CH 5

An hour later, the group arrived at another location in the city suburbs.

The blue school vehicle halted before a black building. The building’s location was incredibly desolate, with practically no other houses within a kilometer radius.

Feng Ping Lan’s group got off the car, looking at the building before them. The house was very wide, about as big as three classrooms, but its height was only two stories high, looking like a squashed coffin. The outer appearance had black as its theme, and looking at it closely, you would realize its appearance was exceedingly gorgeous, the doors, windows, eaves, and walls all having a Goethe-style metallic decoration. However, due to it being painted to black, the meticulous decorations had all become subtle and inconspicuous.

A black sandalwood signboard was hung up in the middle outside the house, the word ‘Janus’ written in fancy gold lettering.

“Is this a coffee shop?” Feng Ping Lan glanced at the haggard-looking Conglong, “Conglong has been vomiting for the entire journey here, you must be hungry, right? We can order a carton of milk later to calm your nerves!”

Conglong retched when he heard the word milk, covering his mouth, “Don’t mention food to me right now…”

Looking at the weirdly-styled building before him, Morris frowned disapprovingly, “So we came all the way here, just to discuss our mission in a coffee shop?”

“This isn’t a coffee shop, this is an information center attached to the Association, the Janus Mortuary.” Yin Su Shuang led on, pushing the thick and heavy wooden doors open. As they passed the doors, the infrared ray sensors started transmitting a mournful song played by a pipe organ.

Stepping into the house, what greeted them was a narrow space, a European-style wooden front desk, and two chairs, with absolutely no one inside. The left side of the wall had a large oval-shaped mirror inlaid within it, the gorgeous metal rim also painted to black. The mirror was about as tall as the wall, reflecting the silhouettes of anyone who stepped into the house in minute detail.

A plaque was placed on the counter, the words ‘On Break’ written on it, a thin layer of dust having already accumulated on it, looking like it had been placed there for a long while.

“Do we need to wait here?” Feng Ping Lan pulled a chair over to sit on it, looking around curiously.

“This is just the entrance hall, we haven’t entered the mortuary yet.” Yin Su Shuang smiled faintly, taking the plaque and handing it on the entrance door without consulting the others, then locking the door.

“Then how do we enter?”

“Have you forgotten the Shadow Academy’s practices?” Yin Su Shuang asked instead.

Everyone glanced at the large mirror at the same time in a meeting of minds.

“How unimaginative.” Morris scoffed disapprovingly, taking the lead to step towards the mirror, and, following the habit when entering Shadow Academy, prepared to pass through the mirror.

Bang!

But in the next moment, the built and large body crashed into the surface of the mirror, letting out a large sound, his entire body collapsing onto the floor.

“What the hell!” Morris bellowed, “Isn’t this the entrance? Why can’t I go in?!”

Yin Su Shuang shook his head, letting out a slight sigh. Walking forward, he reached out his hand to the bulging part of the mirror’s rim, revolving it downwards, the mirror opening backward along with the walls. The wall itself was originally an entrance, just made to look like a common wall.

“There’s a handle here.” Yin Su Shuang looked at Morris with a ridiculing glance, “How unimaginative indeed.“

Morris growled, standing up resentfully. The group of people followed Yin Su Shuang into the entrance.

Behind the door was a staircase with a pretty abstruse and roundabout passage leading them underground, and they walked for about three minutes or so before reaching the bottom. A high and vast space, clearly a few times bigger than that of the building on the surface, was located at the end of the staircase, piece by piece of high-grade steel frame spread over the place, a footpath set between the steel frames leading deep within, without an end in sight, akin to a maze.

A complicated scent wafted through the air. The disinfectant, formalin, and the concentrated fragrance of flowers blended into a strange and encroaching odor.

On the walls close to the staircase was a long and narrow white front desk, bits of junk scattered on the desk messily, document stations fixed on the wall space behind the front desk.

A languid figure lay over the center of the front desk, slowly rising up and down along with their1 breaths.

Dongya looked at that desk filled with empty snack packets, scraps of paper, trash, documents and junk, his heart beginning to stir.

“May I ask if our mission is to clean this place?” Dongya asked eagerly.

“No.” Yin Su Shuang walked to the front desk, pushing away the garbage filling up the table to clear the space, and knocked on the surface of the desk. “Wake up, it’s time for work.”

The person lying prone over the desk slowly moved, and slowly raised their head.

This person had a beautiful face, but it gave off a contradictory feeling that couldn’t be expressed. Their age seemed to be around twenty-five to thirty, phoenix eyes giving them a female’s gentle loveliness, cheek lines having a masculine stoutness, a high nose bridge, and delicate red lips, making it hard to discern their gender. One of their eyes was black, the other green. Alternating cyan and purple long hair were fastened to the back, casually tied into a braid, bound with a black shoelace.

When that person sat up, everyone could see that they had been lying over a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle was half-complete, a part in the middle particularly disarrayed and messed up when they were asleep. Some of the missing parts had fallen to the ground, some scattered on the desk, and one piece was stuck on their pale face.

The person behind the desk rubbed their eyes, and seeing Yin Su Shuang, their eyes lit up, smiling brightly.

“Oh, isn’t this Master Su Shuang!” Neither high nor low, the androgynous voice laughed sharply, and said with a smooth tongue, “It’s been a while! You haven’t visited ever since you became a teacher! Have you gotten used to it? Do the nutrition lunch meals at school taste unpalatable? Are the parents hard to deal with? Right, did you come here today to visit me? Or have you been strapped for cash recently, so you’re here for a second job? By the way, are you married yet? Interested in marrying me or getting married to me?2 Hahaha! Fine, fine, let’s not mention all that. So why have you come here today? Are the cute little friends behind you here to help, or for me to take care of? Hahahaha! Just kidding.”

This person was blurting nonsense in an unceasing torrent, with the others having no chance to cut in, and after clicking their tongues in wonder, this brought forth a certain sense of déjà vu.

Why did they feel as if they had already been acquainted with this person…

“Watch what you say, stop your nonsense.” Yin Su Shuang ignored all the quick-fire questions, opening his mouth indifferently, “They are my students—”

“Your students? Aiya, I didn’t think they were my juniors! But strictly speaking, they aren’t really my juniors, because the one who studied at Zephaniah was not ‘me’… If I remember correctly, one of my relatives enrolled this year, a cute little tangdi3, as adorable and amazing as me! By the way, are all of these your students?” The heterochromatic eyes paused upon Quetzal, “This person over here looks incredibly mature, Su Shuang-laoshi, have you started teaching classes for the community college? This mister seems to have repeated a few years?”

