Chi Tian kissed the woman several times. She still didn’t respond, but he didn’t care. When his hand slid to her thigh, he suddenly felt it was wet.
He pulled his hand back and looked at it, muttering, “Did this chick take a bath?”
But why was there still water?
He didn’t pay it any mind and continued, but water kept seeping out from the woman, more and more. The bedsheet was soaked in the shape of a person.
Chi Tian finally sensed that something was wrong.
The woman’s leg was icy cold. When he pinched it, a deep purple bruise quickly formed on her pale blue-white skin.
Deep purple…
That only happens to the dead!
Chi Tian started to feel scared. But this was someone his mom brought, so he tried to calm himself. Still, he lost interest and didn’t want to continue. As he was trying to get off the woman, his gaze accidentally landed on her hands resting by her sides.
The bright red nail polish stabbed into his eyes like blood.
Chi Tian’s expression suddenly changed. He stiffly reached up and pulled off the hat covering her face—beneath it was a beautiful face.
It looked familiar. Chi Tian couldn’t quite remember where he’d seen it before—until suddenly, he screamed: “Ahhh—!”
It was the maid he had groped in the dark and accidentally killed last night!
Now that she’d been recognized, the woman’s bloodless face curved into a sinister smile. She sat up and clutched Chi Tian’s throat with both hands. Pinning him to the wall, her arms stretched unnaturally, lifting him off the bed into the air.
The choking sensation turned Chi Tian’s face blue. He gasped hoarsely and suddenly remembered something—he spat a mouthful of blood onto the woman.
The blood forced her to retreat slightly. Her face twisted with malice and hatred. Chi Tian crashed to the ground. Without hesitation, trembling, he shoved open the cell door and ran.
The female ghost chased after him. Chi Tian grew more and more terrified. He suddenly saw his mother waiting up ahead. He cursed under his breath—It’s all her fault for bringing that ghost woman who’s trying to kill me! Still, he grabbed his mother and dragged her forward with him.
His mother looked at the ghost behind them in disbelief. “She—what is she?!”
Chi Tian glared at her as if to say: Shut up!
His mother trembled and said no more, running with him. But as they turned a corner, Chi Tian slipped and fell, dragging his mother down with him into the corner.
The two of them huddled together, fear written all over their faces as they watched the ghost walk toward them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chi Tian glanced at his mother’s face. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
He could throw her to the ghost to buy himself time to escape.
Yes, that was still an option.
His mom loved him so much—she wouldn’t blame him. She might even cry and tell him to run quickly, just like five years ago when they were in danger and he shoved her toward a ghost.
…
Wait.
He had already gotten his mom killed five years ago.
Chi Tian stiffly turned his head to look at the trembling woman he was clinging to.
His mother smiled at him. Her kind face slowly morphed into a rotting corpse. Bloody, mangled flesh dropped from her face onto Chi Tian’s hand.
“My son,” she said, “are you planning to push me again?”
Chi Tian’s arms trembled. His face turned deathly pale. Screaming, he shoved his mother away and crawled off down another path.
Fear sent a chill down his spine. His whole body bristled. He wet himself, reeking of blood and urine.
Now there were two ghosts chasing him.
Chi Tian stumbled along, face full of snot and tears. As he ran, he saw a police officer ahead waving to him anxiously. “Come on! The station isn’t safe anymore! We need to get out of here!”
Chi Tian, seeing a lifeline, rushed toward him. The officer held a key and led him toward the exit. The corridor had gone eerily quiet. The officer suddenly said, “Let me tell you a story.”
Chi Tian had no interest in hearing it, but the silence was even more terrifying, so he listened in silence.
The officer told him a short ghost story. By the time it ended, Chi Tian was trembling all over, drenched in cold sweat, regretting he hadn’t stopped the officer from telling it.
There was no other reason—this ghost story was just too terrifying. The way the protagonist devoured himself bite by bite left Chi Tian trembling all over just thinking about it.
As they spoke, they had already reached the main entrance. The police officer pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Chi Tian was the first to rush out, but the moment he stepped outside, he froze.
All of Bojiucheng was ablaze.
Flames soared everywhere. Human screams mixed with eerie ghostly laughter—Bojiucheng had become a living h*ll.
Chi Tian couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In a daze, he asked, “What’s going on?”
“All the ghosts have come out. This place is now a ghost city,” the officer said as he walked to Chi Tian’s side. “Someone wants to kill everyone in Bojiucheng and use their lives for a ritual.”
Chi Tian shuddered. “Kill everyone? Then I—I’m also…”
The officer said, “Weren’t you already dead?”
Chi Tian’s heart trembled. He stared at the officer in fear. “What do you mean?!”
“Look at your legs,” the officer said calmly.
Chi Tian looked down—and his eyes bulged in disbelief. He almost passed out. “My legs—why are my legs backwards?!”
His toes were pointing behind him!
“You forgot?” The officer’s voice was flat. “Your legs were broken by Chi You. Your arms too. You even bit through your own tongue. That’s why you couldn’t speak before. But now… you can speak again.”
