After A Max-Level Celestial Master Transmigrated Into The Body Of A Sickly Beauty's Substitute - Chapter 5

Although his attitude seemed strange, Gu Guixi did not suspect much. After all, Lan Ting had always been dim-witted; he believed whatever others said, lacked depth, and could be seen through at a glance when lying.

Carefully observing Lan Ting’s expression and seeing that the youth did not appear to be putting on an act, Gu Guixi thought to himself, It is done.

Taking advantage of the fact that Lan Ting could not see, Gu Guixi made no effort to mask his expression, his eyes filled with delight. He suddenly adopted a wronged tone, his acting skills kicking in instantly.

“You might not believe it if I tell you, but there really are ghosts in this world.”

Since ancient times, there has been a barrier between the mystical realm and ordinary people. Most people live their entire lives without ever encountering a supernatural event. With the careful concealment by the relevant authorities, the mainstream worldview remained atheistic.

Hearing Gu Guixi say this, Lan Ting struggled to keep a look of utter contempt off his face. What a joke. He had once been a genius standing at the pinnacle of the mystical world, with no one to match him. He was curious to see what other low-handed tricks this fellow could come up with.

Since the second ritual failed, the old Daoist had suffered a severe backlash and originally intended to give up. However, under Gu Guixi’s threats and bribery, he provided this Forgetfulness Talisman.

According to Gu Guixi’s plan, as long as Lan Ting forgot about the array, he could rely on Lan Ting’s deep infatuation to make him believe whatever he was told.

Smiling silently, Gu Guixi continued, “It does not matter if you have forgotten; I will tell you. A few days ago, you bumped into a ghost somewhere and were possessed. You begged me for help because you were exhausted and tormented by the spirit. How could I bear to let you stay in danger?”

At this point, Gu Guixi’s tone became deeply affectionate. He reached out as if to take Lan Ting’s hand, but Lan Ting dodged him effortlessly. The failed gesture did not dampen Gu Guixi’s performance.

He painted himself as a brave warrior who would stop at nothing for love, deceitfully saying, “So, I found a master and offered to trade my own life for yours. This array allows me to bear all the damage for you.”

Gu Guixi paused, struggling to suppress his hatred. “But an accident occurred midway. You were attacked by the vengeful spirit and injured. I was also hurt trying to save you. But after President Lan arrived, he seemed to misunderstand and thought I was the one who hurt you.”

What a stream of nonsense. He spoke lies to everyone he met. Gu Guixi was fully immersed in his own act, reaching out to embrace Lan Ting and calling out passionately, “Xiao Ting!”

At that moment, Lan Ting withdrew his hand. The sunlight that had been dancing on his fingertips slipped away. He turned sideways, precisely avoiding Gu Guixi’s hand, and tilted his head. Lowering his sightless dark eyes, the youth let out an “Ah” and grinned. “Sorry, I was distracted. What were you saying?”

This was truly acting for a blind man. Gu Guixi’s expression twisted instantly, but looking at Lan Ting’s innocent face, he had no choice but to suppress his frustration. With a stiff face, he repeated the story he had just concocted.

After he finished, seeing Lan Ting remain unresponsive, he pressed, “President Lan has some misunderstandings about me. Do you believe me?”

The youth looked at him. Even though Gu Guixi knew he was blind, being stared at by those eyes still made his back feel inexplicably cold. The silence dragged on, and just as Gu Guixi felt uncomfortable and was about to speak again, he heard Lan Ting laugh.

The corners of the youth’s mouth curled into a gentle arc as he said softly, “Me? Of course, I believe you.”

This made Gu Guixi’s eyes light up, and he immediately revealed his true motive. “But President Lan’s misunderstanding has affected the cooperation between our two families.”

Before he could finish, the youth in front of him faltered. Like a piece of thin paper in the wind, he swayed, stumbling. Without giving Gu Guixi a chance to support him, Lan Ting began to cough violently. A second later, blinding crimson blood spilled from the corners of his mouth.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

The blood dripped onto the lawn. The unseen rusted sword suddenly began to vibrate, moving for the first time with the clear intent of absorbing Lan Ting’s blood. But the next second, Lan Ting gave an inadvertent wave of his hand, knocking the sword aside. The previously excited blade immediately turned obedient.

It had all happened so suddenly. Gu Guixi stood frozen, bewildered by Lan Ting’s sudden collapse. Before he could react, someone rushed over from the side, accompanied by a voice brimming with extreme rage:

“Gu Guixi!”

A fist arrived before the shout. In the next second, Gu Guixi was struck on the right side of his face, his body sent sprawling to the ground by the sheer force. Someone climbed onto him, and punches rained down like a storm.

“Stop! Stop, ah!”

Lan Lin had been worried and secretly followed them, never expecting to see Lan Ting coughing up blood the moment he arrived. The scumbag who was supposedly discharged from the hospital was actually pestering Lan Ting again. Fury surged within him, and without a second word, he beat Gu Guixi until the hospital security guards rushed over to pull them apart.

Before being dragged away, Lan Lin seized the chance to kick him twice more. He held nothing back. Gu Guixi’s head was beaten until it bled; it seemed he would not need to worry about the discharge procedures after all.

