Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 892: The Bonds of the Immortals (4)

Falling in love is a truly blissful experience.

Tu Shenyi now knew her name, Karen.

However, even after their most intimate moments, Tu Shenyi still found Karen incredibly mysterious. She would only appear after dinner and leave before dawn, like Cinderella wearing glass slippers.

In the modern city, nights are vibrant and full of life. They, like all couples in the world, would do all sorts of things together.

There were moments of passion and tenderness.

Tu Shenyi wasn’t foolish. He knew that the woman who had suddenly entered his life had her own secrets. He had tried to inquire subtly but to no avail, and eventually, he gave up on probing.

He had a feeling that if Karen’s secret were ever revealed, it might mean the end of their relationship.

He knew this, and she knew it too. That’s why they both tacitly avoided touching on sensitive topics, as if their entire romance was itself a secret.

The mystery only added a unique thrill to their relationship, making it irresistible—at least for the young Tu Shenyi, who had already become deeply enraptured.

“Aren’t you staying a bit longer?”In a secluded park—late at night in a sparsely populated park—the couple, seeking excitement, had just spent some passionate moments in a small, simple wooden cabin by the lake.

Tu Shenyi noticed Karen standing by the window, gazing out at the lake. A thin layer of ice had formed on the lake, resembling a white plain.

Karen was only wearing a thin shirt but didn’t seem to feel the cold. Tu Shenyi embraced her from behind, kissed her cheek, and said, “Your body is so cold.”

Karen smiled faintly but didn’t respond.

“Is something on your mind?” Tu Shenyi asked with concern, “You know, when a woman is thinking of someone else, she often wears a face like yours—sad, distracted, and a bit lonely.”

“Does that bother you?” Karen suddenly asked.

Tu Shenyi shrugged and smiled, “Can you tell me about him? What kind of person was he?”

Karen shook her head, “Don’t worry, your competitor is no longer in this world.”

“That’s the worst kind,” Tu Shenyi sighed, “Memories are the one thing I can never beat.”

Karen gently took Tu Shenyi’s hand, kissed it, and continued to look out the window. “He was a painter, for a while, but later he changed careers.”

Tu Shenyi nodded, “Being a painter sounds nice.”

Karen said, “At that time, he was living in poverty. It was hard for him to make a living through painting, so he had to take odd jobs. He would pick cotton for a farmer while dreaming of being a painter. I met him one day when he had just finished work and was sketching portraits on the street.”

“He must have been a great artist to win your heart,” Tu Shenyi remarked.

“No, his skills weren’t particularly good. Despite all his effort, he wasn’t that talented.”

“So he switched careers because of a lack of talent?”

Karen shook her head, “No, he wanted to become a great painter, but fate played a cruel joke on him. His hands started shaking for no reason. He blamed the cotton-picking work he did for the farmer and resented that Jewish farm owner. He could never hold a paintbrush again, so he had to give up on becoming a painter.”

Tu Shenyi chuckled bitterly, “I think I understand how he felt—just like me, a winemaker who lost his sense of taste. A painter whose hands shake. What happened next? How did you two part ways?”

Karen said, “He joined the army, and I... well, I couldn’t stay in one place for too long, so I left.”

“But you kept track of him, didn’t you?” Tu Shenyi asked.

“Why do you say that?” Karen tilted her head.

“Otherwise, how would you know he’s no longer in this world?”

Karen replied, “He became quite famous later on. After joining the army, he quickly rose through the ranks and became a prominent figure. He found love... It was hard not to hear about him since the newspapers would often report on him. But...”

Karen lowered her head, playing with Tu Shenyi’s fingers, “What I didn’t expect was that when I met him again, he was nearing the end of his life. He won wars but became a notorious figure. He couldn’t fulfill his dreams. When his stronghold was about to be overrun by enemies, he could have escaped, but in the end, he chose to shoot himself. Still, he left something for me.”

“Beautiful memories?” Tu Shenyi, ever the romantic, suggested.

“A painting.”

Karen nodded, “He once promised to paint the most beautiful picture in the world for me. I found it in his house, buried deep in the basement beneath the rubble. In the painting, I’m sitting quietly by a window, holding a white cat in my arms... Honestly, I’ve been mesmerized by the painting of myself at times.”

She laughed as she said this, as if mocking her own vanity, and Tu Shenyi couldn’t help but kiss her because she was so beautiful when she smiled.

“He couldn’t paint anymore, but he still managed to create that painting. He probably worked on it bit by bit over many years,” Tu Shenyi mused. “He must have kept you in his heart all along... If there’s ever a chance, could I see that painting?”

“If there’s a chance,” Karen nodded.

Tu Shenyi said, “I didn’t expect your ex to be such a prominent figure... If he started a war, I could probably guess, right? After all, there haven’t been many large-scale wars in modern times... Why not just tell me his name?”

“Do you really want to know?” Karen turned to face him, looking at him with a sudden, intense seriousness.

Her serious expression startled him, and he instinctively nodded.

Karen slowly said, “Adolf.”

Tu Shenyi was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. He shook his head, sighed, and said helplessly, "So, from the very beginning, I've been listening to a fictional story, haven't I?"

