Evil As Humans

Chapter 216: Goodbye Evil Fruit

In nearly a thousand years, Qi Xin had never tasted “Panic”. But now, her mouth was filled with the bitter taste of panic.

After a Primordial Elemental matured, it accumulated the corresponding emotion within itself. It was like certain marine organisms in the human world that extract toxins from their food and accumulate them within their bodies.

For Elementals, this was an important means of controlling emotions. The entire process didn’t require subjective consciousness to participate—just like how humans cry when they’re in pain and laugh when they’re happy—it was the most basic instinct.

So if Yin Ren was just “Fear” with a slightly peculiar appearance, there would undoubtedly be a buildup of fear within him.

But Qi Xin couldn’t taste it.

She carefully chewed on that piece of flesh, and the fear in her heart grew stronger with each bite. That fear didn’t seep out from the flesh; it grew from the depths of her own heart, spreading wildly.

Qi Xin did sense a power close to that of a Primordial Elemental, but she couldn’t discern any emotions.

Yin Ren could devour Elementals, but he had never displayed the innate power of “Fear” in any battle. This cub tore and dragged its way through life, relying solely on the “destruction” ability that belonged to Fear.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Qi Xin clenched the wings tightly, and the wings tensed up as if they were trying to fight her.

“Yin Ren, what exactly are you?”

As she asked the question, two answers had already formed in Qi Xin’s mind.

The first one was a naturally mutated and deformed Fear.

Qi Xin had assumed that once Yin Ren matured, he would be able to unleash “Fear” in battle. Although Yin Ren had obtained immunity to emotions, he didn’t possess the ability to “instill fear in all things”. As for what other potential this guy might still have, Qi Xin had no idea.

In this case, Yin Ren could at least be considered a Primordial Elemental. Oh, how she wished it were true.

The second possibility was that Yin Ren was something that had never appeared before—born through the human world, an unknown shadow lurking in the dark.

He reminded her of a cuckoo bird*—a “foreign object” that infiltrated among its kind, destroying and plundering its surroundings as a child, deliberately obtaining guidance from the great Elementals before taking flight.

*Clarity: Some cuckoo birds are brood parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other species. The chicks are then taken care of by the host’s nest and raised until they can survive on their own.

This possibility made Qi Xin extremely uneasy.

Since the human world could give birth to pests like the Charon, it wasn’t impossible for it to give birth to extremely bizarre monsters. After all, Old Fear only changed its form but still existed in essence, far from being considered “degraded”.

As long as Zhong Chengshuo’s daily needs were met and the quality of life improved, Old Fear couldn’t unleash its true form. In exchange, it gained the ability to roam both sides and an immortal physique. Those pitch-black eyes still retained the unique authority of “Fear”.

But what if the Fear from the Other Side had always been present?

What exactly was this monster before her, born from the flesh and blood that absorbed Fear? It had just completed one transformation, but what would it become afterward?

[What am I?]

To make matters worse, Yin Ren, her opponent, responded quickly. This time, his thoughts carried a hint of amusement.

[A thousand years ago, I wasn’t quite sure. And now, I’m still not quite sure. Shouldn’t you be the one teaching me about this?]

The clump of wings writhed in Qi Xin’s hand. When it was in Zhong Chengshuo’s hands, it would only flatten into a soft and warm bundle, but now it felt like a hot iron, hissing and corroding Qi Xin’s palm.

[But it’s not a big deal. We can put it aside for now. It’s time for you to teach me how to “find people”.]

Before Qi Xin could reply, Yin Ren continued on his own. He used the clump of wings to send Gao Mengyu’s cat back to the courtyard, and the red veil on the sea of wings still fluttered and swayed like a transparent tide.

[I’m counting on you, senior.] He said. [At this point, there’s no turning back for you and me.]

……

During this period, “Fear” wasn’t idle either.

Zhong Chengshuo sat to the side, focusing on watching Meng Huai give a small class to the three cultivators, Ge Tingting, Huang Jin, and Fu Tianyi. Dr. Cat and Lu Xiaohe were busy confirming the details of the operation with Xiao Zheng—logically speaking, that should have been Zhong Chengshuo’s job.

