When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 140: In Exchange For Power

Chapter 140: In Exchange For Power

Shen Nianzu’s heart skipped a beat. He had always been suspicious about Jin Jiuchi’s true identity and suspected him of being a nightmare creature. He had even confronted the black-eyed Jin Jiuchi about it, though it bore no results whatsoever. Still, he was certain that Jin Jiuchi remained oblivious of the aforementioned confrontation, and he intended to keep it this way until he could find out more about the man.

However, he never expected Qian Hui to... suddenly expose the façade just like that!

His spine straightened and he subconsciously held his breath, not daring to turn around to look at Jin Jiuchi’s reaction. He could only gauge Jin Jiuchi’s surprise through the slight tightening of the arms around his waist. With bated breath, he asked Qian Hui, "What do you mean by... he doesn’t belong here?"

"Exactly what I mean by that," Qian Hui remarked, wiping the cold sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief. "Even though I can’t see normally, it doesn’t mean that I am blind. There is a certain... energy... in this world that guides my path, each with its own distinct color. Plants, animals, people, even inanimate objects... I can ’see’ them all. But..."

"What?" Shen Nianzu did not even realize how tense he sounded when he asked, "What did you see when you looked at JJ?"

Shivers ran down Qian Hui’s spine as though recalling a dreadful memory. Even now, she could not bring herself to look straight at Jin Jiuchi and opted to stare at her own lap instead. She parted her lips and said in a trembling voice,

"It’s like seeing the Nightmare itself..."

Shen Nianzu’s pupils contracted.

"...but not quite. It also feels like a nightmare creature. I don’t know." She shook her head in confusion and added, "I have never seen anyone like him before. The oracle never told me about this, and that’s why I couldn’t help but be surprised. I hope I have not offended you, JJ."

"No worries," Jin Jiuchi retorted in a casual manner. "I’m sure the feeling is mutual. I don’t like you either, you reek of the Nightmare."

That blunt remark brought a tiny smile to Qian Hui’s lips and the tension on her shoulders loosened. "It might be because of my connection with the Nightmare. I was supposed to die on my first Cycle, but at that time, I begged the Nightmare to save me, and I was granted this skill card."

Rather than begging, it was more accurate to say that she had sold her soul to the Nightmare in exchange for power.

Qian Hui was born into a prestigious family in Suzhou with a lineage that traced back to the war period. Her ancestors were revered generals who had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, bestowing her family with a reputable and noble status in society.

She was pulled into the Nightmare Cycle three years ago at the tender age of seven, making her the youngest player to ever exist. However, she was not alone.

Her mother, Tan Wenling, was also with her.

The Qian and Tan families had been united through an arranged marriage, thanks to the close friendship of their elders. Everything had been going well, as the couple had been engaged since childhood and had developed genuine affection over the years. Qian Hui was the apple of her parents’ eyes, and she led the perfect life unattainable to many... until the day when both she and her mother were dragged into the Cycle.

Alas, though they had entered a low-level Cycle, they met the worst kind of players inside.

Her mother, Tan Wenling, was the princess of the Tan Family and had never suffered hardship in her life. But to secure her beloved daughter’s life, she was willing to kneel and humble herself to the most powerful players in the Cycle, who coincidentally happened to be felons.

For them, this delicate mother and daughter pair became the best prey for them to toy with.

It was only five days, but Qian Hui felt like she had been trapped in the nightmare for eternity. She had to watch her precious mother become those people’s beck and call, watch her be humiliated, watch her shed tears of pain and despair, watch her crumble apart day by day. Yet every single night, her mother would smile at her and whisper that they would escape this nightmare soon...

But in the end, what did they receive?

At the critical moment, those players sacrificed them to the nightmare creature for a chance to escape!

Again, Qian Hui could only watch as her mother was ripped apart by the nightmare creature right before her eyes. Sorrow, rage, hatred, grief... all of these emotions were too heavy for a seven-year-old to bear. Clutching her mother’s lifeless corpse to herself, she cried, she screamed, she wept. She grieved for the injustice of them all.

