Jiang Luo pulled out the stolen robe of the Sheng Gong. When he unfolded it, he found it still held the cane the Sheng Gong used to carry.
He let out a low whistle and draped the black robe over himself.
The hood fell, hiding his eyes and brows—eventually concealing the slight upward curve of his lips.
***
Half an hour had passed.
Huali was still sniffing the air.
Humans were supposed to have a distinct, living aura. But in the past thirty minutes, the scents his sensitive nose picked up were chaotic and fragmentary.
The aura of the two humans had steadily faded, as if covered up. Had they died? Or left the underground cave?
Huali continued wandering through the tunnels, his irritation growing.
There was, in fact, one other possibility—but he dismissed it without a thought.
The blood of the female scorpion-tailed creatures was rich with yin energy and could temporarily mask the life aura of a human.
But all of the female scorpion-tailed creatures in the cave had already been used to solidify the master’s soul, ensuring it bonded better with the god statue’s body.
Where could a human possibly obtain such blood?
No sooner had that thought crossed Huali’s mind than he sensed someone approaching from behind. He turned sharply, instantly alert—and saw the black-robed figure, cane in hand.
The scent of female scorpion-tailed blood still clung to the figure. Huali immediately bowed respectfully. “Master.”
“Mm.” The master’s tone was the usual casual indifference—but there was a chilling menace hidden beneath the calm words. “Huali, you haven’t found the statue yet.”
The voice was slightly lower than usual. Huali should have noticed that detail, but he was too frozen by fear to pay it much attention. He clenched his fists and murmured, “Yes.”
The “master” chuckled quietly and spoke again, unhurriedly, “Nor have you found the human you were looking for.”
Huali: “…Yes.”
Under the black robe, Jiang Luo mimicked Chi You’s tone. He lightly gripped the cane, the black-cloth-wrapped fingers running over its top. Every movement radiated a sinister intent that dared not be looked at directly. He said listlessly, “Once again, I have to clean up your mess.”
“I’m sorry, Master,” Huali said quickly, “I don’t know how, but that human has completely vanished. Her aura is gone—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Luo raised a finger and pressed it against the hood over his lips. “Shhh.”
Huali fell silent, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the statue,” Jiang Luo said lazily. “When you see it, Huali, I hope you’ll show me just how much you’ve improved over the years.”
Huali’s brow twitched, but he quickly stepped up beside Jiang Luo. “I will, Master.”
He silently resolved that no matter what, whether or not the statue had completed its sacrifice, he would not let the master lift a finger—he’d personally subdue the god statue.
Jiang Luo led him calmly in the direction of the statue.
To lure the statue away earlier, Jiang Luo had used a golden talisman rat from the Yin-Yang hoop. The rat hadn’t been recalled—it was now leading the god statue right toward them.
Jiang Luo’s steps were slow and measured, almost as if he were condescending to walk this path.
No one knew Chi You better than him—no one understood his mannerisms more clearly. As long as his voice was lower, his demeanor detached and willful, and his attitude cold and aloof, no one would notice the switch.
Not even Huali.
Huali hadn’t seen Chi You in years. Now, walking beside Jiang Luo, drenched in cold sweat, he never imagined that beneath the robe was a brazen human imposter.
Nervously, Huali broke the silence. “Master, there are many ghosts in this cave. They hope to serve under you.”
Jiang Luo raised a brow. “Oh?”
“They’re not very strong individually, but they’re many in number,” Huali explained. “This place has truly become a den of ghosts.”
Jiang Luo paused slightly, then replied calmly, “Mm.”
Huali seemed encouraged and continued, “Would you like to take them in, Master?”
He went on to list the more powerful ghosts one by one.
Jiang Luo made mental notes and replied lazily, “No rush.”
Soon, the thunderous footsteps of the god statue echoed ahead.
Huali murmured in awe, “As expected of the Master.”
Trying to impress after years apart, Huali rushed forward to engage the statue before it arrived.
Soon, the sounds of intense combat rang out.
Jiang Luo slowly stepped forward and stood in the darkness, leisurely observing the fight between Huali and the statue.
The god statue, though still unawakened, was an evil deity—not easy to defeat. If Huali had teamed up with Teng Bi, they might have overpowered it easily. But facing it alone, he was clearly struggling.