Quetzal did not answer, staring at the person in front of him quietly.

The other appeared crazy and nonsensical, but he could sense that this was not a simple character.

Solely that complicated demonic aura was something he had never seen before, with both odors of human and demon mixed in. He couldn’t tell if this was a human who had been touched by a demon’s aura, or a demon who had been contaminated by a human’s scent.

“These are my students and their Contracts.”

“Do you have students who haven’t arrived yet?” That person propped their head up, looking at the people behind Yin Su Shuang in confusion, “Only two humans have come, but there are seven demons, the numbers aren’t quite matching up.”

This time, everyone looked at this strange person in a different light. They had hidden their demonic auras pretty tightly, but this person had been able to see through it with just one look. This was not someone ordinary.

“This is none of your business, Retriever, firstly shut your mouth, or else I will appeal to headquarters.” Yin Su Shuang warned coldly. That person obediently closed their mouth, using two fingers to form an X mark, cracking into a smile.

Yin Su Shuang started to explain to Feng Ping Lan and the others, “This is the person in charge of the mortuary. The Janus Mortuary is not just an information center, it is also a broker for the bounty missions. Everything here is subordinate to the Association’s management.” The last sentence was directed at the person behind the front desk.

“Hello, I’m Shen Yang!” They took advantage of Yin Su Shuang’s pause to make a self-introduction. “My interests are handicraft arts and jigsaw puzzles! My height is the height of eighteen apples, my weight and age are a secret, the color I love the most is honey peach pink. I’m currently single, currently in search of a boyfriend, please introduce me to them if you find any good matches! Oh, of course, it’s fine if you recommend yourselves too, hahaha!”

Everyone’s gazes slowly switched to Feng Ping Lan.

Noisy and a self-centered attitude… it was precisely the same…

“Have you spoken enough?” Yin Su Shuang questioned softly.

“Alright, let’s not talk about all that. Why does this blue-haired little brother’s face look so unpleasant? Do you want to lie down and rest? There are a few beds left in the deep freezer… Oh alright, I’ll shut up. Shh!” Shen Yang once again made an X sign across their lips.

“They are here to receive a mission.”

“Students?”

“This was the Director’s idea. Do not ask further.”

“Yes yes yes, I know.” Shen Yang parroted, smiling, “I’m the best at keeping secrets.”

Yin Su Shuang glared at Shen Yang, “You’d better have a clear view of things, the Association has not completely forgiven you yet.”

“Aiya, those old coots don’t have an ounce of actual ability, I can make them lose their standing without even using my insider information… Oh, got it, shutting up.” Shen Yang did a cross before their lips with a smile, then flipped through the mess on the desk in search of a thick notebook, quite a few memos stuck between the pages. Feng Ping Lan scooted his head closer curiously to see what was written in the notebook, but they were words he had never seen before on the pages.

“You must be looking for a bounty mission… there’ve been quite a few lately, business is booming so much I haven’t had the time to put on my AHA skincare.” Shen Yang grumbled as they flipped through the book.

“Which side are your customers from?” Yin Su Shuang inquired.

“Aiyaya, aren’t you just making things difficult for me?’ Shen Yang smiled wryly, “Of course I’m talking about the honest Summoners and miemoshi approved by the Association! As for whether this is true, that’s for you to guess.”

Quetzal and the others heard the keyword miemoshi, their ears erect.

This strange person seemed to know a lot, it was possible they knew something about Prince Shuekan. They had to think of something to probe out information from Shen Yang’s mouth. Anything…

Quetzal glanced at Yin Su Shuang, realizing the other was looking at him with a shadow of a smile, seemingly having seen through his intent.

“I urge you not to act rashly, and to abide by the rules…” Yin Su Shuang reminded him calmly.

“Yes yes yes, I know. If anything really happens, it definitely won’t implicate anyone.” Shen Yang had thought Yin Su Shuang was referring to them, answering without thinking the matter through, “If these little friends want to go on a mission, I’ll find them a relatively comforting case. Apparently, a Summoner in Seoul used a curse to hoodwink a showbiz management company in order to steal an artist’s private photos, how about this? You’ll get the chance to interact with a celebrity at close distance!”

Everyone revealed expressions that said they begged to differ, only Simo looking exhilarated.

“Um… may I ask if the main actor of the movie ‘Fifty Shades of Pinocchio’ belongs to this company?” Simo asked timidly.

“I don’t know about that. That film was shot too promiscuously and I only saw through a few scenes, I prefer some pure romance.”

Simo looked as if someone had stepped on her sore spot, refuting with all her might, “I-It’s not erotic!” She then lowered her head as if she had been wronged.

“These are the missions we’ll be receiving?” Conglong called into question, “Are these missions really worth that much?”

Yin Su Shuang let out a sigh, making it clear to Shen Yang, “They are Summoners acknowledged by the Director. They’ve already assumed personal responsibility, you don’t need to have any misgivings.”

“Oh, understood. But I shouldn’t give these little friends cases that are too erotic or violent, or when the time comes where they receive damage to their souls, turning into good-for-nothing adults in the future, their parents might accuse me of being a bad influence on their very obedient children…” Shen Yang flipped through the book again, and after skimming over it for a moment, nodded their head, “Then, we’ll settle with this!”

They pushed the messy junk on the desk away, opening the laptop buried under the trash, pressing a few keys to search for the file, then turned the laptop to face the group, “Ta-da!”

Frame after frame of pictures was displayed on the screen, the attached writing explaining the identities of the people in the pictures. Each one of them had different nationalities, different ages, but all of them had an illustrious personal background. There was a boss of a shipping corporation, the director of a petrochemical plant, even a European aristocrat’s descendant. Another similarity between them was that all of them were dead.

“These are the basics, firstly have a tentative understanding of their personal backgrounds, and they won’t feel unfamiliar when you meet again.”

“Meet again?”

“That’s right, in the deep freezer.” Shen Yang stood up. Surprisingly, they were about as tall as Simo, had a flat figure, and wore a loose white robe, making the shape of their body to look even thinner. “This isn’t just the information center, it’s also a retrieval site, specializing in retrieving the trash created by the Summoners. Various types of trash that are intractable, that cannot be exposed.”

