On the bus, Li Zhuoyuan turned his head to gaze out the window, observing the bustling streets and the reflection of himself in the glass.
The woman who appeared at the General's Temple was none other than Ran Qiuping.
However, the general, lifeless below, was not Qiu Minmin.
Qiu Minmin had been nearly beaten to the brink of collapse by him and his companions, and no matter what methods the controlling presence used, it was impossible for her to recover in such a short time.
What roles did the two body retrieval workers in the temple play? Logically, it seemed that the young man was deliberately avoiding his master, which suggested he might be the one assisting Ran Qiuping from the shadows.
Just like Sun Hongxia had been brainwashed by Ran Qiuping, it was possible that Ran Qiuping had also been manipulated by someone else, turning her into a mere pawn.
The threads of this event suddenly expanded and elongated.
Li Zhuoyuan felt satisfied by this progression; the more people dragged into the matter, the more complex it became.
This added to the fun of handling it.
Only when the blocks were stacked high was there pleasure in watching them topple.
Arriving at the station, he didn’t rush back to the dormitory.
Since Lu Yi wasn’t charging him, at the very least, he should treat him to a meal.
Given that it was still afternoon and dinner time was far off, the Old Sichuan restaurant had no patrons yet.
He chose a table, sat down, ordered some dishes, and asked for a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.
The food arrived quickly.
Li Zhuoyuan ate half a bowl of rice alongside the dishes before focusing on the soup.
Lu Yi enjoyed his meal, as Sichuan cuisine always went well with rice, especially for a young man like him who was at the prime eating age.
After finishing, they left the restaurant.
While wiping his mouth with a tissue, Lu Yi said, "Brother Shentong, next time you have something, just call me. No need to treat me to a meal; that's too courteous."
"Alright."
Li Zhuoyuan let Lu Yi head back to the dorm first, while he made his way to the school clinic.
The clinic consisted of two three-story buildings, one located on campus, the other in the nearby community.
Though it served as the clinic for the school, it was also open to the public.
As he entered, he saw Yin Meng standing in a corner, guarding several bags of food bought from outside, which had incense sticks inserted in them as she waited for the incense to burn out.
The ward wasn’t a private room, which made eating inconvenient for Runsheng.
Li Zhuoyuan didn’t bother calling Yin Meng and went upstairs by himself.
Using his ability to distinguish snoring sounds, he found the ward, standing at the window, gazing at Runsheng sleeping on the bed.
He noticed that Runsheng was recovering quickly; color had returned to his face, no longer as pale as it had been last night.
Li Zhuoyuan didn’t enter but leaned against the wall, hands clasped behind him, with his left foot resting against the wall.
While the sun had yet to set, the evening breeze could no longer be restrained, eagerly highlighting the transition of day to night.
He stood there, listening to the snoring inside, feeling the wind, lost in thought for quite some time.
It wasn't until the corner of his eye caught sight of Yin Meng carrying the incense-burned food upstairs that he then took the other staircase down.
Returning to the dormitory, he found the dorm supervisor's office still empty.
It was summer break, and not many people were left in the dormitory building.
The absence of the dorm supervisor wasn’t such a big deal; in fact, it was quite rare for someone like Ran Qiuping to be present in the office.
Back in his room, Li Zhuoyuan's gaze fell upon the luggage belonging to him and Tan Wenbin.
Thanks to Xue Liangliang’s truck, everyone had brought their equipment and gear in good condition.
However, this might have exposed problems.
Just like the old man they had seen at the General’s Temple earlier, sometimes keeping one’s identity concealed could be more beneficial.
Who said that only those standing in the light could represent the heavenly way? This was a question that needed addressing, starting with how to hide their equipment and gear.
Following that, each team member’s physical presence required adjustment; they couldn’t be easily recognized on the street by seasoned practitioners or spirits.
Li Zhuoyuan took out a small flag from his luggage.
Each flag's end was wrapped in tape; after tearing it off, he could stick them anywhere.
He then retrieved a chalk line and a brush made for special pigments.
After sticking the flags on the dormitory door and holding a compass to observe and measure, he began laying out the design in his mind.
Once the diagram was complete, he began to place the flags.
Flags went up on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor.
