Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 87: Change the Dog Leash?

Li Li hadn’t expected to run into Dan, but she wasn’t afraid.

That night in District 13 when she provoked Dan, she used Heige’s face, not the one now resembling ‘Li.’

Dan likely recognized her because they had met in Jiao Huang, and back then, Li Li had this face.

At that time, she angered Dan, making him throw out harsh words before leaving.

But now it was daytime, under Lin Ran’s controlled order time, so she wasn’t worried about Dan making a move.

Dust floated in the air within the light rays; between them hung a pink princess dress.

Li Li was smiling, while Dan coldly looked up at her.

"I saw you in Jiao Huang," he said. "The only concept-type there was you, so the illusionist they mentioned must also be you."

"That was me. Didn’t expect you to remember," Li Li tilted her head, dragging out her tone playfully. "I’ve been waiting a long time for that ‘see you next time’ of yours."

Back then, under the threat of Jiao Huang’s city lord, Dan left on his own, but not before intending to deal with Li Li, saying they would meet again.

But so many days had passed, and he hadn’t come to confront her.

Dan must have had an ability to pinpoint her location back then.

But after learning about this legal loli, Li Li had a more reasonable guess.

The air seemed to freeze, but the black-haired girl maintained a relaxed, carefree smile, as if she and the white-haired boy staring at her existed in different spaces.

Li Li had once said Dan was a mad dog, and she still hadn’t changed her mind.

She gently lowered her gaze, her curved eyes slightly widening, calmly looking at the boy before her.

He was like a dog growling low in its throat, threatening outsiders, forbidding them from stepping into his territory.

Meeting a past opponent in this old shop, which might hold some significance to him, he assumed the visitor came with ill intent.

Of course, Li Li’s actions could indeed be considered ill-intentioned.

"I don’t need your ability," Dan explained why he hadn’t sought her out again.

This matched Li Li’s guess.

Dan’s goal was to revive someone, so he searched for abilities everywhere, even approaching the An clan noble with necromantic abilities.

His search was purposeful.

Qing Yu Chen had said he was spared for this reason, as Qing Yu Chen’s [Mind Control] could never revive a dead person.

After learning Li Li was an illusionist, with an ability equally incapable of this function, he gave up seeking revenge.

Dan valued the person he wanted to revive more than himself, which was why he yielded under the Ability Guild members’ pressure.

He was a mad dog, but also a loyal guard dog.

While saying this, Dan’s hands, holding the rabbit plushie, tightened slightly.

For this white-haired boy, whose tone was usually cold and flat except when emotionally unstable, his pitch suddenly rose.

"What are you doing now?" He looked at Li Li’s attire, his white bobbed hair swaying, his body seemingly trembling.

With his beautiful heterochromatic eyes, he questioned: "Are you mocking me?"

The bag with the new dress was let go, and as he stepped back, the fabric brushed against the clothes on both sides of the narrow aisle, making a harsh scraping sound in the quiet room.

Dan glared at the smiling Li Li ahead.

Light streamed through the door’s crack, illuminating the pink dress she held.

Translucent, with a dreamy, beautiful color.

His arms, holding the rabbit plushie, gradually tightened, as if drawing something from it.

Comfort, strength, or something else.

"You think this is funny?" He stepped back, knocking over a water cup the shop owner had placed on the table.

As the cup fell and shattered on the floor with a crisp sound, the tall girl with curved eyes stepped forward.

"You seem to think too highly of yourself," she said softly, in that lazy tone. "What I do is only because it makes me happy."

The distance closed; she slightly bent down, letting her dark eyes reflect the trembling heterochromatic pupils—one gold, one blue.

In this provocatively close distance, she chuckled lightly: "But, you’re really quite likable like this."

Dan froze.

The white-haired boy’s mouth parted slightly, his eyes seemingly misted with a layer of water.

And Li Li raised her hand, rubbing Dan’s fluffy bobbed hair.

Just like petting a corgi in reality.

"Very cute," she said.

Li Li’s eyes curved, the red marks at the corners of her eyes seeming to stretch.

She was praising him.

Before Dan could react, she withdrew the hand that had patted his head, then pulled out this world’s currency.

Her fingers deftly unfolded it, then flicked the money out.

The gleaming gold coin traced an arc through the light, landing on the table beside the shop owner.

Then she hung the pink dress on the ear of the rabbit plushie.

"You need to change to a new leash," Li Li said in an undeniable tone.

The old one had become this person’s shackles, tying him to District 13, binding him to a rabbit plushie.

Li Li casually pointed at a dressing mirror placed among the piles of clothes.

When Dan instinctively looked over, the pink dress covered the solemn, lifeless black on him, making his pale cheeks seem to take on a touch of rosiness.

"I think this will suit you," Li Li said softly, gently narrowing her eyes as Dan stood stunned.

The old shop’s door was pushed open again, creaking and accompanied by a breeze flowing into the room.

At that moment, only two people remained in the shop.

The door dragged out a noisy closing sound, and the light from outside gradually weakened, but the dust dancing in the glow was still visible.

In the long silence, the old shop owner spoke.

"She has good taste," the shop owner said without looking up, still knitting something with yarn in her hands.

Dan lowered his gaze.

When he turned his head again, the dress covering the rabbit plushie slid off him.

He just looked at the smiling face of the rabbit plushie in his arms, then said softly: "I only want what Mommy likes."

...

After leaving the old shop, Li Li followed her plan to visit Lin Ran in Eternal Night.