Comrade Xiao Zhong, who had always been dedicated to his work, finally rebelled for once.

He listened attentively to Meng Huai’s explanation of mixing flesh and blood and the little tricks of using the repulsion. From time to time, he recorded carefully on a piece of imaginary paper and pen, looking as serious as a junior high school student on their first day of school.

“Things imagined cannot harm Elementals. But if you mix them with prepared flesh and blood, they can be useful.”

Meng Huai scribbled on the whiteboard.

“Just like Chengfeng’s gun—she’s familiar with the internal structure and operational principles of firearms. As long as she uses blended flesh and blood instead of gunpowder, she can use it to attack. But since you don’t have a deep understanding of the structure and feel of firearms, it’s difficult for you to imagine it precisely, so this technique won’t work for you.”

“Next, you need to imagine the weapons you’re skilled with and enchant them with the Elemental’s flesh and blood—failure is fine, we can separate the flesh and blood without wasting it…”

Zhong Chengshuo listened attentively, recording every word in his notebook with neat handwriting.

“Little brother, you can’t take the things you imagine with you.” Zhong Chengfeng sat down next to her supposed younger brother.

Compared to when they first met, this policewoman had become more cheerful and talkative.

Her younger brother had a handsome appearance and was clearly a well-behaved child. He definitely wouldn’t encounter the kind of trouble she did in the police station. Although her younger brother’s physical age was older than hers, fortunately, he didn’t exude a sense of age in his appearance, which made Zhong Chengfeng feel at ease.

It had been close to thirty years since she had taken care of her parents. Even though Zhong Chengshuo had directly declared his “adopted son” status, Zhong Chengfeng still showed a concern that seemed blood-related.

“I’m used to taking notes. It helps me organize my thoughts,” Zhong Chengshuo obediently replied.

Zhong Chengfeng clicked her tongue. “You’re truly the ideal obedient child for our parents. When I used to sit quietly at my desk for half an hour, they would burn incense in gratitude. It’s good that you’re saving them the worry.”

“They have always missed you,” Zhong Chengshuo said honestly.

Zhong Chengfeng paused, and her expression suddenly filled with a hint of bitterness. “…I know.”

Her gaze shifted to her own knees, and she fell into a brief silence. Zhong Chengshuo decided to bring up a topic to strengthen their familial relationship.

“Actually, recently, I encountered a problem. You’re a police officer and have seen many troublesome things, so I wanted to consult your opinion.”

Zhong Chengfeng turned her head, and her eyes brightened. “Tell me about it. I’ll do my best to help.”

She had spent more time on the Other Side than in the human world. The previous world was like a dream full of wonders, and she wanted to savor every detail.

So she particularly liked these types of questions.

“Well, a long time ago, I used to work at a company…”

Wait, Lu Xiaohe mentioned that her younger brother graduated from a prestigious university and came to Shian for an internship right after graduation. Although Lu Xiaohe’s gaze was always strangely unfocused when she mentioned it, she didn’t seem to be lying.

Zhong Chengfeng kept the question in her heart and listened attentively.

“In my department, I was the only one. Usually, I didn’t socialize with any colleagues. The salary was neither high nor low, just enough to feed myself. Besides sleeping, I only worked and had nothing else to do. At that time, I thought it was good enough to have enough to eat and didn’t consider anything else.”

Zhong Chengfeng: “…” What a miserable job. Even if he had a degree in bioenvironmental science and a master’s from A University, why did he end up like this?

“Later on, a few colleagues didn’t like me. They dragged me into an alley and beat me up, destroying my contract and identification documents. I couldn’t go to work anymore.”

Zhong Chengfeng felt a bit suffocated, and her blood pressure visibly rose a bit. “…Didn’t you report it to the police? What about labor arbitration?”

“At that time, I didn’t know anything,” Zhong Chengshuo said guiltily. “In any case, I left that company. Now I not only have enough to eat but also have my own life, loved ones, and family. I’m much happier than when I was mechanically surviving.”

