Jiang Luo didn’t panic. He turned his head naturally, eyes slightly tilted upward, smiling leisurely. “I’m laughing because when someone died, the Chi family didn’t shed a single tear for him.”
The black-haired beauty’s eyes held a mocking gleam, his lips a deep red, and his hair flowed like water down the side of his face, cascading like silk over the black Tang suit.
The man behind him stood in the shadows, lowering his head and saying, “Their tears are filthy. But yours… are different.”
Chi You had one arm wrapped around Jiang Luo’s waist, holding him imprisoned in his embrace. With the other hand, he gently guided Jiang Luo’s fingertip toward the coffin. The ghost’s voice was low with a laugh. “That day, you knelt right in front of me. Of everyone there, you cried the hardest. You looked far better crying than this lot does.”
The space they occupied seemed cut off from the rest of the world—light drained away, swallowed by the malevolent spirit behind them. Shadows, like black mist, crept in from behind, slowly enveloping the beautiful young man in traditional Chinese dress.
Jiang Luo stumbled back two steps, his cloth shoes swallowed by the dark.
Chi You was even bolder than Jiang Luo had imagined.
The place was swarming with people from the metaphysical world, and yet he dared to appear so blatantly. Jiang Luo had assumed he’d possess one of the guests or control a puppet to observe from a distance—but Chi You had come in person.
He’d shown up himself, and yet the Chi family hadn’t noticed. It was like a slap across their face—an insult, and a blatant show of disdain.
Jiang Luo glanced in Feng Li’s direction from the corner of his eye.
Feng Li and his group stood behind the guests, a fair distance away. As long as Jiang Luo shouted, Chi You would be exposed directly under Feng Li’s nose.
And honestly, Jiang Luo was kind of curious to see a fight break out between Feng Li and Chi You.
Leisurely, he said, “Chi You, aren’t you afraid of being found out by Feng Li? He warned me specifically—if he sees you bothering me again, he’ll see to it your soul is scattered.”
The ghost chuckled, low and slow. “Sounds almost like we’re having a secret affair.”
“Then let him come and scatter my soul,” he added with a lazy tone. “I’d love to see whether the Heavenly Master really has the skill.”
Secret affair?
That phrase gave Jiang Luo a jolt. His scalp tingled.
He quickly changed the subject, mocking coldly, “You’re pitiful. I was the one who cried the hardest at your funeral—but every tear I shed for you was fake.”
“Then I’d love to see what you look like when the tears are real,” Chi You’s voice was syrupy and seductive. He guided Jiang Luo’s finger toward the mourning Chi family crowd. “Even if your crying was fake, it was still far more moving than theirs.”
Jiang Luo looked at the Chi family.
Their exaggerated wails were obviously performative. He thought to himself: Exactly.
Even he had to admit his crying was more touching.
The ghost bent forward slightly, hugging the black-haired youth as his eyes swept across his relatives. His voice turned cold. “Look at them carefully. You’ll find a surprise.”
“Start with that man,” he said, guiding Jiang Luo’s finger toward the middle-aged man at the center. His voice was coaxing. “Take a good look at him.”
Jiang Luo frowned as he stared at the man.
The middle-aged man should be the father of the deceased. He looked disheveled, beard unkempt, beating his chest in anguish—a portrait of devastation.
But slowly, Jiang Luo saw a layer of black mist gather around the man. It was different from Chi You’s—Chi You’s black fog was thick and dark, laced with fear and mystery. The mist on this man, however, was like rotting sludge and decaying flesh—so foul it made Jiang Luo nauseous.
“This is malice,” Chi You said in a guiding tone. “The Evil God’s heart lets you perceive such malicious thoughts. Look closer… See how disgusting he truly is.”
Jiang Luo stared intently, focusing on the black mist.
Within the malice, he heard the man’s thoughts: My son’s dead. He was our only child. That’s it, we’ve lost our shot at controlling the Chi family next generation. No, I’ve got to make an effort tonight with his mother—see if we can have another.
