Ten minutes ago, Red Raven casually pressed the prayer beads hidden in his palm against Mowen's fresh blood, then swung them forcefully. The beads struck the wall with the impact of a cannonball hitting a bullseye.
The wall bore a large red circle with the word"Demolish" inside. This was a mark set during the demolition phase before the house renovation, now turned into Red Raven's target.
"Bang!" The prayer beads didn't shatter the wall but instead triggered a ripple, spreading out like waves on water.
I knew it!" Red Raven exclaimed, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room. His eyes sparkled with excitement, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. The pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place, confirming his long-held suspicion.
With a flick of his right hand, Red Raven shook a snow-white object from his amulet, which transformed into a white fox upon touching the ground. It was unclear whether his command,'Go through the wall!' was directed at the fox or Mowen.
Mowen, dazed, wondered if he meant"go through the wall" or"go through the war." It shouldn't be the wall, should it?
Seeing the white fox charging towards the red circle without hesitation, he panicked. Red Raven must said"go through the war," not"go through the wall." The fox, misunderstanding, would surely crash headfirst into the wall.
Instinctively, Mowen tried to stop the fox, but it crouched, accelerated, and leapt, seemingly diving into the rippling wall, disappearing into the red circle. Still in shock, Mowen couldn't believe the fox had vanished.
"Hurry up!" a monk urged from behind. So, it was"go through the wall" after all.
Gritting his teeth, Mowen took a few running steps and dashed towards the red circle. Suddenly, he skidded to a halt and touched the circle. It was indeed a solid wall.
"How can anyone pass through this? Good thing I didn't rush," he thought.
Just as Mowen was about to turn around, a foot landed on his backside, shoving him into the circle. He fell headfirst in a"dog eating mud" pose onto a patch of yellow soil, lying there for a long time before realizing he had passed through the stone wall.
Struggling to his feet, he saw the white fox urging him onward with a soft whine."Give me a moment," he sighed."That kick was brutal! I'll get even someday."
Limping a few steps, Mowen noted that Red Raven's kick had been skillful, avoiding any serious injury. Looking around, he found himself in a completely different place, no longer the familiar alley. Glancing back at the wall, he saw a faint ripple slowly shrinking.
Looking around, where is this? It's no longer the alleyway from before. Turning back to look at the wall, an unnoticeable ripple of water is continuously shrinking. Mowen curiously leaned in, wanting to touch it again, but his hands just caught a pair of large buttocks.
"Wow, that's a large posterior!"
The robust body of the Red Raven was held in his arms in a strange posture, and then the two of them fell backward together.
With a tiger's leap, Red Raven stood up, curiously looking back at himself who had traveled through the alleyway in reverse, wondering how he ended up on a soft cushion.
"Stay away! You're a vampire! You've bitten me, and now I'll become one too!" Mowen cried, tears in his voice as he imagined his future flashing before him.
His teeth would grow long, and he'd never enjoy good food again. He'd be forced to hunt and drink human blood to survive, forever deprived of garlic shrimp, garlic noodles, roasted garlic.
"Buddy, just kidding. I couldn't resist!" Red Raven laughed, removing a vampire fang prosthetic from his mouth and tossing it to Mowen."Christmas toy, five bucks each!"
After a moment, Mowen grumbled,"You always carry this with you?"
"It's not often I get out. This is called carrying a gimmick, earning some pocket money. Now the sky is about to light up, you go find a place to eat first, I'll arrange our accommodation for the next few days!"
"Us?"
"Brother, you're in big trouble now! That lazy toad is a big shot in District 19, you'd better lay low for a while now and see if there will be any trouble! Also, that big guy, even I have a hard time dealing with him, it seems like he has his eyes on you!
The sun had yet to crest the horizon, the sky painted with a faint orange hue. Below the hotel, a small bun shop had already set up its wooden sign, tilted by the counter, announcing that they were open for business. The bun makers, a middle-aged couple, were hard at work.
The husband skillfully crafted fresh buns, each dough piece rolled thin, the filling fresh and aromatic. His wife busied herself attending to customers, some early risers leisurely sipping hot soy milk as they awaited their fresh buns. Their smiles and chatter filled the street corner with warmth.
The air in the bun shop was thick with the tantalizing scent of pork, scallions, ginger, and spices. The bun maker placed each bun carefully into the steamer, steam rising gently and infusing the air with its tempting aroma.
Mowen, cold and hungry, felt a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of the steaming buns. He sat down heavily, gulping down hot soy milk and devouring the buns, their warmth spreading through his stomach.
He began to wonder if he had been dreaming, now finally awake. It wasn't until he saw the wound on his foot that he realized everything he had experienced was real.
If it all truly happened, why did everything now seem so serene? If it hadn't, why was there blood on his foot? Could it have been food poisoning causing hallucinations? What had he eaten yesterday? Beer or barbecue? Yet today, he felt no nausea or urge to vomit, just an increased appetite.
Could the stress from work have affected his health? He was fit and healthy, though his job left him with little personal time. Still, with his strong constitution, he believed he could endure ten years of hard work without issue. Was it a mental overreaction from his injury? It had to be.
Mowen bit his finger, hard enough to feel pain and leave a mark, but nothing else happened. The shopkeeper's wife observed his actions silently, then offered him a tray of buns."Eat, child. No charge."
Embarrassed, Mowen accepted the buns. He was indeed still hungry, so he continued to eat voraciously. When he was finally done, he left some money under the soy milk bowl and quietly departed.