The situation was far too wrong. The white dragon was right. They could not keep delaying.
Although Qin Shu had only just finished listening to Old Fu’s endless warnings and reminders, the instant the dismissal bell rang and lunch break began, he and Pei Zhao blended into the crowd rushing toward the cafeteria and quickly left the teaching building.
To save time, they did not even call a car this time. Pei Zhao took his hand and led him toward an empty corner of campus. The moment they turned, a violent wind swept up around them, and they were already high in the sky. Air shredded apart by their terrifying speed brushed across Qin Shu’s cheek like blades, yet failed to leave so much as a mark.
In another blink, they were standing beneath the porch of Tang Rui Cheng’s house. The white dragon lay sprawled on the roof, still awkwardly pointing his backside at the two of them, and Qin Shu could not be bothered to acknowledge him.
“All the windows are locked from inside…” Pei Zhao had not even finished speaking when a tremendous crash sounded beside him.
Qin Shu kicked open the outer security door, pulled Pei Zhao upstairs at a brisk pace, then directly twisted off the handle of Tang Rui Cheng’s locked bedroom door, leaving a bowl-sized hole in the wood.
Tang Rui Cheng lay on the bed, staring fixedly at his phone screen. Whenever a message appeared, he opened it and replied. Every response was normal and reasonable, exactly the sort of thing Tang Rui Cheng himself would say, but that was all.
He did not seem to browse any websites or social-media platforms on his own. He merely stared quietly at the screen and moved again only when a new message arrived.
Even after Qin Shu broke down the door, Tang Rui Cheng showed no reaction. He was like a lifeless block of wood, his gaze not shifting at all.
Qin Shu realized his breathing had nearly stopped. Ever since he gradually adapted to the rules governing this new world, that sense of extreme panic, of being unable to control anything at all, had rarely surfaced in his mind anymore.
But now it surged up uncontrollably once again, wrapping around him like boiling steam and seeping through every opening into his body. Qin Shu squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and discovered that even his voice had gone hoarse when he spoke. “Tang Rui Cheng! Tang Rui Cheng! Can you hear me?”
There was no response. Tang Rui Cheng remained lying there like a dead object, his eyes utterly unmoving.
According to the white dragon’s description, in another two minutes he would sit up again, limp back to the computer chair, and continue refreshing the webpage and replaying the video. Handling him then would be even more inconvenient.
“If you can hear me… Pei Zhao and I are both here. We’ll find a way to save you. But first I’m going to knock you unconscious and check what the hell is wrong with you. It might hurt a little. Bear with it.”
After saying this quietly, giving whatever consciousness Tang Rui Cheng might still possess some mental preparation, Qin Shu raised his eyes and exchanged a glance with Pei Zhao… then acted directly, striking the carotid sinus with precision and knocking Tang Rui Cheng unconscious at once.
His eyes remained open, empty and unfocused. His arm fell limply to the side, and the phone dropped onto the mattress with an unpleasant muffled thud.
The one blessing in all this was that Tang Rui Cheng did not continue those mechanical repetitive actions. If he could keep moving even after being knocked unconscious, the problem would have been much worse.
Qin Shu then moved aside and left Tang Rui Cheng to Pei Zhao before turning to rummage through the drawers of the bedside cabinet.
“Let me see where he hoards his disinfecting wipes. I think they were in this cabinet before… Zhaozhao, don’t touch his hands yet. Wait until I disinfect them for you.”
“All right.”
Pei Zhao carefully avoided Tang Rui Cheng’s fingers. He first checked his pulse, then finally activated his magic and sent it inward through the point between his brows to investigate.
A moment later, Pei Zhao frowned slightly. “There is nothing filthy inside his brain. Only his soul is dark and muddied. He may have been dragged into some unusual demonic obstruction. I have never seen this kind of evil thing before… No. It does resemble something a little. No wonder the white dragon didn’t recognize it.”
Before Pei Zhao had even finished, Qin Shu had already guessed at the likely answer. Without hesitation, he took out his phone and made a video call to Father William, whom he had only arranged to speak with last night.
Qin Shu put the call on speaker. Only after hearing the cold ringing tone connect successfully did he ask in a low voice, “You suspect a foreign ghost?”
