Entangled with a Gloomy Creep in an Explicit Novel - Chapter 4

Even though everyone dies eventually, I have only completed one mission so far. The male lead does not even know my name yet. If the system ruins our contract under the pretext of me quitting during my internship without pay, I will have nowhere to cry.

For this reason, Jin Yongyi could only endure her fear. Muttering “Amitabha” under her breath, she grabbed Zhao Fuzhou’s hand and ran forward as fast as she could.

Suddenly, an ethereal voice drifted from behind her. It felt like a feather lightly tickling her ear; it was impossible to pin down, yet it made her whole body itch with an unbearable discomfort.

“Miss,” the voice whispered.

“Miss?”

“Aaahhh!” Jin Yongyi covered one ear with her free hand and screamed, picking up her pace.

She was not sure if it was a ghost or the male lead calling her. To ensure the male lead would share the damage if a ghost attacked, she instinctively changed her grip, interlacing her fingers with Zhao Fuzhou’s in a firm lock.

[Host, open your eyes and look at the road! You are about to hit]

The system’s warning cut off abruptly.

A sudden pull on her arm sent Jin Yongyi’s fragile heart into her throat. In the next instant, she fell into a cool embrace.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest, the sound of her own heartbeat filling the world. Gradually, however, a very steady, rhythmic thumping reached her ears.

“Are you frightened, Miss?”

Zhao Fuzhou’s gentle voice vibrated through his chest and into Jin Yongyi’s ear. She breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed slightly, and looked up from his arms.

By now, they had reached an open clearing. The moon was still massive, and she could see a few stray ghosts drifting behind Zhao Fuzhou.

Jin Yongyi quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and gritted her teeth. “I am not afraid! Do I look afraid to you?”

“Then why are you holding me so tightly, Miss?” Zhao Fuzhou chuckled softly.

Jin Yongyi felt a surge of embarrassment. In her mind, she felt that not jumping directly onto him was a sign of extreme self-restraint.

Feeling helpless in this environment, she asked the system in her head: “System, are you there? Is my mission complete?”

To her surprise, the system replied quickly: [Not yet. Host, this mission will only conclude once you reach the male lead’s destination.]

Jin Yongyi could not help but swear internally. If the mission were over, she could have hidden behind him naturally. Reluctantly, she pulled back from Zhao Fuzhou’s embrace and wiggled her fingers to clasp his hand firmly again.

“Indeed,” Zhao Fuzhou said while watching her actions without resistance, as if giving silent consent. He remarked casually: “Your lightness skill seems very good, Miss. You must be a martial artist as well.”

Lightness skill? The system had not mentioned that.

Jin Yongyi pinged the system in her mind, but it remained silent.

She cleared her throat and puffed out her chest. “Of course. My lightness skill is top-tier. Keeping me by your side is the best decision you will ever make. In fact, I have many surprises you do not know about yet.”

“Is that so?”

“Certainly.”

Suddenly, a flash of sword-light lunged toward her vital points. Jin Yongyi gasped and instinctively lunged to the side. The silver sword whistled past her hair and pierced the bloody mouth of a ghost that had been stealthily approaching from behind.

The silver sword was withdrawn cleanly, and the hideous ghost vanished into ash, though some blood splattered onto Jin Yongyi.

Before she could recover from the shock, her legs gave way. Zhao Fuzhou used their joined hands to pull her into his arms, the smile on his face unreadable. “Your lightness skill is indeed good, but your alertness needs some work.”

Jin Yongyi swallowed hard, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and gave him a strained smile.

It is a good thing you are my boss, or I would have cursed you out. If her brain had frozen and she had stood perfectly still, that silver sword would be stuck in her mouth right now!

Jin Yongyi ranted internally, then looked down at her feet and had an epiphany. She had reacted in nearly a thousandth of a second, and her feet had made no sound on the leaves as she moved.

It seemed her lightness skill was truly at its maximum level!

