Chapter 3

In the original body's memories, the original had never seen such Black Mist either.

Jiang Luo filed the matter away for now and followed the hotel owner into the Sleeping Beauty Themed Room.

It was a triple room. Three large beds were arranged in the center, and the decor had a girlish, dreamlike air. A lush green plant sat in one corner, and the window opened to the west, neatly avoiding the Window Fiend outside.

The owner stood by the door, watching the room with wary trepidation, as if a monster inside might devour him. 'A month ago, the three guests who disappeared booked this very room. They were three girls, good friends, still in school. Before the cameras failed, they were recorded returning to the room to rest. But the next day, no one came out. When we opened the door, they were gone.'

The owner shuddered, fear plain in his eyes. 'The two male companions staying next door could testify that the girls never went out at night. They even said goodnight to the boys before bed. After we discovered they were missing, we called the police immediately. We searched the entire hotel, but found no trace of them.'

The three of them listened quietly. Ye Xun asked, 'Nothing was found in the room?'

'Nothing,' the owner said, pulling out a cigarette and taking a drag, slowly calming himself. 'Only our cleaning lady found strands of their hair on the beds, proving they had slept there.'

Apart from that, it was as if the three girls had never been there at all.

The owner shivered all over just talking about it, as uncomfortable as if covered in lice. 'Starting a year ago, our hotel's business suddenly went downhill. Fewer guests, more bad reviews. Guests who stay here always develop minor ailments—nothing serious, but too weird. Not only that, some guests have heard the sound of a ball bouncing in the Corridor in the middle of the night. Who bounces a ball in the middle of the night? Once, a curious guest didn't dare open the door, so he peeked through the crack beneath it. He actually saw a human head bouncing on the floor outside!'

The owner's face turned pale. 'I… I don't know if what the guest saw was real or not, but I've never seen it myself…'

After listening, Ye Xun was the first to begin inspecting the room. 'Start with the kitchen and toilet,' he said. Jiang Luo, a half-amateur, decisively followed Ye Xun's lead. After looking around with them, Jiang Luo asked curiously, 'Find anything?'

Lu You shook his head. 'I don't see anything. Ye Xun, what about you?'

Ye Xun looked thoughtful, then said flatly, 'We'll look again after midnight.'

Lu You extended his fingers and calculated for a moment. His expression suddenly darkened. He lowered his voice. 'The three missing girls are in grave danger.'

In fact, the hexagram Lu You had calculated was 'Great Misfortune.' It was highly likely the three girls were already dead.

Jiang Luo and Ye Xun fell silent.

The owner hadn't caught Lu You's words. Hearing Ye Xun say they'd look again after midnight, he hurriedly said, 'Let me take you to eat first. Your rooms are already arranged. After you eat, I'll take you to rest.'

Ye Xun was the first to walk out. 'Eating is fine, but we don't need rooms. Owner, we'll stay here tonight.'

The owner looked at him with admiration. As expected of a master who'd lived fifty-eight years and devoured countless Ghosts. He agreed readily. 'Yes, yes. I'll have the cleaning lady change the sheets and duvet covers for you right away.'

Lu You looked quite wealthy, and Ye Xun didn't seem poor either, but the way they ate was like refugees fleeing a disaster—wolfing down food with their mouths, sweeping it clean with their hands. Watching them, Jiang Luo ended up eating an extra bowl of rice himself, so stuffed he lay corpse-like in his chair.

He finished eating, but the other two were still hungry. Lu You gave him a disdainful look. 'Jiang Luo, how come you only ate that much?'

Jiang Luo held up three fingers. 'Three bowls.'

Ye Xun looked up from his bowl. 'You're full?'

Jiang Luo nodded.

Ye Xun handed him the rabbit doll from his arms. 'Hold Little Pink for me for a bit.'

The pink rabbit looked like an ordinary doll a three-year-old would love, half the size of an adult. Jiang Luo took the doll and held it, remembering the story he'd spun for the owner. He joked, 'Anything I need to watch out for?'

