Being humiliated like this in front of his master—having his head patted by a human—Hua Li’s face turned crimson. With his last ounce of strength, he turned his face away, wishing he could swipe a claw across that smirking human’s face.
Chi You couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that you put it that way, I really am getting the short end of the stick.”
Oh, so you do know.
Jiang Luo almost laughed out loud. “Then let’s see what you decide.”
Chi You’s grip tightened.
Teng Bi let out a muffled groan of pain. Chi You’s gaze never left Jiang Luo’s face. Upon hearing that groan, the black-haired youth’s expression didn’t shift in the slightest—as if Teng Bi were a stranger. He even looked a little impatient, like even if Teng Bi truly died, he wouldn’t grieve. He’d just make sure Hua Li went down with him, purely out of revenge.
Like a venomous snake—cold-blooded, vindictive. Whoever upset him, he’d bite back no matter how broken his fangs were.
Chi You didn’t know why, but the more he looked, the more he wanted to laugh. He suddenly released his hand.
Teng Bi collapsed to the ground, kneeling at Chi You’s feet. The ghost’s tone was light, almost amused. “Fine. I agree.”
Moved, Hua Li looked up at Chi You with effort. “Master!”
Jiang Luo immediately stomped the teary-eyed Hua Li back to the ground, arms crossed, golden rope still twined between his fingers. He curled his lips into a smile, the red at the corners of his mouth strikingly vivid. “Then hurry up and heal him, would you?”
Chi You extended a hand. A cloud of black mist separated from his palm and enveloped Teng Bi completely.
Inside the mist, Teng Bi was in agony, rolling on the ground. He tried hard to suppress the pain but couldn’t help letting out low, tortured groans.
With every pulse of the black mist, a cry of pain followed. Chi You watched the mist calmly. “Hua Li’s claws are laced with venom. If you want him healed, you need to extract the poison.”
Jiang Luo also stared at Teng Bi. “And how do you extract it?”
Chi You replied nonchalantly, “Just cut off all the flesh the venom touched.”
But if it were that simple, Teng Bi wouldn’t be screaming like this.
The moment the black mist touched his wound, Teng Bi felt a pain so sharp it pierced his very soul. As a half-dead, his sensitivity to pain had dulled over time, but this pain—he couldn’t endure. Curled up on the ground, every muscle in his body convulsed as the mist cut away his rotting flesh piece by piece.
The pain wasn’t from the flesh being cut—it was the mist invading his wounds. Teng Bi felt like it was peeling away his sinews, shattering his bones, and sucking out his marrow. It hurt on a level that seemed to reach his very soul. His mind briefly blurred, and a strange thought emerged.
Had his master also endured this pain once, when corrupted by the black mist?
But just as the thought arose, Teng Bi oddly wondered—who was his master?
The fleeting thought vanished as another wave of pain sent him slipping into semi-consciousness.
Chi You lowered his eyes to look at Teng Bi, his expressionless face appearing cold and cruel. Soon, the black mist released Teng Bi, and after the toxins were purged, the wounds on Teng Bi’s body began to visibly heal.
The pain on Teng Bi’s face eased considerably. He forced himself to stay conscious, but his limbs were weak, and he could only lie on the ground to recover his strength.
Jiang Luo carefully observed his expression, and after confirming that Teng Bi was fine, he kept his word and released the half-dead Hua Li.
Chi You raised his brows slightly, a bit surprised.
He had thought Jiang Luo would take this chance to continue using Hua Li to coerce him into sparing his life. He hadn’t expected Jiang Luo to be so decisive. Interest stirred again in him, and with a faint smile he said, “I thought you’d use his life to exchange for me letting you go this time.”
Jiang Luo smiled slightly. “Wouldn’t that be boring?”
Chi You agreed. If Jiang Luo had done that, his patience might have already run dry. He chuckled lowly and stepped closer to Jiang Luo. But the little prey did not back away—instead he stood there, coldly watching, as if he’d forgotten what Chi You had said earlier.
The evil ghost kindly reminded him: “Aren’t you going to run?”
Jiang Luo let out a short laugh. “Mr. Evil Ghost, aren’t you underestimating me?”
Chi You almost laughed again. “Oh?”
Jiang Luo raised two fingers in front of him, lips curved in a confident smile. “Right now, I’m the one giving you two choices.”
