My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

Zhang Ying took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his chest, and put on just the right amount of respect on his face as he turned to the short old man: "Master, how should I address you from now on?"

The short old man switched the stack of yellow papers in one hand to the other and casually waved them around. "My surname is Wu. Just call me Old Wu from now on, there's no need for formalities."

Zhang Ying responded, turned around, and walked towards the tall old man leaning against the wall. A cautious smile played on his lips as he walked slowly and steadily until he stopped in front of the old man, bowing slightly. "Elder Xu," he said, "I don't know if my actions just now offended you. Now that I've become Elder Wu's disciple, I'm on the same path as you. I want to apologize, and I hope you'll forgive my rudeness."

Old Xu, with his pipe dangling from his mouth, let out a cold snort, turned his head to the side, and ignored him.

Zhang Ying's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze slipped half an inch downwards during the brief moment when Old Xu turned his head away. The green lantern was loosely held in Old Xu's left hand, its body swaying slightly with the rhythm of his breathing.

The lantern's frame is made of a dark, dull wood with a rough grain. The surface is unpainted, yet it has a matte sheen that only comes from years of handling.

The frame is hexagonal, and each corner is carved with a circle of extremely fine and dense runes, which are not carved on, but rather look as if they grew out of the wood.

The cage is made up of six curved glass panels, with a thin layer of water mist covering the inside of the glass. The mist slowly swirls under the green light.

A green flame hangs in the center of the cage, without a wick or fuel, floating in the glass dome, flickering like a prisoner's heart.

The entire lantern emitted a very faint scent, like rotting flesh mixed with sandalwood, which drifted into his nostrils almost imperceptibly.

The outer shell of this thing looks no different from an ordinary lantern. The glass is thin and transparent, and you can even see a few fine scratches on the wooden frame. If you put it on the ground, you could shatter it with a single step.

Just as Zhang Ying's gaze lingered on the glass for less than two seconds, Old Xu abruptly turned around. His sharp eyes were fixed on Zhang Ying's face, his brows furrowed, and a stern shout made the glass window vibrate: "What are you looking at, you brat?!"

Zhang Ying bowed low, his shoulders hunched, and he stammered, "Master Xu, please calm down! I didn't mean to. I was just... just curious. I wanted to take a look at this object that could trap the evil spirits. I'd never seen anything like it before, and I couldn't help but glance at it a couple more times..."

Old Wu waved his hand and tapped the yellow paper in his palm: "That kid's just curious. What kind of amazing things could a greenhorn like him have seen? There's no need to react so strongly, Old Xu?"

"Huh! I'm overreacting?" Old Xu whirled around, pulling his pipe from his lips and exhaling two straight plumes of smoke from his nostrils. "This mission was personally assigned by the chairman! If we fail, you and I will both be in trouble! I won't even mention your usual careless attitude, but you actually wanted to take on apprentices halfway through the mission? Old turtle, I think you really don't take this mission seriously!"

Old Wu's saintly smile slowly drooped slightly. "I don't take the mission seriously?" He turned the stack of yellow papers over, his thumb fiddling with the edges of each one, his tone even softer than before. "Haven't I contributed more to the organization than you? Did you join earlier, or did I?"

The two old men's voices were louder and louder, and their expressions grew increasingly grim. The green light in the music room reflected off the four walls, stretching their shadows to varying lengths.

"I just joined a little late. In terms of loyalty, some people are far inferior to me." Old Xu held his pipe in his palm, and wisps of smoke seeped out from between his fingers.

"Some people?" Old Wu's lips curled into a deep smile. With a flick of his finger, a half-stack of yellow paper floated up from his palm, hovering in mid-air, its edges pointing towards Old Xu. "You old codger, are your bones itching? Need me to give you a good massage?"

Smoke billowed around Old Xu, black mist billowing from his pipe and coalescing into wolf-like phantoms at his feet. The phantoms lay prone, their backs arched, their empty eye sockets all locked onto Old Wu's direction.

Zhang Ying quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands to both sides: "Master! Seniors! Calm down, calm down. When it comes to loyalty, I can tell from your tone that no one can compare to you two. Why bother arguing about who's better?"

"Hmph." Old Xu snorted. The wolf shadows at his feet didn't disappear, but his back lowered slightly. "Your newly accepted disciple has at least uttered a human word."

Zhang Ying turned around to face Elder Xu, a smile plastered on his face, but his tone remained steady and confident as he replied, "Of course. After all, I am Elder Wu's apprentice."

Old Wu was taken aback for a moment, then threw his head back and burst into laughter, the sound bouncing back and forth in the empty vocal studio: "Hahaha, that's right, that's right! Old Xu, I told you you overreacted, didn't I? You should be convinced by what my apprentice said, right?"

"You!" The veins on Old Xu's forehead bulged, and the anger he had just suppressed was instantly reignited by this remark.

He strode up to Old Wu, his pipe clenched upside down in his hand, the copper bowl facing outwards, pointing directly at Old Wu's nose. "Old turtle, are you determined to pick a fight with me today?"

Old Wu clenched the yellow paper in his hand, pushing the top sheet outwards by half an inch with his thumb, the edge of the paper already showing a slight curve. "Get angry with me? Hold your pipe steady before you speak."

The air between the two was taut like a string stretched to its limit. The wolf's shadow crouched, ready to pounce, while the yellow paper trembled slightly in the air.

Zhang Ying stood between the two men, his hands still clasped on either side, repeatedly saying, "Please calm down, seniors." But amidst his repeated attempts to reconcile them, he used the pretext of checking the safety of the items to gradually move closer to Old Master Xu's side.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the wolf's shadow and the yellow paper, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on the swaying green lantern in Old Xu's left hand.

The veins on the back of Old Xu's hand, which was gripping the pipe, bulged, and wisps of smoke seeped out of the pipe. The wolf shadow at his feet hunched over, its sharp teeth grinding together.

Old Wu pressed his fingertips against a half-stack of yellow paper, the dark gold runes on the edge of the paper flashing on and off, making his pupil-less eye sockets appear and disappear.

Their faces turned purple, their beards bristled, their eyes were wide open, and their heavy breathing filled the other's face. Neither of them made a move, neither of them backed down, they just stood there like two clay statues nailed to the floor.

Zhang Ying held his breath. His gaze swept quickly between the two men, whose attention was now completely locked on each other.

He silently took half a step, then another half step, his shoulder brushing past Old Xu's side, until he stood to Old Xu's left.

The lantern was to his right. The smell of rotting wood from the frame filled his nostrils, and the green flame inside the glass dome still flickered. His hand hung limply at the outside of his trouser seam, his fingertips slightly spread.

The two were locked in a stalemate!

Zhang Ying's right hand suddenly sprang up from the seam of his trousers, his five fingers spread, and grabbed the wooden frame of the lantern in Old Xu's left hand!