chsdbacks Chapter 108 This is truly a pleasant surprise!
Chapter 108 This is truly a pleasant surprise!
As dusk settled and the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, the Rose House, a once-prosperous building now exuding an air of decay, was shrouded in deep shadow.
Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, casting shadows that danced among the carved beams and painted rafters, yet could not dispel the pervasive heaviness and coldness.
Lady Rose stood in the center, her once radiant face now drained of color, leaving only an unbelievable pallor. She looked at Jasmine a few steps away, the one she had once regarded as a sister and had devoted all her efforts to saving, the other's cold and piercing accusations echoing in her ears.
"You're wrong!" Jasmine's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a poisoned ice pick, piercing deep into Lady Rose's heart.
"You're so wrong!" she repeated, each word heavy with despair and self-mockery.
Lady Rose staggered, as if struck by an invisible hammer. She shook her head blankly, her eyes filled with confusion and pain.
"Why? Why was it wrong?"
She murmured to herself, her voice as soft as a feather falling to the ground.
"I clearly... I clearly did what my father taught me when I was a child! Treat others sincerely, treat them with kindness, protect the weak... Isn't that right?"
Her beliefs crumbled in an instant, and her solid foundation turned to dust.
Jasmine looked at her distraught appearance and a cold smile, more like a grimace, tugged at the corners of her mouth.
She took a step closer, and those eyes, which had once been filled with gratitude and dependence, were now filled only with deep-seated resentment and cold scrutiny.
"Rose," her voice carried an almost cruel calm, "do you know? In my eyes, you're like a child who never grows up, ridiculously naive, pathetically childish."
Lady Rose looked up abruptly, a hint of hurt and surprise flashing in her eyes.
"All your decisions, all your ideas," Jasmine continued mercilessly, her voice suddenly rising, "are all too naive! Too self-centered! Too unrealistically innocent! Even... there's a nauseating arrogance emanating from your very core!"
She stared intently into Lady Rose's clear blue eyes, as if trying to find evidence of hypocrisy.
"You arrogantly believe that rescuing me from that hellhole, giving me food, and teaching me a few ghost-hunting skills constitutes a great redemption? That you expect me to be eternally grateful and worship you? You arrogantly believe that by treating me like a sister, you should reciprocate with the same heartfelt gratitude? Ha!"
A short, cold laugh, filled with endless mockery and sorrow.
"But that's never how it is! Rose, how could you, so high above, understand the struggles of those trapped in the mud?"
Jasmine's gaze drifted into the distance, as if piercing through the walls and seeing her unbearable past.
"My mother...she was a prostitute. I was born in the dirtiest corner of the brothel. From a young age, I was exposed to and forced to learn how to become a more 'qualified' prostitute when I grew up."
"I used to accept my fate, thinking I was just born to wallow in the mud. Until... until I was thrown into the backyard like trash to die..."
Her voice trembled slightly from the pain of the memories.
"At that moment, I thought I was finally free. I thought I had finally escaped this disgusting fate that I was born with. I thought that in my next life, at least I could be an honest, ordinary person... or maybe, I wouldn't be human at all!"
Her gaze snapped back, like a quenched knife, piercing fiercely at Lady Rose.
"But you! You're the one who saved me!"
Jasmine's voice suddenly turned shrill, filled with hysterical accusations.
"Do you know what? I didn't want to live! At that moment, death was the only escape, the only pure land! You didn't save me, Rose! You ruined me! You dragged me back from the doorway to liberation into this even more unbearable, more painful hell!"
Before she could finish speaking, Jasmine suddenly raised her hand and ripped off the veil that symbolized concealment and shame from her face!
"Under the lights, the face covered with terrifying scars that crisscrossed like centipedes was laid bare before everyone's eyes."
The wounds penetrated deep into the flesh, twisted and hideous, completely destroying any semblance of beauty one might have once possessed.
Jasmine paid no attention to the gazes of others, staring intently at Madam Rose's still smooth, delicate, and stunningly beautiful face.
"Every time I see you!"
Jasmine's voice was distorted by intense jealousy. "Seeing your smooth face, seeing your stunning beauty, seeing you adored by countless people, surrounded by adulation... my heart feels like it's being gnawed at by a swarm of poisonous ants!"
"jealous!"
I'm insanely jealous of you!
