70

Clouds gathered instantly over Jiang Luo's face. He gave a cold laugh, but the smile pulled at the wound on his lip. Darkly, eerily, he said: 'Bitten by a dog.'

Teng Bi: '……'

The moment he finished asking, he sensed something was off — because on Jiang Luo, he had caught a scent that belonged to his master.

And now that he thought about it, he had also caught the scent of a living person on his master.

Had the two of them fought?

His master's arm severed by Jiang Luo, and Jiang Luo's… lips wounded by his master?

And his master had even been cursed as a 'dog.'

Teng Bi's brow twitched. He couldn't fathom what kind of fight could end up looking like this. To avoid exposure, he could only pretend he knew nothing. But was pretending ignorance enough? Drily, Teng Bi said: 'Is that so. Then do you need to go to the Hospital for a rabies shot?'

Rabies shot — a term he had picked up in human society.

A good deal of Jiang Luo's fury dissipated at once. With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, he said: 'Yeah. Bitten by a dog. Wouldn't a rabies shot be in order.'

Teng Bi didn't know why his mood had suddenly improved. The two of them walked out of the building. On the road, Teng Bi watched Jiang Luo out of the corner of his eye, as if not watching at all.

What had his master meant by 'watch Jiang Luo'?

Jiang Luo asked: 'Dead Ghost, what are you watching me for?'

Teng Bi stiffened, drew his eyes back, and mumbled: 'Nothing.'

Jiang Luo didn't ask again. Out of the recording site, he hailed a car and went to the Hospital to find Ye Xun and Lu You.

Inside the Hospital Ward, besides the two of them, there were also police, the Overall Director, and the chief planner.

The Overall Director was grinning at Ye Xun, all teeth and no eyes. Every time he saw Ye Xun, the Overall Director seemed a little afraid of him.

The young officer looked very familiar. Upon seeing Jiang Luo, he flashed a mouthful of white teeth and waved. 'Hey, we meet again.'

Jiang Luo thought about it. This man was precisely the officer who had handled The Human-Faced Guest at Hotel 129. 'What a coincidence?'

'Every Paranormal Incident in this district is handled by me and a few other colleagues,' the young officer said, his smile bright and sunny. 'Classmate Lu is in the operating room getting stitches. Classmate Jiang, I still have a few questions for you — is now a good time to answer?'

Jiang Luo pulled at his lips. 'Hold on. Let me brush my teeth first.'

The young officer looked at his swollen, split lips — as though something had bitten and torn at them — and asked tactfully: 'What happened to you here?'

Teng Bi watched Jiang Luo's face turn ugly in an instant. He coughed and said with a straight face: 'He was bitten by a dog.'

The young officer said awkwardly: 'I see.'

Ye Xun said, puzzled: 'There are dogs in the dormitory building?'

Jiang Luo smiled. 'There are.'

He took a disposable toothbrush set from the cabinet, nodded to them with an easy smile, and walked into the bathroom. Once no one else was in sight, Jiang Luo abruptly dropped the smile from his face. He raised his hand to brush — the white bristles accidentally brushed his lip. Jiang Luo hissed, his expression growing colder and grimmer.

He leaned close to the Mirror and opened his lips. The inside was a mess of cuts, and his tongue had been bitten open in one spot. Small as it was, the cut hurt fiercely and was extraordinarily inconvenient.

Even though Jiang Luo's excuse was 'bitten by a dog,' anyone with experience would know better.

Only an innocent like Ye Xun or the Dead Ghost would believe the nonsense he spouted.

Jiang Luo closed his lips. In the Mirror, the black-haired young man was expressionless — frost on the wing, snow at dusk.

His face was gone, and so was what lay beneath it.

To call it a kiss was simply impossible. Did Jiang Luo not understand Chi You by now? Chi You himself had said the two of them were the same kind of person. By putting himself in that frame, Jiang Luo could deduce exactly what Chi You had felt. About Chi You kissing him, Jiang Luo could draw only one conclusion.

Chi You merely wanted to retaliate against him, to humiliate him.

Perhaps to mock and disgust him on top of that.

