The black-haired youth’s footsteps were light, like dancing around the sofa.
In the pitch-black night, only the moonlight shone through, casting faint silver streaks.
Jiang Luo wore a bright, teasing smile. He leaned down beside the malicious ghost’s head, the scent of his hair laced with an intoxicating, almost poisonous allure.
“Oh?” the malicious ghost said, perfectly composed. He tapped the toe of his shoe and replied with a cryptic tone, “What makes you say that?”
In truth, Jiang Luo was right.
Everyone has a weakness. Chi You was no exception.
He had just endured three days of backlash from the malicious ghost markings. After every wave of backlash, Chi You would enter a period of weakness.
During this time, he would hide away in a quiet place and wait patiently for recovery.
During these vulnerable periods, Chi You never let himself be seen. He hid his weakness flawlessly—no one ever noticed.
—And this time should have been no different.
But when the backlash ended and Chi You began remotely surveilling the people he kept under watch, he saw Jiang Luo in his room.
Jiang Luo had deliberately lured him out.
Chi You knew it clearly. And yet, what surprised even him was that despite knowing it was a setup, he still came—eagerly, even.
Before he had fully recovered.
Even the malicious ghost himself could barely believe it.
Jiang Luo reached out and lightly pinched a dried leaf stuck to Chi You’s chest. He almost laughed. “Look at this—what is this? You actually have a dried leaf on you?”
For someone like Chi You—who could walk through deep mountain forests without a speck of dust touching his leather shoes—it was absurd.
Jiang Luo spoke again with amused disbelief: “Chi You, you really can get weak.”
“Ah… I’ve been found out,” the malicious ghost said, sighing with a hint of regret.
“What a surprise…” Jiang Luo straightened up. He cracked his knuckles. “Now then—this is my time.”
***
The TV was turned on, playing a music channel.
At that moment, an intense bass-heavy track with frantic drumbeats came on.
Amid the increasingly frenzied music, the malicious ghost was tormented over and over again by the black-haired youth, each time with the same methods of death. A vase shattered, sharp shards slashing the malicious ghost. He was pinned against the wall by his collar, blood dripping from his mouth and staining his clothes. Jiang Luo tightened the rope wrapped around the malicious ghost’s neck, letting out a low chuckle: “How’s that feel?”
The malicious ghost tilted his head back, hair disheveled. He experienced pain again and again—real pain. The talisman-infused water burned like fire inside his body. Veins bulged along his neck as he rasped hoarsely, “Not bad.”
“It hurts,” he grunted, then remarked with a tinge of admiration, “You’re really ruthless.”
Jiang Luo smiled gently. He leaned in and softly reassured, “Don’t be afraid. What’s coming next will hurt even more.”
A vengeful human reenacted every death he’d experienced in his dreams—again and again, on the malicious ghost.
Starting from the least painful, each death became progressively worse.
The malicious ghost was thrown hard onto the floor.
His wrists and ankles were tightly bound. His once sickly-pale face now flushed faintly red from the various torments. His always immaculate suit was in disarray, and he looked thoroughly wretched—yet that flawless, unmatched face of his was now twisted in a grin that grew ever more crazed and exaggerated.
Sweat dripped from Jiang Luo’s chin, falling onto the malicious ghost’s lips.
The malicious ghost licked the droplet into his mouth and murmured with a smirk, “The taste of hatred.”
In the next instant, Jiang Luo’s arm, wrapped with the Si snake, struck him hard in the abdomen.
The malicious ghost, lying long and slender on the floor, looked less like a terrifying specter and more like a male escort abused by a malicious client.
Jiang Luo thought this, then finally broke into a bright, satisfied smile. “Chi You, did you never expect a day like this would come?”
The music switched to another track.
A heartbeat-like prelude pulsed with the melody—thump, thump—as the malicious ghost was dragged into the bathroom by Jiang Luo.
The malicious ghost was in a sorry state, but his expression remained unhurried. He glanced at the faint light breaking outside the window, only then realizing the night had passed.
His hands, bound with talisman-inked rope, twitched slightly—and one of the talismans burned away instantly.
Jiang Luo noticed it from the corner of his eye. He sneered and pretended not to see.
The sound of running water echoed in the bathroom.
The cold water in the bathtub overflowed, spreading a thin layer across the tiled floor. Drip, drip—the water echoed like a rainy night outside the window.
Jiang Luo dumped the malicious ghost into the tub. The already-full water surged over the edge, soaking Jiang Luo’s clothes instantly.
He looked at himself, then patted the malicious ghost’s face, annoyed. “Teacher Chi, you’ve gotten my clothes wet again.”
Chi You replied lazily, “What an honor.”
Jiang Luo lifted Chi You’s chin, his fingernails digging into the flesh, and spoke condescendingly, “Looks like the lessons just now weren’t enough to make you behave.”
He shrugged and stood up, his soaked clothes clinging to his skin—half-covered, half-revealed, showing off a flawless figure.
The malicious ghost’s gaze trailed over him out of the corner of his eye.
Jiang Luo frowned in disgust and glanced coldly at him. “Stay here.”
He turned to leave and change his clothes.
Jiang Luo had only brought one set of clothes to Chi You’s place. Now he had to dig through Chi You’s wardrobe for something clean. Tossing new clothes onto the bed, he stripped off his bloodstained ones.
