Chapter 132: Erosion of Yin Energy |
- (“Yin” refers to the negative/dark energy in Chinese philosophy, often associated with ghosts and the underworld.)
“Me too!” Zhou Xiao Zhen piped up, her voice bright with mischief. “Let me have a go. I wouldn’t mind calling them ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ one bit.”
Yu Xiao’s heart swelled, warmth blooming in her chest. Just look at her amazing friends, ready to adopt any random ghost as their parents, all for her sake. “You guys are the absolute best,” she said, grabbing their hands and squeezing tight.
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen squeezed back, a silent pact of friendship forged in the face of the paranormal.
Then, Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face lit up with a mischievous glint. “So, does Gluttony have any cool loot?”
Yu Xiao blinked, momentarily lost. “Loot? Like what?”
“You know,” Zhou Xiao Zhen wiggled her eyebrows, “like, big boss kinda stuff. Official seals, magic artefacts, that sort of thing. We can’t be calling them ‘Dad’ for free, right? Gotta get some perks out of this deal.”
Yu Xiao just stared, speechless. Leave it to Zhou Xiao Zhen to turn a heartwarming moment into a loot-grabbing scheme.
As Yu Xiao headed towards the bathroom for a quick outfit change, Zhao Lan called out, “Hey, Wide Sea and Sky called while you were off ghost-busting in Gu Village.”
Yu Xiao froze, her hand hovering over the doorknob. Fishing out her trusty Nokia from a drawer, she saw the missed call blinking on the screen.
“You know,” Zhou Xiao Zhen chimed in, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant, “if you don’t feel like talking to him… you don’t have to.”
“Nah, it’s cool,” Yu Xiao replied, a smile tugging at her lips. “Actually, I kinda want to hear what he has to say.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen gaped at her, utterly bewildered. In her teenage mind, this went against every unwritten rule of friendship feuds. Back in school, if you had a fight with someone, you didn’t even look at them until they grovelled at your feet, begging for forgiveness. And Smiley, the fearless ghost buster queen, was just going to let bygones be bygones?
She turned to Zhao Lan, hoping for some adult wisdom, only to find her friend beaming with approval. The grown-up world was a confusing place.
Leaning closer to Zhao Lan, she whispered, “So, Smiley just… forgave Wide Sea and Sky? Like that?”
Zhao Lan chuckled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “There wasn’t really anything to forgive in the first place, sweetie.”
“What do you mean ‘nothing’?” Zhou Xiao Zhen sputtered, grabbing Zhao Lan’s shoulders and giving her a gentle shake. “Weren’t you all fired up about it before, standing by our girl and all that?”
“Ugh, office politics,” Zhao Lan groaned, rolling her eyes. “Back in my corporate days, I had this coworker who stabbed me in the back. But guess what? We still had to work together, even managed to share a few laughs over coffee. Wide Sea and Sky just dropped a couple of harsh words…”
Zhou Xiao Zhen, still navigating the treacherous waters of teenage life, couldn’t quite grasp the complexities of adult relationships. Grown-up problems were weird.
The phone clicked, connecting the call, and Yu Xiao was met with the usual silence. Unfazed, she chirped, “Hey there! Saw your missed call. I was kinda busy busting ghosts in a instance, so I missed it. What’s up?”
Her cheerfulness bounced off a wall of quiet. For a whole minute, the only sound was the faint hum of the phone line, like a bored ghost whistling a tune.
Then, finally, Wide Sea and Sky’s voice rumbled through the receiver. “You’re entering instances quite frequently.”
“Uh-huh,” Yu Xiao confirmed, a hint of pride in her voice. “Gotta keep busy, you know?”
“It’s not good,” he stated flatly.
Yu Xiao’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“It’s messing with your head,” Wide Sea and Sky explained, his voice laced with genuine concern. “I used to be just like you…obsessed with racking up points…” He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, but the unspoken ‘and look where it got me’ hung heavy in the air.
Yu Xiao chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Relax, my head’s screwed on tight. I’m an optimist, remember? Plus, I’ve got my awesome friends to keep me sane.”
“No, it’s not that simple,” he insisted. “The hospital ward is a safe zone. It keeps out more than just the spooky stuff; it also shields you from the Yin energy that’s practically oozing out of every corner of this world. But instances? They’re like stepping into another dimension, where that creepy Yin energy seeps into your very being, slowly wearing you down.”
