My Family Is Very Odd

Fireworks exploded with a 'pop' above the fountain, dazzling and bright. People had gathered early at the fountain, each taking a red drawstring pouch from the shelves beside it. Inside each pouch was a wooden card, a pen, and a small cloth doll the size of a palm. Filled with hope, they stood by the fountain, beneath the fireworks, writing down their wishes.

Even when some, writing quickly, finished and witnessed black cracks appearing in the sky and ground, cracks from which emerged black monsters, they didn't stop.

They continued, stroke by stroke, with piety, writing their wishes on the wooden cards in their hands.

It was like a hymn rising from the earth, being chanted throughout the amusement park. The sweet whispers of demons filled their ears, and the colorful sparks of the fireworks reflected in their eyes.

A hazy black mist slowly enveloped the amusement park.

"Keep writing," the monsters and the cloth dolls in the pouches urged, "Write down your wishes."

The amusement park's broadcast announced the cancellation of the fireworks display and, due to unforeseen circumstances, the need for an early closure. Guests were advised to leave the park in an orderly manner before 7:30 PM.

Chen Yuanyuan exclaimed, "The fireworks have been canceled!"

Li Xiao Gui checked her phone and said, "Yeah, let's go then. Shen Chen said he ran into a friend when he went out earlier and asked us to leave first. He said we'll meet at the amusement park entrance."

Chen Yuanyuan replied, "Oh, alright."

The two packed up their things and left.

Reaching the gate, Li Xiao Gui suddenly realized she had forgotten something. Asking Chen Yuanyuan to wait for her under the tree outside the entrance, she went back into the amusement park to retrieve it.

The ticket collector had planned to watch the fireworks after his shift, but his replacement was late. Finally, when his colleague arrived and he reached the fountain, the park announced its closure.

As he was about to turn back, he suddenly noticed the entire amusement park had turned pitch black. He began to see many things he couldn't see before.

And through the numerous dark figures, he saw him at a glance – the one from the photograph.

Perhaps because they were twins, Wen Qing sensed the change in the ticket collector's eyes with just one look.

"Brother." The dark figure floated towards him slowly. It was still wearing the orange fire protection suit from that day.

The ticket collector seemed unable to react, his eyes staring blankly. His fingers trembled involuntarily from the cold, and he could only clench his palms to calm himself. As the dark figure approached, his hands warmed up. He raised a hand, unsure what to do, then awkwardly lowered it.

"Ah, long time no see, Wen Qing," he said, his voice gentle and devoid of any other emotion. But as soon as he spoke, his nose tingled with sadness.

…

Li Xiao Gui marked out the perimeter of a barrier with her foot while her hands swiftly formed the hand seals for a four-sided barrier.

Behind the dolls, materialized giant black shadows appeared, their forms twisted and grotesque as they clawed at the air.

They, along with their human hosts, walked towards her like stiff zombies.

It wasn't so much that they were attacking Li Xiao Gui, but rather that her barrier had trapped them, leaving them with no other target.

"Divine Arts, Seal!" Unlike her soft, kitten-like voice, the sealing technique Li Xiao Gui executed was swift and precise, instantly sealing the monster in front of her.

As she sealed it, something else stealthily approached her from behind. Just as it was about to strike, Li Xiao Gui's curled eyelashes fluttered. She effortlessly unraveled the chains with her spiritual power, scooping up the person who had regained consciousness and was bound by them, and leaping back with a spin.

In that instant of reversal and displacement, Li Xiao Gui's small foot, imbued with spiritual power, shot out, kicking the doll that had tried to ambush her into the closing abyss crevice of the previously sealed monster.

"Whew!" Li Xiao Gui landed steadily and moved to free another person entangled in chains.

Her movements were fluid and efficient.

In the blink of an eye, Li Xiao Gui had dealt with five monsters. She softly comforted the people who had regained consciousness and were still in shock. "Brothers and sisters, you can leave the amusement park in that direction. Here are some talismans for you. It's alright now."