Why couldn’t it have been someone else who died? Such a hassle. And now her body’s all dried up—doesn’t even turn me on anymore. Maybe I should just bring back that illegitimate kid I’ve been raising outside—at least he’s already grown.
Chi You nudged Jiang Luo’s gaze toward the woman beside him. “Now look at her.”
She was the mother of the deceased, crying to the point of fainting. But her right hand subtly shielded her belly, and she cast the occasional guilty glance toward the man.
The malice around her was equally nauseating.
I need to talk to his uncle tonight. What to do about the one in my belly…? I have to find a way to give birth to it. It’s a Chi child, after all. As long as he doesn’t find out it’s not his, it’ll be fine.
Jiang Luo chuckled softly.
Chi You laughed as well. He let go of Jiang Luo’s hand. “Such base, boring malice. So easily seen through.”
“But you’re different,” Chi You whispered into his hair, breathing in the scent of the black-haired youth. “I can’t see through you. You’re far more fascinating than they are.”
Jiang Luo scoffed. “You showed me their malice just to tell me that?”
“Of course not,” said Chi You. “I just saw you hiding in the corner and couldn’t help but come share this little surprise. Did it move you? If it made you want to help me destroy the Chi family, even better.”
“What kind of surprise is that?” Jiang Luo sneered. “Sorry—even if the Chi family is rotten to the core, it has nothing to do with me.”
Chi You suddenly grinned strangely. “No, as my lover, it does have a little something to do with you.”
Jiang Luo’s brow twitched, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face.
Chi You chuckled at his expression, then leaned in to whisper by Jiang Luo’s ear: “I’ll be waiting for the day you join me in destroying the Chi family.”
“Not going to happen,” Jiang Luo said with finality.
“Chi You, I don’t want to play your stupid games anymore.” The black-haired youth impatiently pulled his hair out of the ghost’s hand, warning, “And stop touching my hair. You’re way too close.”
The ghost stared regretfully at the strands of hair slipping from his fingers. “Then let’s make a bet.”
“I’ll see you again very soon,” Chi You said. “And when that time comes—if you can guess who I am, and if you still have no desire to destroy the Chi family—then I lose. And I’ll tell you a secret… a truly earth-shattering one.”
He tightened his arm around the black-haired youth, as if he wanted to press him into his own body. The malicious spirit was full of interest, his voice lowering, “If you lose, what a pity.”
“You’ll have to tell me who you really are.”
Jiang Luo’s pupils shrank. He raised his elbow and struck backward, quickly breaking free from Chi You’s embrace.
When he turned to look back, the malicious spirit was still wearing that elegant smile—only to suddenly sink into the black mist and vanish the next instant.
Jiang Luo’s expression darkened.
After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh.
Perfect. Chi You had discovered his greatest secret.
That thoroughly ignited Jiang Luo’s desire to win.
He would dig out Chi You’s greatest secret, and then he’d slam it right into his face.
This bet—he was going to win.
***
In the courtyard, the only promising disciple among the Chi family’s side branches, Chi Tian, was being flattered by the crowd.
Chi Tian was fat-faced and greasy-skinned. Though the funeral of his cousin was being held at the front, he was grinning ear to ear in the back. His gang of sycophants joined in his laughter, with one of them fawning, “Back then when Chi Xing made it through the third trial, he acted like he was some kind of hero—like no one else in the world mattered. Some even said he’d be the next heir of the Chi family. And now? He still died in the third trial.”
The fat on Chi Tian’s face trembled. “Such a shame Chi Xing had to die.”
Then he burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming with smug malice. “Before I made it into the third trial, he looked down on me so badly, nearly crushed me under his heel. And now?”
Now Chi Xing was lying in a coffin, and he was swaggering around watching the farce.
Luck—it was all luck.
There was no one else in the Chi family worth a d*mn. If not him, Chi Tian, then who else?
Congratulatory voices came one after another, making Chi Tian feel wonderfully pleased. But amid all the bootlicking, someone suddenly said, curious, “I heard that the first-place winner of this year’s competition—that disciple of Master Feng—also came to pay respects to the Chi family?”
