Chapter 25

Our Mister Evil Ghost.

Bai Ye Feng's eyes shifted slightly. His smile remained flawless, but it had lost some of its vitality, gaining a deathly stillness. 'Who are you talking about, Jiang?'

Jiang Luo slowly increased the pressure under his boot, grinding the sole over the ghost's shoulder, leaving streaks of grime. The malice in Jiang Luo's smile was aimed directly at the ghost. He looked down at Bai Ye Feng and curved his lips. 'Bai, there's only you and me here—who do you think I'm talking about?'

As soon as the words left his mouth, he bent down, leaning close to Bai Ye Feng's ear. The dagger in his hand slid from Bai Ye Feng's forehead down to his heart. He said, deliberate and slow, 'You've played human for so long, have you forgotten whether you're a man or a ghost, Chi You?'

Chi You paused, then slowly began to laugh.

It was as if he had shed that layer of human skin he'd been wearing, revealing a dark and terrifying nature. A hint of neurotic delight danced at the corners of his mouth. It was the same face, but now it made one's blood run cold, a shiver rising from deep within the bones.

The ghost's smile widened. He took off his wet glasses and asked curiously, 'How did you know?'

Jiang Luo smiled soundlessly.

On Chi You's Head Seventh Day, he had used Suppressive Talismans specifically designed to deal with Evil Presence to torment Chi You half to death.

Aside from venting a bit of resentment, Jiang Luo had gained a more direct understanding of Chi You's talent.

Chi You's rate of growth had reached a terrifying level. At first, Jiang Luo could inflict a certain amount of damage with just one Spirit Paper. But as time passed, Jiang Luo needed two or three papers to achieve the same effect as that single one at the beginning.

Death seemed to have truly allowed Chi You to break free from some kind of restraint.

For the month that followed, Jiang Luo had studied frantically, forgetting to eat and sleep, spurred on in no small part by Chi You's monstrous rate of growth.

Jiang Luo's Spirit Papers were strong. High-grade talismans were always rare commodities on the market. And the only person who could turn his Spirit Papers to ash without showing any reaction was Chi You.

Jiang Luo didn't explain the process of how he'd recognized him. Instead, he laughed softly, a provocation. 'Let me guess what you're trying to do.'

'You've been controlling Bai Ye Feng for five years, haven't you?' Jiang Luo's voice dropped lower, as if revealing a shocking secret. 'Chi You is you, the famous Bai Ye Feng is also you. How many other celebrated geniuses did you control while you were alive? What do you want? To become a tyrant secretly controlling the Xuanxue World, a great demon king that no one dares oppose?'

Jiang Luo smiled. 'Your ambitions are not small, Chi You.'

Chi You smiled modestly.

Jiang Luo straightened up slightly, locking eyes with the ghost through the shell of Bai Ye Feng. The wetness on the ghost's body almost dampened the tip of his own upturned nose. He said softly, 'What a pity. I can't kill your true form.'

'But destroying the Puppet you've cultivated for five years… that's enough to make me happy for a long, long time.'

Jiang Luo sat up, looking down at Chi You, and without hesitation blew a short, sharp whistle.

The doors to the swimming pool were kicked open violently. Almost all the contestants filed in from outside. Leading them were Lu You and the other two Jiang Luo had sent to gather them.

Drones followed the contestants' movements, hovering outside by the windows. Instantly, the entire Swimming Pool was surrounded by countless eyes.

The baffled contestants were startled by the sight of the two of them.

'What are they… doing?'

'Why is he holding a knife?'

'Is he trying to kill someone? Holy shit!'

With his back to the crowd and the drones, Jiang Luo gave the ghost a smile. He pressed the dagger slightly harder, and the talisman fastened to its tip burst into flames for all to see.

'Look, everyone!' Jiang Luo raised his voice. 'The Ghost-Seeking Talisman is burning! Bai Ye Feng is possessed by an evil ghost!'

The drones transmitted this scene clearly into the live stream.

Across the country's twelve high schools, the total number of young people in xuanxue was no more than a hundred, but within the National Bureau there were still quite a few people who knew the xuanxue world existed, as well as disciples under the Six Great Families; most of them knew Bai Ye Feng. At this very moment, the barrage of comments was caught off guard and exploded at the sight of this scene.

[Holy shit holy shit holy shit???]

[Am I seeing things? Why is the Ghost-Seeking Talisman burning on Bai Ye Feng???]

[Bai Ye Feng is possessed? Since when? Someone as talented as him can get possessed? My worldview is shattered.]

[I'm so confused. Bai Ye Feng is a fucking ghost?! When did he become a ghost?]

Jiang Luo continued, 'Over these past three days, I noticed something off about Bai Ye Feng. After repeated probing, I discovered there's actually an evil ghost hiding inside his body.'

'This evil ghost disguised itself as Bai. He played the part so well, he didn't arouse anyone's suspicion.' Jiang Luo locked eyes with the ghost, his lips curving. 'It chilled me to the bone… How long has this ghost been possessing Bai Ye Feng? Three days? A month? A year? Two years… Or perhaps, five years?'

Jiang Luo's quiet voice was like a depth charge, instantly causing an uproar among the students.

'How is that possible…'

But even a one-in-a-thousand possibility was enough to make one's heart pound with fear.

Xu Yan suddenly remembered Jiang Luo's earlier question to him: What was Bai Ye Feng like before?

His mind went blank. Try as he might, he couldn't recall what Bai Ye Feng used to look like.

