Chapter 17

Whether it would be pleasant, Jiang Luo didn't know, but it was certain to be an exciting night.

The evil ghost had used words Jiang Luo had once said to him. That single sentence already laid bare Chi You's vengeful, tit-for-tat nature.

That kind of temperament on himself, Jiang Luo thought it was fine—revenge for every grievance, return blow for blow. But on Chi You, Jiang Luo wanted to coldly laugh three times and curse him for being petty.

Half his body stood in the water, face expressionless, he looked up at Chi You.

The evil ghost's lips carried a smile, its curve like a hanging noose drawn taut around a neck. Half of his perfect face fell in shadow, the other half caught the moonlight—handsome and striking, yet only inspiring a creeping dread.

"Jiang Luo," the evil ghost took a casual step forward, the sound of his leather shoes swallowed by the damp, soft earth. His voice was pleasant, laughter hidden within: "Your current state... truly pitiful."

He wore an expensive Tuxedo, not a single crease on the jacket. The evil ghost looked as though he belonged not in this deep-night forest, but at a banquet of clinking glasses and lively chatter.

—Or perhaps at a host club.

Jiang Luo thought, full of malice.

"Thanks to you," Jiang Luo wasn't particularly surprised by Chi You's appearance. He smiled falsely: "All thanks to you, teacher."

As the evil ghost said, Jiang Luo's current state was indeed pitiful.

He was soaked through, ripples of water lapping against his waist in concentric rings. Black hair clung to the clothes on his back, winding into several twisting dark strands, his lean frame entirely unable to hide itself.

Anyone else here would likely think Jiang Luo was the ghost that crawled from the river to bewitch them.

Anyone facing the evil ghost in such a wretched, helpless state would be terrified, despairing—but Jiang Luo was utterly composed, his eyes on the evil ghost still holding an admirable courage and an unyielding fire.

An incomparably brilliant soul.

It was precisely this gaze that roused the evil ghost's interest; even killing the black-haired youth had become a rare, pleasurable game.

The evil ghost smiled: "No need for thanks."

He murmured, rolling the words slowly across his lips with suggestive intimacy, yet cold and dangerous: "Who told me I'm your pursuer?"

Jiang Luo's brow twitched, but he spotted a drone not far away. His tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he smiled slowly: "Teacher, do you know this Competition is being livestreamed?"

The evil ghost only smiled without speaking.

That was true. Chi You was everywhere. Whatever he wanted to know, as long as he used the Puppet Soul Refining Art, both the living and the dead would become his loyal subordinates. Even if he turned into a mass of air that no one could see, he could easily obtain the information.

Jiang Luo climbed out of the water onto the bank and walked to the shadow beneath a tree. Wet footprints trailed behind him, and a few drops even fell onto the evil ghost's gleaming leather shoes.

His courage was enormous, like one risking their life to provoke a hungry beast. Jiang Luo smiled, raised both river-soaked arms and draped them over the evil ghost's shoulders. Somehow, the evil ghost allowed it—the fabric at his shoulders was actually dampened by Jiang Luo's wet arms.

Water dripped steadily from the hem and hair of Jiang Luo's clothes.

Black hair clung to Jiang Luo's cheek and neck, forming irregular loops, uncomfortable as ants crawling. Jiang Luo's eyes brightened; he tilted his head with a smile and whispered at the evil ghost's ear: "There are two drones right behind you."

"They're flying this way—probably contestants approaching. How dangerous," Jiang Luo rested one hand lightly on Chi You's back, smiling. "You'll be seen, won't you?"

"Seen by drones, seen by everyone," Jiang Luo said softly. "The Spider Human earlier, and now you—both appeared in remote corners where no drones were filming. Teacher, afraid of being seen? Why—don't want to reveal your strength?"

"Or is it..." Jiang Luo drew out the words, laughing gleefully, "that Chi You, famous for his good reputation, doesn't want others to see him stalking a student like a pervert?"

The evil ghost's eyes narrowed, then he laughed softly. He casually reached out and caught the hand Jiang Luo had thrust forward with a dagger—his long, pale fingers easily enveloping Jiang Luo's hand, as if indulgent: "How fierce you are."

As soon as the words fell, he transformed into a hideous mass of Black Mist. Yuan Yuan watched from a distance as the Black Mist slowly enveloped the black-haired youth, as if embracing him to the death.

After the Black Mist had consumed the black-haired youth, it concealed itself in the shadows, merging into the night.

