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Page 266
Of course, Dou Tang never cared about other people's opinions, but Lu Zizhen, although drunk, still lowered her head in shame and dared not look him in the eye.
The next day, Dou Tang released the bat half-demon.
Before leaving, the bat half-demon uttered a harsh threat: "I know your hideout, I know what you look like, none of you will escape!"
Dou Tang simply nodded without saying anything. After watching the half-demon disappear quickly around the street corner, he returned to the house and said, "Alright everyone, let's prepare to wait for the rabbit to come to us."
After careful consideration, this is the plan that everyone decided upon.
The released bat-demon can obtain information about the Onmyoji Lingming's barrier through its clone, Tangdou, and conversely, this also...
It's an open strategy; it's a contest of who can't sit still first.
After receiving information from the bat half-demon, the Onmyoji Ling Ming might attack the warehouse. In that case, he would have to leave the barrier. Once he left the barrier, Dou Tang was confident that he would not lose to him.
Conversely, if he doesn't come out, then Dou Tang and the others can use the information obtained by his clone Tang Dou to gradually dismantle the Yin Yang Master Ling Ming's defenses and press him harder.
In other words, the return of the bat half-demon is a signal, a signal to start a war. And no matter which side makes the first move, Onmyoji Lingming's home advantage will be thwarted. Either the barrier will be spied on, or the barrier will be abandoned and the attack will be launched.
Originally, Dou Tang wouldn't have used this plan, but after his brief encounter with the Onmyoji Ling Ming last night, he realized that Ling Ming wasn't as composed as the other half-demon legends had portrayed him to be. In fact, there were fewer and fewer half-demons in Pu'an City now. If he wanted to claim credit for clearing out the half-demons, he would have to act swiftly and decisively, eliminating the Kamen Riders most likely to expose his secrets.
But that's exactly what Dou Tang wanted.
I'm not afraid of you hitting me, I'm afraid of you not hitting me.
When it comes to fighting, who's ever afraid of a brawl?
He walked into the warehouse, and Xue Qing threw a sword pouch at him. Dou Tang caught it and drew his sword.
I didn't use a sword before because I was afraid of revealing my identity as Mr. Ren and gaining too much fame for myself. Now I don't need to hide it anymore.
Because now, the biggest reputation of Urayasu City is all with Fall Guys.
The entire internet is in an uproar over the existence of Fall Guys; the fact that an urban legend has become a reality is always a topic that the general public enjoys discussing.
The Exorcist Association acted swiftly this time, with a large number of exorcists possessing hypnosis-related abilities arriving in Urayasu City. Working closely with the authorities, they dealt with most of the participants in the march. Although brutal, this approach effectively cut off the source of the incident to prevent anyone from deliberately amplifying its impact in the future.
This has led to the rampant spread of Fall Guys videos online, but the situation in Urayasu City remains calm. After all the witnesses have been dealt with, although the videos on the internet have a source, no one has come forward to corroborate them.
Rootless grass doesn't need attention, so the authorities simply stopped making a statement, completely ignoring the situation and letting public opinion speculate wildly, since there's no evidence other than the video, and there aren't even any witnesses.
As for the video... In this day and age, even the faces of two people in a wedding video can be replaced with AI. How can you marry Hatsune Miku? What's so credible about that?
Some people online say, "Just say whatever you want, pretend you didn't hear it. This is also a kind of...political wisdom in Japan."
People are talking about it with great interest, and it didn't cause any major casualties. All the witnesses deny it, so what responsibility is there for us to take? No matter how much you argue, we don't need to explain.
As for the many other witnesses... let them go and check their statements with the direct witnesses first.
Some people saw the Dragon Bean Man land from across the street, but none of the dozens of people at the Dragon Bean Man's feet said they saw it. Needless to say, you must be hallucinating.
In other words, did you record a video back then? If you did, let the authorities come and take a look.
No recording? Then you're just talking nonsense, trying to ride the wave of popularity.
Some people are even going against the grain, creating an urban legend world based on various evil spirits, editing together various Fall Guys videos and adding some seemingly plausible articles to form a world that is hard to distinguish between reality and fiction.
Of course, this kind of gesture...
Dou Tang looked at Lu Zizhen, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, applying light makeup to Huaiyin.
She was probably the one who did it; she wanted Fall Guy to become famous, but she didn't want him to become a target of public criticism.
Kotaro sat on the windowsill, mending his leather suit in the morning light, and said, "What do we do next? Just wait for that Onmyoji to come? Should we set some traps or something?"
The old wolf glanced at his suit and said, "What's the use of this suit? No one will recognize you after you transform anyway."
"These patches and stitches look so dense, it's like Frankenstein."
Kotaro raised an eyebrow, held up the suit to look at it, and sighed: "It really does look awful... Couldn't it be like Black Jack?"