To mock Jiang Luo for laboring in vain — the Faceless Monster had been no match in Chi You's hands. To disgust Jiang Luo for kissing him — so the malevolent ghost had struck back with a kiss even more violent, like a downpour and a gale.

Every negative emotion could be folded into that 'kiss' — every one except desire, except love.

Jiang Luo could swear to it, hand on his chest.

Having thought it all through, that faint, hovering strangeness and sense of danger in his heart vanished completely. Jiang Luo endured the pain and brushed his teeth three times over. The more he brushed, the more the pain stoked his temper.

Chi You's lips had been hard as stone. Their kiss had been laced with the fire of war and the reek of blood. Resentment met suppression, and like dry tinder meeting raging flame, each side wanted only to burn the other to ash.

Jiang Luo's blood, and the malevolent ghost's black blood that had slid down his face to the corner of his lips — both had soaked through this silent, smokeless struggle from start to finish.

But the malevolent ghost would never end up as wretched as Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo cupped cold water and poured it over his face.

The faintly cool, clear water smoothed away his rage. When he lifted his head from the basin, the black-haired young man wore a brimming smile once more.

He walked out of the bathroom and submitted to the young officer's questioning.

What the young officer asked was nothing more than what the Faceless Monster was and how he had dealt with it. Jiang Luo lied with his eyes wide open, cutting Chi You out of the story and adding a few twists and turns to it.

The young officer listened, sighing again and again.

'That's far too dangerous.'

'Heavens, that can't have been easy, can't have been easy.'

'Aiyo, that was a close call — good thing you dodged fast, Classmate Jiang!'

The two were like a storyteller and his listener — one telling it so vividly it passed for truth, the other lapping it up with relish. When Jiang Luo finished the story, the young officer put away his little notebook, still wanting more. 'Classmate Jiang, rest assured. We'll report it upward and, where appropriate, get you a few extra credits.'

Jiang Luo gave a generous laugh: 'Thank you.'

Then, as if asking offhand: 'When we took part in the National Science Competition, there were police involved the whole time too. Was Officer Lin there back then?'

The young officer said: 'Police were required, yes — every district had to send people over. But I didn't go. A colleague of mine was assigned, though.'

'Actually, there's still one thing about that Competition I never figured out,' Jiang Luo said with a faint smile, lowering his voice. 'Officer Lin, do you know where the victim's body we found in the second round ended up?'

From that exchange just now, this officer named 'Lin Qin' had a strong streak of curiosity — even hearing a story, he had to get to the very bottom of it. He had something of Ye Xun's appetite for gossip.

His colleague had been sent to Yunnan to keep order at the Competition. Officer Lin had surely pried a fair amount out of that colleague's mouth.

Officer Lin lowered his voice too. 'You don't know?'

Jiang Luo shook his head. 'The organizers never told us.'

'They probably figured you didn't need to know,' Officer Lin said. 'The victim's body from the second round of the Competition — I heard it had already turned into a vengeful spirit. Didn't she, after death, drag a whole pile of corpses into the wall with her? An ordinary corpse couldn't manage anything like that. While she was alive, her talent must have been quite good — fine material for studying Xuanxue. I heard the organizers handed the body over to the Chi Clan. After all, a body that special could only reach its fullest use in the Chi Clan's hands.'

Realization dawned on Jiang Luo. 'So that's how it is.'

He thanked him with a smile: 'Thank you, Officer Lin, for telling me this.'

As expected, the Chi Clan's doing.

But the Chi Clan was being far too brazen — using Fu Yuaner against them. Weren't they afraid of it all coming to light?

Then it struck Jiang Luo. Oh — if they were all dead, how could anything come to light?

Qimen Dunjia, and Puppet manipulation — why had the Qi Family and the Chi Clan suddenly made their move?

After Jiang Luo and Officer Lin finished the statement, Officer Lin took Jiang Luo to find the Director. 'This assignment was special. We'd assumed that keeping a low profile would be enough to prevent identities from leaking — we never expected Classmate Jiang to become famous… Director, you know how it is. Neither the Xuanxue World nor the National Bureau wants ordinary people to know the Xuanxue World exists.'

The Director smiled bitterly. 'Say whatever you need to say. We will cooperate fully with the National Bureau.'