Yu Xiao shivered, a cold finger of fear tracing its way down her spine. This was news to her. “Seriously? But I’ve seen tons of patients in dungeons, and they all seem fine.”
“It’s a slow burn,” Wide Sea and Sky explained, his voice grim. “You won’t notice anything at first. But spend enough time in those places, and…” he paused, then added, “Some people just don’t realise how much it’s changing them. And…,” his breath hitched, “…whatever you do, stay away from those physical enhancement cards.”
Alarm bells clanged in Yu Xiao’s head. “Why? Do they have some kind of side effect?”
The dial tone buzzed in her ear, he had hung up, leaving her with a head full of questions and a pit of unease growing in her stomach.
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged worried glances, the lighthearted mood vanishing like a ghost at dawn. A heavy silence descended, thick with unspoken anxieties.
Yu Xiao clutched her phone, sucking in a few deep breaths like they were life support. ‘Wide Sea and Sky’s’ words echoed in her head like a spooky nursery rhyme. Yin energy gnawing at the living? Physical fitness card turning into a curse? Nope, not having it.
That card had been a lifesaver. Back when they first stumbled into this hospital, all three of them were weaker than day-old kittens, gasping for air after climbing a flight of stairs. But the card? It was like a magic potion, boosting their strength and turning them into freaking superheroes. Yu Xiao hadn’t even had a single episode of her annoying intermittent deafness since.
But what if the changes were sneaky, like a ninja in the night? What if some people didn’t even notice they were turning into something…else?
Yu Xiao patted herself down, feeling for any weird bumps or extra limbs. Nope, all clear. She looked perfectly normal, thank goodness.
“Smiley?” Zhao Lan’s voice cut through her thoughts. “You alright?”
Yu Xiao turned to Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen, her brows furrowed. “Do I…look different to you? Like, compared to before?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen gave her a once-over, tilting her head like a confused puppy. “Different how? You just look healthier, you know, like you’ve been hitting the gym or something.”
“Yeah,” Zhao Lan chimed in. “And if we’re talking looks, I’d say you’ve gotten even prettier. Seriously.”
Yu Xiao bit her lip. “Do you guys feel… off, in any way? Something that’s changed about yourselves since we got here?”
“Well, yeah,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“How?” Yu Xiao pressed. “And don’t say ‘happier’ or some crap like that.”
“Oh, it’s definitely not crap,” She grinned and raised a hand, massaging her scalp with a look of pure ecstasy.. “I’ve got hair now, baby!”
Yu Xiao’s jaw dropped. Zhao Lan elbowed the preening Zhou Xiao Zhen. “Focus, girl. What’s Smiley going on about?”
Once Yu Xiao spilled the beans about ‘Wide Sea and Sky’s’ ominous warning, Zhao Lan’s face turned serious. She started poking and prodding herself like she was looking for a hidden button. “Maybe it’s because we’re still newbies? We haven’t been in this crazy hospital as long as the others, so maybe the Yin energy hasn’t had enough time to mess with us?”
“So, if we stick around long enough, what kind of changes are we talking about?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, her brow furrowed. “I mean, Lu Xu and Luo Jin seem perfectly normal, and they’re practically living in those instances.”
“I’ll ask him next time I call,” Yu Xiao replied, already mentally adding it to her ever-growing list of things to worry about. “But for now, let’s just keep the physical fitness card on the shelf, yeah?”
Zhao Lan nodded in agreement. “Should we maybe ask Lu Xu and Luo Jin about it too?”
Speaking of the devils, Lu Xu and Luo Jin were currently glued to the forum, where the morning news had caused quite a stir. The ‘Deaf Descendant’ From the Sixth Hospital had achieved a rare feat – snagging four titles in one go! For those struggling to get even one, it was like witnessing a unicorn riding a dragon while juggling flaming chainsaws.
The forum was buzzing like a beehive on a sugar high. Some people were even begging for a chance to buy a spot on Dragon Lady’s team card, claiming it was the ultimate bargain. Not only could you score cheap talismans, but you also had a good chance of nabbing a title, or even several. It was like finding a winning lottery ticket stuck to the bottom of your shoe.
Of course, nobody knew how to contact the elusive ‘Deaf Descendant’ directly, but everyone knew that the number one player on the Fourth Hospital’s score list was her buddy-buddy. So, the forum was flooded with pleas to ‘Zhuge Liang Burning the Spider Cave’ and ‘Whispering Monk’, hoping they could shed some light on when Dragon Lady would be leading another team.
