LABMY CH55

Taoist Master Ding looked at this so-called friend of Jiang Tang, who had suddenly appeared, with a grim expression. Just as he was about to sneer, he raised his eyes and met Jian Yuanbai’s gaze.

In fact, there was nothing in those eyes—no contempt, no ridicule, no threat, nor any disgust. There was only a calm, dead silence.

Yet, being looked at by Jian Yuanbai like that, the words that had reached Taoist Master Ding’s lips suddenly got stuck. He felt as if he were being dragged into a muddy abyss by a single glance.

Countless hands stretched out from the mud, pulling him downward. The sludge flooded his mouth, blocked his nostrils, and then filled his ears and eyes.

A suffocating sense of fear overwhelmed him until Jian Yuanbai finally looked away. Only then did Taoist Master Ding snap out of it, as if awakened from a nightmare.

Although no one knew he had been stunned by a single glance, he still felt like he had lost face. Wanting to say something, but held back by an inexplicable fear, he could only let out a sneer.

Jian Yuanbai said to Wang Liye, “Is there something your girlfriend loved the most before she died? Bring it out.”

Wang Liye thought for a few minutes before clapping his hands and saying, “Yes, yes! Master, wait a moment. I’ll go find it.”

He turned and walked into the bedroom, rummaging through boxes and cabinets. The people waiting in the living room had different expressions. Taoist Master Ding looked gloomy, while Jian Yuanbai stood with one hand in his pocket, and Jiang Tang was staring at the pink teddy bear on the sofa.

Perhaps because they had witnessed the mess in the room that afternoon, or maybe because another Taoist master had been invited over that evening, Wang Liye had done a simple cleanup of the living room.

The scattered liquor bottles were piled in the corner, cigarette butts and ashes were cleaned up, and although the living room still looked messy, at least there was now space to walk.

However, Jiang Tang couldn’t help but notice the gray and dirty pink teddy bear on the sofa, stained with cigarette ash and wine stains.

Wang Liye’s cleaning was indeed minimal. The large stains on the sofa remained, and the once-adorable pink teddy bear hadn’t even been picked up and dusted off.

It lay crooked on the sofa, looking dirty as if it had been tossed into a street-side trash bin, despite being inside a room that sheltered it from the wind and rain.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have allowed something you cherished to be dirtied like this,” Jian Yuanbai’s voice echoed in Jiang Tang’s ears.

Jiang Tang turned his head to look at Jian Yuanbai, only to catch a glimpse of his side profile—the sharp jawline, the high nose bridge, and the slightly furrowed brow showing impatience from waiting.

While Jiang Tang was staring at Jian Yuanbai’s side profile in a daze, Jian Yuanbai suddenly turned his head and met Jiang Tang’s gaze.

The frown between his brows vanished in an instant, replaced with gentle calmness. He raised his brows slightly, looking at Jiang Tang with a questioning gaze.

At that moment, Jiang Tang felt as if his heart was lightly struck. He pressed his lips together and shook his head at Jian Yuanbai.

Unexpectedly, Jian Yuanbai walked over, wrapped his arm around Jiang Tang’s shoulder, and half-trapped him in his embrace, blocking Taoist Master Ding’s line of sight.

Jian Yuanbai looked down at him, smiling with his eyes, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Tang’s eyes were still wet. Jian Yuanbai reached out and touched his damp eyelashes, “Poor little thing.”

Saying cringe-worthy lines to the point of crying—Jiang Tang was probably the first to do so.

Jiang Tang glared at him fiercely, but his watery eyes, shimmering with light, had little intimidation, “Shut up.”

“If it weren’t for you…”

Earlier, when Wang Liye asked him if there was a way to summon the ghost, Jiang Tang had wanted to escape to a place where no one knew him. The shame was so intense that his eyes turned red.

Although he hadn’t completely embarrassed himself to the point of crying, the trembling voice with a hint of tears was definitely heard by others.

Now, standing here, Jiang Tang looked calm on the surface, but in his mind, he was already considering whether he should move to another place.

The thought of bumping into Wang Liye countless times when coming and going in the future made Jiang Tang…

Wanted to escape, desperately wanted to escape…

While the two were talking, Wang Liye came out holding an item. It was a pair of tiny baby shoes, blue in color, and looked brand new, as if they had never been worn.

Jiang Tang was stunned when he saw the baby shoes, “You two… had a child?”