Officer Lin shook his head. 'We'll handle the rest. After all, a situation like this isn't a picture we want to see either.'

Having said this, Officer Lin took his leave. Jiang Luo and the others kept watch in the Hospital Ward. Lu You was staying in a premium ward — it was the first time Jiang Luo had ever seen a sofa, coffee table, and refrigerator inside a Hospital Ward, plus a kitchen that, though small, had everything one could need.

Jiang Luo simply rolled up his sleeves, surveyed what was in the refrigerator, and prepared to make the few of them a late-night meal after all that running around.

Ye Xun's eyes, which had nearly closed, snapped open. The moment he saw what Jiang Luo was doing, he perked up at once, got to his feet, and went to Jiang Luo's side. 'What are you making? Want some help?'

Jiang Luo examined the contents of the refrigerator, considering. 'Best not to eat too greasy right before bed… but once in a while is fine. Pork belly, eggplant, eggs…'

He rummaged through the kitchen seasonings — scallions, ginger, garlic, all the basics were there. Jiang Luo said: 'How about eggplant with minced meat, stir-fried pork, and an egg soup?'

Ye Xun's eyes lit up, his voice soaring. 'Sounds great!'

Jiang Luo washed the rice. 'You two, don't just stand there watching. Come help.'

Teng Bi froze for a moment, set the Great Sword in his hands down outside the kitchen wall, and walked hesitantly into the kitchen.

Jiang Luo handed him an eggplant, had Ye Xun cut the seasonings, and went to wash the rice and start it cooking himself.

Jiang Luo didn't particularly enjoy cooking, but focusing intently on one task did quiet his mind. Before he had a job, he had immersed himself in drafting; after he started working, the hobby had become his profession, and facing a computer all day long, his mind had begun to tire.

So Jiang Luo had taken up improving his cooking.

Calling it 'improving' was generous — it amounted to learning from videos. He likely had some natural talent for it; growing up, the skill that had kept him fed had become an ability worth mentioning aloud.

Jiang Luo poured out the rinse water. Behind him he heard the kitchen knife clatter to the floor, again and again. He turned to look and saw the cutting board in utter disarray.

The walking dead, after all, was a blade man — he'd peeled a single eggplant beautifully. But Ye Xun's skills weren't worth watching: scallion greens flew everywhere, garlic cloves reduced to mush.

Jiang Luo: '…Never mind. You two, wash the vegetables and scrub the dishes for me.'

Clumsily, Teng Bi joined Ye Xun in cleaning the bowls and chopsticks.

Ye Xun said softly: 'Jiang Luo cooks really well.'

Teng Bi said: 'The walking dead don't need to eat.'

Ye Xun smiled, gratified. 'Then I can eat two people's portions.'

Teng Bi: '……' Humans really were unlikable.

Once everything was ready, Jiang Luo set to work. The aroma in the kitchen was rich and fierce, instantly rousing everyone's appetite.

Two dishes and a soup were soon done. Ye Xun and Teng Bi carried the soups and bowls and chopsticks, one by one, to the coffee table beside the hospital bed.

Jiang Luo sat in the middle. He was about to eat a piece of stir-fried pork, but the moment it touched the inside of his lips, pain shot through. His face contorted for an instant before he remembered — he'd taken an 'internal injury,' and had to avoid anything spicy or greasy.

He'd made the meal but couldn't eat it. Jiang Luo drew a deep breath, calmly served himself a bowl of rice, and ladled some thick, milky egg-soup broth over it.

He smiled at the two who were watching him. 'I'll just have some soup first. You two go ahead and eat.'

Lured by the aroma, Lu You woke once partway through, ate two bowls of rice, and dropped back to sleep, happy as a dead pig.

By the time everything had quieted down, it was nearly four in the morning, the horizon faintly lightening.

Teng Bi kept watch on the sofa, the Great Sword in his arms. Even dressed in modern clothes, he looked like an ancient general seated cross-legged on the battlefield, guarding the field alone.

About him hung a killing air carried out of antiquity, laden with wind and sand — and a sense of solitude.

Jiang Luo lay on the cot, watching his back, a faint flicker in his eyes.