Chi Tian didn’t like people more talented than him. Just hearing about such people made his heart feel soaked in vinegar, the jealousy eating him alive. His smile faded slightly. “The Heavenly Master gave our family great face. Of course his disciple would follow along.”
“Ohh,” the speaker exclaimed, suddenly understanding. “Come to think of it, I’ve heard a lot of gossip about that champion, Jiang Luo. For one thing, there’s the story about his relationship with Chi You. They say when Chi You was a TA at Baihua University, he had a secret crush on Jiang Luo and they were actually lovers. After Chi You died, Jiang Luo almost followed him in a suicide pact, but he was stopped in time. Supposedly, he was so shaken by Chi You’s death that he swore to grow stronger—to find the real killer and avenge Chi You.”
“Was there really something suspicious about Chi You’s death? But even if there was, with Jiang Luo’s strength, he’ll definitely get revenge sooner or later… Hey, Chi Tian, why’s your face so pale?”
…
After Chi Tian left in a hurry, the others also dispersed. One of them slowly exited the Chi estate through the back door and walked into a secluded corner.
“Master, I’ve spread the word like you asked. The Chi family should be discussing countermeasures tonight, looking for a way to deal with Jiang Luo,” the man looked up—it was corpse driver Liao Si. He sighed, “I really didn’t expect you and Jiang Luo to have that kind of history. If I’d known…”
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have set my sights on Jiang Luo’s body, wouldn’t have made an enemy of him over the Yuan Tian Bead.
After all, that’s your lover.
Now I’ve lost the bead and pissed off Jiang Luo. A task like spreading rumors could’ve been done with a puppet, but you made me do it. However I look at it, it’s clearly punishment for offending Jiang Luo.
And with this crappy body of mine, flying from Xiangxi to here nearly killed me.
But you really are ruthless.
Just to push Jiang Luo to stand with you, you threw him right into the eye of the storm. You know very well the Chi family wasn’t the only one who killed you… Once word gets out that Jiang Luo wants revenge for you, all the others involved will start to panic.
Even if Jiang Luo isn’t strong enough yet to threaten them, they’ll act first to eliminate the risk.
Liao Si was still clicking his tongue in admiration when he suddenly had an epiphany. He clapped his fists together and exclaimed, “Master, are you trying to play the hero saving the beauty?”
“Hero saving the beauty?” From the shadows, a pair of leather shoes quietly appeared. Chi You’s voice emerged from thin air. “No, Liao Si, you underestimate him.”
“He doesn’t need anyone to save him. But…”
Jiang Luo was one of the very few people Chi You looked at directly.
He was growing quickly, utterly unafraid of Chi You, even managing to get the better of him a few times. The experience was strange, new—and thrilling. Every encounter with Jiang Luo lit a spark in Chi You’s nerves.
Someone like that—he was no helpless vine waiting to be rescued.
But Liao Si’s suggestion still stirred something in Chi You. If he could push Jiang Luo to the brink, force him to face life and death, draw out his malice—then lure him into falling, just like Chi You had…
Then Chi You could swoop in and save him, slowly and deliberately.
At that moment, he’d get to see the black-haired youth at his most disheveled—see the expression on Jiang Luo’s face as he was rescued.
It would surely be one of anger and humiliation. He wouldn’t want to beg the malicious ghost, but he’d have no choice but to.
On that face—Chi You would find an expression he liked very much.
The malicious spirit said lowly, “That doesn’t sound like a bad plan.”
Imagining the scene, Chi You narrowed his eyes. “Liao Si, go to the Qi family next.”
***
On the way back from the funeral, Jiang Luo’s eyelids twitched several times.
Just thinking about Chi You’s smug face at the funeral made his teeth itch—but Chi You’s blasé attitude toward Feng Li made him a little uneasy, too.
Over the past few months of interaction, Jiang Luo had clearly seen just how powerful Feng Li was.
