zero o'clock

【The manipulated puppet】

It is rainy in the south this season, and the fog is extremely heavy. The further south the three cars go, the heavier the rain will be.

It was close to seven o'clock, but the sky in downtown Shanghai was as gloomy as evening. Above the sky, thick cumulonimbus clouds pressed heavily to the ground, pouring torrential rain down.It was the weekend and the weather was bad, so there were very few pedestrians and vehicles on the street, and it was rare for a car to pass by them.

The vision outside the car window was extremely poor. Li Huan wiped away the layer of water vapor covered on the glass, narrowed his eyes, and struggled to recognize the road names on the road signs.

Ever since he was a child, he seldom left the Bian’an Tea House, and even the chance to leave Beijing was pitifully seldom, and his familiarity with Shanghai was limited to the last night when he was ordered to hunt down Ao Yin, and he often searched in the outskirts of the city. The bustling area in the city center in the future.

——The road sign showed the words [Fangbang Middle Road], and there was a bigger sign behind it, which said [Royal Garden Scenic Area].

Withdrawing his gaze, Li Huan pursed his lips calmly, and had no impression of these two names in his heart, but since it is the headquarters of the association, there must be something unique about it!After all, demon subduing masters are different from ordinary people, and they occasionally carry monsters caught in missions on their bodies. It is impossible for them to mix among ordinary people in such a grandiose manner, not to mention that this is the overcrowded city center of Shanghai.

Could it be hidden in that scenic spot?

The jeep sped past in the torrential rain, crushing the water on the road so that it splashed to the sides.

After a while, the leading jeep turned into a relatively narrow road. A breakfast shop selling fried steamed buns had just opened. The three roaring jeeps were completely ignored.

Li Huan looked up with feeling, and saw a red-walled and green-tiled archway emerging from the torrential rain.

Almost at the same time, Xiaoxiaole's bgm, which symbolizes passing the level, sounded. Su Yunhe calmly put away his phone, opened his cuff and glanced at his watch.The Demon Subduing Master who was in charge of driving glanced at him from the rearview mirror, and said respectfully: "Lord Zhu Yan, we will be here soon, do you need to inform the president again?"

"No need," Su Yunhe said, "I'll just take Qingluan up."

Demon Subduing Master: "Yes, my lord."

The convoy stopped in front of the archway one by one, the driver got out of the car and opened a black umbrella, went around to the back and opened the door on Su Yunhe's side, and said, "Lord Zhu Yan, please—"

Su Yunhe gave a flat "hmm" as a response, but he didn't move. He took an umbrella from the storage compartment and handed it to Li Huan, and said calmly: "The demon subduing master's site, using demon magic will touch the security barrier , now even if there is cooperation, you can't be too ostentatious, just work hard to hold the umbrella yourself."

Li Huan nodded, took the umbrella and opened the door to get out of the car.

The rain was too heavy, and instead of decreasing, it seemed to be flooding.

A small umbrella had little effect, and Li Huan was drenched in the cold rain almost the moment he stood still.The style of the archway near him is antique, but the vermilion lacquer is new. He slightly raised his umbrella and glanced at the signboard above his head, vaguely seeing three characters written on it——

"here it is……"

"City God's Temple," Su Yunhe continued, "If it wasn't for the rain, I'm afraid there would be tourists in normal times."

Li Huan heard the clue, turned his head to meet the smiling eyes of the man: "Rain?" He repeated it thoughtfully, stretched out his hand from the umbrella and let the unbearably cold rain hit his palm, He lowered his eyes to stare at a small handful of accumulated water, and he was stunned for a moment, and then his originally puzzled eyes gradually became clear, "Is this sea water?!"

Su Yunhe smiled, and patiently explained: "The Shanghai Stock Exchange is located on the coast of the East China Sea. Chongye attracts sea water, making it difficult for ordinary people to leave the house. Brother Huan, he is welcoming you."

Li Huan's face darkened when he heard the words, and he turned his palms to throw away the water in his palms. The corners of his mouth curled up, and he said with a fake smile: "So, I have to thank him for his trouble?"

