Mr. Evil Spirit.
Bai Yefeng’s gaze shifted ever so slightly. His smile remained flawless, but it now felt hollow, dead. “Classmate Jiang, who are you talking about?”
Jiang Luo’s foot pressed down harder, his boot grinding into the ghost’s shoulder and leaving smears of dirt. The malice in his smile was unmistakable as he stared down at Bai Yefeng, lips curving coldly.
“Classmate Bai, there’s no one here but you and me—who do you think I’m talking about?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Luo leaned down, bringing his mouth close to Bai Yefeng’s ear. The dagger in his hand slid from Bai Yefeng’s forehead to his heart, and he said slowly, “Play human for too long, and even you forget whether you’re ghost or man… Chi You.”
Chi You paused—then slowly began to smile.
It was as though he had finally shed the human mask, revealing the dark and terrifying being beneath. A twitchy, unsettling glee danced at the corners of his mouth. Though it was still the same face, it now sent chills down the spine, as if the fear seeped from your very bones.
The evil ghost’s grin widened. He removed his wet glasses and asked curiously, “How did you figure it out?”
Jiang Luo smiled silently.
On the seventh day after Chi You’s death, he had used a special suppression talisman designed to deal with evil spirits to torment Chi You to the brink of death.
Aside from venting some of his resentment, Jiang Luo also came to a more direct realization of Chi You’s talent.
Chi You’s rate of growth had reached a terrifying level. At the beginning, Jiang Luo could inflict damage with just one talisman, but as time went on, it took two or three talismans to achieve the same effect as one did before.
It was as if death had truly freed Chi You from some kind of limitation.
In the following month, Jiang Luo threw himself into study with a feverish intensity, no doubt spurred on by Chi You’s freakish pace of development.
Jiang Luo’s talismans were powerful—top-tier ones were always rare on the market. And the only person who could turn his talismans to ash without flinching… was Chi You.
Jiang Luo didn’t explain how he had recognized him. Instead, he let out a low, provocative chuckle. “Let me guess what you’re trying to do.”
“You’ve been controlling Bai Yefeng since five years ago, haven’t you?” Jiang Luo’s voice lowered further, as if speaking a world-shattering secret. “Chi You is you, and the famous Bai Yefeng is also you. While you were alive, how many other famous prodigies were you manipulating behind the scenes? What are you after? To become some tyrant pulling the strings of the mystic world from the shadows? A malicious demon king no one dares to defy?”
Jiang Luo laughed. “Your ambition’s not small, Chi You.”
Chi You gave a subtle smile.
Jiang Luo straightened slightly, locking eyes with the ghost behind Bai Yefeng’s human disguise. The water dripping from the ghost’s body was close enough to wet the tip of Jiang Luo’s sharp nose. He said softly, “It’s a pity—I can’t kill your true body.”
“But just destroying the puppet you’ve spent five years cultivating… is enough to make me happy for a long time.”
Jiang Luo sat up, lowered his gaze at Chi You, and, without hesitation, let out a sharp whistle.
The doors of the natatorium were suddenly kicked open. Nearly all the participants began filing in. Leading them were Lu Youyi and the others whom Jiang Luo had sent to gather everyone.
A drone followed the crowd, hovering by the window. In an instant, dozens of eyes surrounded the entire pool.
The confused contestants were startled by the sight of Jiang Luo and Chi You.
“What are they… doing?”
“Why’s he holding a blade?”
“Is he gonna kill him? Holy sh*t!”
With his back to the crowd and the drones, Jiang Luo smiled at the ghost. The blade in his hand pressed harder, and the talisman attached to its tip suddenly ignited before everyone’s eyes.
“Look, everyone—the ghost-seeking talisman is burning,” Jiang Luo raised his voice. “Bai Yefeng has been possessed by an evil spirit!”
The drone broadcasted the scene clearly to the livestream.
There were only about a hundred young metaphysics practitioners in high schools across the nation, but many more people knew about the mystic world, especially disciples of the six major sects. Among them, most had heard of Bai Yefeng. The livestream chat instantly exploded.
【Holy sh*t, holy sh*t, holy sh*t?!】
【Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why is the ghost-seeking talisman burning on Bai Yefeng?!】
【Bai Yefeng’s possessed by a ghost? Since when?! How can a prodigy like him be possessed? My worldview just collapsed.】
【I’m so confused. Bai Yefeng is a ghost?! Since when?!】
Jiang Luo continued, “Over the past three days, I noticed something was off with Bai Yefeng. After repeated probing, I discovered that his body is hiding an evil ghost.”
“This ghost disguised himself as Bai Yefeng. He was so convincing that no one even suspected a thing.” Jiang Luo looked at the ghost with a smile. “It made me wonder… how long has the ghost been possessing Bai Yefeng? Three days? A month? A year? Two years… or perhaps, five years?”
His voice, though not loud, hit like a torpedo dropped into still waters—causing an uproar among the students.
“No way…”
But even a one-in-a-thousand chance was enough to send chills down their spines.
Xu Yan suddenly recalled the question Jiang Luo had asked him earlier—what was Bai Yefeng like in the past?
His mind went blank. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember.
Average. Ordinary. Five years ago, when Bai Yefeng started rising to fame, the memory of the quiet, unremarkable Bai Yefeng from before was completely overwritten.
…But that gentle, kind Bai Yefeng—was he ever real?
