Chapter 69

The corridor was empty.

The blood-soaked killer's face was expressionless, a murderous air surfacing on his handsome features.

Jiang Luo had simply walked away, clean and decisive.

This conduct confirmed once more to Chi You: you are nothing but a tool I used.

Jiang Luo's kiss wasn't for survival, wasn't for any other reason—just because it could frame Chi You.

But Chi You had been none the wiser, accepting the offered kiss with keen interest, even visibly displeased when Jiang Luo pushed him away. Not only had he let the audacious patient escape from the Electric Saw, he'd unwittingly become his substitute corpse.

He'd been played for a fool.

Even alive, even when humiliated by the Chi Clan Side Branch, Chi You had never felt this choked with frustration.

The killer curled his lips. He was smiling, yet the dangerous air around him suddenly thickened.

If he didn't do something, this surge of towering rage mixed with some unnamed desire and dark impulse would have nowhere to go.

If you use an evil ghost, how can you not pay the price?

The killer lifted his foot, a corner of the White Coat fluttering lightly.

He gave chase toward Jiang Luo.

*

Jiang Luo was descending the staircase carefully.

Lu You and the Dead Ghost should have been waiting for him at the end of the Sixth Floor, but Jiang Luo didn't see them. Jiang Luo knew them—he knew that if they hadn't shown up, something had happened to them.

But the hardest opponent in the building, the Faceless Monster, had already been handed off to Chi You. What danger could they have run into?

No, there was indeed one potential danger that hadn't appeared yet.

The Chi Clan.

If the Qimen Dunjia illusion was the Qi Family's technique, then what had the Chi Clan used?

Were Lu You and the Dead Ghost still safe?

Jiang Luo's mood, which had just been soaring, sank steadily. Worry and urgency rose. He kept descending to the Fourth Floor, when the hospital scene before him suddenly shifted—into the Trainee Dormitory building.

The illusion had broken.

Jiang Luo froze. Who had broken the illusion?

Just then, Jiang Luo stepped on a strand of hair.

He looked down and nearly lost his footing at the dense black hair surging upward.

What the hell was this?!

Jiang Luo frowned, immediately stepping back, his face contorting as he stared at the writhing strands.

He pulled out a Fire Talisman, gave it a light shake, and it ignited from the top. Just as Jiang Luo was about to throw it onto the hair, a voice rang out behind him: 'Jiang Luo, don't!'

Jiang Luo turned to see Ye Xun and Lu You running up to him, gasping for breath. Ye Xun's face was deathly pale; Lu You's head was covered in blood. Jiang Luo was startled by their appearance and stopped his hand in time. 'What happened to you two?'

'Don't burn it—this is Little Pink's hair. Little Pink and the Dead Ghost are both buried under it,' Ye Xun said, breathing rapidly. 'Little Pink ate Fu Yuaner, and hair started growing all over its body.'

'Fu Yuaner?' The distant name made Jiang Luo frown. 'How could Fu Yuaner be here?'

He remembered clearly: in the second round of The Yunnan Competition, one of the mission objectives was to find Fu Yuaner's body. After they finally succeeded in digging her body out from inside the Office wall, they had detoured to find Wang Xin Hui. But after finding Wang Xin Hui and returning, the organizers had informed them that Fu Yuaner's corpse had been taken by them.

Lu You said weakly: 'I don't know, but the Dead Ghost said Fu Yuaner seems to have been made into a Puppet.'

At the mention of Puppet, Jiang Luo's first thought was Chi You, but he realized in an instant that Fu Yuaner wasn't Chi You's puppet—she was the Chi Clan's puppet.

The Chi Clan.

So this was where they were waiting.

Jiang Luo gave a cold laugh in his heart, then asked with concern: 'How did your head get injured? Did you use Spirit Papers to stop the bleeding?'

Lu You figured he was probably a bit blood-deprived, his head was swimming, but he could still hold on. 'Ye Xun already stopped the bleeding for me. I'm fine—let's find the Dead Ghost and Little Pink first.'

This staircase was already packed with hair; if a person were buried in it, the only outcome would be death by suffocation. But the Dead Ghost was a living dead, and Little Pink was a vengeful spirit doll. Though Lu You and Ye Xun were anxious, they weren't too worried.

Jiang Luo asked: 'When will Little Pink stop?'

Ye Xun smiled bitterly: 'I don't know. If it takes long, its hair will probably drown the entire building. If it's quick, it could stop in a few more minutes... but I should have a way to make it stop first. However, I need to go back to the dorm to get my things.'

