Jiang Chuyan didn't scream.
Human beings are such weak creatures that when they are extremely frightened, they are unable to make any sound.
There seemed to be a voice in my body whispering indifferently.
Nerves, blood flow, heartbeat…all the physiological activities that sustain a person seemed to freeze in that instant. Jiang Chuyan stared blankly at the gradually opening closet door. In a trance, he felt as if he had become a cold specimen, immersed in the formalin solution called fear.
"Ga—"
The wardrobe was slowly opened.
But Jiang Chuyan just curled up stiffly in the corner, not moving at all.
"You look very bad. Did you get caught in the rain? Running around outside in this weather is really torture. Oh, you, you are always like this..."
He Yuan looked down at Jiang Chuyan and sighed, a strange cold light flashing in his huge red eyes.
As he sighed, Jiang Chuyan could see the fine teeth, as fine as steel needles, peeking out from between his lips. And every one of his eyes was now fixed directly on Jiang Chuyan.
There was no trace of blood on Jiang Chuyan's face.
He Yuan reached out and held Jiang Chuyan, who was as stiff as a corpse, in his arms, then dragged him out of the closet.
Some cold mucus rubbed against Jiang Chuyan's face, and a very low sound came from the young man's throat.
"Oh, sorry, I scared you again."
Hearing Jiang Chuyan's breath, He Yuan sighed, as if realizing something belatedly. Then, a heavy red cloth fell on Jiang Chuyan, obscuring the young man's vision.
Not long ago, on a morning when he was still completely unaware of the truth about Longzhao Village, Jiang Chuyan had been draped in a red cloth and led into the cold and eerie ancestral hall. At the time, he had only vaguely sensed something was amiss, but now, he finally, with a trance, realized what was amiss... It turned out that the red cloth wasn't real cloth at all.
Where could there be fabric that was so wet and soft, with yellowish fat and crisscrossing blood vessels inside?
"Tick…"
"Tick…"
…
The bright red blood slowly fell to the ground along the edge of the human skin.
Jiang Chuyan's eyes were dull. It's not that he didn't think about struggling, but his strength was like a joke in front of He Yuan.
The college boy who once had dark skin and a handsome face has now become a disintegrated figure, covered with moist mucus, and his slender and forked body is covered with scales.
He Yuan's fingers became very long and his arms became unusually soft, like a leather rope soaked in salt water. He wrapped it tightly around the pale young man in his arms little by little.
During the previous escape, Jiang Chuyan didn't realize that he had lost his shoes.
He was barefoot at this moment, and a circle of black scales was wrapped around his slender white ankles.
It's like a chain.
The sound of rain gradually became louder, and Jiang Chuyan felt that He Yuan was holding him and walking towards the door.
The moment he stepped out of the room, he once again heard the sharp and high-pitched sound of the wedding's joy.
The out-of-tune suona and erhu sounds were so sharp that they seemed to pierce his eardrums, and the unclear and noisy voices and laughter, as if they always had a mouthful of water in their mouths, made Jiang Chuyan feel cold all over.
Jiang Chuyan rolled his eyes with difficulty and looked out from under the edge of the human skin where blood was flowing.
A flash of scarlet flashed in his peripheral vision - it was the very fitting red coffin he had seen before.
The coffin was neatly placed in front of the door of the deserted house, and the surrounding area was filled with laughter and joy.
But...
In the narrow field of vision, there was nothing next to the coffin.
Not a single person.
"Oh, I finally found it..."
"It's good to find the bride!"
"Yes, yes, as long as the person is found."
"The auspicious time has arrived, the bride is in the coffin!"
"The bride is in the coffin, happily married! May you live together forever, forever and ever!"
…
"Hmm—"
Jiang Chuyan let out a muffled groan.
After his complete mental breakdown, a strange calmness suddenly enveloped Jiang Chuyan.
Can't.
There was a voice in his heart that spoke to him firmly.
You are absolutely not allowed to enter the coffin.
Once inside...
All that awaits him is utter despair.
Perhaps it was the experience of countless reincarnations that had left a vague mark on his soul.
By the time he reacted, Jiang Chuyan found that he had actually raised his hand and grabbed the monster that was very close to him.
"…First words?"
He Yuan was about to put him into the coffin, but at this moment, he stopped.
Jiang Chuyan's body began to tremble slightly.
