Volume One, Chapter 140: An Appetizer

Those shrill, mournful cries held the final obsession for their loved ones; even in death, they continued to call out for their beloved...

In the world of the occult, there is an unspoken rule: never disturb a Silk Mother. Though they are ghosts, Silk Mothers possess no offensive capabilities; they merely wait, eternally, for their kin to return. Even the most unscrupulous practitioners in the mystic arts would feel a pang of compassion upon seeing one.

Qin Yu’s expression turned chillingly cold. She stared at the speaker lying on the ground, her face darkening.

"Master Dianqiu, is that look on your face meant to blame me? Don't forget, it was your own hand that caused her death."

Qin Yu had already found the man's condescending, god-like tone from the speaker grating, and now her distaste for him reached its peak.

"You could have stopped me, but you didn't."

"Why would I stop you? If it weren't for your jealousy, how would things have ended up this way? You killed the Silk Mother yourself!"

Qin Yu’s pupils constricted. It was true; it was her negligence that had led to the Silk Mother’s annihilation. Had she looked just a moment longer, she might have spotted the Annihilation Curse.

"Enough. I didn't come here today to watch you wallow in guilt. Even if she hadn't died by your hand, this Silk Mother wouldn't have survived for long anyway."

The voice from the speaker softened, almost as if it were trying to console her. Qin Yu did not believe for a second that he was so kind-hearted, yet he was not wrong.

The Silk Mother’s neck was barely attached to her body by a shred of flesh, suggesting that someone had previously tried to break the curse. Clearly, they had made the same mistake as Qin Yu, but they had employed some other method to preserve the last flickering trace of the Silk Mother’s spectral energy. Had Qin Yu succeeded in breaking the curse just now, the Silk Mother would have lived.

Qin Yu’s gaze drifted over the speaker, lost in thought. Could it be that this mysterious figure had orchestrated this entire performance just to force her to save the Silk Mother? She found she was becoming increasingly unable to fathom this man. If one were to call him a protagonist, he had personally pushed someone off a rooftop yesterday; yet if one were to call him a villain, he was constantly guiding Qin Yu to uncover secrets and perform rescues.

Her gaze toward the screen grew complex. Such inscrutable behavior was something she had only ever seen in her master. But that old man was long dead—she had buried him with her own hands.

"Alright, alright. The appetizer for today is over. It is time to begin our new game."

The mysterious figure’s timely voice snapped Qin Yu out of her contemplation.

"What? A scene this horrific was just an appetizer?"

"What did you expect?"

"Don't get worked up, sister. You'll get used to it soon enough."

"But I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid, little sister. You look so beautiful—why not tell your brother your address? I’ll come and protect you personally."

"Holy cow! Is the streamer a real person? This is too gorgeous! Do you need a bodyguard, little sister? I’m applying for the position!"

"Don't listen to those stinking men, sister. Look at me, I’m reliable as they come."

"??? Family, who gets this? Now women are competing with us men for women! Can you guys give me a chance? I’ve been single for thirty years..."

"The Silk Mother is so pitiful, just vanishing like that."

"Am I the only one who noticed the mysterious man said the Silk Mother was created by digging up graves, beheading, and extracting silk?"

"My god, those women in the war were already miserable enough, and to be subjected to such cruelty even after death! Who could it be? I’d give my ex-boyfriend to him as a reward!"

"Sister, I strongly suspect you’re using public resources for private gains."

"Next stop..."