Chapter 296: Return of the Dusk

The Workers’ Stadium, nestled on the southern fringe of Hua City’s urban district, had been standing for over thirty years.

Its basketball courts, soccer fields, swimming complex, and the various food stalls and hotpot restaurants surrounding the venue had long been rooted in many people’s childhood and youthful memories.

However, novelty-seeking is human nature, and cherishing the old is a personal choice.

Since five years ago, when the newer, more spacious, and better-equipped City Sports Complex opened in Hua City New District, the only thing left to rave about here was the cheaper fees.

This lone advantage also vanished nearly a year ago with the permanent closure of the swimming complex.

Now, aside from the elderly uncles and aunties from nearby areas coming for morning exercises, few people visit here anymore.

The Workers’ Stadium, like many other aging urban buildings, is gradually being forgotten. Notices of “Business for Transfer” or the character “Demolish” painted in glaring red are hung on the facades of the various food stalls that rose with it.

Perhaps only when someone who holds cherished memories of this place suddenly recalls them and comes to reminisce, will they realize it has vanished without a trace.

At 4:14 AM near the Workers’ Stadium.

A somewhat dilapidated small truck slowly entered the main gate of the Workers’ Stadium, traveled along the main road, crossed most of the complex, and suddenly turned onto the path leading to the swimming complex.

The stadium backs onto an old shantytown, which is gradually being demolished without new construction, turning the area into a barren wasteland devoid of any light.

The swimming complex, nestled between the stadium and the wasteland, is accessed by a narrow, aging cement road that cuts through a small grove.

As the truck moved along the cement path, the overgrown bushes scraping against the vehicle sounded like sharp claws, producing a grating noise.

Soon, the swimming complex of the Workers’ Stadium appeared at the end of the road.

The swimming complex was the first to close among all the venues, officially due to aging filtration systems and repeated failures in water quality tests.

But.

Those in the know understood that it wasn’t just about water quality tests. There were undoubtedly secrets hidden behind that plausible explanation.

After all, if it were merely about failing water quality, there would be no need to block the road to the swimming complex or to string barbed wire on its walls.

Rumors had long circulated that the real reason for the closure was the negligent management that led to a girl drowning, turning her into a Water Ghost determined to drag others down with her.

Even an elderly uncle who regularly exercised in the mornings claimed that on gloomy mornings, just as dawn was breaking, he had heard sobbing from the direction of the swimming complex. Following the sound, he saw a figure wandering in the filthy, abandoned outdoor pool.

Thankfully, the uncle was in good health and kind-hearted, otherwise, the sight could have easily led him to extort a substantial sum from the stadium.

And if the stadium were extorted, they would have to pay up quietly because there truly was a haunting at the swimming complex, forcing them to spend money to avert disaster.

However.

This money was not paid by the stadium, but by The Midnight Watchers Society.

After all, had The Midnight Watchers Society not killed a haunting nearby, causing residual psychic energy fluctuations that led to all sorts of eerie phenomena, the swimming complex might have limped through a few more summers.

This was where Jiang Li had killed the Dusk Maiden almost a year ago.

The truck stopped in front of the swimming complex, and several men descended, led by Li Tanghan and his father’s trusted aide, Cai Jin.

Tonight, they were here for a transaction, a trade involving psychic artifacts.

Although the client chose a rather remote and eerie location, with countless similar transactions under their belt, they were not worried about any potential double-crossing.

The protection of the Haze Deity ensured the fairness of their transactions most of the time.

“Bang!”

Li Tanghan slammed the car door shut, looked around, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

If it weren’t for a mistake he had made, forcing him to redeem himself in his father’s eyes, he would never choose to come to such a forsaken place.

Is this a place for humans? No wonder it’s haunted!

And to make matters worse, he had to come here with Cai Jin…

Li Tanghan thought to himself, glaring sidelong at Cai Jin who was directing the bodyguards to unload a large wooden box from the truck, and spat silently.

He had never liked this guy much; his father trusted him too much, almost as if he were his own son.

If it weren’t for the fact that his father, Li Shunnian, trusted Cai Jin with important tasks but not with financial authority, Li Tanghan might suspect that Cai Jin was his father’s illegitimate son.

“Be careful, handle it gently, that’s right!”

Cai Jin directed the bodyguards to lower a large wooden box from the truck, then pulled an object wrapped in black cloth from inside. From its outline, it seemed to be a floor mirror.

Seeing the object taken from the box, Li Tanghan’s eyes lit up.

He had always been fascinated by psychic artifacts. The collections in the basement of Red Mountain Villa were mostly gathered due to his interests.

However, these collections paled in comparison to the psychic artifacts his father traded behind the scenes.

Caught up in the excitement, Li Tanghan approached Cai Jin, curious, “Is that the mirror used by the Dusk Maiden? Can we open it and take a look?”

Cai Jin glanced at Li Tanghan, who was significantly shorter, and coldly advised, “I suggest you better not do that. It still has the Dusk Maiden’s residual psychic energy fluctuations.”