"Why?! Why do you get all this? Why are you so lucky? This beauty, this scenery, this feeling of being cherished... I should have had it all! I should have had it all!"
She practically screamed it out, her voice hoarse and filled with resentment and bitterness.
Under Madame Rose's complicated gaze, Jasmine actually raised her hand and, with her calloused fingers, gently and slowly stroked Madame Rose's cold cheek with a morbid obsession and extreme disgust.
The sensation made Lady Rose stiffen, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
"Do you know?" Jasmine's voice suddenly lowered again, carrying a chillingly gentle quality.
"If you were just being nice to me insincerely, just putting on an act for outsiders, just using me as a tool to show your kindness... I might not be in so much pain, I might not hate you so much."
"But...but your beauty is real! Your sincerity is real! And your damned, naive innocence is real too!"
Her fingers tightened sharply, her nails almost digging into Mrs. Rose's skin.
"It is your honesty, like a mirror that reveals my true self, that makes me see myself clearly at every moment! It makes me see myself as a maggot wriggling in a rotten cesspool! So despicable! So foul! So... unbearable to look at! Therefore, I hate you! I hate you to the core!"
Jasmine jerked her hand back as if she had touched something highly poisonous. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to the current state of the Rose House, and to the other five people.
"And also, open your naive eyes and take a look! Your so-called sincerity, your so-called trust, your so-called mentorship... what have you ultimately created? A bunch of turtles and bastards in human skin!"
Her fingers swept sharply across the group of people around her, whose expressions had changed drastically.
"They eat your food, drink your water, and use your things without a care in the world! They use the 'Rose House' brand, which you polished yourself, to do things that are worse than those of pigs and dogs! They've turned this place, the place you considered your home, into a filthy tool for their greed, wealth accumulation, and power struggles!"
She paused, watching the growing shock and pain in Lady Rose's eyes, a cruel smile playing on her lips:
"And, my dear 'sister,' you don't know this yet, do you? We—including these 'loyal servants' you trust—not only want to sideline you and turn you into a mere puppet, but we also want to control you! Even..."
Jasmine's voice suddenly turned icy, each word distinct and deliberate: "I want to kill you!"
She looked at Lady Rose's face, which had turned deathly pale, and let out a sharp, mocking laugh:
"And you! You're actually acting like a fool, swaggering back to your death! I really don't know whether to praise you for being naive to the point of stupidity, or for being hopelessly stupid!"
Lady Rose swayed, almost losing her balance.
She always believed that it was because she hadn't done enough, or that her sincerity hadn't been pure enough, that led to the betrayal.
But Jasmine's brutal confession, like a dull knife, completely shattered her last bit of self-deceptive illusion.
It turned out that it was precisely her unreserved and selfless sincerity that became the breeding ground for betrayal and destruction, ultimately destroying everything she cherished—her Rose House. Immense pain and self-doubt overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, suffocating her.
However, Jasmine's outburst did not stop. She abruptly turned her head and aimed her guns at Lin Bei, who had been standing silently beside Madam Rose, seemingly detached from the situation. Her eyes were sharp as knives, filled with scrutiny and incomprehension, as well as a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.
"And you!"
Jasmine demanded sharply, "Madam Rose is a fool blinded by naivety, but are you blind and foolish too? She can't see that Rose House is all show and no substance, already in a precarious state, can't you see that either? You clearly... clearly possess enough power!"
Her gaze swept over Lin Bei's calm and expressionless face, carrying a hint of apprehension about that power that she herself was unaware of.
"You could have taken her far away from this quagmire that's doomed to utter ruin and doom! Why? Why bring her back? To die with you? Or is it..." Jasmine's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Are you really so arrogant as to think your strength is invincible and can sweep away everything? Kid, let me tell you, there are heavens beyond heavens and mountains beyond mountains! Don't think that just because you killed a lowly demon and taught a few insignificant hunters a lesson, you're someone important! Here, we have plenty of ways to make sure you... don't leave alive!"
Her tone became urgent, carrying an almost pleading warning: "Listen to my advice! If you don't want to die, now! Immediately! Take Lady Rose and leave this place! I'll pretend you were never here tonight! Otherwise..." Her eyes suddenly turned sinister, "Don't blame me for not warning you later; it'll be too late to regret it!"
Jasmine's "advice," delivered with a mixture of joy and anger, was like a madwoman's, akin to throwing a boulder into a calm lake.