It was amusing to Li Li that Lin Ran, who had shown her goodwill from the start, was naturally her enemy, while Dan, who had nearly killed her in Jiao Huang, could align with her interests, potentially letting her steal Lin Ruye’s ally.

She didn’t mind.

A few days ago, when she nearly made Dan cry, it had already vented her frustration from back then.

In Ranmu City, the Lin clan nobles, aside from Lin Ran, still had three S-rank ability users: Lin Ruye and his two uncles.

Dan was an S-rank outside the Lin clan.

With him, the Lin clan would have four S-rank ability users, while she and An Heyu only had one S-rank between them.

Li Li couldn’t confront them directly.

So, whether or not she could steal Dan, there had to be a rift between Lin Ruye and Dan.

That evening, Li Li realized the plan’s success was highly likely.

She didn’t bring An Heyu and went to the Lin residence alone.

As long as Lin Ruye and the others couldn’t see through her illusions, she could hide herself in the air.

On her way to find Lin Ran, she passed by the Lin residence’s tea table.

At that moment, Lin Ruye was talking with a few Ability Guild subordinates and the butler.

"What is that old hag thinking? Where did she get friends? And that Qin whoever, going crazy in District 13—doesn’t he know that lunatic in District 13 is out of his mind?" Lin Ruye was clearly displeased.

This one sentence made Li Li pause her steps.

Only two days had passed, and Lin Ruye had already forgotten that subordinate’s name.

"Qin Qian is from the Ability Guild. Why would that high-rank in District 13 act?" one of the Ability Guild subordinates asked, braving the pressure.

Lin Ruye leaned back and let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, that lunatic probably had an issue with his plundering," he said. "Abilities are tied to the soul. Devouring others’ abilities means letting their souls pollute your own. That lunatic’s mind is sometimes clear, sometimes not—who knows when he’ll lose it and kill someone."

"I won’t touch him while I still need him as Eternal Night’s intermediary," Lin Ruye’s gaze darkened, and he sneered. "Once that old hag is dead and we don’t need an Eternal Night intermediary, I’ll make sure that lunatic experiences what it’s like to be so mad he wants to die."

His relationship with Dan was already poor.

At this, Lin Ruye stood up: "No, call my uncles over. Tomorrow, lock the old hag in the house. I’m going to give a speech."

"But the family head rarely wants to go out..." the butler seemed to want to object, but as he spoke, Lin Ruye shot him a cold look.

"The Lin clan will be mine sooner or later," he said, not hiding his ambition. "Even if it’s not now, if I want to kill you, the old hag can’t stop me."

"Do you want to die?" Lin Ruye said.

The butler lowered his head and said no more.

He backed down.

Lin Ruye stepped forward, passing by the butler.

"Sooner or later, I’ll kill the old hag and make those commoners offer me all their wealth," Lin Ruye said coldly.

His movement stirred a slight breeze, and Li Li moved a few steps toward the corridor to avoid him.

She had deliberately kept a low presence, avoiding direct looks at them, but just listening to their conversation revealed plenty of information.

What amused Li Li most was that Lin Ran had mentioned Lin Ruye was swayed by a prophet and disobedient.

Disobedient? This was a mortal enemy!

An Huyu was the standard disobedient brat, but he wouldn’t want to harm An Heyu; he didn’t even want to be a burden to him.

But Lin Ruye clearly wanted Lin Ran dead.

As expected, Lin Ran’s judgment of people should be taken lightly, not seriously.

Her emotional intelligence truly couldn’t discern others’ true feelings toward her.

There was nothing more worth hearing, so Li Li headed toward the attic.

From her previous observations, Lin Ruye and Lin Ran seemed to keep clear boundaries.

And that was indeed the case.

The butler and servants loathed and feared the Ability Guild’s Qin Qian, while the Ability Guild was controlled by Lin Ruye.

The head of the Lin clan was Lin Ran, but she was too reclusive, not showing her face for six years and lacking social finesse, completely controlled by Lin Ruye.

If nothing unexpected happened, Lin Ran would never take the stage.

But Li Li didn’t plan to leave immediately.

Since she was already here, she might as well confront Lin Ran and make her clearly understand ‘Heige’s’ stance.

After Lin Ran killed the prophet, aided the oppression of the Former Ability Guild, and massacred An Heyu’s clan, they could only be enemies.

Considering it might appear in the manga, she also needed to prepare a draft, but her attitude would definitely be firm.

While thinking, Li Li had climbed the last flight of stairs, reaching the corridor outside the attic.

It was pitch black here, but when Li Li turned a corner, she saw a faint candlelight.

She instinctively assumed Lin Ran knew she was coming, but then she frowned, a rare occurrence.

There was a faint smell of rust at the tip of her nose, and its source—

She quickened her pace, keeping her illusion active while cautiously releasing it, arriving at the door.

Through the wide-open door, she saw the scene inside.

Orange hair spread across the floor, withered in the candlelight, exuding a dull, lifeless air.

The SS-rank ability user, the lord of Ranmu City, knelt on the ground.

Her clothes were torn, stained with spreading crimson.

Her head was placed on the tea table, her beautiful face eerily serene.

The blood splattered on the wall behind her was like the most chilling painting.

It was as if it were a ritual.

But Lin Ran was dead.

Li Li’s breath caught, and a question surged in her mind, one she couldn’t ignore.

Who could kill an SS-rank?!

Without alerting the S-rank Lin Ruye and others downstairs, in Lin Ran’s own home, someone killed her?