Su Yunhe smiled and stopped talking. Afterwards, Che Jiang Yaoshi came over with Du Qiu in his arms, and the group walked through the archway and walked towards the depths of the Town God's Temple.

It was still early, and the shops in the Temple of the City God were not open yet. A homeless cat huddled under the eaves to hide from the rain. When it heard something coming, it immediately retreated behind the wet bushes, only its head was exposed, and it stared alertly and curiously at the cat. The person who came - Su Yunhe looked down at the trembling cat calmly. When the four eyes met, the cat trembled suddenly, and then made a trembling meow intermittently.

Li Huan: "..."

Li Huan looked at Su Yunhe with contempt on his face: "You are a majestic Zhu Yan, and you actually bullied a cat?"

"It's just natural selection, and the weak prey on the strong." Su Yunhe raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, "Besides, I just glanced at it, why did it become a bully in your mouth?"

Li Huan couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching, and said, "Isn't it considered bullying if you peed in fright?"

Su Yunhe asked with a smile: "How do you know it's not that the little guy has a bad kidney?"

"..." A row of ellipses appeared above Li Huan's head, and he stared at him in great surprise, "How can you be so shameless and calm?"

"Maybe he lived too long?"

"It feels even more shameless to say that~!"

"That's it, then thank Brother Huan for the compliment."

"..."

Li Huan frowned, and suddenly felt that when we first met, the guy's aloof and cold demeanor seemed more attractive.

After walking in for another ten minutes or so, the crowd bypassed the Nanxiang Mantou Shop and followed the criss-crossing paths to the artificial lake in the Chenghuang Temple—it was an inconspicuous place surrounded by small shops selling local specialties in Shanghai. In this place, the surrounding buildings are patchwork, and the rainwater trickles down the eaves, flows through the slippery stone road, and finally flows into the blue lake.

Seeing the other people stop, Li Huan stopped right after him, thinking that this is it?

Thinking of this, he quickly looked around calmly. There was nothing special about the nearby shops, and there was not even a trace of spiritual power fluctuations in the air that belonged to the demon-subduing master. Then...the association was...suddenly Suddenly, this thought came to an abrupt end. Li Huan's eyes flicked across the chaotic lake surface disturbed by the heavy rain, and he saw dozens of light blue leads protruding from the water surface, swaying into the air as if being pulled by something.

Because of the violent rain and the thick water vapor, those thin lines condensed by spiritual power are extremely difficult to be observed by the naked eye.

Li Huan slightly slanted over the umbrella surface, looked along the direction of the thin line, and was taken aback for a moment—a thick layer of mist shrouded the surface of the water, and dozens of large and small light gray animals could be vaguely seen floating in the air. Li Huan stared intently at the shadows for a moment, and finally distinguished those shadows as kites of various shapes.

The torrential rain poured down, but those kites were not affected at all, as if... floating in another dimension?

The moment this thought came to mind, Li Huan couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Just at this time, one of the demon-subduing masters stepped forward to the lake, and then raised his arms and spread his fingers--at that moment, the thick spiritual power rippled, and the condensation of the lead wire penetrated the heavy rain in an instant , passing through those fluttering paper kites in turn as if following a certain pattern, connecting them together again.

With the completion of the last step, the kites were connected end to end, and the demon subduing master's strong arms swiped in the air, as if pulling away something that was nothing but real.

Li Huan could feel the water-saturated air being stirred, the water surface oscillating, the green lake water pouring to both sides, and a section of stone steps and the arch at the end slowly floated up from the water.

"Welcome," Su Yunhe reached out to pat Li Huan's shoulder, and shook it lightly, "For monsters, this is a very special place, because a monster who can live here without being made into a puppet, never From ancient times to the present, there are really only a handful of them.”

Hearing this, Li Huan curled the corner of his mouth and said with a sneer, "Brother, are you mocking us, or the Demon Subduing Master?"

Su Yunhe avoided answering Li Huan's question, but said: "You are too sensitive."

After finishing speaking, he walked up the stone steps, and the demon subduing master who was already standing in front of the arch opened the door knocker, and with a soft creak, the heavy door panel opened inward, as if opening the only medium between virtuality and reality ——Li Huan stood in front of the arch, behind him was the torrential rain, but in front of him was an elegant and quiet courtyard with towering old trees.