Because no matter how you looked at this room, it didn’t seem like a home with a child. Except for the baby shoes Wang Liye had dug out, there wasn’t a single baby item in sight.

Wang Liye forced a bitter smile and said, “In the past… Qiu Qiu was once pregnant.”

“And then…”

He couldn’t continue. Seeing his expression, Jiang Tang tactfully didn’t ask further.

Wang Liye handed the blue baby shoes to Jian Yuanbai, “Do you need anything else?”

“A bit of your blood,” Jian Yuanbai said as he gently swiped his hand in the air.

He clearly hadn’t touched anything, yet Wang Liye gasped in pain. A drop of blood fell from Wang Liye’s fingertip and landed on the baby shoes in Jian Yuanbai’s hand.

Seeing this, Wang Liye was terrified. He flipped his hand over and examined it, but there was no new wound on his finger.

There was only the small cut left by Taoist Master Ding when he previously drew blood, which was already starting to heal. It didn’t look like the wound had been reopened at all.

Wang Liye turned his hand back and forth, occasionally glancing at Jian Yuanbai, feeling dazed as if unsure whether what just happened was real.

Jian Yuanbai held the baby shoes and, under the gaze of three people, placed them on the table and stared at them in a daze.

Taoist Master Ding, seeing him do nothing, couldn’t help but sneer, “You don’t seriously think that dripping a couple of drops of blood on baby shoes will make the ghost come, do you?”

Jian Yuanbai remained silent, and Taoist Master Ding instantly forgot the fear that Jian Yuanbai’s gaze had brought him earlier. He mocked relentlessly:

“Amateur. Pretending to know what you’re doing.”

“If summoning a ghost were as simple as dripping blood on an item they loved in life, then anyone could call a ghost.”

“Copying others blindly without understanding anything… I advise you to—”

Suddenly, a chilling wail echoed through the entire room, and a black shadow slowly emerged from the doorway.

At that moment, Taoist Master Ding’s words were cut off. Every word he had just spoken felt like a slap to his own face, burning hot with shame.

Jian Yuanbai slowly lifted his head and smirked, “Copying others blindly?”

“N-No… impossible. How is this possible?” Taoist Master Ding’s face turned pale, and though he kept muttering that it was impossible, he could only watch helplessly as the ghostly figure drew closer.

She lowered her head, her hair like withered grass covering her face, and wore a loose-fitting dress.

The dress was originally pure white and clean, but now it was soaked in blood, especially around her abdomen, where large patches of crimson stained the fabric.

Recalling what Wang Liye had said earlier—that his girlfriend’s intestines had been ripped out when she died—the now-blackened bloodstains around her stomach seemed to make sense.

At that moment, Wang Liye’s voice trembled, filled with sorrow, “Qiu Qiu!”

His voice was filled with grief and pain, “Qiu Qiu, I know you died an unjust death. Don’t worry, I will find your killer.”

“Please… stop reliving the pain of your death every day, okay? These masters… they’re here to help you. Please, let go and reincarnate. Don’t become a lonely wandering ghost in this world.”

The female ghost simply lowered her head and sobbed, unable to speak a word.

Seeing this, Wang Liye’s face twisted in agony, and this grown man actually shed tears in front of the blood-soaked ghost.

Unexpectedly, in the next second, the ghost that was still several meters away suddenly appeared right in front of Wang Liye and reached out to strangle him.

Taoist Master Ding yanked Wang Liye aside and rolled his eyes, “Talking to a ghost… you think she understands you?”

As he spoke, Taoist Master Ding swung the horsetail whisk in his hand and struck the female ghost directly.

A burst of scorching white smoke rose from the ghost’s arm where she was struck, and the ghost let out a piercing scream. The red object hanging from a rope around her neck emitted a faint red glow.

Her hair suddenly grew longer, like pitch-black vines, and instantly wrapped around Taoist Master Ding’s hand. With a sharp twist, there was a crisp cracking sound.

Taoist Master Ding’s wrist was snapped, and the horsetail whisk fell to the ground.

With a flick of her hair, the female ghost sent Taoist Master Ding flying. He slammed into the wall behind him with a heavy “bang!” The picture frame on the wall fell and landed heavily on him.

Taoist Master Ding spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to shout, “Run! She’s not a low-level B-class ghost at all!”

The female ghost continued to sob, ignoring Taoist Master Ding who was thrown aside. She slowly approached Wang Liye step by step.

Wang Liye was visibly panicking, but he still called out, “Qiu Qiu… Qiu Qiu, can you hear me?”

