Chapter 79

On the bus, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at the streetscape outside the window and his own reflection in the glass.

The woman who appeared at the General's Temple was Ran Qiu Ping.

However, the deceased lying beneath the General's statue was not Qiu Min Min.

Qiu Min Min had been beaten to the point of near collapse by Li Zhuiyuan and his group. No matter what methods the entity controlling her used, it couldn't restore her in such a short time.

What role did the two body-retrievers at the temple play? From their behavior, the young man seemed to be deliberately avoiding his master, which suggests he might be the one supporting Ran Qiu Ping from behind the scenes.

It was even possible that, just as Sun Hong Xia had been brainwashed by Ran Qiu Ping, Ran Qiu Ping herself might have been brainwashed by someone else and become a pawn.

The timeline of events had suddenly expanded and lengthened.

Li Zhuiyuan was quite pleased with this development. The more people involved and the more complex the situation, the more interesting it would be to handle. There was only pleasure in knocking down blocks that had been carefully stacked.

Getting off the bus at his stop, Li Zhuiyuan didn't rush back to his dorm. Since Lu Yi refused payment, he felt he should at least treat him to a meal.

As it was still afternoon, long before dinner, the Old Sichuan restaurant had no customers.

He picked a table, sat down, ordered a few dishes, and a seaweed and egg drop soup.

The food arrived quickly. Li Zhuiyuan ate about half a bowl of rice with his dishes, then focused on drinking his soup.

Lu Yi ate with great enjoyment. Sichuan cuisine was perfect with rice, and boys his age were at the prime age for hearty eating.

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant. Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Lu Yi said, "Prodigy Brother, next time you need anything, just call me directly. You don't have to treat me to meals; you're too polite."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan told Lu Yi to go back to the dorm first, while he headed to the campus infirmary.

The infirmary consisted of two three-story buildings, one inside the campus and one outside. Officially, it served as the campus infirmary but was also open to the surrounding community.

Li Zhuiyuan saw Yin Meng standing in a corner, guarding several bags of food she had bought from outside. Incense sticks were placed in each bag, and she was waiting for them to burn out.

It wasn't a private room, which made it inconvenient for Run Sheng to eat.

Without calling Yin Meng, Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs on his own.

Guided by the sound of snoring, the young man found the ward. Standing by the window, he saw Run Sheng sleeping on the hospital bed.

Run Sheng was recovering quickly; his face had regained color and was no longer as pale as it had been last night.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go in. Instead, he stood with his back to the wall, hands clasped behind him, and his left foot raised against the wall. The sun hadn't set yet, but the evening breeze was already restless, blowing in ahead of time.

The young man stood there for a long time, listening to the snoring inside and feeling the breeze.

It wasn't until the corner of his eye caught Yin Meng carrying food mixed with incense ash up the stairs that Li Zhuiyuan went down the stairs on the other side.

Back in the dormitory, the dorm supervisor's office was still empty.

It was summer vacation, and there were few people in the dorm building, so the supervisor's absence wasn't a big deal. In fact, Ran Qiu Ping's previous presence had been unusual.

Other dorm buildings didn't have permanent supervisors now; at most, someone would check in every few days.

Back in his dorm room, Li Zhuiyuan looked at his and Tan Wen Bin's luggage.

Since Xue Liang Liang had brought them by truck, they had all their equipment and tools.

However, this might also expose them. Like the old man they saw at the General's Temple earlier, sometimes it was more advantageous to conceal one's identity.

Who said only those standing in the light could represent the Dao of Heaven?

This was an issue. After this incident, the first thing to address would be the concealment of their tools and equipment. Following that, the personal bearing of each team member would need to be corrected in advance, so they wouldn't be recognized by experts or spirits just by walking down the street.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a handful of small flags from his luggage bag. The end of each flag was wrapped with tape, which could be peeled off for sticking. He also took out a carpenter's ink line and a brush with special pigment.

First, he pressed his back against the dorm room door, holding a compass to observe and calculate, looking up and down. Once he had the diagram drawn in his mind, the young man began to place the flags.

They were stuck on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor.

Then, he used the ink line to mark out patterns, and a brush with cinnabar and other materials to fill in the designs.

Finally, he placed a stool in a specific position and propped up a bronze mirror there, with its reflective surface facing the dorm door.

