Chapter 298: A Legacy of Family Knowledge

After working tirelessly through the night, Lu Yibei originally planned to skip class and take a day off at home, just like most of his classmates during exam month when attendance checks were less strict.

However, reality often crushes ideal plans. He wanted to do it, but he couldn’t.

Although the investigation into the “One-Person Hide-and-Seek” haunting incident had concluded, with the true culprit dead and the compiled report already submitted to The Midnight Watchers Society’s database, the matter wasn’t over yet.

The haunting incident at the Golden Sands Hotel had numerous direct and indirect witnesses. Completely erasing its impact and preventing the spread of haunting legends wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight.

Especially for those who directly participated in the haunting game, like Yang Yi and others. After the special task force performed memory-clearing procedures on them, they still needed to be observed for two to three days.

After all, the alchemical potion used by The Midnight Watchers Society to erase memories wasn’t foolproof.

Aside from potential side effects that might grant the user weak psychic senses and increase their short-term likelihood of encountering hauntings, individual differences could also lead to insufficient dosage or ineffective results.

Although The Midnight Watchers Society had been around for years, such cases of potion immunity among ordinary people had only occurred once-a rare event. But precautions had to be taken.

In fact, that single case of potion immunity nearly caused a public panic due to the spread of rumors.

Fortunately, The Midnight Watchers Society excelled at controlling narratives. Its members were carefully selected from fandom warriors and PR experts, employing both sarcastic comments and rational analysis to suppress the emergence of a terrifying haunting born from public hysteria.

Thus, to prevent such incidents from happening again-or Yang Yi and the others encountering a haunting and dying of fright-someone had to observe their post-potion condition covertly.

Naturally, this responsibility fell upon the kind and helpful Lu Yibei.

The thought of cleaning up Yang Yi’s mess infuriated Lu Yibei.

If not for the extra stipend, he wouldn’t have agreed to it in a million years.

But with money involved, everything became negotiable.

After being drained financially by the alchemical potion, Lu Yibei was willing to do almost anything to earn money now.

Of course, Lu Yibei was somewhat concerned about the potential side effects on Yang Yi and the others.

After all, Hua City University of Technology housed more than one haunting.

However, Lu Yibei wasn’t worried about Yang Yi; he was worried about the headless senior sister.

She often wandered around the campus, even appearing in Lu Yibei’s classroom last time, completely disregarding others’ feelings.

If Yang Yi accidentally encountered her in some corner of the campus, her personality might scare him to death.

Just like how she was startled by Lu Yibei in the men’s bathhouse back then…

…

“Yibei, let me repeat myself: those black-robed figures are extremely dangerous. Stop investigating them. If you ever encounter them, just run…”

Bai Kai had already emphasized the dangers of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts multiple times in Lu Yibei’s office, but he still felt uneasy and insisted on personally escorting Lu Yibei to school.

“Got it, got it. I’m not a kid anymore,” Lu Yibei replied impatiently. “Shui-Ge, don’t you know me by now? I wouldn’t do anything dangerous.”

Fair point. This kid is nothing like his parents. Who does he take after? Bai Kai nodded thoughtfully. “I’m just worried your curiosity might get the better of you.”

As they chatted, they reached the entrance of Hua City Folk Culture Administration Bureau and saw Li Xuan driving up.

Upon spotting Lu Yibei, Li Xuan’s face lit up with a warm smile as he approached.

Seeing this, Lu Yibei whispered to Bai Kai, “Wasn’t Qing-Jie supposed to take over today? What’s this guy doing here?”

Bai Kai rolled his eyes. “Of all the people in The Midnight Watchers Society, he’s the one with the most drama. How would I know what nonsense he’s up to now?”

Lu Yibei glanced at Li Xuan, who was getting closer, and frowned. “Why do I feel like he’s coming for me again? Isn’t there a way to deal with him? Like slashing his tires?”

Bai Kai shook his head lightly, smirking. “Not possible. Funds are tight lately; I can’t afford to replace his tires.”

Lu Yibei paused, confused. “Wait, you mean you actually pay for the tires you slash?”

“Well, he’s a colleague. It’s good to leave some room for future interactions.”

“What’s the point?”

“For fun, of course!” Bai Kai shrugged. “Tires are one of the cheaper parts of a car, yet replacing them is quite a hassle. I get my fun, he gets annoyed-it’s worth it!”

