Song Qianqian nudged Fang Qing, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow them! I’m sure they’ve sneaked ahead.”
“Oh, right!” Fang Qing finally snapped to attention.
The two quickly hopped back into the old car and drove deeper into the pitch-black passage. Song Qianqian messaged the other two but received no response.
After not even two minutes, the car came to a stop. Ahead of them was a ladder hanging on the wall, leading to a pedestrian area about four or five meters above. The construction pathway ended here, making it impossible for vehicles to proceed any further.
“Let’s get out,” Song Qianqian said as she opened the car door, taking the lead by climbing up the ladder with her weapon strapped to her back.
As she climbed, she felt the increasing spiritual energy of various creatures around her. Above the ladder were bright lights, laughter, screams, and even the trumpeting of an elephant. It felt like… a circus in full swing.
Indeed, upon reaching the top, the scene was quite bizarre. It didn’t resemble a construction site at all. Colorful balloons floated around, with green grass and a few flowers underfoot, though they felt unreal to touch. After all, it was an illusion created by spiritual energy.
Two identical colorful tents stood far from each other in different directions. One was brightly lit and full of noise, while the other was eerily silent and dim.
They didn’t know where Shen Zhaomu and Long Shiyu were.
Song Qianqian and Fang Qing exchanged glances, with her pointing at the bustling tent. “I’ll go there. You check the other one?”
“Sounds good. Contact me once you find them.”
Song Qianqian headed towards the lively tent, carefully lifting the flap at the entrance with her pistol ready.
Inside, the space was surprisingly vast. Even knowing it was mostly an illusion, it felt like she had entered the liveliest circus. Just before entering fully, she glanced back.
The other tent had vanished, and there was no sign of Fang Qing.
As she furrowed her brows, preparing to contact Fang Qing, a piercing laughter exploded by her side.
The laughter was eerily familiar. Turning around, she saw that the audience seats were filled with human-faced flowers, each one twisting and laughing in a creepy manner. These flowers clapped with their leaves as if giving applause.
On stage, animals surrounded two little puppets. Zebras, elephants, and monkeys apbeanred distorted. Half of their bodies looked normal while the other half was skeletal, as if they were incomplete illusions.
They were intently watching the puppet show.
A childish voice narrated, “After that, Jack visited the circus atop the clouds several times. The performances were always exclusively for him, and the ringmaster told him how to build a town on this gigantic beanstalk.”
“The ringmaster adored Jack, especially the sparkle in the boy’s eyes. They reminded him of the stars.”
On stage, a male puppet donned a lavish costume, surrounded by a variety of animals. Jack sat across from him, with fresh flowers above his head.
“Jack shared the construction method with the workers. They were intrigued by the bean and believed that building the town of Kassand in the sky would attract many visitors.”
The scene shifted to tiny puppet workers bustling around.
“In honor of Jack’s contributions, a statue was erected in the town below so everyone would remember him. Jack never mentioned the ringmaster to anyone else, knowing they wouldn’t like him. Whenever people were around, the ringmaster would have the zebra pull the tent back up into the clouds. After all, a circus from the sky was the most romantic idea.”
“Construction progressed swiftly, and soon Kassand began to take shape. One dusk, when no one was around, the grand circus landed north of Kassand.”
“For the first time in his life, the ringmaster disguised himself as a human.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“He stood in front of the tent, distributing flyers with a smile – albeit a bit twisted initially. Jack helped him practice in front of a mirror until it was just right. Finally, the first performance in Kassand began.”
Ktf tewjc-ojmfv oibkfgr yegra lcab ijeutafg jujlc, ktlif atf jclwjir mtffgfv.
“Ufbqif ibnfv atf mlgmer, frqfmljiis atf ecldef mgfjaegfr atfs tjv cfnfg rffc yfobgf. Ktf rtbk kjr j teuf remmfrr. Coafg la fcvfv, jr atf jclwjir rifqa jcv atf jevlfcmf ifoa, atf glcuwjrafg jcv Ajmx vgjcx wfgglis lc atf afca.”