“Pfft, I know that. Isn’t it just that some people saw the Dusk Maiden in the mirror?” Li Tanghan said dismissively.

“But wasn’t she killed by that girl from The Midnight Watchers Society?”

As soon as Li Tanghan finished speaking, he realized he had misspoken.

For a moment, he felt as if he were being glared at by resentful eyes, a chill lingering on his back as if a cold body was pressing against him.

Seeing Li Tanghan fall silent, Cai Jin glanced at him, smirked silently, and handed him a pair of wire cutters.

“Although the boss said you just need to watch, if you’re really idle, you can help out. Go cut the lock and the barbed wire.”

Without waiting for Li Tanghan’s response, Cai Jin turned to direct the bodyguards to move the goods.

Li Tanghan looked at the wire cutters in his hand and then at Cai Jin’s departing figure. After snapping back to reality, he spat fiercely and muttered something as he walked toward the swimming complex’s perimeter wire.

A few minutes later.

Li Tanghan’s bodyguards were carrying the floor mirror, wrapped in black cloth, into the swimming complex.

As they stepped into the complex, the temperature seemed to drop suddenly.

The outdoor swimming complex of the Workers’ Stadium had become decrepit, its smooth floor covered in dust and scattered with leaves blown in by the wind. In the moist environment, they had decayed into black, sticky masses, emitting an indescribable strange odor.

The seemingly clogged drainpipes of the empty pool were filled with foul-smelling stagnant water, and a gleaming silver long blade was stuck in the center of the pool, reflecting the moonlight as if suppressing something terrifying.

Just looking at the deep and shallow cracks and the long blade nearly submerged in the ground, one could imagine the fierce battle that had taken place here.

When Li Tanghan and his men carried the floor mirror into the swimming complex, seven figures robed in black, wearing masks, were already waiting by the pool.

Li Tanghan, observing those figures, felt uncomfortable even though their bodies and faces were hidden, and he was reluctant to approach.

Thus.

He stopped at the entrance of the swimming complex and watched from a distance as Cai Jin and the bodyguards delivered the floor mirror to those mysterious figures.

After a brief negotiation, the leading figure signaled to another, who then retrieved a black-wrapped package from a corner and handed it to Cai Jin.

“Pleasure doing business. Here’s my card, contact me anytime you need.”

Li Tanghan faintly heard Cai Jin say to the leading figure, handing him a business card, then saw Cai Jin leading the bodyguards back toward the entrance.

“…”

That’s it? The transaction is completed just like that? That was easy!

Damn, such a trivial matter, and my father told me to learn from Cai Jin.

It’s just a task I could handle myself; what’s there to learn?

Before witnessing it himself, Li Tanghan always thought that the highly dangerous psychic artifact trading scene his father described must be like walking on thin ice, with buyers and sellers constantly scheming against each other.

But now…

How is this any different from buying vegetables at the market? Li Tanghan fumed internally, just as Cai Jin brushed past him.

Watching Cai Jin leave the swimming complex, Li Tanghan rolled his eyes and whispered to himself so only he could hear, “Just this little thing, what’s there to be proud of?”

After speaking, he followed the others, dragging his feet as he boarded the truck.

The small truck slowly left the swimming complex, diving back into the cement road surrounded by dense groves, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Li Tanghan sat in the truck, quietly planning how to convince his father to let him handle a transaction alone next time. Just then, Cai Jin, sitting beside him, suddenly patted the back of the driver’s seat and said sternly, “This is far enough.”

As the driver nodded slightly, he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road.

Then, Cai Jin opened the door and got out, heading back toward the swimming complex.

The transaction was already completed, so why go back? Li Tanghan was puzzled. After a moment’s thought, he also opened the door and followed.

Cai Jin walked along the leaf-strewn path, hearing footsteps behind him. He glanced back briefly, then continued forward, seemingly undeterred by Li Tanghan’s presence…

Meanwhile, inside the swimming pool area.

In the filthy center of the pool stood an ancient, rusted full-length bronze mirror. Its surface was impeccably smooth, yet it reflected none of the surroundings, instead shrouded in darkness.

Amidst the swirling shadows, a faint silhouette of a woman with long hair, an alluring figure, and an eerie charm could be seen seated deep within the mirror, her back to the glass.

Before the ancient mirror, seven masked Black Cloak Men knelt on one knee, methodically arranging various alchemical materials around the mirror while chanting softly.

“The shadow pursued by the mad, the fall of the wanderer at dusk, treading on the bright red river of beauty…”

As whispers echoed through the pool, the woman within the mirror vanished, and the darkness within grew deeper.

Around the bronze mirror, phantom-like, indescribable forms began to appear, vivid yet overlapping, as a faint mist of rusty hue spread in all directions.

“Boom-!”

Suddenly, the mirror’s surface seemed to be struck violently, emitting a dull thud as the full-length mirror shook violently.