“Yes.” Pei Zhao reached out and lightly pressed Tang Rui Cheng between the brows. Cool, gentle light gathered and spread, relaxing Tang Rui Cheng’s rigid facial muscles somewhat. His eyes slowly closed, making him at least look vaguely like a living person asleep.
“I haven’t eaten much foreign power, so I’m truly unfamiliar with it and not good at dealing with it. I can only temporarily suppress the erosion of his soul caused by this demonic obstruction. But if we want to cure the problem completely without damaging his mind, it would be better to ask someone more experienced to handle it.”
Just then, Qin Shu’s video call was finally answered.
“Mr. Qin, hello… This, this is…?”
Father William had not even finished speaking when he received a fright, because Qin Shu had already turned the camera around and pointed it directly at the sleeping face on the bed.
Qin Shu quickly explained Tang Rui Cheng’s condition and Pei Zhao’s suspicion, then said seriously, “Father William, this is fairly urgent. How much do you charge for a remote exorcism? Do we need to prepare any special materials? Or should we just send someone to pick you up from the east side of the city?”
After listening, Father William became equally serious. “I’m sorry. I have no experience handling this from a distance, and holy water must come into direct contact with the person to work. If possible, it would be better for me to come in person, and I will prepare the materials myself. There is no need to mention payment. Exorcism is my duty.”
The fact that he only said he lacked experience doing it remotely meant… Father William really did have experience performing exorcisms in person. Experience was good. When it came to a suspected demon, he was the most authoritative expert they had.
“Ao Wang, you know the address. Go and come back quickly. Don’t damage Father’s things, and don’t let passersby see you.” Qin Shu looked toward the snow-white dragon head hanging outside the window, his tone clipped and brooking no argument.
The white dragon said nothing. In the next instant, he turned and shot into the sky, then five minutes later deposited Father William in the yard.
The priest’s clothes were in complete disarray. He carried an enormous hiking pack, his hair had been chewed into chaos by the wind, and his eyes held the temporary blankness of someone shocked beyond his processing capacity.
The white dragon nudged him with his head, knocking the dazed Father William off balance so badly that he nearly fell backward.
Then his thunderous voice rang out as he urged impatiently, “Second floor, turn right, first room. Hurry. Neither of those two ancestors has a particularly good temper.”
“…Th-thank you.”
Father William swallowed with difficulty, spun around almost as though fleeing, entered the house, went upstairs, and found Tang Rui Cheng’s bedroom.
Even after setting down his backpack, carefully taking out a large jug of holy water, and beginning to light candles in preparation for the exorcism, Father William still had not fully recovered from his shock.
“Mr. Qin, dragons really do exist in this world… Magnificent. So beautiful. Splendid and sacred…”
Qin Shu hurriedly stopped him. “No, no, no. Father William, please don’t suffer a crisis of faith at a time like this. Let us praise the Holy Father and Holy Mother together and give thanks for the happiness and joy They bestow upon the world!”
Father William froze, then came back to himself as though waking from a dream. His eyes finally cleared considerably. He shut his mouth and sped up his preparations.
His hiking pack contained everything that might possibly be needed. Qin Shu helped take the contents out and uncovered beautifully crafted saint figurines, several rosaries, a pair of engraved daggers, crosses of different sizes, and silver medals. The medals were tiny, yet covered in densely packed, exquisitely carved patterns and figures of saints.
When Qin Shu had first visited the cathedral, he had not been able to see anything unusual about them. But now the range of what his vision could perceive had expanded by an unimaginable amount.
Although Qin Shu did not understand Father William’s system of exorcism, he could tell with certainty that every single object the priest had brought was top-tier. They were genuine antiques, blessed holy objects, and when Qin Shu touched them they gave off pure white light that soothed the mind.
The strange part was… Father William himself did not seem able to see it. He had no idea how valuable these objects truly were, not only in monetary terms, but as genuinely powerful tools for warding off evil.
He simply knew someone needed help, so he had brought every precious object he possessed without hesitation.
In that case, they should aim to cure Tang Rui Cheng completely in a single attempt. Better that than forcing the man to run around again later with a backpack full of antiques.