“Jack promised to attend every performance.”
“After all,” he said, “I still need to dance with the bear next time.”
“That night, both drank heavily. When the ringmaster awoke, Jack was gone. The empty tent was silent, with only colorful confetti and fallen bottles littering the ground, reminding him of every lonely ending he’d experienced over the years.”
“But he didn’t care anymore. He had his audience, and his most loyal human viewer would forever cheer for him from the shadows.”
“But the next day, Jack didn’t come.”
“He never returned.”
Song Qianqian was engrossed in the performance, but suddenly felt a chill by her side.
Whirling around, she saw a tall, thin man in a suit, with sharp features and a monkey-shaped music box on his shoulder.
Her pupils dilated, and she shot without hesitation.
The bullet barely grazed the man’s face. He moved with the agility of a primate, swiftly closing the distance between them.
However, before Song Qianqian could react, the man suddenly froze. From the shadows, Shen Zhaomu had him in a vice-like grip, twisting his wrist with so much force that the bones creaked audibly. In that split second, Song Qianqian took the opportunity to fire, landing a bullet right in the man’s head.
The man collapsed softly, and the monkey music box fell to the ground.
In a blink of an eye, he turned into a skeleton. He was already dead and could only move due to the spiritual energy of Veyrpan.
“Meeting me only to kill my circus manager doesn’t seem very friendly. I’ve always disliked the Hunter’s Association,” a unfamiliar male voice echoed.
Song Qianqian looked towards the stage.
A tall stool had mysteriously appeared in the center of the stage, with a man in theater costumes sitting on it, his complexion as pale as death. In his hand, he held a smiling clown mask.
“It’s the twins, Veyrpan,” Shen Zhaomu remarked, suddenly realizing something, “Shiyu must be in another tent.”
Song Qianqian was taken aback, whispering urgently, “Fang Qing went there too.”
All hunters knew that Veyrpan existed as two intertwined beings, like light and shadow. Each possessed their own personalities and abilities, but they shared memories. His spiritual power was so strong that it could create massive illusions and even materialize some of them. That’s why Veyrpan, like the Kraken, was classified as a legendary exotic creature.
Upon seeing the two, Veyrpan’s expression turned gloomy and impatient, “I’m not here for you. But I’ve always hated hunters, so if you’re here, don’t think about leaving.”
Without any hesitation, he charged at Song Qianqian. The twenty-meter distance between them closed in a breath.
Song Qianqian hadn’t even reacted. There was no expression of fear or surprise on her face even when his blade was right about to touch her vulnerable throat—
A spine-chilling sensation crawled up his back, and Veyrpan instinctively halted his attack, barely retreating half a step.
A terrifying golden spear erupted from the ground, narrowly missing his body.
Veyrpan’s pupils dilated.
He had never missed an ambush before. This reaction speed couldn’t possibly be human.
The fleeting light in front of him made him even more wary.
The man in front of him had dark eyes, swirling like tumultuous undercurrents. He laughed, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Did you ask for my permission?”
***
Fang Qing entered the tent. He didn’t see Shen Zhaomu, but Long Shiyu was there.
Rows of seats were empty, no applause or cheering. He saw Veyrpan in the center of the stage, and even though he didn’t recognize him, he felt an instinctual threat. He quickly raised his gun and pulled Long Shiyu, “Let’s go find Song Qianqian.”
He thought he exerted quite a bit of strength, but couldn’t move Long Shiyu at all.
Without turning his head, Long Shiyu silently handed something over.
Looking down, Fang Qing saw a potted plant with a comical face.
Zaun Flower: “Fuck your mom, fuck your dad, hee hee, fuck your ancestors!”
Fang Qing: “…”
This plant was so magical. It would sway freely when held. He couldn’t help but wear an expression like an old man trying to read a text on a smartphone.