"What's wrong? Don't be afraid."
"It'll be fine."
Jiang Chuyan heard He Yuan talking to him, his voice was gentle and reliable.
He opened his lips and wanted to say something, but no matter how hard he tried, only a hoarse sound came out of his throat.
He couldn't make a sound.
But He Yuan seemed to have heard something. He smiled helplessly outside the human skin that Jiang Chuyan could not see.
"What a coward..."
He sighed.
"I told you I'll be with you, nothing will happen, Chu Yan."
Even at this point, he was still trying hard to maintain his false performance.
He acted as if he was still Jiang Chuyan's lover, that handsome, cheerful, and love-struck young male college student.
Jiang Chuyan bit the inside of his cheek, so hard that he almost bit a piece of flesh from his mouth. A sharp pain came, and Jiang Chuyan finally regained the ability to speak.
"Xiao Yuan——"
He took a deep breath and spoke suddenly.
In his hazy memories, his younger self had called out to his once best friend in this way.
"Um?"
As expected, He Yuan's body trembled slightly, and a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound came from the floor and beams.
"Zizi—"
The scales rubbed against each other, making a slight sound.
In contrast, the sickeningly noisy joy and voices that had been lingering around Jiang Chuyan also stopped, and the whole world became silent, as if only Jiang Chuyan and He Yuan were left.
"You, do you remember anything?"
He Yuan asked in a hoarse voice.
In fact, he didn't think of anything useful, but Jiang Chuyan couldn't tell the other party that.
The young man's eyelashes trembled slightly with a pale face. He suppressed his fear and despair and continued to talk to himself.
"A Yuan, you...what on earth happened to you?"
The voice that was forced out of his throat was very unfamiliar, soft, and frightened, but it sounded more like a coquettish tone than a question.
Even Jiang Chuyan himself didn't know that he could make such a timid voice.
"Don't put me in the coffin, I'm so scared. A Yuan, did I do something wrong? That's why you treat me like this... Didn't you say you would protect me yesterday? Aren't we supposed to be lovers?"
Jiang Chuyan's voice gradually became choked. This young man, who usually behaved very coldly, became even more heart-wrenching once he started crying.
At least, that's what the monster named He Yuan looked like as he held his terrifying creature.
"Lover..." the monster murmured softly, as if licking the word with its slender tongue. "You still feel that I am yours..."
"Boy friend."
Jiang Chuyan said word by word.
Even as he spoke, the fear was like a red-hot wire that kept running back and forth in his soul.
"Chu, Chu Yan, I, I..."
"I feel so confused now, He Yuan, please tell me what happened. What is going on here? This isn't the first time I've experienced this, right? You've always stayed by my side all those times before. What on earth do you want to do... If you really want me to die, at least let me know."
Jiang Chuyan asked hurriedly.
But after he finished speaking, He Yuan fell silent.
Under the red cloth, Jiang Chuyan's breathing gradually quickened, and he became so nervous that he almost fainted.
After a pause, Jiang Chuyan lowered his voice and added, "Can you take off the things on me? A Yuan, I want... I want to see your face."
He Yuan obviously hesitated.
"You're afraid of me." The boy's voice gradually became hoarse, "...You've never liked the way I am now."
There was actually a hint of pain in the monster's voice.
"I was just scared. I didn't dislike it."
Jiang Chuyan didn't know how he could say such illogical words. He regretted it the moment he finished speaking, but to his surprise, He Yuan was actually moved by his clumsy words.
A few seconds later, Jiang Chuyan's eyes lit up slightly, and a damp fishy smell hit him. He subconsciously closed his eyes, but soon, he forced himself to look up and look directly at He Yuan.
...That strange monster, He Yuan.
At this moment, Jiang Chuyan's heart almost burst out of his chest. The muscles all over his body were unconsciously tensing up, and then relaxed again under the force of willpower.
Jiang Chuyan didn't know whether he could deceive He Yuan.
But he had no choice but to take a gamble.
The human youth curled up in the horrible and twisted piece of flesh slowly raised his hand, and then gently covered He Yuan's hideous and terrifying head.
He Yuan let out a heavy gasp.
"So, this is what the real you looks like." Jiang Chuyan stared at the sharp scales under his palm and let out a low sigh.
Countless red eyeballs throughout the building began to flash at this whisper.
"you..."