Next, he used the chalk line to create patterns, then with the brush he outlined the markings using materials like cinnabar.
Finally, he positioned a stool in a specific spot and set a bronze mirror upright, facing the dormitory door.
The bronze mirror was a gift from A Li, probably something from Grandma Liu, which made it a perfect centerpiece for his formation.
Next, he needed to change the appearance of these formation flags.
When Tan Wenbin had time, he would ask him to buy flags from other nations to cover them.
This way, if outsiders saw them, they would only think students were expressing their individuality, not engaging in some superstitious practices.
Just then, he heard the sound of slippers in the corridor; he recognized it as Lu Yi.
Lu Yi knocked on the door, and Li Zhuoyuan purposely stayed silent.
A moment later, Lu Yi opened the dormitory door himself.
He came in holding two thermoses of hot water, and as he entered, the moment felt surreal, making it hard to distinguish the directions or even where he was.
From Li Zhuoyuan’s viewpoint, it appeared that Lu Yi was spinning in circles, holding the two thermoses.
The boy adjusted the position of the bronze mirror.
Lu Yi blinked in confusion, thinking he had temporarily zoned out.
"Hey, what was I here for again?"
Then, it clicked.
"Brother Shentong, I brought you a bottle of hot water from the boiler room."
"Thank you, bro."
"No need for thanks; it was on my way."
Lu Yi set the water bottle down in the corner, then glanced at the flags and patterns: "Brother Shentong, what are you doing?"
"There's a ghost in the dormitory."
"Ah! I have stuff to do; I'm heading back to prepare for my class."
Lu Yi hurriedly grabbed another thermos and dashed out of the dormitory, closing the door behind him.
In truth, that response was more typical for a normal person facing strange events; Tan Wenbin's earlier reaction had been the outlier.
Li Zhuoyuan went to wash up with a basin, took a shower at the sink, and returned to his dorm.
He flipped the mirror back to face the door and prepared to sleep.
Before dozing off, he began to recall the fragmented memories he had tried to read from Qiu Minmin last night.
They were jumbled, comprised solely of static images with none that were coherent.
He had thought it was Qiu Minmin's peculiarity, only to realize later on that she was a spirit of another kind.
This implied that the memories he had read were not only practically useless but could also lead to misconceptions; a marionette spirit had very little self-awareness.
The next morning, Li Zhuoyuan had just gotten out of bed when he heard the sound of running footsteps in the hallway; it was Tan Wenbin.
Hesitating for a moment, he turned the mirror around again, even knowing that Tan Wenbin would soon want to test it out.
As Tan Wenbin opened the dormitory door, he held a stack of documents in one hand and breakfast in the other.
"Oh, Xiao Yuan, did you set up a door trap?"
"Yeah."
"Why isn't it working?"
"I turned it off."
"Why turn it off? You should let me try it out."
"First deal with the important matter."
"Okay, okay."
Tan Wenbin sat down, and the two began eating breakfast while glancing at the documents.
"My dad helped me find some connections. Hey, you wouldn’t believe it; he really has connections."
"Didn’t you mention that your dad was later reassigned to a township police station?"
"Yeah, apparently he made a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?"
"Sons don’t speak of their father's faults."
"Did you not dare to ask?"
"You've never experienced my dad's strength when he used to beat people with a belt. When I was little watching Bruce Lee movies, I imagined my dad was Bruce Lee with the nunchucks."
"Focus on the documents."
Li Zhuoyuan exchanged his half of the materials with Tan Wenbin.
Just as Tan Wenbin finished looking over one witness's information and was nibbling on two dumplings, Li Zhuoyuan leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly gliding across the tabletop.
"Isn't it, brother? I toiled day and night for this case file, and you finished reviewing it in a matter of minutes?"
"Yeah."
"No wonder my dad used to say you should become a detective."
Li Zhuoyuan closed his eyes, replaying everything he had just read in his mind.
Zhao Junfeng had insulted and killed Qiu Minmin in the restroom of the teaching building during the night.
There were three eyewitnesses: one guy and two girls named Wu Xinhui, Liu Xinya, and Zhu Hongyu.
These three were rehearsing a dance drama in an empty lecture hall when Qiu Minmin had gone to the restroom, causing the practice to halt.