The faces of the remaining five men had changed from initial anger and ashen to extreme gloom and resentment.
Their carefully constructed facade of loyalty was ruthlessly shattered by Jasmine, laid bare before Madam Rose and Lin Bei.
However, what enraged them even more was the obvious intention to "defect" revealed in Jasmine's words at that moment!
The group exchanged glances, their initial shock and anger quickly replaced by a chilling, mocking look, as if they were watching a clown.
Having come this far, with the die hanging in the balance, only now did she think of "abandoning darkness for light"? Too late! Too late!
As if to confirm their thoughts, or as if it were a cruel joke of fate, the last ray of light outside the window vanished completely.
The night, like thick ink, instantly swallowed the entire world. The Rose House was completely plunged into boundless darkness.
The instant Jasmine felt complete darkness descend outside the window, she felt as if all her bones had been removed; her body went limp, and she let out a long, desperate sigh.
"Alas—!" The sigh was filled with endless regret, helplessness, and deep despair.
"It's too late...it's all too late..." She raised her head and looked at Madam Rose and Lin Bei, her eyes filled with a deathly gray.
"Now... even if you want to leave, it's... too late!"
"Jasmine!"
Lady Rose awoke abruptly from her devastating shock and self-doubt, a sense of foreboding gripping her heart. She demanded an explanation.
"What do you mean? What do you mean by 'can't leave even if you want to'? What exactly happened?!" She desperately wanted to find the answer in Jasmine's eyes.
However, Jasmine only gave her and Lin Bei a deep look, her gaze incredibly complex, containing despair, guilt, and a certain resolute determination.
There was even... a hint of indescribable, extremely subtle worry. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only repeated that heart-stopping phrase again: "It's too late...it...it's coming soon!"
Before the words "They've arrived" had even finished, a clear, steady, yet chillingly cold set of footsteps abruptly echoed from the deep passage leading to the inner hall. Tap...tap...tap... Each step felt like it was pounding on one's heart. Accompanying this was a voice, utterly devoid of warmth, as if from the deepest hell:
"Heh heh..." The laughter sent chills down one's spine. "It seems my previous method of making an example of someone was too lenient. I never expected that even at this critical juncture, there would still be those fools who dare to betray me..."
His voice suddenly turned sharp, carrying a chilling killing intent, "Could it be that you're really tired of living?!"
The moment the last "吗" was uttered, a sudden change occurred!
Like a black torrent bursting its banks, or a cascading inky waterfall, countless viscous, living black threads, shimmering with an eerie light, suddenly erupted from the dark passage! They moved with lightning speed, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, their target clear—directly aimed at Jasmine, who lay limp on the ground, her face ashen!
The moment she heard the footsteps, Jasmine's body stiffened like a stone, and the last trace of color drained from her face, leaving only boundless fear.
When the deadly torrent of black silk surged in, she lost even the last bit of strength to struggle, completely limp, and closed her eyes in despair, as if she had accepted her fate of death and was ready to be slaughtered.
However, in the instant before she closed her eyes, Lin Bei, who had been observing coldly, keenly caught a trace of extremely complex emotion that flashed deep in her eyes—besides despair, there was also a trace of resolute determination, as if she had burned her bridges and disregarded life and death!
"You want to kill someone in front of me?"
Facing the terrifying torrent of black silk capable of instantly devouring and annihilating a person, Lin Bei's lips slowly curled upwards, revealing a cold and mocking smile. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, were locked onto the surging darkness.
Did you ask me?
Before he finished speaking, Lin Bei casually raised his right hand and clenched his fist in mid-air towards the violently attacking black waterfall!
An unbelievable scene has unfolded!
That raging black torrent, powerful enough to crush gold and jade, seemed to have crashed into an invisible, indestructible wall of sighs!
All the impact was forcibly stopped in an instant! Countless wildly dancing black threads were as if precisely grasped by an invisible giant hand, and were frozen in mid-air, just inches away from Jasmine's body!
They were taut and twisted and struggled wildly, making a teeth-grinding "squeak" sound, but they could not move forward an inch! One end of the black silk was deeply embedded in the darkness of the passage, while the other end was steadily and firmly... controlled remotely by Lin Bei's seemingly ordinary palm!