Qin Shu picked up one cross in each hand. After examining them carefully, he selected the one edged in pure silver and handed it to Father William. “Father William, can you use the strongest thing you have on my friend? Don’t worry about hurting him. Go as hard as you need to. Pei Zhao and I will both be here watching.”
“All right. I will do my best.” Father William hesitated for a moment, then determination appeared in his deep-set eyes. “I may need to use a dagger. This is an extreme method a bishop taught me while I was studying. If you can accept that…”
Qin Shu glanced at Pei Zhao, then nodded. “That’s fine. As long as you don’t completely cut his head off, we’re confident we can heal him afterward.”
With the discussion settled, there was no need for further chatter. Qin Shu and Pei Zhao stood outside the room to give Father William enough space. Snow-white candles were arranged all around Tang Rui Cheng’s bed, and his computer desk was sprinkled with holy water as well. With that, the exorcism formally began.
Father William stood on a chair, using the height to establish his elevated position as a representative of the Holy Spirit. He gripped a dagger tightly in one hand while raising a silver-plated cross high above Tang Rui Cheng with the other.
“Lord, have mercy upon us…”
Beginning with prayers from the Roman Ritual, Father William’s tone was initially filled with devotion and compassion. Very quickly, however, his entire presence changed. His expression became stern, cold light entered his eyes, and he seemed almost like another person.
He began reciting an incantation with astonishing ferocity, speaking Latin at tremendous speed and practically hurling arrogant abuse at the filth before him. Qin Shu understood none of it, but the effect was excellent.
Tang Rui Cheng, who had been lying quietly on the bed, finally reacted. His entire body convulsed violently as though electrocuted, foam spilling from his mouth. His eyelids seemed to be dragged upward by some immense invisible force, rolling his eyes toward the back of his skull until almost the entire whites were exposed.
Then those seemingly normal whites rapidly became an unnaturally pure black. Two bottomless dark orbs gleamed faintly, spreading a profoundly incongruous, treacherous malice across Tang Rui Cheng’s otherwise harmless face.
It was as though the demon’s disguise had been forcibly torn away, revealing the darkness and evil truly hidden underneath.
Qin Shu’s breathing stalled slightly. He stared hard at Tang Rui Cheng’s exposed true state and activated his soul power to examine it carefully. For some inexplicable reason, that jarring sense of incongruity only grew stronger and stronger. There was still something hidden inside, something concealed beneath that blatantly obvious layer of evil…
Some powerful invisible force blocked his inspection. A barrier. But Qin Shu did not give up easily. He kept trying as Father William rapidly recited the exorcism, waiting while the scorching aura from the approaching pure-silver cross grew increasingly intense.
When See Through finally took effect, he saw one twisted face on Tang Rui Cheng’s contorted, agonized features, then two twisted faces… No. Three.
The final face belonged to an unfamiliar man. Ordinary features. Completely unremarkable brows and eyes. He looked like the default composite portrait of a Huaguo man generated by an AI, forgettable the instant one looked away. Qin Shu refused to give up. He persisted, searching for a flaw within those chaotic, blurred features until his eyes became painfully dry and began to sting as though pierced by needles.
That stinging pain did not come from the strain of keeping his eyes open too long. It was a direct counterattack triggered after he tore through the layer of disguise. Invisible force stabbed into Qin Shu’s eyes like nails, attempting to follow that channel into his Purple Palace with an extraordinarily vicious soul technique!
And Qin Shu finally saw the man’s true face.
He did not know it personally, but it was absolutely not unfamiliar. In fact, only last night Qin Shu had searched up a high-definition ID photo of that very face on his computer.
“…Zhaozhao. That’s Zuo Zhe. Sure enough, he wouldn’t simply die because his lifespan ran out. That really is the soul cultivator Zuo Zhe.”
Qin Shu spoke in a low voice and finally allowed himself to close his eyes, letting involuntary tears moisten his burning eye sockets.
This type of counterattack aimed at the Purple Palace, a soul technique that assaulted the Niwan Palace directly, was indeed designed with exquisite cunning. It would inevitably catch ordinary cultivators completely unprepared, and a single careless moment could leave them severely injured.