Lu Xu sighed dramatically, wishing he could just team up with Yu Xiao again. Sadly, she didn’t seem too interested in racking up those points.
Just then, his phone buzzed. A grin spread across his face as he saw the caller ID. “Speak of the devil,” he chuckled. “Turns out, you can’t even think about someone without them calling you.”
He answered the call with a flourish. “Well hello there, Dragon Lady! How can I be of service today?”
“Nothing too exciting,” Yu Xiao replied. “Just had a quick question for you guys.”
“Shoot,” Lu Xu said, grabbing his water bottle. “I’m an open book.”
“How’s your…body?” Yu Xiao asked hesitantly.
Lu Xu blinked, confused. “Uh, great? Never better, actually. Feeling like a million bucks.”
“No, I meant…” Yu Xiao struggled to find the right words. “Have you noticed any changes? Compared to before, you know, before you came to the Fourth Hospital?”
“Changes?” Lu Xu scratched his head, picturing himself sprouting antennae or something equally bizarre. “Does getting ridiculously strong count?”
Yu Xiao’s voice crackled with anxiety through the phone. “No, I meant…weird changes. Like, freaky, supernatural stuff.”
“Freaky?” Lu Xu’s brow furrowed. “Why? What’s going on? You’re making me nervous.”
Luo Jin, who had been silently observing the conversation, finally chimed in. “What’s she saying?”
Lu Xu filled him in, his eyes darting back to the phone. “She’s asking if our bodies have gone all wonky.”
Luo Jin’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the phone. “Her body’s gone wonky?”
Lu Xu relayed the question to Yu Xiao. “So, is your body acting up or something?”
“Not yet,” Yu Xiao admitted, gnawing on her lip. “But remember that guy I told you about, ‘Wide Sea and Sky’?”
“The dude from the First Hospital who gifted you all those awesome function cards?” Lu Xu asked, scepticism dripping from his voice. “You’re actually buddies with him?”
“Yeah,” Yu Xiao confirmed. “And he told me some stuff…”
Lu Xu quickly hit the speakerphone button. The ward went quiet, the only sound Yu Xiao’s voice painting a grim picture of Yin energy invading their bodies and the physical fitness card being a one-way ticket to Weirdsville.
“So, since we’re still newbies in this whole hospital nightmare,” She concluded, “we were wondering if you guys have noticed anything…off about yourselves.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Xu and Luo Jin began to subconsciously pat themselves down.
“Nope, nothing here,” Lu Xu mumbled, his face screwed up in concentration. “Feel as normal as a bowl of plain rice.”
But then Luo Jin spoke, his voice hesitant, his words dripping with unease. “Did he say just physical changes?”
“Maybe mental ones too,” Yu Xiao added, recalling ‘Wide Sea and Sky’s’ warning about the side effects of too many instance joyrides.
Luo Jin’s pause was heavy with foreboding, his expression turning grim. “I… I’ve been having the same dream lately.”
“A dream?” Lu Xu’s concern was evident. “What kind of dream? You never mentioned this before, man.”
Luo Jin gulped, his voice barely louder than a mouse fart. “I dream…that I’m eating people. Like, full-on Hannibal Lecter style.”
Lu Xu’s jaw dropped like a cartoon character, his eyes bulging like ping pong balls. Luo Jin, however, seemed strangely calm. “I thought it was just because I’d been cooped up in this hospital for too long,” he explained, as if dreaming about cannibalism was a perfectly normal side effect of hospital stays.
On the other end of the line, Yu Xiao went silent, processing this juicy bit of information. Finally, she asked, her voice a morbidly curious whisper, “So, in your dream…how did eating people feel?”
Luo Jin closed his eyes, his long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Images from his dream flashed before him, along with the disturbingly vivid emotions he’d experienced. “It felt…good,” he confessed, a shiver running down his spine. “Really good.”
Looking at his friend, Lu Xu’s face lost its colour, as if he was gazing at a monster.
After urging them to take a break from the instances for a while, Yu Xiao hung up the phone. She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache brewing. Turning to Nightmare, she asked, “Do you know what happens to people when they get soaked in Yin energy?”
Nightmare shook his head, his expression as blank as a freshly wiped whiteboard. He was a dream demon, not a ghost. Yin energy was like water off a duck’s back to him, so he had no clue what kind of funky side effects it had on humans.