The Black Mist seeped into every crevice. Jiang Luo was forced to close his eyes; a sharp pain in his wrist, and the dagger in his hand was seized by another. A laugh, elusive and unplaceable, came at his ear: "The second thing teacher taught you—some words are better left unsaid."

Jiang Luo's heart clenched. The next instant, the sharp tip of the dagger was pressed, with playful provocation, against his brow.

The dagger was cold and sharp; a little more force would pierce Jiang Luo's skin. The invisible evil ghost held the blade and drew it slowly downward, tracing the corner of his eye, his cheek, all the way to the corner of his lips.

A red line appeared where the blade had passed. On Jiang Luo's defiant, impossibly beautiful face, it suddenly stirred a violent urge to destroy.

For the first time, the evil ghost looked so carefully at Jiang Luo's appearance.

The killer undoubtedly possessed a fine exterior, and after killing him, that exterior only grew more dazzlingly arresting. Like the roses planted in Chi You's garden—bursting open in a rush of fragrance, their crimson petals and bold bearing announcing their bloom to all.

As if to say: every human who beholds it must bow before its beauty.

Beautiful things always pleased the eye, but Chi You preferred their poignant beauty as they were about to wither.

His laughter rose from low to high. The dagger pressed lightly against Jiang Luo's lips—compared to the icy blade, the youth's lips were impossibly soft, even yielding inward under the pressure.

"This mouth..." the evil ghost said, regretful, "so beautiful, and yet it keeps saying things that make me angry."

Eyes closed, Jiang Luo gauged Chi You's position and threw a punch.

The punch naturally missed.

The mist was formless—every part of the Black Mist wrapping Jiang Luo was Chi You. Chi You laughed, the amusement in his voice deepening, growing lower: "Don't be impatient."

The dagger gently lifted Jiang Luo's upper lip.

To keep the blade from tearing his mouth, Jiang Luo had no choice but to part his lips along the dagger's pressure.

The sharp tip lightly touched his white teeth. The evil ghost thought idly: like flower petals.

Only the person beneath his blade was no rose to be plucked at will, but a great cat that would claw and bite.

After a long while, the dagger finally left his lips. Jiang Luo pressed them tightly shut, his long lashes trembled, and at his restrained brows and the corners of his mouth, suppressed fury smoldered.

The tip traced along his elegantly shaped jaw and arrived at his Adam's apple.

Jiang Luo's Adam's apple bobbed once, stirred by the cold, dangerous blade.

"Oh," the evil ghost said, as if suddenly enlightened, "I've had a new insight into the method you mentioned before, about placing spider eggs inside your body."

"Perhaps through the mouth is also a fine method," he drew the dagger downward. "They would slide down from your mouth."

The sharp tip met fabric. After a brief pause—a rip—Jiang Luo's clothes were suddenly slashed open.

From collarbone to chest, the tear in his clothes grew wider. Through zigzag slashes, the black-haired youth's body flickered in and out of view.

His lean but taut physique was fair and lovely; beneath the scattered, stubborn remnants of fabric, his skin was half-concealed, glowing with the warm luster of jade.

But the Black Mist enveloped Jiang Luo, so neither water-light nor moonlight could glimpse this sight.

Chi You watched admiringly: "...and then into your intestines, your abdomen."

As he spoke, the sounds of tearing fabric grew more frequent. Finally, the cloth at his waist could bear no more—the last threads snapped, and it fell into the Black Mist.

His supple, resilient waist was revealed.

"This method is indeed more interesting than cutting open your flesh," the evil ghost concluded.

Jiang Luo let out a cold laugh. Even now, his mouth refused to concede.

"Liking me isn't forbidden... but spying on me, slashing my clothes without my consent," he said, "that's a problem with your character, teacher."

"Like a pervert," Jiang Luo said. "Who would like a pervert?"

Jiang Luo instinctively ignored the fact that he had once skipped work to write Chi You a three-thousand-word long review.

The Black Mist smiled inscrutably. The red lines the dagger had traced across Jiang Luo's body slowly surfaced; he drew the blade over them again. The fragile skin could not withstand the repeated torment—several tiny beads of blood rushed out from the broken places.

The blade tip circled over Jiang Luo's heart. The evil ghost said: "You're very disobedient."

Suddenly, a voice came from outside: "Hey, why is there a pair of shoes there? Wait, aren't those Jiang Luo's shoes?"

Footsteps drew closer, and the sound of drones drew closer too. The evil ghost looked down and only then noticed that the black-haired youth's feet wore only a layer of wet socks.

Bare ankles, a few bluish veins showing, the protruding ankle bones—delicate as crafted art from his leanness. The black-haired youth curved his lips in a smile, malicious: "Teacher, someone's coming."

