Chapter 20 - Stop 21: Care

The sunlight through the window turned crimson once more, and on the previously empty desks, students' corpses sprawled in various macabre positions. Some had hanged themselves, others impaled by large protractors through their chests, while some had their heads inexplicably severed.

At Jiang Minzhen's desk, her contorted body lay, twisted from the fall from the building.

The scene had transformed into a hellish nightmare, with blood splattered across the walls.

What was even more terrifying was that these corpses began to move with great effort, as if summoned by some malevolent force, ready to join the brutal battle with a thirst for blood.

Where school rules once were displayed, now stood a massive Korean word: Death.

The Spirit Binding Rope flashed, snatching the key from the fan.

Ming Yiyang grabbed the nearest Yan Qiling, slinging him over his shoulder, and they dashed out!

The corridor was littered with bodies, and behind the reopened classroom doors, more hellscape awaited.

It was as if a one-sided massacre had taken place here.

The corpses, too, now stirred. Suo Bo, whose ankles were seized, cried out in terror.

Hu Gaoming hurriedly stepped on the hand holding her, pulled her out, and then dragged her away.

When they burst out of Building One, the scene before them grew even more gruesome.

Every tree along the pathway that could bear a hanging body was now adorned with students, their bodies wrapped in black plastic bags, thrashing and groaning as if gasping for their last breaths.

It was as if they had suddenly stumbled into the twisted dream of a deranged antisocial individual, leaving them to question whether they, too, were being assimilated into the horror.

Yan Qiling's calm voice pulled the newcomers' shaken minds back from terror:

"Head to the observatory on the rooftop. Li Shien's office is there; Jin Shuen might avoid going there."

Ming Yiyang immediately carried him in the direction of the observatory, and the others, unable to make decisions, followed suit.

The observatory was the only structure among all the buildings with a glass roof.

This design was clearly intended for stargazing, a privilege reserved for someone with extensive astronomical knowledge like the geography teacher.

Yan Qiling didn't let Ming Yiyang put him down. He knew that this man enjoyed challenging him, and now wasn't the time for an argument.

He gazed at the youth's scarred feet in silent contemplation.

Fortunately, they encountered little resistance entering the building.

One, there were few students around, and two, the area seemed to have been cleared.

They entered the observatory without hindrance.

The heavy, ornately carved door insulated them from all external noise.

Upon arriving, the exhausted group couldn't help but collapse.

Laying Yan Qiling gently on a soft leather sofa, Ming Yiyang reached to lift the man's clothing, but his wrist was firmly grasped by Qiling.

Ming Yiyang frowned.

"You haven't applied any burn ointment yet."

He had expected Yan Qiling to spout some nonsense, but instead, the man gazed at him with his elegantly curved peach blossom eyes and said,

"The first-aid kit is with Hu Gaoming."

Lying down, his scattered wisps of hair revealed his smooth forehead.

Whether it was due to the lighting or the unique structure of this man's irises, Ming Yiyang could clearly see the shimmering specks dancing on his pupils, like diamonds.

From a slightly different angle, the eyes would shimmer with rippling light.

Radiant and dazzling.

Ming Yiyang took a sharp breath in disbelief, forcing himself to look away.

"Hu Gaoming, the medicine!"

Hu Gaoming skipped over with the first-aid kit, nearly moved to tears upon seeing the two living giants before him.

Unpacking the first aid kit, Ming Yiyang had just located the bandages when he was suddenly pushed down onto a seat. He asked,

"What's going on?"

The bandages were snatched away, and Yan Qiling crouched in front of him, holding his ankle.

Instantly, goosebumps spread across his entire body, almost prompting him to instinctively kick the other person – but fortunately, he managed to restrain himself.

Yan Qiling looked up at him, his gaze too indifferent to suppress the strange sensations surging within Ming Yiyang's heart for now.

Bending down to examine the wound, Yan Qiling rummaged through the medical kit and found iodine and cotton balls.

Ming Yiyang felt incredibly awkward. He nudged the side of Yan Qiling's face with his knee and grumbled,

"I can do it myself, no need for you."

Using tweezers to hold the cotton ball soaked in iodine, Yan Qiling averted his gaze from Ming Yiyang's restless knee and acknowledged with a soft "mm," before starting to wipe away the dirt and blood from the wound.

Ming Yiyang's pupils shook in disbelief.

In his entire life, apart from in a hospital, he had never received such meticulous care for his wounds.

Even when he bruised his knees during practice, his master would simply toss him some iodine and Yunnan Baiyao to apply himself, then make him walk ten kilometers back to the temple for his senior brothers to change his dressing. That was all it took for the wounds to heal.

This kind of care didn't make him feel comfortable; on the contrary, it stirred up an indescribable sense of shame within him, making him so restless that he felt like exploding on the spot.

"Stay still."

The person focusing on the wound spoke gently, with just the right amount of firmness:

"I'll clean it for you. You can bandage it yourself."

"Oh."

He kept his face down, expressionless, too embarrassed to notice the fleeting smile in Yan Qiling's eyes.

While they were enjoying a rare moment of peaceful coexistence, the others were unusually worried about the Wujian Master's impending intrusion.

The two girls spent some time studying the telescope set up by the observatory, and Subo suddenly exclaimed with delight:

"Aha, this telescope can see the school's playground!"