Still, despite the difficulty, he didn’t dare show even a hint of weakness—terrified of disappointing the master.
The battle between these two inhuman beings raged back and forth. Jiang Luo stood in the shadows, watching for a while, and then broke into silent laughter.
He slipped away silently, unnoticed. Taking advantage of this moment, he went to visit the ghosts who wished to serve under Chi You.
Jiang Luo’s time impersonating the Sheng Gong had been brief, and he had only lingered in the underground cave for a short while. But his aura and appearance were already imposing enough. Cloaked in a black robe, leaning on a cane, and with the Yin-Yang hoop faintly heating up, Jiang Luo walked forward. Who knew how many evil spirits recoiled and retreated the moment they saw him?
He arrived at the familiar four-way fork.
According to what Huali had said, aside from the first path, the remaining three tunnels were home to vicious, malevolent spirits.
Jiang Luo brushed the dust from his robe and walked inside at a measured pace.
***
Chi You was still soaking in the pool.
Time ticked by second by second, and the corners of his lips curved higher and higher. Just then, he picked up on Liao Si’s thoughts.
Liao Si said, “Master, are you there?”
Ordinarily, Chi You wouldn’t respond to such a question. But he was in a rare good mood today, so he lazily replied, “What is it?”
Liao Si quickly responded, “I’ve chosen someone from the 22 contestants to be my new body.”
Chi You drawled, “Who?”
“Jiang Luo,” Liao Si said excitedly. “Master, he’s perfect for my next vessel!”
In an empty house in Shentu Village, Liao Si stared eagerly at the Eight Trigrams instrument on the table.
Inside it, twenty-two strands of hair, each infused with qi, were tangled in a vicious struggle. At that moment, only two strands remained locked in fierce combat.
One was Qi Ye’s hair. The other, Jiang Luo’s.
“Of course, I’ve also found you a new body, or perhaps a new puppet,” Liao Si said casually, playing with Qi Ye’s hair as he smiled. “This one’s spirit is exceptional. I’m sure you’ll love him.”
But Chi You said, “No.”
Liao Si froze, then put on a pitiful voice. “Why not, Master?”
“Anyone but Jiang Luo,” Chi You said slowly and deliberately.
Liao Si sighed with regret. “Alright. I understand.”
The brief exchange ended, and Chi You resumed lazily tapping the stone wall with his fingertips.
Why not Jiang Luo?
Because he couldn’t begin to imagine what those bright, flame-lit eyes of the black-haired youth would become if they were transferred into someone else.
Angry, unyielding, provocative—when Jiang Luo’s gaze swept across Chi You, it never failed to spark his interest.
The evil spirit smiled faintly.
Ah, time was almost up.
Soon, he would be able to seek out his little prey.
***
Jiang Luo returned, satisfied, to the site where Huali and the statue had fought.
By the time he arrived, the battle was already over. Though Huali was clearly battered and struggling, he had managed to subdue the statue at great cost.
Several bones were broken. Blood had soaked into the earth. He laid prone on the ground, unable to move a finger—his condition not much better than Teng Bi’s earlier state.
When he saw the black robe of his master approaching, Huali finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Master.”
He coughed and struggled to speak. “I’ve subdued the statue.”
The master looked toward the statue.
The statue laid motionless on the ground. Spiderweb-like cracks marred its stone body, with one especially large crack nearly splitting its head apart.
Huali spat out a mouthful of blood. “Master…”
“I saw it,” his master said, low and slowly.
“You’ve done very well.”
The smile in the voice deepened, the original tone of Jiang Luo creeping in more and more. Still mimicking Chi You’s cadence, Jiang Luo said in a mockingly lazy drawl, “You were absolutely amazing.”
Huali’s eyes flew open wide in shock.
The man in the black robe walked up to him. One hand gripped the cane, wrapped in black cloth, while the other hand held a whip woven from talismanic runes. The black-robed figure knelt down on one knee and gently looped the whip around Huali’s neck.
A human face emerged from the robe—sharp features tinged with decadent beauty. With a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, the man said, “Didn’t you say it’d be easy to kill me?”