After a long delay, when she still didn’t return, the trio went to search for her and discovered Zhao Junfeng hastily rushing out of the restroom.
Upon entering the restroom, the girls found Qiu Minmin had been insulted and killed.
Following the incident, security from the school and members of the student union attempted to apprehend Zhao Junfeng, later catching his trail near West Lake, where Tan Wenbin had gone running the first night.
Zhao Junfeng fled the campus after injuring several students.
Upon police intervention, the chase began, leading to Zhao Junfeng’s capture near the General’s Mountain, and the student union was involved in the search.
Eventually, Zhao Junfeng held Wu Xinhui hostage with a dagger.
After a standoff, the police opened fire; Wu Xinhui was rescued, but Zhao Junfeng fell into the river after being shot.
His body was recovered three days later.
This case was quickly concluded due to the three testimonies, as Zhao Junfeng showed obvious resistance, fled, and refused arrest.
Li Zhuoyuan asked, "Is the student union so proactive in college?"
Tan Wenbin finished his last sip of soy milk and nodded, "Seems that way. The student union recruits new members at the start of the semester, but Liang Ge told me not to waste my time there."
"Oh?"
"Liang Ge said the bureaucratic culture in the student union is full of petty scraps. Apart from a few heads trying to cozy up to teachers for benefits while boasting before the students to enjoy a bit of authority, regular students are just called in to do the chores."
"The file says Wu Xinhui was the student union president that year."
"Yeah, I saw that."
"Zhao Junfeng was after Qiu Minmin, having once set up candles under the girls' dormitory to confess, but he was rejected."
"Brother Xiao Yuan, let me put it this way: if I were to directly view this file, I’d say there’s nothing wrong with the case. But now that Qiu Minmin has turned into a corpse, I feel there must be secrets involved."
"Yeah."
"So we’ll need to investigate these three witnesses? We must find Liang Ge. Although Liang Ge hadn’t started school at that time, he has extensive connections and can help us gather information around school. We can also check with the police officer who fired the shots to learn more about the situation at that time."
"Not necessary," Li Zhuoyuan shook his head.
"We didn’t come to solve the case, so we don’t need to follow the conventional process."
Then he shared with Tan Wenbin the findings from the General’s Temple from yesterday.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, do you mean we directly take action against Ran Qiuping?"
"Not only Ran Qiuping, but also those two companions in the General's Temple."
"Then we must wait for Runsheng to recover fully. As you described, neither Yin Meng nor I might be a match for that old body retrieval worker."
"However, I don’t want to wait too long; I fear that dragging it out may lead to more complications."
Li Zhuoyuan glanced at the “barrier” he had set up, "Even if we can’t win, it doesn’t mean you need to confront openly."
"Ah-ha, got it," Tan Wenbin understood Li Zhuoyuan's intent.
"So, we don’t need to worry about not being able to take him on."
At that moment, Tan Wenbin’s pager buzzed, and he rushed out to take a call, quickly returning: "Brother Xiao Yuan, Liang Ge said he and Luo Gong are coming back tonight. He invited us to a dinner at the Lijing Hotel at seven; should we go?"
"Of course. It’s not like we’re moving tonight. I still need to draft the formation…"
"But you draw very quickly."
"And then you still need to memorize it."
"Oh, right, that does take time. Mainly for Yin Meng, her mind is too slow."
"Go take a break; you didn’t sleep at all last night."
"It's fine."
"You need to be well-rested for tonight's performance. Life, studies, and dealing with the spirits don’t need to have one sacrificed for the other. We can take it easy."
"Got it, I understand."
Tan Wenbin knew Li Zhuoyuan’s meaning.
Luo Gong had only accepted Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuoyuan into his mentorship; he hadn’t formally taken Tan Wenbin in yet.
Earning Luo Gong’s favor could ease his studies.
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to be left behind alone to prepare for finals while others traveled with Luo Gong to different provinces for competitions.
Tan Wenbin climbed up to sleep, while Li Zhuoyuan sat at his desk sketching a couple of formation drafts.
If the Qi ancestors knew that their family’s royal tomb secrets were being simplified to fight, they’d probably be furious enough to rise from their coffins.
However, the temporary formations had obvious shortcomings: they were short-lived and couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe.