'Hm?' Ye Xun looked up as if remembering something. 'Don't feed Little Pink.'

How could a doll eat? Jiang Luo nodded seriously, grabbed the rabbit's paw, and waved it at Ye Xun. 'Got it.'

A moment later, the Old Lady came to eat with her grandson. Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Luo saw the child sitting at the table devouring eggs fiercely, bits of egg white sticking to his chubby cheeks.

Jiang Luo's gaze dropped. He still saw a mass of Black Mist on the child's plump white arm.

The Black Mist gave Jiang Luo a bad feeling. Holding the doll, he walked over curiously and sat next to the child.

The Old Lady was feeding her grandson, her kind face beaming happily. She said slowly, 'Eat more, eat more. It's good for you.'

The grandson's ravenous eating resembled Lu You and Ye Xun's. But Lu You and Ye Xun were adults. A child's throat was small—was it okay for him to eat like this?

The child reached out and took the peeled egg from his grandmother's hand. The flesh on his face trembled with each bite. Jiang Luo was reminded, inappropriately, of pigs in a slaughterhouse.

He turned to chat with the Old Lady. 'Grandma, are you just having lunch now too?'

The Old Lady took a moment to react, then answered slowly, 'Lunch? We already ate! My grandson was hungry, so we're having a little more.'

Ah, afternoon tea.

The child, having eaten his fill, slid off the chair. 'Grandma, I'm going to play!'

The Old Lady agreed repeatedly, smiling as she watched her grandson play in the sand. Her face was filled with happiness and contentment, as if just watching the child fulfilled all her wishes.

Jiang Luo said casually, 'Grandma, isn't it bad for a child to eat too many eggs?'

The Old Lady waved her hand. 'It's fine, he loves them. Look how good he is… so plump and white.'

Jiang Luo adopted a conversational tone. 'How are his grades?'

'Grades?' The Old Lady looked confused for a moment, then smiled again. 'It's fine, it's fine. Grades aren't important. Being plump and white is most important. Being able to eat is a blessing.'

Jiang Luo smiled. 'You're very open-minded.'

After a while, the Old Lady stood up shakily and went to the kitchen to fetch more food, muttering to herself as she walked. 'I need to prepare some food for him. He'll be hungry again soon…'

After the old woman left, only Jiang Luo and the plump grandson remained.

Jiang Luo took a piece of candy from his pocket and put it in his mouth. The syrup was sickeningly sweet. He crunched the candy loudly. The child playing in the sand was attracted by the sound and ran over to Jiang Luo, staring eagerly, drooling.

Jiang Luo took out another piece of candy and dangled it in front of the child. 'Little friend, want some candy?'

The child nodded vigorously.

Jiang Luo smiled, his eyes crinkling, and coaxed softly, 'If you want it, you have to promise gege one thing.'

The child said, 'Okay~'

Jiang Luo poured a full large glass of water for the child, like a big bad wolf in grandma's clothes. 'Drink this whole glass of water, and promise gege you won't go to the Toilet before bedtime tonight, okay?'

The child bit his finger hesitantly. 'Holding pee is uncomfortable.'

Jiang Luo took out two more pieces of candy.

The child's eyes lit up. He grabbed the glass and gulped the water down. His little belly visibly swelled, and he let out a burp.

Jiang Luo gave him the candy and returned to sit beside Lu You in good spirits. He asked casually, 'Can a child's urine ward off evil?'

Lu You said, 'Yes. Not only can it ward off evil, it can also be used in medicine and to boil eggs. Ever had child's urine eggs?'

Jiang Luo was enlightened.

After the meal, the three returned to the Sleeping Beauty room. It was still early before midnight. Lu You turned on the TV to watch an idol drama, while Jiang Luo and Ye Xun went to their respective rooms to rest.

Jiang Luo finally had time to sort through the original body's memories.

He reviewed the memory of the original killing Chi You, and the corner of his mouth lifted.