He had once suspected that the Feng Li in the original novel might have been under Chi You’s control. But on second thought—while it was possible—the chances weren’t high.
After all, Feng Li was the peak of power in the metaphysics world. Among the living, very few could rival him. What’s more, he represented the Heavenly Master Residence, with the old Heavenly Master backing him. Controlling Feng Li would be incredibly difficult for Chi You.
And the deeper Jiang Luo became entangled with Chi You, the more he found it hard to believe—how exactly had the original Chi You ended up being the shou?
For love? He bottomed?
…
Jiang Luo’s brow twitched. He didn’t dare keep thinking about it.
The dissonance was way too strong. It was a little terrifying.
After returning from the funeral, Jiang Luo went back to school. A little later, Zhuo Zhongqiu returned as well, reeking of alcohol and bringing bad news. “Qi Ye’s been detained by the Qi family.”
Jiang Luo: “What do you mean?”
Zhuo Zhongqiu irritably flung his baseball cap toward the coat rack. The cap spun twice and landed perfectly on the hook. “The Qi family says they have something they need Qi Ye to do. He won’t be coming to school this whole week. I told them Qi Ye already accepted a school task, but they told me to go inform the school that he’s withdrawing.”
Lu Youyi snapped, “What the h*ll? You can just pick and choose when to do tasks now?”
“So I rejected them,” Zhuo Zhongqiu frowned. “Told them to talk to the school themselves. But I’m guessing they’ll end up assigning someone else.”
“Who could they even switch to?”
Ye Xun looked around and quietly raised his hand. “I’ll go.”
Lu Youyi immediately threw his arms around him. “Ye Xun, you really are our best bro!”
“I heard these types of shows are full of juicy gossip,” Ye Xun said slowly. “I want to listen.”
Jiang Luo didn’t care who went with him to complete the task. But Ye Xun was definitely better than Qi Ye. After all, his first mission after arriving in this world had been with Ye Xun. “Can Ye Xun bring his doll on the show?”
Zhuo Zhongqiu: “I’ll call the show’s director and ask.”
Five minutes later, Zhuo Zhongqiu returned after making the call, his expression easing slightly. “The director said it’s fine. He already instructed the camera crew to minimize footage of you three as much as possible.”
Ye Xun let out a sigh of relief and looked down at Little Pink. “Little Pink, we’re going on the show together.”
“Why do you sound like you’re excited?” Jiang Luo raised a brow, smirking. “Ye Xun, have you secretly wanted to go all along?”
Ye Xun held up two fingers with a one-centimeter gap between them. “Just a little bit.”
Jiang Luo was charmed by how cute he was.
The next morning, the three of them boarded the school’s shuttle bus and headed to the filming site of Next Stop, Idol.
It was their first time doing this kind of mission, so Lu Youyi and Ye Xun were a little uneasy. But Jiang Luo was perfectly at ease. As soon as they got off the bus, he took the lead and walked into the dormitory for trainees.
Ye Xun and Lu Youyi followed him closely, carrying their luggage.
The head director couldn’t make direct contact with them, so he sent an assistant who was in the know to bring them in. When the assistant saw the three of them, his eyes lit up and he stared blankly for a moment before remembering that these three were masters—not real trainee contestants.
He felt it was a shame, but didn’t dare delay and quickly came forward to take Jiang Luo’s luggage. “Master, let me carry this for you.”
“No need,” Jiang Luo dodged and smiled at him. “Just treat us like regular ‘trainees’.”
When he smiled, the assistant nearly couldn’t look away. Lu Youyi laughed boldly from behind, “Yeah, whatever you do, don’t blow our cover.”
The three of them—one dazzling and flamboyant, one a delicate pretty boy, and one a sporty, energetic hunk—had distinct styles, and each was incredibly eye-catching.
If they actually participated in the show as contestants, they could definitely make it to the end. The assistant sighed—just thinking about having to cut these three traffic-generating faces from the screen made his heart ache.
He snuck a glance at them. “Have you three picked your stage names?”