The bronze mirror was one that Ah Li had given him before, likely from Grandma Liu. It was perfect for an array core.

Next, these array flags would need a disguise. Later, when Tan Wen Bin had time, he would have him buy some flags of other countries to wrap around them. That way, if outsiders saw them, they wouldn't think it was some kind of superstitious practice, but just university students expressing their individuality in their dorm room.

Just then, he heard the sound of slippers from the corridor. Li Zhuiyuan recognized them; it was Lu Yi.

Lu Yi knocked on the door, but Li Zhuiyuan deliberately stayed silent.

After a moment, Lu Yi opened the dorm room door himself.

He was carrying two thermos bottles. As he stepped in, he felt a flash of light and shadow before him, instantly losing his sense of direction and even forgetting where he was.

From Li Zhuiyuan's perspective, Lu Yi was standing in place, spinning around with the two thermoses.

The young man adjusted the bronze mirror. Lu Yi blinked in confusion, merely thinking he had zoned out for a moment.

"Hey, what did I come here for?"

Then, he remembered:

"Prodigy Brother, I went to the hot water room downstairs and got you a bottle of water. Here you go."

"Thanks, brother."

"No need to thank me, it was on my way."

Lu Yi placed the thermos in the corner, then looked at the small flags inserted around and the drawn patterns. "Prodigy Brother, what are you doing?"

"There's a ghost in the dorm."

"Ah! I have something else to do, I'll go back to prepare my lessons first."

Lu Yi immediately grabbed the other thermos and ran out of the dorm, closing the door behind him.

In fact, his reaction was a normal one for anyone encountering something strange. Tan Wen Bin's previous reactions were the exception.

After taking a quick shower at the sink with his basin, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his dorm. He flipped the mirror back to face the dorm door, then got into bed, preparing to sleep.

Before falling asleep, he recalled the fragmented memory images he had read when attempting to control Qiu Min Min the previous night. They were static and disconnected.

At the time, he thought it was a characteristic of Qiu Min Min, but later he learned she was a *changui* of a different entity.

This meant that the memory images he had read were not only useless but potentially misleading. As a puppet *changui*, she had little self-awareness to begin with.

The next morning, as soon as Li Zhuiyuan woke up, he heard running footsteps in the hallway. It was Tan Wen Bin.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Zhuiyuan still flipped the bronze mirror back. He knew Tan Wen Bin would complain about wanting to test its effectiveness once he came in.

Tan Wen Bin opened the dorm room door, holding a file in one hand and breakfast in the other.

"Oh, Xiao Yuan Brother, is this the security setup you arranged?"

"Yeah."

"Why isn't it working?"

"I turned it off."

"Why turn it off? You should let me try it."

"Let's deal with the important stuff first."

"Alright, alright."

Tan Wen Bin sat down, and the two of them looked through the files while eating breakfast.

"My dad pulled some strings for me. Heh, you know what, my dad actually has connections."

"I remember you said your dad was later transferred to a township police station."

"Yeah, apparently for making a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"A son should not speak of his father's faults."

"You didn't dare ask?"

"You haven't experienced how powerful my dad's belt used to be when he hit people. When I watched Bruce Lee movies as a kid, and Bruce Lee was wielding his nunchaku, I always imagined it was my dad."

"Let's look at the files."

Li Zhuiyuan exchanged his half of the files with Tan Wen Bin.

Just as Tan Wen Bin finished reading one witness's identity information and ate two *xiaolongbao*, the young man leaned back in his chair, his fingertips gently rubbing the tabletop.

"Seriously, bro, I worked for a whole day and night to get these files, and you've finished reading them in just a moment?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder my dad used to say you should become a criminal detective."

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, and the case files he had just read began to reorganize in his mind.

Zhao Jun Feng had insulted and murdered Qiu Min Min in a teaching building restroom late at night.

There were three eyewitnesses: one male and two female, named Wu Xin Hui, Liu Xin Ya, and Zhu Hong Yu, respectively.

These three, along with Qiu Min Min, were rehearsing a dance drama in an empty lecture hall. Midway, Qiu Min Min went to the restroom, pausing the rehearsal. When she didn't return after a long time, the three went to look for her in the restroom and saw Zhao Jun Feng rushing out in a panic.

The two girls entered the restroom and found Qiu Min Min, who had been molested and murdered.

