The hallway was empty.
The killer, covered in blood, stood with a blank expression. A murderous edge emerged on his handsome face.
Jiang Luo had just walked away, so cleanly and decisively.
That action once again clearly told Chi You: You were just a tool I used.
Jiang Luo kissed him—not to escape, not for any deeper reason—but simply because it was the most effective way to set Chi You up.
But Chi You remained completely unaware, accepting the kiss with great interest. When Jiang Luo pushed him away, he was especially displeased. Not only had he released the audacious patient from under the chainsaw, but he had also become his scapegoat without any preparation.
He had been thoroughly played.
Even when he was alive, even when he was humiliated by the collateral branches of the Chi family, Chi You had never felt this stifled.
The killer bared his lips in a smile, but though he was smiling, the dangerous aura around him abruptly intensified.
If he didn’t do something soon, the immense rage inside him, mingled with unclear desires and wicked thoughts, would have nowhere to go.
Using a ghost and not paying the price?
The killer stepped forward, the corner of his white coat gently lifting.
He went after Jiang Luo.
***
Jiang Luo was cautiously making his way down the stairs.
Lu Youyi and Dead Ghost were supposed to be waiting for him at the end of the sixth floor, but Jiang Luo didn’t see them. He knew them well enough to understand that if they hadn’t shown up, it meant something unexpected had happened.
But in this building, the most difficult threat—the faceless monster—had already been handed over to Chi You. What danger could still be here?
No—there was still one potential threat that hadn’t yet appeared.
The Chi family.
If the illusionary magic was the handiwork of the Qi family, then what method did the Chi family use?
Were Lu Youyi and Dead Ghost still safe?
Jiang Luo’s mood, which had been soaring just moments before, steadily sank under the weight of worry and urgency. He descended all the way to the fourth floor when the hospital scene around him suddenly shifted, transforming into the familiar dormitory building for trainees.
The illusion had broken.
Jiang Luo was stunned—who broke it?
Just then, Jiang Luo stepped on a strand of hair.
Looking down, he was almost thrown off balance by the dense, writhing mass of black hair surging upward.
What the h*ll is this?!
Jiang Luo frowned and immediately backed away, his expression twisting as he stared at the wriggling hair.
He pulled out a fire talisman and gave it a light shake. The talisman ignited from the top. Just as Jiang Luo was about to throw it onto the hair, a voice called from behind, “Jiang Luo, don’t!”
Jiang Luo turned to see Ye Xun and Lu Youyi running breathlessly toward him. Ye Xun was pale as a sheet, and Lu Youyi’s head was soaked in blood. Jiang Luo was startled by their appearance and stopped just in time. “What happened to you two?!”
“Don’t burn it—it’s Little Pink’s hair. Little Pink and Dead Ghost are both buried under it,” Ye Xun gasped. “Little Pink ate Fu Yuaner, and now it’s sprouting tons of hair.”
“Fu Yuaner?” That long-forgotten name made Jiang Luo furrow his brows. “What is Fu Yuaner doing here?”
He remembered clearly—in the second round of the Yunnan competition, one of their objectives had been to find Fu Yuaner’s body. After successfully digging her remains out of the wall in the office, they had gone to look for Wang Xinhui. But upon returning, the organizers told them that Fu Yuaner’s body had already been taken.
Lu Youyi weakly said, “No idea. But Dead Ghost said it looked like Fu Yuaner had been turned into a puppet.”
Speaking of puppets, Jiang Luo immediately thought of Chi You—but then quickly realized that Fu Yuaner wasn’t Chi You’s puppet, but the Chi family’s.
The Chi family.
So they had been waiting for them here all along.
Jiang Luo sneered inwardly, then asked with concern, “Your head’s bleeding—did you use a talisman to stop it?”
Lu Youyi felt light-headed, probably from blood loss, but he could still hold on. “Ye Xun stopped the bleeding for me. I’m okay. Let’s focus on finding Dead Ghost and Little Pink first.”
The stairwell was now packed with hair. If a human had been buried in it, the only outcome would have been suffocation. But Dead Ghost was undead, and Little Pink was a wraith doll. So although Lu Youyi and Ye Xun were anxious, they weren’t too worried.
Jiang Luo asked, “When will Little Pink stop?”
Ye Xun gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know. If it lasts too long, this hair might flood the entire building. If we’re lucky, it’ll stop in a few minutes… But I probably have a way to stop it sooner. I just need to go back to the dorm to get something.”