This also justified why Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng needed to memorize their positions in advance; otherwise, if they ended up in a fight alongside the enemy and shared the same negative effects, then what could the formation achieve?
After finishing the sketches, Li Zhuoyuan began drawing a position diagram.
Once it was done, to aid in their memory, he even wrote a rhyme to go along with it, making sure to maintain rhythm.
In this aspect, Runsheng's cooperation was indeed the highest.
In fact, there was an even more direct method: “borrowing” the corpse under the General statue, but that option was too risky.
Without confirming the identity of that corpse, Li Zhuoyuan wouldn’t dare to seize such an opportunity.
If any chain reaction were triggered, it would be his head on the line with the heavenly way.
At noon, Tan Wenbin woke up.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, how long did I sleep?"
"Just a few hours; you can sleep a bit more."
"No need, that’s enough. I caught a few naps last night, so I’m not that tired."
Tan Wenbin got out of bed.
"I’ll head to the store to grab something to eat and check on Sun Hongxia."
"We can release Sun Hongxia."
"Huh? Won’t she report us to the police for illegally detaining her?"
"Then we can tell the police uncle that she was the one who stole money from our shop."
"Good excuse."
Tan Wenbin thought carefully, finding it flawless.
"She won’t report us. If she intended to do that, she should have done it the first time she met a ghost."
Li Zhuoyuan pointed at his forehead.
"She only appears normal, but her thinking has gone awry."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Let her know that there might be hidden truths regarding her son's case."
"Brother Xiao Yuan, you’re too kind."
Li Zhuoyuan: "…"
After Tan Wenbin left, Li Zhuoyuan poured himself a cup of hot water from the thermos.
As he blew on the cup, he muttered to himself: "She will go mad."
Entering the store, Tan Wenbin headed straight down to the basement and unlocked the door, finding Sun Hongxia tied up inside.
Xiao Hei was also there, watching her.
Sun Hongxia felt lifeless.
Once Tan Wenbin untied her, she mechanically trudged to the restroom.
After coming out, she consumed some food and water, then knelt by the bedside, waiting to be bound and gagged again.
"You can go now."
Sun Hongxia looked up in disbelief at Tan Wenbin.
"We’ve investigated your son’s case; there should be hidden secrets."
Sun Hongxia froze.
The worldview of an ordinary person could be complicated or simple.
Sun Hongxia initially stayed back at school with a sense of guilt.
After seeing the ghostly shadow of “Qiu Minmin” and listening to Ran Qiuping's narration, she grew even more convinced of her identity as a penitent.
But to Sun Hongxia, these people, who were capable of confronting ‘ghosts’ without losing, were obviously not ordinary.
Even though they had imprisoned her, intimidated her, and interrogated her, she believed their words.
Was there a secret behind her son's case?
That meant her son had been wronged?
Sun Hongxia’s eyes gradually fell to the low table where a picture of her son sat.
"No, no, no, this can’t be possible!"
Sun Hongxia screamed, immediately clutching her son's photo to her chest.
Watching this scene unfold, Tan Wenbin realized he had spoken too soon when he had said, “Brother Xiao Yuan, you’re too kind.”
"My son was wronged, my son was wronged!"
The fanatical, penitent mindset was inherently unstable; the longer it was suppressed, the more desperate someone became when they could finally grasp a single thread of hope.
Sun Hongxia ran out of the room with her photo, and by the time Tan Wenbin caught up with her, she was already fleeing the store, wild-eyed.
She first dashed toward Building Nine, presumably to find Ran Qiuping.
When she quickly realized there was no one there, she ran out again, her hair disheveled, heading toward other directions.
Tan Wenbin felt a shiver down his spine; he sensed that Sun Hongxia was merely a bait Li Zhuoyuan had casually cast out.
After securing the store doors, he grabbed something to eat and returned to the dormitory.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, Sun Hongxia has gone out, looking like she has lost her mind."
"Yeah."
"Should I go keep an eye on her?"
"Not necessary; let her be."
Li Zhuoyuan handed his things over. “Copy this first, then deliver it to Yin Meng. Remember to understand it thoroughly while memorizing, as opponents won’t just stand still like standardgrid patterns.”
"Alright."
Tan Wenbin took the documents and started to copy them.