A pale, distorted woman emerged from the darkness in a twisted, eerie posture, pressing against the mirror’s surface. Her wide, round eyes, with pupils shrunk to pinpoints of crimson, glared malevolently outward.

The next moment, a scream more piercing than cries, more jarring than shrieks, erupted.

“Ah-!”

In that terrifying, mind-numbing scream, the black cat’s fur, the mottled rabbit tail, the unknown flowers, the fine amethyst, and a remarkable number of primal spirits-all the alchemical materials-twisted into countless fragments in an instant.

The Black Cloak Men surrounding the mirror trembled slightly, blood seeping from their ears, while the leader seemed to respond to the question hidden within the scream, speaking in a deep voice, “This is a transaction…”

“We awaken you, complete your flaws, and you will lead this Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts. This transaction is mutually beneficial,” the Black Cloak Man stated.

The scream subsided slightly but continued, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.

“As one of the most powerful hauntings in Hua City, you deserve this land, and the only price you need to pay is to become a familiar of my master,” the Black Cloak Man continued.

With those words, the dreadful scream abruptly ceased.

The deal was struck!

The ancient full-length bronze mirror suddenly seemed to be pushed by invisible hands, crashing to the ground and shattering into countless pieces, yet it made no sound, as if melting into the pool’s stagnant water.

“Gurgle-gurgle-!”

In the silence, the soft sound of liquid bubbling emerged, as bubbles rose from the long-clogged drain, bursting and spreading wisps of crimson blood.

Seeing this, the Black Cloak Men exchanged glances and quickly retreated to the pool’s edge.

In the next moment, foul-smelling blood erupted from the drain like a severed artery, swiftly filling the entire pool.

The dark red blood rippled through the pool, exuding vitality as if alive.

A potent vitality.

A dense stench filled the air.

Almost as soon as the blood filled the pool, a fierce, chilling wind howled through, engulfing the Black Cloak Men, scattering them like leaves and nearly lifting them off their feet.

Within the roaring wind, mysterious whispers seemed to mix, sweeping past their ears-crying, wailing, cursing…

Then, in an instant, all sounds ceased, and the swimming pool area fell into a deathly silence.

“Splosh-!”

With a viscous splash, a stunningly beautiful face slowly emerged from beneath the blood, opening its eyes and then raising its arms to the sky.

Then, the blood in the pool began to recede.

Thus, the Return of the Dusk.

A bewitching, alluring figure appeared naked in the pool’s center, seemingly indifferent to the surrounding gazes, flaunting her seductive form. Her fair skin glowed like moonlight, with crimson blood droplets sliding down her skin and hair, leaving no trace.

“Jiang Li…”

As the blood in the pool completely receded, the woman’s crimson lips parted, uttering two words, then she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

She would never forget the girl who disguised herself as a psychic potential bearer and used herself as bait.

It was that girl who lured her step by step into a trap, ultimately leading to her demise here.

If this Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts succeeded and she became the King of Hauntings in Hua City, the first thing she would do was make Jiang Li her familiar, subjecting her to eternal torment.

As she pondered, she grasped the long blade that had once pierced her chest, crushing it with a sudden force, scattering silvery fragments glowing with a faint blue light…

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

In a lavish casino of unknown location, within an elegantly decorated private room.

At the Mahjong table, Jiang Li’s face suddenly turned pale, feeling a surge of blood rising, and a metallic taste spread in her mouth.

With blurred vision, she played a tile, only to hear the three grotesque figures at the table, who looked almost identical yet each had their own deformities, speak in unison.

“Mahjong!”

“Pure Seven Pairs!”

“Concealed Seven Pairs!”

“Dragon Seven Pairs!”

“Pay up-!”

“…” Jiang Li remained silent, gritting her teeth as she placed nearly all the chips she had accumulated over the past two days on the table, leaving only a single chip with a value of “5.” She tossed it down with a “I’m done!” and left the room.

As Jiang Li stepped out, Ah-Hua, who had been waiting outside for some time, approached her. Seeing Jiang Li’s pale complexion, she anxiously asked, “Miss, what happened to you?”

Did she lose?

But that shouldn’t be possible!

Even if those three hauntings were triplets with a psychic connection, it shouldn’t be enough to beat my Miss! Ah-Hua thought.

“Nothing, it’s just that someone has awakened the Dusk Maiden…”

As she spoke, Jiang Li clenched the chip in her hand and headed towards a nearby poker table with smaller stakes.

“Let’s go, Ah-Hua, we’ll start over.”

Ah-Hua, “…”

Though Jiang Li appeared nonchalant, watching her back, Ah-Hua couldn’t help but feel a wave of worry.

Back when they defeated the Dusk Maiden, Jiang Li had deliberately used part of her psychic energy to suppress her to prevent a quick revival.

Now that the Dusk Maiden had been awakened, Miss must be hurt, right?

Is it really okay to let her continue gambling while injured? Ah-Hua thought anxiously.