The two groups were quickly separated. Lan Lin did not even glance at them, dropping his business card before walking toward Lan Ting.

The security guard tried to block him. “Beating people is against the law!”

Lan Lin looked back at Gu Guixi. Gu Guixi was clutching his broken head, his composure completely shattered. “Private settlement.”

Since the victim agreed to a private settlement, it was inappropriate for others to intervene. After a few grumbles, the crowd was dispersed by the Gu family bodyguards who had arrived.

As Gu Guixi was being taken away, Lan Ting, who had been leaning on Lan Lin’s shoulder, suddenly lifted his eyes. The vengeful ghost cowering on Gu Guixi’s back bumped into his gaze unexpectedly and was struck with terror. Recalling how she had deliberately kept silent about the corrupt Daoist’s plot despite knowing the truth, the ghost panicked and bowed her head.

Lan Ting was supported as he walked, his eyes downcast and his expression indifferent. He coughed silently again.

“Xiao Ting, how are you feeling?”

After Lan Ting coughed up blood, he was taken away by doctors and nurses. Although they confirmed he was fine after the checkup, Lan Lin could not stop worrying.

“Brother, I am fine,” Lan Ting said, using a tissue to wipe away the blood residue from between his fingers.

“Rest assured,” Lan Lin reached out and pressed his hand onto Lan Ting’s head. Not noticing that the youth’s body had suddenly stiffened, Lan Lin said grimly, “I will not let the Gu family get away with this.”

Because of the intervention of metaphysical methods, the police had not found much useful information, so the Lan family had to choose to let it slide for the time being. However, in all of Jinchuan, the Lan family held significant weight. If they wanted to wage a war against the Gu family, the Gu family would find life very difficult.

Ever since their cooperation with the Lan family was severed, the Gu family had suffered a heavy blow.

“That project had been in preparation for an entire year. Nearly half of the company’s capital was invested in it. With the Lan family’s interference, the Gu Corporation’s cash flow is on the verge of collapse,” Father Gu said, standing by the hospital bed with a gloomy expression.

The company had been plagued by endless problems in recent days, making him increasingly irritable. After speaking, he looked at his son, who had been beaten into another concussion, and asked, “Have you handled that Lan boy yet?”

“Hiss!”

Any movement pulled at the wounds on his head. Gu Guixi inhaled sharply before saying with contempt, “No problem. As long as Lan Ting remains infatuated with me, the Lan family will compromise sooner or later.”

“Do it quickly,” Father Gu said coldly. “I am only giving you one month.”

“One month?” Gu Guixi sneered. “One week is more than enough.”

Lan Ting was just a dog by his side. Although he had been kicked, as long as Gu Guixi tossed him a piece of meat and beckoned, he would wag his tail and come running. Whether it was because of the two injuries or not, Gu Guixi’s complexion was unusually pale. After his father offered a few words of concern, he returned to the company to handle the mess.

No one noticed that behind Gu Guixi, a blood-red female ghost was tightly entwined around him, greedily and rapturously absorbing his vitality like a maggot in his bones.

Late at night, the entire hospital fell silent.

“Hiss.” For some reason, Gu Guixi woke up shivering from the cold in his dream, frowning. A gust of wind blew in, causing the hospital room curtains to billow.

Dissatisfied, Gu Guixi shouted, “Old He, why is the window open?”

The room and the corridor were silent. His question echoed, layer upon layer, fading into the distance, yet it seemed to resonate right in his ears. No one answered.

“What a trash hospital,” Gu Guixi cursed. Had it not been for the sake of getting close to Lan Ting and pretending to be ill to handle the police, he would have gone home long ago.

Receiving no response for a long time, Gu Guixi frowned fiercely and climbed out of bed. The wind made the curtains flap loudly, and as he stepped out of bed, the iron frame of the bed emitted a creak of friction. In the cold night, the sound was unnervingly chilling.

Goosebumps rose on Gu Guixi’s arms. He paused as he got out of bed, but the curtains were being whipped by the howling wind, the movement growing more violent. After hesitating for a moment, he moved cautiously toward the window.

His back felt cold. As he walked, he felt as if someone were watching him. After a few steps, he stopped and turned his head abruptly.

There was nothing behind him.

He sighed in relief, his heart settling. He reached the window and reached out to close it. The window frame was icy and stuck at the bottom, unable to move. After trying for a long time, Gu Guixi placed his hand on the edge of the window sill, frowning to take a look.

A face smeared with fresh blood, its complexion grey and black, appeared out of thin air right there.

In that instant, Gu Guixi’s pupils constricted!

Then, something bone-chillingly cold slowly settled on his hand, and with a sudden, violent pull!

“Ah!”

“Help!”

The terrified scream echoed throughout the hospital. The duty nurse was startled, and while notifying security, she ran toward the source of the sound.

During the day, with the doctor’s consent, Lan Ting had been picked up and taken home. He had very poor sleep quality; even the sound of falling leaves or dripping water could wake him. Lan Lin, feeling uneasy in the middle of the night, went to check on him quietly and was surprised to see the lights in Lan Ting’s room still on.

He knocked and entered, only to be surprised to see the youth smiling.

Lan Lin was stunned. “What are you so happy about?”

Lan Ting touched his earlobe casually, his laughter pleasant. “I heard a beautiful song.”