Now that the illusion had been broken, even if Ye Xun had a way to stop Little Pink's hair growth, the hair already crawling through several floors of the stairwell was too horrifying—if ordinary people saw it, the Xuanxue World's existence would be impossible to keep hidden.

More importantly, there were still two bomb-like dangers on the Sixth Floor: one was Chi You, the other was the Faceless Monster. Each was a catastrophic threat to ordinary people.

Jiang Luo didn't hesitate any longer. He called the Director.

Soon, the broadcast in the dormitory sounded.

'Emergency notice: there is an electrical leak in the Trainee Dormitory, and power has been cut. For safety reasons, trainees are to leave the dormitory now and gather in front of the dormitory building via the east staircase. We will arrange Hotel accommodations for you. Repeating the notice: please gather downstairs via the east staircase. Trainees, do not delay—assemble within five minutes...'

All the trainees were woken in the middle of the night, groggily walking out of their rooms and feeling their way down the right staircase in the dark.

Amid the complaints, a few people shouted: 'Damn, whose wig is on the floor?'

'Hahahaha, who wears a wig in the middle of the night?'

'Just go, just go, don't worry about it.'

Five minutes later, the building fell silent.

Ye Xun returned to the dorm, found his suitcase, and took out a square piece of Yellow Cloth. He came back to the stairwell and tried calling Little Pink. After a long while, there was movement under the pile of hair, and a rabbit doll crawled out, its entire body covered in hair. Its once-cute appearance now looked utterly horrifying.

Ye Xun said helplessly: 'I told you not to eat random things.'

He took out a small knife and cut the hair around Little Pink, then immediately wrapped Little Pink in the Yellow Cloth. Wrapped in the Yellow Cloth, Little Pink quickly calmed down, the hair bundled inside unable to grow any further.

Ye Xun explained: 'Hair is the surplus of blood; the kidney's essence manifests in the hair. The kidney stores essence and governs reproduction. Blood and kidney are water; hair is their essence, so naturally it also belongs to water. Earth overcomes water, and yellow is the color of earth. Daoists often use yellow, while green represents the color of plants and nature. I wrapped Little Pink in Yellow Cloth, so its hair can't grow anymore.'

'Then let's go quickly.' Jiang Luo didn't want to stay here any longer; he couldn't determine whether the Faceless Monster and Chi You would fight to a draw, or who would win.

In fact, either outcome was bad for him. But a sidelong glance caught Lu You squatting beside the hair pile in a daze. He asked, strangely: 'Lu You, what are you doing?'

Lu You murmured: 'Jiang Luo, the Dead Ghost is still in the hair.'

Jiang Luo fell silent.

Lu You suddenly swayed. Ye Xun's heart jumped. 'Lu You?'

Lu You said blankly: 'Oh, my head's a bit dizzy.'

Before the words were out, his eyes closed and he toppled forward!

Jiang Luo reached out in time and caught him. Lu You collapsed against him, the gaping hole on his head a horrifying mess of blood.

Jiang Luo helped Lu You up, his face grave. 'Ye Xun, take Lu You to the Hospital first. I'll find the Dead Ghost, then come meet up with you.'

Ye Xun: 'Jiang Luo, the Faceless Monster...'

'It's already been dealt with,' Jiang Luo cut him off. 'Quick, take him away first.'

Ye Xun made up his mind. 'Okay.'

Moonlight scattered through the window like feather fragments.

Jiang Luo watched them recede. After they disappeared, he pressed down his expression and threw a Fire Talisman at the hair pile with a blank face.

The hair instantly erupted into towering flames.

Jiang Luo didn't believe the Dead Ghost would be buried under the hair.

Even if he were buried under it, he'd have a way to get out. There was no reason Lu You could escape Little Pink's hair but a living dead couldn't.

But if the Dead Ghost had escaped and didn't come find them, the only explanation was that he didn't want to find them.

He'd regained his memory.

The Fire Talisman burned down, leaving scorch marks on both walls. Jiang Luo stood at the edge of the staircase, looking down.

He didn't know whether he should go down.

Lu You and the Dead Ghost had been swept down from the Third Floor. If the Dead Ghost was still here, he'd only be below the Third Floor. But if the Dead Ghost had regained his memory, why would Jiang Luo go down to find him?

In the end, Jiang Luo stepped down anyway, his foot landing on the ground still covered in black ash.

'Tap, tap.'

The sound of a heel striking the wall came from below.

Jiang Luo's footsteps froze in place.

The sound below grew louder.

Jiang Luo breathed softly and leaned out past the railing to look down.

His eyes met those of the killer standing on the Second Floor.