After the incident, school security and student union members initially tried to apprehend Zhao Jun Feng. His traces were found at West Lake, the same lake where Tan Wen Bin had gone for his first night run. Zhao Jun Feng injured several students before escaping campus.

After the police got involved and began their pursuit, Zhao Jun Feng's traces were eventually found near General Mountain. The student union was also mobilized to assist in the search. Ultimately, Zhao Jun Feng, armed with a dagger, held Wu Xin Hui hostage. During the standoff, the police opened fire, rescuing Wu Xin Hui, and Zhao Jun Feng fell into the river after being shot.

His body was recovered three days later.

Due to the three eyewitnesses and Zhao Jun Feng's clear resistance, flight, and refusal to surrender, the case was quickly closed.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Is the student union at universities usually this active?"

Tan Wen Bin finished his last sip of soy milk and nodded. "It seems so. The student union recruits new members after school starts, but Brother Liang told me not to waste my time with it."

"Oh?"

"Brother Liang said that the student union is where the dregs of domestic bureaucratic culture gather. Aside from a few leaders who can curry favor with teachers and school officials for benefits and lord over other students, ordinary members are just called upon to do odd jobs and move tables and chairs."

"The file says Wu Xin Hui was the president of the student union that year."

"Yes, I saw that."

"Zhao Jun Feng was Qiu Min Min's suitor. He had arranged candles and confessed his feelings outside the girls' dorm, but he was rejected."

"Xiao Yuan Brother, let me put it this way: if I had just read this file, I would think there were no problems with the case. But now that Qiu Min Min has become a vengeful spirit and things have turned out like this, I'm sure there's a hidden secret in this case."

"Hmm."

"So, our next step is to investigate these three witnesses? We'll have to ask Brother Liang for help. Even though he wasn't enrolled when the incident happened, he has extensive connections and can help us gather information around campus. We can also find the police officer who fired the shot to get a better understanding of the situation at the time."

"No need for that," Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "We're not here to investigate a case, so we don't need to follow standard procedures."

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan told Tan Wen Bin about what he had gained at the General's Temple yesterday.

"Xiao Yuan Brother, are you saying we should directly act against Ran Qiu Ping?"

"Not just Ran Qiu Ping, but also the two colleagues from the General's Temple."

"Then we'll have to wait for Run Sheng's injuries to heal further. From what you've described, Xiao Yuan Brother, Yin Meng and I might not be a match for that old body-retriever."

"But I don't want to wait too long; I'm afraid of complications," Li Zhuiyuan said, glancing back at the 'security system' he had set up. "Not being able to defeat them is one thing, but I'm not asking you to fight them fair and square in a ring."

"Ah-ha, right," Tan Wen Bin understood what Xiao Yuan meant. "Then we don't have to worry about not being able to win."

Just then, Tan Wen Bin's pager rang. He ran out to find a place to call back, then quickly returned:

"Xiao Yuan Brother, Brother Liang said he and Engineer Luo are coming back tonight and invited us to dinner at Lijin Restaurant in the city at 7 PM. Should we go?"

"Yes, we're not acting tonight anyway. I still need to draw the array blueprints..."

"But you draw very quickly."

"And then you two still have to memorize them."

"Oh, right, that does take time. Especially Yin Meng, she's a bit slow-witted."

"You should rest. You didn't sleep all night."

"I'm fine."

"You'll need to be on your game tonight, so get some rest. There's no need to intentionally sacrifice life, studies, or dealing with spirits; we can take our time."

"Okay, I understand."

Tan Wen Bin understood Xiao Yuan's meaning. Engineer Luo had only officially taken Xue Liang Liang and Xiao Yuan under his wing so far, not him. Gaining Engineer Luo's favor would make his academic life easier in the future.

At the very least, he wouldn't face the awkward situation of being left alone at school, busy preparing for final exams, while Xiao Yuan and the others went with Engineer Luo on field research trips to other provinces.

Tan Wen Bin went to bed, while Li Zhuiyuan sat at his desk drawing two array blueprints.

If the Qi family ancestors knew that their ancestral imperial tomb secret art was being simplified and used for brawling, they would probably be so angry they'd climb out of their coffins.

However, these temporarily arranged array secret arts had obvious drawbacks: first, their short duration; second, their inability to distinguish between friend and foe.