Chi You looked curiously at his fingers and said half-jokingly, “I’m all ears.”
Jiang Luo’s smile deepened. “First option: you chase me, and we either both go down, or only one of us walks away.”
Chi You’s deranged nerve was instantly triggered. A trembling delight rippled through him, and he couldn’t help but laugh softly. But he held back his excitement and, still wearing his gentlemanly, mysterious smile, asked, “And the second?”
Jiang Luo wiggled his second finger. “Second, go find that divine statue of yours that’s about to be torn apart by other malicious spirits.”
“That statue must be very important to you,” Jiang Luo said in a lowered voice, the smile in his eyes barely visible. “If you don’t go now, you won’t make it in time.”
Chi You’s smile faltered slightly. He glanced back at Hua Li.
Hua Li shut his eyes in shame and whispered like a mosquito, “Master, I’m sorry.”
Chi You said coldly, “Useless.”
Jiang Luo asked, “So what will you choose?”
The evil ghost appeared to ponder for a moment, then said, “Why not choose both?”
Jiang Luo’s expression didn’t change. He had already anticipated this response.
The evil ghost stepped forward, leaned down, and whispered intimately next to the black-haired youth’s ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll go find the statue first and give you a bit of time to run.” He couldn’t resist lifting a pale strand of hair near Jiang Luo’s ear with fondness. “I rarely show such mercy to people. You’d best treasure this last bit of time.”
Jiang Luo gave two dry laughs.
Chi You paused, then smiled. “But don’t worry—I’ll be quick. Once I find the statue, I’ll come find you.”
With that, he walked slowly past Jiang Luo and left.
Jiang Luo didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He turned and strode off. Hua Li had no strength to stop him and could only glare at his back with hatred. Teng Bi, however, used all his strength to lift his head and said weakly, “Friend… are you going to leave me behind?”
Jiang Luo paused for a moment, remembering the stone on the back of Teng Bi’s head that had caused his amnesia, then continued walking away without turning back.
He and Teng Bi were, after all, from two different worlds.
Once Teng Bi remembered everything, he wouldn’t say such things anymore.
***
To avoid Chi You chasing after him and endangering the companions waiting outside the cave, Jiang Luo deliberately took the secret path from the ancestral hall to leave.
He moved fast, running all the way down the stone stairs to the secret passage’s exit. He pushed open the exit, used both hands to lift it, and sat gracefully beside the tunnel.
Back when he put on the Sheng Gong’s robe, Jiang Luo had already tricked the malicious spirits who wanted to be Chi You’s subordinates. He had them guard the statue and kill anyone approaching it as if they were an enemy.
When Chi You arrived, he would undoubtedly be attacked round after round by those ghosts.
Just imagining the scene brought Jiang Luo great satisfaction. He pulled his legs back and prepared to leave, but just as his last foot came free, an ice-cold hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.
Jiang Luo’s brows twitched. He looked down.
Chi You, covered in countless vengeful spirits, looked up at him and gave a small smile.
Terrifying ghosts with ghastly appearances crawled all over Chi You’s body—ghosts that Jiang Luo had sent to ambush him. Hundreds of them clung to Chi You, their many hands reaching upward in desperation, tearing at his clothes, howling in anguish. Their greenish-purple faces dripped with blood. The entire scene resembled a vision from h*ll.
Yet within this encirclement, the evil ghost’s handsome face looked more sinister and twisted than ever.
“Why are you leaving?” Chi You asked, smiling as though unaware of the horror around him. He tugged at Jiang Luo’s ankle, slowly pulling him downward. “The game is just beginning.”
Jiang Luo was thrown off balance. He bent down in irritation to push the ghost’s hand away.
But the moment his hand reached into the pit, a crowd of ghostly hands shot up eagerly, dragging at him with increasing force.
Jiang Luo swatted away the clutching hands and managed to touch Chi You’s grip on his ankle.
The evil ghost below watched him with a smile.
One finger, then two—Jiang Luo’s pale fingers brushed against Chi You’s ghostly hand. And the moment his fingers slipped between Chi You’s…
He suddenly heard a loud, violent heartbeat.
But it wasn’t his heartbeat.
It was the heartbeat of the divine statue hidden on his person.