The killer seemed to be deliberately waiting for Jiang Luo to notice him. The instant Jiang Luo saw him, he revealed a smile cold enough to pierce bone.

Goosebumps erupted all over Jiang Luo's body. He thought in disbelief: Chi You had already defeated the Faceless Monster and come for him?!

Was Chi You really that strong?

Jiang Luo's blood sped up, his heartbeat quickened. Unable to distinguish whether it was the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent or terror, his breathing grew slightly urgent. Jiang Luo looked at Chi You deeply, then turned and ran.

Chi You lifted his foot and pursued unhurriedly.

The evil ghost's eyes fixed intently on the dark-haired youth ahead.

Everything else vanished from Chi You's eyes. He smashed through the stairwell door Jiang Luo had closed and continued the chase without pause.

A certain restless emotion boiled up once more. Rage twisted, and another kind of expectation surged sharply.

This feeling was strikingly similar to the intense killing intent Chi You had once raised toward Jiang Luo, yet somehow not the same thing.

Was he going to kill Jiang Luo?

No, Chi You didn't feel like he wanted to kill him.

There was another way—one that could make Jiang Luo understand his mistake faster than killing him, and bring Chi You swift pleasure.

And better calm the undercurrent surging inside Chi You right now.

But... what was that way?

*

Jiang Luo ran to The First Floor. Just as he was about to run out the main door, the door before him was slammed shut by a gust of evil wind.

With a thunderous bang, the empty First Floor became a sealed space.

Chi You stepped down the last stair with elegant grace, entering the First Floor hall.

Jiang Luo turned to face him. Even when losing, he wouldn't lose his bearing. Though clearly at a disadvantage, Jiang Luo held his posture high. 'Chi You, you didn't die after all.'

He crossed his arms over his chest, at ease, and raised an eyebrow curiously: 'So, you've rushed here to tell me your secret?'

'If that's the case, I'm sorry to disappoint you,' the corner of his mouth lifted slowly, 'you'll have to tell me two secrets.'

Jiang Luo didn't feel, at this moment, the hatred toward the Chi Clan that demanded its destruction.

Of course, he was the type to repay every grievance. Once he learned from Lu You exactly what the Chi Clan had done by manipulating Fu Yuaner, there'd be time enough for hatred.

He was playing a game of timing with the evil ghost.

Chi You laughed strangely. 'Yes, I have two secrets to tell you.'

He walked forward step by step, the refined elegance of his exterior on the verge of collapse. Cracks split open on him, darkness and madness leaking through, like a High Mountain on the brink of tumbling down.

Chi You had always been good-looking. After his death, the death qi covering his features even carried a faintly sickly, fragile beauty. A tall nose bridge, smiling eyes—he was the picture of handsome gentleness.

But now, Chi You seemed about to reveal his true nature, twisted madness surfacing in his air.

Jiang Luo sensed something was wrong.

Was Chi You going mad from disgust—because Jiang Luo had forcibly kissed him and framed him as a substitute corpse?

At the alarm of danger, Jiang Luo flicked his wrist, and twelve Runes flew out, charging at Chi You in one go!

Chi You raised his hand to block the twelve Runes, but the twelve Runes unexpectedly condensed into two chains before him, wrapping around his wrists and pulling backward at high speed.

Chi You was locked in place, his arms spread wide behind him.

He clenched his fist, his right hand pulling forward a fraction. The two chains instantly merged into one, gripping Chi You's right hand with full force.

This time Chi You couldn't break free at all; he was bound in place.

The evil ghost glanced back at the golden chains, then turned his head back, looking at the dark-haired youth with a half-smile.

The dark-haired youth stood cautiously not far from him. 'Speak. About your two secrets.'

The evil ghost revealed a composed smile, deceptively easy. 'Come a little closer.'

Jiang Luo stood utterly still, utterly composed. Chi You's smile didn't change, but his gaze grew meaningful. 'Scared?'

'Provocation doesn't work on me,' Jiang Luo scoffed. But after confirming the Runes had Chi You bound solidly, he still walked a few steps forward. 'But out of pity for you, I'll let it slide. Fine, you can talk now.'

He was far too curious about Chi You's secrets.

Every single one, all of them—he wanted to know them, to understand them clearly.

This obsessive thought made every step Jiang Luo took feel like walking on a sharp blade, each one trembling with danger, yet irresistibly alluring.

'The first secret,' the evil ghost's voice was low, 'which aspect do you want to hear?'

Jiang Luo said: 'You.'

The evil ghost said as if suddenly enlightened: 'Oh, me.'