This was why Tan Wen Bin and Yin Meng needed to memorize the "positions" beforehand. Otherwise, if they suffered the same negative effects as their enemies during a fight, what would be the point of the array?

After drawing the blueprints, Li Zhuiyuan began to draw the positioning diagrams. Once these were done, he wrote incantations to help them remember, making sure they rhymed.

In this regard, Run Sheng was actually the most cooperative.

Actually, there was a more direct method: "borrowing" the deceased under the General's statue. But this option was too risky. Before determining the identity of that deceased, Li Zhuiyuan dared not take advantage of it.

If this were to trigger any chain of problems, then the Dao of Heaven would settle the score with him again.

At noon, Tan Wen Bin woke up.

"Xiao Yuan Brother, how long did I sleep?"

"A few hours. You can sleep a bit longer."

"No need, that's enough. I also managed to snatch a few naps last night, so I'm not that sleepy." Tan Wen Bin got out of bed. "I'll go get some food from the store and check on Sun Hong Xia while I'm at it."

"Sun Hong Xia can be released."

"Huh? Won't she report us to the police for illegally restricting her freedom?"

"Then we can tell the police that she was an inside thief who stole money from our shop, and she's trying to turn the tables on us."

"Good reason." Tan Wen Bin thought about it carefully and found it unassailable.

"She won't report it. If she were going to, she would have done so the first time she saw a ghost," Li Zhuiyuan said, pointing to his forehead. "She only appears normal, but her mind is already troubled."

"Oh, I see."

"And tell her that there might be hidden facts about her son's case."

"Xiao Yuan Brother, you're still kind."

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

After Tan Wen Bin left, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the thermos, poured himself a cup of hot water, and as he blew on the rim, he mumbled to himself:

"She's going to go crazy."

After entering the store, Tan Wen Bin went straight to the basement, unlocked the door, and saw Sun Hong Xia tied up inside. Xiao Hei was also in the room, keeping an eye on her.

Sun Hong Xia seemed lifeless. After Tan Wen Bin untied her, she mechanically went to the restroom, then came out to eat and drink, before kneeling by the bed, waiting to be bound and gagged again.

"You can go now."

Sun Hong Xia looked up at Tan Wen Bin in disbelief.

"We've investigated, and there appears to be a hidden truth about your son's case."

Sun Hong Xia froze.

An ordinary person's worldview can sometimes be complex, yet at other times very simple. Sun Hong Xia had initially stayed at the school out of a desire for atonement. After seeing the ghost of "Qiu Min Min" and hearing Ran Qiu Ping's account, her conviction as a penitent had only deepened.

However, in Sun Hong Xia's eyes, this group of people who could fight "ghosts" and not lose were clearly extraordinary.

Although they had detained, intimidated, and interrogated her, she believed what they said.

There's a hidden truth about my son's case?

Does that mean my son was wronged?

Sun Hong Xia's gaze slowly dropped to the male student's portrait placed on the low bench altar.

"No, no, no, how is this possible, how is this possible!"

Sun Hong Xia screamed, then clutched her son's portrait to her chest.

Watching this scene, Tan Wen Bin suddenly realized that his comment, "Xiao Yuan Brother, you're truly kind," had been spoken too soon.

"My son was wronged, my son was wronged!"

The fervent penitent mindset was inherently unstable. The longer it was suppressed, the more desperately she would climb when a rope finally appeared.

Sun Hong Xia, clutching the portrait, rushed out of the room. By the time Tan Wen Bin caught up, she had already run out of the shop. She first ran towards Building Nine, presumably to find Ran Qiu Ping. When she quickly couldn't find anyone, she ran out again, then she ran off to other places with disheveled hair.

A chill ran down Tan Wen Bin's spine. He realized that Sun Hong Xia was merely bait, casually tossed out by Xiao Yuan Brother.

He closed the shop door, picked up the food, and returned to the dorm.

"Xiao Yuan Brother, Sun Hong Xia ran out, like she'd gone crazy."

"Yeah."

"Should I go keep an eye on her?"

"No need, let her be," Li Zhuiyuan said, handing him some items. "First, copy a set for yourself, then take one to Yin Meng. Remember to memorize them with understanding; your opponents won't foolishly stick to standard moves during a fight."

"Okay." Tan Wen Bin took them and began copying.

He sat upright and focused intently. Even when his dad used to watch him do homework with a belt nearby, it wasn't as effective.

