Please be my partner.

Mellen could vaguely sense an unusual coldness about Xia Tian, ​​which was perhaps the reason that troubled him.

After thinking for a moment, Mellen looked at Natsuta, who was wrapped up tightly as if trying to keep warm, and said, "Suppose, just suppose, Natsuta really has gotten some...dirty stuff on her, have you tried going to sunbathe with her? After all, aren't those things supposed to be most afraid of sunlight?"

Bian Jie instinctively retorted, "How could it be that simple..."

But before he could finish speaking, he froze, as did his two roommates. After a moment's pause, one of them blinked and said, "Speaking of which, ever since he came back that day, Lao Xia has been dressed like this, completely covering himself up. I thought..."

Another person said, "Me too..."

The three exchanged a glance, then each lifted Xia Tian up on one side, while the last one pushed him from behind, carrying him towards the cafeteria exit while constantly tugging at his clothes.

Xia Tian, ​​somewhat exasperated, exclaimed, "Don't push me! I'll go! I'll go, okay?!"

This scene drew curious glances from many students in the cafeteria, and it's estimated that the story of a complicated love quadrangle will soon spread throughout the campus.

Chapter 625 Zuoqiu Shiyu and the Ghost Sedan Chair

Chi Xiao watched the four people leave, his expression a mixture of fear and excitement. He asked in a low voice, "Meizi, do you think this is true?"

Mellen smiled slightly, about to speak, when he suddenly turned his head as if sensing something, and saw a familiar figure in a loose sweatshirt walking away.

Chi Xiao followed Mellen's gaze with a puzzled look and said, "That's... Zuo Qiu."

"Zuoqiu? Zuoqiu Shiyu?" After Chi Xiao's reminder, Mei Lun also remembered.

Zuoqiu Shiyu was their classmate. Although her name sounded poetic, she was actually an ordinary girl. She usually wore some unfashionable clothes, had a single ponytail, long bangs that slightly covered her cheeks, large black-rimmed glasses, and some small freckles on her face. She was a loner and hardly interacted with her classmates. I heard that she lived alone off-campus.

Because of her aloof personality, Zuoqiu Shiyu naturally became the subject of many unfriendly rumors. Of course, this was only for the first period of time. After all, college students have fluctuating brain capacity, and such gossip usually disappeared within a few days. Since then, Zuoqiu Shiyu has become a nobody in the class, rarely interacting with others except for some large group activities.

That's why when Mellen first saw him, he only thought he looked familiar and didn't recognize him at all.

But at this moment, countless memories of Zuoqiu Shiyu converged in Mellen's mind...

Although Zuoqiu Shiyu usually wears loose and unfashionable sportswear, her occasional other casual clothes can vaguely reveal her amazing curves, making her seem quite well-endowed.

The black-rimmed glasses look exaggerated, but upon closer inspection, you'll find that they are actually non-prescription glasses, probably just used to conceal one's appearance.

The freckles on Zuoqiu Shiyu's face changed to varying degrees after comparing several images in her mind, which was obviously a deliberate disguise.

Mellen's intuition told him that Zuoqiu Shiyu was no ordinary person either, and that following this line of inquiry might lead him to what he wanted.

Mellen couldn't help but marvel at the power of the chosen one; having only just awakened, two clues had already been delivered to his doorstep.

Chi Xiao waved his hand in front of Mellen's eyes, then looked at Zuoqiu Shiyu, who had already walked away, and then at Mellen, his eyes gradually becoming strange. He pretended to suddenly realize something and said, "Meizi, you don't actually like this type, do you? Hmm, speaking of which, Zuoqiu's academic performance seems to be quite excellent. Is this the attraction between top students?"

Chi Xiao wrapped one arm around Mellen's neck and bumped Mellen's chest with the other, chuckling, "How about it, do you want me, your ace strategist, to come online and help you end your miserable single life?"

Mellen pushed Chi Xiao away with a hint of disgust, saying, "Come on, if I also get a girlfriend, won't you become the only single dog in our 501 dorm?"

Chi Xiao waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about me. The tricks I played back then were far more elaborate than you can imagine."

