Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part3 (1/2)
Illusions, Lies, Truth Volume 2: Human Doll Contract Part Two
Original novel in Chinese by: 御 我 (Yu Wo)
Chapter 1: The Busy Patient Part 3—The Conflicted Friend—translated by lucathia
The moment he walked into the ward, Lu Yang raised an eyebrow and pointed his right hand at the corner with two of his fingers held together. Slay, which was drifting beside him, abruptly shot out, piercing straight at the bloodstained shadow in the corner. A single strike was all it took to sever the shadow's head. A head wrapped in messy hair fell to the ground, immediately turning into drifting ashes together with the body that had been kneeling there. Just like that, the shadow disappeared without a trace.
Jiang Ziya was stumped and asked in confusion, ”Why did you wipe him out so suddenly?”
Lu Yang shrugged as he said, ”That was an illusory familiar of the lowest caliber. It doesn't have much awareness and is around the same as a c.o.c.kroach. I normally don't do anything about them because there are just too many. But you're staying in this ward. I bet it's uncomfortable looking at that kind of thing, right?”
c.o.c.kroach… Jiang Ziya was a little speechless. If the average person saw that kind of thing, it would at least warrant an entire ghost story. Yet, to my friend, it's no different than a c.o.c.kroach?
Lu Yang sat on the bed. His two hands had been rewrapped. Although he couldn't avoid being nagged by the nurses, smiling in response couldn't hurt.
”Remember to write my essay for me.” Taking his shoes off, Lu Yang lazily lay down on the bed.
”Fine!” Jiang Ziya hurriedly drew the curtains shut to prevent bothering the other people. Although the elder in the opposite bed had poor hearing, there was still the married couple next to them.
He had to do something like that even though he had one arm in a cast, while Lu Yang was leisurely reclining in bed. He even crossed one leg over the other. Just who is the patient here?!
After pulling the curtains shut, Jiang Ziya sat down, took out his notebook, and began writing the essay. He didn't even bother to take out his dictionary. After all, if he wrote it too well, the teacher would figure it out, considering Lu Yang's abilities.
”What do you think is going on with my brother-in-law?” Jiang Ziya asked worriedly as he wrote.
”He's probably a pract.i.tioner, too.”
Jiang Ziya glanced at Slay, which was floating to the side, and asked doubtfully, ”But he didn't seem like he could see your sword.”
”It's not strange if he can't. Not all pract.i.tioners have that kind of ability.” Lu Yang gave Jiang Ziya a look and said, ”It's stranger to be able to see so clearly, to the point of knowing that Slay is an ancient Chinese sword.”
”You don't need to remind me how strange I am!”
Lu Yang began smiling. ”You're only able to see, while the sword is mine! Just who is the stranger one?”
Jiang Ziya lifted his head and asked curiously, ”Exactly what age were you when you started doing these things?”
”I can't really say. I'd been tagging along with my parents since I was young. Even I don't know what age I was when I started partic.i.p.ating.” Lu Yang thought it over for a bit and surmised, ”Probably around ten or so. A few years before I had Slay, I began offhandedly whacking a few weak illusory familiars.”
”Your parents also do this kind of thing?” Jiang Ziya was surprised. He had never heard Lu Yang talk about his family affairs before. His friend had never brought it up. However, Jiang Ziya had never thought that they would also be demon slayers. Is this a family business, after all?
”Come to think of it, where are your dad and mom? When I went over to your place last time, only your grandparents were there. No one mentioned your parents.”
Lu Yang shrugged and said, ”My dad and mom have been overseas for two years. Before then, they never came home much either. Either they would be running about in Taiwan, or they would be overseas.”
Hearing such a detailed explanation, Jiang Ziya felt a bit nervous. In the past, Lu Yang had never spoken so much about his family. He hurriedly said, ”If you don't want to talk about what's going on at home, you don't have to.”
”There's no difference now. Before, I just didn't dare to say anything.” Lu Yang said helplessly, ”If you had asked about my parents' professions, could I have told you that one of them is a Taoist priest, and the other is an exorcist?”
”…Your family sure is complicated.”
”Yours doesn't seem simple, either.” Lu Yang huffed, ”If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't have needed to keep it from you. There were many times when I was stuck in barrier dimensions I couldn't see through and didn't know how to crack. I was often detained. If you could have taken a look for me, it would have saved me who knows how much effort.”
”I can help you?”
Jiang Ziya perked up. Lu Yang had helped him so many times, and he had even been captured because of what was going on with Xiao Xue, almost falling to his death from the building. Hearing now that he could help his friend, he felt relieved that he could finally repay this debt!
Lu Yang sat up and asked seriously, ”Ziya, are you really willing to help me?”
Jiang Ziya nodded. Even though he wouldn't choose to slay demons if he didn't have to, he had incurred a debt, and he was really worried about Lu Yang getting caught so often. He had no choice but to bear with it and do it.
”Why are you doing this kind of thing?” Jiang Ziya asked in great concern. If he could, he would still prefer repaying the debt through a method like helping his friend take the night s.h.i.+ft at a convenience store!
”It's like how you're an employee at a bookstore. It's a part-time job!”
”You get paid?” Jiang Ziya was shocked. He had thought that it was because Lu Yang's family ran a temple, so he had to do it for the better good or some similar reason.
”Mostly, but there's the occasional pro bono case.”
Jiang Ziya asked curiously, ”When do you do pro bono cases?”
Lu Yang painfully recounted, ”Like when I accidentally discover an artifact demon that has shocking resentment, yet hasn't hurt anyone yet, or no one has discovered the ”haunting,” and so no one spends any money to commission me, but can I let him harm others? In those kinds of cases, I can only do free work.”
After saying that, he added on worriedly, ”When I do charity cases, you better not ask me for payment. I can only give you money on paid missions.”
Hearing that, Jiang Ziya rolled his eyes at him. When he had accepted earlier, Lu Yang hadn't mentioned anything at all about getting paid. Just as he was about to say that Lu Yang didn't need to pay him, he suddenly realized that he could take ”another form of payment.”
”Promise me you won't kill Xiao Xue, and I'll help you.”
At first, Lu Yang couldn't figure out who Xiao Xue was, but immediately afterward, he understood that it was that artifact demon. He roared on the spot, ”You promised you would trick the artifact demon out and let me get rid of her. Are you going back on your word?”
”It’s not the same now!” Jiang Ziya said angrily, ”She accepted coming along with me to save you, and she even blocked a bullet for me. How can I go along with the promise from earlier to kill her? That's too heartless!”
”Do you mean that I'm heartless?” Lu Yang glared at him in frustration. ”I'm protecting your life!”
”Xiao Xiao saved my life and even yours!”
”What's with the arguing? I can't sleep like this!” The man next to them yelled.
They fell silent but glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
Lu Yang lowered his voice and said, ”Ziya, you haven't seen an artifact demon kill someone. There are cases where not a single person in the family was left alive. Think of your sister, your brother-in-law, and Jiang Jiang.”
The moment his sister was mentioned, Jiang Ziya's determination wavered greatly. ”Can't an artifact demon get along with people? Are you sure there are definitely no exceptions?”