A violent shiver ran through him.
Jiang Luo questioned the ghost in the water, pressing, “Who are you? Why did you possess Bai Yefeng? And how long have you been in his body?”
The questions came one after another, his voice sharp and oppressive.
For the first time, the ghost’s face darkened.
Sinister ghostly energy twisted across his face. Black mist clawed out from him like ghostly talons—just watching through a screen was enough to make viewers tremble and feel an icy chill down their spines.
Anyone whose crucial chess piece was suddenly exposed and destroyed would be filled with towering rage.
Especially since this puppet had been a key piece Chi You had planted five years ago.
Chi You hadn’t expected Jiang Luo to discover the puppet’s identity, let alone expose it so quickly and publicly.
This move completely ruined the value of “Bai Yefeng” and disrupted the entire progression of his plan.
The ghostly mist roiled with furious intensity.
Jiang Luo’s eyes suddenly turned red as he glared at the ghost, voice hoarse with fury. “What was your purpose in possessing Bai Yefeng? Chi You… was Chi You’s death related to you?”
He growled through clenched teeth, “Bai Yefeng was a genius. Chi You was a genius. Bai Yefeng got possessed. Chi You suddenly died… Was Chi You also killed this way?!”
Wenren Lian and the others were stirred into thought.
Right, could Chi You’s death be related to Bai Yefeng being possessed?
Chi You and Bai Yefeng shared too many similarities—it was almost impossible not to link the two of them together.
Jiang Luo’s dagger was about to pierce the skin of the evil spirit.
Chi You laughed in rage. Bracing both hands on the edge of the pool, he suddenly pushed himself up. The dagger in his chest was swallowed deeper into his body by his own will. Blood gushed out in torrents, flowing down the dagger onto Jiang Luo’s hand, dripping into the pool below.
The deep red turned lighter as it spread, dyeing the water a sickly crimson.
“You’re quite something,” Chi You laughed maniacally, pushing himself even closer. He leaned into Jiang Luo’s ear, his voice sultry and lingering, like that of a dying lover. “Jiang Luo, I almost can’t bear to kill you.”
Yet, in stark contrast to his words, an intense murderous intent surged in his eyes.
The evil spirit finally realized just how dangerous Jiang Luo truly was.
The dagger sank deeper through flesh and blood, but Jiang Luo’s expression remained unchanged. He calmly pushed it in farther, out of view of the hovering drones, and gave a slight smile. “But I really do want to kill you.”
He pulled out a handful of talismans and struck them all onto Bai Yefeng. Even as a puppet of Chi You, under that barrage of talismans, he was immobilized for a moment. Jiang Luo then kicked him into the water and turned away. “Call the staff and an ambulance now!”
Chi You stared up at the rippling surface of the water, watching as Jiang Luo’s reflection twisted and warped—but the fleeting smile at the corner of Jiang Luo’s mouth remained as dazzling and cruel as ever.
Villain or hero, Jiang Luo played both roles alone. If it weren’t for the timing or the current situation, Chi You would have almost admired such tactics.
Moments later, the puppet possessed by the evil spirit resurfaced. Jiang Luo’s companions rushed forward to pull him back, standing protectively in front of him and eyeing the evil spirit with caution.
Ye Xun bit his finger to awaken Little Pink and said seriously, “Little Pink, go.”
The heavy doll—a wraith doll—stood up and jumped into the pool, floating toward Chi You.
Chi You’s snake-like, cold gaze cut through the crowd and locked precisely onto Jiang Luo. With a blank expression, he raised his hand—and in an instant, the doll was torn in half by a surge of black mist.
Ye Xun’s eyes widened in shock. “Little Pink…”
A gaping hole opened in the evil spirit’s chest, but he seemed to feel no pain. He walked out of the water, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Just as he was about to act, the evil spirit suddenly looked toward the door.
Narrowing his eyes, he smiled strangely at Jiang Luo. A burst of black mist burst out from Bai Yefeng’s body. Bai Yefeng immediately collapsed, unconscious, and was quickly caught by the students from Shanhai University.
“Quick! Call an ambulance!”
Jiang Luo turned to see a few judge-teachers standing at the entrance. In the center of the group was none other than the Heavenly Master, Feng Li.
Feng Li quietly observed the crowd. His expression was calm, as if neither surprised nor disturbed by what had just occurred—even though the students were clearly panicked, it did not affect him in the slightest.
Zhuo Zhengyu snapped out of his shock and stepped forward to restore order.
Feng Li turned to a disciple beside him and said, “It’s time for them to submit their answers.”
Zhuo Zhengyu quickly wrote a bleeding-stopping talisman and burned it over Bai Yefeng’s chest. After helping him onto the ambulance, he patted Jiang Luo’s shoulder with a hint of appreciation. “This isn’t your fault. If Bai Yefeng had already been possessed by the evil spirit, and it had been hiding among us all along… then you’ve actually done a great service.”
His expression grew heavier. “If one person was possessed, there could be a second. Who knows how many gaps the evil spirits have exploited in today’s metaphysical world?”
If even a genius like Bai Yefeng could fall, could anyone else truly be safe from possession?
How many more people are just like Bai Yefeng?
Among those we interact with daily—how can we be sure they are human and not possessed?
Zhuo Zhengyu suppressed the weight in his heart and turned to Jiang Luo’s group. “Go submit your answers now.”