“Then what do you want to ask me?” Zhong Chengfeng scratched her head. This should be a good ending.

“Now, that company can’t continue operating. They haven’t been able to find suitable people for my position.”

Officer Zhong’s sense of justice suddenly ignited. “They deserve it, right? We should have a celebration feast when it shuts down.”

“To maintain their operations, the company will resort to less decent methods. It will harm many innocent people and even involve my family.” Zhong Chengshuo shook his head. “Even if I want to help, my physical condition is not suitable for that kind of work anymore. That’s the current situation.”

“Um, are you really not considering reporting it to the police?”

“They won’t be able to catch them.” Zhong Chengshuo raised his eyes.

Zhong Chengfeng, being knowledgeable and experienced, didn’t ask further. “But you said your health is not suitable. If you go back, it would be like risking your life as a secret agent. Sacrificing yourself for such a garbage company is not worth it. Finding someone else to take over the position would be a bit unethical.”

“That’s right.” Zhong Chengshuo tightened the grip on his notebook. “And there are some things that… only I can do.”

The situation on the Other Side was delicate, and he didn’t want Yin Ren to become “Fear”.

Furthermore, Zhong Chengshuo had a vague feeling that the path of growth for Yin Ren might not be as smooth as Qi Xin imagined. Even if he was a special individual within the biological population, the difference between Yin Ren and himself was too great.

“In other words, it won’t work without you. But you don’t want to go back, and even if you did, you couldn’t do what you did before.” Zhong Chengfeng toyed with the gun in her hand. “Hmm… I have heard some gossip in the Economic Investigation Bureau. Partners lose trust in each other and go their separate ways, causing a mess.”

“But I don’t know much about these things, so I may not be able to provide a plan. I have only one suggestion—since you have made up your mind to intervene, you should show off your muscles properly.”

Zhong Chengshuo looked at her in confusion.

Zhong Chengfeng gestured in the air. “There are some things that only you can do, and you have to magnify this point. ‘It can’t be done without me.’ That’s a remarkable bargaining chip.”

“Afterward, whether it’s paying you as a consultant to mentor new recruits or bringing up old issues for compensation, it will be a powerful negotiation tool. But abilities are not credible without proof, so it would be best to have some project evidence…”

Zhong Chengshuo fixed his gaze on her. After about half a minute, he looked at Meng Huai, who was still lecturing diligently, and then turned his head to Zhong Chengfeng. The latter felt a little uneasy under his gaze. “What’s the matter?”

“You’re right,” he said. “My idea has become more refined. Thank you.”

Zhong Chengfeng: “…You’re welcome?”

“Next, I want to ask you for a favor.”

Zhong Chengshuo stood up and signaled for Zhong Chengfeng to follow him as he walked towards the slightly ajar door of the “armory”. After Zhong Chengfeng entered the room, he carefully closed the door, making sure no sound would escape.

The body of small-scale Elementals hung silently, emitting a chilling aura. Zhong Chengfeng’s smile seemed a bit forced, and her hand instinctively approached the gun handle. “What’s the matter? Why the secrecy?”

“I want you to help me separate the flesh from this weapon,” Zhong Chengshuo said in a low voice.

“I need purer materials; the current ones are not very suitable. This thing is quite special, and it’s inconvenient to show it to others.”

Zhong Chengfeng narrowed her eyes. “Show it to me.”

Zhong Chengshuo took a few deep breaths and pulled out the short knife, the “Evil Fruit”, from his backpack.

When Meng Huai had her accident, Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t “been born” yet, so the Evil Fruit had remained sealed deep in the Shian’s warehouse. Zhong Chengfeng was just an ordinary person. Even though she had been trained like a science post, Meng Huai wouldn’t have taught her this.

In theory, neither of them had seen the real Evil Fruit.

As expected, when Zhong Chengshuo pulled out a short knife, Zhong Chengfeng relaxed her brow. “You want to separate the evil flesh from it? I’ll remind you, once it’s separated, the knife as a base won’t hold up—even if you can substitute it with imagination, it won’t return to the human side.”