Mellen believed this, and he didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he looked at the four people, including Xia Tian, ​​who were awkwardly dancing in the sun and said, "These kinds of things are a matter of belief. If you believe it, it's true; if you don't, it's not. Don't worry about it so much. Maybe it's just a joke between them."

Chi Xiao shrugged, wanting to say that it didn't look like a 'joke', but it was impossible to make him believe in gods or ghosts just by talking.

So, as if possessed, Chi Xiao asked, "Meizi, how about we go take a look tonight?"

Then, Chi Xiao saw Mellen looking at him as if he were an idiot.

Mellen shook his head and sighed, "My friend, your idea is dangerous! If this were a horror movie, you wouldn't survive three minutes!"

There were no classes in the afternoon, so to prevent Mellen from continuing to work out, Chi Xiao dragged him to the school's indoor basketball court to play.

However, Chi Xiao soon regretted it. He had originally planned to show off his skills in front of his brother, but he never expected that Mellen, who didn't exercise much, would have such amazing ball skills.

Watching Mellen's various hurdle three-pointers and even his impressive dunks, which drew screams from almost all the female students on the basketball court, Chi Xiao admitted that he was envious.

During the break, Chi Xiao said sarcastically, "Hey Meizi, you're hiding something from the brothers, aren't you? We didn't know you were such a good basketball player."

Recalling his experience of entering the fairytale kingdom and playing basketball with Bugs Bunny, Melon casually remarked, "Is it that impressive? Isn't it just a matter of having hands?"

More intense screams came from the girls nearby.

Chi Xiao: Damn it! That old scoundrel got away with it!

Anyone who's been to college knows that in this situation, letting your buddy successfully show off is worse than eating a pile of shit yourself.

After finishing their workout, and declining the last group of girls' requests for their contact information, Mellen and Chi Xiao left the indoor basketball court.

At this moment, Chi Xiao looked at Mellen with obvious wariness, and even took a step back.

Mellen looked speechless and asked, "What are you up to now?"

Chi Xiao sneered, "So many girls asked for your contact information but you wouldn't give it to them, including Mei Zi, the class beauty from the Finance Department. Tell me the truth, you're not gay, are you? You cunning bottom, you're definitely eyeing my good looks!"

A sinister smile crept across Mellen's face as he slowly approached, saying in a chilling tone, "Since you've already discovered us, then..."

"Hey, hey, hey!~" Chi Xiao's expression faltered first, her eyebrows twitching incessantly: "You wouldn't... really be..."

Mellen punched Chi Xiao directly, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly, and said, "Seriously my foot! I'm a pure, unadulterated straight man!!"

Chi Xiao then revealed a hint of fear, pinching her fingers into a delicate gesture and saying in a high-pitched voice, "That scared me to death!"

After a moment of silence, the two of them shuddered simultaneously, both feeling disgusted.

Mellen quickly changed the subject: "Alright, alright, I still need to look up some information later, and I probably won't be back until very late tonight. You don't need to wait for me, I have the keys with me."

Chi Xiao pouted and said, "You guys are all... fine, fine."

After saying goodbye to Chi Xiao, the laughter on Mellen's face gradually faded. It had been a long time since he had experienced such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. However, he would only enjoy it for a short while before it ended. After all, he had not come to Tianwaitian for a vacation.

It was already close to evening, and there were still many students reading and studying in the school library.

Murren found an empty computer and began searching for information. This time, he no longer focused on anything related to power, but instead searched for all events related to the supernatural.

Several hours later, after briefly clearing his search history, Mellen shut down his computer and began organizing his findings.

This world is extraordinary and inconspicuous. Even if there are some records, they are all ambiguous and it is impossible to tell whether they are folk legends with added elements or actual events.

Excluding those that are immediate or too far away, there are a few that seem to be related, but even if these few are relatively close, they are only in the same province, and it would still take a considerable amount of time to get to the nearest location.

Composing himself, Mellen nodded slightly and muttered to himself, "So, the one I can come into contact with most recently is the bridal sedan chair that Xia Tian mentioned."

