LABMY CH56

Looking at the pool of blood on the ground and Wang Liye’s corpse, who had died with his eyes wide open and hands clutching his neck, Jiang Tang found himself at a loss.

“What should we do? Should we call the police?”

A figure quickly rushed in from the doorway and said anxiously, “No, no, no! How could you call the police? The police wouldn’t understand this kind of situation at all.”

“In cases like this, we should contact the staff from the Celestial Master System.”

Jiang Tang was stunned, “Master Ding? Didn’t you run away?”

Master Ding coughed awkwardly, “I was observing the situation from outside the door. I was about to come in when Wang Liye died.”

Before Jiang Tang could ask why he hadn’t entered earlier, Master Ding made an awkward hugging gesture and said, “Well… ahem.”

This time, it was Jiang Tang who felt embarrassed, his face flushing red. Only Jian Yuanbai remained calm, standing silently to the side.

Jiang Tang awkwardly changed the topic, “What is the Celestial Master System?”

“The Celestial Master System is something created by the Mystic Association. All Celestial Masters register on it and take on ghost-exorcising missions in exchange for rewards.”

Master Ding, who had been watching the two deal with the female ghost from the shadows, had lost his earlier arrogance and was now acting very attentive.

“Of course, not every Celestial Master can register on the system. You have to pass a Celestial Master assessment.”

“The missions on the system are divided into five levels: S, A, B, C, and D. S is the highest, and D is the lowest. This mission was originally thought to be a C-level female ghost, but it turned out to be B-level.”

Seeing that Jiang Tang was listening attentively, Master Ding simply took out his phone and opened an app with a yellow talisman icon. “This is the Celestial Master System. There are levels for both missions and Celestial Masters.”

“In fact, not everyone in the Mystic Association is a Celestial Master. Different sects and factions have different systems of learning. Calling everyone a ‘Celestial Master’ is just for convenience. Some people actually dislike the term.”

While Jiang Tang and Master Ding were engrossed in their conversation, Jian Yuanbai was silently communicating with the system that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

System: “So, you never lost your memory, did you?”

The system’s sudden question seemed like an inquiry, but its tone was filled with certainty.

Jian Yuanbai was startled, “How… how did you know?”

The system chuckled coldly, “I knew it. You never lost your memory.”

!!!

Jian Yuanbai panicked, “I really did lose my memory!”

System: “Oh? Really?”

“Then should I send those photos of you and Wei Zhenge in bed from the last world to the other systems?”

“Would you be fine with others seeing your ‘Little Pillow’ without clothes?”

Jian Yuanbai was shocked and furious, “How could you secretly take photos of us doing that?!”

“Is it because I asked you to delete the video that you became mentally twisted?!”

The system’s laugh became even more sinister, “I lied to you. To protect the privacy of my host, I’m forcibly locked in the ‘black room’ during those moments.”

It gritted its teeth and said each word slowly, “You. Really. Didn’t. Lose. Your. Memory.”

Jian Yuanbai felt guilty and mumbled, “How… how did you figure it out? I thought my acting was flawless.”

System: “Because you suddenly started talking too much.”

“When a person loses their memory, their personality should revert to their original nature.”

“But you… suddenly became more cunning. It made me suspect you retained the experience from the previous world. I was just testing you.”

Unexpectedly, Jian Yuanbai fell for the trick and exposed himself.

Jian Yuanbai protested, “I’ve always been good at talking!”

System: “If you say so.”

It couldn’t be bothered to argue with him and asked, “Why didn’t your memory get erased this time?”

Jian Yuanbai shot back, “Why did you try to erase my memory in the first place?”

System: “I’ve told you before, staying here is dangerous. I did it for your own good.”

Jian Yuanbai was intrigued by this answer. For a moment, he felt like the system’s status had risen to that of a concerned parent.

“‘Little Pillow’ is this world’s Jiang Tang, right?”

With one sentence, the system fell silent.

“‘Little Pillow’ was also a host doing missions, but he got trapped in a small world, right?”

The system remained silent, but Jian Yuanbai knew he was right.

“In the last world, I couldn’t find ‘Little Pillow’s’ soul. In this world, Jiang Tang’s soul is identical to his.”

“This means he’s not a person from this world. He lost his memories and got trapped here.”

“If I leave, how many more lifetimes will he have to go through before he meets someone who can take him away?”

Jian Yuanbai’s tone became firm, “I won’t leave. Stop trying to erase my memory.”

The system was silent for a long time before finally saying, “I hope you won’t regret this.”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t respond. His gaze shifted to Jiang Tang. The tenderness in his eyes was quickly replaced by sharpness as he noticed Master Ding’s hand resting on Jiang Tang’s wrist.

Jian Yuanbai strode over and forcibly wedged himself between them. With a perfectly natural expression, he asked, “What are you talking about?”

Master Ding’s hand was directly knocked aside. His gaze drifted to Jiang Tang’s chest, “I was just introducing the Celestial Master System to Young Friend Jiang.”

Jian Yuanbai’s brows furrowed. “Young Friend Jiang”? Next thing you know, they’d be calling each other brothers.

What annoyed him even more was that Master Ding patted Jiang Tang’s shoulder while saying, “Young Friend Jiang is truly talented. A rising star, indeed.”

But his hand was slowly sliding down from Jiang Tang’s shoulder, inching toward his chest.