He sat up straight and focused, working with more dedication than when his father’d watched him with a belt while doing his homework.
After copying everything, Tan Wenbin rushed to the clinic, greeting Runsheng and inquiring about his recovery before calling Yin Meng, handing the materials to her while also giving her instructions.
“Is Binbin gone?”
"Mm, you take a nap; I’ll step outside for some fresh air."
"Xiao Yuan needs to do something, right?"
"We have to wait for you to recover fully for anything. Without you, our team can’t operate."
"This team, aside from Xiao Yuan, can lose anyone else."
Runsheng touched his bandaged wounds and said, "It’s my fault. You and Binbin need to protect Xiao Yuan."
"Alright, it’s all in the past; your task now is to focus on healing."
Recognizing that Runsheng had already seen through her, Yin Meng revealed what she had.
"I need to memorize all these things, not just memorize but also understand them."
Runsheng: "Then hurry up and memorize; your brain is slow, so make the most of your time."
Yin Meng: "…"
As dusk fell, Li Zhuoyuan and Tan Wenbin hailed a taxi in front of the school, heading to the restaurant.
In the taxi, Li Zhuoyuan sat in the back, while Tan Wenbin occupied the front passenger seat.
Throughout the ride, Tan Wenbin repeatedly recited various divination terms, causing the driver to glance at them occasionally.
Once they reached the restaurant, as the driver collected the fare, he asked, “Young men, which temple has a good spirit? I’d like to pay my respects too.”
Inside the restaurant, Tan Wenbin shared the driver’s reaction with a chuckle, “Xiao Yuan, if I had pretended to be a knowledgeable master and directed the driver, do you think I could have gotten away without paying?”
"The driver only believed you because you didn’t direct him plainly," Li Zhuoyuan replied with a smile.
“Right.”
Although they arrived early, they were still the last to get there.
Luo Gong and the others probably had an administrative meeting at the hotel already.
Upon entering, Xue Liangliang enthusiastically introduced Li Zhuoyuan and Tan Wenbin to the others present.
As Li Zhuoyuan scanned the room, his gaze slightly narrowed.
Meanwhile, Tan Wenbin was absorbed in the atmosphere, as all present were leaders and teachers from their school.
When Xue Liangliang introduced Secretary Zhu Hongyu, Tan Wenbin felt she looked somewhat familiar with a charming demeanor.
Upon the introduction of their class’s instructor, Liu Xinya, he felt he had heard the name somewhere before.
Finally, when it came to an introduction of Zhu Hongyu’s husband, Wu Xinhui, who also worked in the school’s logistics department, Tan Wenbin’s heart skipped a beat as he suddenly realized— these three were indeed the witnesses mentioned in the case file!
He immediately turned to Li Zhuoyuan, only to find Li Zhuoyuan already offering a gentle, shy smile to all the teachers and leaders present.
Did Xiao Yuan not notice? No, his mind had left traces; it was impossible for Li Zhuoyuan to forget.
Luo Gong occupied the head of the table, with several school leaders sitting beside him.
During the conversation at the dinner table, it was obvious how polite and respectful everyone was toward Luo Gong.
"Zhuoyuan was personally recruited by me from Nantong; I will mentor him personally. You all need not worry about his studies; I have a box of his graduation design in my study," he chuckled.
Xue Liangliang filled glasses for the teachers while discreetly reminding, "And also Binbin."
"Ah, right, Binbin too."
Luo Gong remembered Tan Wenbin, as there would always be backdoor slots in his project, so a favor could go a long way.
Many times, what appeared to be rare human connections were just a word from someone nearby; he didn't see why he wouldn’t give his two beloved students a little recognition.
At the dinner table, everyone was having a great time chatting.
Li Zhuoyuan recognized that this occasion had the most significance to him: he could skip classes at will in the future.
He had already completed his major classes in college, and as for advanced math and physics, they didn’t differ much from high school content in his view.
Besides that, he also learned from the dinner conversation that Zhu Hongyu was the granddaughter of the former president, while Liu Xinya remained at the school after graduating; those two had hardly left.
Only Wu Xinhui had ventured into entrepreneurship after graduation, but now some college leaders were intentionally teasing him by cheekily calling him “Boss Wu,” turning him red with embarrassment.