'My secrets, then, are many,' the evil ghost smiled, his peripheral vision flicking past the golden chains. 'I carry a curse on my body.'

Jiang Luo waited, but no continuation came. His brow twitched. 'That's it?'

Chi You raised an eyebrow. 'The rest is the content of the second secret.'

Jiang Luo laughed in spite of his anger, his smile not reaching his eyes. 'Chi You, that's just like you—splitting one secret into two. Why not count each character as a separate secret?'

Chi You said: 'Then come closer to me. Close enough to make me happy, and I'll tell you everything else.'

Jiang Luo felt like cat claws were scratching wildly inside him. He licked his lips, looked up—and found Chi You watching him with a particular meaning.

He suddenly remembered there was still Chi You's saliva on his lips. Jiang Luo stiffly withdrew his tongue and said coldly: 'Keep looking at me like that and I'll gouge your eyes out.'

Chi You laughed low in his chest. 'Don't be so fierce.'

Jiang Luo grew increasingly irritated seeing him like this. To make Chi You and the Faceless Monster clash, he'd forcibly kissed Chi You.

But the result? Chi You had dealt with the Faceless Monster easily and was pursuing him again. Though Jiang Luo had prepared himself for Chi You being able to defeat the Faceless Monster, he never expected Chi You to do it so easily and quickly.

This gave Jiang Luo the feeling he'd lost out badly.

What chilled him even more: did Chi You really have no weakness?

He took a deep breath, walked two more steps forward, his tone ice-forged. 'Speak.'

The distance between him and the evil ghost closed.

Close enough that in the moonlight, the evil ghost could see every shift in his expression.

The pale moonlight, jade-like, fell on Jiang Luo's profile. From his full forehead downward, it traced the corner of his eye, the tip of his nose, and the bead of his lip that had just been kissed by the evil ghost.

Like a highlight, it instantly marked the most crucial stroke on the dark-haired youth. It made him vivid and real, brimming with a quietly flowing vitality like a long river of floating dust.

Chi You's gaze was casual, a smile on his face, as if this secret were of no consequence to him. 'This curse, every member of the Chi Clan's Direct Lineage carries. It restricts us,' he said loosely and carelessly: 'We cannot harm the Collateral Line.'

Jiang Luo paused, thoughtful.

No wonder.

'That counts as one. What's the next?' Jiang Luo grew even more impatient.

Chi You countered: 'What do you want to know?'

Jiang Luo paused, then said slowly: 'Do you have a weakness?'

The moment the question left his mouth, Jiang Luo's heartbeat quickened with it.

No one would willingly tell others their weakness, but Jiang Luo would rather hear Chi You say 'no comment' than hear 'none' from the evil ghost's mouth.

The evil ghost raised his eyebrows in surprise, his tone ambiguous: 'Not bad, that's a good question.'

Jiang Luo couldn't help stepping forward. 'Is there one or not.'

'Well, of course—' the evil ghost's tail tone suddenly lifted, 'make me happy first, then we'll talk.'

His right arm, bound by the golden chains, twisted with force. His right arm actually twisted itself to a horrifying angle—and in the next instant, Chi You twisted off his own right arm in front of Jiang Luo.

If he couldn't break free of the twelve Runes, he'd just cut off his hand. Jiang Luo's face was splashed with a streak of black blood flowing from the evil ghost's severed arm.

Jiang Luo froze.

In this moment, his mind went blank. He stared dumbly as the evil ghost, covering the place where his right arm had broken off, walked up to him with a pleased smile.

His first thought surfaced belatedly.

Do evil ghosts have blood too?

Chi You lowered his head, released the left hand stained with the wound of his right arm, and stroked the side of Jiang Luo's face.

A bone-chilling cold crept from skin into marrow.

'I'm not happy,' Chi You said slowly. 'You made me a substitute corpse, used this method to play me.'

Blood covered Jiang Luo's face, dripping from beside his eye. Jiang Luo smelled a thick scent of blood.

Chi You's gaze was icy and terrifying. 'What you did makes me want to devour you piece by piece. Since that's the case, then use your method to make me happy.'

As the words fell, his left hand lifted Jiang Luo's chin, and he suddenly kissed him with vicious cruelty.

His kiss was not a kiss, but a wild beast and evil ghost tearing at prey. Bloody, combative, thick with ghostly qi—no tenderness, no lingering, yet it made one gasp, gave one the terror and horror of being devoured, eaten piece by piece.

Jiang Luo's lips were bitten until they bled, the pain intense.