Unfortunately for Zuo Zhe, Qin Shu had read A Soul Cultivator’s Notes on Killing very carefully. Because Pei Zhao had stirred him up so badly last night that he had nearly been unable to sleep, his emotions had been unsettled, so after beginning his dream cultivation he had deliberately opened the book and read it a second time, then carefully studied the remaining two detailed soul-technique texts as well.
This method was recorded in Nine Extinctions of the Soul Lamp too. It was merely a small trick used in curse-killing soul techniques, not an especially complicated method. Once a barrier and counterattack mechanism had been set in advance, the caster no longer needed to maintain it, and it consumed very little of the cultivator’s own soul power…
Zuo Zhe loved using this method to ambush cultivators who were poor at soul techniques, especially unaffiliated body cultivators who liked robbing people of magical treasures on the road. It worked almost every time.
Pei Zhao was not surprised either. Shen dragons were the ancestors of illusion and disguise. Once Father William successfully suppressed the unfamiliar demonic power, the camouflage hidden beneath it was nothing more than a sheet of paper Pei Zhao could tear apart with one hand.
“I’m going to help.” Pei Zhao stepped into the room again and said softly to Qin Shu, “This man’s methods are vicious and dangerous. Things can go wrong very easily. Don’t come too close. Look after William first and don’t let him be attacked and knocked down… Do you know what to do?”
“I just learned it. I’ll try.” Qin Shu took a deep breath and concentrated.
Pei Zhao was referring to a soul technique Qin Shu had only just learned. It did not come from the several offensive manuals Lord Zhaoyuan had given him, but from a complementary soul technique included in the Nine Netherworld Prison Scripture, called Netherworld Soul Armor.
The name sounded extremely flashy, but the principle was simple. The caster seized a large number of wandering soul remnants with no consciousness left and already close to dissipation, rapidly blended and condensed their power, then formed it into invisible protective soul armor fitted closely around a person’s body to protect the Niwan Palace.
As long as there were still soul remnants nearby to seize, the armor could be reconstituted every time it was shattered. So long as the caster’s soul power had not run dry, it could be used repeatedly, making it remarkably quick and convenient.
Once the technique was cultivated to completion, the caster could easily tear open a passage to the underworld and seize wandering ghosts and fragmented souls lingering around the Yellow Springs Road and the River of Forgetfulness, pulling them into the living world as well. This made the protection even stronger and allowed the user to counterattack with netherworld ghost qi. That was how the soul technique had originally received its name.
Obviously, this was a method created by Empress Houtu. That was why cultivators of the Nine Netherworld Scripture possessed the authority to open the Yellow Springs Road so easily, while conveniently helping the underworld clear away miscellaneous soul remnants and evil things at the same time… two benefits from one job.
There was no need to chant aloud when using a soul technique. Qin Shu simply forced himself to calm down and focus in silence, urging the power in his Purple Palace outward. He easily opened a shortcut-like passage that stretched all the way to Jiangcheng No. 2 High School.
He was not trying to seize the ghosts inside No. 2 High School, because he did not have the authority to open the gates of that ghost prison. But there was another crucial passage within the school: the entrance to the ghost market, a branch point of the Yellow Springs Road.
Qin Shu had personally walked that road before. He had not noticed anything mysterious about it on the way in, and when leaving, he had stared straight ahead and walked without turning his head. What remained in his memory was only a deep impression and a crystal-clear set of coordinates. The exit was inside the boys’ bathroom.
Back then, he had not thought that stretch of road would be particularly useful to him. Looking at it now, however, it was the most convenient, easiest-to-locate express lane imaginable. The City God’s residence was nearby helping suppress the area, and underworld officers patrolled it, so Qin Shu would not accidentally drag out some hidden super-ghost from the darkness.
The coordinates preserved in his memory responded. An invisible passage formed instantly. Qin Shu did not hesitate. For the first time, he unleashed all of his soul power without reservation, spreading it wildly outward and frantically seizing the empty wandering remnants inside the underworld passage.
A strange exhilaration surged through his entire body. The fatigue of casting was completely suppressed, and Qin Shu discovered that he was enjoying the pleasure of releasing his power without restraint.
