature and immeasurable wisdom, very few choose to listen to the order of others. But now, they gather together for the sake of one person. One globe emerges after another as they quickly join the sphere, enlarge the shape further in range and light.
Listening patiently to the clamor of voices, Chu Nuan made a mental list of every location occupied with ghosts. Mapping out the route and amount of time needed to complete each visit, she took a step to leave when an arriving orb changed her actions.
"I found the person you are looking for."
____________
Distinct noise rang out from a nearby alley, a falling trash can, hissing cats, and the ruckus of objects colliding with one another. Muffled groans of pain and elated laughter came in the same direction.
From the view above, a group of burly men surrounds a youth huddled in a fetal position. Struck with one hit followed by another, the youth seems oblivious to the barrage of insults and pain.
"...."
———
Enduring the rain of kicks and punches, Ao Tian tried his best to protect his head from being injured. Just a little more he thought, a little more and they will leave him alone. To others, this might be the scene where a group of bad tempered hooligans target an innocent victim.
But this wasn't a coincidence. He understood better than anyone else that this is nothing but premeditated assault. From the first time he endured till now, there are probably more to come.
"Putoo!" Finally satisfied with their work of art, the crowd of gangsters prepared to withdraw. One of its members kindly left a glob of spit behind as a farewell present. Amidst the commotion of rowdy laughter and shouts, the backstreet recovers its calm.
Minutes ticked by as the sound of footsteps gradually dissolve and the body left behind twitched. Crawling back up from the cold cement, the scent of blood and sweat disperse as a breeze sweeps past. Clearing his muddled brain, Ao Tian brushed the dirt and remnants of trash away from his clothes. Lifting his head up whilst trying to stand upright, a pair of shoes entered his vision. Surprised, a sudden presence reached out from the shadows.
The figure standing in the darkness extended out a bag of tissue. Colored by a nearby street lamp, the hand that reached out seems to take on a warm orange hue. Small hand, pale arm, and slender fingers, a woman.
"Boss, your bar is open?" The woman's voice is like a stream of cold water, clear without murk and flowing leisurely without care.
Drawn by such a voice, Ao Tian pauses a little before reaching out for the bag of tissue. Wiping the bloodstains off his clothes and face, he replied, " open."
Hesitating as if remembering something, he observed his disheveled state. "But you need to wait a moment, is that okay?" At first, he wasn't planning on opening due to what happened a moment ago . But for some reason, the mysterious pull coming from the person in front of him changed his mind. He wants her to stay and accompany him for a short while. But first and foremost, he needs a new set of clothes before serving this customer.
Peering into the darkness, the only thing visible is a pair of shiny black shoes and a pair of eyes flickering with gold specks. Nervousness led his body to become stiff as those eyes landed on his face. Being observed from top to bottom, he breathed a sigh of relief when those eyes lowered.
"Okay." One short word, but clear enough as an answer.
Ao Tian quickly entered through the back door of the alley, as he shouted for a 10 minute wait time. Changing his clothes while putting everything in order, he opened the door to welcome his only customer for the night.
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Chu Nuan entered the bar named Heaven leisurely. A small comfortable bar with limited seats. Large enough to fit around 20 people, small enough to manage with one or two people.
Choosing a seat at the counter, a glass of cocktail is placed in front of her.
"As thanks for your bag of tissue." A voice filled with laughter sounded out.
Chu Nuan glanced at the colorful drink before taking a sip, flavorful fruit along with a hint of liquor entered her mouth. This is a beverage with very low alcohol content, a perfect drink to express gratitude without hidden intentions.
Understanding the underlying meaning behind this cocktail, her eyes turn to peer silently at the man in front of her. Semi long curly hair with a gentle smile and laughing eyes. His exceptional face marred with purple and blue bruises causes his smile to look a little stiff. Golden rimmed glasses are cracked on one side and bent in an awkward angle. All in all, he looks especially worse for wear.
At the same moment Chu Nuan observes the man, Ao Tian is also observing Chu Nuan. Short black hair and cute almond eyes. The Chu Nuan who came out from the darkness seems to have lost the golden specks from her eyes. But a different kind of gleam replaced the flickering gold. A young woman in her early 20's wearing a tranquil expression with glistening black orbs filled with untold wisdom, truly mysterious.
Letting the last of her sip swirl in her mouth before swallowing, Chu Nuan stood up nonchalantly. "Thank you for the drink Boss." She said while moving towards the exit.
"Will you come back?" Ao Tian asked with a dismal voice, feeling a little dejected to see her leave.
"I'll see you again." Her voice resounded in the empty bar, cold, but comforting nonetheless. The hand reaching for the entrance door paused, and as if sensing something, Chu Nuan immediately moved to the side. Confusing the Ao Tian who's looking her way, "what's…."
Prior to finishing his sentence, a woman donned in an expensive looking dress rushed in, "Ao Tian!" A panicky voice shouted, causing the man at the counter to wrinkle his brows.
Just as the woman rushed past, noticing the Chu Nuan standing near the door, her eyes quickly scanned from top to bottom before proceeding to run forward. Too lazy to care about such rude displays of behavior, Chu Nuan reached for the door once again.
"I'll see you soon!" The voice of Ao Tian echoed after her disappearing back.