“It’s okay,” Zhong Chengshuo said sincerely. “This was given to me by someone else… Sister, when you separate it, don’t touch it. It’s a bit dangerous.”

The term “sister” was particularly sincere, and Zhong Chengfeng appreciated it.

“A self-defense cursed spirit weapon, huh? In that case, put the knife on the ground and imagine a container.”

“Mm.”

Zhong Chengfeng skillfully imagined a set of tools. She used tongs to hold the Evil Fruit and placed it on top of a glass funnel. Then she took the glass bottle that Zhong Chengshuo had imagined and placed it below the funnel.

After completing all this, she took a big step towards the low cabinet in the cold storage and took out a bottle of clear oily substance. “This is extracted from Elemental flesh and can dissolve the Elemental flesh in the weapon.”

She opened the cap and poured half the bottle onto the Evil Fruit in the large funnel.

The Evil Fruit made a hissing sound as it dissolved. It wrinkled and deformed like a thin plastic sheet exposed to fire. The beautiful crimson layer on the blade gradually separated from the knife, flowing down the funnel and dripping into the small glass bottle that Zhong Chengshuo had imagined.

It was a dim red liquid flowing with countless vortices, captivating and breathtaking. As the last bit of the blade dissolved, it lay silently in the glass bottle, beautiful like a dream.

“This is truly…”

Zhong Chengfeng couldn’t help but glance at it a few more times.

“Forget it, let’s first separate the extraction liquid. After the separation, let it settle for a few seconds; it will float above the flesh. After separation, we can reuse it… Hmm?”

That pool of red remained motionless, as if the extraction agent had never existed.

Zhong Chengshuo: “…That extraction agent was made from Elemental flesh.”

“Oh yeah, didn’t I mention that?”

“Then it’s possible it can’t be separated now.” Zhong Chengshuo’s tone became even more sincere. “This flesh is quite special.”

Particularly edible.

Zhong Chengfeng: “…”

Zhong Chengfeng: “…Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked by you?”

Zhong Chengshuo touched the bottle for a while—inside the small bottle, there was the flesh and oath of Yin Ren, and he could feel the surging power within it.

“Thank you. I won’t use it for bad things, I promise.”

“Promises mean nothing. I’m a police officer,” Zhong Chengfeng laughed. “I’ll tell Meng Huai about this matter.”

“Of course.”

Just helping to deal with a “cursed spirit weapon with Evil Force”, even if Meng Huai confirmed it with the others in Shian, they probably wouldn’t say much.

—With “Fear” itself here, whether it was a spirit weapon or not didn’t matter.

The small glass bottle was placed deep in the backpack, surrounded by countless white bones. In the darkness, it still swayed with intoxicating light.

Zhong Chengshuo sat back in Meng Huai’s small classroom.

He probably had an idea of what to do with it. What he lacked most now wasn’t materials but knowledge.

“The method of igniting Elemental flesh, how to control the reaction speed, and expand the effect of spells…” Zhong Chengshuo muttered softly while taking notes.

The pen slid across the paper, depicting something besides words.

His gaze swept over the design, which looked like a blueprint for an object.

……

Huang Jin felt a drumming in his heart as he looked at the design in front of him.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t make such a thing; he had already made something close to what Zhong Chengshuo had requested. But whenever he thought about the material for this thing, his hands couldn’t help but tremble.

At this moment, he stood in the secret underground chamber specially constructed by Zhong Chengshuo.

In front of him was a delicate and beautiful lantern.

Zhong Chengshuo’s snow-white bones had been transformed by Huang Jin into an unrecognizable shape and turned into the main body of the lantern. At first glance, this lantern had a simple and beautiful design, with an ivory-colored lampshade and pole. No one knew how many intricate runes were hidden inside its sleek design.

The exterior of the lantern was painted with a breathtaking red. The red seemed to possess life, constantly flowing on the surface of the lantern, emitting a strange shimmer.

