Chapter Twenty-Four: Preparing to Cast the Spell

Just as Gu Chongyan had suspected, Su Yan was from the Flower Nation, only twelve years old this year. However, he wasn’t from an inland city as Gu had thought, but from Harbor City. Not long ago, while traveling with his family to Japan, they were noticed by the Hand Society. The group killed his parents and dragged him all the way to New York.

During this period, not only did the members of the Hand Society rarely give him food or water, but they also forced him to watch gruesome and violent videos, attempting to awaken a savage brutality within him.

Listening to Su Yan’s halting, fear-filled answers, the fury within Gu Chongyan only grew. Originally, he felt nothing in particular toward the Hand Society; if not for seeking magical power from the Beast, he might never have crossed paths with them in his life. But now he realized there were truly some people in this world who should not exist.

He swore to himself that he would destroy those beasts in the Hand Society.

“Gu... Brother Gu, they said I am the incarnation of a demon. Am I really a demon’s incarnation?” Su Yan bit his lip, clutching nervously at Gu Chongyan’s sleeve.

Gu Chongyan came back to himself and hurried to reassure him. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. You have nothing to do with demons. If there’s anything special about you, it’s precisely that—your uniqueness. That’s why those bad people want to use you to summon a demon.”

“Re-really?” Su Yan seemed a little relieved, but still asked uneasily.

“Of course it’s true,” Gu Chongyan replied quickly. “Trust me, you’re not a demon. As long as I’m here, that demon won’t ever be able to find you.”

“Thank you, Brother Gu.” Su Yan nodded vigorously.

Matt was gone far longer than expected. By the time he returned, Su Yan and Gu Chongyan had already grown close. Seeing Matt come in, Su Yan immediately hid behind Gu Chongyan, his pale face etched with fear.

Gu Chongyan quickly comforted him. “Don’t be afraid, Su Yan. This is Matt. He was the one who helped me rescue you from those bad people, remember?”

At these words, Su Yan cautiously poked his head out from behind Gu Chongyan and stole a timid glance at Matt, who was carrying several large bags. That was the extent of his courage.

Gu Chongyan didn’t force him, understanding it was impossible for Su Yan to lower his guard so quickly.

He turned to Matt. “Why were you gone so long?”

Matt lifted the bags in his hands. “Besides food, I thought he’d need some clothes, so I made another stop.”

Only then did Gu Chongyan realize that aside from a pair of shorts, Su Yan wore nothing else.

He patted his head and shook it. “You’re more thoughtful than I am—I didn’t even notice. But there’s no water here, so let’s wait until you get him back to your place to wash up and change.”

“You want to send him to my place? Will he be alright?” Matt couldn’t help but ask. Judging by the boy’s heartbeat, he hadn’t earned Su Yan’s trust yet.

“It’s fine, Su Yan can handle it,” Gu Chongyan said. Though he hadn’t known Su Yan long, he could already tell that while the boy seemed fragile, he possessed remarkable tenacity.

Perhaps he didn’t trust Matt yet, but Gu Chongyan believed Su Yan would get along with him. Besides, there was nowhere else for him to go at the moment—leaving him in this abandoned factory was out of the question.

Just as Gu Chongyan predicted, although Su Yan was reluctant to stay with Matt, he agreed after some persuasion. Watching those large, reluctant eyes as Su Yan left, Gu Chongyan felt a new weight settle on his shoulders.

He silently vowed to resolve matters with the Beast and the Hand Society as soon as possible, so that Su Yan could live a normal life.

The next day passed in a haze. Unable to stop thinking about Su Yan, Gu Chongyan rushed to the abandoned factory after nightfall as quickly as he could. Even so, he was the last to arrive—Matt, with Su Yan, and the Stick Elder were already there.

The moment Gu Chongyan appeared, Su Yan’s eyes lit up. He dashed over, wide-eyed.

“Brother Gu!”

After a wash and change, Su Yan had shed his refugee-like appearance. Though still thin and frail, his fair skin and the children’s clothes Matt had picked out made him look like a little child star. What surprised Gu Chongyan even more was the change in his spirit—compared to yesterday’s panic and helplessness, today Su Yan’s mood was much improved.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Su Yan had just been leaning against Matt’s embrace.

Gu Chongyan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Matt. Perhaps it was true what they said about superheroes—only one night and he’d managed to break through the boy’s defenses. Quite a skill.

However, not everyone could make Su Yan lower his guard.

When the Stick Elder approached with a small package, Su Yan immediately hid behind Gu Chongyan, not even daring to peek at him.

The Stick Elder seemed unconcerned whether Su Yan liked him or not. He handed the package to Gu Chongyan.

“Everything you wanted is here. Can we start dealing with the Beast?”

“Don’t rush. Let me check first.” Gu Chongyan took the package and opened it. “Oh, you’re rather wealthy, aren’t you?”

Inside were a gold bar, several silver ingots, and a few rubies and sapphires. They might not be worth a king’s ransom, but the total was at least hundreds of thousands of dollars—absolutely no small sum for a mere high school student like Gu Chongyan.

“You only need to tell me if it’s usable,” the Stick Elder said expressionlessly.

For the sake of these costly materials, Gu Chongyan, for once, refrained from making a snide remark.

“It’s enough. I’ll start right away. Su Yan, come here.”

At his call, Su Yan obediently walked over. “Brother Gu.”

Gu Chongyan reached out and tousled Su Yan’s soft, freshly-washed hair. “In a moment, I’ll draw some magical sigils on you. Just stay still and don’t move, alright?”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Brother Gu,” Su Yan nodded earnestly.

Essentially, the Black Hollow was an ordinary person who, due to a special constitution, could resonate with demons from Hell. Only through specific means would they become the Beast’s vessel. Even if one Black Hollow were lost, the Hand Society could always find another, and another, to summon the Beast.

Killing the Black Hollow alone wouldn’t eliminate the Beast.

Besides, Gu Chongyan’s goal wasn’t just to kill the Beast, but to use it to strengthen his own magical power.

Therefore, he planned to inscribe a seal on Su Yan, transforming him from a vessel into a prison. Then, using the connection between Black Hollow and the Beast, he would attempt to summon the Beast before the Hand Society could find another vessel.

As long as the Beast left Hell and entered Su Yan’s body, it would be trapped within the seal. At that moment, the Beast’s fate would rest in Gu Chongyan’s hands.