She screamed until her voice grew hoarse, cried until her tears turned to blood, and wept until the entire Cycle trembled and the sky tore apart with the presence of the Nightmare, who had sensed the little girl’s rampaging desperation.

She stared at the Nightmare right in the eye, but she could see nothing... for she was already holding her worst nightmare in her tiny arms.

"Please..." she made a wish to that sentient being. "Give me power! Give me power to make them pay! To make them experience twice and thrice the pain my mother had gone through! I don’t care what I have to pay... please... help me! I will give you everything! I will give you my life and soul!" She actually had no idea what she was babbling back then. In that frenzied state, her mind was filled with nothing but the desire to avenge her mother.

And the Nightmare granted her wish.

In that Cycle, all the players either perished or descended into madness. The sky lost its color, plants withered, and the building collapsed. Amidst the Cycle that was breaking apart, she dragged her mother’s lifeless body to the bus, staggering and stumbling, all the while whispering to her, "It’s okay, the nightmare is over. We can go home now, mother..."

Since then, she brought that ability to the real world and she had to close her eyes forever. No longer could she gaze upon the faces of her beloved family, no longer could she witness the vibrant colors of the sky, or marvel at the beauty of spring’s peach blossom.

But it did not matter, because it was a small price to pay compared to the power she had now.

.

Shaking the memories off her mind, she smiled at Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi. "Perhaps that’s why I smelled like the Nightmare to you, because I possess a part of its strength. Though I have no idea about it until now..."

Shen Nianzu carefully pondered over what he had just learned. It seemed like he could figure out what the oracle meant by ’twin star’ – they must be referring to Jin Jiuchi and his counterpart. Could it be true that Jin Jiuchi’s presence held the key to the future of the Nightmare Cycle?

He bit his lip and mustered the courage to ask, "The oracle... do they not mention anything more about JJ?"

"No," Qian Hui shook her head with a sigh. "Just that divination alone nearly sent him to the door of the underworld. Since then, he never dared to probe again. I don’t know where I can find him either." She took the words out of Shen Nianzu’s mouth, as he had just wanted to ask about the Oracle’s whereabouts. "He has always been elusive and mysterious, and it appears that he holds quite a power in the real world that can rival my family’s, given that my attempts to locate him have been in vain. I’m afraid that the only way to find him... is through the high-level Cycles."

Shen Nianzu clenched his fists. High-level Cycle... it was the Cycle that made him realize how weak he was. For him to challenge it again, he had to grow stronger and stronger. "I see..." he nodded. "Thank you for the information."

"Well, I merely came here to see what kind of person JJ is..." Qian Hui didn’t seem eager to spend any more time in the same room as Jin Jiuchi. After exchanging brief pleasantries, she excused herself and left.

A thick silence enveloped the room once Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi were alone again.

"Nian’er..." Jin Jiuchi began.

Shen Nianzu’s heart skipped a beat. "W–What?"

He thought that Jin Jiuchi would inquire more about the shocking prophecy they had just heard. After all, it was related to his own future. But then he heard the man ask in great hope,

"What should we have for dinner?"

He sounded as if he had completely thrown Qian Hui’s visit to the back of his mind and would never revisit it again.

Shen Nianzu: "..." It’s my fault for expecting something more from this dumb husky.

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A/N: My greatest gratitude for ArcaneMag, Cats_895, Nasu_case and others for giving WBNC 343 GT this month! We have also successfully broken through 1k privi unlocks and even doubled it, thank you so much for your support!!

Also, I would like to apologize for the irregular and chaotic updates these past few days. I was not in the best headspace, but I will try to get my shit together again for the next update QAQ monthly mass release will be somewhere along the second or third week, so please wait for it!

Again, thank you for supporting WBNC and I hope you will continue to enjoy the story from now on~