After handing them the talismans, she plunged into the next chaotic scene.

She spotted Shen Chen. He was surrounded by numerous creaking dolls, but his expression remained unchanged as he swiftly and fluidly executed sealing techniques. Without exception, circles of light appeared beneath each of the dolls surrounding him, trapping them.

Sealing as she went, she ran towards him. As Shen Chen freed a person bound by chains, she helped him pull another to safety.

Li Xiao Gui glanced upwards, and Shen Chen instinctively lowered his shoulder. She stepped onto it, using it as a springboard to leap up again. Reaching out, she drew a sealing inscription, sealing the grotesque, grinning doll above Shen Chen.

Shen Chen was the one who had first taught Li Xiao Gui the Divine Arts. They had been practicing together for so many years that their teamwork was seamless.

Above Shen Chen, Li Xiao Gui's skirt spun and fluttered as she gracefully landed. As she did, her skirt rose slightly. Shen Chen swiftly reached out, catching her and pulling her into a hug, pressing down her billowing skirt.

However, Li Xiao Gui was wearing athletic shorts under her skirt. Not safety shorts, but actual, somewhat thick athletic shorts.

Li Xiao Gui froze for a moment before laughing and thanking Shen Chen for catching her and adjusting her skirt.

Shen Chen, for some reason, felt a little awkward as he replied, "Mm."

They then turned, back to back, and continued to cleanse the area.

However, there were simply too many people participating in the event at the amusement park. They were only two people, and every monster doll they sealed seemed to be replaced by two more.

Their spiritual power was not infinite.

Just as they were about to be overwhelmed by the endless stream of monster dolls, the exorcists Shen Chen had contacted finally arrived.

One by one, the monster dolls in front of them vanished, and Shen Chen and Li Xiao Gui could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Leading the charge among the exorcists was Lin Zhi from Shen Yan's bureau. Her eyes could see the birthdates of the abyssal monsters with a single glance. Using divination, her words alone were enough to judge and seal numerous monsters.

The number of abyssal monsters visibly decreased. Then, a doll with particularly thick black energy among them turned its black eyes towards them.

Its black energy was heavier than that of any other doll. In the dense crowd of abyssal monsters, it was surrounded by a vacuum, highlighting its unusual nature.

It projected a massive black shadow from behind itself, which moved towards them.

Lin Zhi remained unfazed, her gaze cold. Her unique eyes saw the birthdate of this monster as well. There was no monster or evil spirit she couldn't judge.

Her lips moved to speak, but she suddenly choked, "…Ah—"

Almost instantly, the monster, which had rendered everyone else powerless, appeared right before Lin Zhi. No one saw how it approached, and no one could stop it.

"That ability of yours is quite special," the monster commented, now directly in front of them.

The tension, which had eased with the arrival of the exorcists, returned in full force.

"To be able to do all that with just your eyes… Indeed, it is somewhat dangerous. How about I remove them for you?"

The cold and emotionless voices of the doll and the black shadow overlapped, echoing with an eerie quality.

The doll slowly floated towards her and extended a cold, gelatinous hand.

Despite knowing they had to, words seemed to be stuck in everyone's throats. Even as they urged themselves to speak, no sound came out.

It was as if something was choking them.

As the monster approached, Lin Zhi's eyes bulged uncontrollably, as if they were about to burst from their sockets.

The black shadow extended a long finger, mirroring the doll's movement, and aimed it at Lin Zhi's eye.

Just as her eyes, wide with an almost involuntary surrender, seemed to be offered up to the black shadow's finger, about to be pierced and gouged out…

The monster that had left everyone powerless just moments ago suddenly shattered into pieces.

The doll also fell limply to the ground.

It all happened in an instant, silently and unexpectedly.

And as the expanding black shadow dissipated, it revealed the face of a young man with furrowed brows and a look of disdain.

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