Chapter Twenty-Five: The Chosen of the Crimson Moon
Qi Fangyan was not a Shadow Girl...
Lin Lei frowned deeply upon hearing Long Wentian’s answer.
His thoughts raced rapidly:
“That’s right, a Shadow Girl refers to someone born within a specific time frame... Such people should be everywhere and not rare at all.”
“Long Wentian, as the third-ranking figure in the Purple Dragon Gang, had no reason to deliberately approach someone as distant as Qi Fangyan. And yet, he was so persistent...”
The fact that Long Wentian had gone to great lengths to have his men get close to Qi Fangyan meant she was not just an ordinary person born in a special year!
Lin Lei turned to Long Wentian and asked, “Why did you send someone to approach Qi Fangyan?”
Long Wentian hesitated, a flicker of reluctance crossing his face. Even after drinking the “Bewitching Potion,” he was unwilling to answer directly, finally saying:
“She is a high-quality ‘Red Moon Candidate,’ destined to serve the ‘Red Moon’... The Candidates are the core of the blessing ritual and the most important offerings... Without a Candidate, the Shadow Girls are meaningless...”
Lin Lei furrowed his brow. “Explain clearly—what exactly is the ‘Red Moon’?”
Long Wentian’s eyes, though dazed, flashed with fanaticism: “The ‘Red Moon’ refers to the Red Moon Goddess, symbolizing love and beauty... She is the common faith of the Fourth Young Master and me, the great being who bestows our blessings...”
Lin Lei narrowed his eyes slightly. Though he did not fully grasp the true nature of this so-called Red Moon Goddess, judging by Long Wentian and the Fourth Young Master’s use of living sacrifices, this ‘Red Moon’ was likely some forbidden, malevolent entity.
Nodding, Lin Lei asked again, “Are there different ranks among the Candidates?”
He had noticed Long Wentian mention Qi Fangyan was a high-quality Candidate. Although the term “high-quality” was unusual to describe a person, it was easy to infer that lower grades must exist.
Long Wentian answered honestly, “Candidates are those favored by the Red Moon Goddess. Depending on the degree of favor, they are divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, and above the upper level are the Star and Moon levels.”
“Qi Fangyan is a Star-level Candidate, just a hair’s breadth away from Moon-level—a rare and precious Candidate...”
Lin Lei nodded and asked, “Why not act directly against Qi Fangyan? Why waste time sending people to get close to her?”
Long Wentian replied, “Only Candidates who are completely engulfed in true feelings and desire can fulfill the ritual's triggering conditions...”
Though Long Wentian’s answer was not unexpected, Lin Lei couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Confirming that this so-called “Red Moon” was some goddess symbolizing love and beauty?
His sharp eyes narrowed further.
“How many sacrifices have you performed so far? How many offerings are needed for each ritual?”
Long Wentian answered earnestly:
“Depending on the scale, the offerings vary. A level-one ritual requires eight Shadow Girls and one lower-level Candidate... A level-two ritual requires twenty-three Shadow Girls, three lower-level Candidates, or one middle-level Candidate... A level-three ritual needs forty-nine Shadow Girls, three middle-level Candidates, or one high-level Candidate...”
“Since cooperating with the Fourth Young Master, we have performed two level-two rituals and one level-three ritual. The Fourth Young Master is preparing for a level-four ritual to advance to the Fourth Realm, which requires seventy-two Shadow Girls, three high-level Candidates, or one Star-level Candidate...”
Listening to Long Wentian, Lin Lei’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
He had spoken simply, but the three past rituals alone had cost over a hundred innocent lives.
Even Lin Lei felt a chill in his heart.
And this fourth ritual would claim over seventy lives!
Long Wentian continued:
“Ordinary Shadow Girls are easy to find, the real challenge lies with the Candidates...”
“I still have a few Candidates under my control, but at most one is high-level. If we can get the Star-level Qi Fangyan, it would directly satisfy the conditions...”
Lin Lei frowned deeply.
“Qi Fangyan is truly extraordinary...”
His thoughts turned, recalling the past.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the original owner’s intense infatuation with Qi Fangyan stemmed merely from how she treated him differently.
The murderous intent he had felt toward Zhou Haoran when seeing him escort Qi Fangyan home—perhaps it wasn’t only due to the original owner's memories or unstable emotions...
“But I can’t sense any trace of source energy emanating from Qi Fangyan...”
She must possess some special quality; otherwise, she wouldn't be a Star-level Red Moon Candidate. Yet, her uniqueness wasn’t outwardly apparent...
It must be a deeper, more subtle influence.
“Why her, and not someone else?” Lin Lei pondered the tangled memories of Qi Fangyan left by the original owner, his mind a mess.
After a long moment, he shook his head.
“Why bother thinking so much?”
The memories weren’t false; the feelings in his heart were real and present. Whether due to personal emotions or residual memories, they couldn’t simply be erased.
He cast aside all distracting thoughts and looked directly at Long Wentian.
“When is the deadline for your ritual agreement with the Fourth Young Master?”
“Half a month from now.”
“Half a month?” Lin Lei raised his brow. “No wonder...”
No wonder their actions targeting Qi Fangyan had become so urgent.
The image of Zhao Bing, that pretty-faced man, flashed through his mind, eliciting a cold sneer.
Based on Long Wentian’s words, it was easy to guess that Zhao Bing was the man under Long Wentian’s command, replacing Zhou Haoran’s role.
While Xie Jielun and others pressured and harassed Qi Fangyan, Zhao Bing—both handsome and capable—was deployed to help resolve matters...
If Lin Lei were just an ordinary student, he would be utterly useless in this situation, inevitably becoming a mere backdrop for Zhao Bing.
“However, with only half a month left, chances are slim...” he shook his head.
Qi Fangyan was gentle and indecisive, unable to refuse easily, but her hesitation also made her hard to pursue...
Yet, these thoughts were pointless now.
Since he knew the truth, he could no longer allow the story to follow its original course.
Lin Lei looked up again. “Where did you find those Shadow Girls?”
Long Wentian answered, “At first, we gathered vagrants and orphans nearby. The earlier rituals were easier to organize, but this time, there are fewer targets. So I sent trusted men to scour the area for suitable candidates and snatch them at opportune moments...”
Lin Lei’s mouth twitched involuntarily before realization dawned.
“You’re behind the attacks and disappearances around the Upper City outskirts?”
All the missing were ordinary people without any supernatural traces.
The Investigation Bureau hadn’t taken notice, and the Security Department handled the cases.
Due to the ghoul problem, the Investigation Bureau believed some attacks and disappearances were caused by ghouls. After the destruction of the ghoul nest, such incidents had almost ceased recently, so attention had waned.
Long Wentian nodded.
“I originally planned to quietly gather wandering women and orphans nearby, but the Fourth Young Master’s schedule is tight, so I can’t be too careful... However, I choose only women who have no family, either alone or widowed...”
As he spoke, a flicker of struggle appeared in his confused eyes.