He nervously retreated, trying his best to resist the urge to turn and run.

The ghost’s slow and steady approach felt like an invisible pressure, each step striking fear into Wang Liye’s heart.

“Master Jiang… Master Jiang, what should I do?!” Wang Liye’s voice trembled with fear. Although he was calling out to Jiang Tang, his eyes were fixed on Jian Yuanbai.

Jian Yuanbai said calmly, “Tang Tang, go fight her.”

As he spoke, he stepped back to give Jiang Tang more space.

Jiang Tang didn’t hesitate. He rushed forward with his bare hands, despite having almost no experience in fighting—basically none at all.

He dashed behind the ghost and instinctively grabbed her by the neck, hoping to pull her away from Wang Liye.

However, her neck didn’t move. Instead, her head quickly twisted around.

Her body was still facing forward, but her face had turned completely backward. Through the gaps in her withered black hair, her lifeless eyes stared directly at Jiang Tang.

Face-to-face with a pale, blood-streaked face that was covered in bruises and bleeding tears, Jiang Tang was so terrified that he immediately let go.

“She can turn her head 180 degrees!!!” Jiang Tang’s voice cracked with panic.

Jian Yuanbai crossed his arms and teased from the side, “My dear, she’s a ghost. Isn’t turning her head 180 degrees pretty normal?”

Meanwhile, Jiang Tang grabbed a handful of the ghost’s swinging hair and snapped back, “Normal?!”

In just that brief moment of distraction, the ghost’s hair suddenly spread out like a black waterfall, surrounding Jiang Tang from all directions and wrapping him up tightly.

Like a silkworm cocoon, Jiang Tang was completely bound by the ghost’s hair, leaving only his head exposed.

The ghost’s hair automatically severed itself and tossed Jiang Tang aside, then continued to move toward Wang Liye, who had backed into a corner.

Jian Yuanbai narrowed his eyes, observing the ghost as she repeatedly ignored easy targets and instead focused solely on Wang Liye. There was a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

“Save Wang Liye!”

Jiang Tang, who was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, struggled desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break the dense cocoon of hair. He had no choice but to call for Jian Yuanbai.

However, Jian Yuanbai didn’t move. Instead, he said, “Feel the yin energy within your body. Try to control it and make it work for you.”

Jiang Tang practiced ghost control techniques, which were meant to allow him to command countless ghosts. In this situation, his body contained yin energy, but only a small amount for body tempering.

However, under Jian Yuanbai’s intentional or unintentional interference, Jiang Tang had only formed a contract with him and a cat that couldn’t fight. Yet, his body was surging with thick yin energy.

If anyone could see the yin energy within him, they would be shocked, unsure whether Jiang Tang was human or ghost.

The yin energy surrounding him was even denser than that of a fierce ghost.

Seeing the female ghost inch closer to Wang Liye, Jian Yuanbai remained unmoved. Jiang Tang had no choice but to try to sense the yin energy within him. He could feel it surging like a vast ocean inside him.

But he couldn’t control it at all, not even a little.

The female ghost stood in front of Wang Liye, revealing a sinister smile beneath her withered, black hair, while sobbing eerily.

Wang Liye trembled like a frightened bird, staring at the blood-soaked female ghost with her head lowered and long hair covering her face.

His voice trembled, but his words were filled with concern: “Qiu Qiu, I know you’re in pain. Let these masters help you pass on and reincarnate, okay?”

“Let’s not…”

“Pu-chi—”

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh interrupted his words. Wang Liye’s voice stopped abruptly as he looked down at his stomach in disbelief.

The ghost’s hair had formed into a sharp black spike and mercilessly pierced through his abdomen. Wang Liye slowly lifted his gaze.

The jade pendant around his neck began to crack, and before his terrified eyes, it shattered into pieces, falling to the ground with a series of soft clinking sounds.

How…

How could it shatter…

“Pu-chi—”

With another chilling sound, the ghost’s hair withdrew from his body, causing blood to gush from Wang Liye’s wound.

Clutching his abdomen, Wang Liye didn’t dare to look back as he crawled toward the door. Behind him, the female ghost followed him slowly and steadily.

Her blood-soaked hair condensed into a sharp black blade, rising high in the air, ready to strike Wang Liye’s back.

Seeing this, Jiang Tang’s eyes widened in shock. A surge of black energy erupted from his body, and the hair binding him burned to ashes as if ignited by fire.

