When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 534: Song of Nature

Chapter 534: Song of Nature

All the chaos and bloodshed had nothing to do with Jin Jiuchi, who was preparing to enter the dance competition in the ghost world.

The main event was to be held in an open clearing capable of accommodating thousands of ghosts at once. Jin Jiuchi was fairly certain he had never noticed such a wide, open space when he looked over the Red Zone from above the hill before, but he did not think much about it and simply assumed that the ghost world’s landscape must differ from the living world to some degree.

Rows of exquisite red lanterns hung from the tree branches, bathing a scarlet glow over the surroundings.

Trailing behind the crowd, Jin Jiuchi let out oohs and aahs of admiration as he took in the spooky yet splendid scenery unfolding before him. If Nian’er was here, he would have appreciated the ghost world’s aesthetic sense too! Too bad Jin Jiuchi had no one he could share this wonderful scene with. He noted it down in his mind, eager to recount every single detail to the jade doll once he returned later.

"Ahem, ahem!"

A loud cough echoed throughout the whole clearing, and like a cue, the lively chatter and bustling atmosphere died down at once. Each ghost stood still, listening with rapture. Jin Jiuchi, this fellow undercover ghost, had no choice but to halt in his tracks as well, albeit with a puzzled look on his face.

"Good midnight, ladies and gentlemen! Finally, we’ve arrived at the main event of the year— the dancing competition!"

Who’s talking? Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but look around, only to notice that all the ghosts’ attention seemed to be focused in the same direction. He followed their line of sight before noticing a huge, ancient tree at the edge of the clearing, its towering stature nearly blotting out the sky. As he continued to stare, Jin Jiuchi noticed a round hole on its trunk opening and closing as though mimicking a mouth, and this aged, dignified voice... it had come from there?!

Holy shit, this tree could talk?!! How freaking— magical!

Jin Jiuchi’s jaws dropped open, feeling like his three views had once again been refreshed. So awestruck he was that he missed the subsequent message being spoken and only recovered his senses once the opening greeting reached its end, "...without further ado, let us commence! Show your best ghostly moves and obtain the biggest prize of all!"

As soon as its last words fell, the suspended silence abruptly burst into a cacophony of activities.

The trees swayed back and forth, their leaves and branches brushing, rubbing, and grazing against one another to produce a symphony of overlapping rustles. This, combined with the soft chimes of countless lanterns, actually produced rhythmic and lingering tunes— a bonafide song of nature!

Holy shit— holy fucking

shit, did he just witness a bunch of trees playing music?!!

Jin Jiuchi was gawking. Jin Jiuchi was absolutely floored. Jin Jiuchi was overwhelmed with sheer awe and wonder. Were it not for the moving crowd bumping into him here and there, he would have gone to check whether those were genuine trees or simply ghosts clad in vivid tree-like costumes. He was truly itching to find out!

But alas, he forced himself to chomp down on the curiosity and tear his gaze away. Now’s not the time! He rebuked himself firmly. He had to focus on this competition and give it his all; failure was not an option!

Let’s go! All for Nian’er!

Unfortunately for him, in the brief moment when his attention was captured by the mysterious trees, all the ghosts around him had partnered up in a slow dance, leaving him standing awkwardly all alone in the middle.

Jin Jiuchi began to sweat as he lamented over his miserable fate. Oh no, what should he do? No one told him that he had to search for a dance partner! He thought he could manage it just fine by himself!

Would he be disqualified if he still couldn’t find another ghost to dance with?

Jin Jiuchi furrowed his brows in contemplation. Just as he was wondering whether he should drag a fellow player over to be his partner, a cheerful, feminine voice sounded beside him, "Hello there, why are you all alone? Is this your first time participating in the event?"

Jin Jiuchi turned to find a beautiful ghost lady clad in a vibrant tosca dress with a veiled hat in a similar shade of green, smiling at him gracefully. Upon seeing Jin Jiuchi staring at her without blinking, she ducked her hand and bashfully offered her dainty hand covered in a silk glove, "Would you like to... dance with me?"

"Oh," Jin Jiuchi gave a slow blink, agreeing readily, "Okay, let’s dance!"

A timely aid came knocking on his door without him having to search around – Jin Jiuchi wouldn’t be so foolish to refuse. He took the ghost lady’s hand before positioning his right hand loosely behind her waist, then the two of them began to dance slowly and leisurely to the music. It was fortunate that Shen Nianzu had dragged him to learn ball dancing after the Cinderella Cycle, so although his movements were kinda stiff and awkward, he did not make any significant mistakes – stepping on the other person’s foot, for example.

Jin Jiuchi would have rejoiced in glee at how suave he looked right now and praised Shen Nianzu’s foresight had he been his usual self, but at this moment, Jin Jiuchi found himself a little distracted.

Why does this voice sound so familiar? Where have I heard it before...

Jin Jiuchi mulled over this for two whole seconds before tossing it to the back of his mind. Oh well, if he couldn’t remember, so be it. It shouldn’t be anything important anyway. What was more important was the competition. The lady ghost before him seemed like an old hand in this; he must fish around for intel!

Alas, Jin Jiuchi could not for the life of him master the art of pleasantries, so he immediately dived to the main point, "Do you know how to win this competition, pretty ghost lady?"

She arched a brow, the eyes concealed beneath the veil gleaming with a hint of amusement. "Of course, everyone knows. Didn’t you hear the elder talking just now?"

And who’s the elder again? Jin Jiuchi cleared his throat, replying vaguely, "I, uh... I was a little distracted..."

Fortunately, the ghost lady did not hold it against him and readily shared the information. "It’s very simple— the person who dances the best will win."

"Wait a minute, ’person’?" Jin Jiuchi keenly noticed the singular word she used and asked in surprise, "Does it mean only one person will win in the end?!"

Jin Jiuchi was stumped when she nodded in confirmation.

Geez, then what’s the use of searching for a dance partner? He should have just done it alone! Once again, Jin Jiuchi felt like he had jumped into the pit of the ghost world, making him feel somewhat annoyed. His eyes scanned the surroundings as his mind spun rapidly, taking in the sea of ghosts all around him. He even caught sight of a few players – the previous group whom he had abandoned – moving in an awkward dance at the edge of the clearing near the ancient tree. From their shifty eyes and demeanor, Jin Jiuchi did not even need his pinky toes to deduce that they must be planning to steal!

However, Jin Jiuchi did not have the luxury to pay any attention to them right now.

He was pondering with all the brain cells he had— how should he showcase his best dance moves? And more importantly, to whom??

When he asked the ghost lady about it, she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "The forest ah! It’s the whole forest which will select the final winner. So you’d better do your best." When Jin Jiuchi pondered over this answer so seriously that his brows became all twisted, she burst out into soft giggles, "You really want to win, don’t you?"

It was this sound of laughter that sent a spark of realization to Jin Jiuchi, enabling him to recall a piece of recent memory. He snapped his head up, his eyes widening in excitement.

"Oh, it’s you!" he exclaimed without thinking. "The skeleton who sat opposite me at the Mad Hatter’s tea party!"

"The Mad Hatter’s... tea party?"

Jin Jiuchi belatedly realized he had said something wrong when the ghost lady’s smile dropped in a blink of an eye. Her eerie gaze bore into him through the veil, and without warning, half of her beautiful face melted into a skeleton. Even her voice became scratchy and discordant, sounding as though it had been scraped from the hollow of her throat,

"Do you mean to say... you’re not a ghost?"

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Mini theater

JJ: oopsie (’’❛ ؂ - „)ᕗ