The blood stood out in stark, spotted red. Jiang Luo’s lips curled slightly as he whistled along with the music.
Tonight was great.
The best night he’d had since transmigrating.
But it still wasn’t enough.
The malicious ghost’s body remained unscathed. Even if his mind was tormented, it wasn’t enough.
There were still a few of the eighteen death methods he hadn’t returned.
Because Jiang Luo had grown bored. He wanted to find something else—something even more unforgettable for the malicious ghost.
He put on one of Chi You’s shirts, humming as he buttoned it up. Before he could put on pants, a sudden splash came from the bathroom.
Jiang Luo turned his head and ran barefoot to check.
He flung open the bathroom door, but the malicious ghost who had been left in the tub was gone. Only floating talismans and a sunken rope remained in the water.
Jiang Luo raised a brow and turned to bolt—only to feel a hand clamp down on the back of his neck.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Jiang Luo was forcibly turned around by the grip on his neck. The malicious ghost bent down, water dripping densely from his suit onto Jiang Luo’s dry shirt.
“You changed into my clothes,” the malicious ghost said, nose nearly brushing Jiang Luo’s, “used my things…”
Chi You sniffed lightly, then chuckled, “I can still smell it…”
Jiang Luo, pinned by that hand at his nape, looked like he’d been locked in place. His eyes blazed, hot enough to vaporize any ice.
For some reason, the malicious ghost leaned in even closer. His voice dropped, rough and husky, laced with ambiguity: “Did you have fun tonight?”
“An amazing time,” Jiang Luo sneered, forcing a smile. “If I could make you feel suffocating death once more, it’d be even better.”
The malicious ghost smiled indulgently, dotingly. “No problem. I can experience it with you.”
With that, he slammed Jiang Luo into the bathtub.
Water exploded in all directions.
Jiang Luo’s head was shoved hard beneath the surface. The malicious ghost pressed down on him like a mountain. Jiang Luo hadn’t prepared for this sudden submersion. Air fled his lungs, bubbles rising in a frantic stream—it was the same sensation he’d had in those dreams of drowning.
How the h*ll was Chi You’s bathtub this deep?!
This wasn’t a dream. Die here, and it was real death. Jiang Luo thrashed violently, refusing to yield. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the grip at the back of his neck lifted him up out of the water.
Splash—the surface broke.
And then lips crashed onto his.
Jiang Luo desperately drew in oxygen, but the lips feeding him air were mocking, slow and deliberate. As he frantically sucked in breath, that tongue traced the shape of his mouth with teasing intent. Before he could recover his senses—
He was pushed back under again.
…You f*cking—!
Jiang Luo suddenly erupted in overwhelming rage.
He raised his foot and kicked viciously, shoving the malicious ghost back under the water. The surface churned violently as the black-haired youth burst out of the tub.
Expressionless, he rose from the water and sat on the edge of the bathtub. When the malicious ghost sat up, what greeted him was a golden whip slicing through the air.
Chi You managed to catch the whip just in time.
He sat directly across from Jiang Luo in the tub, knees bent at either side. The illusion of perfection was shattered; water slid down his cheek, lending him a certain sensuality. Chi You’s complexion had improved from its earlier sickly pallor, even the corners of his lips carried a healthy flush.
Chi You caressed the whip, his fingers burning and hissing as they came into contact with the densely scripted golden curse marks. He looked at Jiang Luo, a flicker in his eyes, and murmured something seemingly unrelated: “It’s almost dawn.”
Jiang Luo was soaked head to toe.
The hem of his shirt clung to his thighs. He gave the whip a sharp tug, completely unconcerned with how he looked—after all, both he and Chi You were a mess. Who had the right to laugh at whom?
The whip didn’t come loose. Jiang Luo tugged again. Unexpectedly, Chi You let go voluntarily, and the whip dropped onto the surface of the water.
A fleeting smile flickered in Jiang Luo’s eyes. He took the chance to lash the whip once more, successfully leaving a charred black mark around the malicious ghost’s neck.
Having struck his mark, Jiang Luo immediately exited the bathroom and mocked, “So cramped in there, can’t even fight properly—what’s the fun in that?”
Chi You murmured to himself, “You’re right…”
He stood, stepping out of the tub. The moment his feet touched the floor, all the moisture on his body evaporated.
The weakness from the backlash of the malicious ghost patterns gradually faded from his body.
Inside, Chi You’s body felt like it was burning—yet also like it was freezing. He shut his eyes briefly, straightened his clothes, and walked out unharmed. Dodging the talisman that flew at him, he looked up at Jiang Luo.
One stood immaculate, while the other was disheveled.
Jiang Luo frowned, displeased by the contrast. But then he suddenly remembered something, and his expression changed. His face darkened as he reached up to touch his lips.
Chi You had disgusted him again.
Heh.
Jiang Luo sneered internally.
Even if it sickened him, would Chi You really go that far just to get revenge?
What now?
A contest of who can be more disgusting?
Or was he simply toying with Jiang Luo for his own amusement?
Jiang Luo’s face turned cold. He took a step back—only to step on the TV remote.
The music channel on the television abruptly switched.
A drama played on-screen, where the male and female leads were passionately entangled on a bed, kissing noisily, their breath heavy and urgent.
The killing intent hanging in the room momentarily paused.