As the sun rises, the courtyard is gilded and vast. Not far away, several tall buildings with cornices and gray tiles are hidden among the dense greenery.

Li Huan walked around quickly, and roughly sensed that there was no living thing nearby, so he couldn't help wondering, "Where are people?"

Su Yunhe said: "At this time, the demon subduing masters are either performing field missions or on the way to work. They are human, so they enjoy the same work and rest as ordinary people, at least most of the time." The three demon-subduing masters who followed raised their chins. They understood, bowed to him, and then left the scene voluntarily.

Seeing that they were going to take Du Qiu away, Li Huan tried to stop him, but Su Yunhe blocked it with his hands, and explained: "The house over there is a place for cultivating half-demons, and there is a shelter for mermaids to live underground. Pool, since your friend can come out of it, naturally he is not afraid to go in again."

Li Huan was startled, and thought over these words twice, but the more he thought about it, the more harsh it became.

Su Yunhe seemed to have read his mind, after a long silence, he explained again: "Don't think too much, that shark is weak, and it has been out of the water for more than ten hours now, sending him there is beneficial and harmless. Merman is water, you should understand that the child may never be able to adapt to the life of ordinary people."

Hearing this, Li Huan had mixed emotions in his heart, his heart seemed to have been polished with sandpaper, the pain was unbearable, but blood continued to flow.

——It was just a few words of understatement, and the statement was also a fact that he had already accepted, but when it came out of Su Yunhe's mouth, for some reason, it was inexplicably tainted with a touch of tenderness and cruelty.That man's indifference, arrogance, wisdom, and even his occasional bad intentions are all impressive, but it is precisely because of this that Li Huan can't help feeling strange.

Every aspect of him is very real, and it is irresistibly inconsistent that thousands of aspects come together on the same skin.

Although Zhu Yan is an ancient ferocious beast, but after all, its rank of monster is only in the upper middle. Is it really so unfathomable?

From last night to now, this kind of doubt has become more and more dignified with the deepening of contact. Li Huan knew in his heart that even if he asked directly at this time, there would be no results. Judging from what he said and what he heard from Ari earlier, the relationship between the master and apprentice should be quite deep.

After thinking about this, Li Huan breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Su Yunhe again, and asked, "Listening to what the man who drove the car just now said, the president of this association also knows that I am coming, so is it Chong Ye or the president who wants to see me?" Myself?"

Su Yunhe said with a smile: "It's not important."

Li Huan was puzzled, and frowned, "Why?"

"Of course you will know when we get there." After finishing speaking, Yunhe turned slightly sideways, put one hand behind his back, opened the other arm to the side, and made a gentle "please" gesture, and said, "Brother Huan, what's the matter?" Please, the chairman's room is on the top floor of the house in the backyard, and it will take a while to walk through the rockery."

For some reason, Li Huan always felt that this guy had something to say, but it was obviously useless to ask more questions at this time, he hesitated for a moment, then took the lead and walked in the direction Su Yunhe led.

The headquarters of the Demon Subduing Masters Association in Shanghai City God's Temple is a typical Soviet-style garden. The layout of its rockery, flowing water, and pavilions is extremely elegant and exquisite. The more you can feel the complex structure of this garden, there is a cave behind every corner, and you can't get a glimpse of it unless you go there yourself.

In such a deep environment, Li Huan inevitably felt a sense of depression, like a light on his back, hard to fly.

The two walked through several winding corridors one after the other, and walked through a maze-like stone forest in the atrium. The moment they came out, the vision suddenly became clear—it was an artificial lake at the back of the whole garden, an arch bridge Across the water, it is connected to the small island in the center of the lake.At this moment, the lake is filled with mist in the early morning, and behind the mist, a simple three-story pavilion can be vaguely seen.

When Su Yunhe reached the bridge, he stopped going forward, turned to Li Huan and said, "The president's room is on the third floor of that building, you can find it by yourself according to the house number."

Li Huan stared at the direction of Huxin Island for a while, then raised his head to meet his brother's gaze, and said, "Aren't you going?"