Lu Yibei nodded thoughtfully, feeling like he’d just unlocked a new way to torment people.

“Besides, slashing his tires today isn’t an option. Didn’t you notice? That guy’s already gone all out and replaced his tires with run-flat ones.” Bai Kai added.

Hearing this, Lu Yibei’s gaze shifted to the sports car parked at the alley’s entrance. Sure enough, the tires were slightly wider and heavier than usual-clearly built to last.

While Lu Yibei was secretly inspecting the tires, Li Xuan had already approached the two and began his performance with a smile.

“I heard our proxy operator accomplished something big last night?”

“Two hauntings with psychic energy fluctuation levels of C+ and one illegal psychic with a level of B-, all subdued thanks to your seamless teamwork with the special task force. Quite impressive!”

“When I first joined The Midnight Watchers Society, even handling a Class D haunting was a struggle. Truly, the student surpasses the master. Congratulations!”

“Well…” Lu Yibei looked at Li Xuan, deadpan. “Uncle, have you ever considered that maybe your lack of talent is the reason?”

Li Xuan’s smile twitched slightly, but he ignored the jab and continued patiently. “Congratulations aside, I also heard that Operator Lu used several spell formations not belonging to The Midnight Watchers Society last night?”

“Could you tell me where you learned those spell formations? If possible, I’d love to learn from you!”

Operators of The Midnight Watchers Society weren’t prohibited from using non-standard spell formations, which is why the special task force members didn’t question Lu Yibei’s use of them.

However, any unknown spell formations must be reported in advance, with a reasonable explanation of their origins.

Yet, Lu Yibei hadn’t reported the spell formations Qing Ji had taught him before using them, nor had anyone questioned him afterward. This was highly irregular.

So…

If others won’t address it, I will. If others won’t act, I will!

Handling haunting incidents isn’t a dinner party. Besides necessary combat skills, the most crucial thing is rules, rules, and more rules!

If everyone behaved like Lu Yibei, disregarding rules, the atmosphere of The Midnight Watchers Society in Hua City would soon deteriorate. How could they deal with hauntings then? Li Xuan thought furiously.

Lu Yibei sized up Li Xuan, tilted his head, and said blankly, “You really want to learn?”

“Of course,” Li Xuan replied. “I’ve always been deeply interested in spell formations.”

“While I understand your enthusiasm as a diligent learner, this matter is a bit tricky,” Lu Yibei frowned.

“What’s tricky about it? Do your spell formations have some unspeakable origins?”

“Not at all,” Bai Kai, who had been silent, interjected. “Yibei’s spell formations are ancestral, passed down only to direct descendants. If you want to learn, you’d have to recognize him as your godfather.”

“You… Hmph! In that case, I’ll let it go for now!”

Li Xuan pointed at Bai Kai, glared at Lu Yibei, and stormed off with a cold snort.

“…”

The Midnight Watchers Society in Hua City already had Bai Kai, a notorious troublemaker, and now they had Lu Yibei, who disregarded rules. Truly infuriating!

But do they really think I’ll let this slide?

I’ll send the on-site footage to Shifu and the others at Great Pure Palace. With their vast collection of spell formation knowledge, someone will surely recognize the origins of those ghostly formations!

As Li Xuan walked into Hua City Folk Culture Administration Bureau, he thought furiously. But before he had gone far, he heard a strange noise coming from the alley.

He paused, then turned sharply toward the alley, as if remembering something important. There, he saw Lu Yibei and Bai Kai, each holding a key, scratching long lines across his beloved car. Then, as if nothing had happened, they walked away, leaving no trace of their involvement.

“Scraaaaape-!”

The sound was not only teeth-gritting but also heart-wrenching.

The two long scratches seemed etched into Li Xuan’s heart, igniting his fury.

Previously, Bai Kai had been sneaky about slashing tires. Now, with Lu Yibei as his accomplice, they had boldly escalated their antics!

Li Xuan fumed, but before he could react, the culprits had already fled the scene.

“That guy saw us! Yibei, hurry… huh? When did you…”

Seeing Lu Yibei already at the alley’s exit, Bai Kai was momentarily stunned.

“Shui-Ge, why are you still standing there?! Run!”

Bai Kai, “…” How is Yibei faster than me?

