Revised

On the Head Seventh Day, the dead return to their souls.

When the day finally arrived, Jiang Luo was calmer than he'd imagined.

Could he really stop Chi You from growing stronger?

Jiang Luo didn't think he was inferior to Chi You in any way. He possessed the talent the original body lacked, and that talent was extraordinary. More fortunate still, he'd found a means of self-protection before Chi You's Head Seventh Day.

He turned and walked to the wardrobe. His fingers skipped over the brightly colored clothes and landed on a black outfit.

Jiang Luo changed into black clothes and trousers out of courtesy, found a hair tie, and pulled back his shoulder-length hair. Two strands fell from his temples, framing his face in a casually handsome disarray.

He didn't look the least bit intimidated. Not only unafraid, he seemed faintly, restlessly eager.

That was indeed the case. If Jiang Luo didn't crave excitement and terror, he wouldn't have sought out The Evil Spirit, wouldn't have fallen for the character Chi You.

He still remembered the eighteen times Chi You had killed him. A gentleman's revenge brooks no delay, and Jiang Luo was already impatient.

He was desperate to kill Chi You. He believed Chi You was just as desperate to kill him.

Jiang Luo finished tying his hair and looked up at the Mirror. The young man in the reflection seemed to have sparks burning in his eyes, brilliant and shining.

In the original text, Chi You's soul was weak after death; during the Soul Summoning on his Head Seventh Day, he couldn't even manifest. But after these days of confrontation, Jiang Luo sensed something was off.

Chi You was weak, but not that weak.

He could even manipulate dead souls, even living souls. Even if he was only controlling small things like birds, it already proved he was different from the original description.

What did that mean?

It meant that in The Evil Spirit, the early-stage Chi You was likely feigning weakness on purpose.

He already had the power to take revenge on the original host, but he pretended he didn't. Not only that, he used his resentment to attract Feng Li, the First Celestial Master from the story, to help him cultivate for revenge.

Why would he do that?

Jiang Luo frowned.

The original body was a scion of the Feng Clan. The Feng Clan belonged to the Tianshi Sect, one of the Six Great Families. Feng Li was the current First Celestial Master. In the original's memories, Feng Li was a man the original host was afraid to even mention.

The original host dared to envy Chi You, dared to lay a vicious hand on him, because he was deceived by Chi You's hypocritical surface.

But when it came to Feng Li, the original host didn't even dare to get close.

Though Feng Li's talent couldn't match Chi You's, he was still a prodigy, not inferior to Chi You in any way. If Chi You really had intentionally drawn Feng Li to him, what exactly was he planning?

Pondering these questions, Jiang Luo went downstairs and happened to run into the others.

Today was Chi You's Head Seventh Day. The group planned to attend their classes, report to the School, then leave campus together to pay their respects at Chi You's grave.

When classes ended that evening, Jiang Luo gathered his things and left the School with them. But as they walked, they arrived at a funeral supply shop.

Besides selling items for the dead, the shop also carried supplies like yellow paper, Cinnabar, and Compasses. Wenren Lian, in a black dress, walked familiarly at the front and said with a smile, "Buy what you need quickly. We'd best get there before dark."

Lu You and the others scattered. Jiang Luo looked at the wreaths and paper houses placed by the roadside inside the shop, then shifted his gaze to the counter.

A middle-aged man sat in a rocking chair, eyes closed, fingering a string of Flowing Pearl beads. Hearing someone enter, he didn't even open his eyes.

"Look around, buy whatever…" the owner said lazily. "If you touch it, you buy it. Break it, pay ten times the price."

"This is the place I told you about for good materials," Wenren Lian said, walking over to Jiang Luo with a smile. "We're missing a lot of things. We'll restock here before heading to the cemetery. You should see if there's anything you want, too."

Jiang Luo nodded. He'd been thinking that Spirit Papers alone weren't enough.

He wandered slowly through the shop. It wasn't large; The First Floor was only about thirty square meters. Dark wooden shelves were piled high with messy goods. Against the north wall, a wooden Staircase without railings was nailed to the wall.

Jiang Luo's eyes swept over the various items. He didn't recognize most of the strange and curious things. A professional habit made him pay close attention to details and corners. Walking to the very back, he spotted an inconspicuous wooden box tucked away in a remote corner.

Good items were placed where they could be easily seen. Something buried this deep was probably something even the owner might have forgotten. Jiang Luo's curiosity stirred. He took out the box.

A thick layer of dust coated the box. Jiang Luo blew on it, sending dust flying.

With the dust gone, Jiang Luo felt the box and sensed something was off. Intrigued, he placed the box on an empty spot and carefully examined it from all sides.