"You're being rather ungrateful," the old wolf said disdainfully.
Lu Zizhen, who was standing to the side, answered Kotaro's question earlier, "I'll take care of the traps. That's exactly what I'm good at. Just watch."
"Okay... this lip color is absolutely perfect." She smiled at Huaiyin in front of her again.
Huaiyin rarely wears makeup, but today she was dragged by Lu Zizhen, who was in a strangely good mood, to put on a little makeup. Although it wasn't even light makeup, the improvement in her temperament was incredibly obvious. She looked charming and lovely, with a hint of youthful innocence in her eyes and a slightly parted, moist mouth that revealed a delicate and pretty temperament that was both alluring and charming.
"There's nothing much going on today, why are you doing her makeup?" Dou Tang asked while wiping the sword with an oiled white towel.
"Yes, yes, yes." Lu Zizhen pouted, "Some people like to see bare faces, so they think their younger sister doesn't need to wear makeup at all. Which girl doesn't love beauty? It's about time she learned some makeup, okay?"
Harui, who was looking at her phone, looked up and nodded in agreement.
Dou Tang sighed and nodded to indicate that he understood.
Road
Zizhen patted Huaiyin's head, looked at the delicate girl in front of her who looked like a porcelain doll, clicked her tongue, and said, "I really don't know how you ended up with such a beautiful sister. If you weren't siblings, I would have called the police for the two of you acting like that every day."
Upon hearing this, Huaiyin subconsciously sensed that something was amiss. It seemed that ever since Lu Zizhen returned last night, her... mindset had changed somewhat?
He seems much more docile, but... his attitude towards himself has indeed changed somewhat.
If she used to treat me like an older sister to a friend, now she treats me like an elder in her own family.
A bit...
I feel inexplicably annoyed.
Huaiyin looked at Doutang, a little resentful.
Chapter 122 Huaiyin's Outburst
After breakfast, Lu Zizhen started to shoo people away, carrying a large stack of talismans and saying, "Alright, alright, I'm going to set up some barriers in the storeroom. Take these talismans and spread them out to stick them nearby, whether it's on the street or on the ground, the more hidden the better. One talisman every twenty meters, you can stick them anywhere. Go, go, go."
Dou Tang and his group were kicked out of the door, briefly divided into groups, and then went their separate ways.
Dou Tang walked alone along the street, occasionally sticking talismans in various nooks and crannies when pedestrians weren't paying attention, without attracting any attention at all.
But as he passed through a small alley, he sensed someone rushing out of it.
He had time to react, but upon seeing the newcomer's face, he was somewhat surprised and allowed the other person to pull him into the alley.
The alley was dark and gloomy, but relatively clean. He was pulled aside by the newcomer.
Huaiyin's cheeks were bulging, making her look like a little hamster. At this moment, she frowned, pressed her hand on Doutang's chest, and snorted.
Dou Tang scratched his head: "Weren't you in a group with Mikazuki? How did you end up here?"
Huaiyin didn't answer him, but instead pushed his chest and said angrily, "What did you do with Sister Lu last night? Why is she acting so strange today?"
"Something's off? Is it?"
Although what happened last night was too ambiguous, Dou Tang really didn't notice any change in Lu Zizhen. He could analyze the intense emotions between evil spirits and humans, but he really couldn't detect the subtle changes in a woman's emotions after they progressed.
Seeing his seemingly clueless expression, Huaiyin muttered a couple of things under her breath, then asked, "What did you and Sister Lu do last night?"
At this point, Dou Tang choked up.
Last night... although it didn't go all the way, it was still a complete overstep. The main thing is that he and Lu Zizhen are not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, yet they did this, leaving Dou Tang somewhat at a loss.
The questioning from Huaiyin made Dou Tang feel even more flustered.
As everyone knows, Dou Tang is someone who doesn't think he can live much longer. In his mind, he will at most live until the end of the Crown Game, and then Huai Yin will kill him, which will fulfill his wish and make his life worthwhile.
Lu Zizhen had similar thoughts; the idea of suicide kept slipping out of her mind. Beneath that woman's seemingly carefree exterior lay a heart that loved to live for the moment and was straightforward in her love and hate.
Dou Tang had always been quite self-centered about his private life and didn't like others interfering, but Huai Yin's question made him feel a pang of anxiety and a bit flustered.
This would never have happened if it were Dou Tang in the past; he wouldn't have done that even last night.
The world is changing, and Dou Tang, who was once as cold as ice, is also changing.
"Uh...we went for a few drinks, and then chatted for a bit in the park..."
Huaiyin interrupted him, saying, "Is it really just a chat?"
Dou Tang remained silent.
Huaiyin seemed to understand something. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, her voice trembling, and her eyes immediately reddened.
