Chapter 609: A Knockoff Will Do for Now

Although Qing Ji had been partly motivated by revenge when he offered to teach Lu Yibei the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu and Body Beyond the Body, he was also genuinely trying to pass on the techniques.

When he attacked Lu Yibei again, he displayed every last detail involved in using the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu and Body Beyond the Body right before her eyes.

He held nothing back, baring it all like a colorectal examination.

As always, Lu Yibei used her own life to comprehend the mysteries of the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu and Body Beyond the Body, one death at a time.

At last, after feeding away more than a dozen kills, she had memorized every detail of how the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu was performed.

Lu Yibei felt capable again.

Excellent. It was time to put what she had learned into practice!

She turned and charged straight at Qing Ji, sounding the horn of her counterattack.

“A truth beyond all touch, a darkness beyond all sight, a fragrance beyond all scent…”

“A truth beyond all touch, a darkness beyond all sight, a fragrance beyond all scent…”

The two stood several meters apart, chanting the same incantation at almost exactly the same pace. Their fingers shifted in unison as their hands formed identical seals.

Apart from their appearances, their movements were synchronized like mirror images.

And then…

The instant the spell formation was complete, a bewitching, colorless flower appeared in Qing Ji’s palm.

Nothing appeared in Lu Yibei’s.

“…”

She stared at her empty palm. Dust drifted through her vision as though slowed by a hundredfold, while a fierce wind swept snowflakes across her face, magnifying their sting dozens of times over. She was dumbfounded.

The next moment, she died again…

————

Much of human suffering arose from failing to receive a reward proportionate to one’s pain.

If you performed poorly on an exam and your parents scolded you, that was still bearable. But if you studied hard, still performed poorly, and got scolded anyway, that was true suffering.

Now that Lu Yibei had entered learning mode, she could feel herself gaining something with each death, which seemed to ease the pain considerably.

Before, it had felt like serving a prison sentence. Now it was clearly much better—more like community service.

As she drifted through the darkness, Lu Yibei closed her eyes. She recalled every detail she had memorized while fighting Qing Ji and turned them over in her mind again and again.

Then enlightenment struck!

She realized she probably could not master the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu or Body Beyond the Body in a short time. But…

Who said she had to learn them perfectly?

There was nothing wrong with making a knockoff version and using that for now!

This wasn’t an exam. She didn’t need to show her work, and even the final answer didn’t have to be completely correct… Lu Yibei thought.

The Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu worked in an exceedingly strange way. The instant its spell formation was completed, psychic energy would be transformed through the formation into controllable mental particles. Like pollen, they drifted toward the target and invaded their body.

Moreover, that bewitching flower did not seem to have been condensed by the spell formation itself. Lu Yibei had heard that Gu-based spell formations required a Gu as their medium, so perhaps that flower was Qing Ji’s Gu.

Setting the Gu aside, its method of operation was remarkably similar to the enchantment ability granted by the core entity of her witch-type haunting.

With enough experimentation and practice, it might not be impossible to use enchantment to imitate the effects of the Inverse-Form Evil Blossom Gu.

Body Beyond the Body, meanwhile, worked by surging the purest psychic energy out of the user’s body. At the instant that energy entered a free-floating state, the user exploited the resonance between its psychic energy fluctuations and their own psychic energy, briefly controlling its form and position to produce an effect similar to an avatar.

It was a technique of pure, consummate control over psychic energy, a skill so refined it approached the Dao. Only a psychic like Qing Ji, who could effortlessly use psychic energy to mimic the power of the Hundred-Armed Giant, could accomplish it. For anyone else, reaching that level would not only be extremely difficult, but would offer little improvement in actual strength.

But…

I don’t really need to reach the Ancestor’s level of psychic energy control, do I?

I already have a similar ability: the Innate skill of my mythical-type haunting’s core entity. Maybe I can take a shortcut? Lu Yibei thought.

In some respects, her Innate skill was even more sophisticated than Body Beyond the Body. It needed no resonance between psychic energy and psychic energy fluctuations; she could control and detonate it with a mere thought.

Compared to Body Beyond the Body, the only thing her Innate skill lacked was the ability to freely adjust its form and position after it left her body…

If I can watch the Ancestor use Body Beyond the Body a few more times and overcome that weakness, then maybe my Innate skill will be able to “fly” in the future! Lu Yibei thought excitedly.

While pondering this, she smoothly completed another sit-up between life and death.

She looked around, spotted Qing Ji, sprang to her feet with a kip-up, and charged toward him with determination…

————

Meanwhile, as Lu Yibei threw away life after life, the ambulance arrived at the gaming cafe.