With a powerful leap, Jiang Tang shot forward like an arrow, grabbing the hair that was about to pierce Wang Liye’s back.

The hair ignited like dry grass, rapidly burning up the female ghost’s body. The ghost let out a shrill wail as her hair disintegrated into ashes.

The once waterfall-like hair was reduced to a short, inch-long tuft on her head. In that brief moment, Jiang Tang saw her face.

Before he could take a closer look, the ghost’s hair regrew in seconds, reaching the ground once more.

As the female ghost charged at him while crying, Jiang Tang clenched his fist and punched her in the face. His knuckles were wrapped in something dark, resembling black energy or black flames.

With that single punch, the female ghost screamed even more miserably. Black flames spread from her head to her entire body, and within moments, she burned up like a sheet of paper, leaving only ashes behind.

Jiang Tang stared in disbelief at his fist. The black energy that had wrapped around his hand dissipated, revealing his fair and slender fingers, with faint pink knuckles.

No matter how he looked at it, this hand didn’t seem capable of punching a ghost into ashes with one hit.

Jiang Tang turned to Jian Yuanbai, looking a bit dazed and adorable. He pointed to the spot where the ghost had just stood, “She…”

Then pointed to himself, “I…”

Finally, he asked, “Did you see that? I punched her to death.”

Jian Yuanbai couldn’t help but laugh. “I saw it.”

He didn’t hold back his praise. “My little darling is amazing.”

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

A pitch-black shadow suddenly appeared behind the injured Wang Liye. The ghost’s hair, sharp as an arrow and filled with killing intent, aimed directly at Wang Liye’s heart.

In an instant, Jian Yuanbai appeared in front of Wang Liye. As he grabbed the ghost’s hair, the shadow let out a shrill scream and vanished.

Jiang Tang hurried to Wang Liye’s side. “What was that just now?”

The moment his voice fell, the female ghost’s figure appeared behind Wang Liye once again. The sobbing sounds grew louder and more sorrowful as she lunged toward Wang Liye with a madness that would not rest until death.

Jiang Tang quickly pressed the female ghost to the ground. Jian Yuanbai carefully examined her and said, “That thing around her neck, tear it off.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Tang reached out to grab the red object around the female ghost’s neck. The ghost seemed to panic, her swollen, bluish-purple fingers suddenly gripping Jiang Tang’s hand tightly.

Pinned to the ground, she could only lift her head to look at Jiang Tang, letting out constant, muffled sobs.

As she raised her head, her hair naturally fell to the sides, revealing part of her face that had been hidden beneath the hair. When Jiang Tang met her eyes, he actually saw… a plea.

That swollen, bluish-purple, and unrecognizable face once again gave Jiang Tang an odd feeling.

“Wuu… wuuu…”

The female ghost desperately tried to speak, but only sobbing sounds came out. Only now, when he was this close, did Jiang Tang realize that the female ghost had no tongue.

Jiang Tang’s hand was already gripping the red object, but after witnessing this scene, he unconsciously paused for a moment.

“Please… let me kill him.”

Jiang Tang heard it — a woman’s sorrowful wail.

Everything before him became tinted with darkness.

In the vision, a woman leaned against Wang Liye’s shoulder, gently stroking her belly with anticipation and longing.

“What do you think we should name our child?” she asked softly.

As she spoke, she lifted her head, revealing a face that Jiang Tang had never seen before.

Jiang Tang had seen photos of Wang Liye and his girlfriend at his home. The woman in the photo was not her.

Jiang Tang became a silent observer, watching as Wang Liye lovingly embraced the woman and said, “You can name the baby whatever you like.”

As time passed, the woman’s belly grew larger. Bored at home, she began cleaning the house on a whim.

While cleaning, she accidentally discovered a box beneath the cabinet in Wang Liye’s study.

The box emitted a strange smell. When she opened it, the sight inside made her fall to the ground in terror.

Inside was a bloody cat skin. Beside the skinned cat was a small box filled with countless photos—each one showing scenes of brutal cat abuse.

The woman couldn’t believe what she was seeing. In shock and fear, her belly began to ache. Clutching her stomach, she staggered to her feet. At that moment, the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the room.

Wang Liye entered, calling out her name. The moment he saw the open box, his once gentle and honest expression twisted into something terrifying.

“I told you… never enter my study.”

The woman, clutching her belly in pain, pleaded, “Take me to the hospital… My stomach hurts…”

Though Wang Liye’s face darkened with fury, he still carried her to the hospital.