Unremarkable. Ordinary. As far back as five years ago, the gradually emerging Bai Ye Feng had completely replaced the memory of the obscure Bai Ye Feng.

…But was that gentle, kind Bai Ye Feng really the Bai Ye Feng from before?

He shuddered violently.

Jiang Luo pressed the ghost in the water. 'Who are you? Why did you possess Bai Ye Feng? How long have you been possessing him?'

Question after question, sharp and oppressive.

For the first time, the ghost's face darkened.

A sinister ghostly aura twisted across his features. Black Mist clawed out from his body like spectral hands. Even through a screen, it would make one shiver with cold.

Anyone would feel towering rage if someone ruined a crucial part of their plans.

Especially when this Puppet was an important piece Chi You had buried for five years.

Chi You hadn't expected Jiang Luo to discover his Puppet identity, and to publicize the secret so swiftly.

This single move directly destroyed the value of the 'Bai Ye Feng' Puppet and wrecked the progress of his entire plan.

The dense Black Mist seethed with furious rage.

Jiang Luo's eyes suddenly reddened. He glared viciously at the ghost, his voice hoarse. 'What is your purpose in possessing Bai Ye Feng? Chi You… Chi You's death—does it have anything to do with you?'

He ground his teeth. 'Bai Ye Feng is a genius, Chi You was a genius. Bai Ye Feng is possessed by you, Chi You died suddenly… Was Chi You killed the same way?!'

Wenren Lian and the others were led to follow this train of thought.

Right. Was there a connection between Chi You's death and Bai Ye Feng's possession?

Chi You and Bai Ye Feng had too many similarities, making it impossible not to link the two.

Jiang Luo's dagger was about to pierce the ghost's skin.

Chi You, furious to the extreme, laughed instead. He braced his hands against the pool wall and forcefully pushed himself up. He actively drove the dagger on his chest deeper into his own flesh. Vast amounts of crimson blood flowed down the blade onto Jiang Luo's hand, dripping steadily into the pool.

The deep red spread from concentrated to diluted, staining a patch of bloody water in the pool.

'You're good,' Chi You laughed madly, pushing forward even harder. He leaned close to Jiang Luo's ear, his whisper intimate and lingering, like a lover on the brink of death. 'Jiang Luo, I can't bear to kill you now.'

Contrary to his words, a thick, murderous intent suddenly rose in his eyes.

The ghost fully realized just how troublesome Jiang Luo was.

The dagger pierced flesh. Jiang Luo, expression unchanged, pushed it deeper. Avoiding the drone's camera, he smiled slightly. 'But I really want to kill you.'

He pulled out a handful of Spirit Papers and slapped them all onto Bai Ye Feng's body at once. Under the assault of so many talismans, even Chi You's Puppet was immobilized for a moment. Jiang Luo kicked him into the water and turned. 'Quick, call the staff and an ambulance!'

Chi You watched the rippling water distort Jiang Luo's reflection, but the fleeting smile at Jiang Luo's lips remained beautiful and dazzling.

Jiang Luo had played both villain and hero. If not for the circumstances, if not for this situation, Chi You would almost have admired the approach.

A moment later, the now-mobile ghost Puppet resurfaced. His companions rushed forward, pulling Jiang Luo back and shielding him, watching the ghost in the water warily.

Ye Xun bit his finger to awaken Little Pink, his expression grave. 'Little Pink, go.'

The bulky resentful spirit doll stood up, walked to the pool's edge, and jumped in. It floated on the surface, swimming toward Chi You.

Chi You's viper-like, icy gaze pierced through the crowd, landing precisely on Jiang Luo. Expressionless, he raised a hand. The resentful spirit doll was instantly torn in two by Black Mist.

Ye Xun's eyes widened. He muttered blankly, 'Little Pink…'

The ghost had a hole in his chest, but he seemed to feel nothing. He climbed out of the water onto the deck. Blood snaked down, pooling on the ground, a gruesome sight. Just as he was about to do something, the ghost suddenly looked toward the door.

He narrowed his eyes and gave Jiang Luo a strange smile. A mass of Black Mist abruptly drifted out of Bai Ye Feng's body. Bai Ye Feng instantly collapsed, caught in time by people from Shanhai University.

'Quick! Call an ambulance!'

Jiang Luo turned to look. Several judging teachers stood outside the door. Standing in the very center among them was Master Feng Li.

Feng Li watched the crowd quietly, as if he had seen something, and yet as if he hadn't. His expression was placid. Even amidst the students' panic, he remained utterly unaffected.

Zhuo Zhengyu collected his shock and stepped forward to restore order.

Feng Li turned and said to his disciple beside him, 'They should go submit their answers now.'

Zhuo Zhengyu promptly wrote a Hemostasis Talisman and burned it over Bai Ye Feng's chest. After sending Bai Ye Feng off in the ambulance, he patted Jiang Luo's shoulder reassuringly, his gesture conveying appreciation. 'This isn't your fault. If Bai Ye Feng really had been possessed by an evil ghost for so long, and that ghost was hiding among us… you've actually performed a great service.'

His expression gradually grew grave. 'If there's one possessed person, there could be a second… Who knows how many gaps have been exploited in the current Xuanxue World.'

If even a talent as exceptional as Bai Ye Feng could fall victim, how could anyone else escape possession?

How many others in the world were like Bai Ye Feng?

Among the people one interacted with day in and day out, who could be sure they were human and not a ghost?

Zhuo Zhengyu's mood was heavy. He pushed these thoughts aside and said to Jiang Luo and his group, 'You should go submit your answers now.'