Looking out the window, he saw that it was already dark outside. Instead of leaving the library, he wandered around inside, hoping to find some hidden gems with his extraordinary senses.

Unfortunately, after wandering around for more than an hour, I didn't find anything.

As I strolled outside the school, I came across a bustling food street and entertainment area.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology is located in Hanjiang City, Huazhong Province. Although it is in the suburbs, the area is quite prosperous because it is a planned university town with five or six good universities located there.

However, once you leave the university town area, the short stretch leading to downtown Hanjiang City is rather desolate. It's alright during the day when there are many people, but it becomes quite eerie at night when there are few people around.

After eating a bowl of noodles, Mellen wandered around for a while before leisurely heading towards the area where Xia Tian had mentioned encountering the bridal sedan chair.

As the clock struck 11 p.m., the streetlights on the main road were all turned off, and the world suddenly became dark, with a faint mist seemingly drifting in the distance.

Looking back, Mellen could vaguely see that the commercial street in the university town was still brightly lit, as if the nightlife had just begun. Looking ahead, however, it seemed to be completely swallowed by invisible darkness, where even moonlight and starlight could not illuminate the way.

After a moment's thought, Mellen walked slowly forward. The dark space was extremely quiet, and even the sound of his footsteps was swallowed up.

Suddenly, Mellen stopped and looked back thoughtfully. The commercial street that he could just see had disappeared, seemingly blocked by a hazy mist, leaving only a colorful halo that kept swaying.

Mellen frowned. He had a vague feeling that something had happened, but since he didn't have any supernatural abilities, he couldn't see it clearly.

However, based on Xia Tian's description and his own instinctive mental perception, there was no danger, so Mellen decided to continue forward to see if anything different would happen.

Just then, a melodious female voice suddenly rang out from not far behind: "If I were you, I wouldn't go any further."

When Mellen turned around, he saw a woman dressed in a body-shaping martial arts uniform. Her face was covered by a mask, but one could tell from her long, narrow eyes, which were like pools of autumn water, that she was an absolute beauty.

After a moment of silence, Mellen said, "Zuoqiu, I didn't expect to run into you here. You even..."

He looked Zuoqiu Shiyu up and down before continuing, "You're still dressed like this. Considering your usual behavior, it's obvious you have a secret, right? Would you mind telling me? Or am I going to be... silenced?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu rolled her eyes at Mellen and said, "I didn't expect you to recognize me. But it's really hard to believe you'd say something like 'silencing me.' This is a society governed by law, and I'm not some kind of murderer!"

"Alright, enough nonsense. This isn't a place for ordinary people like you. Hurry up and go back. As long as you turn back, you can go back to school, get some sleep, and forget about what happened today. That way, your life can get back on track."

Mellen smiled and said, "It's not easy to encounter such a special event. Although I don't know what it means yet, I'll definitely regret it if I go back now."

Zuoqiu Shiyu frowned slightly and said, "This is not a game, it's very dangerous, even... you could die!"

Mellen nodded seriously and said solemnly, "I believe you, but this is my own choice."

Before Zuoqiu Shiyu could say anything more, Mellen shook her head and said, "Zuoqiu, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I'm not going back. Either knock me out now and see if anything happens if I'm left here defenseless, or just abandon me. But I will still keep going, and I might encounter even greater danger."

Zuoqiu Shiyu was furious: "You...you're despicable...you're shameless..."

Mellen lowered his voice and said, "Zuoqiu, take me with you. I promise to follow your orders and won't cause any trouble."

While taking advantage of a young girl's kindness is indeed despicable and shameless, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Given Mellen's moral compass, he wouldn't care too much. At most, he would give the girl some benefits as compensation once he's achieved success.

Thinking this, Mellen took out his phone, turned on the recording function, and said, "I declare that all my actions are based on my own thoughts. Even if I encounter danger or even die, it is my own fault and has nothing to do with anyone else."

After finishing the recording, Mellen put his phone back in his pocket and said, "We should get going, Zuoqiu."

Zuoqiu Shiyu glared angrily at Mellen, her teeth grinding together, her eyes darting over Mellen as if considering where to start her attack.

