Chapter 254 Her Name Is Yao

Chapter 254: The One Named Yao

Yao was discovered by Su Bai in a forest. Though he could no longer recall the specifics of that nightmare game or any special events that transpired in the woods, Su Bai considered his memory quite ordinary—forgetting distant events from his previous life was only natural, especially since Yao was among the earliest ghosts to become a Puzzle Piece.

The black-haired, red-eyed youth, while not a primary combatant among Su Bai’s Puzzle Pieces, had accompanied Su Bai for a long time, much like A Xi, but was far more clingy.

When Su Bai possessed only a few Puzzle Pieces, Yao consistently remained by his side, like an inseparable shadow.

However, as Su Bai accumulated more ghosts, Yao returned to the Evil Ghost Puzzle, living quietly under Granny Bai’s care. Despite being the youngest, even more so than the boisterous Xiao Huo, Yao remained an exceptionally special Puzzle Piece to Su Bai.

To this day, Yao still held a unique place in Su Bai’s heart. Yet, as Yao reappeared before him, emerging from the Puzzle once more, Su Bai felt a pang of guilt. Yao was such a special Puzzle Piece—why had he forgotten the circumstances of their first meeting? Even when Su Bai strained to recall the forest where they met, only vague images came to mind.

Moreover, in his previous life, when Yao decided to stop appearing, Su Bai had clearly promised to take him out for fun every few days, vowing never to let his once clingy little shadow feel lonely or isolated.

But how long had it been since he last summoned Yao?

Su Bai looked guiltily at the black-haired, red-eyed youth before him. Back at the Luolimasi Grand Hotel, every time he saw Xiao Huo, he was reminded of Yao, whom Xiao Huo always teased for being overly clingy and possessive. Perhaps it was because, among the ghosts in the Evil Ghost Puzzle, only Yao was younger than Xiao Huo, and the two didn't get along very well.

At that time, Su Bai had even planned to take Yao to the real world to play after the events at the Luolimasi Grand Hotel concluded…

Why had he forgotten?

Was such poor memory truly just normal forgetfulness?

"The uncertainty of this space is too great. How could you venture here alone?" Yao’s expression remained stern.

Su Bai was about to say he wasn’t alone—he had Feng Ling, the Phoenix, leader of the Nameless Society, by his side. But he quickly remembered that Yao, though adorable and harmless-looking, had one troublesome trait: he could never see or acknowledge any human other than Su Bai.

"I’m sorry." Su Bai’s confidence evaporated under Yao’s gaze. Guilt and regret washed over him, making him instinctively apologize to Yao, who was much shorter than him.

Yet, after apologizing, Su Bai couldn’t help but defend himself: "I just received a commission from the Administrator. Remember? The one who assigns tasks before the game starts. The terms of the deal this time were quite good, and someone once said the Administrator meant me no harm—he just needed someone to run errands because he has difficulty moving around."

"Which fool would tell you such a… uh…"

For some reason, Yao trailed off, even coughing awkwardly.

"Besides, I knew the Puzzle’s 'door' was open a crack. No matter what hides in this mirror world, it must first get past the reliable Puzzle Pieces backing me, right?" Su Bai said soothingly with a smile, noticing Yao’s ears reddening as he met his gaze—a sign the youth wasn’t truly angry.

"Since you’re fine, I’ll head back with Old Bai now." Yao’s "Old Bai" naturally referred to Granny Bai. "Though Old Bai’s power can handle those filthy things, to truly deal with what you’ll face next, it might be better to let that Ball of Fire out. When that noisy guy was suppressed earlier and not allowed out, he started throwing a tantrum inside the Puzzle."

Listening to Yao, Su Bai felt that Yao knew perfectly well Xiao Huo was the most suitable to appear, yet he still chose to cross the "door" with Granny Bai.

"Actually, you missed me, didn’t you?" Su Bai approached Yao, a mix of apology and happiness in his voice. "After this, I’ll find a place where everyone can appear."

Su Bai couldn’t remember the last time all the Puzzle Pieces appeared together.

Though the Puzzle Pieces all wanted to stay by Su Bai’s side, even when they appeared actively like Yao and Granny Bai now, using their abilities would consume Su Bai’s power. So, if all the Puzzle Pieces appeared at once, the slightest misstep could harm Su Bai’s body, and they had to avoid any accidents.

"I’m busy. I don’t have time to miss you." Though Yao said this, his expression softened as he looked at Su Bai.

Su Bai didn’t believe Yao could be that busy inside the Puzzle. He simply thought Yao was as indirect as ever, yet his thoughts were written all over his face.

"Now isn’t the time for this. You need to move forward with Xiao Huo." Yao and Granny Bai’s figures began to fade before Su Bai. "I can sense what hides deep in this space. Like the Administrator you mentioned, it means no harm inherently. But under external pressure or loss of control, even we could hurt you, let alone something with unknown origins."

"Please be careful."

"I’m always with you."

With that, Granny Bai and Yao vanished from the corridor, leaving only the blood ghosts shattered into icy fragments by the white serpent.

Soon, a cluster of blue flame appeared beside Su Bai. Xiao Huo, finally allowed to leave the "door," hid his human form, floating like a small flame in mid-air to avoid draining too much of Su Bai’s energy.

Likely, Xiao Huo had been given a stern talking-to by the other Puzzle Pieces before coming out.

Though Xiao Huo had restrained his power, his mouth hadn’t quieted down.

"Xiao Bai, that Yao is too cunning!" Xiao Huo complained to Su Bai the moment he appeared. "He knew I was the most suitable, yet he dragged Old Bai out himself!"

"Hmph, but he still lost. After all, I said if he didn’t let me out, I’d tell you that he’s actually…"

At this, the small blue flame trembled as if blown by the wind, and Xiao Huo, who had been chattering nonstop, suddenly fell silent, not finishing his sentence.

"Hmm?" Su Bai looked curiously at Xiao Huo.

"Nothing. He’s just a possessive, clingy tail spirit!" Xiao Huo muttered under his breath.

"Alright, save the complaints for after the game." Su Bai nodded to Feng Ling behind him, then continued down the corridor with her, her expression appearing somewhat complex.

To leave this place, they had to find the out-of-control eerie entity in the mirror world.