Shen Yang put on a pair of slippers and brought the group to the place where the corpses were kept. Everyone crossed the footpath, turned a few corners, and came before the deep freezer room. There were two entrances to the deep freezer room, one of them facing the outer side, formed by a number of transparent doors, making it convenient for others to extract the corpses from the outside; the other entrance was directly connected to the room.

Behind the transparent doors sat several corpse bags set upright, the inflated bags divulging the victims’ wrapped bodies.

“They look like the beverage cabinets in convenience stores…” Feng Ping Lan quietly spoke of what he thought.

“What a shame there isn’t a discount for the second item, hahaha!” Shen Yang went along with him, laughing, then walked towards the indicator panel before the door handle, pressing in a few numbers.

The gears in the deep freezer started to operate, the roulette fixing the corpse bags in place starting to revolve, turning the four corpses that had originally been placed at the back to the front. When the revolving stopped, the doors opened automatically, a platform rising from the bottom to receive the corpses.

“Wow!” Conglong and Simo couldn’t help but sigh in praise, they had a huge amount of interest in products made by high tech.

Even Byriel gave a whistle, “That’s pretty convenient.”

Shen Yang opened the corpse bags one after another, revealing the people within.

“Uh!” Everyone sucked in a breath.

The people lying in those corpse bags were entirely different from the people in the pictures. The four corpses had changed beyond recognition, impossible to identify their original appearances.

“This is considered a relatively comforting case?” Feng Ping Lan couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

“Of course. There are also corpses who were chosen to be offerings by a cult – now that image was pretty unpleasant – and it’s pretty unpleasant to comment about it too. The ruthlessness in which the murder was inflicted upon their own kind was far superior to those of demons. I am very curious to know the feelings of the deceased before their own deaths, and am even more curious about the kind of expression the murderer had when they conducted their killing. Born as a human, but ending lives using a method such as that, it would be better to be born as an animal, perhaps that might bring more joy to them!” Shen Yang laughed, as if recounting an interesting matter, “Clearly a race closest to god, yet they love to be more intimate with the devil than demons. Hahaha!”

Shen Yang’s sharp laughter was uncomfortable for anyone listening to it.

Although they were very similar to Feng Ping Lan, their essence was different. Feng Ping Lan was pure foolishness, Shen Yang was a twisted lunacy.

“Enough, cease your nonsense.” Yin Su Shuang cut off Shen Yang’s words, “What’s the situation?”

“Alright alright, you really don’t have a sense of humor.” Shen Yang stuck their tongue out, “These unlucky fellows kept on dying continuously half a year ago. Their causes of death were different, from fires, falling off buildings, to car accidents, and their features would receive severe damage to the point of no recognition, with differing times of death as well. The results of the investigation conducted by the human police stated they died from unexpected causes or suicide, but a few Summoners didn’t think so, so they reported it to the Association. I have a feeling those Summoners didn’t make the report out of their own righteousness, but because they had some sort of relation of those victims. Their sugar daddies kicked the bucket, so they want the culprit to pay the price. Their so-called righteousness is nothing but a cosmetic of selfish motives and conflict of one’s interests. Hahaha!”

Shen Yang laughed by themselves for a moment, then continued, “—Alright, it’s question time, can you guess why the culprit wants to disfigure their victims?”

“Is it to conceal their identities?” Conglong spoke.

“Incorrect! What a waste of your considerably smart-looking appearance.”

“Modern technology is so developed these days, a drop of blood, a strand of hair is enough to identify them. And the victims are pretty important people, it’s quite easy to compare them, it’s no use trying to disfigure them.” Kaido rebuked exasperatedly.

“Then, is it to cover up the previously severe damage to their faces before their deaths?” Feng Ping Lan speculated.

Clap clap clap clap clap! Intense applause rang out, Shen Yang was impressed to no end. “Correct! You’re so smart! I love smart kids the most!”

Turning, they pointed at a body that was halfway charred black, “This is that director of the shipping corporation. He died when a power cord in his house accidentally caught fire one month ago, buried in a sea of fire. But he was quite lucky, part of his face wasn’t completely burnt off.”

Everyone scooted closer to the corpse. A majority of the victim’s face had been scorched black, but a part of the right side of his face had maintained intact. Intact wasn’t quite right, because his skin had vanished, revealing the muscles and veins underneath.

“It looks like his skin was peeled off.” Yin Su Shuang muttered to himself.

“That’s right!” Shen Yang clapped their hands once again, “Now, time for something marvelous! Did you notice? These are scabs, do you know what this means?”

No one answered. Even though everyone already had the answer.

“This means they were alive when the skin was peeled off! Preserved in that state right until their deaths! Isn’t that cool! Hahahaha!”

“Enough.” Yin Su Shuang interrupted their morbid words. “We know now. Any other intelligence?”

Shen Yang smiled, “According to the autopsy reports, the victims lived for at least two weeks after their skin was peeled off, but nothing unusual was discovered by anyone— it’s question time again, may I ask what this implies?”

“The demon who peeled their skin used their faces to replace the victims’ lives, until they had no more value.”

“That’s right, teacher, you’re amazing!” Shen Yang clapped their hands, “Additionally, the victims all attended the same party within a year ago, in the kind of rich man’s club. Apart from attending the party for fun, all of them exchanged some kind of intelligence in passing, an organization of mutual benefit. Everyone at the club had alibis, but if there were Summoners or demons involved, those alibis would mean nothing.” Shen Yang reached out a hand to press a few buttons, the corpses returning to the deep freezer, then wandered aimlessly back to the long desk they saw when they first arrived.

“How are you sure their cause of death has something to do with the club?” Being told he was stupid earlier, Conglong took the chance to question.

“Oh, because there’s proof.” Shen Yang smiled in reply, “This private club has an insignia of a green lion. In another case, an Opposer arrested by the Summoners had the same insignia.”

Yin Su Shuang’s footsteps halted, “This case is related to the Opposers?”

Shen Yang’s eyebrows raised, “Proving a hypothesis is your responsibility, I am only responsible for providing intelligence.”

After returning to the long table, Shen Yang was too lazy to circle back to the opening, directly climbing across the table to get back to their seat, opening their laptop and clicking the mouse, “According to the intelligence, there are two clues relating to the Green Lion, one of them being Horban Shipping’s Yakone Cruise Liner. The one in charge was originally Fedman, which is that medium-cooked guy earlier. Before his death, he handed the operation of the entire department to a newbie who had just taken office for not more than three months, and died not long after. The second clue is the Green Lion’s gathering spot, in Kyoto. Their reservation has been tempered by us, so the position has been switched to an onsen resort under the Association’s scope of influence.”