“We have,” Jiang Luo answered casually. “We’ll hand them over later.”
The three of them quickly surveyed the area and didn’t notice anything amiss for now. Ye Xun asked, “Where’s the studio where the assistant director died?”
The assistant handed over a key and a layout map. “The studio is sealed for now. Wait until it’s empty before going in.”
It was lunchtime, so most of the trainees were resting. As the assistant was taking the three masters upstairs, a trainee suddenly came running down the stairs and bumped into them.
He looked young, with a name tag that read “Sui Run.”
Sui Run looked like a teenager, at most seventeen or eighteen. He grabbed the handrail and slowed down when he saw people on the stairs. The moment he got a clear look at them, his eyes went wide in surprise.
“You are…”
“These three are new trainees filling in,” the assistant said solemnly. “You’ll meet them properly later. Are you going out to buy something? Go ahead, then.”
Sui Run stiffly nodded and drifted past them like a zombie. As he passed by, he couldn’t help but turn back for another look.
Those three stunning trainees weren’t just handsome—they were tall. With those proportions, it was like they had nothing but legs below the neck.
Especially that long-haired guy.
Sui Run had seen boys with long hair before, but never someone so striking, so sharp-looking—like a character who walked straight out of an anime. It was his first time encountering someone like that.
“Oh my god, how is this even a competition anymore…”
Just showing that face—he could stand still and do nothing and still gain fans like crazy.
***
The news about the three new trainees spread quickly throughout the dorm building.
Curious trainees flocked over to see what the fuss was about.
Heads peeked out from room after room, whispering among themselves.
“My god, they’re all insanely good-looking.”
“This is like dropping a royal flush—there’s no way this isn’t the endgame. That’s it, we’re done. With so few debut spots, how are we supposed to compete now?”
“I just saw them up close—they’re completely bare-faced. Seriously, not a trace of makeup!”
Lu Youyi was feeling a little awkward from all the staring. “This is… a bit much, don’t you think?”
The assistant smiled, “These kids are still young—lively, but all good-hearted. Don’t worry about them. Just leave anything you need to me.”
“Your dorms will be the ones the previous three trainees left behind. The others still don’t know the truth—we’re telling everyone they dropped out,” the assistant lowered his voice, “Your rooms aren’t together. Is that okay with you? If not, we can arrange a new room for the three of you.”
“No need,” Jiang Luo replied. “We’ll only be staying here for a few days.”
The assistant looked a little regretful but didn’t push further. “Alright then. Let me show you to your dorms.”
Although the rooms weren’t together, they were all on the same floor. Ye Xun and Lu Youyi went into their respective rooms, and the assistant led Jiang Luo to the last one down the hall.
“Master,” the assistant said awkwardly, “you’ll be sharing a room with the top-ranked trainee of the show—Fu Wei. He… doesn’t have the best temper. If you find it hard to get along, I can arrange another room for you.”
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow slightly.
Since this was a mission-related location, he had looked up information about Next Stop, Idol last night. Naturally, he knew who Fu Wei was.
He was the undisputed number one—his vote count left a huge gap between him and the runner-up.
He was aloof, arrogant, always giving off an indifferent vibe. He had a slew of bad habits, and had been caught on camera more than once smoking and drinking. But he was so good-looking that the more rebellious he was, the more people liked him. His fans and haters practically split the show’s entire viewership down the middle.
In short, he was… a real character.
The assistant opened the door to the dorm. Jiang Luo lifted his gaze and saw Fu Wei sitting on the top bunk, leaning against the wall, writing lyrics on a stack of white paper.
Fu Wei’s hair was a bit long, slightly wavy black strands falling over his temples. Between his long, slender fingers, he held a freshly lit cigarette, the ember glowing faintly. He tilted his head and looked lazily toward the door.
His tall frame dominated the bed. His long legs nearly spilled into the lower bunk.
“New guy,” Fu Wei said hoarsely, staring at Jiang Luo. “Not bad looking.”
That raspy, metallic voice could grab a person’s attention instantly.
