Revised

Feng Li, as the newly appointed Celestial Master of the Feng Clan among the Six Great Families, naturally recognized the face of Chi You, the ruler of the Chi Clan.

His brow furrowed involuntarily — partly from surprise that the sinister aura belonged to Chi You, partly from the content of his words.

Both man and ghost spoke the same way; naturally their words held truth. But Feng Li could not stomach such 'love too deep for regret.' His right hand moved with fluid precision, forming a seal — slender index and middle fingers pressed together before him — and he said mildly, 'Retreat.'

A flame invisible to ordinary eyes rose from nothing, twisting the air with its heat. The crowd stood within its ring — fire born of pure yang could disperse any Evil Presence or ghost, and in severe cases burn them to utter annihilation.

Chi You, who had been watching Jiang Luo with keen interest, finally turned his head toward Feng Li.

The flame pressed closer. Chi You narrowed his eyes slightly, as though unable to withstand the invisible fire, and finally peeled away from Jiang Luo, vanishing without a trace.

Feng Li lowered his hand with an impassive expression. When his gaze fell on Jiang Luo, his brow creased again, and he said with a harsh tone, 'The living and the dead walk different paths. He's already become a Livid Ghost — what are you still hoping for?'

Jiang Luo watched Chi You dispersed by a single word from Feng Li. His heart churned with uncertainty — Feng Li was this powerful?

The protagonist's love interest in the original novel — this strong?

'Mr. Feng,' Jiang Luo said, looking lost and forlorn, 'he's only keeping me company. He won't hurt me.'

A faint, mocking smile crossed Feng Li's face. 'Won't hurt you?'

He surveyed the surrounding Feng Clan disciples. Under their expectant gazes, he singled out a few prodigies long held in high regard, then looked back at Jiang Luo. 'You and they — come find me tomorrow at three in the afternoon.'

Feng Li paused. His pale eyes fixed on Jiang Luo with quiet intensity. 'I'll show you whether an evil ghost truly harms people.'

With that, Feng Li turned and left the garden.

Jiang Luo bore the envious, jealous stares of the crowd and sighed.

Feng Li was too strong — befriending him would be the best possible outcome. But Feng Li's manner, charitably speaking, was that of a devoted teacher; less charitably, it was absolute self-rule. That iron-willed, brook-no-argument temperament alone was enough to show that the protagonist's love interest in the original novel was no easy opponent.

Moreover, Feng Li's words had come so suddenly that Jiang Luo was caught off guard. To anyone else, receiving such an opportunity would be cause for boundless gratitude — but Jiang Luo did not believe kindness arrived so abruptly.

He sighed again and, under everyone's gaze, followed close behind out of the garden.

The planned outing was shelved for now, but the Baihua University group had prepared a dinner gathering.

They only learned, after returning to the Hotel, that quite a few competitors had been injured.

Compared to the others, the Baihua University people had been extraordinarily lucky. Sailor especially — his luck stat maxed out — formed a stark contrast with Jiang Luo.

They had gone out into the wild specifically to prepare a self-service barbecue, setting up iron racks and laying out ingredients. Lu You even picked some mushrooms on the spot, nearly mixing them into the skewers for everyone to eat.

Beside the picnic spot was a small grove of maple trees — still vivid green in May. Jiang Luo asked Wenren Lian for a cigarette and wandered off to smoke, watching the dazzling natural scenery as his mood slowly settled.

After a moment, Wenren Lian walked over and handed him a bottle of water, smiling. 'Feeling better?'

Jiang Luo smiled. 'My mood's been fine all along.'

Wenren Lian said at leisure, 'They can't see it, but I can. Jiang Luo — haven't you noticed?'

He gestured vaguely at Jiang Luo's chest, smiling. 'Since Chi You died, your emotions have been... off.'

'As if something keeps pushing you forward,' Wenren Lian said softly. 'You're growing more and more anxious — like there's a thorn in your back, like it's urgent, like if you don't act now it'll be too late... Tell me, how long has it been since you truly relaxed?'

Jiang Luo gave a thumbs-up, impressed. 'Wenren, you're sharp.'

Wenren Lian smiled, then sighed. 'What exactly are you worried about?'

Jiang Luo neither agreed nor disagreed with Wenren Lian's assessment.

Wenren Lian had keenly detected the wrongness in his emotions. In truth, since being killed eighteen times by Chi You in his dreams, Jiang Luo had been balanced on the edge between madness and reason.

Being killed even once was a terrifying thing. Jiang Luo had been made to truly feel death eighteen different times, over and over, by Chi You. That he could wake, could open his eyes with reason intact, was already a feat of extraordinary willpower.

