Let's continue talking about Zhuang Cheng, but this topic still has to start with my older brother.
Although our family originally planned to pass down the family artifact to my older brother, he was actually not well-liked at home.
Or rather, it was because he was not well-liked that he was chosen as the heir in the first place.
The Zhu family’s skill in hunting demons had gradually declined over the generations. By the time of my grandfather, there were plans to withdraw from the demon hunter world altogether.
However, withdrawing wasn’t something that could be done all at once. The Zhu family still had some grudges and obligations in the demon hunter world, and one of us, either my brother or I, needed to take up the banner as a transition. My grandfather, feeling both weary and wary of the demon hunter world, decided to place this dangerous responsibility on my brother instead.
My brother's position in the family was awkward. Our father was adopted into the family, and my brother was actually my father's illegitimate child from outside.
My mother was deeply favored by my grandfather, and naturally, my grandfather despised my father’s affair and couldn't show any kindness toward my brother.
Logically, since my brother was supposed to become the family demon hunter, the family should have treated him with respect, but instead they always showing sour face whenever see him. Moreover, if anyone deserved to be despised, it should have been my father, as the source of the problem. However, understanding this rationally didn’t mean it was handled well emotionally. My grandfather was the type who couldn’t hide his feelings of love or hate. My father had been missing for many years, and with no way to settle accounts with him, all the anger my grandfather had built up had no outlet.
Under such circumstances, my brother naturally became deeply depressed. From high school onward, he fell into bad habits, running wild with a group of friends, which caused us to drift apart. After he entered university, his behavior worsened even more.
As his reckless actions escalated, the troubles he got into only piled on. The following events are things I heard about. Apparently, he was kidnapped by some hired thugs, who covered his head and taken him to a remote area, where he was severely beaten.
The beating didn’t break any of his bones, not because he was tough or because his attackers showed mercy, but because halfway through the beating, someone who couldn’t stand to watch came to his rescue.
That person who came to his aid was Zhuang Cheng, who was at the time investigating strange incidents in the wilderness.
It was only then that the two truly met, as before, it had only been my brother who knew Zhuang Cheng. Naturally, my brother was deeply grateful to be saved by someone he had long admired, and he actively sought to befriend him. During this period, their relationship seemed to be quite good.
However, the good times didn’t last. Not long after, Zhuang Cheng heard about my brother’s past misdeeds and even caught him in the act of doing something bad. He ended up beating my brother up, severing ties with him right on the spot.
This incident dealt a heavy blow to my brother, but later, after much reflection, he gradually changed, and eventually, he and Zhuang Cheng rebuilt their friendship.
The two of them are now very close, at least that’s what my brother brags about, though I’m not sure if it’s true.
I’m really happy about my brother’s change, and I’m also deeply grateful to Zhuang Cheng.
At the same time, I’ve started to worry.
Zhuang Cheng is very likely to encounter truly strange and bizarre entities in the future. Normally, an honest person living a regular life wouldn’t easily come across such things, but someone like Zhuang Cheng, who’s "not a normal person," might have already encountered these kinds of things... Not just in the past two or three years when strange occurrences have been frequent, but maybe even when he was a child. Otherwise, how could he be so determined to follow the trail of these strange events?
His middle school classmates mentioned that he used to stare at candles obsessively, as if something evil had possessed him... Could these odd behaviors be the result of some external supernatural influence?
More importantly, will he bring danger to the people around him in the future?
To confirm this, I personally went to meet him through my brother’s connection.
It was during the winter solstice of 2022. I was in my final year of high school, planning to apply to the same university as my brother and Zhuang Cheng, Xianshui University. The meeting place was set at a commercial center near Xianshui University. The reason for the meeting was "to go eat at a newly opened hotpot restaurant nearby." It was at the steaming hotpot table that I met him and my brother.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Seeing him in person was different from hearing about him. Just by looking at his appearance, no one would imagine that he was someone with wild, magical ideas swirling in his mind.
He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, with his down jacket draped over the back of his chair. He wasn’t playing on his phone but was instead staring intently at the simmering broth in the hotpot, seemingly lost in thought. At first glance, his looks and attire were nothing special—just like any ordinary college student you’d see on the street.
If I had to point out something unusual, it was that he appeared quite detached, not concerned with the tangible things around him. He seemed to be the type who could easily lose himself in his inner world.
But is that really something special? In truth, many young people are like that, right?
When I walked over, he only glanced at me before quickly returning his attention to the hotpot. I understood—I'd also be more interested in eating hotpot than chatting when I’m with friends.
"My little sister’s here," my brother said as he introduced me from across the table. "Sis, this is Zhuang Cheng. Ah Cheng, this is my sister, Zhu Shi."