"I was in a serious car accident when I was little, so I've forgotten a lot of things," Jiang Chuyan said without giving He Yuan a chance to speak. "But, ever since I was little, I've often had a dream. I dreamed that I was in a mountain village, and there was a good friend waiting for me. My mom always told me that it was just my fantasy, but now I think it must be you. Also, the doctor always said that I had a terminal illness and wouldn't live long, but since I came back from my hometown, my health has been getting better... Is that because of you, Ayuan?"
Jiang Chuyan stared into He Yuan's bloodshot eyes and asked softly.
The young man asked with a melancholy tone, causing the huge and disgusting monster to tremble all over.
"You remembered."
After a long time, Jiang Chuyan heard He Yuan's low reply.
"...You once said that you would come back, but when you came back, you didn't remember me."
He Yuan slowly moved his ferocious face closer to Jiang Chuyan.
Through He Yuan's blood-red eyes, Jiang Chuyan could see his own pale face.
"You should have reminded me then."
Jiang Chuyan said.
*
What exactly am I?
Maybe a dragon, at least that's what the weak creatures living in the territory call him.
At that time, He Yuan was not yet called He Yuan.
He has no name.
Humans call him the "Dragon God".
He no longer remembers his origins. Ever since he could remember, he has been living deep in the underground.
I don't know how long it took, maybe a thousand years, maybe ten thousand years, or maybe even longer...
Only after his body was large enough to fill the entire cave did he slowly extend his limbs out of the cave.
Then, I met those creatures called humans.
The lifespan of those creatures is very short, but the breath of their souls is very interesting.
He Yuan shuttled between the void and reality, devouring the dark and twisted creatures in the cracks of time and space. Occasionally, he would cast his gaze on the small creatures on the surface.
From the human wizard, he learned that the things he swallowed were called "evil spirits".
The first priests firmly believed that He Yuan was protecting them.
He Yuan didn't feel anything about this.
He was just eating normally.
But it is undeniable that it is precisely because of He Yuan's existence that humans can recuperate and reproduce in places like Xishan, instead of being completely devoured by the rampant evil spirit and turning into rotten and smelly monsters in the mountains.
He Yuan originally thought that his long life would be monotonous like this, until one day, when he was absorbing the evil spirit, some of the evil spirit broke through his body and penetrated into his flesh and blood.
He Yuan fell out of the void. Due to extreme pain, he could only wail in the dirty and muddy stream.
The human came closer.
At that time, He Yuan just hoped that the humans who had always accepted his protection could send him back to the dark cave.
He knew he would recover there.
However, those people ate him bite by bite.
The thing hidden in his flesh and blood began to gradually erode the entire area like a plague.
Humanity, Earth, Time, Space...
In the end, even I, the "Dragon God", seemed to have turned into those things.
The original pain completely faded away, and "He" began to observe everything happening in the contaminated area with a calm mind.
The weak humans finally realized the changes in themselves. Their originally bright souls gradually turned into dark and wriggling shadows in "His" eyes.
They fell into pain, despair in their depravity, and in their despair... they even continued to pray to the "Dragon God" whom they had already devoured, which was extremely ridiculous.
Human beings, how stupid and naive.
They actually thought that the "Dragon God" would forgive them after they offered endless bloody sacrifices.
But those people, those "humans" who have fallen and been trapped in hell for a long time, do not know that the incarnations of fear rustling in the dark are actually themselves: during the day, the "villagers" of Longzhao Village will live in fear in a panic, and once at night, the sleeping humans will stretch their heads and necks, merge with the rotten masks hanging under the eaves, and transform into monsters wandering in the night. In nightmares, whimpering and crying, they begin to devour their beloved relatives who they want to protect even at the cost of their lives during the day.
The despair and pain emitted by those humans replaced the original evil spirit and became the nutrients that nourished He Yuan.
Like a vortex...
Gradually, every ordinary person who walks into Xishan will be unconsciously attracted by the "distortion" itself.
The roads began to change, the space began to dislocate. If passersby were not careful, they would find themselves lost in the mountain path, and eventually they would return to Longzhao Village and become permanent residents there.
Sometimes, He Yuan would calmly watch those humans struggling hopelessly in a completely chaotic world, trying to escape.
Sometimes, out of boredom, he would replace them with more cruel and desperate memories.