The screen turning towards the group, within the screen were two pictures, one of them being a gigantic luxurious cruise liner with an imposing manner, another a vintage Japanese building, the location and time labeled under the photos.

Kaido’s face darkened after seeing the photos.

“The time for the cruise liner’s next departure is in three weeks, the Green Lion’s party will be this weekend. It depends on which clue all of you want to investigate!”

“It would feel rushed if we choose the weekend…”

“Choose this one.” Kaido spoke, “Go to Kyoto.”

“Young Master Kaido…” Tan Hua said awkwardly.

“Hey, why do you get to choose!” Morris was dissatisfied.

Shen Yang glanced at Tan Hua, then looked at Kaido, “You’re that young master from the Wei Family?” They revealed an evidently understanding smile, “If that is so, this spot will be more advantageous to you!”

“What do you mean?” Conglong frowned.

“None of your business!” Kaido rebuked furiously, then turned to Shen Yang, “Shut your dog’s mouth…”

Shen Yang raised their brows, grumbling with a pout, “How disrespectful, and I was helping you too.”

“Are there any recommended options?” Byriel asked Yin Su Shuang.

“Either one has its merits and its drawbacks, decide amongst yourselves.”

“Then we’ll choose the cruise liner.” Conglong cut in.

“I agree.” Morris cribbed. Not wanting Kaido to lead, he stubbornly chose the other option.

Kaido humphed coldly, “Childish…”

“What do you think?” Dongya asked for Feng Ping Lan’s opinion softly.

“I Think choosing the mission in Kyoto would be better…” Feng Ping Lan scratched his chin, “We can receive our pay the earlier we start our work, or would everyone be able to hold up for three weeks?”

Conglong and Morris were at loss for words.

An exceedingly practical consideration that instantly convinced everyone.

“Are there are other opinions? Then it’s decided?” Shen Yang, seeing that no one was responding, pressed a few keys, the printer behind them starting to operate. “I’ll print a copy of the necessary details for you, the others need to be investigated on your own.”

They rummaged through the mess on the desk to find another thick black volume, and, flipping through a few pages, pointed at one of the columns, “If you have decided on this mission, sign your name here.”

Feng Ping Lan was about to step up, but Yin Su Shuang blocked his way, “I’ll sign.”

“You’ll be participating in the mission?”

“I’m their proxy.” Yin Su Shuang took out a small box from his pocket, a little transparent seal sitting in it. He did not put on any red ink, directly stamping it on the book. When he took it off, there was an additional blue ink mark in the empty column, which vanished after a few seconds.

Shen Yang smiled. “Gemi’s crystal seals, how nostalgic…”

When the sound of the printer’s operation stopped, Shen Yang took out those ten or so pages of documents, then grabbed a small knife from the desk, slitting their finger, dark red blood almost to the point of black dripping down their fingertips. Extending their finger, they lightly wiped it on the side of the stack of documents.

The dark bloody liquid instantly permeated the papers’ fibers, proliferating and interweaving vein-like patterns of light red on the pages.

“These documents can’t be copied, they’ll self-destruct if they ever get into the hands of those who are not of the Shadow Academy.” Shen Yang smiled proudly, “Keep it well!”

Feng Ping Lan received those documents very carefully, the papers in his hands feeling warm, as if they were a living specimen. He wasn’t sure if this was just a misperception.

“Ask your questions if you have them, or I’ll be closing shop soon.” Shen Yang gave a yawn.

“There are no closing hours here.” Yin Su Shuang reminded coldly.

“That’s just a platitude, I’d be embarrassed to tell you guys to get lost so directly, wouldn’t that affect my next business opportunity?”

“I am very curious about which side your other customers are on…”

“Oh, whatever. In any case, the awkward one wouldn’t be me.” Shen Yang smiled lightly as if it was none of their business.

“Um!” Feng Ping Lan raised his hand, “May I ask, if all of the victims earlier were important people, are they really no problems… about their corpses getting sent here?” Were the corpses stolen? Wouldn’t they be discovered?

Shen Yang raised their eyebrows, seemingly astonished about Feng Ping Lan asking a question such as this.

“Oh oh, no worries, we have specialized people who create substitutes for us. But let me divulge, the workmanship of the creator who did this batch of replacements was quite inferior, incomparable to my adorable and amazing little tangdi.” Shen Yang hehe’d, staring at Feng Ping Lan for a second, “You have quite the quick-witted mind. Moreover…” This countenance, they felt as if they had already been acquainted with…

Shen Yang looked at Feng Ping Lan, then looked at the Contracts behind him, and at that moment, they revealed an expression of exuberant interest. “Ha, interesting. Haha, hahahahaha!‘

For some reason, Shen Yang laughed to their heart’s content to no end. “Just too interesting! Hahahahahaha!” They laughed so joyfully, like a child who had found a new toy, but simultaneously so ear-piercing that a chill came over those who heard it.

“Enough!” Yin Su Shuang rebuked, stopping Shen Yang’s wild laughs.

“My apologies my apologies, I forgot myself. Pftt!” Shen Yang tried their best to stop laughing, “Alright, any more questions?”

“I have one!” Feng Ping Lan raised his hand once again, “May I ask if there is an age restriction for your boyfriend? Are there any particular requirements in the looks department?”

Everyone was shocked. Yin Su Shuang’s eyebrows wrinkled.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Your tastes are too horrible!”

Feng Ping Lan scratched his head, “Uh, I want to introduce Li Rui to them. Li Rui is coincidentally looking for a girlfriend, and they’re very beautiful too…” Although they had quite an unusual personality.

“Oh! This child has a really sweet mouth! You don’t need to introduce anyone else, Jiejie4 wants you!”

“Stop fooling around! You don’t even know if this person is a man or a woman!”

“I’m okay with being either a man or a woman~”

“Quiet!” Yin Su Shuang rebuked once again, “We’ll call it a day. It’s time to go.”

He urged everyone to leave, getting them to step onto that abstruse staircase, but remained where he stood instead.

“Class Advisor, you’re not leaving?” Feng Ping Lan asked.

“You guys return to the bus, I’ll come soon after.”

“Oh.” Feng Ping Lan responded, then glanced at Shen Yang.

Shen Yang smiled enchantingly, “What is it? Have you really fallen in love with me?”

