The King of Curses

Chapter 68: Killing and Conscience

“Damn it…! Damn it!”

Du Changlong ran in the corridor panting, with only this one thought in his mind.

"Asshole, why are you chasing me?!"

He ran out of breath, and when he turned around, he found that the figure was still following him.

It was a tall human-shaped monster, its body made up of tangled tree roots and tangled vines, with a blooming yellow flower on its face.

It's not very fast, and its senses are very dull, but...

Du Changlong was running when he suddenly felt his feet go empty. A thick vine, like an octopus tentacle, tightly wrapped around his heel, causing him to fall flat on his face.

The vine man not far behind him slowly lowered his hand.

This is its home ground, and every vine in the haunted house is under its control.

"pain……!"

Du Changlong fell so hard that he saw stars and almost fainted.

But at the critical moment of life and death, he burst out with unprecedented patience, endured the pain, stood up shakily, and continued to stagger forward.

Then, he suddenly saw a figure.

She was a slim girl with messy long hair, who appeared at the end of the corridor like a ghost.

The first thought that came to Du Changlong's mind when he saw her was...

"Can this person be used as a scapegoat?"

He had heard before that if you encounter a dangerous animal like a bear chasing you in the wild, you don't have to run faster than the bear, you just have to run faster than your companions.

He is a boy after all, so he must run faster than a girl. If the monster behind wants to eat people, it must eat it first...

Du Changlong was more enthusiastic than ever before and extended his hand to greet her:

"I'm here! Don't be afraid, let's run together!"

Yi Qingyan didn't seem to notice the vine man behind him. After hearing his greeting, he really walked towards him slowly.

Du Changlong was pleasantly surprised. As he approached her, he saw her raise a finger towards him.

"...!"

His back suddenly tightened and he froze in place.

He had no idea what was going on, he just felt...

It was as if something invisible and extremely sharp flew past my ear.

Some kind of huge terror gripped his soul.

Du Changlong turned his head stiffly and slowly, and saw that the vine man who was cut in half slowly fell down and turned into a lifeless ball of vines; the roof in the distance was cut open, and the upper part of the structure slowly slid downwards.

The sharp cut went all the way upwards, and the sunlight shone through the dark clouds onto the corridor.

The whole world is collapsing beyond redemption.

Was it...she who did it?

How is it possible? How could this happen...

He had no idea what was going on, he just knew...

"S-Sorry, sorry, sorry..."

The series of experiences shocked and confused him, and also wore away all the pride and courage in his heart. Du Changlong knelt down trembling.

"Why are you apologizing?"

He heard the girl's footsteps approaching him and asked condescendingly.

Her voice was still flat, with no emotion in it.

"I, I shouldn't..."

Looking at the pair of sneakers in front of him, he didn't dare to look up and swallowed hard.

"I shouldn't have kicked you at that time... Please forgive me... It's all Xiao Liting's fault! If she hadn't instigated me..."

"forgive?"

Yi Qingyan shook her head.

"I have never been angry, let alone forgiveness."

She wasn't lying, she really wasn't angry.

If these people's behavior made her think anything, she was more confused.

But to Du Changlong, this sentence was simply a death warrant from the god of death.

"I'm sorry! Please, can you... let me go?"

He cried, and his face was covered with tears and snot.

"..."

Yi Qingyan took a step back calmly.

She is a bit of a germaphobe.

"Can you tell me what you were thinking at that time?"

"What, what idea?" Du Changlong sobbed.

"You obviously don't know me, right? Why do you want to do that?"

"...If I answer, will you...will you let me go?"

"Well, tell me the truth."

"because……"

——At that time, he actually didn’t think about anything.

He just got used to it.

Although Du Changlong is a kid from a wealthy family and is spoiled by his family, his reputation in school is actually not bad.

He doesn't bully his classmates very often, at most some of the behaviors are considered "jokes" in his eyes; he has never hit anyone in the school, but he has fought with people from other schools on behalf of his classmates, and some people think he is very loyal; because he is generous, likes to play ball and have fun, he has many buddies who play ball, go to Internet cafes, and walk together.

When Du Changlong was a junior high school student, there was a mentally retarded student in his class. He didn't study all day, smiled foolishly, liked to play in the mud on the playground, and smeared his snot on the wall during class. He did these weird and annoying things all day long.

It would have been best to send such a person to a special school, but his mother was a very determined person and felt that her child had a chance to go to school like normal children, grow up in a normal environment, and make friends with others...

In fact, the student couldn't do it at all because of his congenital intellectual disability.

Just because that person was an "oddball" among the kids and was a disgusting guy.

Including the person who was bullied, he never got angry, but just smiled foolishly, which made Du Changlong feel no guilt.

Later, the man's mother took her child away, and he felt very sorry for it. So, at his initiative, his classmates went to see him off together.

That day, the man walked out of the school gate slowly, holding the gifts that everyone stuffed into his arms, and smiled foolishly. He even fell on the way and the gifts were scattered all over the floor. His classmates laughed and thanked him for bringing laughter to everyone at the last moment.

At that time, Du Changlong felt that he had done a good thing, because everyone present was laughing, only his mother stood aside with a blank expression.

So when he heard rumors about Yi Qingyan having "mental abnormalities" in high school, he thought that this girl was probably one of those people.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't know you were..."

When Du Changlong was explaining these situations, he couldn't help but think of the person in junior high school.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had done something wrong... Why had he never realized it before?

He wanted to repent, so he kowtowed hard, crying and begging for mercy, more devoutly than when he worshipped God.

"...That's it."

The girl nodded slightly.

Du Changlong does not have the same clear sense of hierarchy as Sun Wen, and he does not think about whether he or the people around him are "strong" or "weak". Because he lives a smooth life, he can't even tell what the people around him think.