He spent his days after being polluted aimlessly and boredly. In a trance, he didn't feel that he was any different from before.
Until one day, a young woman appeared in the depths of Xi Mountain, with a child by her side, a weak child who could die at any time.
The crazy villagers bewitched the woman and tricked her into giving the child to He Yuan.
A new sacrifice appeared in the cave, but this time, He Yuan, who emerged from the darkness, did not smell even a trace of pain or distortion on the child.
On the contrary, the emotion called kindness was like a steel needle that pricked the already numb He Yuan.
["My name is Yanyan, what's your name…"]
["A Yuan, then, can I be friends with you?"]
"This is for you, don't be afraid..."
The child named He Yuan.
He is so weak, yet so powerful.
He didn't even feel the darkness in He Yuan, and just treated He Yuan as his best friend.
So, from some unknown time on, a faint light appeared in He Yuan's dark soul.
The illusory oath of mankind gave the monster, which had already been completely twisted and collapsed in death, a glimmer of hope for the future.
He Yuan really thought that he could be with Jiang Chuyan forever.
But the woman took her child away at the ceremony where she was about to be united with Jiang Chuyan forever.
…
"Go back—this isn't where you're supposed to be!"
At the edge of Xi Mountain, the deformed monster chasing the woman was burned by an invisible barrier, and stopped with an angry roar.
He stared without blinking at the middle-aged man who appeared at the end of the road.
"Teacher Xu... please, please save Yanyan... he's still just a child..."
"It's my fault, Teacher Xu. I shouldn't have ignored your advice. I just... I just had no other choice. I just wanted to save Yanyan..."
…
The woman, whose ankles were already wrapped by He Yuan, burst into tears and at the last moment pushed the "bride" chosen by He Yuan out of the barrier.
Her sobs and the child's sharp, fearful sobs echoed for a long time in the wet rain.
He is mine.
He Yuan let out a long, low moan towards the man.
"This child doesn't belong to anyone! Stop talking nonsense here! Let her go, let them go!"
The frail human radiated a dazzling white light.
He Yuan roared angrily, then rushed towards the man who was about to take Jiang Chuyan away.
"Boom—"
That day, a serious landslide occurred on the border between Xishan and the city.
He Yuan was sealed into another layer of the world by some more powerful rules, and he had to lie dormant quietly.
And his "friend", his sacrifice, his bride...
He never appeared in Xishan again.
As time passed, the monster, which had lived through long years without feeling anything, became restless because of such a short period of more than ten years.
[return.]
[Yanyan, come back to me.]
…
In the twisted space, the fallen dragon keeps calling for his bride.
He Yuan knew that Jiang Chuyan would eventually respond to his call, return to Longzhao Village, and return to... his arms.
Their souls are connected.
Jiang Chuyan's life truly came from He Yuan, therefore, the two of them had long been inseparable.
*
But He Yuan didn't expect that when he saw Jiang Chuyan again, the originally weak child had turned into a young man who felt unfamiliar to him.
A tall, pale boy, he is very beautiful and gentle when he smiles.
It's completely different from the soft and sticky look when I was a child.
Facing the grown-up boy, He Yuan felt strange and curious. As a result, during the process of reconnecting with Jiang Chuyan, he, who originally only wanted to devour him, developed another completely unfamiliar desire for the young man.
"like."
It was an emotion that he vaguely realized only after who knows how long he had been reincarnated.
He fell in love with Jiang Chuyan.
It's a pity that Jiang Chuyan doesn't love him.
To Jiang Chuyan, He Yuan was just a weirdo, a scary monster, a demon.
He would rather stay with his group of stupid, cowardly and greedy companions than accept his fate and become He Yuan's "bride".
He Yuan was still very stupid at that time.
He didn't realize that capturing Jiang Chuyan in the dragon way would lead such a fragile person to a dead end.
The first time he came back, He Yuan was stunned for a long time, holding the young man's gradually stiffening body in his arms.
The crack in his soul made him feel an extremely unfamiliar pain.
turn out to be...
As the undead "Dragon God", he also exudes the same sense of despair.
He Yuan didn't understand why this happened, so he decided to try again.
He Yuan swore that if he had another chance, he would do better and make up for his previous mistakes...
He would make Jiang Chuyan fall in love with him, and he would let the child be with him forever, just as he and Jiang Chuyan had agreed when they were young.