“Um, is your hand alright? Do you need a band-aid?”

Shen Yang stared blankly, then lifted their lips into a faint smile. “No need.” They extended their tongue to lick their finger, “I’m used to it.”

“Oh.” Feng Ping Lan nodded his head, “Then, bye-bye!” He chased after his companions’ footsteps, leaving the basement.

Shen Yang looked at Feng Ping Lan’s back, turning their head only after he vanished from the staircase.

“I like that kid. What’s his name?”

“None of your business…”

Shen Yang shrugged, “By the way, why is the Association being so modest?” They gave a sinister smile, looking at Yin Su Shuang, “A boy Summoner who is the master of six demons? With the existence of such a character, the Association isn’t actually making a ruckus? What a shock, it almost made me pee my pants…”

“…His identity is a secret.”

“Another one of the Director’s ideas?” Shen Yang smiled faintly in clear understanding, “There are really many things he’s meddling in, to him, managing the school seems to be just too effortless—”

Yin Su Shuang reached out his hand violently, fisting the collar of Shen Yang’s white robe.

“Don’t forget, the reason you are able to prolong your meager existence, is a result of the Director’s aid.” His low voice spat out a chilling warning.

“Do you think that letting me live in this way is considered a favor to me?” Shen Yang laughed faintly.

“I do not think of you as a comrade, nor do I consider you human. But you seem to be standing on our side, so I am willing to endure your existence…” Yin Su Shuang let go of Shen Yang, “Do not test me.”

“Don’t worry.” Shen Yang raised their fingers, making an X sign before their lips, “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t say anything. By the way, I am exceedingly grateful for the Director’s life-saving grace, really.”

Yin Su Shuang glanced coldly at the person who had once been his comrade for a moment, frowning.

“…Look out for yourself.” After throwing down this line of goodwill that wasn’t said out of goodwill, Yin Su Shuang turned to leave.

With all the guests gone, there was only one left in the basement.

Shen Yang once again leaned across the desk, tilting their head to stare at the incomplete jigsaw puzzle on it.

“Just too interesting…” They laughed lightly, “I know everything… I won’t say anything…”

They were very grateful to the Director for letting them prolong their existence. Starting from just a moment ago.

If it wasn’t for that opinionated saint, they wouldn’t have the chance to witness such an interesting performance.

Ah ah, it was really just too interesting. And only they knew of this, only exclusive to them.

How gratifying.

The long fingers carrying a wound casually picked up a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, and, after scrutinizing it before their eyes for a moment, pressed it onto that unfinished picture, inlaying it with another jigsaw piece.

“I wonder which side of the domain will be completed first…”

The original form of the jigsaw puzzle on the desk was Bruegel’s famous painting, The Fall of the Rebel Angels. The painting depicted the heavens above and hell below. The angels and fallen angels were waging war in the sky and underground, the outcome of the battle undecided.

Both the upper and lower parts were half-completed, Michael and Lucifer still fragmentary pieces in the center, unable to be identified.

The piece of the puzzle pressed onto the picture had covered the upper part, taking form as the holy sword in Michel’s hands.

*

On the journey back, Feng Ping Lan read the documents that he had received from Shen Yang.

“Going abroad, huh…” He had never left the country before, and couldn’t help but be left speechless, “Um… will the Shadow Academy help us with the arrangements for the tickets and lodgings?” They were already in debt, if they had to pay for the travel expenses as well, they would be left with no choice but to build a bamboo raft using empty plastic bottles and row all the way there!

“We won’t.” Yin Su Shuang drove as he replied indifferently. “The travel arrangements during the mission are to be set by the appointees, all expenses paid by the Association.”

“That’s great!” The eyes of all the demons lit up.

“Each bill will be examined, unnecessary personal expenses will not be accepted by the Association.” Yin Su Shuang had seen through the ideas going through the others’ heads. “All of you are still students of the Shadow Academy, so the funds will be applied for by the Shadow Academy, you only need to list out the items. If you need fake IDs or credentials, the Shadow Academy will also help you process it.”

“Wow, how convenient!” Feng Ping Lan nodded his head, “This will save us a lot of trouble!”

Byriel propped his head up, and echoed smilingly, “Right, how convenient.” He spoke pointedly, “It feels like a holiday trip, not a task, hehehe.”

The Shadow Academy was repeatedly extending goodwill, he was really just curious about the motive behind this. Any benefits gained had its own price; they were enjoying the benefits, but they still did not know the price.

This caused quite a bit of uneasiness…

Yin Su Shuang could hear Byriel’s skepticism, “You are undergoing the mission under the Shadow Academy’s name, if you succeed, the credit for it will belong to Shadow Academy. This will help in raising our prestige and influence over at headquarters.” In other words, the Shadow Academy could benefit from this.

“What if we fail the mission?” Byriel questioned.

Yin Su Shuang smiled coldly, “Then it just proves that some tools are not as durable than they look; they can be given up as soon as possible.”

Byriel raised his eyebrows, “How calculative…”

This was a test. Passing or failing the mission was not the point, the point was to test how much they were worth.

If they succeeded, not only would the Shadow Academy gain reputation, they could only let their outstanding pawns pour in their utmost effort for them without any worries; if they failed, that just meant giving the outsiders the impression that there a few worthless students had emerged from within the school.

Using each other for their own gains… In that case, they would not hold back.

“Right, if we can ask the members of the club for help, does that mean these missions can be made public?”

“Only the appointees can know the contents of the mission, but there isn’t a fixed rule stating you have to keep it a secret. Some Summoners will deliberately divulge information to alert the enemy in order to observe their movements, this is one method. If you want to show off, you’ll have to assume the risks of failure.” Yin Su Shuang glanced at the side-view mirror, “Close the window, Conglong. Do not vomit along the road…”

Conglong had not spoken to protest yet, when Morris opened his mouth to complain, “Why can’t he? I don’t want to smell that stinkiness all the way back!”

“Because it’s dangerous.” Feng Ping Lan interrupted, “We’re currently on the highway, and according to the laws of inertia, the stuff vomited by Conglong will fly by ninety kilometers per hour backward for quite a distance before descending. If a convertible or a large-capacity car is behind us, at a high-speed impact, the vomit can also injure, I can calculate it for you—”

“Enough! Shut up!” Morris rebuked impatiently, then glared at Conglong, “You’ll swim to Japan on your own when it’s time for our mission.”

