Chapter 12: Methods to Suppress the Urge to Kill

At night, a shadow moved nimbly through the various buildings along the road, darting about aimlessly and tirelessly. On the second floor of the teaching building, in an empty music classroom containing nothing but a single piano, a young boy with a hint of innocence slipped in through a window left open by a forgetful student. It was Ye Chen, desperately struggling to hold himself together.

He leaned against the wall, hugging himself with both arms, his fingers digging tightly into his own flesh. The starlight that often shimmered in his eyes now glowed with a fierce crimson, as violent and murderous emotions churned within him. Xiaobai, the little white fox, leapt down from Ye Chen’s shoulder. Wounded as it was, it instinctively sought to minimize its presence—at a time like this, the best way to survive was to remain perfectly silent. If Ye Chen, in his frenzied state, became aware of Xiaobai’s presence, it would surely cost the fox its life.

Yet Xiaobai did not choose to hide. Instead, it landed on Ye Chen’s thigh, its nine fluffy tails suddenly fanning out and weaving together into a warm blanket, wrapping Ye Chen inside. Its small body faced him directly. Ye Chen, his eyes brimming with violent intent, slowly lifted his hand, which began to glow with gentle starlight. He placed it on Xiaobai’s little head, letting the gentle energy flow into the fox, swiftly healing its injuries.

“Xiaobai, you are my family. I will never hurt you.” Ye Chen’s voice was weak, but his tone was unwavering. As the energy seeped into Xiaobai, Ye Chen noticed that the murderous urge surged all the more violently, and his own power also inexplicably increased.

Even in this state, Ye Chen could calmly deduce that his murderous intent grew in proportion to how much energy he used. After channeling enough healing energy into Xiaobai, he immediately stopped, and the raging bloodlust ceased its rapid growth—yet Ye Chen sensed he was now at the brink of losing his sanity.

“Hurry, get into the system space!” The voices of Ruoxing and Ruocheng rang out clearly in his mind. Ye Chen instantly shifted his consciousness into the system space, and at once felt himself enveloped by something. The wild murderous intent was suppressed, and his mind cleared.

“Ruoxing, Ruocheng, why does murderous intent surge out of control whenever I use my energy?” Now that the urge was suppressed, Ye Chen asked the question that weighed most on his mind. He never suspected the system—he trusted Ruoxing and Ruocheng completely.

“It’s because, aside from your soul split, you’re also under another curse.” The two little girls exchanged a glance, then answered in unison.

“A curse? That person?” Ye Chen immediately thought of the one who had nearly killed him. He couldn’t help but wonder—he’d never done anything to deserve such hatred, so why target him so cruelly?

“That’s right. The curse’s power is this: whenever you use your Nightshade Starlight Technique, you’ll fall into a berserk state. In that state, your combat strength increases by thirty percent, but you lose all reason, just like a berserker—no longer distinguishing friend from foe. It’s quite a survival skill!” Ruoxing explained the curse’s effects, then gave Ye Chen a teasing glance.

“And we can only help you temporarily suppress it in the system space. Once you’re back outside, the murderous intent will corrode you just the same,” Ruocheng added helpfully.

“From the way you’re talking, it sounds like you have a solution. Just tell me your terms.” Seeing their unhurried attitude, Ye Chen knew they must have a way out, so he asked calmly.

“We do have a way, but you’ll have to let us out! We want to see the world outside too!” Ruoxing and Ruocheng both looked at Ye Chen with expectant eyes, eager to make their request.

“What do I need to do?”

“It’s simple. All you have to do is accept! Once we’re outside, we’ll take the form of a magical weapon. Let’s call it the Twin Blades of Fantasy! You don’t have any good weapons anyway, so you’ll be getting a bargain.” Ruoxing put on an air of great generosity.

“If it’s such a good deal, why bother making me promise anything?” Ye Chen was not about to be blinded by benefits; he asked the crucial question.

“Uh…” Ruoxing and Ruocheng both froze, clearly not expecting such a direct and sharp inquiry. After a moment’s hesitation, they spoke in voices as soft as mosquitoes, “Because, once we’re outside, except in special circumstances, we can’t be more than a meter away from you…”

“Oh.” Now it was Ye Chen’s turn to feel awkward. Never mind how rare those “special circumstances” might be—if they couldn’t be more than a meter apart, didn’t that mean he’d have to take these two everywhere, even eating, sleeping, or bathing? As a child, Ye Chen had once bathed with C.C., but after growing up and understanding more, he’d stopped doing such things with her.

Although their relationship had recently taken a new turn, Ye Chen was still an innocent young man—having a pair of twin girls by his side at all times would be more than a little embarrassing! Imagining such a future, Ye Chen could feel his nose beginning to bleed.

“What exactly are you thinking?” Seeing Ye Chen’s silence and the hint of concern on his face, Ruoxing seemed to realize something and, blushing deeply, shouted at him.

“When we’re outside, we’ll remain in sword form. Unless you complete a designated task, you’ll only see our projections, visible to you alone,” Ruocheng explained, head down, shyly avoiding Ye Chen’s gaze, lest he misunderstand.

“Whew, in that case, there’s nothing to worry about. I agree! Tell me what I need to do.” Ye Chen let out a long breath and agreed without hesitation.

“Yes!” Ruocheng and Ruoxing high-fived in midair, cheering. “Music can, to some extent, control a person’s emotions. You can study music to achieve a level of resistance to the curse’s effects. If you want a permanent cure, you’ll have to complete a mission. That’s the long-term solution. In the short term, there’s someone in this world who can suppress your murderous intent.”

“Who?” Ye Chen asked urgently, delighted at his unexpected good fortune.

“Standing amidst the vanity of the world, playing a heavenly melody. That’s all the hint I can give. When you meet that person, the system will notify you that the task is complete. The wretched system limits us so much!” As Ruoxing grumbled and Ruocheng comforted her, Ye Chen’s consciousness grew hazy and he sank into a deep sleep.

“System mission issued: Suppress the Curse. Find the one who can restrain your curse. Completion reward: Twin Blades of Fantasy. Hint: Standing amidst the vanity of the world, playing a heavenly melody! Time limit: two days. Failure penalty: complete takeover by murderous intent; after slaughtering a hundred people, reason will be restored.”

And so, as Ye Chen slept, a mission specially arranged by Ruoxing and Ruocheng was quietly released…