But the damage sustained was still seared deep into his mind. No matter how much Jiang Luo wanted to return to normal, a trace of Chi You-like madness had crept into his spirit.

He accepted his companion's concern, but the matter of his mental state was hard to speak of — unless he could kill Chi You back the same number of times, any further words were empty talk.

Jiang Luo smiled. 'I'd never taken part in a Competition this big before — I was a bit nervous. After the two rounds ended, I felt much better.'

Wenren Lian said nothing more. After chatting with him for a while, he tactfully gave him space and returned to the barbecue group.

Jiang Luo took a deep drag, squinting as a riot of colorful butterflies fluttered past. The narrow corners of his eyes lifted. Just as he was admiring the view, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew from behind, whipping his hair across his face.

'...shit,' Jiang Luo said darkly, retying his hair. 'I'm cutting it tomorrow morning.'

Tonight's barbecue was thoroughly satisfying. They'd also ordered plenty of local Yunnan cuisine. As for Qingke Wine, Jiang Luo found it oddly unfamiliar to his palate — much like butter tea, he couldn't quite adjust to it.

After the easy night ended, Jiang Luo slept in the next day, not getting up until nearly afternoon. After eating, he planned to go get his hair cut.

But three barbershops in a row were all closed. Jiang Luo simply bought a pair of scissors and, back at the Hotel, stood before the Mirror ready to cut his own hair short.

He had measured out the length to leave. Just as he was about to snip, he found the open scissors would not close.

Jiang Luo's expression darkened.

His grip on the scissors tightened. The tips of his fingers, pressed against the blades, went faintly white. Even as the pressure made his fingers ache, the wide-open scissors showed no sign of closing.

Jiang Luo lifted his gaze to the Mirror.

In the Mirror, his long hair spilled over his shoulders, black as silk. The strands at his brow curved like lotus petals, falling just at either side of the youth's beautiful, striking brows.

Jiang Luo released his grip on the scissors. The silver blades hit the floor with a sharp, clear sound.

The blades that had refused to close snapped shut the instant they struck the ground.

Jiang Luo's expression darkened. On the Mirror, a line of water-traced text materialized unhurriedly: I still prefer you with long hair.

Chi You.

Jiang Luo ground the name out between his teeth.

He wanted nothing less than to flay him, strip his tendons, and taste whether his blood was as tedious as his performance.

That goddamn Yin Soul won't disperse.

What business is it of yours if I cut my hair?

Jiang Luo watched coldly as the line of text appeared and faded. Outside, the alarm reminding him of the time went off, and Lu You called out loudly, 'Jiang Luo, it's time to go find Feng Li!'

Jiang Luo reined in his fury, ignored the Mirror, and walked straight out of the bathroom.

The door slammed shut with a heavy bang.

*

At three in the afternoon, Jiang Luo appeared before Feng Li right on time.

When he arrived, the others were already there. Seeing Jiang Luo so late, the Feng Clan disciples who regarded Feng Li as a god nearly bored two holes through him with their glares.

Jiang Luo stood calmly to one side. Feng Li glanced at him briefly, said nothing, and rose. 'Let's go.'

The group got into the car. Inside, someone asked respectfully, 'Mr. Feng, where are we going?'

'Someone invited me to handle a small matter,' Feng Li said coolly. 'Stay close and observe.'

A few voices answered in assent.

An hour later, the car stopped in front of a Mansion. Feng Li stepped out first; the others followed behind him, eyes forward, and entered the Mansion.

Before they reached the main hall, someone hurried out to greet them — a young man in his twenties, haggard and worn. 'Mr. Feng, you've finally come!'

Feng Li gave a slight nod. The young man exhaled in relief, as though he had seen a lifesaver. 'Please, come in.'

The Mansion had two floors, the first spanning a hundred and fifty square meters. The moment they stepped inside, Feng Li stopped, turned to look at Jiang Luo and the others, and asked, 'What have you noticed?'

A man beside Jiang Luo named Wang Santan said with solemn composure, 'A pine-cypress has been planted at the mansion's Kan position. Pine-cypress can stabilize a home and dissolve negative energy; Kan Water nourishes Wood, doubling its efficacy — evergreen through the ages.'

Another said, 'A penglaisong is placed at the entryway — it dispels evil and invites wealth. Inside, there's also foduzhu, which carries Zen meaning and is one of the plants feared by demons and ghosts. I see many such protective plants here, and signs of great fortune — the owner must be a person of immense wealth and status.'

Wang Santan, feeling he hadn't said as much, lowered his head with a look of frustration.

Feng Li nodded, neither approving nor disapproving, and looked at Jiang Luo. 'What do you think?'

Jiang Luo said with perfect seriousness, 'I think the people who live here have definitely encountered a lot of strange things.'