Conglong glared back at him weakly, “No… I’ve always wanted to sit on a plane… Urgh…” Another bout of retching struck, he hurriedly covered his mouth.

“Fuck! Turn away! If you have the guts to vomit, I’ll shove a cleaning rag along into your mouth!”

“Quiet!” Yin Su Shuang growled.

Feng Ping Lan continued to flip through the documents, secretly turning his gaze towards Kaido who was sitting beside him.

Ever since they received the mission to them getting onto the bus, Kaido had not spoken a word the entire way, looking thoughtful.

“Kaido, why did you choose Kyoto?” Feng Ping Lan asked curiously.

“None of your business…” Kaido looked out the window, responding with an unpleasant face, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

But Feng Ping Lan had never been good at reading a person’s mood, and continued to ask in great delight, “Is there something you like in Kyoto? What is it? Wagashi? Or beauty cosmetics?” He paused for a moment, hitting his fist hard, “I know, it must be geishas, am I right? Does Kaido want to let the beautiful and voluptuous Da Jiejie pull your belt and circle around you? Aiyo, so perverted! Huhuhuhu!” As he said this, he elbowed Kaido’s waist.

Kaido retaliated, using all his strength to slap Feng Ping Lan’s hand off, “Get lost!”

Feng Ping Lan looked at the reddened back of his hand, widening his eyes, glancing at the perplexingly furious Kaido. Tan Hua looked at Kaido and Feng Ping Lan awkwardly, wanting to say something, but was unable to open her mouth, only revealing an apologetic expression.

“Kaido, you…”

Kaido gritted his teeth, seemingly upset by his loss of self-control, but could not lower himself to apologize, so he could only resentfully turn his head away, glancing out the window as he sulked.

“I know now.” Feng Ping Lan let out an understanding look, “Kaido is also carsick, right?”

Kaido knitted his eyebrows. “I’m not—” He tried to refute, but before he could finish, his shoulder was pulled back.

He felt his face knocking into something warm and soft, it was not the cushioning of the chair. The next moment, Feng Ping Lan’s large face came up from above, entering his vision.

His head was lying on Feng Ping Lan’s legs.

“Come come come, lie down lie down, your head will get dizzy if you keep looking at the same scenery.” Feng Ping Lan smiled, his palms simultaneously covering Kaido’s shoulders and head.

“I’m not carsick!”

“Shh shh, I know, you don’t need to try and be brave. It’s quite amazing that you haven’t vomited yet.”

Conglong glared at Feng Ping Lan in dissatisfaction, but did not have the ability to mock back at him, because at this moment, he was still in a state of imminent danger.

“This isn’t—”

Kaido’s vision turned black, Feng Ping Lan’s hand covering his eyes.

“Shh, rest quietly.” Feng Ping Lan had one hand covering Kaido’s eyes, another gently massaging Kaido’s neck.

Kaido planned on directly getting up, but that snug sensation by his neck was hard to resist. He couldn’t help but admit, Feng Ping Lan was damn good at massages… His shoulders and neck that were taut due to long years of training martial arts were relieved by that slightly aching strength.

Fine… It was alright if this could make this guy shut up and stop annoying him…

Since Feng Ping Lan thought he was carsick, it also let him have a way out of this embarrassing situation. Kaido stopped making a sound, silently acting sick by lying there.

His vision entirely dark, the contact of body temperature and skin resting by his cheeks. Memories of long ago were evoked.

When he was very little, he had been cherished and tended to just like this. That was a beautiful period of time that he would occasionally reminisce upon.

A time when he was still living in Kyoto, when others would call him by ‘Do-kun’…

Kaido lay there silently. The soothing sensation relaxed him, and he subconsciously succumbed to sleep.

“Looks like he was really tired.” Feng Ping Lan looked at the sleeping Kaido, saying softly with a smile.

Byriel turned his head, smiling in askance at Feng Ping Lan, “You’d be very suited as a nanny.”

“Haha that’s alright. Byriel, do you want it too?” Feng Ping Lan patted his other free thigh, “There’s still some space right here.”

“No need.” Byriel turned his head back, “I don’t want to put my head near a man’s groin.”

“Why? Are you worried about getting hit by Xiao Ping Lan? Don’t worry, don’t worry, it’s currently a young nestling, serenely curled up in its nest, there isn’t any indication of it flapping its wings and flying upward…”

“Shut up!” Almost everyone on the bus spoke at the same time.

Kaido was abruptly woken from his dreams, and, realizing that he had actually slept in front of others, let out a resentful growl, then hurriedly righted himself, leaning against the window, no longer speaking, no longer paying attention to anyone else.

*

Afternoon on Monday, Feng Ping Lan gathered all the club members into the sickbay, Quetzal’s office.

The Society Research Club had no classroom of their own. The advantage of this was that the club’s establishment was approved quickly, the disadvantage was that they needed to find their own space, or borrow Quetzal’s office as a base of operations.

Correction, this was a disadvantage only to Quetzal.

“Sorry for disturbing!” The moment he stepped into the classroom, Feng Ping Lan immediately took a deep breath, “Mm~ Quetzal’s scent.”

Quetzal sat behind the office desk, looking at the students entering in a line with a chilly face, his face turning several degrees colder.

Feng Ping Lan’s Contracts hadn’t come. They had already more or less discussed yesterday that as they did not understand human society and the Summoners’ attitudes, they would let Feng Ping Lan handle the preceding procedures. The demons were mostly responsible for fighting, acting according to circumstances after explaining the other particulars would suffice.

Su Li Wan gave Quetzal a courteous nod, Ivan and Igor very tactfully choosing a place furthest away from Quetzal, Kaido unceremoniously sitting on the sickbed, and Zong Yu circled around the human model instead.

“It’s absolutely rotten… The lines of muscle and veins are really crude, the moisture in the eyes wasn’t even included…” Zong Yu shook his head, turning his head to glance at Quetzal, “Do you need me to make a much more realistic one for you?”

Quetzal did not answer, but his cool gaze divulged the answer.

Liu Yi Chen had taken a week’s leave from school for some reason, so she hadn’t come.

“You’d better have something fun to announce.” Ivan crossed his arms, “We haven’t had a gathering after establishing this club, I was so disappointed!”

Feng Ping Lan’s curled his lips into a smile, “Of course!” He revealed the file he had received from Shen Yang, handing it to Ivan.

Ivan flipped through it, exclaiming. “A bounty mission?!”

”That’s right!”