The texture and feel were definitely not those of an ordinary box. Jiang Luo overturned his earlier assumption. Clearly, someone had taken a fancy to this box and hidden it away, afraid someone else would buy it.

His interest grew. He gently opened the box. Inside lay a bracelet.

The bracelet looked old. A circle of golden Runes was carved around it. Jiang Luo couldn't understand their meaning. Wrapping a corner of his clothes around his hand, he picked up the bracelet. He was slightly surprised. It looked wooden, but felt as heavy as jade in his hand. To the naked eye, its quality was warm, smooth, and fine, no less than the finest mutton-fat jade.

Jiang Luo didn't know what the bracelet was for. He took it to the owner. "Boss, what is this?"

The owner opened one eye, made a sound of surprise, and regained a bit of energy. "Oh, a Yin-Yang Ring. You've got good luck, kid. This is a fine item."

He held out a hand, five fingers waving. "This price, take it or leave it. No haggling."

Jiang Luo said, "Yin-Yang Ring?"

The owner closed his eyes again. "Yin-Yang Ring. Engraved with thirteen Jinwen Secret Incantations. Wear it for protection. Effective against evil, impervious to a hundred malevolent forces."

Jiang Luo's heart stirred. He put the Yin-Yang Ring on his right hand. Perfectly, the Yin-Yang Ring fit his wrist exactly. The jade-like, wood-like bracelet glowed softly in the dim light. The black-haired youth's skin, white as porcelain, didn't clash with it; they harmonized together.

Jiang Luo paid with satisfaction. Suddenly, he noticed one bead in the Flowing Pearl string the owner was fingering looked particularly different.

Among a string of wooden beads, this one seemed to be made of a transparent material, faintly emitting a white, icy aura. Jiang Luo couldn't help but look at it a few more times. His right eyelid suddenly twitched several times.

He pressed his right eyelid. "Boss, could I take a look at your Flowing Pearl?"

The owner suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Luo meaningfully. "You want to see my Flowing Pearl?"

Jiang Luo smiled. "Is that not allowed?"

The owner looked at him deeply and handed over the Flowing Pearl. "It's allowed."

But before the Flowing Pearl reached Jiang Luo's hand, the string holding the beads suddenly snapped. The beads scattered everywhere, rolling across the floor.

No one had expected the string to break so suddenly. Ye Xun and the others heard the noise and rushed over to help search for the beads. But in the end, fewer beads were recovered than before.

The missing one was precisely the bead Jiang Luo had found so unusual.

The owner looked at the remaining Flowing Pearl with a complicated expression. Jiang Luo couldn't tell what that expression meant. It seemed to hold fear, yet also a kind of relieved melancholy. After a long moment, the owner simply waved them off. "Forget it, forget it. It's not that important. Don't bother looking anymore."

"Hurry up and pay. I'm closing up now."

A shop like this would never do business after dark. The group hurriedly paid and took a taxi to the cemetery.

The eight of them arrived at Chi You's gravesite in two cars. Chi You was the head of the Chi Clan; his grave was located on prime feng shui land. When they arrived, Chi You's grave bore many traces of fresh flowers and burnt paper money—it must have been visited by many people during the day.

The group were all professionals. They quickly set up the items for the Soul Summoning, with Ye Xun performing the ritual.

Jiang Luo secretly heightened his vigilance, prepared for Chi You's appearance.

Lu You and the others protected him in the very center, afraid Chi You would be stubborn and unreasonable, unwilling to listen, and try to take Jiang Luo away tonight.

But in the end, nothing happened.

Ye Xun opened his eyes with a frown. "I can't summon Chi You's soul back."

Ge Zhu said solemnly, "Let me try."

Yet even after they tried one by one, Chi You still didn't appear. Now everyone was completely baffled. Lu You scratched his head. "Could it be tonight isn't Chi You's Head Seventh Day?"

"Impossible," Zhuo Zhongqiu retorted. "It can't be wrong. Tonight is Chi You's Head Seventh Day. How strange… we actually can't summon his soul…"

Jiang Luo couldn't tell if he felt relieved or more on guard. Frowning, he looked at the tombstone under the dark night, quietly lowered his gaze, and sank into thought.

To others, this demeanor couldn't help but take on a layer of sorrow and grief. Zhuo Zhongqiu suddenly threw down her Paulownia Wood Sword, lazily pulled out her Mobile Phone to hail a cab. "Let's go, we're done here. I'll take you all to a bar for drinks."