The group hurried over. Recalling the "Hillside Station," Hu Zhicheng took the initiative to carefully manipulate the telescope, swiftly spotting a prominent eye-catching sign!

"Xiaoyan! We found the exit! That Hillside Station is the one we need to go to!"

They became excited.

"Really? How far is it from us?"

Yan Qiling smiled nonchalantly, then switched the cotton ball and shifted his posture from crouching to kneeling.

With his right leg on the ground, he lifted his left knee, effortlessly placing Ming Yiyang's other foot on it. He applied the medicine with an incredibly steady hand, unaffected by anything outside their little world.

Ming Yiyang felt quite awkward and began to consider ways to divert his attention.

"Brother Hu, I have a map here."

He opened his phone and passed it to Hu Zhicheng,

"It's best if we hurry up and plan our route. We probably won't be staying here for long."

Feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, Hu Zhicheng promptly enlarged the map on his phone and began calculating their path with great urgency, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

While waiting anxiously for Yan Qiling to finish, Ming Yiyang, with nothing else to do, let his gaze wander. Accidentally, his eyes met with Yao Kunrui, who was cowering in a corner.

However, he soon realized that Yao Kunrui's gaze wasn't focused on him but was instead fixed intently on Yan Qiling.

...This made him feel uneasy.

Yao Kunrui's gaze wasn't just mere fear or guilt; there was an underlying, abnormal fervor in it.

From this fervor sprouted blind greed and worship, as if he didn't see a person but rather some enigmatic, divine entity worthy of faith.

...Was he worshiping Yan Qiling?

Ming Yiyang furrowed his brow slightly.

This guy must be crazy.

Yan Qiling nonchalantly set down the cotton ball and handed him the bandage, looking up and saying,

"Alright, you can do the rest yourself now."

"Wait a moment."

Ming Yiyang held onto the person, his gaze solemn,

"Your burns."

Yan Qiling brushed off his hand with a smile,

"It's fine, I have money."

Ming Yiyang: "? How does that relate to your burns?"

"I have a personal doctor on standby around the clock. As long as I can leave, burns of this severity won't be fatal."

Ming Yiyang: ...

Others:

What are you showing off for?

As he was about to respond, Yan Qiling had already started walking towards the telescope.

At that moment, he had an eerie feeling of being watched.

Despite Yao Kunrui's swift evasion, he couldn't help but detect a tinge of resentment and envy in the other's gaze.

Ming Yiyang: ?

The situation was becoming more peculiar by the minute.

Hu Zhicheng quickly mapped out an escape route, yet his brow remained furrowed with concern.

The observatory was situated in a standalone building, surrounded by flat terrain with no significant obstructions. If discovered by the Unseen Master, they would have nowhere to hide and would be at the mercy of fate.

Worse still, the station on the back mountain was located over a hundred meters away from the school, meaning they would have to traverse through the mist once again.

Only then could they reach their ultimate destination.

Ming Yiyang began to calculate the time:

"The train will arrive five minutes early, so we should aim to be there precisely five minutes before that."

"Essentially, as long as we're near the train, we'll be safe. The ghosts in the Realm of Chaos are extremely fearful of trains and usually keep their distance."

But Hu Zhicheng had a different concern:

"The issue is how we'll distract them. We have fourteen hours until the train arrives... And most importantly, we can't stay at the observatory indefinitely."

Yan Qiling took out his diary and spoke softly:

"Each Ruler of the Realm of Chaos possesses a core unique to them. With the blood of an outsider, there's a chance it can be activated."

"Right now, we hold half of this world's core in our hands."

Ming Yiyang pulled out the still-glowing crystal heart from his chest.

"Are you referring to this? What does activating it do?"

Yan Qiling examined it meticulously, his focused expression revealing a touch of innocence different from his usual self.

"The function of each core is linked to the capabilities of the Boundless Master. Some cores can replicate the Master's abilities, while others can restrain them. Only by activating the core can we determine its specific function."

Ming Yiyang raised an eyebrow.

"Then let's give it a try."

Placing the heart on the table, he used a wooden dagger to cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto it.

The blood droplet quickly formed white flames on the pulsating heart, which then emitted a hoarse crackling sound as it contorted!

Everyone: "...."

Looking at the heart with grotesque bubbles on its surface, Yan Qiling spoke up,

"Switch, it doesn't seem to like your blood."

The young man touched the tip of his nose and looked at Si Shuhao.

Si Shuhao approached stealthily, closing her eyes as she stretched out a finger:

"Go ahead and cut it. I won't look, so... "

Ming Yiyang unexpectedly pinched her finger and sliced it.

She cried out, then felt someone roughly squeeze her fingertip, causing blood to drip onto her heart.

Nothing happened.

"Are you crazy, Ming Yiyang?!"

Si Shuhao covered her hand and darted to the side, her face clearly conveying, "As soon as I get out of here, I'm firing you."

Others stepped forward. As they absorbed the blood, the blister on the heart gradually shrunk and healed, but still, no unusual signs emerged.

Now, everyone had tried except for him and Yao Kunrui.

Yan Qiling shook his head slowly.

"My blood won't work."

None dared to inquire the reason, but Ming Yiyang, out of curiosity, raised his gaze before remembering how his own blood nearly killed the core and promptly closed his mouth.

No one expected Yao Kunrui to cooperate, yet to their surprise, the red-haired young man, with a flushed face as if drunk, stumbled over and offered his hand, saying,

"I'll give it a try."