Huali was stunned and furious. His claws dug into the ground as he tried to rise. “You—”
Jiang Luo tightened the whip and hushed him. “Shhh,” he said softly. “Huali, I really should thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had a chance to take my revenge on this statue.”
He yanked, slamming Huali back to the ground. Huali’s face darkened, and the hatred in his eyes toward Jiang Luo was enough to flay him alive.
But Jiang Luo wasn’t done. He chuckled lowly. “You couldn’t even tell the difference between your real master and a fake. Seems to me you’re not all that loyal to Chi You. Why not switch sides and become one of my path-clearing dogs instead?”
The sarcastic remark was a pointed echo of how Huali had mocked Teng Bi earlier.
Huali’s chest heaved with fury. His sharp nails dug into his palm until blood welled up. Overwhelmed by rage, he vomited another mouthful of blood.
Jiang Luo bound him with the Si Snake talisman, then walked over to the statue.
He drew a dagger formed from golden talisman light and, without hesitation, stabbed it into the statue’s left leg—once, twice, five times in quick succession. That still wasn’t enough. Without blinking, he stabbed five more times.
The statue seemed to feel pain. It let out a piercing, baby-like wail that echoed through the cave. But even as it screamed, its lips remained locked in a smiling expression.
Jiang Luo noticed and muttered to himself as he leaned closer with the dagger. “Is there something hidden in your mouth?”
He pried the statue’s mouth open with force. It slowly parted, revealing an oval, heart-like stone inside.
Jiang Luo carefully took the stone out and examined it closely under the golden light.
The stone was covered in fine, protruding lines, like blood vessels entwined around a heart. Jiang Luo stared thoughtfully—could this be the heart of the statue?
He pocketed the item, then grabbed the rope binding Hua Li and dragged him off to find Chi You.
On the way, Hua Li was jostled roughly by the uneven rocks, worsening his injuries. His mask was almost falling off his face. Panting heavily, Hua Li weakly cursed, “Despicable human!”
Jiang Luo turned to him with a dazzling smile and dragged him even harder along the ground.
***
When they arrived, Chi You was just emerging from the water.
The pale, elegant ghost was completely naked, the ghostly markings on his back vivid and ferocious. Hearing movement, he turned his head slowly.
And saw his subordinate, battered and bruised, being dragged up by the neck by Jiang Luo and dumped before him.
The ghost arched a brow slightly and chuckled lowly. “Hua Li, I told you before—underestimate him, and you’ll be bitten back.”
As he spoke, a layer of black mist wrapped around his body. When it dispersed, the ghost was once again dressed in his familiar three-piece suit.
Hua Li spoke through gritted teeth, “Master, I realize my mistake.”
His leather shoes gleaming, the ghost walked leisurely toward Jiang Luo. When he stood five steps away, he stopped and asked with interest, “You want to exchange Hua Li’s life for your own?”
“No,” the black-haired young man said coldly. “I’m trading his life—for Teng Bi’s.”
Now, the ghost showed a trace of surprise.
He extended his hand, and the black mist delivered Teng Bi—held by the neck—into his grasp. Barely conscious, Teng Bi managed to half-open one swollen eye and looked through the blood blurring his vision to see Jiang Luo.
“Friend… run,” he said with effort, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Run…”
The ghost sighed. “Seeing him like this, Classmate Jiang, are you terribly heartbroken?”
Jiang Luo said indifferently, “Not really. What I want is for him to survive, not to be half-dead like this.”
The ghost hummed. “You want to take him away?”
“How could I?” Jiang Luo smiled. “He’s yours. Why would I take him? I’m just using this guy’s life…”
He tugged the rope in his hand, and the strangled Hua Li grunted in pain. Jiang Luo stared straight at Chi You and sneered, “To make you save him. As for where he goes after—why should I care?”
Chi You’s fingers curled slowly. “But what if I kill him anyway?”
“Then go ahead.” Jiang Luo replied without hesitation.
The ghost let out a surprised hum.
Jiang Luo smiled and, like petting a dog, gently ruffled Hua Li’s hair. His tone was light and full of amusement. “Unless… you want to lose two capable subordinates at once.”
Author’s Note:
Gong: Jealous.