There were indeed suspicious points regarding Chi You's death.

This was good news. As long as there were suspicious points, Jiang Luo could follow the clues and find someone to take the blame for him. Of course, if there really were no suspicious points, as the saying goes: if there's no road, make one; if there's no opportunity, create one.

No suspicious points? Then create some.

In the memories, Chi You was a natural-born Spirit Essence. His talent was so formidable it was unheard of throughout the entire Xuanxue World. Chi You was the last heir of the Chi Clan's Direct Lineage and had become the clan's ruler at a young age. To others, such a life seemed like cheating—just one talent could overwhelm countless diligent, hardworking learners.

The original was jealous of Chi You's talent, jealous enough to bleed from his eyes.

If only I could have his talent—the original had certainly thought that, but he only dared think it in his heart.

Originally, even if the original hated Chi You, he could maintain a calm surface. But one week before Chi You died, the original happened to see a Forbidden Art online.

The Forbidden Art was an evil method to steal someone else's Spirit Essence for oneself. Without even knowing if it was real or fake, the original grew more and more tempted. In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation and decided to strip Chi You of his Spirit Essence. He followed the Forbidden Art step by step without error, but Chi You died directly during the ritual—and after death, his soul was torn apart, shattered to pieces.

The original gained nothing and instead provoked a mad, vengeful Ghost.

The original was indeed the murderer who killed Chi You, but he was more like a knife in someone else's hand. When a murderer kills with a knife, isn't the primary responsibility with the wielder behind the knife?

The knife is guilty, but if the knife helps the victim find the real murderer, can that repay the debt?

Jiang Luo touched his face and thought, If I were Chi You, I'd definitely go after the wielder behind the knife. That's the real enemy.

The sky grew darker. The sun set.

Jiang Luo stopped his wild thoughts, got out of bed, and left the room. Lu You looked up at him, his expression complicated. 'Jiang Luo, no wonder Chi You fell so deeply in love with you.'

The young man who had just gotten out of bed had messy black hair. His beautiful face bore a faint flush, and his lips were dry and blood-flushed, red against white teeth, stunningly vivid. His mere presence evoked a feeling of a hundred flowers blooming, a riot of blossoms.

Beautiful.

A man's kind of beautiful.

No matter how bad and foolish Jiang Luo's personality was, with just this face, he certainly had the capital to make Chi You fall in love with him.

Jiang Luo smoothed his hair. He was used to such praise and smiled casually. 'Are we starting to catch Ghosts now?'

Ye Xun continued working without pause. 'I'm preparing things.'

A long rectangular altar table leaned against the north wall. A large, square Mirror hung squarely in the center of the wall. On the brown altar table sat a bowl of White Rice and some unlit incense.

Jiang Luo was seeing this for the first time and was enthusiastic about everything. He asked about each item one by one. Ye Xun patiently answered each question. After all preparations were complete, Ye Xun looked up at the clock and said, 'Wait for Zi Hour.'

Zi Hour was from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the time when Yin Qi was strongest. Jiang Luo nodded and asked, 'Why hang a Mirror in the middle?'

'Mirrors gather Yin Qi. They can ward off evil and reflect forms,' Ye Xun said. 'If there really is something unclean here, Yin Qi will overflow from the Mirror, stirring the incense smoke and leading us to where the Yin Qi gathers.'

Jiang Luo was a bottomless well of questions. 'Why not use a Compass?'

Ye Xun picked up the Compass from nearby and showed him. The magnetic needle inside the inner dial was swinging wildly, unable to point in a clear direction. Ye Xun said, 'The Compass is being interfered with by the local magnetic field. It's unusable around the Hotel.'

Jiang Luo suddenly understood.

The waiting time passed quickly. In a blink, it was almost 11 p.m.

Night lights were sparse on the North Third Ring. The darkness outside the window was thick and viscous, like ink splashed against the glass. Pale light shone inside the room. Lu You shifted uncomfortably in his seat, then suddenly stood up. 'I'm going to the Toilet. Anyone coming?'