Guided by the terrified attendant, a team of medical workers reached the private booth, lifted the “unconscious” Lu Yibei onto a stretcher, and carried her toward the ambulance parked outside.

The young nurse bringing up the rear paused. Following standard procedure, she asked the attendant what had happened before the patient lost consciousness.

“Hello. Were you the one who found him unconscious?”

“Y-yes,” the attendant replied in a trembling voice.

“Did you notice anything unusual about him when you found him, or at any point beforehand?”

“I…” The attendant thought back for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, yes! From the moment he entered the booth, he kept staring at the computer screen. It was like… like something inside the computer had stolen his soul. It was terrifying!”

“D-do you think this could be some kind of haunting incident?”

The young nurse froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and giggled. “Come on, guy. There aren’t that many haunting incidents in the world. We have to believe in science!”

It certainly does sound like a haunting incident. I should contact the senior brother who’s on duty at the hospital later.

With that thought, the nurse recorded the information on her form and asked, “Was there anything else?”

“There was… I-I didn’t give him the 2.5-liter Coke he asked for?”

The medical workers: “???”

————

10:02 a.m.

Conference Room Three, The Midnight Watchers Society Headquarters, Seven Stars Mountain, Shengjing.

Two people sat at the enormous conference table: a middle-aged man with sharp brows and bright eyes, and a woman with phoenix eyes and shoulder-length hair.

They were two of the Guardians of The Midnight Watchers Society: the Commander of Armaments and Wordless Book.

“I heard the Dark Emperor called us here because a newly discovered catastrophe-class haunting has appeared?” the Commander of Armaments asked Wordless Book.

He had rushed over from Shanhaiguan Pass the moment he received Zhang Huainan’s message and had not yet had time to learn the details.

“Yes.” Wordless Book briefly related what she had learned from Zhang Huainan, then said calmly, “That’s everything I know. We’ll have to wait for the Dark Emperor to arrive before we hear the details.”

The Commander of Armaments nodded, showing that he understood. Instead of pressing further, he changed the subject. “How are things at Yumen?”

Some time ago, when news arrived that Yumen was in danger, The Midnight Watchers Society had dispatched two Guardians, Qin Huaijun and Wordless Book, along with more than a dozen Class A Psychics as reinforcements.

Wordless Book had indeed gone to support Yumen. However, because of the unusual nature of her Spirit Pattern’s power, one of her “bodies” always remained at The Midnight Watchers Society’s headquarters. The Commander of Armaments therefore believed she probably understood Yumen’s current situation better than anyone.

Wordless Book shook her head. “It’s bad. You probably know better than I do what that dead Divine Land was originally used for.”

“An astonishing number of hauntings have gathered inside it over the years, and the place seems to have undergone some remarkable changes. Now that the Divine Land has been damaged, those hauntings are pouring out like floodwater through a broken dam. Even Qin Huaijun has fought herself to exhaustion twice.”

“Even she has exhausted herself twice?” the Commander of Armaments asked in surprise.

Qin Huaijun might have been painfully single-minded, and her Spirit Pattern’s power might have been geared entirely toward brute force, but that was precisely why she could be considered the strongest of the nine Guardians in a prolonged battle.

Yet even she had fought to the point of exhaustion twice, despite having Wordless Book and the Yumen Desert lineage fighting alongside her…

It sounded as outrageous as plowing a field until two bulls in their prime dropped dead from exhaustion.

“Yes.” Wordless Book nodded. “Fortunately, none of the hauntings in Yumen have successfully escaped so far. The surrounding regions remain safe for now.”

“That’s good…” The Commander of Armaments nodded. “Contact me whenever you need reinforcements. Shanhaiguan Pass has been relatively peaceful lately, and the hauntings beyond the pass have attacked far less often. I should be able to spare the time for a trip to Yumen.”

Wordless Book seemed to think of something unpleasant. She frowned almost imperceptibly, then answered without showing any emotion. “All right. I appreciate the offer.”

Silence briefly settled over the conference room.

Before long, the door opened.

A slightly chubby young man dressed in a riot of colors walked in.

In one hand, he toyed with an ostentatious toad figurine made from ivory, gold, and jade, with multicolored gemstones embedded across its back.

Combined with the mercenary smile on his face, it gave him the unmistakable air of a vulgar nouveau riche.

The Commander of Armaments frowned slightly at the young man. “Golden Toad? Why didn’t the God of Wealth come?”

The newcomer was Golden Toad, the most capable assistant of another Guardian of The Midnight Watchers Society, the God of Wealth.