Jian Yuanbai immediately grabbed Master Ding’s hand and squeezed it hard, his expression darkening, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Master Ding’s face twisted in pain, and he yelped, “Ow! Ow! What are you doing?!”

However, under Jian Yuanbai’s cold glare, the second half of his sentence softened involuntarily.

Jiang Tang hurriedly tried to pull Jian Yuanbai’s hand away, “What are you doing? Let go of Master Ding.”

Not only did Jian Yuanbai refuse to let go, but he tightened his grip even more. “He’s taking advantage of you.”

Master Ding: “We’re both men! How am I taking advantage of him?!”

Jian Yuanbai: “Haven’t you heard of ‘Men and men should not touch hands’?”

Master Ding, who had been a straight man for decades, was stunned, “How does patting his shoulder count as taking advantage?”

Jian Yuanbai pointed at Jiang Tang, “Look at him.”

Then pointed at Master Ding, “And then look at yourself.”

Then, with his free hand, Jian Yuanbai began to mimic Master Ding’s actions. He placed his hand on Jiang Tang’s chest, rubbing in circles, and said, “Like this, like this, what exactly are you doing?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he couldn’t help but rub a few more times, as if trying to leave his scent behind in a childish manner.

Master Ding stared at Jiang Tang’s face and suddenly had a strange feeling that… he actually did seem to be taking advantage of him.

This thought made him shake his head violently, trying to clear his mind. He wasn’t gay!

Misunderstood to this extent, Master Ding could only awkwardly explain his true intention: “I saw you using Yin energy just now, so I wanted to check if you’re actually human.”

“To see if you have a pulse and heartbeat.”

Jiang Tang, both embarrassed and annoyed, yanked Jian Yuanbai’s hand off his chest and extended his hand calmly, “You can check my pulse.”

However, before Master Ding’s fingers could touch his wrist, Jian Yuanbai dragged him away and found a small mirror. “Breathe on this.”

Jiang Tang took the mirror and exhaled onto the surface. A layer of condensation immediately appeared.

Jian Yuanbai tossed the mirror into Master Ding’s arms and sneered, “If everyone in the Celestial Master System is as incompetent as you, unable to even tell the difference between the living and the dead, the future of the Mystic Association is truly worrying.”

Master Ding forcefully swallowed his anger and awkwardly smiled, “Yes, yes, I lack skill. I lack skill.”

The mocking words he had used when he first met Jiang Tang could no longer be said. Initially, he had planned to sneak away while the ghost was distracted.

In fact, he did manage to slip outside the door, but then he witnessed Jiang Tang punch the female ghost into oblivion with one strike.

With Wang Liye’s matter settled and his dignity nearly gone, Master Ding just wanted to leave. “Well, I’ll take my leave now. The staff from the Celestial Master System will handle the aftermath.”

Jiang Tang asked in confusion, “Shouldn’t you wait for them to arrive before leaving?”

Master Ding replied, “No need. They’ll take care of it.”

“Every Mystic Practitioner has their own unique aura. Whenever we use our powers, we leave behind faint traces of our aura. These traces will gradually fade over time, disappearing within a day or up to seven days. But before they arrive, the traces will still be here.”

“The cleanup team will be able to determine whether we broke any rules based on these aura traces. I’ve already reported your actions just now, so there’s no need to wait.”

Aura.

This word immediately triggered Jiang Tang’s sensitive nerves. “Then can the aura left behind by the ghost be traced as well?”

Master Ding was stunned for a moment before quickly replying, “If it’s a vengeful ghost with blood on its hands that hasn’t been caught, the aura it leaves behind will indeed be recorded.”

“It can be found in the Celestial Master Association.”

Jiang Tang: “How can I access the aura traces left by vengeful ghosts in the Celestial Master Association?”

Master Ding: “You just need to pass the assessment and join the Celestial Master Association. At that point, you’ll be able to register for the Celestial Master System.”

He smacked his forehead and added, “The assessment is in half a month. You can find the location on the official website of the Celestial Master Association.”

Jian Yuanbai: “The Celestial Master Association has a website?”

Master Ding’s expression became complicated: “It’s called the Natural Resource Management Association.”

He pulled out a USB drive made from folded talisman paper from his yellow robe and said, “When you visit the website, just plug this into your computer.”

In a way, ghosts could indeed be considered a kind of natural resource.

Jiang Tang accepted the USB drive and sincerely thanked Master Ding.

He could tell that Master Ding had no intention of forming any deeper connections with them, and Jiang Tang… didn’t want to see him again either.

Otherwise, every time he saw Master Ding, he would be reminded of the embarrassing things he had said earlier.

After leaving the residential complex, the three of them went their separate ways. Master Ding left the area, while Jiang Tang and Jian Yuanbai headed to find a hotel.

Although the apartment Jiang Tang had just rented was right next to Wang Liye’s, he hadn’t had time to tidy up. Plus, it was already late, so they could only stay somewhere else for the night.

Jiang Tang stopped in front of an e-sports hotel. “How about here?”

Jian Yuanbai naturally knew what he wanted to do, so he didn’t object and followed him in.

The first thing they did after getting a room was plug in the talisman-paper USB and access the website called the Natural Resource Management Association.

Jian Yuanbai: “The assessment is in half a month. I’ll go with you.”

“Who says a ghost can’t become a Celestial Master?”

Jiang Tang turned to look at him, his tone complicated: “Do you even hear what you’re saying?”