While wrapped in the Black Mist Chi You had become, Jiang Luo had seized the chance to slip off his shoes and toss them in the direction the two drones were approaching from.

A pair of shoes suddenly appearing on the path—even if contestants didn't notice, the drones certainly would. Jiang Luo had expected to encounter strangers, but by coincidence, it turned out to be Lu You.

The corner of Jiang Luo's closed eye lifted slightly, his smile barely concealed: "Even if the students don't spot you, there are other formidable people watching behind the drones."

Even if those people couldn't detect Chi You, it didn't matter. Jiang Luo knew this madman must have an extraordinary reason for playing weak in the original text—if he could maintain that act for so long, why would he risk exposing himself here?

As expected, he'd guessed right. The Black Mist paused for an instant, then the evil ghost laughed softly twice, patted Jiang Luo's cheek lightly with the dagger, and said intimately: "This time, I'll let you go."

The next moment, the Black Mist dispersed, and Jiang Luo was exposed once more beneath the moonlight.

Lu You, who had been crouching on the ground with Sailor examining the shoes, stared stupidly at him as he suddenly appeared.

Jiang Luo was in tatters, his face dark as the bottom of a pot. His body and the side of his face were covered in red dagger-marks and dirty mud splatters.

Such a wretched state somehow carried a beauty and sensuality that mingled sharpness with fragility.

Jiang Luo took a deep breath, suppressed his inner fury before opening his eyes—and the first thing he saw was Lu You and Sailor, mouths agape in shock, each clutching a chicken leg and staring at him in bewilderment.

The comments exploded.

[Holy shit, who is this handsome guy!]

[Ahhh which bastard did this to his clothes? Can they just tear it all off already!]

[Battle-damaged beauty I'm licking licking licking, tears sliding from the corner of my mouth, waaah is this beauty real]

[Half-concealed yyds! Sorry brothers and sisters I've already died on the battlefield]

[My friend called me to come see peerless beauty and I didn't believe it, but now I'm a convert, can I just ask this young man for his contact info?]

[Be bolder, just shout 'hubby']

[I just ask! Who could resist this!]

[Blessings of the Tao, is this a test of our dao-heart? Then please, a little more of this test]

Jiang Luo didn't need to look to know how wretched he was. Out of sight, out of mind—he stared suspiciously at Lu You and Sailor: "How did you two end up together?"

Jiang Luo had been so rattled by Chi You's phantom appearances that he was on edge, half-afraid that Lu You and Sailor, met by such coincidence, were also one of Chi You's Puppets.

Lu You: "Ah, we've been walking together the whole time."

Sailor nodded rapidly beside him.

"When the Competition started, Sailor and I happened to be assigned to the same entrance," Lu You scratched his head. "You know I'm afraid of the dark, and Sailor's directionally challenged, so we teamed up."

Jiang Luo observed their expressions. Lu You and Sailor looked natural, their eyes confused—he finally relaxed. "Do you have any spare clothes?"

Sailor immediately raised his hand: "I have one, jacket."

The thick accent softened Jiang Luo's expression slightly: "Lend it to me for a bit."

Sailor pulled a jacket from his pack and tossed it to him. Jiang Luo raised his arms to catch it; as he did, his clothes pulled taut, his taut waist and abdomen once again setting off an explosion in the comments.

Jiang Luo draped the jacket over himself and zipped it up. Lu You asked: "Jiang Luo, how did you end up like this?"

[Eek, so the young man's name is Jiang Luo]

[Classmates with these two dummies? Then I know—Baihua University]

[I checked the aerial footage, Baihua University people are all impressive. The ones bringing up the rear are the teamed-up Lu You and Sailor, though they're at a middling pace. By the way, does this School recruit based on looks?]

Viewers from Jiang Luo's livestream also flocked to Lu You and Sailor's rooms upon hearing the news.

[Shit shit shit! Is Beauty Bro and Qi Ye okay? I watched them run around once and then vanish into the forest, scared me to death]

[Trash drones, trash organizers!]

[Hm? Why don't I see Qi Ye?]

Below, after Jiang Luo and Lu You finished their questions, they finally remembered Qi Ye. Jiang Luo turned to look—the river and forest were a dark mass; in this situation, even celestial beings couldn't remember the way back.

Jiang Luo was silent for a moment, then looked up at the drone: "Qi Ye and I ran into a Spider Human. It chased me and hung him up in spider silk. Is anyone watching? If anyone sees this, please let the staff know."