When I saw Zhuang Cheng shift his gaze back to me, memories of his previous "clueless" actions came to mind, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of respect and a desire to keep my distance. I subconsciously greeted him: "Senior Zhuang, hello, I’m Zhu Shi."
He was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Junior Zhu... no, just call me Zhuang Cheng."
"Okay..."
Unless the person is an elder, I usually prefer to call people by their first names.
But in daily life, I tend to act like an ordinary person. The problem is, I don’t really know what it means to be an ordinary person, having grown up in such a way. I don’t remember who said it, but when a person mimics a role they’re not familiar with, it often reveals a stereotype they have of that role. My portrayal of an ordinary self is based on the weak, helpless women I’ve seen in online novels, and sometimes, I might overdo it.
In other words, uh, how should I explain it? Anyway, some people in my class say I’m a bit of *green tea. It’s different from when I’m working as a demon hunter. In daily life, my tone of voice is more high-pitched. By the time I realized this was an issue, it was already too late. Those who are consistent inside and out might not understand, but for someone who has already built a "persona," going against it is actually quite a psychological challenge.
*chinese slang for young woman whom always pretend to be sweet or innocent
"Senior Zhuang, have you ever seen a ghost or something like a monster?"
During the meal, I found an opportunity to ask the real reason for my visit.
Zhuang Cheng didn’t correct me again, but instead shook his head with a hint of regret. "No, not once."
"Really?" I was skeptical.
"I wish it were a lie," he said with a helpless smile, and the expression on his face, as if returning empty-handed, didn’t seem fake at all.
I still couldn’t believe it.
Though I’m not as enthusiastic as my brother, I’ve continued to look into Zhuang Cheng, and the results raised even more questions. In this era when strange occurrences were becoming increasingly active, Zhuang Cheng seemed to have made no progress at all on the path of investigating strange tales.
I even visited some of the places he had investigated, and they weren’t completely free of abnormalities. Some of them were even occupied by monsters blatantly causing trouble. Yet every time, Zhuang Cheng would somehow narrowly avoid them, as if... as if the strange occurrences themselves were afraid of him.
Is that even possible?
Or is it simply that his survival all these years has been due to sheer luck?
I would rather believe that he has been hiding what he’s seen.
However, after repeatedly testing him, my heart increasingly leaned toward the conclusion that "everything he said was the truth."
I then tried to persuade him to give up investigating strange tales. Clearly, my persuasion couldn’t shake the determination he had held for years. Similarly, I couldn’t convince my brother to cut ties with him; behind the scenes, my brother was practically his biggest fan.
I had no choice but to exchange contact information with him, using the excuse of checking in on my brother’s well-being to chat with him online and gather information about his activities, closely monitoring his movements. Although we didn’t meet often in person, we communicated quite a bit online.
Before I knew it, I had developed a strong sense of familiarity with him.
Contrary to the rumors, he wasn’t the kind of reckless maniac people described. Instead, he was a young man with a clear mind and a strong sense of conscience, who simply liked strange tales more than anyone else and would occasionally act heroically.
At least, that’s what I believed.
Which is why I became even more convinced that he shouldn’t be dragged into the strange... dragged into the dangers of our world.
He was also someone I, as a demon hunter, had to protect.
Then, two nights ago, my brother told me about the "basement."
It wasn’t until then that I found out he had recently moved into a house where a fallen demon hunter had committed crimes. But since I couldn’t reveal my identity as a demon hunter in front of him, I had to ask Agent Kong to investigate the matter first.
What I didn’t expect was that Agent Kong not only confirmed the existence of the basement and the ritual formation, but also brought me another shocking piece of news—my brother had actually taken Zhuang Cheng to see the basement and the ritual formation with his own eyes.
The unexpected turn of events almost made me black out from shock.
It wasn’t Zhuang Cheng who brought the strange events to my brother, but rather my brother who brought them to Zhuang Cheng?
Brother, what are you doing?
Given my brother’s timid and cautious nature, he likely wouldn’t have approached the basement on his own. But what about Zhuang Cheng? He must have already had the intention to investigate the basement. Such a clear and strange event, someone like him would never ignore it.
Although I heard the basement has temporarily disappeared, since it has already appeared for the second time, it will definitely appear again soon—third, fourth times... What if, in order to investigate the basement, he chooses to take the risk and enter it himself...
No, no, no, that’s still impossible.
Even someone as obsessed as him wouldn’t risk entering such an unknown realm, knowing that the entrance and exit could disappear at any moment, with no way to return.
Just in case, when the other demon hunters come to relieve me after dawn, I’ll immediately go and take care of the strange event at the basement.
I am a demon hunter of Mount Luo, and Zhuang Cheng is now also my friend. Even if it’s out of personal concern, I must protect his life and safety, and rescue him from the potential dangers of the strange occurrences.