Wenren Lian also put down the things in his hands, elegantly smoothing his skirt. "Today is Chi You's Head Seventh Day. Everyone's feeling pretty bad. Drowning our sorrows is a good idea."

Lu You stole several glances at Jiang Luo. "Good, good."

And so the group went from the cemetery to a bar. Zhuo Zhongqiu knew how to have fun; she took them to a large bar in the City Center. The venue was dazzling with neon lights, noisy with people.

The lighting was very dim. As soon as they entered, Zhuo Zhongqiu led Lu You, Sailor, and Ge Zhu straight to the dance floor. Ge Zhu had changed into casual clothes to go out and kept saying "no, no," but once he stood on the dance floor, he danced more wildly than anyone.

Watching their commotion, Jiang Luo walked to the bar, tapped the counter, and said to the bartender, "Get me an ice-cold beer."

The bar lighting was dim, with only a few low-wattage spotlights over the liquor display.

The bartender's face was hidden in darkness. Hearing the order, he didn't ask Jiang Luo which brand of beer he wanted, nor did he joke or banter. Instead, he silently turned around and skillfully picked up a cocktail shaker.

Ye Xun sat to Jiang Luo's left; Wenren Lian and Kuang Zheng sat to his right. Wenren Lian took out a pack of cigarettes, placed it on the table, offered one to Jiang Luo, then took one himself, placed it between his red lips, and lit it with a smile.

If you ignored his Adam's apple, Wenren Lian's every movement was filled with a captivating femininity, mature and elegant. Jiang Luo, sitting beside him, wasn't overshadowed in the slightest. His features were veiled in a hazy, ambiguous light under the multicolored lamps. The black-haired youth's beautiful eyes narrowed as he smoked, a languid pull in his gaze. People around them watched the two of them with sidelong glances.

"I originally thought we'd see Chi You today," Wenren Lian said softly, turning his head. "I'd already thought of how to persuade him to let you go."

Jiang Luo gave a bitter laugh, smoking absentmindedly. "I thought I'd see him too."

"If he wanted to take you away, he wouldn't have passed up this chance," Wenren Lian said. "Unless his wish is fulfilled, and he's decided on his own to let you go."

Impossible.

Jiang Luo sneered inwardly. He sighed, propping his cheek on one hand, his eyes confused. "Wenren, tell me… is it possible Chi You isn't actually dead?"

Ye Xun, listening to their conversation nearby, frowned. "Jiang Luo, Chi You is dead."

His tone was stern. "You saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?"

Like a hammer blow, Jiang Luo's face paled. He slowly lowered his head, stubbed out his cigarette, and murmured, "Yes… I saw him lying in the coffin with my own eyes."

In the silence, the bartender placed the mixed drink in front of Jiang Luo.

The liquid rippled. A blood-red fluid slid down the side of the glass, trailing thick, sticky crimson strands.

Jiang Luo had clearly ordered an ice-cold beer, but the drink in the glass was red as blood. He sharply looked up, his piercing gaze stabbing toward the bartender.

The bartender silently wiped a glass. Under Jiang Luo's stare, he gave Jiang Luo a standard service smile, polite and courteous. Only his movements held a barely perceptible stiffness.

Like a puppet controlled by strings.

Jiang Luo's lips curled. He picked up the glass and swirled it in his hand. Wenren Lian suddenly asked, "At that shop earlier, you could also trade your Spirit Papers for things."

Jiang Luo said with difficulty, "No. My daily limit for drawing Spirit Papers is seven. Each one is precious. And tonight is Chi You's Head Seventh Day… I don't dare use them carelessly."

"Seven is already impressive," Wenren Lian said, seeming to sigh. "You're right, though. Better to be careful."

The bartender suddenly said, "Sir, is the drink not to your taste?"

Jiang Luo turned to look at the bartender, mercilessly pushed the glass away, and stood up. "Don't feel like drinking anymore. I'm going to check out the dance floor."

The dance floor was packed, people pressed against each other. As soon as Jiang Luo entered, several people tried to pick him up. He politely declined, searching the crowd for Lu You and the others, but didn't see a single familiar face.

Blue light fell on the people around him. Every face became strange and cold, as if covered in a layer of eerie ghostly shadows.

Jiang Luo took a step back. Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder.

He turned to look. A handsome, melancholic face entered his vision.

The man wore a Tuxedo that clashed with the bar atmosphere. His eyes seemed tinged with sorrow, looking at people with profound tenderness. He smiled at Jiang Luo and said, "Beautiful sir, may I invite you for a dance?"

Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow, stared at him for a long moment, then revealed a dazzling, flamboyant smile. He drawled, "Of course you may."