'Dead Ghost,' he said quietly, 'your blade — since when has it followed you?'

Teng Bi shook his head. 'I don't remember.'

He stroked the black-cloth-wrapped hilt of the Great Sword. He truly couldn't recall when this blade had begun to follow him. Teng Bi sat up straight. 'You should sleep.'

Jiang Luo gave a small smile. 'Good night.'

*

Jiang Luo slept lightly. The moment his Mobile Phone rang, his eyes opened at once.

'Hello?' The black-haired young man lay curled on his side, wrapped in the quilt, buried whole in bedding and strands of hair.

His voice was slightly hoarse, lazy with drowsiness.

Wenren Lian's voice came through, smiling: 'Not awake yet?'

'I'm awake now,' Jiang Luo yawned, eyes still shut. 'What is it?'

'Good news,' Wenren Lian said. 'The National Bureau and Tianshi Manor have joined forces to suppress all news of you.'

'Right now you can't find a single scrap about you anywhere online — you can't even pull up your tags or your name. Your photos have been thoroughly destroyed; even saved copies are useless… When the National Bureau steps in, you've got a guarantee, swift and decisive,' Wenren Lian sighed. 'Jiang Luo, you have no idea how many people in the industry want to curry favor with Tianshi Manor. Tianshi Manor leaks the slightest hint, and everyone who ever reposted about you on Weibo deletes their posts and won't say another word.'

And in the Entertainment Industry, Jiang Luo would soon fade into silence, never to be discovered again.

Jiang Luo searched online. Sure enough, the net was dead calm — he couldn't dig up anything related to himself.

He thought about it and clicked into Qin Fan's Weibo. The post Qin Fan had put up earlier was gone too, and beneath the comments all was peaceful and serene.

Jiang Luo nodded, satisfied, and was about to back out — when, right before his eyes, he watched Qin Fan's Weibo post a fresh update.

【@Qin Fan: A pleasant day.】

Five simple characters, the comment count climbing fast. Jiang Luo stared at the line, and somehow felt it had been said for him to hear.

Fuck.

The image of Chi You smiling as he said those words flashed before his eyes — the malevolent ghost grinning, posture lofty, that handsome face spelling out nothing but 'asking for a beating.' In Jiang Luo's eyes, every single stroke of those five characters dripped with mockery aimed at him.

He registered a new account, went back to the comment section, and typed two words: 'Dumbass.'

A flood of Qin Fan's fans surged in beneath that comment at once.

Jiang Luo couldn't be bothered with them. He gave a snort of laughter, his mood considerably better, and climbed out of bed. 'Where are you all?'

'Kuang Zheng and I are on our way to find you,' Wenren Lian said, taking off his sunglasses and watching the streetscape rush past the car window. 'Ye Xun told me last night — Little Pink lost control, Lu You got hurt, and you got bitten by a dog too. I'm coming to comfort the wounded, and Kuang Zheng's coming to repair Little Pink.'

He finished: 'We'll talk about the rest at the Hospital. Anything you want to eat?'

Jiang Luo told him to bring lunch over a little later and hung up.

He took the chance to shower. When he came back out, Ye Xun and Lu You were sitting together watching TV.

Jiang Luo lay on the sofa to rest for a while. Ye Xun came over and dried his hair for him. Enjoying the easy feeling of his scalp being rubbed, Jiang Luo said lazily: 'Ye Xun, I get the feeling the Overall Director is really afraid of you. He's always so respectful when he's facing you.'

'I get a bit of that feeling too,' Ye Xun said earnestly. 'Yesterday, before you came to the Hospital, I asked him why. He hemmed and hawed, said he was afraid I'd eat his soul.'

Jiang Luo had a vague sense that line sounded familiar. 'Why would you eat his soul?'

Ye Xun shook his head. 'I don't know. He even addressed me as ‘Your venerable elder.’'

Jiang Luo: '……'

He suddenly remembered the nonsense he'd once made up for the boss of Hotel 129 — the '58-year-old college student who loves to devour living and dead souls and deliberately plays young.'

He laughed it off. 'Is that so, hahaha.'

Where on earth had this Overall Director picked up his rumors about the Xuanxue World? How could they be this unreliable!