That useless system should have told her about this advantage from the start instead of letting her be chased so miserably by ghosts.

The road ahead was clear and bright. Jin Yongyi regained some composure and walked side-by-side with Zhao Fuzhou, hand-in-hand. Neither of them found it strange.

She craned her neck to look at the sword in Zhao Fuzhou’s other hand. The blood had not yet dried, dripping from the tip of the blade. Looking back, she saw a trail of blood drops on the path.

It was quite eerie.

Zhao Fuzhou followed her gaze, raised his sword, and said: “If you are still upset, Miss, we can go back and eliminate them all.”

“No, no, no,” Jin Yongyi shook her head like a rattle. She gestured a large circle in the air with a troubled expression. “I saw them last night. There are so many of them. We are outnumbered, so let us forget it.”

Zhao Fuzhou sheathed his sword and said calmly: “They are merely lingering souls trapped in a dead land. They cannot harm us.”

Jin Yongyi nodded in understanding. It seemed everything the system told her during the day was true.

“Still, let us not go back. The yin energy is too heavy. Besides, they talk too much; listening to them is bad for the brain.”

Zhao Fuzhou smiled and looked at her. “So, when you were pulling me along earlier, you thought it was a lingering soul calling you?”

She wondered if she was being too sensitive, but she felt as if her boss was mocking her for not recognizing his voice.

Jin Yongyi groaned. “Stop calling me Miss. Anyone could call me that. How am I supposed to know it is you?”

“My name is Jin Yongyi. My nickname is Yiyi, which serves as my courtesy name. It means the only one.” She hopped in front of Zhao Fuzhou and asked with her friendliest smile: “What is your courtesy name? Is it Zhouzhou?”

She thought this would be a historic moment between her and the male lead.

However, Zhao Fuzhou’s face suddenly turned cold, and an aura of death radiated from him.

“Zhouzhou?” The silver sword returned to his hand soundlessly. He looked at Jin Yongyi. “I went through many hardships in my youth. Everyone who knew my name is dead. How did you find out?”

The tension between them was explosive. Jin Yongyi realized she had made a mistake; the male lead had never told her his name. How could she have been so loose-lipped?

Just as the silver sword was about to point at her throat, she had a sudden stroke of genius. “You said it in your sleep!”

“Last night, you stayed by my bed. Since I like you and you were right there, how could I possibly sleep? You told me in your sleep in the middle of the night. Your name is Zhao Fuzhou, right?”

As the words left her mouth, a shrill scream echoed from the distance. Jin Yongyi looked toward the sound. In the distant woods, several glowing blue entities were crashing around, screaming as they fled. She could not see clearly, but the sound was terrifying. Combined with the male lead’s silence, the pressure was mounting.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She held her breath, thinking that since there were no witnesses, the righteous male lead would not kill an innocent person.

After a long silence, Zhao Fuzhou lowered his eyelashes and slowly sheathed his sword. His smile returned, though it felt jarringly different from the killing intent he had just shown.

“I apologize. There are too many people and demons who want my life. I must be on my guard.”

Jin Yongyi stared blankly at his incredibly handsome face. Indeed, he was the protagonist of a male-oriented novel; the path to godhood was never easy. Having a bit of suspicion was not a bad thing.

“It is okay! You will eventually become so powerful that everyone will fear you. No matter how many dangers are on the road, I will stay with you!” She spoke excitedly, gesturing for nearly half a minute.

“Very well.” Zhao Fuzhou’s smile was unusually bright. He nodded and said: “However, I do not have a courtesy name. You may just call me by my name.”

“There you go again! Call me Yiyi! From now on, you are the only person in the world who knows my courtesy name. That way, I will know it is you calling me.”

In Jin Yongyi’s heart, she felt much closer to the male lead. She had secured her position and built a good relationship with the boss. The feeling was wonderful.

They reached their destination just after midnight.