[Got it!]

[Holy shit, was it that dangerous?]

The night was too dark, the path hard to travel. The three found a place to rest. Lu You handed him food and water from his pack, sympathetically: "How does every bit of bad luck find you? Look, your backpack's gone."

Jiang Luo laughed dryly, ripped open a bread bag and bit into it viciously: "I'd also like to know why all the bad luck finds me."

Sailor crouched nearby, gnawing on a chicken leg, and said, 'After we pass the trial, let's go do some Divine Worship.'

Lu You rubbed his chin: "There are several famous temples here in Yunnan. Jiang Luo, go pray—maybe it'll shake off your bad luck."

The three ate and drank; Lu You even lit a small fire. By dawn, they woke one after another and began heading toward the Array Eye.

Jiang Luo's target was clear. With his Compass lost, he didn't even bother pretending—he fixed his eyes on the Golden Light and walked toward it with unwavering resolve.

At first, Lu You suspected he was just posturing and walking blindly—but when Jiang Luo actually led them to the Array Eye, Lu You was stunned: "Jiang Luo, how did you do it?"

He vaguely felt his perpetual second-to-last ranking was truly in jeopardy, both sour and thrilled: "Holy shit, are we the first ones at the Array Eye?!"

The staff answered: "Yes, you're the first batch to arrive."

Lu You and Sailor burst into cheers. These two perennial bottom-rankers threw themselves at Jiang Luo and planted a fierce kiss on each of his cheeks: "Holy shit you're amazing!"

"Waaah first time getting first place, so excited so excited."

Jiang Luo rolled his eyes, took the flag, and led them toward the exit.

The exit had no Golden Light, but because of the many people coming and going there, the vitality was stronger than elsewhere. Jiang Luo walked toward where the vitality was richest, and before ten o'clock they finally exited Hubu Village.

All three were somewhat bedraggled, but in good spirits. They received three boxed meals. While collecting them, Jiang Luo asked the staff: "Has Qi Ye been rescued?"

The staff nodded: "He's fine. After we took him down, he continued the Competition."

At the very least, they'd been comrades in adversity. Hearing Qi Ye was fine, Jiang Luo stopped worrying.

They were the first batch of contestants out, neatly occupying the top three positions. The three crouched at the road junction, shoveling rice while watching for the next person to emerge.

Half an hour later, Qi Ye strode out of the junction, sweating profusely, his face set in a foul scowl.

The moment Qi Ye emerged, the first thing he saw was Jiang Luo. He strode up to him, brows tightly drawn: "Are you alright?"

Jiang Luo was still wrapped in Sailor's jacket; the red marks on his face had already faded. He shook his head: "I'm fine."

Qi Ye's handsome brows eased slightly, then as if remembering something: "You're first?"

Sailor chimed in with a silly grin: "Jiang is first, Lu is second, I am third."

Qi Ye's face darkened. He had never imagined that in a simple formation-breaking Competition, he would fall out of the top three.

Jiang Luo he could accept, but where did this second and third come from? At a glance he knew these two had only gotten their ranks by riding Jiang Luo's coattails.

He took a deep breath, fixed Jiang Luo with a burning gaze, and solemnly vowed: "Next round, I'll be first."

Jiang Luo, baffled: "? Good luck."

After noon, more and more students emerged. Baihua University's people came out at a decent pace—the last was Kuang Zheng, who made it out before one in the afternoon.

When the Competition clock hit three in the afternoon, the staff immediately stopped the timer and declared the Competition over.

Jiang Luo roughly counted. Compared to the one hundred eighty before the Competition, the first round's formation-breaking had eliminated about fifty, leaving only one hundred thirty.

Students from various Schools gathered. Upon learning that Jiang Luo and the other two were the top three of the first round, Zhuo Zhongqiu gave a thumbs-up, her husky voice rising: "Not bad, bros. Awesome."

Wenren Lian smiled: "In previous years, the top three of the first round each received a clue about the second round. This year, all three are from our School—we've got a huge advantage."

Lu You was eager: "When's the next round?"

Wenren Lian: "Five days."

After chatting for a while, a group suddenly came toward them in force. Kuang Zheng noticed first, stepped forward to shield his companions: "Someone's coming."

Jiang Luo turned to look.

This group wore uniforms printed with "Shanhai University." At their head was a young man in silver-rimmed glasses, a smile playing at his lips—gentle as spring rain, every inch the refined gentleman.

They walked straight up to Jiang Luo's group. The bespectacled young man scanned each face, his gaze settling on Jiang Luo's.