“Okay, I understand…” She took another step closer. “I understood a long time ago, but I’m also prepared.”
She suddenly looked up and asked, "Where are you at? Have you...done it yet?"
Dou Tang honestly shook his head, but then nodded.
Huaiyin bit her lower lip, understanding Dou Tang's meaning, and then slowly said, "Did you... understand what I told you yesterday?"
Dou Tang naturally understood. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm not worthy..."
"After the Crown game ends, we might..."
These words enraged Huaiyin. She frowned, gritted her teeth, and began to breathe heavily.
Huaiyin grabbed Doutang's collar with both hands, pressed him against the wall, and shouted with tears in her eyes, "You're not allowed to say that! I won't allow it!"
She grinned sadly, clenching her teeth, tears streaming down her face: "We were perfectly fine just a while ago. You even promised me that you would find a way for us both to survive. Now you want to go back on your word? Is that it?"
"Yes, I know. Compared to Sister Lu, I'm nothing. I'm insecure and timid... I used to be unable to survive without you!"
A fierce anger burned in her eyes, a anger that she could not bear to show. For a long time, the hardships of life had made her suppress and restrain herself, because she was weak and powerless in the past, and had no ability to change everything.
But later she rallied and, summoning her courage, even during the time she carried Dou Tang on her back...
Even when my body is so exhausted that I can't lift a single finger, I'm still unwilling to give up.
All of this was because of Dou Tang's words, that he would find a way out with her.
Or rather, it wasn't just because of that one sentence, but also because of the things she had experienced with Dou Tang, and even more so because of the mark this man had left on her heart.
After her battle with Rin-yūdō, she was both overjoyed and anxious.
She was delighted that she could help him, but also felt a mix of relief and anxiety because she had witnessed his ability to lead so many exorcists.
That made Huaiyin feel that she was still very, very far away from him.
For a long time, inferiority and timidity surrounded Huaiyin, binding her tightly like chains. In the beginning, she only dared to cry in her dreams.
She acted incredibly docile, incredibly obedient, and incredibly easy to take care of, but the more she acted this way, the more unbearable the flutter in her heart became. The more she was alone at home late at night when Dou Tang was exorcising evil spirits, the more she felt her dependence on him.
The current Huaiyin has undoubtedly transformed.
She began to have the courage to fight for what she wanted, and even if she suffered setbacks, she would never retreat into her shell again.
"But now I understand that no matter how many setbacks I suffer, no matter how many evil spirits I encounter, no matter how much hardship life brings, and no matter how many troubles the naive me could not have imagined in the future..."
She gritted her teeth, speaking slowly and deliberately, the anger in her eyes gradually melting into an unwavering determination and the deepest affection.
"I will absolutely not let go, you! Don't you dare say anything about dying..."
"Even if you're having an ambiguous relationship with her, as long as I have even the slightest chance, I won't give up. Do you hear me?!"
"Did you hear me?!" She roughly ripped open Dou Tang's shirt, stood on tiptoe, and bit down directly on the spot where Dou Tang had been yesterday, tears streaming down her face as she bit: "Ren Dou Tang, you bastard... I only have you left, I don't care what her hardships are or what she has... I won't give you to anyone else..."
"Never, never...!"
She bit down hard, even tearing Dou Tang's shoulder, and the sweet, metallic blood dripped down her chin.
Dou Tang slowly raised his hand, stroked Huaiyin's hair, and said softly, "Tell me, if everything ends, can we... live like normal people?"
“Studying, working, normal social interactions and relationships with others every day... there's not so much of a life-or-death struggle.”
"I want you to live that kind of life."
Huaiyin was in tears, her voice muffled and unclear.
"If it weren't for you, I'd rather die than live like this."
Chapter 123: Coming of age in a sea of blood
The half-demon batwoman returned to the hospital, staggered upstairs, and when no one was paying attention, slipped into the stairwell and rushed into the non-existent sixth floor.
Not a single light could be seen on the entire sixth floor, yet an eerie white light shone through the walls, as if the surrounding walls were fake. The shadows of the windows appeared on the walls, as if covered by a hazy veil.
She pushed open a door in the corridor and went inside. The room was dark, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
"My lord... I, I'm back."
Two points of light appeared in the darkness, the light emitted by eyes, followed by a gentle male voice: "Hmm, why did it take so long? What happened? I noticed your signal has been stuck in the port area for a long time."
The bat-woman half-demon knelt down with a thud, extremely nervous, and stammered, "My lord, I've been captured by those knights... They interrogated me about the whereabouts of the other half-demons."
Ling Ming, the Onmyoji who was in the darkness, paused slightly and then laughed: "I see. That's why those guys appeared on that parade street and clashed with the half-demons who wanted to fight to the death."
"But they probably didn't expect that Fall Guys would cause trouble."
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