Feng Ping Lan gave an outline of the case, Ivan and Igor flipping through the files, Su Li Wan concentrating on listening. Kaido had already known about this beforehand, so he indolently played with his phone.

Only Zong Yu was abnormally silent, staring at the documents in Ivan’s hands all the while.

“That’s about all of it.” Feng Ping Lan finished explaining, clapping his hands together, and revealed a pleading expression, “I hope everyone can help, we’ll discuss dividing the bounty after the mission, for this part, please be lenient!”

“I don’t need my share.” Su Li Wan spoke, “This is a very rare opportunity, precious experience that cannot be bought with money, thank you for letting me participate.”

“Li Wan, you’re really an angel!”

“We’re not in lack of money, it’s fine if all the reward money goes to you.” Ivan placed down the files, clicking his tongue in wonder as he looked at Feng Ping Lan, “Not many students are allowed to receive bounty missions. It’s not just about their ability, they need the school’s approval and to appear personally to vouch for this mission of much higher difficulty, just what is your background?”

Feng Ping Lan gave a forced laugh, “I’m just a nameless soldier…”

Ivan rolled his eyes, “You’d better be.” Whatever, it was very common for Summoners to be unwilling to divulge their identities, and he had no intention of deliberately digging his secrets.

Besides, for Feng Ping Lan to have the ability to sign a contract with six demons, and have the Shadow Academy support him so, he must have a huge background. He was not stupid enough to offend him out of such a small curiosity.

“The victims of this case are all important figures in the world, coming from different countries. The leader of the club, list of the members’ names, details of their assembly are all a mystery, with only a part of it recorded in the files. Additionally, a different member is responsible for preparations for each gathering, and there will always be a new member joining in.” Feng Ping Lan spoke, explaining the plan he had thought of yesterday night, “They’ll be assembling this Friday, and with our lack of information, it’s too difficult to mix in with disguises. We can only act as tourists, placing ourselves in the same hotel as they are, and think of something to carry out our investigation, at the same time collecting information as evidence in order to infiltrate their ranks in the future. To put it simply, the entire sequence of processes will be altering our identities, checking into the hotel, carrying out our investigation.”

“How easy it seems!” Ivan spoke sarcastically.

The lesser they could prepare, the more uncertainties they could face, the higher the risks they took, it all tested their impromptu response at the scene.

“I think it’ll be alright, you guys performed quite well last time! Besides, the school will be helping us with the preparations this time, it’s definitely no problem!”

“What will be our fake identities? It’ll be too suspicious if a crowd of sightseeing tourists appears to seek temporary lodging, and we’re even living in such a high-grade hotel.”

“Humph humph humph, I’ve already thought of it.” Feng Ping Lan announced, pleased with himself, “We’ll be acting as a touring performance band!”

“Ah?”

“Doesn’t this seem to high-profile?” Su Li Wan hesitated.

Generally speaking, no matter they deliberately operated a second identity, or dressed up in a short-term disguise, they would choose a more mundane character, that would attract less attention.

“Most performers will have people accompanying them for their needs whenever they attend activities outside the country, these numbers are coincidentally in line with our needs, and it’s also very reasonable to stay in a luxurious hotel like this. Adding on the fact that artists attach importance to their privacy, we can persuade the hotel to provide us with a much more personal space, and they’ll bother us less. All our secretive and suspicious movements can be interpreted as hiding from our fans.” Feng Ping Lan explained excitedly, “How about it, it’s pretty good, right?”

The people exchanged glances. It was true, with regards to the current situation, acting as performers was an incredibly perfect position.

“It’s a shame Class Rep isn’t here, she looks like she’d be very suited for a manager’s attitude.”

“When will we be departing?”

“Thursday morning. The gathering will take place on Friday night, those invited will check in a day before. We can arrive earlier, so we can be better prepared.” Feng Ping Lan paused, shrinking back a little as he spoke, “Can everyone accept this arrangement? Are you willing to participate?”

“Of course!” Ivan agreed right away, “I’ve waited so long for this! I just knew something fun would occur by your side! Right, Igor?”

Igor seemed a little hesitant, shaking his head, then nodding.

Feng Ping Lan didn’t quite understand what Igor meant, “Igor, you don’t want to participate? It’s fine, you don’t need to force yourself.”

“No…” Igor spoke deeply, “Not because it’s fun…” He halted for a second, seemingly a little bashful, “Because we’re friends…”

Feng Ping Lan blinked, his mouth cracking into a deep smile, “Thanks!”

“I have to inform my family, but it should be alright.” Su Li Wan gave a forced smile, “But, I’m not sure if Zhong Xian will be willing to provide help.”

“We don’t really need him.” Ivan gave an objecting handwave.

Feng Ping Lan glanced at Zong Yu, who hadn’t taken a stance yet, “Then, Xiao Yu-er…”

“I’ll go.” Zong Yu answered in a low voice.

All members of the Society Research Club, with Liu Yi Chen as an exception, would be participating.

“May I borrow the files to photocopy it?” Su Li Wan spoke to ask.

“That can’t be copied.” Zong Yu suddenly said, “There’s a blood seal on it, preventing the information from being copied and flowing out. Unless it’s meticulously broken, the only things copied would be a chaotic vein-like pattern.”

“How did you know that?” Feng Ping Lan was curious. He suddenly recalled, Shen Yang had mentioned a tangdi who had enrolled this year, who was also good at creating fake corpses— “You’re Shen Yang’s cousin?”

Zong Yu’s face darkened, his mouth that was usually set in an affected smile now pursed into a line, his expression turning complicated.

“It’s a small world, huh.” Feng Ping Lan smiled, “Haha, are they your tangjie?”

“They’re not my tangjie…” Zong Yu spoke somberly, “They’re not a man nor a woman, not a human nor a demon, they’re nothing.”

Just a prisoner who had violated the forbidden laws out of a stupid reason, had been driven out of the family clan, and monitored by the Association, just a watchdog who was dragging out an ignoble existence.

“I see.” Feng Ping Lan scratched his head, “But they seem to like you quite a lot, they kept on praising you!”

“There isn’t a need…”

“Aiya, being able to gain someone’s heartfelt approval is something worth being happy about, this means there’s someone who cares about you!” Feng Ping Lan patted Zong Yu’s shoulder, “If everyone’s decided, I’ll be handing over the list of items for the Class Advisor to help us prepare!”

*

Night, Shadow Academy. Liu Yi Chen did not appear as usual. Feng Ping Lan had planned to ask Yerde during the wushu class drills, but to his surprise, Yerde had also taken a leave.