Now that the illusion had been broken, even if Ye Xun could stop Little Pink’s hair from growing, the fact that this stuff had already filled several floors was terrifying. If anyone else saw it, the existence of the occult world could no longer be kept secret.
Even more importantly, there were two walking disasters still on the sixth floor—Chi You and the faceless monster. Either one could be catastrophic for regular people.
Jiang Luo didn’t hesitate—he called the director.
Soon, the dorm building’s intercom crackled to life.
“Emergency notice: there has been an electrical leak in the trainee dormitory. The power has been cut for safety reasons. All trainees are requested to evacuate immediately and gather in front of the dorm using the east stairwell. Hotel accommodations will be arranged. Repeating: please use the east stairwell and gather downstairs. All trainees must evacuate within five minutes…”
Half-asleep trainees were startled awake in the middle of the night. Still groggy, they groped their way out of their rooms and made their way down the east stairwell in the dark.
Amid their grumbling, someone shouted, “What the h*ll—whose wig is this on the floor?!”
“Hahaha, who wears a wig in the middle of the night?”
“Just keep moving, forget it.”
Five minutes later, the building fell silent once more.
Ye Xun returned to his dorm, pulled out a suitcase, and took out a square yellow cloth. Back at the stairwell, he called out for Little Pink. After a while, there was some movement under the pile of hair, and the bunny doll crawled out—now completely covered in hair, its once-cute appearance now utterly grotesque.
Ye Xun sighed helplessly. “Didn’t I tell you not to eat random things?”
He took out a knife and cut off the hair growing all over Little Pink’s body, then quickly wrapped it in the yellow cloth. Once inside the cloth, Little Pink quickly quieted down, and the hair, trapped within, could grow no longer.
Ye Xun explained, “Hair is the surplus of blood, and the essence of the kidneys is reflected in the hair. The kidneys store essence and govern reproduction. Blood and kidneys are of the water element, and since hair is their essence, it also belongs to water. Earth restrains water, and yellow is the color of earth. That’s why Daoists often use yellow. Green represents wood and nature. So, when I wrap Little Pink in yellow cloth, her hair can no longer grow.”
“Then let’s go quickly.” Jiang Luo didn’t want to linger. He couldn’t be sure if the faceless monster and Chi You could fight to a draw—or who would win.
In fact, whoever won, it would not bode well for him. But just as that thought crossed his mind, Jiang Luo caught sight of Lu Youyi squatting by the pile of hair in a daze. He asked, puzzled, “Lu Youyi, what are you doing?”
Lu Youyi murmured, “Jiang Luo… Dead Ghost is still in the hair.”
Jiang Luo fell silent.
Lu Youyi suddenly wobbled. Ye Xun’s heart skipped a beat. “Lu Youyi?”
Lu Youyi said blankly, “Aiyo… my head’s a bit dizzy.”
Before the words finished, his eyes closed, and he collapsed forward!
Jiang Luo quickly reached out and caught him. Lu Youyi slumped against his chest, the gaping bloody wound on his head looking terrifying.
Jiang Luo supported Lu Youyi upright, his expression grave. “Ye Xun, take Lu Youyi to the hospital first. I’ll go find Dead Ghost and catch up with you after.”
Ye Xun said, “Jiang Luo, the faceless monster…”
“It’s been dealt with,” Jiang Luo cut him off. “Go. Take him now.”
Ye Xun nodded resolutely. “Okay.”
Moonlight spilled through the windows like scattered feathers.
Jiang Luo watched them disappear into the distance. Once they were gone, he dropped the pretense on his face and wordlessly tossed a fire talisman into the pile of hair.
A pillar of fire surged up instantly from the hair.
Jiang Luo didn’t believe Dead Ghost was really buried under it.
Even if he had been buried, he should have been able to escape. If Lu Youyi could avoid Little Pink’s hair, why couldn’t a living corpse?
But if Dead Ghost had escaped and still didn’t come find them, the only explanation was that he didn’t want to find them.
He had regained his memories.
As the fire talisman burned down, scorch marks appeared on both sides of the stairwell walls. Jiang Luo stood at the edge of the staircase, looking down.
He didn’t know if he should go down or not.
Lu Youyi and Dead Ghost had been knocked down to the third floor. If Dead Ghost was still there, he would be somewhere below. But if he had recovered his memory, what reason was there to seek him out?
In the end, Jiang Luo still descended the stairs, stepping onto the ash-blackened floor.
Clack, clack.
