Chapter 15: The Price of Taboo

Ding~ding~ding~ding~

The melodious chime of the 8 AM bell echoed through Yunqi Academy.

The ‘little wife’ commotion, which had just ignited a heated debate within the library, finally subsided with the arrival of morning classes, allowing tranquility to settle once more.

Ye Yu, the unexpected protagonist of the recent ‘little wife’ incident, had by now ascended to the third floor of the library.

There was a simple reason for his move: after Huangpu Pingqing’s departure, the envious stares of his male schoolmates were truly unnerving. This unsettling attention finally reminded Ye Yu of his original purpose for coming to the library.

Though he held little confidence in Huangpu Pingqing’s self-proclaimed explanation as his ‘love rival’ before she left, it seemed he had no better option than to trust her for now.

After all, a boy and a girl being intimate was inherently suspicious, especially when the girl was a beauty like Huangpu Pingqing.

From Ye Yu’s perspective, with his fifteen years of ‘relationship experience,’ communicating such a complex issue over the phone, devoid of expression and tone, would be utterly futile.

Worried about Tang Yue misunderstanding and damaging their marital relationship, Ye Yu decided he would seek her out that evening, after she completed her mission, to beg for forgiveness.

As for now? His priority was, of course, to find a way to treat his ‘brother.’

Yunqi Library was designed in the shape of a gourd. Consequently, the third floor, situated at the ‘neck’ of the gourd, was significantly smaller than the second floor and received less natural light. Some corners even bordered on the dim.

As Ye Yu stepped onto the third floor, before he could even begin searching for books, he faintly heard an intimate sound emanating from behind a bookshelf.

“Mwah~”

“Ah~ No… you can’t…”

Upon hearing the sounds, Ye Yu froze slightly.

He had often heard his roommate, Old Huang, mention that surveillance cameras were scarce on the third floor of the library, leading some audacious couples to engage in questionable activities there.

At the time, Ye Yu hadn’t believed it. The library was a place with heavy foot traffic, after all. What ‘normal’ couple would choose such an exposed location for intimate acts?

Yet, now, finding himself on the third floor and hearing those suggestive sounds, Ye Yu realized that Old Huang’s words were, in fact, true.

What surprised the innocent Ye Yu even more was the apparent abundance of such couples on the third floor. A rough estimate suggested at least five pairs tucked away in various corners.

One couple, hidden behind a bookshelf, even produced a slightly suggestive, rhythmic sound. Its distinct crispness was jarring in the quiet of the third floor.

Driven by a boy’s innate curiosity, Ye Yu instinctively glanced in that direction. He then discovered a corner untouched by the surveillance cameras.

There, a girl was leaning precariously against a bookshelf, struggling to maintain her balance. Her delicate, fair face was flushed with excitement, and her eyes, brimming with a pitiful moisture, seemed to plead for mercy.

When she noticed Ye Yu, a flicker of panic crossed her watery gaze, quickly replaced by a surge of even greater excitement.

Witnessing the girl’s strangely excited demeanor, Ye Yu, a virgin who had stumbled upon the scene, found himself in an awkward predicament.

After checking the labels in front of the bookshelf and realizing it wasn’t the section he needed, Ye Yu, his face flushed crimson, lowered his head and chose to detour, adopting the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach.

After leaving that controversial corner of the library, Ye Yu silently lamented the peculiar placement of Yunqi Academy’s surveillance cameras and the strange proclivities of people.

He finally reached the very center of the third-floor library, his gaze drawn to a particular bookshelf. It appeared ancient, even though all the bookshelves in Yunqi Library were uniformly manufactured.

Due to the sunlight and unusual book choices, the third floor received less upkeep, making its bookshelves appear somewhat antiquated. However, this particular one, standing prominently in the center of the third floor, was excessively dilapidated.

A thick layer of dust covered the entire bookshelf. A central plank, neglected and unmaintained, had snapped cleanly in two. Fortunately, books beneath it prevented its complete collapse.

Just as the bookshelf was decrepit, so too were the books upon it. Each was coated in a thick layer of dust, indicating they hadn’t been browsed in a very long time.

Because the bookshelf was so damaged, its labels were obscured by dust. Ye Yu simply approached it, scrutinizing a slightly thicker book on the broken middle shelf, hoping to deduce the shelf’s category from its title.

His eyes lit up almost immediately, for the book’s title was none other than *The Theory of Taboo Ability Costs*.

Excited to have finally found the book he sought, Ye Yu didn’t immediately reach for it. In a world where abilities and demons coexisted, abilities were a means of self-preservation.

‘Taboo Ability’ carried an ominous connotation, and Ye Yu certainly didn’t want anyone to discover his secret. He glanced around, confirming no one in the center of the third floor was watching him, before finally reaching out to take the book.

To further avoid detection, Ye Yu cautiously made his way to a secluded corner on the first floor, near the restrooms, and began to read. However, as he turned to the first page, the opening paragraph of this ‘Cost Theory’ book caused Ye Yu to freeze as if time had stopped.

‘Taboo’ refers to actions or words that are forbidden or shunned. Those who awaken a Taboo Ability engage in a transaction with a demon every time they use their power. While gaining immense strength, they must also pay a corresponding price. These prices can include lifespan, memories, emotions, or even life itself… These costs are irreversible.

Each use of a Taboo Ability draws the user closer to the abyss of degradation. If you, the reader of this book, possess a Taboo Ability, please use it cautiously, or ideally, not at all! After all, when dealing with a demon, the price may be one you cannot afford.

Ye Yu stared blankly after reading that passage. He understood the meaning of every single word, yet their combined implication was something he utterly refused to accept.

His delicate, somewhat feminine, pale face first contorted into a bitter smile, more painful than tears, before he lowered his gaze.

He looked at the overly loose men’s shorts he was wearing today. Then he looked at the center of his shorts, where a tiny bulge used to be faintly visible, now almost completely gone.

In that moment, an uncontrollable rage ignited within Ye Yu.

Wuwuwu!!!!

‘So why, why is the cost of my cross-dressing ability becoming feminized?!’