"I see. Thank you for giving me an answer."

Du Changlong raised his head, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Really? Can you let me go now?"

“…Don’t be afraid.”

Yi Qingyan looked at him with pity.

"It will be over soon."

She raised her finger.

“Why, why…! You clearly agreed—”

Du Changlong's eyes widened suddenly. Surprise, panic, and even a moment of anger made him shout.

"Even if I am wrong, I shouldn't be sentenced to death, right?! Why, just because you have the ability, can you kill people at will?!"

“The crime does not deserve death”... huh?

If I really decide whether to kill someone based on whether he is guilty or not and how much sin he has committed, doesn't that mean I am the judge of the people?
Yi Qingyan felt that such an idea was too arrogant.

Killing is just killing. The answer she wanted was not to convince others, but just to herself.

The girl waved her finger.

"puff!"

A column of blood shot upward, and bloodstains splattered onto the ceiling.

Du Changlong's head fell off cleanly, leaving a scar the size of a bowl. The cross-section of his trachea and blood vessels was clearly visible, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

The headless body fell heavily to the ground.

The ground, walls, and ceiling were all painted bright red, and the blood formed a small pool that slowly spread out.

……

Yi Qingyan had left the body and continued walking towards the corridor.

This was the first person she killed with her own hands.

I don't have any special thoughts. I don't feel sad, upset, or angry. I don't feel like vomiting, and I don't feel scared when I see a dead body.

Of course, I wouldn't be very happy or excited, it was just an...ordinary beginning.

*
Liu Xiaochuan hugged his whole body and curled up in the corner. He used a concealment spell to hide his body and breath, not daring to breathe.

It’s… so scary!

He just witnessed the scene where Yi Qingyan used one finger to cut through space...

When he thought of it, he shuddered and felt like he was dreaming.

What happened to that little girl?!
He thought that it was Cen Dongsheng who had been protecting her, and she herself was not noticeable at all...

But the result is a killer?
Then why were you hiding next to a man and pretending to be weak? !

Does the man named Cen Dongsheng know? If he doesn't know, you are playing her. If he knows, you are playing everyone...

But is this really necessary?
Even if all the remaining people were added together, they couldn’t stop a single swipe of your finger!
Originally, there was a big boss in the haunted house, a powerful ghost with the ability to manipulate space...

But in front of this little girl, it's nothing.

He saw it clearly. Yi Qingyan just raised her hand and "cut" the sky of the haunted house, causing this strange space to be on the verge of collapse.

If you want to leave the haunted house, you either have to eliminate the core ghosts to make the haunted house disappear, or find the entrance and escape like he did; but what about directly reducing the space from inside the haunted house?
How could such a ridiculous thing happen? Liu Xiaochuan had never heard of it in his life, let alone seen it with his own eyes.

The girl herself had no intention of leaving. The reason she came over so slowly was probably because...

She wanted to kill them all? No one should be spared?

Liu Xiaochuan knew that he was in great danger and did not even dare to run away. His only hope was to pray that the other party would not discover him.

but……

"Master Liu, what are you doing hiding here?"

This is just wishful thinking after all.

Liu Xiaochuan raised his head and looked at Yi Qingyan who was walking towards him. He forced himself to put on a flattering expression, but his smile was uglier than crying.

"I want to ask a question."

she says.

"As a curse master, I know you look down on ordinary people. But why did you use people as bait? I thought you just wanted to escape."

"I, I do want to escape... But, if I lead them to escape, I will also take risks. Is it okay for them to help? I didn't force anyone. They all took the initiative to ask for it..."

"Hmm... isn't that right?"

Yi Qingyan tilted her head.

"Don't you want to become stronger? Ghosts will become stronger when they eat humans, and humans will also become stronger when they refine ghosts. You want to use other people's lives as a stepping stone so that you can hunt down evil ghosts. Originally, you could have left earlier."

"..."

Liu Xiaochuan was silent.

He was completely seen through, speechless, and even his excuses seemed empty.

"We, the curse masters, either become resources or become resources for others... Not everyone is born that strong."

Realizing that he was about to die, he calmed down.

"Master told me that the future will be a chaotic world, a hundred times more chaotic than today. If you don't try your best to become stronger, you will sooner or later become a stepping stone for others. I just want to seize the initiative in this world where the big fish eat the small fish..."

Liu Xiaochuan raised his head and stared at the other person.

"I have a question. What do you think of that man named Cen Dongsheng?"

"He's a good brother."

Yi Qingyan answered without thinking.

"Is that so?" Liu Xiaochuan laughed grimly. "I don't know how strong he is, whether he is born that way or he climbed up to his current position little by little, but he is definitely not as strong as you. If one day, he did the same thing as me in order to catch up with you, what would you do? Would you kill him as well?"

Undoubtedly heartbreaking words.

But Yi Qingyan did not feel angry, but responded very seriously.

“That’s a good question.”

She raised a finger.

"Thank you. You not only gave me an answer, but also gave me a question. I will think about it carefully."

There was a flash of light and a head fell to the ground.

The blood gushing out of the human neck cavity splashed everywhere like snowflakes in winter, covering every inch of the ground.

……

Yi Qingyan stood up and looked towards the last classroom.

She heard the screams of the survivors and the hideous laughs of the evil spirits.

Only the last man and ghost are left.

"Everyone..."

She stepped into the classroom, flicked her fingers, and the invisible blade cut off the female ghost's arms and the male ghost's lower body.

The two survivors had just recovered from their shock and had not yet understood what had just happened. They could only stare blankly at the long-haired girl standing at the door.

"I have a question I want to ask you."

(End of this chapter)