The sound of heels hitting the wall echoed from below.
Jiang Luo froze in place.
The sound grew louder.
He quietly held his breath and peeked down from beyond the handrail.
And locked eyes with the killer standing on the second floor.
The killer seemed to be deliberately waiting for Jiang Luo to notice him. The moment their eyes met, he revealed a cold, chilling smile.
Goosebumps instantly rose across Jiang Luo’s body. He could hardly believe it—Chi You had already defeated the faceless monster and come after him?!
Chi You was really that strong?
Jiang Luo’s blood pumped faster, his heartbeat quickened. He couldn’t tell if it was the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent or sheer terror. His breath quickened slightly. Jiang Luo gave Chi You one last deep look, then turned and bolted.
Chi You stepped forward, following at an unhurried pace.
The malicious ghost’s eyes were locked tightly on the black-haired young man ahead.
Everything else faded from Chi You’s sight. He pushed open the stairwell door Jiang Luo had slammed shut and continued the pursuit without pause.
A restless emotion flared up again. His anger twisted, and another expectation surged.
It felt almost the same as the intense killing intent Chi You once had for Jiang Luo… but not quite the same.
Did he want to kill Jiang Luo?
No, Chi You didn’t feel like he wanted to kill him.
There were other ways—ways better than killing—that would let Jiang Luo realize his mistake and bring Chi You satisfaction.
Ways that would more effectively calm the dark currents now surging within him.
But… what way?
***
Jiang Luo reached the first floor, just about to run out the door when an evil wind slammed it shut in front of him.
Bang! A loud noise echoed. The empty first floor became a sealed-off space.
Chi You gracefully descended the final step and entered the main hall.
Jiang Luo turned to face him, refusing to show weakness despite his disadvantage. He crossed his arms and raised a brow. “Chi You, you’re actually not dead.”
Calm and poised, he added with curiosity, “So, you came all this way to tell me your secret?”
“If that’s the case, I’m sorry to disappoint you.” A slow smirk crept up on his lips. “You’ll have to tell me two secrets now.”
Jiang Luo didn’t feel a burning hatred toward the Chi family just yet.
Of course, he was a vengeful person—once he learned what the Chi family had done with Fu Yuaner from Lu Youyi, it wouldn’t be too late to hate them.
For now, he was playing a game of timing with the malicious ghost.
Chi You smiled strangely. “Yes. I need to tell you two secrets.”
He walked toward Jiang Luo step by step. The refined elegance in his appearance teetered on the edge of collapse. Cracks spread across his demeanor, leaking madness and darkness, like a crumbling mountain on the verge of falling.
Chi You had always been handsome. Even after death, the aura of death over his face gave him a twisted, morbid beauty. His straight nose and smiling eyes painted a picture of gentle handsomeness.
But now, Chi You looked like he was about to reveal his true self. A twisted, deranged aura seeped out.
Jiang Luo sensed that something was wrong.
Was Chi You so disgusted that he’d gone mad—just because Jiang Luo had kissed him by force and tricked him into becoming a scapegoat?
With crisis bells blaring in his head, Jiang Luo flicked his wrist, and all twelve talismanic glyphs flew out at once, launching straight toward Chi You!
Chi You raised his hand, ready to block the twelve glyphs—but unexpectedly, they merged into two chains mid-air, wrapping tightly around his wrists and yanking him backward.
Chi You was locked in place, arms stretched behind him.
He clenched his fists and tried pulling his right arm forward a little. The two chains instantly fused into one and gripped his right hand with all their strength.
This time, Chi You was completely immobilized, restrained where he stood.
The malicious ghost glanced back at the golden chains, then turned forward again with a half-smile, fixing his gaze on the black-haired youth.
The black-haired youth stood a short distance away, wary but calm. “Go ahead,” he said. “Tell me your two secrets.”
The malicious ghost smiled smoothly, deceptively composed. “Come a bit closer.”
Jiang Luo stood his ground, unbothered. Chi You’s smile didn’t change, but his eyes grew more meaningful. “Afraid?”
“Taunts don’t work on me,” Jiang Luo snorted. Still, once he was sure the glyphs had bound Chi You tightly enough, he stepped forward a few paces. “But for your pitiful sake, I’ll humor you. Alright, you can speak.”
He was far too curious about Chi You’s secrets.
Every one of them—he wanted to know them all, clearly and completely.
This obsessive desire made every step feel like walking on knife edges—each footfall was trembling with danger, yet irresistibly compelling.
