Chapter 35: The Terrifying Bookstore

Chiyo's voice drifted eerily from behind, and recalling certain things mentioned in the book and his own deductions, Su Cheng's heartstrings quivered, almost frightening him into a cold sweat. Was this woman part cat? She moved without a sound.

"Nothing particularly unusual. Miss Chiyo, when did you arrive?" Su Cheng quickly composed himself, masking his expression with a harmless smile as he quietly slipped the scroll away.

"I just arrived," Chiyo replied naturally, as if she hadn’t noticed Su Cheng’s little maneuver. "I saw you were engrossed and didn’t want to disturb you." Yet Su Cheng caught a peculiar glint flickering deep in her eyes.

Chiyo should not have awakened memories of her past life, but was she truly ignorant of what happened back then? Su Cheng pondered silently, sensing the truth was growing increasingly elusive.

He gazed at Chiyo’s delicate profile, porcelain-like in its beauty, and asked in an offhand manner, "Do you know who is venerated here?"

Chiyo shook her head blankly.

"A general from the Warring States period—none other than the previous incarnation of the Demon King," Su Cheng said, watching her face for the slightest slip, but saw nothing. She seemed to have completely forgotten her entangled past with the general.

"Back in the main hall, the resentment around the Demon King was almost overwhelming. Even the most powerful exorcist would struggle to pacify it."

"And so?" Chiyo’s tone was unruffled.

"It’s possible," Su Cheng said slowly, "that the general was wrongfully executed."

The air grew still. Su Cheng scrutinized Chiyo’s face for any minute reaction. But to his disappointment, she remained calm, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

Was he overthinking things?

As they began ascending the stairs, Chiyo turned her head briefly to glance at the spirit tablet of the general. Su Cheng didn’t see it, but at that moment, Chiyo’s pupils shifted to a haunting violet-red, the bloodlust so intense it almost seemed to seep out.

Then, suddenly, flames erupted atop the general’s spirit tablet, rapidly spreading. A blazing inferno engulfed the shrine, turning all the spirit tablets to ashes.

Stepping onto the fourth floor of the Five-Story Pagoda, Su Cheng’s surroundings abruptly shifted. He now stood inside a library stacked with ancient tomes.

"Welcome, guest," came a kindly greeting.

Behind the counter stood an elderly woman, her face a map of wrinkles, exuding an air of gentle hospitality. Su Cheng glanced at the time—it was 3:30 a.m. Oddly, the bookshop was still open at this hour.

Was this a midnight bookstore catering to spirits?

Something about the place felt increasingly uncanny.

"Please help yourself, guest," the old woman offered.

"Thank you, ma’am." Su Cheng wasn’t in a hurry to go upstairs. The midnight bookstore gave him an odd, unsettling feeling—he decided to search for clues.

There were no chairs in the library; one had to stand while reading. Su Cheng noticed the place was deserted, thick with dust and cobwebs, the bookshelves ancient and so rickety they seemed liable to collapse at any moment.

The books here were all old, mostly tales of ghosts and biographies. He walked over to a particularly ancient bookshelf, randomly picked a dust-laden tome, and began to peruse it.

The moment Su Cheng picked up the book, he sensed something uncanny.

From within the pages came the faintest wail of ghosts.

Su Cheng’s expression shifted, but he couldn’t resist opening the book that made such sounds.

It was an illustrated compendium of specters. On a random page, the illustration depicted a demon devouring a human.

Staring at the illustration for a moment, he was startled to find the people inside had come alive.

"Help! Someone, help me! It’s terrifying here!"

A desperate, terror-stricken cry rang in Su Cheng’s ears. Tiny figures with blood-soaked hands stretched out from the page, feebly struggling, seemingly pleading for rescue.

A chill raced down Su Cheng’s spine as the bizarre scene unfolded before him.

He turned the page. Now, there was a man trapped in an ancient well, haggard and skeletal, trying endlessly to climb the slippery walls. Each time he neared the top, he fell back to the bottom.

The man’s fingers were shredded, flesh and bone torn away, and when night fell, the sound of nails scraping stone echoed from the depths, enough to set one’s teeth on edge.

The images were so vivid, it felt like watching a film. Su Cheng began to suspect these people were imprisoned within the book by some mysterious power.

This bookshop was becoming stranger by the moment.

"Sir, do you want to see my body?" purred a bewitching voice as Su Cheng flipped to another page.

Inside the book, a heavily made-up courtesan reclined, her garments half-removed, pale skin exposed, her posture seductive as she tried to entice him.

He sneered. Even though the woman was beautiful and alluring, clearly adept at seduction, he felt no interest.

For her body was stitched together from the corpses of several different women—the seams were plainly visible.

Seeing her ruse fail, the woman’s face twisted, moldy white hair sprouting beneath her skin.

Suddenly, the she-demon leapt from the book, her visage ferocious, lunging at Su Cheng.

As she struck, a jet-black hand flashed out, seizing her midair.

"Mercy!" The demon’s face changed, pleading pathetically for her life.

"Even your whining won’t save you," Su Cheng replied coldly, squeezing until her spirit was utterly destroyed.

He flipped through more pages, as if browsing a talking picture book—women’s piercing screams, prisoners’ cries, sinister whispers, venomous curses, prayers of despair—all manner of terrifying noises burrowed into his mind.

A wave of fear washed over him, the sinister atmosphere spreading through the midnight bookshop.

Taking a deep breath, Su Cheng closed the book; the cacophony vanished instantly.

He set the book aside, only to find his palm was wet. At first, he thought it was sweat or ink, but on closer inspection, he saw his hand was smeared with sticky blood.

The book was bleeding.

"Are you all right, Su Cheng?" Suddenly, a soft little hand grasped his, and Chiyo looked at him with concern. When he came to his senses, everything had returned to normal.

No strange noises, no bleeding books.

Was it all an illusion?

Su Cheng shook his head; this bookshop and its volumes were surely haunted.

"I’m fine, just got distracted," he replied, shelving the book. He found several more about folk tales from the Warring States period.

These ones, at least, weren’t haunted.

Relieved, he began reading. The records painted a picture of a chaotic and dark era—years of warlords’ conflict, countless deaths, and famine everywhere.

So many wrongful deaths left souls unable to reincarnate, and over time, they became man-eating demons and monsters.

Only centuries later, when the wars ended, did these creatures gradually fade away.

"In the southern regions, there once roamed an unnamed demon, preying on young men. Those it killed were always found with their hearts and livers eaten..."

A demon that ate human hearts and livers?

Reading this, Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat—he sensed a thread connecting his clues.

Returning the books to the shelves, Su Cheng walked toward the old woman behind the counter.

"Ma’am, I’m finished. How much do I owe you?"

Reaching into his pocket, he realized he’d left his wallet behind. Nor could he pay online.

As he prepared to settle up, a detail came back to him: in that illustrated book, none of the characters had eyes. On reflection, their eyes seemed to have been gouged out by some ghostly creature.

The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it became.

Behind the counter, the old woman slowly raised her head, fixing her gaze on Su Cheng.

"Guest, there’s no charge at this bookshop," she said.

"No charge? Then what do you want?"

Su Cheng sensed something was wrong and instinctively reached for his sword.

"I want… your eyes," the old woman replied, her wrinkled face twisting into a macabre smile. Her gray fingernails suddenly lengthened, clawing toward Su Cheng’s eyes.