It seemed he had failed in business and returned to the school through his wife’s network, meaning these three were now all back on campus.
This appeared to be a trigger condition.
So, it was just as if they had stumbled into a volcano about to erupt, and they got splashed by the lava.
Although this volcanic eruption didn’t feel great either.
While cases could sometimes be quite complex, if every murder victim could "speak" or represent their case in another form, the police would certainly have an easier time with their jobs.
Li Zhuoyuan naturally didn’t plan to inquire if they had faced any odd occurrences lately or to casually mention a case from seven years ago.
He simply enjoyed his drink at the table, playing his current role flawlessly.
After the banquet dispersed, Liu Xinya, as the counselor of the new semester, approached to check in on them, leaving her contact information.
Zhu Hongyu and Wu Xinhui also approached together; Zhu Hongyu was concerned whether Li Zhuoyuan would be interested in participating in some university competitions as a representative of the school, while Wu Xinhui feigned caring interest in his life situation, patting his chest to assure him to come find him if any problems arose.
Li Zhuoyuan responded politely and warmly to each.
Luo Gong was tired, yet he forced a smile and shared a few encouraging words, broadly indicating that once he finished his current project, he would include Li Zhuoyuan in the next one.
This time, it was Li Zhuoyuan who brought Tan Wenbin along, prompting Luo Gong to remember again: "Oh, right, and Binbin too."
Xue Liangliang first escorted Luo Gong back to his room to rest, as there would be another meeting the next day.
Shortly after, Xue Liangliang returned to see the two off at the hotel entrance.
"You two seem to be hiding something from me?"
Li Zhuoyuan shook his head.
Tan Wenbin shook his head vigorously.
Xue Liangliang pointed at Tan Wenbin.
"Xiao Yuan, I can’t read his expression, but you were clearly concerned about something at the dinner table. It seems serious."
"I haven't yet read my textbooks; I feel anxious."
"I wouldn’t believe such nonsense, but I’m genuinely busy right now and can’t spare any time. Catch up later; if anything comes up, you mustn’t hide it from me."
Li Zhuoyuan smiled.
Tan Wenbin nodded in agreement: "Alright."
"You see, you're indeed hiding something."
Tan Wenbin raised his hands in surrender.
"Liang Ge, it’s unfair to focus just on me."
"Okay, okay, I’m off to help the teacher organize documents. You both be careful."
Li Zhuoyuan and Tan Wenbin took a taxi back to school.
Walking through the campus, Tan Wenbin asked, "Xiao Yuan, with those three witnesses returning to school now, what’s our plan…"
"Nothing changes."
Li Zhuoyuan stated confidently without further thought.
"We’re the ones being attacked; striking back is only natural."
"I'll stay up late tonight, and I can memorize everything thoroughly. Yin Meng will have more time tomorrow to catch up."
"Then let’s act tomorrow night."
"Alright!"
As they entered the dormitory building, approaching the third floor, they heard the sound of a guitar being played.
"Oh, that’s quite artistic."
"That’s Lu Yi’s dorm," Li Zhuoyuan recalled that he had mentioned playing the guitar.
Originally, they hadn’t planned to join the excitement, but as they passed by Lu Yi's dormitory door, they both heard, along with the guitar melody, the sounds of high heels tapping along.
Either Lu Yi had brought a girl back to the boys' dormitory, which wasn’t entirely unheard of; or, Lu Yi was wearing high heels while playing guitar, which would be a rather strange habit.
There was a third possible scenario…
"Knock on the door."
Tan Wenbin immediately stepped forward to knock.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
The guitar continued to play, but the sound of the high heels suddenly became hurried.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
While the guitar continued to strum, the high heels were running toward the dormitory door, the sound of “tap-tap-tap” growing nearer.
Finally,
“Bang!”
“Damn!”
The dormitory door was flung open, knocking Tan Wenbin down.
Standing in the doorway was none other than Lu Yi, wearing only blue-and-white shorts, high heels, and holding a guitar.
However, after that initial collision, the guitar was already noticeably dented.
Tan Wenbin exclaimed, “Bro, what kind of getup is that?”
“He's possessed.”
It was then that Tan Wenbin noticed, though Lu Yi’s eyes were open, his expression was vacant, as if he was sleepwalking.