“The first secret,” the malicious ghost’s voice was low, “what kind do you want to hear?”
“You,” Jiang Luo replied.
The malicious ghost blinked as if enlightened. “Oh, me.”
“My secrets… there are many,” the malicious ghost smiled. His gaze flicked briefly to the golden chains. “I carry a curse.”
Jiang Luo waited, but nothing followed. His brows twitched. “That’s it?”
Chi You raised an eyebrow. “The rest… belongs to the second secret.”
Jiang Luo gave a sharp, incredulous laugh. “Classic Chi You—splitting one secret into two. Why not count every word as a secret while you’re at it?”
Chi You said calmly, “Then come closer. Please me, and I’ll tell you everything else.”
Something clawed hungrily inside Jiang Luo’s chest. He licked his lips, looked up—only to find Chi You gazing at him with suggestive amusement.
He abruptly remembered that his lips still had traces of Chi You’s saliva. Stiffening, he withdrew his tongue and said coldly, “Keep looking at me like that and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Chi You chuckled darkly. “No need to be so harsh.”
The more Jiang Luo looked at him, the more irritated he became. He had forced a kiss on Chi You to pit him against the Faceless Monster—but in the end, Chi You had defeated the monster with ease and then caught up again.
Even though Jiang Luo had mentally prepared himself for Chi You’s victory, he hadn’t expected it to be so fast, so effortless.
It left him feeling like he’d made a terrible miscalculation.
Worse still—did Chi You not have a weakness?
He drew a deep breath and took two more steps forward, voice cold as ice. “Speak.”
The distance between them closed.
Close enough that, under the moonlight, the malicious ghost could see every subtle expression on Jiang Luo’s face.
Pale moonlight washed over Jiang Luo’s profile like jade—outlining the curve of his brow, the tip of his nose, and the lips Chi You had kissed.
That light added a vital touch—like a final stroke on a masterpiece—making the black-haired youth seem vividly alive, pulsing with hidden vitality like a flowing river of stardust.
Chi You’s gaze was casual, smile unchanged, as though this secret meant nothing to him. “This curse is placed on every direct descendant of the Chi clan. It restricts us,” he said lightly, “from harming the collateral branches of the Chi family.”
Jiang Luo paused, thoughtful.
No wonder.
“That counts as one. What about the next?” he pressed, even more intrigued.
Chi You countered, “What do you want to know?”
Jiang Luo hesitated, then said slowly, “Do you have a weakness?”
As soon as he asked, his heartbeat surged.
No one wants to reveal their own weakness—but even if Chi You replied with a “no comment,” Jiang Luo would prefer that over hearing “none.”
The malicious ghost raised his brows in surprise, tone unreadable. “Not bad. That’s a good question.”
Jiang Luo instinctively stepped forward. “So do you or don’t you?”
“Of course I—” Chi You’s voice suddenly lifted, “—but only if you please me first.”
Bound by golden chains, his right arm twisted with a sickening force. Then, right before Jiang Luo’s eyes, Chi You snapped it off.
If he couldn’t break free from the twelve glyphs, then he’d just sever his arm.
Black blood sprayed from the wound and landed on Jiang Luo’s face.
He froze.
His mind went blank, staring as the malicious ghost cradled his mutilated arm, grinning with sick delight as he stepped closer.
A delayed thought rose slowly in Jiang Luo’s head—
The malicious ghost bleeds?
Chi You lowered his head. His left hand, stained with dark blood, reached to gently stroke Jiang Luo’s face.
A chilling, icy aura seeped through Jiang Luo’s skin and into his bones.
“I’m very unhappy,” Chi You said slowly. “You made me a scapegoat and used such a method to trick me.”
Blood stained Jiang Luo’s face, dripping down from beside his eye. He caught the thick scent of blood in the air.
Chi You’s gaze was cold and terrifying. “What you did makes me want to swallow you down, bite by bite. So then—why don’t you use your method to cheer me up?”
As he spoke, his left hand lifted Jiang Luo’s chin, and he suddenly kissed him with fierce malice.
But it wasn’t really a kiss—it was the tearing bite of a beast, a ghost devouring its prey. Bloody, aggressive, and suffused with a bone-chilling aura. No tenderness, no passion—just breath-stealing dread and the horror of being consumed bit by bit.
Chi You bit Jiang Luo’s lips until they bled. The pain was intense.