“Ah, don’t even ask!” Golden Toad rolled his eyes. “Something happened over in Country M recently. They couldn’t handle it, so they asked the God of Wealth to go help them.”

As he spoke, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat, took one out, and offered it to the Commander of Armaments. “You must be the Commander of Armaments, right? I’ve heard so much about you. Want a Zhonghua?”

The Commander of Armaments glanced out of the corner of his eye at the NO SMOKING sign on the wall, waved the cigarette away, and asked, “Something happened? What could be serious enough to require the God of Wealth himself?”

Following his gaze, Golden Toad looked at the sign and gave an awkward chuckle before reluctantly putting the cigarette away.

“A newly born haunting,” Wordless Book interjected. “According to what we know, its power appears to have been born from humanity’s blind obsession with cryptocurrency. Put simply, cryptocurrency came to life.”

After a pause, she added, “Reportedly, it has already begun forming an embryonic Divine Land. The raw materials it uses are the fortunes of cryptocurrency speculators and the cascade of negative emotions they produce when they go bankrupt.”

“I predict that once its embryonic Divine Land finishes forming, it will inevitably trigger a financial crisis. Under the influence of its power, those affected by the crisis may well be transformed into its familiars.”

Golden Toad looked at Wordless Book and nodded repeatedly. “Exactly! That’s exactly it!”

“That haunting is a first-generation haunting, and its power is rooted in the virtual network, making it extremely troublesome. Even the God of Wealth finds it a major headache…”

“Virtual…” Wordless Book murmured too softly for anyone else to hear. The word suddenly reminded her of the little bug she had encountered through the Dark Emperor not long ago.

Would this be easier to resolve if that little bug were willing to help? Wordless Book wondered. Then she gave a slight shake of her head, refocused, and looked at Golden Toad again.

“Anyway, that’s the situation. The God of Wealth rushed to the worst-hit area of the haunting incident overnight, so he could only send me to attend this meeting in his place…” Golden Toad said.

“By the way, what exactly are we meeting about today? Sorry, I left in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to find out the details…”

Wordless Book looked at the Commander of Armaments, then at Golden Toad, and said flatly, “A newly born haunting.”

Golden Toad fell silent. Seriously? Why were powerful new hauntings sprouting one after another like mushrooms after the rain these days? Were they trying to make life impossible?

As he grumbled inwardly, the conference room door opened once more. Dressed entirely in black, Zhang Huainan strode in and took the seat at the head of the table.

His gaze swept over the Commander of Armaments and Wordless Book, paused briefly on Golden Toad, and then he began. “Everyone’s here? Then let’s begin the meeting.”

Looking at Zhang Huainan’s grave expression and wide-open eyes, Golden Toad groaned inwardly.

Whenever Zhang Huainan appeared at a public gathering of The Midnight Watchers Society, his eyes were usually narrowed to slits. Over time, a saying had spread throughout the organization: “When the Dark Emperor opens his eyes, disaster is close behind.”

Looks like things here are serious too. Even the Dark Emperor has opened his eyes!

Scared.jpg

————

11:21 a.m.

After a lengthy discussion, Zhang Huainan, the Commander of Armaments, Wordless Book, and Golden Toad finally settled on a plan of action against the haunting known as Codename F.

The Commander of Armaments would contact the civilian psychic organizations. Golden Toad would return to the branch of The Midnight Watchers Society under the God of Wealth’s jurisdiction and work with his colleagues to handle operations at the Financial Center.

To Zhang Huainan’s surprise, Wordless Book not only took charge of coordination and communications as usual, but also volunteered to contact the Tulip Club.

Notably, when Zhang Huainan explained that the haunting had been referred to as “Pink Fluffy Bunny” in the intelligence he had received, all four of them immediately rejected the name.

After all, defeating something called Pink Fluffy Bunny would bring no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. But if they lost to Pink Fluffy Bunny, the shame would follow them for the rest of their lives.

————

11:47 a.m.

On an old, deserted street outside Shizhou City.

Three disciples of the Great Pure Palace, dressed in ordinary clothes, sat inside a black SUV.

The windows were shut tight. Through them, the three watched an aging apartment block across the road.

Suddenly, the Death Owl Emblem carried by one of the disciples began to vibrate. When he brushed a fingertip across it, a voice none of them expected came from the emblem.

“Hello. I’m Hu Chuan—the man you know as Gu He. Would you like to hear your companion scream?”

As soon as the voice faded, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the vehicle. The faces of all three disciples turned ashen.