Long Shiyu spoke solemnly, “I can’t keep it with me for now. Take care of it, don’t let its leaves fall. I really, really like it.”
Fang Qing: “… Wait, why does it sound like you’re entrusting me with something important?”
The next moment, he fell.
The collapse was sudden. It took him a few seconds to realize that the floor beneath had entirely collapsed.
He didn’t see how Long Shiyu had destroyed the solid ground in a split second. Before he fell to the floor below, all he saw was Long Shiyu looking back—
Golden pupils burning brightly in the dim light, terrifyingly luminous.
Fang Qing’s eyes widened, “What…?”
He landed on the next level. It wasn’t a high drop, and his spiritual energy protected him from harm. The Zaun Flower in his hand was also unscathed.
Looking up, in just a few seconds, the floor had healed. Veyrpan’s spiritual energy constantly maintained the circus, quickly repairing any damage.
Zaun Flower: “Fuck your mom, hee hee, fuck your grandparents!”
“Stop cursing,” Fang Qing muttered, “This is bad…”
Back on stage.
Veyrpan’s smile remained pale, “Finally, no one can disturb us.” He placed the crying clown mask back on the stool.
Long Shiyu yawned, “I don’t want to fight you, I just want to go back for a late-night snack.”
“You can never escape a challenge. Since you took the throne, you should have been prepared.”
“But I really want a late-night snack.”
Veyrpan: “…”
He took a deep breath, “You have a favorite human, don’t you? He’s currently battling another me in a different tent.” His smile reappeared, “Don’t you want to go over and see what interesting things might happen? Maybe he’ll even die.”
He continued, “You have someone you want to see, and so do I. Would you like to take a ride back in that old car with him? Share some piping hot late-night snacks, whisper secrets under the cover of night, and if lucky, maybe you’ll even catch a beautiful golden sunrise at the end of the street.”
“But, you see, I also want to find my little audience.”
“I know you’re seriously injured, and I don’t like taking advantage of someone in a weak state. But I’ve been waiting for him for many years, and only the power of the throne can bring him back.”
“Tonight’s performance has no audience; it’s destined that only one of us will leave.”
Many years ago, a circus descended from the golden clouds in the sky.
Yet, his audience was seen no more.
Long Shiyu fell silent for a few seconds. “The throne isn’t what you imagine it to be. But just saying that won’t convince you. I really want to meet my princess.”
“So, I accept your challenge.”
Long Shiyu slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing the graceful lines of his forearm.
In the backlit stage, his eyelashes were like raven feathers, and his expression was calm and composed as he performed this action, like a character in a painting, as if he were about to scoop up moonlit water or pluck a bud waiting to bloom.
The illusion was shattered in the next moment.
Silver dragon scales sprouted instantly from his right hand’s skin, sharp and hard like blades, flipping and locking together at the edges with unstoppable ferocity. They spread from his right shoulder to below his neck, and the bones in his hand thickened as his slender fingers twisted and transformed into razor-sharp claws, their tips gleaming with a chilling light. It was a true weapon, capable of easily crushing a skull or piercing through the heaviest of tanks.
Cloaked in elegance, yet brimming with murderous intent.
The dragon scales seemed to radiate the brilliance of stars, combining beauty and ferocity.
Long Shiyu tore off his red necktie with one hand, popping open the top button of his white shirt, revealing delicate collarbones.
“Come on,” he said.
Author’s Note:
One cutesy sob a day: 0/1
Rest assured everyone, one layer of the sockpuppet will be revealed. Our sobbing little dragon is really alpha today! A real fierce guy.
TN: Happy New Year in advance! May 2024 be your best year yet!
Happy new year and thank you for the chapter!
Thanks and happy new year!
Happy new year 🎊
GET ‘EM SHIYU
Thank you Happy New Year!❤
Happy new year as well , this chapter was awesome, looking forward to he next 😁
It kind of looks like the circus master is fighting the dragon lord for his throne – over a boy that left him 130 years ago 😑.