However, due to the trauma and her fall, the woman lost her baby.

In the hospital, Wang Liye knelt on the ground, slapping himself repeatedly, crying and apologizing. Yet, when the medical staff wasn’t looking, he begged the woman not to tell anyone about what was inside the box.

He swore he would never abuse cats again.

The woman’s heart softened, and she agreed.

However, the reality of losing her child and discovering that her beloved partner was a twisted cat abuser left her in a state of constant mental anguish.

The final straw that broke her was when she accidentally discovered that Wang Liye had already cheated on her while she was pregnant.

Driven to the edge, filled with hatred and despair, the woman put on the white dress stained with blood from the day she lost her baby and jumped from the rooftop.

Perhaps out of hatred for her discovering his dark secret, or perhaps to prevent her from cursing him after death, Wang Liye bribed the crematorium worker and cut out the woman’s tongue before her body was burned.

After turning into a ghost, her hatred intensified. She came back for revenge against Wang Liye.

However, the jade pendant on Wang Liye’s neck prevented her from killing him. Time and time again, she was blocked by the pendant, growing increasingly mad with rage.

She couldn’t kill Wang Liye, but she could trap him in this house, forcing him to stay here every night, engaging in a deadly battle between man and ghost.

Until one night, when the woman, consumed by hatred, saw Wang Liye’s new girlfriend, Qiu Qiu, asleep on the couch wearing Wang Liye’s clothes.

Driven by blind rage, she smelled Wang Liye’s scent on Qiu Qiu and pierced countless strands of hair through the girl’s stomach, ripping her intestines out alive.

The vision suddenly ended.

The red object in Jiang Tang’s hand automatically detached from the female ghost’s neck.

The female ghost’s body began to slowly dissipate.

She opened her mouth, letting out a sorrowful sob. The red fragment in Jiang Tang’s hand glowed faintly, and this time, he clearly heard her words:

“I know… Wang Liye was guided by someone. He made that girl, Qiu Qiu, wear clothes stained with his blood, using her as a substitute to die in his place.”

As the ghost’s body dissolved up to her neck, she revealed a twisted smile.

“Wang Liye… is nothing but a beast. He deserves to die.”

At that moment, while everyone’s attention was on the disappearing ghost, a single strand of hair fell to the ground and, with lightning speed, pierced Wang Liye’s neck like a needle.

Wang Liye clutched his neck, letting out a hoarse “ha… ha…” sound. His eyes widened in disbelief as he reached out, grasping at nothing, and then collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, the female ghost had also almost completely dissipated, leaving only a pair of sorrowful and guilt-filled eyes. She could no longer make a sound, but the faint red glow seemed to convey her final wish.

“I… I wronged that girl…”

Before she could finish her words, she vanished into thin air. Wang Liye lay motionless on the ground, while Master Ding had disappeared without a trace. The room fell into a temporary silence.

Jian Yuanbai glanced at the strand of hair that had gone limp around Wang Liye’s neck. With his hands casually folded, he broke the silence:

“Seems like he’s dead.”

Jiang Tang remained silent for a moment before speaking, “Did you see it?”

“The things I just saw.”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “If it was the female ghost’s memories filled with obsession, then yes, I saw it.”

Jiang Tang’s mood was somewhat downcast. “I thought Wang Liye was a man who valued love and loyalty.”

“The truth proves that you were right. He neither loved his girlfriend nor the poor woman who lost her baby because of him.”

Jian Yuanbai hugged him, gently touching his slightly cold face, and softly said:

“Because I’ve loved someone, I know what love truly feels like.”

Jiang Tang pressed his lips together and looked up at him. For some reason, he felt a sour ache in his heart. “Who did you love?”

How certain must one be of their feelings to speak so confidently about understanding love?

“You.”

Under Jiang Tang’s surprised gaze, Jian Yuanbai slowly leaned in. The distance between them grew closer and closer, to the point where they could feel each other’s breath.

Jiang Tang’s heartbeat quickened. His long, raven-like eyelashes fluttered anxiously. Under Jian Yuanbai’s intense and domineering gaze, he subconsciously closed his eyes.

It was hard to tell whether it was nervousness or anticipation, but the expected kiss never landed… or rather, it didn’t fall on his lips.

A light kiss touched the tip of Jiang Tang’s nose. With his heart still racing in confusion, he opened his eyes, only to hear Jian Yuanbai softly say:

“Only you.”