Internally, the lantern had a makeshift glass cover made from imagination to shield it from wind and rain. In the center of the bottom, there was a white bone vessel that securely held the remaining “red pigment”—the cursed flesh of Yin Ren extracted from the Evil Fruit.

Zhong Chengshuo had designed everything regarding the amplification structure of the spell, the area of flesh integration, and more. The only thing they couldn’t find was the right material for the wick. No matter how sturdy the material was, it couldn’t withstand the demands of this exceptional lantern.

If they use Zhong Chengshuo body as the material for the wick for the lantern, the “wick” and the “lamp oil” would repel each other and fail to produce the desired effect.

Huang Jin stared at the lantern in front of him with a distressed expression, his eyes fixated. On one hand, he felt that this thing could potentially make his name go down in history, but on the other hand, he wasn’t quite sure if it would result in a good or bad reputation.

“I’ve done my best, but I really can’t figure it out.”

Huang Jin slumped onto the table, wearing an expression that said, “Just kill me already.”

“It’s been days. Why don’t you go find Yin Ren? He’s at least a spiritual genius as the Great Celestial Master. You can consult him without any risk.”

While Zhong Chengshuo continued to frantically write and draw, he responded, “After all, it’s my bones. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. I need to succeed at least to… “

“I see. You just don’t want to show him that you’re not capable.” Huang Jin snorted. “King Yama always has a plan, always has ideas, and never finds himself powerless… Isn’t that exhausting?”

Zhong Chengshuo glanced at him thoughtfully.

The exhaustion from consecutive work overcame Huang Jin’s fear. Seeing Zhong Chengshuo remain silent, Huang Jin became more determined. “It’s about time you show some vulnerability. According to Meng Huai’s plan, once everyone else is trained, she wants to attempt a rescue mission.”

“Yin Ren promised to help Lu Xiaohe, so if you’re actively arming yourself now, it’s like helping Yin Ren. He definitely won’t think you’re incapable.”

Zhong Chengshuo continued to contemplate. “You understand these things well?”

“Of course.” Huang Jin lifted his gaze. “After all, I’ve mixed with Nightwalkers before. I have a good grasp of this level of human nature; it’s a piece of cake for me.”

“Then why don’t you confess your feelings to Ding Lizi?”

“…Goodbye. I’m going to train with Meng Jie.” Huang Jin quickly changed the subject.

Just as the words left his mouth, the space suddenly fluctuated. Huang Jin thought that Zhong Chengshuo had become angry and quickly darted to the corner, crouching down to hide. Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, furrowed his brow and instinctively raised his arm in a defensive posture.

“A confession? What confession?”

Before the sound of the person even arrived, Yin Ren’s figure appeared from the space.

He was still dressed in red, with his long hair flowing. However, this time, the ends of Yin Ren’s hair swayed gently, and his face showed a hint of relief, indicating that he had achieved some progress over the past few days.

Huang Jin relaxed from his protective posture. “Why is it you?!”

“I was practicing moving between realms,” Yin Ren happily replied. “Qi Xin didn’t deceive me. Not bad.”

They had reached a point where they could only go all the way. Although Qi Xin didn’t know what Yin Ren was, she had some understanding of his nature. As long as Zhong Chengshuo was by his side, Yin Ren and Love would never cooperate. The enemy of an enemy is a friend, and at this point, she could only make do with the situation.

So she taught Yin Ren how to move as a Primordial Elemental—

Don’t use your legs, use your imagination. It was like two people on opposite ends of a network, agreeing to enter the same virtual room to play a game. Instead of searching through the underlying data one by one, which would be an enormous task, as long as they found the “shared imagination”, they could find the place.

Just like that white room.

According to Zhong Chengshuo… When that person intended to do something bad, they would surely imagine that basement. Yin Ren tried to imagine it and actually found it. After several days apart, Yin Ren couldn’t help but take two steps to rush over, giving his beloved a firm embrace.

Unfortunately, there was an additional Huang Jin inside.

“Hey, you brought Huang Jin in specially. Are you secretly doing something?” Lord Ghost King marched straight to the table. “Let me see. Let me see.”