After a brief standoff, Zuoqiu Shiyu finally sighed and said, "Let's make this clear first, this is your own request. If I tell you to go east, you absolutely cannot go west. Do you understand?"

Mellen quickly replied, "I understand, I understand. Zuoqiu asked me to catch fish, I will absolutely not kill chickens."

Zuoqiu Shiyu rolled her eyes at Mellen's attempt to apply what he had learned to other situations, and said as she walked forward, "I suppose you also came here because of Xia Tian's words, for that ghost sedan chair, right?"

"Keep up, we're about to enter the border area. What you see next might blow your mind."

Upon hearing the keyword 'border area,' Mellen was about to ask a question when Zuoqiu Shiyu, as if anticipating it, said, 'Don't say anything from now on.'

Remembering the agreement they had just made, Mellen had no choice but to shut up.

Finally winning a round, a smug look appeared on Zuoqiu Shiyu's face behind the mask.

As they moved forward, the fog quickly thickened, and the surrounding scenery gradually became hazy and indistinct.

But to Mellen’s surprise, he suddenly felt better than ever before, experiencing an unnatural growth in both his physical and mental well-being.

Despite his many questions, Mellen did not ask them; he planned to wait until the incident was over before making any inquiries.

After an unknown amount of time, the fog in front of me quickly dissipated.

When Mellen came to her senses, she realized that they were no longer in the suburbs of Han River City, but had arrived in a completely new area.

Distant mountains, dense forests, small bridges, flowing water, and inscribed archways...

And a strange procession that seemed to be both a wedding and a funeral...

Chapter 626 Borderlands and Trials

A hundred ghosts cleared the way, underworld messengers saw them off, and five immortals carried the sedan chair.

The scene was both sacred and somewhat sinister.

Mellen followed behind Zuoqiu Shiyu, quietly watching this scene.

According to Xia Tian, ​​what he saw was a bridal sedan chair with black trim and red curtains, carried by eight paper figures, with wooden figures in formal attire leading the way in front and behind, which did not seem to match the situation before him.

Zuoqiu Shiyu moved quietly and held her breath, as if afraid of disturbing the strange group in the distance.

Suddenly, the guiding underworld messengers, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, seemed to sense something and turned their heads to look in the direction where the two of them were.

Zuoqiu Shiyu's expression froze, and she immediately lowered her head and looked down, while reaching out to press down on Mellen's head to do the same thing.

Unexpectedly, Mellen reacted too quickly, dodging Zuoqiu Shiyu's hand with just a slight tilt of his head. However, he understood the latter's meaning and lowered his head, no longer looking at the strange team.

Zuoqiu Shiyu was somewhat surprised, but she couldn't care less at the moment and kept her eyes fixed on the end of the strange procession out of the corner of her eye.

Amidst the constant jingling of the bells, the eerie procession crossed the gate and disappeared into the mist.

Zuoqiu Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly leaped towards the word archway. Each leap covered a distance of more than ten feet, and in just three or four minutes, she arrived at the word archway, which was four or five miles away.

Even with his inexplicable physical enhancements, Mellen's body couldn't possibly have achieved this, so he simply jogged forward.

More than ten minutes later, Mellen finally arrived at Zuoqiu Shiyu's side, panting. By then, she had already placed a palm-sized box under the archway, and the indicator light on the box was flashing continuously.

Looking up, the archway is over thirty meters high, with flying eaves and arched brackets, exuding an ancient style. Four white lanterns hang symmetrically on the left, right, front, and back of the edge, emitting a pale halo to illuminate the surroundings.

A black plaque hangs in the center of the archway, with three characters carved on it that Mellen cannot understand.

Zuoqiu Shiyu glanced at Mellen and saw that Mellen only gasped for breath for a moment before returning to normal breathing. Moreover, despite running such a long distance in one breath, there was only a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Coupled with his obviously abnormal reaction speed earlier, she couldn't help but have some thoughts in her mind.

She said impatiently, "Alright, you can talk now. Just ask whatever you want."

Without wasting words, Mellen asked directly, "Where is this?"