The anticipated pain and death did not come. Jasmine, who had closed her eyes to await death, heard only a chilling "creaking" sound of struggle in the deathly silence. She opened her eyes cautiously and with suspicion.
The sight that came into view made her forget to breathe, and her mind went completely blank!
Those deadly black threads were frozen in place! And the person who intervened to stop it all... was Lin Bei! The same Lin Bei who had just been sternly questioning and trying to drive her away!
He...he...he actually saved me?
This realization struck Jasmine like a thunderbolt, exploding in her chaotic and desperate mind. Unbelievable! How could this be?!
Isn't he in cahoots with Lady Rose? She just viciously humiliated and denounced Lady Rose, every word piercing and dripping with blood... Why would he save her? It makes no sense at all!
A profound sense of bewilderment even temporarily overshadowed the fear of what lay within the passage. Jasmine struggled to turn her eyes to the tall, imposing young man who seemed to be holding back the tide of death with a single hand; her voice was dry and hoarse with utter incomprehension:
"Why...why? I just...I treated Lady Rose like that...why...did you save me?"
Lin Bei's gaze remained fixed on the impenetrable darkness deep within the passage, seemingly unconcerned about the struggling black silk in his hand.
Hearing Jasmine's question, he merely turned his head slightly, his tone flat and emotionless, as if stating a perfectly simple fact:
"Because," he paused, "you are now my prey."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable domineering quality: "Before I nod, no one—whether human or ghost—has the right to take what belongs to me from in front of me."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping between the limp Jasmine and the Rose, whose expression was complex and who had not yet fully recovered from the shock. His eyes held a hint of a man's bewilderment and helplessness regarding the complex emotions of women.
"Moreover," Lin Bei's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, "the relationships between you women... are too complicated, too troublesome."
He seemed to be trying to dissect a difficult problem: "It seems to me that you, Jasmine, do not truly hate Madame Rose."
Jasmine's body trembled violently, her eyes filled with astonishment.
"You are just..." Lin Bei's gaze sharpened, as if it could pierce through people's hearts.
"You're too insecure. A deep-seated insecurity that makes you always feel inferior to Lady Rose, like a speck of dust gazing at the stars. And then..."
Lin Bei's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Your twisted, peculiar feelings for Madam Rose, feelings that you yourself have never truly acknowledged... fermented and mutated in the soil of your inferiority complex, eventually twisting into intense hatred. That is the root of your decision to betray her."
Jasmine's pupils suddenly contracted, her lips trembled, and she wanted to refute, but no sound came out.
"And when Lady Rose truly appeared before you," Lin Bei continued calmly, each word striking Jasmine's heart.
"Your resolve has wavered. That concern, hidden beneath hatred and perhaps even loathed by yourself, has resurfaced. But..."
His gaze returned to the deep, terrifying passageway. "Because of something more powerful and frightening, you can't express it clearly."
That's why you acted so strangely just now, so deliberately... trying to drive us away, away from Rose House, as far away as possible, using the most vicious language."
Lin Bei's tone carried a hint of certainty: "The real reason that drove you to do this, I think..." He tightened his grip on the black stockings slightly, causing the taut stockings to groan under the strain, "The answer was already clear the moment that thing in the passage couldn't help but make its move."
Lin Bei's voice lowered, carrying a hint of excitement in the face of a challenge.
"A 'master' is hidden here. Someone whose power level far exceeds your imagination. So powerful that..."
He looked at Jasmine, his eyes seeming to say, "I understand your fear. Even though you've witnessed me deal with those trash, even though you know my strength, you still believe deep down—I could never be its match!"
"That's why you're so eager, even at the cost of exposing your own wavering, to get us out of this volcano that's about to erupt."
He tilted his head slightly, the mocking smile on his face deepening, while a flicker of eager anticipation ignited in his eyes:
"But even I didn't expect..." Lin Bei's gaze refocused on the depths of the passage, as if piercing through the darkness to see the terrifying source that controlled the black silk.
"The 'thing' that terrifies you so much, that you're willing to go to any lengths to make us escape... is actually... a demon?"
A slow, unrestrained smile, brimming with surprise and fighting spirit, spread across Lin Bei's lips, as if a hunter had finally locked onto his long-awaited top prey.
"Ha!" he chuckled, his voice filled with unprecedented interest.
"This...is truly a pleasant surprise!"