After finishing the copying, Tan Wen Bin ran to the infirmary ward. He first greeted Run Sheng and asked about his recovery, then called Yin Meng out to give her the items and give her instructions.

"Bin Bin left?"

"Yes. You should take a nap. I'm going out for some fresh air."

"Is Xiao Yuan going to take action now?"

"Even if we were, we'd have to wait for you to recover. Our team can't function without you."

"In this team, everyone is dispensable except for Xiao Yuan," Run Sheng said, reaching out to touch his bandaged wound. "It was my fault. You and Bin Bin must protect Xiao Yuan."

"Alright, it's all in the past now. Your current task is to rest and recover well." Seeing that Run Sheng had figured it out, Yin Meng stopped hiding and pulled out the papers. "I have so much to memorize, and I don't just need to rote learn it, I need to understand it."

Run Sheng: "Then hurry up and memorize it. You're slow, so you need to seize the time."

Yin Meng: "..."

At dusk, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wen Bin hailed a taxi at the school gate and headed to the restaurant.

In the car, Li Zhuiyuan sat in the back, and Tan Wen Bin sat in the front passenger seat. Throughout the ride, Tan Wen Bin repeatedly muttered various divination terms, causing the driver to glance at him occasionally.

When they got out at the restaurant entrance, the driver, while collecting the fare, asked, "Young man, which temple is particularly effective? I'd like to go and pray too."

After entering the restaurant, Tan Wen Bin recounted the driver's reaction to Xiao Yuan as a joke. "Xiao Yuan, do you think if I had put on a bit more of an act and given the driver some pointers in the car, I could have gotten a free ride?"

"He only half-believed you because you didn't give him any pointers and paid the fare straightforwardly."

"Oh, right."

Although the two arrived early, they were still the last ones there. Engineer Luo and his colleagues must have already been having an administrative meeting at this large hotel.

Upon entering, Xue Liang Liang enthusiastically introduced Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wen Bin to everyone present.

When Li Zhuiyuan swept his gaze across the room after entering, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Tan Wen Bin, however, was engrossed in the atmosphere, as everyone present was a leader or teacher from their university.

When Xue Liang Liang introduced Zhu Hong Yu, the principal's secretary, Tan Wen Bin merely thought she was very elegant and slightly familiar.

When their class counselor, Liu Xin Ya, was introduced, Tan Wen Bin felt like he had heard the name somewhere before.

Finally, when Zhu Hong Yu's husband, Wu Xin Hui, who also worked in the school's logistics department, was introduced, Tan Wen Bin was suddenly startled. He finally remembered:

These three were the very eyewitnesses from the case file!

Tan Wen Bin immediately turned his head to look at Li Zhuiyuan, who was giving a standard shy smile and returning greetings to all the teachers and leaders present.

Xiao Yuan didn't notice?

No, even his own mind had retained the information; how could Xiao Yuan possibly forget?

Engineer Luo sat at the head of the table, with several school leaders only able to sit beside him. During the conversation, it was clear everyone showed courtesy and respect to Engineer Luo.

"Zhuiyuan was personally recruited by me from Nantong. I will personally mentor him, so you don't need to worry about his academics. I have a box of his finished graduation designs in my study, heh heh."

Xue Liang Liang, being considerate, poured wine for the teacher while softly reminding him, "And Bin Bin."

"Ah, yes, Bin Bin too."

Engineer Luo did have an impression of Tan Wen Bin. Anyway, his projects always had spots for those with connections, so it didn't matter who got one.

Often, what seemed like a great favor from heaven was just a single word from someone close by. He wouldn't refuse to give face to his two beloved apprentices.

At the dinner table, everyone chatted cheerfully.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that the greatest significance of this gathering for him was that he could now skip classes whenever he wanted.

Anyway, he had already finished his major courses in university. As for advanced math and general physics, they were no different from high school knowledge points in his eyes.

Furthermore, Li Zhuiyuan learned from the table conversations that Zhu Hong Yu was the granddaughter of the former principal, and Liu Xin Ya had stayed at the school after graduation. Neither of them had essentially left the school.

Only Wu Xin Hui had gone into entrepreneurship after graduating. At the table, a department head, pretending to be drunk, deliberately called him "Boss Wu" in a sarcastic tone, which made Wu Xin Hui's face flush.