It was not only pleasure, but a solid sense of security. Father William had no idea that Qin Shu’s power had now enveloped him, wrapping him within a thick protective barrier over which dim light flowed. For a first attempt, Qin Shu had perhaps used slightly too much force… but that did not matter.
It was an extraordinarily unusual power, cold and dark with the deathly qi of the Yellow Springs, yet it had been completely broken apart and reconsolidated into something stable. Every bit of it was under Qin Shu’s control, safe and harmless, docile to the extreme.
Pei Zhao was closer and could clearly see the thick barrier surrounding Father William. The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, but he did not stop what he himself was doing.
The exorcism had reached its final stage. Pei Zhao stepped around the circle of swaying, burning white candles, approached the head of the bed, and extended his left hand to rest on Tang Rui Cheng’s trembling head.
His palm covered Tang Rui Cheng’s twitching lips, which were struggling to spit out obscene curses. The pads of his fingers covered those pitch-black eyes overflowing with viciousness and savage malice, and his fingertips rested lightly between Tang Rui Cheng’s brows.
Cool, gentle light spread outward. It appeared completely nonaggressive, yet it was an even more obscure and ancient form of erosion.
“Aaaaaah!”
A bizarre howl like the scream of a wild beast erupted without warning. The half-formed curses broke apart into intermittent shrieks, and the evil thing could no longer hide its movements beneath its human shell.
Amid those waves of noise, Qin Shu could also hear thin, rustling sobs mixed with sounds like teeth grinding, chewing, and laughter. It sounded like a madman playing in a deep pool packed with venomous snakes, sobbing hysterically yet bursting into wild laughter whenever he was bitten… It was profoundly unpleasant. Listen too long and you began to feel as though you might go insane along with it.
You foreign ghosts are seriously terrifying.
Qin Shu complained inwardly while closely watching Father William’s pale, shocked face. He reminded him in a low voice, “Father, don’t stop!”
Father William jolted back to himself as though awakening from a dream. He gripped the silver holy medal swinging at his neck, raised the antique dagger engraved with roses high in his other hand, and, after receiving Pei Zhao’s gentle nod of permission, drove it viciously into Tang Rui Cheng’s heart.
“Vade, Satana!”
The thunderous command of expulsion was accompanied by a heavy, wet shhk as the blade broke through flesh.
A filthy shadow visible to the naked eye erupted from the blood. The waves of garbled, disordered noise grew even louder, saturated with intense hatred and malice. It rushed straight at Father William, only to rebound from the invisible protection around him.
Father William was knocked backward onto the floor by the recoil, while the black shadow screamed and fell directly into the arms of Pei Zhao, who was sitting at the head of the bed.
In that instant, every trace of color drained from Father William’s face. He nearly rushed over to shield Pei Zhao, afraid the seemingly slender young man would be attacked by the demon. But immediately afterward, every mind-disturbing noise abruptly vanished. Only dead silence remained in the room, along with Father William’s own uncontrollably heavy breathing.
A lone demon crashing by itself into Pei Zhao’s arms was, fundamentally, no different from rushing directly toward death.
Being devoured completely required only the briefest instant. No meaningful resistance could even begin. Every hideous trace of malice vanished into nothingness and became delicious nourishment for something far more uncanny.
Pei Zhao lightly licked the corner of his lips. A dim trace of satisfaction quietly entered his golden eyes, yet his hands did not stop moving. He gripped the rose-patterned dagger still buried in Tang Rui Cheng’s chest and said softly, “Zuo Zhe. This time, I saw you.”
The instant he finished speaking, Tang Rui Cheng’s eyes flew open and he suddenly expelled an extraordinarily long breath of turbid air.
It was almost as though this were the first normal breath he had taken in several weeks. Every force suppressing his mind and body finally dispersed and fled, leaving Tang Rui Cheng lying there alone, dazed and muddled, yet with both chest and mind clean and clear at last, free of the weight that had been pressing upon them.
“That hurts…”
Clear consciousness returned with the pain. Tang Rui Cheng slowly lowered his eyes to the dagger in his chest, then to Pei Zhao’s hand gripping it, and finally to Qin Shu standing anxiously at the doorway.
He was silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “You married couple… what kind of play are you into? You go this hard you have to break into my house and murder me together?!”