Karen blinked and said with a half-smile, "Believe it or not."

Tu Shenyi simply lowered his head and kissed her.

Bang!

At that moment, the glass in front of them shattered, and a bullet shot straight into the wooden floor of the cabin, immediately dousing Tu Shenyi’s passion. He frowned.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Karen and pulled her to the ground. More bullets soon followed, penetrating the fragile wooden walls. In no time, seven bullets had already struck inside.

"Don't be afraid. I'll protect you," Tu Shenyi said, holding Karen tightly and trying to comfort her in a low voice.

"Who's outside?" Karen asked, frowning.

Peeking out the window, Tu Shenyi immediately ducked back when a bullet struck the window frame. Panting, he said, "It’s probably the people sent to kill me."

Karen looked at him with questioning eyes.

Tu Shenyi reluctantly explained, "A while ago, I had a bet with someone. The guy wasn’t exactly good, and I refused his terms, so now I’m being hunted... I thought I could stay hidden here for a while, but they found me quickly."

Karen glanced at the bullets embedded in the floor, frowning in silence as she pondered.

Tu Shenyi said, "Come on, we need to leave. Staying here is suicide. The woods outside will provide us some cover... After this, I'll leave, and you won’t be involved."

Without waiting for her response, he pulled Karen to her feet and rushed out of the cabin, heading straight for the woods ahead.

Meanwhile, three figures quickly approached through the night.

These three shadows moved at a rapid pace. Within moments, they had caught up. In the snow-covered forest, Tu Shenyi felt the freezing temperature making his limbs uncooperative, and the frantic running was making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted ahead, and a dead tree lying on the ground exploded. The blast sent debris flying everywhere.

The shockwave knocked Tu Shenyi to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, anxiously asking, "Karen, are you okay?"

Relieved, he saw Karen standing unharmed and sighed with relief.

However, the three figures had already reached him. The explosion was not only powerful but had also ignited the fallen tree.

In the firelight, Tu Shenyi could now see his pursuers clearly. Their attire was peculiar, even unusual. One was dressed in a black priest’s robe, another looked like a mountain hunter holding an oversized hunting rifle, and the last had a face covered in strange tattoos, making it hard to discern his features.

Tu Shenyi glanced at the flames behind him and then at the assassins surrounding him in a triangle formation. Brushing the snow and dirt from his clothes, he sneered, "Quite the show of force, huh? If I had known your boss was so petty, I wouldn’t have agreed to the bet... Fine, I accept his terms now. I'll work for him. Is that enough?"

If he had been alone, Tu Shenyi might have considered bargaining with the three killers, but Karen was with him... He had no desire to see her harmed.

"Get lost!"

The man with the oversized hunting rifle fired a shot near Tu Shenyi's feet, creating a crater that forced him to retreat in shock. "You..."

For a moment, Tu Shenyi was at a loss.

But the man in the black priest's robe said, "Sir, you're in grave danger. If you don't want to die, I suggest you leave this place immediately."

Tu Shenyi frowned, realizing something in that instant — the killers, or rather, these three men, had not been focused on him at all. Their attention was on... Karen!

"They're demon hunters. They're here for me," Karen's voice came from behind him. Startled, Tu Shenyi turned to see Karen, wearing nothing but a thin shirt, standing in the snow. In her hand, a blood-red patterned longsword materialized. In the glow of both the fire and the sword, she looked like a blossoming blood lotus—strangely seductive and dangerous.

"Pity, he probably doesn't even know he's become this vampire's prey," the tattooed man sneered.

"Too much talk!" Karen bared her fangs and, gripping her sword, leaped into the air, slashing down at the tattooed man!

...

...

A leaping strike is an attack full of momentum. Karen Yishel’s strike quickly severed several of the monster's tongues that shot out at her.

But this only enraged the creature. In an instant, dozens of tendrils shot out from its massive body, as hard as steel, aiming directly at Karen Yishel.

She swung her sword and dashed forward, her movements and strikes suddenly accelerating, becoming a blur as she cut through the steel-like tendrils one after another.

"Save me!!!!!!"

The face of Jin Wucheng on the monster’s body became more twisted, roaring in rage. At the same time, more tendrils shot out, fusing into a massive column.

Karen Yishel, caught off guard, was struck by the giant column.

Her body crashed through several walls before collapsing amid rubble and debris, her blood-red longsword falling beside her.

She spat out blood and faintly heard a low voice. Forcing her eyes open, she saw familiar faces — Elizabeth, Zhong Luoyue, and the young man who had once beaten her in chess with some clever tricks.

Yes, in such an undignified manner.

"So it really is you, Miss Karen," Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise.

"Get out..." Karen Yishel weakly muttered.

At that moment, Luo Qiu picked up the blood-red patterned longsword from the ground, examining it with admiration. "What a unique craftsmanship. Truly beautiful."

Karen Yishel was stunned. In front of them, the monster’s terrifying tendrils, like giant steel needles, shot through the holes in the broken walls.

"Danger!"

But Luo Qiu casually waved the blood-red sword, and before the tendrils could reach them, they froze, as if trapped in ice.

Then, they began to shatter, and the fractures spread outward.