The heart of the statue beat rapidly, and the intense rhythm made Jiang Luo feel as if his soul was trembling along with it. His hand froze mid-action as he looked down, locking eyes with the evil spirit.
In the instant their eyes met, Jiang Luo suddenly saw a vision.
In it, Chi You stood before a great blaze, looking no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. The cold contours of his face were already taking shape.
He gazed expressionlessly at the fire, then suddenly gave a chilling, bone-deep smile.
The ghostly tattoos on his back grew wildly, crawling up his neck in an instant, bringing a disturbing, destructive air to his still-youthful features.
“What is it that you want?” someone seemed to ask.
Smiling, Chi You answered slowly and elegantly, “I want the curse to disappear. I want the Chi family destroyed.”
His voice grew lower, lacking any real joy in his eyes. The firelight flickered across his face, casting alternating shadows. “And I want to drag the whole metaphysics world down with me.”
The vision ended.
Jiang Luo snapped back to reality and staggered, nearly falling headfirst into the underground passage.
The evil spirit was still gripping his ankle tightly, his smile false and sinister, shadows gathering between his brows. “What were you thinking about?”
He sneered. “Daring to space out in front of me?”
Jiang Luo looked at him steadily for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled with layered meaning. “Chi You, I feel like I understand you a bit better now.”
Taking advantage of Chi You’s momentary confusion, the snake spirit Si Snake lunged into the tunnel. Jiang Luo pushed off with all his strength and scrambled upward to escape.
With a loud rip, his utility pants were torn clean in two by the evil spirit.
The black-haired youth’s long legs flashed past Chi You’s eyes and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Si Snake disappeared with him, without a trace. Chi You held the torn half of the pants, lifting his head to look at the square edge of the tunnel.
Above the opening was the ceiling of the ancestral hall, its beams covered in spiderwebs. He stared quietly for a few seconds—then suddenly, flames surged up from the tunnel, making the ghosts around him scream sharply. The fire nearly scorched his hair.
Jiang Luo had left behind two fire talismans at the tunnel entrance.
Chi You retreated into the shadows to avoid the flames. As the screaming quieted, a bold ghost reached toward the half-torn cloth in Chi You’s hand.
Chi You glanced coldly at the ghost.
The ghost shuddered and immediately withdrew its hand in fear.
“He’s my prey,” Chi You said. “Understand?”
The moment his aura was released, the ghosts clinging to him scattered and vanished without a trace.
In just the blink of an eye, only Chi You remained. He calmly tidied his disheveled clothes, which had been torn by the ghosts, and sighed softly.
Letting Jiang Luo go like this left him with an unpleasant sense of abrupt incompletion.
But that dissatisfaction only made him look forward even more to their next encounter.
In the end, Chi You didn’t chase after Jiang Luo.
Perhaps, if Jiang Luo died now, it would take away too much of the fun.
He thought to himself.
Chi You casually returned underground and brought the divine statue to a resting place.
Huali had recovered a bit. He took the statue and placed it on a stone bed. “Master, shall we begin now?”
Chi You returned to himself and slowly began undressing. “Yes, let’s begin. Where’s Teng Bi?”
Huali’s expression twisted for a moment. “While I was incapacitated, he sneaked away to find his ‘friend.’”
“So loyal and righteous,” Chi You said, almost in praise, though his tone was cold. “No wonder even Jiang Luo was willing to exchange your life to save his.”
Huali’s breath hitched. At the mention of that hateful human, his claws started itching again.
Chi You removed his clothes and merged with the statue.
Huali watched nervously. It was unclear how much time passed, but the statue’s appearance gradually changed to resemble Chi You’s. His figure elongated, his face grew exceptionally handsome. After a while, the statue slowly opened its eyes.
The once-stone eyes had transformed into living ones, black as the abyss, their movements slightly stiff and unnatural.
Huali asked softly, “Master, how does the new body feel?”
“Not bad,” Chi You replied as he controlled the body to sit up and stand. He put on the prepared clothes. “A statue with evil energy suits me better than a human body, even one with a strong spiritual constitution.”
Huali couldn’t help but smile.
But Chi You suddenly frowned and placed a hand over his chest.
Huali’s smile froze. Nervously, he asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”
Chi You’s face darkened. Then, as if recalling something, he suddenly smiled again and muttered to himself, “Ah… someone’s stolen my heart.”