Su Yunhe said frankly: "Brother still has something to deal with, now the time is almost up, so I won't accompany you there."

Hearing this, Li Huan thought quickly, and almost blurted out, "Can you meddle in the affairs of the association?"

Su Yunhe smiled lightly, raised his hand and gave a punitive nod between the younger brother's eyebrows: "You boy, don't try to trick me out of it. Hurry up and don't make him wait too long."

The person who was poked between the eyebrows was stunned, feeling a little disgusted at the behavior of treating him like a child, but he didn't respond on the surface, but said: "At least let me know who 'he' is, so that I can be mentally prepared. "

"President and Zhong Ye." Su Yunhe said.

When he got the answer, Li Huan subconsciously said "oh", and then realized in a second, he couldn't help hesitating: "But you said 'he', why not 'they'?"

"After entering that door, you will understand naturally." Su Yunhe's eyes were soft, and he paused for a moment when he said this, as if deliberately leaving a suspense, and then added after a while, "You will understand Remember to handle everything that happens on the side of the association with care, senior brother is leaving first."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for Li Huan to buckle again, Su Yunhe walked away without looking back.

Li Huan had no choice but to walk across the arch bridge towards the island in the middle of the lake.

The building was quiet, there was no sound of living things moving or breathing. Li Huan felt strange. Although it was not working hours, the security where the president himself was located was so weak. The reason for dismissing all the subordinates, does it mean that the president has trusted Zhong Ye so much?

The demon subduing master and the demon are sworn enemies. What reason do they have to gain mutual trust?

Li Huan frowned slightly, walked up the stairs to the top floor, and at the end of the corridor, he saw the door marked "Chairman's Room".

Without any hesitation, he stood still and at the same time he knocked on the door panel, and there was a light creak in response, and the half-hidden door slowly opened inward under the force of the knock—the room was not turned on , and with the curtains closed tightly, there was only a small piece of natural light leaking in from the door at this time, and the interior light was very dim.

Li Huan's muscles tensed up, and he stood at the door with extreme vigilance. He narrowed his eyes tightly, and the dark pupils were filled with demonic light.

In the demon's vision, everything in the dark became clear. Li Huan was slightly taken aback, and instantly noticed a person sitting behind the desk opposite the door in the room.

The man was wearing a smoky blue Chinese-style double-breasted gown, with his elbows resting on the table, his jaw slightly lowered, and his eyelashes drooping. He was a middle-aged man with snow-white hair but an appearance of only 50 to [-] years old. As if falling asleep, not even the sound of the door being opened disturbed him at all.

The scene was unspeakably grotesque, Li Huan took a few steps forward in disbelief, trying to see the sleeping man more clearly.

But the moment he walked into the room, the door closed behind him, and when the only natural light was cut off, a familiar light blue fluorescent lighted up, and dozens of lead wires emerged from the darkness in an instant, connecting to the On the silent chairman.As the thread fluctuated, the man seemed to come alive. He raised his head and faced Li Huan, with the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a kind but creepy smile.

"So that's how it is..."

Li Huan shook his head in disbelief, and finally understood the meaning of Su Yunhe's words.

Just at that moment, the overhead light came on and someone retracted all the leads.Losing traction, the smiling president's facial expression froze for an instant, and then fell down on the table with a "boom", and there was no more movement.

The five fingers hanging by his side were subconsciously clenched, and the meridians on the back of his hand bulged. Li Huan slowly turned around and looked at the strange man on the sofa who seemed to appear out of thin air.

The man happened to raise his head, and the two eyes met in the air. He raised the corners of his mouth leisurely, and said in a low voice: "The demon-subduing master who is best at manipulating puppets in the world ends up being made into a puppet and controlled by others. Isn't the punishment very pleasant to us?"

Li Huan recognized his voice and said, "It's you..."

"Well, it's the first time you and I have met, so let me formally introduce—" The voice stopped abruptly, the man got up calmly, walked around the coffee table and stood in front of Li Huan, and extended his right hand politely towards him, "This spirit beast Qinglong, you can also call me 'Chong Ye'."

——inued