Chi Tian froze. That’s right—he could talk again.
The officer said, “You’re already dead.”
“I’m dead…?” Chi Tian said weakly.
“If you don’t believe me,” the officer replied, “take a look.”
Chi Tian didn’t know what to look at—but his hands suddenly moved on their own, beyond his control, rising toward his mouth. His jaw opened wide—so wide it nearly dislocated—and he began to devour his own arms, bite by bite.
His eyes were filled with horror, but his mouth moved faster and faster. Soon, he had swallowed one entire arm—and then he started on the other.
Chi Tian died right there on the ground.
His stomach bulged grotesquely, his mouth foaming with blood, and his face frozen in the most twisted, terrified expression imaginable.
The two female ghosts from the detention cell emerged. Ignoring Chi Tian’s corpse, they walked to stand behind the officer.
The officer raised his head—his face featureless, without eyes, nose, or mouth. He looked toward the area where the fire and screams were most intense and said, “There are fewer and fewer humans left. Now, let’s go to the Jiang household.”
***
Chi You laid against the headboard, a relaxed smile on his lips, flipping through a book.
Jiang Luo laid on the inner side of the bed. He had originally planned to sleep, but for some reason, his right eyelid kept twitching uncontrollably, sending him ominous signals.
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what could be wrong. To ease his nerves, he struck up a conversation. “What book are you reading?”
“Just some miscellaneous essays,” Chi You replied, setting the book aside with a smile as he looked at him. “Can’t sleep?”
Jiang Luo nodded honestly.
Chi You smiled again and suddenly sat up. “Since you can’t sleep, why don’t we do something else?”
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow, perking up a bit. “Something else?”
The candlelight in the room suddenly extinguished.
Jiang Luo’s wariness spiked. The next moment, he felt a gust of wind rush at him—and then Chi You grabbed his wrists and pressed his back against the cool wall.
Jiang Luo wasn’t alarmed. He blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
What was this? A showdown? Or something more ambiguous?
He tested his grip—this Chi You wasn’t yet the battle-hardened version he’d fought many times in the future. His hold was easy to escape with a bit of technique. Knowing this, Jiang Luo didn’t rush to break free. Calm and composed, he decided to see what Chi You intended to do.
He even had a bolder idea.
It would be best if the ghost was still hiding in the wardrobe—in the same room. Didn’t the ghost hate it when Jiang Luo got too close to the mirror-world Chi You? Then Jiang Luo wanted to go even further—let him watch.
As for why the ghost cared, or how he might react—Jiang Luo didn’t bother to think that far. He just felt a thrill rising in his veins like a pounding heartbeat in the dark. Though his legs looked relaxed, every muscle in his body was tightly wound, ready to counter any attack from Chi You or the ghost.
Then—warm breath brushed the side of Jiang Luo’s face.
He waited for Chi You to say something, but unexpectedly, Chi You suddenly leaned in and brushed a fleeting kiss against his lips.
Jiang Luo’s eyes flew open.
His pupils shifted, surprise giving way to something more knowing. So it’s like that, he thought. As expected— even the young Chi You had developed these kinds of feelings for him. His lips curled up, but he quickly suppressed the smile and deliberately sneered.
“Young Master Chi,” he said coldly, “is this what you call being a good ‘brother’?”
Chi You’s voice was low. “You’re my wife—at least in name.”
An inexperienced boy who doesn’t even know how to have sex, Jiang Luo thought, and he’s already pretending like this? It was almost laughable.
He withdrew his legs, the edge of his calf brushing against Chi You’s body, his tone full of mockery and provocation. “Wife? Is Master Chi going back on his word now? I only planned to be friends with you, not do this kind of thing.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Chi You said gently, pressing another light kiss to Jiang Luo’s eyelid. “As long as I’m happy.”
Then his lips, barely brushing Jiang Luo’s skin, slid downward. His breath heated the air as he moved to Jiang Luo’s neck.
“I heard something from the elders,” he whispered. “Shall we try it?”
Jiang Luo froze. Whether it was now or in the future, Chi You was always the same. He had just been toying with Chi You, mocking the younger version of the ghost—how could he possibly seriously “try something” with him?
He was about to use a subtle technique to slip free from Chi You’s grip, but suddenly, a chill touched his wrists.
It felt as if another pair of invisible ghostly hands were layered over Chi You’s, also clutching his.
In the next moment, a freezing sensation touched the back of his neck—as if someone was kissing him there. But behind Jiang Luo… was a wall!
Jiang Luo’s expression shifted. The cold touch moved lower—down his spine.
It was definitely Chi You. It had to be that despicable ghost!
Jiang Luo no longer hesitated and tried to struggle free with force.
But his hands were being held down by both a human’s and a ghost’s—there was no way to break free.
Chi You stood before him, the ghost behind him—he had no way out.
Chi You lifted his gaze, eyes gleaming darkly in the night. His voice carried an ambiguous weight: “You’re trying to reject me?”