“Yerde’s taken a leave too?” An idea flashed across Feng Ping Lan’s mind, “This means—”

He violently snapped his head back, glancing into the direction of the crowd of teachers, and saw that long silhouette standing in the center with an unsightly expression.

“Quetzal, you’re subbing in today? Why didn’t you tell me earlier, this way I could prepare earlier!” Feng Ping Lan rushed at Quetzal, asking joyfully.

Quetzal glanced at Feng Ping Lan indifferently, not responding.

He had received the notification for his substitution this evening. He had no obligation to report his itinerary to anyone else.

Looking at Feng Ping Lan’s excited expression, he suddenly felt it was a little blinding.

When the bell for the start of the lesson rang, the students finished assembling, and just like the last class, Quetzal stood on the platform, coldly announcing that the students were to practice on their own in groups, then stepped down the platform, standing near the western sword group to observe.

Feng Ping Lan had no fixed training partner, and after that incident of Renier challenging him, those of the same group of him didn’t quite dare practice with him, and so Yerde would always summon a familiar for Feng Ping Lan to practice on. But Yerde was on leave today, and Feng Ping Lan was once again all by himself.

As he practiced, he secretly snuck anticipating looks at Quetzal, but the other did not have any intention of giving him guidance.

Feng Ping Lan wasn’t willing to give up, and deliberately made a few clumsy movements full of mistakes, then gave Quetzal a glance. He was still watching with folded arms, his gaze not even landing on him.

Feng Ping Lan tilted his head to think for a moment, walking to another corner where two people were having an intense clash.

“Hey, Renier!” Feng Ping Lan took advantage of the gap between their practice to wave his hand fervently at them.

Renier stopped his movements, he and his partner both looking at Feng Ping Lan guardedly. “What are you doing here?”

Feng Ping Lan’s mouth cracked open into an innocent smile, “Can you practice with me?”

Renier raised his eyebrows, “What do you want…”

“You can attack me as much as you want, the fiercer the better!” Feng Ping Lan paused for a moment, “But if you can, I hope you won’t really injure me, thanks.”

Renier frowned, not understanding him, “Just what are you planning?”

“Aiya, I’d be ashamed to talk about it.” Feng Ping Lan spoke in embarrassment, “I was thinking that if you fought with me, Quetzal would come to put a stop to it, and practice the sword with me.”

Renier glared disbelievingly at Feng Ping Lan, thinking he was messing with him, he had never heard of a request like this before.

“Stop joking around! He’s your Contract, why don’t you just command him? Get lost! Don’t be a hindrance!”

“Renier, you’re such a bore. It’s really pointless if you just use commands.” Feng Ping Lan smiled as he pulled the hand Renier was using to hold his sword on his own, “Come! Renier! Pierce through me with your penetrative sword!”

Renier’s entire face twisted into a lump, looking as if he had made contact with something dirty. He shook off his hand, wiping it on his pants a few times. “There’s definitely something wrong with you!”

“I thought this would sound more dramatic.” He had read this phrase from the novel Simo had left in the toilet. The novel had suggestive lines that were incredibly obscure, and it was obvious it was a fierce battle between two guys and one girl, but the book had been snatched back by Simo before he could read it in detail.

“Stop!” A figure rushed in after that reprimand, intervening in between Feng Ping Lan and Renier.

Kaido had seen Feng Ping Lan and Renier together from afar, thinking that there was another conflict, and had immediately run over.

“Is this piece of trash causing trouble for you again?” Kaido questioned Feng Ping Lan as he glared angrily at Renier.

Renier’s fury was instantly ignited, “It was this pervert who came at me!”

“Bullshit! Do you think everyone is as stupid as you? Trash that can’t be taught!”

“The one who can’t be taught is you!”

“Oh, there’s no need to argue over me.” Feng Ping Lan displayed a troubled expression, then spread his arms like the Holy Mother, placing them over Kaido and Renier’s shoulders, “Ping Lan belongs to everyone, no need to fight over me. How about this, both of you can come at me at the same time!”

“Shut up!” Renier and Kaido rebuked simultaneously.

Renier got rid of Feng Ping Lan’s hand, glaring at Kaido loathingly. “Both of you are perverts!”

“What are you doing! Why are you provoking Renier?! If you want to exact revenge, measure your own weight first!”

“Oh, I’m not trying to get revenge, I’m just having a friendly interaction out of personal motivation.” Feng Ping Lan’s eyeballs turned about, “Kaido, are you being concerned for me?”

“Shut up! Idiot!” Kaido raged, turning his head to return to his practice area in fury.

Feng Ping Lan shrugged, and could only silently return to his original spot, practicing his sword by himself.

“Aren’t you going to instruct him?” One of the instructors, Yuan Hu passed by, asking Quetzal curiously, “That child has quite a good aptitude, I saw instructing him a few times before yielding quite prominent results.”

Quetzal looked indifferently at Feng Ping Lan, who was sparing no effort to perform a sword-dance.

Indeed, his stance and attitude had improved quite a lot, but there were obvious gaps and flaws. As long as he was given a few pointers, he would improve at lightning speed, with more perfection.

Pressing down that notion that was subtly stirring in agitation, the desire to polish that piece of unpolished gem, Quetzal muttered in a cold voice, “…No.”

He did not intend on placing too many thoughts on Feng Ping Lan. That was not what he should concentrate on. But he realized that Feng Ping Lan had been gradually occupying his thoughts lately.

He felt that it was a kind of offense, an offense towards himself, an offense towards Prince Shuekan.

He did not want to leave too many things behind.

In the human world. In his heart.

TL Notes

I deliberated with Shen Yang’s pronoun for a long time. The author uses 他 when describing Shen Yang, so I was confused about whether it was used as a gender-neutral term or that the author was indirectly revealing Shen Yang as a male by using 他, which is usually used when referring to guys. I decided on the pronouns they/them because it was kind of pointless revealing their gender this way and 他 is sometimes used when gender is uncertain.‘Marrying me or getting married to me’: the original sentence is ‘娶我或嫁给我’, where ‘娶我’ commonly refers to a woman asking a man to take her as his wife, and ‘嫁给我’ refers to a man asking a woman to marry into his family.Tangjie is an older female patrilineal cousin. Tangdi naturally means a younger male patrilineal cousin.Jiejie = Older sister, Da Jiejie = Big older sisters