Zhong Chengshuo instinctively blocked Yin Ren’s steps. He looked at Yin Ren, then at Huang Jin, and then back at Yin Ren.

Finally, he hesitated and moved his feet aside, lowering his head. “…My experiment hasn’t been successful yet.”

It was rare to see Zhong Chengshuo in such a state, and Yin Ren’s attention immediately shifted from the table. As a mature Primordial Elemental, he extended a strand of hair generously and gently touched Zhong Chengshuo’s hand.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Ren tried to indicate that his hair was movable while asking with concern.

Zhong Chengshuo looked at that strand of hair, and his eyes gradually lit up.

“Give me one of your hairs,” he said. “The longer, the better.”

Yin Ren: “?”

While he made a questioning expression, the hair had already been plucked. The soft hair lay gently in Zhong Chengshuo’s palm, still carrying Yin Ren’s body temperature.

Then, Zhong Chengshuo plucked a few strands from his own head. He took out a clean and delicate bone and carefully wrapped Yin Ren’s hair around it, intertwining it with a few strands of his own short hair to ensure they were evenly mixed.

With this, there was a connection between them—both intertwined with each other. The “wick” and the “lamp oil” wouldn’t violently repel each other.

Looking at that sparkling bone, Yin Ren’s smile froze, and his complexion changed slightly.

Unaware of this, Zhong Chengshuo placed the brand-new “bone hair wick” on the bone vessel and reassembled the lantern.

“What is this?”

Yin Ren looked at the lantern, his throat tightening.

“That is the blood I left on the Evil Fruit, and your… your…”

Once-praised, sturdy, and gleaming white bone.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t answer.

In his pitch-black eyes, intricate patterns surged—the essence of “Fear” was activated, emanating its unique power. At this moment, that power followed Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze, gathering on the wick.

First, there were small red sparks.

The runes inside the lantern were instantly activated, driven by Meng Huai’s optimized tranquility talismans. The repulsion was contained within a tiny range. Soon, the sparks turned into flames.

Red, gentle flames. They gently blossomed on the bone hair wick, resembling a delicate bud.

In an instant, the red glow illuminated the basement. Like a magnificent sunset, everything was covered in a faint red hue.

But what permeated wasn’t just the beautiful red light.

Under the red glow, Huang Jin huddled in place, clutching his arms tightly. His teeth chattered, and his hair stood on end. Even Yin Ren could sense the slight trembling—

Zhong Chengshuo stood in place, holding the burning lantern, as if holding a setting sun. The red light illuminated his black hair but failed to illuminate his pitch-black eyes.

He stood there, showing a slight smile, exuding an utterly chilling aura that didn’t belong to a human. It was evident that most of that fear had been artificially suppressed. However, its power was still astonishing—like needles piercing the brain. Even though Yin Ren had just experienced a dream training session, his back was drenched in cold sweat.

The most ancient Primordial Elemental… the true “Fear.”

“The prototype has many shortcomings, but the power control is sufficient. Once Huang Jin leaves, we can try high-power operation.”

Zhong Chengshuo announced with satisfaction, raising the lantern slightly.

The principle of this thing is actually quite simple—

Zhong Chengshuo’s essence remained only in his residual eyeball. Previously, he could only exercise limited control by close observation. Now, utilizing the mutual repulsion power of a top tier Elemental, he could spread his abilities in all directions without dead angles.

His innate ability to infect all things with “Fear”.

Whether it was through his gaze or the blade, the range that could be affected was ultimately limited. But what if it was transformed into “light”?

“The experiment is successful.”

Zhong Chengshuo contentedly approached Yin Ren as the flame of the lantern gently flickered.

“Sorry, I used up the ‘Evil Fruit’… As for this lantern, I want to call it ‘Karma’*.”

*Clarity: As explained before, the Evil Fruit’s name comes from the Buddhist term, bitter fruit that arises from the cause of evil… in other words, karma/retribution. So this new name is quite apt.

“Yin Ren, what do you think?”