Ye Xun stood up holding his doll. 'I'll go too.'

Jiang Luo, well-versed in horror movie tropes, refused to be left alone. 'Together, together.'

Three big guys squeezed together in line for the Toilet. Lu You couldn't hold it any longer and rushed into the Toilet first, closing the door. Half a minute later, he suddenly exclaimed, 'Holy shit!'

Jiang Luo and Ye Xun exchanged a look. 'Lu You?'

Lu You opened the door, utterly shocked. 'Holy shit, look at this!'

The two walked over and saw a white plastic bag soaking in the toilet tank, looking roughly like money.

Lu You took it out, placed it on the floor, and opened it. Inside wasn't real currency, but Jiao Paper.

Jiang Luo's skin crawled. 'Putting Jiao Paper in the Toilet—is there some significance?'

'Definitely not put there by the hotel,' Lu You said, running to wash his hands to cleanse the bad luck, his expression pained. 'Putting Jiao Paper in the toilet… that's something else. The Toilet is a place of filth, inherently heavy with dampness and Yin Qi. The toilet bowl is especially dirty. Putting Jiao Paper in the toilet means either trying to flush away your own bad luck or flush away someone else's.'

'Hotel 129's business started going downhill a year ago. Could it be related to this?' Jiang Luo stroked his chin.

'Very likely,' Lu You immediately agreed. 'Tomorrow we'll check other room toilets to see if there's more Jiao Paper.'

It was a false alarm. After washing his hands, Lu You left the Toilet with Jiang Luo. Lu You was also a bit scared and kept chattering to Jiang Luo. 'What do you think the unclean thing here is?'

Jiang Luo said, 'How would I know if you don't?'

Lu You choked, muttering, 'I'm just feeling unsure, okay?'

Jiang Luo's heart sank. He spoke earnestly. 'Lu You, I'm not as capable as you. Ye Xun isn't as big as you. You're the strongest fighter among the three of us. The only reason I came out on this mission with you is because you're here. In my heart, your strength is even greater than that. If even you lose confidence, how are we supposed to deal with the unclean things?'

Lu You had never been praised like this before. He felt a little shy. 'R-really? Am I really that strong?'

'Of course!' Jiang Luo nodded decisively. 'Believe in yourself. If there are Ghosts, don't be afraid. Just grab your tools and go at them. No matter how powerful the unclean thing here is, it definitely can't beat you.'

Lu You was deeply moved. He never imagined Jiang Luo would trust him so much. A sense of responsibility welled up from within. Lu You clenched his fists. 'Okay, I'll protect you!'

Jiang Luo gave him an approving round of applause. Just then, Ye Xun walked out of the Toilet. Jiang Luo quickly slipped inside.

He locked the door cleanly and walked to the sink humming a tune, thoroughly satisfied.

The melody was lively, the tune cute.

Jiang Luo bent over to wash his face and wake himself up. When he looked up, the young man in the Mirror had slightly upturned phoenix eyes, long eyelashes dripping with crystal-clear water droplets, black bangs falling to his temples as if drawn together.

Eyes dark as lacquer, the corners of his lips holding a hint of a smile. Classical grace and modern beauty blended, his gaze spirited and radiant.

But this beautiful young man's face suddenly turned ugly, because a deep palm print abruptly appeared on his slender neck.

The five-fingered imprint was grotesque and sinister. The veins on Jiang Luo's neck were gripped within those five fingers.

Jiang Luo's breathing grew labored and difficult. He looked into the Mirror. It reflected him, and the sudden mist that appeared behind him.

The large hand formed from concentrated Yin Qi was like a branding iron, squeezing so hard Jiang Luo was nearly suffocated.

A deathly chill blew past his ear. The mist slowly tightened its grip. Someone chuckled lowly, asking with keen interest, 'When exactly… did I fall so deeply in love with you?'