Chapter 1 First Visi (1/2)

Chapter 1 – First Visit

Do you believe that demons exist in this world?

Different people would provide entirely different answers when faced with this question. There are some who would firmly believe that without any doubt while some would scoff disdainfully. I know that some children would be freaked out by ghost stories to the extent that they would seek refuge under their blankets while shivering in fright. Some would laugh and brush it off, treating it as a topic of idle, bored conversation over a cup of tea.

Me? Truthfully, I have never once thought about this question for the past eighteen years and instead occupied myself with studies and examinations, wishing wholeheartedly to get into a university which could satisfy my family. In the end, who could have thought that of all of the things that could have happened, I royally screwed up the opportunity to get into the university of my dreams due to diarrhea during the entrance exam. Because of that, I was assigned to a remote, old, small town.

My name is Gu Yu and the story that I’m going to tell all of you begins from here.

“Hurry up.”

From a moment ago, the woman walking next to me displayed an impatient look — the rollers on her luggage kept pressing down incessantly on my feet. Now, she had finally lost her patience and began to urge me, going as far as to use lively body language to express her discontent.

“Ah, sorry.” I dragged the luggage forward as fast as I could, making room for her. The woman then swiftly walked past me, without forgetting to turn around and roll her eyes at me. She seemed to have something urgent to attend to.

Yet, I still walked at a snail’s pace, the luggage behind me rolling with a dull sound. This couldn’t be helped because regardless of this train station or city outside, they were all completely unfamiliar to me. In the past eighteen years, I had never heard of this city before, let alone seen anything related to it.

After I showed the crumpled ticket in my grip to the ticket collector for a quick check, I walked out of the small, shabby train station. Before I could even move more than a few steps, a group of men and women holding signs of location names and old leather briefcases in hand surrounded me.

“Heading to Yan City? If it’s Yan City, step this way please!”

“Are you going to the city center?”

“Hey, handsome! Are you heading to Yan City University?”

“North Tong River! North Tong River!”

“Gu Yu! Hey, Gu Yu ah! Come over here!”

I rolled my eyes deep down internally. To be able to mix in someone’s name amidst all the shouting and making it sound like the name of a place could only be done by the loud-voiced Shi Yitong. I expended a great deal of effort to plow through the group of unlicensed drivers soliciting customers and narrowed my eyes to do my utmost to scan the crowd for him.

Shi Yitong was dressed in a verdant short-sleeved shirt, matched with black shorts, and a pair of scruffy-looking sandals which were about to turn into slippers. Jumping, he waved his hands about energetically from amongst the crowd.

“Did you come early?” Caught off guard, I broke into a small run to meet up with him.