He had likely failed in his business venture and used his wife's connections to return to a position at the school recently.

In other words, all three of them would be at the school in the near future.

This seemed to be a trigger condition.

So, it was as if they had gotten involved just as a volcano was about to erupt, and then got splattered by lava.

Although, the volcano had also been hit back by them and wasn't feeling great either.

Cases could sometimes be very complex, but if every murder victim could "speak" or express themselves in another form, then the police's job would certainly be much easier.

Li Zhuiyuan naturally didn't remind or ask them if anything strange had happened around them recently, nor did he casually bring up the case from seven years ago.

He simply drank his beverage at the table, playing his current role well.

After the dinner dispersed, Liu Xin Ya, as their counselor for the upcoming semester, specifically came over to inquire about their situation and left her contact information.

Zhu Hong Yu and Wu Xin Hui came over together. Zhu Hong Yu was concerned about Li Zhuiyuan's interest in representing the school in some university competitions, while Wu Xin Hui feigned concern about their living situation and patted his chest, assuring them they could come to him directly with any problems in that regard.

Li Zhuiyuan responded politely and warmly to both.

Engineer Luo was tired but still forced himself to give a few instructions, roughly meaning that once he finished his current tasks and the next project started, he would bring Xiao Yuan along.

This time, it was Li Zhuiyuan who took Tan Wen Bin's hand, reminding Engineer Luo again, who then added:

"Oh, right, and Bin Bin too."

Xue Liang Liang first escorted Engineer Luo back to his room upstairs to sleep; there was another meeting scheduled there for tomorrow.

Soon, Xue Liang Liang came back down and saw the two off at the hotel entrance.

"Are you two hiding something from me?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Tan Wen Bin shook his head vigorously.

Xue Liang Liang pointed at Tan Wen Bin and said, "Xiao Yuan's expression is unreadable to me, but you clearly had something serious on your mind earlier at the dinner table."

"I haven't read my professional textbooks yet, so I'm very anxious."

"I won't believe such nonsense from you. However, I am genuinely busy right now and can't get away. Later, if anything happens, you can't hide it from me."

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

Tan Wen Bin nodded and said, "Okay."

"See, you two really are hiding something from me."

Tan Wen Bin spread his hands. "Brother Liang, you can't just stare at me like that."

"Alright, alright, I'm going up to help the teacher organize the meeting documents. You two be careful."

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wen Bin took a taxi back to school. As they walked through the campus, Tan Wen Bin asked, "Xiao Yuan, now that all three eyewitnesses are back at school, what about our plan..."

"Unchanged." Li Zhuiyuan didn't even give it much thought. "We were the ones attacked; it's only right to retaliate."

"If I pull another all-nighter tonight, I can completely memorize it. Yin Meng is a bit slower, but she can get it done by tomorrow afternoon."

"Then we'll act tomorrow night."

"Alright!"

The two entered the dorm building. As soon as they reached the third floor, they heard guitar music.

"Oh, quite artistic."

"It's Lu Yi's room." Li Zhuiyuan remembered him saying he played the guitar.

Initially, the two wouldn't have bothered, but as they passed Lu Yi's dorm room, they both heard not only guitar music but also a series of high-heeled footsteps tapping in rhythm with the guitar melody.

Either Lu Yi had brought a woman back to the men's dorm, which, though rare, wasn't unheard of;

Or Lu Yi was playing the guitar while wearing high heels, which would be a bizarre habit;

There was also a third possibility...

"Knock on the door."

Tan Wen Bin immediately stepped forward and knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The guitar music continued, but the sound of the high heels suddenly became hurried.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The guitar continued to play, and the high heels ran directly towards the dorm door, their "tick-tock" sound growing closer.

Finally,

"Bang!"

"Holy shit!"

The dorm room door burst open, knocking Tan Wen Bin to the ground.

Standing inside the doorway was Lu Yi, conspicuously wearing only blue and white shorts, high heels, and holding a guitar.

However, after the collision, the guitar was noticeably dented.

Tan Wen Bin: "Dude, what kind of look is this?"

"He's possessed."

Tan Wen Bin then realized that although Lu Yi's eyes were open, his gaze was vacant, as if he were sleepwalking.

The next moment, Lu Yi headed west down the corridor, attempting to escape.

"Stop him!"