"Hello," the young man said with a smile. "You're Jiang Luo, right? I'm Bai Ye Feng. How about we become friends?"

He extended his hand.

Jiang Luo studied him for a moment, then took his hand: "Hello."

Bai Ye Feng smiled, nodded to the others around, then suddenly said earnestly to Jiang Luo: "Once you receive the clue for the next round, could you sell us a copy?"

So this was business. The corner of Jiang Luo's mouth lifted, far warmer than before: "You want to buy the clue in my hands?"

Bai Ye Feng nodded, then shook his head, pointing at Lu You and Sailor with an easy smile: "The clues all three of you hold."

Wenren Lian whispered in Jiang Luo's ear: "He's the fifth place in this Competition, but his strength is beyond fifth. Before the event, he and Qi Ye were both predicted as favorites for first."

Oh, so another smart, rich, handsome guy.

Jiang Luo's smile didn't waver as he silently doubled his asking price: "We can sell, but only one clue."

Bai Ye Feng raised an eyebrow, patient: "Jiang Luo, we have money."

Jiang Luo: "What a coincidence—we're not short on money either."

Ge Zhu, who had been about to speak, was muffled by Ye Xun beside him: "Don't interrupt."

"Ah," Bai Ye Feng smiled again, "really only one?"

Jiang Luo smiled too: "Yes."

Bai Ye Feng's eyes narrowed behind his lenses. He shrugged: "Fine, then one—but I want the one in your hands."

The first-place clue should logically contain more than second or third. Jiang Luo nodded in understanding: "Deal."

Ten minutes later, the top three received their clues. Jiang Luo opened his Note and saw only a single line: 4-5 person room.

The sentence was genuinely vague—Jiang Luo read it three times without understanding. Lu You and Sailor's clues were clearer: one read "2012, some Schools in this city received expansion," the other "gender ratio imbalance."

From their clues, one could at least infer the next Competition location should be a School in this city that expanded in 2012—but Jiang Luo's message left no such handle.

The group puzzled over what the clue meant. Zhuo Zhongqiu's expression was grave: "The first-place clue is paramount, but this year's is so vague—the next round won't be simple."

Jiang Luo took it in stride: "Hard questions are hard for everyone. Just pass."

He handed the clue to Bai Ye Feng, who had come upon hearing the news. Bai Ye Feng frowned: "I see."

He paid crisply and turned to leave, but after a few steps, Bai Ye Feng suddenly turned back, smiled at Jiang Luo, and raised his voice: "Jiang Luo—"

That "Jiang Luo" made Jiang Luo's brow twitch involuntarily. He sensed something strange, a vague sense of familiarity, and looked up at Bai Ye Feng.

Bai Ye Feng's lips curved, his words laden with meaning: "I heard your previous grades weren't great, and your participation this time was a fortunate coincidence... yet you took first in the opening round. Quite an achievement."

He smiled silently, then continued: "I have high hopes for you. In the second round, you'll be first too—no one here can compare to you."

The moment his words fell, Shanhai University erupted. Bai Ye Feng was clearly well-liked at his School—people buzzed with reassurances for him, while casting subtly hostile glances at Jiang Luo.

Beyond Shanhai University, Jiang Luo also caught nearby whispers.

"Isn't that Bai Ye Feng from Shanhai University? Why would he say something like that?"

"Who is this Jiang Luo? I've never heard his name. Bai Ye Feng can't compare to him? Qi Ye can't compare to him? There are so many geniuses here—aren't they all more famous than him?"

"Damn, I'm pissed. Did this guy get in through the back door?"

Jiang Luo's smile slowly faded. He stared at Bai Ye Feng with a heavy gaze.

Bai Ye Feng seemed to be praising him, but in truth had pushed him to the eye of the storm.

Jiang Luo had only wanted to quietly clear the second round and get a good look at the Yuantian Pearl. With Bai Ye Feng's words, let alone staying low-key, not being targeted by everyone would be a win.

But why would Bai Ye Feng target him?

He had never offended Bai Ye Feng, except for the matter of selling only one clue just now.

Could it really be over that one clue?

If so, Bai Ye Feng's pettiness was barely larger than a needle's eye—but Jiang Luo vaguely felt that wasn't quite right.

Under Jiang Luo's gaze, Bai Ye Feng's lips curved. He winked at him, then walked slowly away amid his entourage.

A flash of insight struck Jiang Luo.

Only one person would target him this maliciously.

He gritted his teeth and recited inwardly.

—Chi You.

Could Bai Ye Feng be Chi You?