Jin Yongyi looked up at the golden, towering gates and let out a gasp of wonder. Although she could not read the inscription, she deduced from Zhao Fuzhou’s description that this place must be the “Night Realm.”

Surely, there would be grilled skewers for sale inside.

Jin Yongyi was lost in fantasies of lamb skewers until Zhao Fuzhou pulled her to the left.

She watched him bite his index finger and drip the blood into a recessed slot on a golden pillar. Instantly, the scenery at the entrance twisted and changed. Blinding light shone from within, making it feel like daytime.

The shouts of many vendors echoed from inside. Jin Yongyi felt as if the grilled skewers were waving at her. Without a second thought, she made a beeline for the entrance.

Zhao Fuzhou pulled her back.

“Yiyi, come back.” Along the way, he had been forced by Jin Yongyi to call her by her nickname countless times, and he was now familiar with it. He pointed at the center of the light and explained: “This place is the Night Realm. One can only enter by signing a blood pact with the Lord of the Night Realm.”

Jin Yongyi nodded.

Seeing that she had no more questions, Zhao Fuzhou said softly: “If you are unwilling, I will set up protection for you here. Wait for me for half an hour, and I will return.”

This made Jin Yongyi anxious. That would not do! Now was the perfect time for a midnight snack. The skewers were calling her; how could she not go?

“No! Where you go, I go. I will stay with you to the ends of the earth!” She made a grand declaration and bit her finger several times before finally drawing blood.

When she dripped the blood onto the same spot, her wound felt warm. Fortunately, the system had blocked the pain.

The shouting inside grew louder. Jin Yongyi’s eyes sparkled as she dragged Zhao Fuzhou inside.

Grilled skewers, here I come!

As soon as they entered, a burst of fragrance hit her nose. Jin Yongyi saw a small stall nearby with a fire burning, where a fat, glistening roasted chicken was rotating on a spit. It looked exactly like the roasted chicken legs sold on the snack street near her university.

“Miss, would you like one?” The vendor greeted her with a bright smile.

Jin Yongyi swallowed hard, turned to Zhao Fuzhou, and blinked. “Um, I do not have any money.”

Could she get an advance on her salary?

Zhao Fuzhou took out a heavy bag of silver and handed it to her. “You may buy whatever you like.”

Jin Yongyi marveled at her newfound wealth.

After happily eating the roasted chicken, she bought several other snacks. Since her only set of clothes was stained with blood, Zhao Fuzhou spent a large sum of money to buy her the most beautiful dress and a matching set of jewelry from a clothing shop.

The Night Realm was truly like a city that never sleeps, equipped with all kinds of facilities, even a gambling house. After wandering for a long time, the money bag had shrunk significantly, yet Zhao Fuzhou had not yet done whatever he came to the Night Realm to do.

Jin Yongyi ate her candied fruit and called out to the missing system in her head.

As long as the system did not declare the mission complete, she could not relax. Earlier, while changing clothes in the shop, she had put on a dramatic performance, saying: “If you dare let go of me, I will die right here for you!” All the ladies present had laughed at her. In the end, they were allowed to keep holding hands through a curtain while she changed.

It was fine. This was just a job, and she had suffered through worse for work.

Jin Yongyi comforted herself. She held out the bag of candied fruit to Zhao Fuzhou, offering him some, and asked with her mouth full: “What did you come here to do?”

A figure suddenly lunged from a dark corner. Before she could finish her sentence, she was snatched into an embrace. The candied fruit scattered all over the ground as the stranger forced her back three steps against a wall.

Jin Yongyi was stunned.

Hello? Why am I being pinned against a wall?

She looked at the strange man in front of her with total confusion. She tried to push against his chest, but he did not budge. He was as strong as an ox, completely blocking her view.

Consequently, she did not see Zhao Fuzhou looking at his own hand. The smile on his face suddenly deepened, turning into a twisted, eerie expression as if his mouth had been slit open.