The black-haired youth’s eyes sharpened again. He stretched out his hand—one of the twelve sigils flew into it, turning into a dagger. Without hesitation, he plunged the dagger into Chi You’s body.
Yet the ghost didn’t even flinch. He didn’t retreat in the slightest. Instead, like punishment, he bit at Jiang Luo’s lips even harder, crueler and colder.
Jiang Luo’s breath grew rapid with anger. He bit down hard in return—
—only to nearly break a tooth on Chi You’s lips.
D*mn.
F**k.
So hard.
Jiang Luo’s breath hitched. He drove the dagger in deeper. The other eleven sigils wrapped tightly around the ghost’s neck, trying with all their might to drag him away from Jiang Luo.
At last, the ghost lifted his head.
His lips were crimson with blood. He licked the blood off his lips with his tongue and smiled. “Ah, I feel much better now.”
Jiang Luo’s expression darkened. His eyes were turbulent and unreadable.
The one-armed ghost raised his hand again and gently wiped Jiang Luo’s damp, glistening lips. “Of course I have a weakness.”
“For example—your Yin-Yang hoop,” he said idly. “Or…”
His voice turned dangerous, dripping with syrupy ambiguity. “…a kiss from you that distracts me.”
Black mist began to rise, slowly wrapping around Chi You. The right arm he had twisted off was also enveloped in it. Looking down at Jiang Luo, the fury and murderous intent that had surged up after being tricked—now mixed with another kind of disorderly, murky, indescribable desire.
Chi You didn’t understand what it meant.
But he was certain—he could find the answer from Jiang Luo.
With one last meaningful glance, Chi You vanished into the mist.
Jiang Luo wiped his lips with a stormy expression, fuming.
What the h*ll was Chi You trying to do?
Disgust him by copying his own method?
Jiang Luo felt something was off. His hand paused mid-wipe.
But more important than that was what Chi You had said— “Of course I have a weakness.”
What exactly was Chi You’s weakness?
***
Chi You reappeared on the sixth floor.
He hummed softly. It was the same song Jiang Luo had been humming the first time they met after his death. The cheerful tune sounded eerie and strange from his lips. Black mist clung to his severed arm, binding to the wound. As his arm regenerated, excruciating pain lanced from his marrow to his flesh.
This kind of pain struck even his soul—but Chi You seemed unfazed. His smile was odd, but his mood visibly good.
Teng Bi stepped out of the darkness, speaking stiffly, “Master.”
“Teng Bi,” Chi You smiled, “It’s been a while since I saw you.”
Teng Bi pressed his lips together. “Yes.”
In the dark, the sound of flesh growing over bone echoed nearby. Even a statue’s stone body, once awakened, would grow flesh, gain sensation, and feel pain.
Teng Bi had once experienced that pain. If not for the time he’d lost his memory and suffered the torment of black mist piercing his skin, he might have thought—just from his master’s expression—that his master didn’t feel pain.
Chi You asked, “How did it feel, living among humans?”
Teng Bi recalled memories from his time as Dead Ghost. He lowered his head and answered against his true thoughts, “Nothing much.”
“You’ll have to endure it a bit longer,” Chi You said, flexing his newly restored right arm and clenching his fist. “Soon, you’ll be embedded in their team.”
Teng Bi froze. “Master?”
Chi You said, “They call you ‘Dead Ghost.’ Not a bad name. Since that’s the case, then play the part of ‘Dead Ghost’ properly.”
The ghost’s eyes gleamed. “Watch… Jiang Luo for me.”
***
Jiang Luo took a long time to calm down.
But his face was still stormy. He opened the door, planning to leave right away—but a voice suddenly called out from behind.
“Jiang Luo?”
Jiang Luo turned. Dead Ghost walked out from the corridor, holding a large blade in his hand. “I went to retrieve my weapon. Where are the others?”
Apparently, he hadn’t changed back yet. Jiang Luo didn’t know if he felt relief or disappointment. He clicked his tongue and waved him over. “Come on. They went to the hospital.”
Dead Ghost’s voice lifted. “Hospital?”
“Lu Youyi got injured.” Even as Jiang Luo spoke, he could still feel the lingering discomfort of a soft-yet-hard tongue invading his mouth. His brows furrowed deeply. The place had become tainted for him. “Let’s talk outside.”
Teng Bi stepped out of the shadows, hiding the unease in his expression. But when he saw Jiang Luo clearly, he paused, startled. He couldn’t help asking, “What happened to your mouth?”
Author’s Note:
Jiang Luo: …bristling with rage.