In the next instant, Lu Yi turned to flee down the hallway.
“Stop him!”
Tan Wenbin lunged forward and grabbed onto Lu Yi's hairy legs.
Lu Yi leaned forward, falling to the ground.
“Bang! Bang!”
“Yeow!”
Yet, two flying kicks from the high heels struck Tan Wenbin straight in the chest.
He let out a cry but didn’t release his grasp, instead grabbing Lu Yi's shorts and pulling up fiercely, immediately tackling him over!
“Ha!”
With all his strength, Tan Wenbin flipped Lu Yi over, with himself on top.
Lu Yi began to struggle, but most of his joints were locked; his frantic writhing made him appear like a turtle flipped on its back.
Li Zhuoyuan reached into his pocket, brushing against the black dog blood, and quickly approached Lu Yi, bending down to press his thumb against Lu Yi’s forehead and sliding down!
His five fingers danced across Lu Yi's body, leaving behind a red line.
Lu Yi’s body jerked violently, foam spilling from his mouth.
At this moment, the high heels slipped off Lu Yi's feet and attempted to escape.
After allowing it to escape last time, there was no way they would let it run free again!
Li Zhuoyuan’s eyes sharpened, invoking “Yin family's twelve methods: Bridge of Lettuce."
In his line of sight, a girl’s figure emerged above the high heels, desperately attempting to flee.
But with each step she took, she found herself moving backward, no matter how hard she struggled to change that course.
Continuously looking back toward the boy standing in place, his eyes were deep, devoid of any emotion.
The Bridge of Lettuce technique was meant for banishing filth and evil spirits, essentially commanding, “Get out of here, you filthy thing!” creating a hostile effect against evil entities.
However, Li Zhuoyuan was using a reversed application, forcibly pulling the filth back toward himself.
Even Yin Fuhai, who had long since passed, probably never anticipated that the ancestral methods could be used this way!
At present, Tan Wenbin couldn’t perform the traditional ritual of burning incense and chanting to walk the spirits, thus couldn’t see any girl, but he noticed that those high heels which had originally begun to retreat, were, inexplicably, returning.
He shoved Lu Yi off himself with his left hand, fished for the red ink pad from his pocket, with impressive premonitions of the graceful moves he was about to make already playing in his mind.
Nonetheless, maybe due to having overly developed biceps, his first step went awry; he dropped the ink pad.
“Smash!”
The pad shattered, spilling out a pool of red liquid.
Tan Wenbin paused slightly but quickly ducked down with both hands to scoop up the red liquid, disregarding any patterns; he deposited the black dog blood liberally onto the high heels with wild abandon.
From Li Zhuoyuan’s view, it appeared as if Tan Wenbin were sprawled out on the ground, his bloodied hands continuously rubbing against the girl’s calves.
The bizarre scene blended reality and the ghostly narrative, giving off somewhat of a sleazy impression.
The girl opened her mouth, producing a soundless wail, her expression one of utter agony.
The area around her legs felt as if it was on fire, beginning to melt.
It could be said that the five black dogs raised on medicinal food were incomparably useful; this black dog blood had outstanding effects in dispelling evil and breaking curses.
The girl knelt before Li Zhuoyuan, pleading, as flames steadily advanced upward, nearing her thighs.
It seemed Tan Wenbin felt there wasn’t enough black dog blood in hand and intended to dash back to retrieve more for continued application.
"Binbin, that’s enough, stop."
"Ah?" Tan Wenbin jerked his wrists, nodded, "Alright."
Li Zhuoyuan knelt down, picking up the now-red high heels: “You bring Lu Yi back to the bed.”
“Mm."
Tan Wenbin hoisted the still twitching Lu Yi back into his dorm.
Returning the high heels to his desk, Li Zhuoyuan pulled out a purple leather whip, dragging a chair over to sit before the high heels; to be exact, the girl whose lower half was missing and only her upper half remained upright on the desk.
She now had a unique beauty resembling a shattered sculpture.
Li Zhuoyuan unfurled the whip and gave it a gentle flick to the side: “Crack!”
The girl’s body shuddered, her arms weaving in front of her in sheer terror.
"I ask; you answer."
(End of Chapter)