Tan Wen Bin made a flying tackle, directly grabbing Lu Yi's hairy legs. Lu Yi toppled forward, falling to the ground.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Ouch!"

But two swift kicks from the high heels landed squarely on Tan Wen Bin's chest.

Tan Wen Bin let out a cry of pain but didn't let go. Instead, he grabbed the other's shorts with both hands, forcefully pulling them up, then began to entwine his hands and legs!

"Hmph!"

With a powerful flip, Tan Wen Bin turned Lu Yi over, so he was on the bottom and Lu Yi was on top.

Lu Yi began to struggle, but his main joints were locked, making his struggles resemble those of a turtle flipped onto its back.

Li Zhuiyuan reached into his pants pocket with his right hand, dabbed black dog blood onto his fingertips, then quickly moved in front of Lu Yi. Bending down, he pressed his thumb onto Lu Yi's forehead, then slid it down!

His five fingers alternated, drawing a red line across Lu Yi's body.

Lu Yi's body immediately began to convulse, and foam appeared at his mouth.

At that moment, the high heels detached from Lu Yi's feet and began to "tick-tock" away, trying to escape on their own.

It had escaped once before; how could he let it get away again this time!

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes narrowed. Yin family's twelve techniques: Guiding Across the Bridge.

At this moment, in Li Zhuiyuan's vision, a girl's figure appeared above the high heels. She was trying to escape in terror.

But the harder she ran, the more she was pulled back. Even with desperate struggles, she couldn't change this trend.

She kept looking back at the young man standing behind her, whose eyes were deep and emotionless.

"Guiding Across the Bridge," as the name implies, was originally meant to send evil spirits to the afterlife and dispel malevolence, essentially telling the unclean entity to get as far away as possible, creating an exorcism effect.

But Li Zhuiyuan was now using it in reverse, forcefully pulling the unclean entity towards himself.

Perhaps even Yin Fu Hai, long deceased, never anticipated that his family's ancestral technique could be used in such a way!

Tan Wen Bin couldn't burn incense, chant spells, or enter the spiritual realm at the moment, so he naturally couldn't see any girl. But he could see the high heels, which had previously moved away, now returning.

He immediately pushed Lu Yi, who was on top of him, away. He reached into his pocket with his left hand for red ink paste, his mind already rehearsing the next series of dashing moves he would perform.

But perhaps because his biceps were too well-developed, the first step went wrong: he didn't hold the ink paste box steadily, and it fell.

"Splat!"

The box shattered, and a puddle of red formed.

Tan Wen Bin paused for only a moment, then immediately scooped up a handful of the red substance from the ground. Ignoring any hand seals, he liberally smeared the black dog blood onto the high heels.

From Li Zhuiyuan's perspective, Tan Wen Bin was sprawled on the ground, his blood-red hands vigorously rubbing the girl's calves. The combination of reality and the spiritual vision made Zhuang Zhuang seem somewhat perverted.

The girl opened her mouth, letting out a silent shriek. Her expression was one of extreme pain, and her legs seemed to be melting as if on fire.

It could only be said that it was indeed a five-black dog raised on tonics; the black dog blood, when used like this, surprisingly had such potent effects in dispelling evil and breaking malevolence.

The girl prostrated herself in Li Zhuiyuan's direction, beginning to beg, while the flames had already reached her thighs.

Tan Wen Bin seemed to feel that there wasn't enough black dog blood in his hands and was about to scoop up more from where it had spilled to continue smearing it.

"Bin Bin, that's enough, you can stop."

"Huh?" Tan Wen Bin shook his hands and nodded. "Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan walked over, picked up the pair of high heels, which were originally black but now red, and said, "Go carry Lu Yi back to his bed."

"Okay."

Tan Wen Bin hoisted Lu Yi, who was still shaking on the floor, and carried him into Lu Yi's dorm room.

Li Zhuiyuan, carrying the high heels, returned to his own dorm.

He placed the high heels on the desk, pulled out a drawer, gripped a purple leather whip, then pulled out a chair and sat down, facing the high heels – or rather, the girl, now only her upper body remaining, standing on the desk.

Now, she truly possessed a fragmented, sculptural beauty.

Li Zhuiyuan unfurled the whip and flicked it gently to his side. "Snap!"

The girl's body trembled, her arms crossed in front of her, overwhelmed with fear.

"I ask, you answer."