The dark-haired youth's eyes sharpened again. He reached out, one of the twelve Runes flew into his hand and became a dagger. Without hesitation, he plunged the dagger into Chi You's body.

The evil ghost seemed not to notice, not pulling back even a fraction. Instead, as if punishing, his biting and gnawing at Jiang Luo's lips grew more vicious and cold. Jiang Luo's breathing took on the urgency of fury, and he bit down with equal force.

But he nearly had his teeth broken by Chi You's lips.

Shit.

Damn.

So hard.

Jiang Luo's breath hitched. He drove the dagger deeper, while the other eleven Runes wrapped around the evil ghost's neck, struggling to pull him away from Jiang Luo.

The evil ghost finally raised his head.

His lips were crimson. He stuck out his tongue and licked away the blood on his lips, smiling: 'Ah, my mood has improved considerably.'

Jiang Luo's face was ashen, his expression darkly shifting as he watched him.

The one-armed evil ghost raised his hand again, lightly brushing his own moist, gleaming lips. 'Of course I have a weakness.'

'For instance, your Yin-Yang Ring,' he said casually, 'for instance...'

Danger wrapped in a thick, sticky syrup of ambiguity: 'A kiss that distracts me.'

Black Mist rose, slowly enveloping Chi You. His self-twisted-off right arm was also wrapped in the Black Mist. Chi You looked down at Jiang Luo. The rage and thick killing intent that had surged from being played—now suddenly joined by another chaotic, murky desire.

Chi You didn't understand what this signified.

But he could always find the answer on Jiang Luo.

Chi You gave Jiang Luo one last meaningful look, then vanished along with the Black Mist.

Jiang Luo wiped his lips with a dark expression, furious.

What was Chi You doing?

Deliberately using his own method to disgust him?

Jiang Luo felt something was off. His motion of wiping his lips paused.

But more important than this was what Chi You had said: 'Of course I have a weakness.'

What exactly was Chi You's weakness?

*

Chi You appeared on the Sixth Floor.

He hummed softly—a song, the same one Jiang Luo had been humming the first time Chi You saw him after death. The cheerful tune in his mouth was strangely sinister. Black Mist wrapped around his severed arm, pressing against the wound. As the arm regenerated, a piercing pain shot from marrow to skin.

This kind of pain even acted on the soul level, but Chi You seemed not to feel it. He wore a strange smile, his mood visibly good.

Teng Bi stepped out of the darkness, stiffly: 'Master.'

'Teng Bi,' Chi You said with a smile, 'it's been a long time since I've seen you.'

Teng Bi pressed his lips together. 'Yes.'

In the darkness, the sound of flesh and blood growing on the arm was like it was right beside his ear. Even a Divine Statue's stone body, once alive, had flesh and blood, had sensation and pain.

Teng Bi had experienced such pain before. If he hadn't experienced the agony of Black Mist invading his flesh during his amnesia, he would probably have only gone by his master's expression and assumed the master couldn't feel pain.

Chi You asked: 'How does it feel, living with humans?'

Teng Bi thought of those memories from when he was the Dead Ghost. He lowered his head and said, against his heart: 'Not great.'

'Then you'll have to endure a while longer,' Chi You's arm had reattached. He slowly rotated his right hand and clenched his fist. 'After this, you'll lie low within their team.'

Teng Bi was startled. 'Master?'

Chi You said: 'They call you "Dead Ghost." Not a bad name. Since that's the case, play the role of "Dead Ghost" well.'

The evil ghost's eyes flashed. 'Watch Jiang Luo... for me.'

*

It took Jiang Luo a long time to calm down.

But his expression was still ugly. Jiang Luo opened the door, intending to leave directly, but the Dead Ghost's voice suddenly came from behind.

The Dead Ghost said: 'Jiang Luo?'

Jiang Luo turned to look. The Dead Ghost walked out from the Corridor, the Great Sword in his hand. 'I went to get my weapon. Where are the others?'

Unexpectedly, the Dead Ghost hadn't recovered yet. Jiang Luo couldn't tell if it was joy or disappointment. He clicked his tongue and beckoned to the Dead Ghost. 'Let's go. They're at the Hospital.'

The Dead Ghost's tone lifted. 'Hospital?'

'Lu You is injured,' Jiang Luo said. Even as he spoke, he could still feel the discomfort of being invaded by another soft yet hard tongue. He frowned hard, developing a shadow over this place. 'We'll talk outside.'

Teng Bi stepped out from the shadows, hiding his uneasy expression. But after seeing Jiang Luo's appearance clearly, he froze and couldn't help asking: 'What happened to your mouth?'