And so, at Lu Yibei’s urging, the two fled like thieves, jumping into Bai Kai’s car and disappearing from Li Xuan’s sight in no time.

One hour later.

Li Xuan sat in his office, staring intently at his phone screen, waiting for his Shifu and the elders to analyze Lu Yibei’s spell formations.

Soon, a notification sounded. He hurriedly opened the chat app and connected to a video call, where an elderly Taoist priest appeared on the screen.

To his surprise, he was greeted with a scolding.

“You fool! Who told you to investigate that kid in the video? Stop your dangerous behavior immediately!”

Li Xuan, “???”

“Shifu, I’ve reviewed that kid’s background. His family has been ordinary for three generations. How could this be reckless?”

“Besides, he’s constantly causing trouble in The Midnight Watchers Society, breaking rules. I can’t just ignore it!” Li Xuan protested, looking like a child tattling to a parent.

“You ungrateful disciple! You’re driving me mad! Breaking rules? That’s his family legacy! Don’t provoke him again! If you do, don’t call yourself a disciple of Great Pure Palace!”

“Why? Shifu, you have to tell me why!”

“No reason! That’s what your grandmaster said. If you want answers, go ask him!” The elderly Taoist priest ended the call with a huff.

Immediately, a young Taoist appeared on the screen, speaking earnestly to Li Xuan.

“Senior nephew, please stop upsetting Shifu. Just listen to him, alright?”

“The video you sent has thrown Great Pure Palace into chaos. The grandmasters are still locked in Chongyang Hall, discussing it behind closed doors!”

“Alright, that’s it for now. We’ll talk later…”

“Beep-!” The young Taoist ended the call.

Li Xuan, “…”

That day, Great Pure Palace inexplicably closed its gates for over a week.

Those in the know said that the Headmaster, upon seeing Li Xuan’s video, reacted as if facing a great enemy and immediately announced his retreat.

This led everyone in Great Pure Palace to believe that a terrifying haunting with a grudge against the palace was about to attack.

But no one knew that the Headmaster had recognized the self-created spell formations in the video and mistakenly thought that the childhood bully who had once tricked him into being bitten by a three-colored centipede to “promote growth and attract girls” had returned…

Hua City University of Technology.

Between classes.

After absentmindedly finishing a lecture, Lu Yibei rushed to Yang Yi’s side. Before he could sit down, he noticed Yang Yi’s stunned expression.

It was as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.

The members of the small group noticed Yang Yi’s unusual demeanor and turned to look, only to mirror his ghost-like expression.

Lu Yibei, “…” What did the special task force do to them? Why do they all look like idiots?

Typically, after consuming Memory Loss Water, ordinary people experience a brief memory gap. While this gap isn’t long, if not handled properly, human curiosity often drives them to seek the truth.

Thus, the special task force thoughtfully prepares a small story for them-usually a minor accident-and places them in a hospital. When they wake up, the story is shared to fill in the missing memory…

Wait, this plot feels familiar. Have I seen it somewhere before?

As Lu Yibei pondered, someone interrupted his thoughts.

“Lu… Lu Yibei, are you human or ghost?!” the two-faced flirt stammered.

He pointed to the ground expressionlessly. “What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t I have a shadow? Do ghosts have shadows?”

The group noticed his shadow on the ground and relaxed slightly, collectively exhaling.

After a pause, Lu Yibei added, “But it could also be a zombie.”

The group gasped, their faces changing, tension returning.

“Just kidding. Don’t take it so seriously. Do you remember what happened last night?” Lu Yibei asked earnestly.

“Of course we do. We went out drinking, and you insisted on driving us home. But when we got near the city moat, you shouted, ‘Brace yourselves!’ and floored the gas pedal, sending us into the river,” Yang Yi explained.

“Yeah, when we woke up in the hospital and didn’t see you, we thought…” the ditzy sweetheart trailed off.

“Exactly! It scared us half to death,” Jacob added, clutching his chest. “Lu Yibei, I never want to ride in your car again.”

Lu Yibei, “…”

The special task force really knows how to spin a tale. I don’t even have a driver’s license-how could I drive?

But this works. At least…

Lu Yibei’s gaze swept over Yang Yi and the others, his lips curling slightly.

At least they’ve completely forgotten about last night. I can collect my stipend without a hitch.

Perfect!