Spirit Reaper - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Puppeteer — “Let her go, and let yourself go.”

“Miss Qi, could you please let go of me first?” Yu Wuyi frowned slightly, mechanically shaking the arm that was being gripped tightly. “If you’re really this scared, it’s not too late to regret coming along.”

“At the rate you’re dragging me back, by the time we arrive, the grass on the person’s grave will be several meters high.”

Hearing this, Qi Yishu’s lips twitched. She wiped away non-existent cold sweat from her forehead and gave a forced laugh. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Let’s keep going, keep going.”

Looking at Qi Yishu’s behavior, Yu Wuyi felt something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

She sighed and waved for the other to catch up. “Then hurry up.”

“Don’t worry, with my protection charm on you, as long as you don’t fall for their tricks, those things can’t do anything to you.”

Fortunately, after those words, Qi Yishu stopped being so timid for the rest of the way. The two of them successfully reached the fourth-floor corridor.

Compared to before, the surroundings had become colder and damper, sending goosebumps up Yu Wuyi’s arms. The long, narrow corridor was pitch black. Aside from the rhythmic dripping of water from an unknown source, there wasn’t a sound to be heard.

Yu Wuyi turned and made a “shh” gesture to Qi Yishu, then led her along the wall, inching toward Room 419.

The rhythmic drip-drip—like a countdown clock—mixed with their rustling footsteps, echoing in their ears. Even for Yu Wuyi, who dealt with ghosts and spirits as if they were daily meals, it was impossible not to feel tense.

With these things, the quieter they were, the more abnormal it was. It usually meant they were brewing something malicious.

“Ah!! Mmph—”

“Shh, shh! Why are you screaming for no reason?!” Yu Wuyi released her hand from Qi Yishu’s mouth, her heart still pounding, and lowered her voice.

“There… something just darted past over there!” Qi Yishu’s mouth hung open, her pupils dilated. Her hand shook as she pointed into the air toward the end of the hallway.

Looking in the direction of Qi Yishu’s finger, Yu Wuyi saw nothing but wall—no object, not even a shadow.

Rustle… rustle…

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps that didn’t belong to either of them echoed in the hallway. Coming from afar, they were rapidly approaching their position. It felt like a leopard that had found its prey, watching from the shadows before delivering a surprise strike.

“Hiss—” The flesh on her arm was suddenly squeezed hard again. Yu Wuyi recoiled in pain. “Miss Qi, when we get out, I’m seriously going to bill you for mental distress…”

The words had barely left her mouth when Yu Wuyi felt something living scurry past her feet. The footsteps were now right beside them, circling them in 360-degree surround sound.

Feeling Qi Yishu go completely rigid beside her, Yu Wuyi regretted listening to Qin An and bringing her along. She squatted down, listening intently to the footsteps, and seized the moment to reach out and grab the source of the sound firmly.

A tickling sensation tickled her palm—a large, furry mass was struggling to escape her grip.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

A rat!

Realizing what she was holding, Yu Wuyi’s entire face scrunched up in disgust. She quickly tossed the rat back to the ground and pulled Qi Yishu along, walking fast toward the end of the hall without looking back.

The more cowardly you act, the easier it is for them to bully you!

When they finally reached the door of Room 419, Yu Wuyi hadn’t even caught her breath before the sight before her nearly made her eyes roll back and pass out.

Before they were noticed, she quickly pulled Qi Yishu behind the wall, only poking her head out to peer inside.

Inside, Ren Zha—who had previously disappeared—was now kneeling by the dilapidated window of the dorm. He was staring with infatuation at Xu Huixin, who was leaning half-way against the window frame.

“Huixin, we’ll be together forever. Forever.” Ren Zha reached out, offering the shattered pocket watch to Xu Huixin in a pleading tone. “Look, the watch, the photo… I kept them all.”

Hearing Ren Zha’s words, Xu Huixin bared her teeth in a grin. She traced her long, sharp nails slowly down his face before hooking the pocket watch away.

“Teacher Ren, you say… you love me? That you want to be with me forever?” Xu Huixin toyed with the watch nonchalantly, her tone mocking.

“Yes, yes! I love you, I love you!” Ren Zha nodded frantically, crawling on all fours to her feet. “As long as I can be with you forever, anything is fine.”

“Alright.” Xu Huixin let out a short laugh. She jumped down from the windowsill, grabbed Ren Zha’s chin, and leaned in close. “Teacher Ren, why don’t you come with me?”

“Okay… okay…” Ren Zha’s eyes were hollow, a weird and satisfied smile curling on his lips.

Seeing Xu Huixin pulling Ren Zha toward the windowsill to jump, Yu Wuyi dashed in, tossing a talisman and chanting: “Lord Laozi manifest, Break!”

“You again! You again!” The talisman flew between Xu Huixin and Ren Zha, bursting into a fierce flame. Having her plans interrupted made Xu Huixin’s already terrifying face even more distorted.

Once the flames died down, she screamed and dragged Ren Zha down with her as they tumbled into a corner.

“Who else would it be?” Yu Wuyi approached, scanning Xu Huixin from head to toe.

She noticed that the wounds Xu Huixin had sustained from the fight with Qin An were mostly healed, and the ghostly aura on her was even denser than before.

“You’ve been lurking in this dump. Without anyone’s help, how could you recover so fast?” Yu Wuyi frowned, holding her peach wood sword over Xu Huixin’s forehead. “Tell me!”

“Hehehe—” “Hahahahahaha!”

Xu Huixin, sprawled on the floor, erupted into laughter. Her messy hair obscured her face; in this moment, she looked like a heart-eating banshee.

She glanced at Yu Wuyi and said slowly, “How do you know… that I don’t have help?”

“Teacher Ren, didn’t you say you wanted to be with me forever?”

“Choke her to death, and no one can stop us!”

“What?!” Before Yu Wuyi could process what “having help” meant, she was shoved back by Ren Zha, who suddenly lunged at her.

“Kill you! If I kill you, no one can get between me and Huixin!” Seeing Yu Wuyi fall, Ren Zha bared his teeth and reached for her throat. Fortunately, Yu Wuyi was agile; she rolled to the side and dodged.

“Miss Qi! Miss Qi?” “Qi Yishu!”

While dodging the maddened Ren Zha, Yu Wuyi called out to Qi Yishu at the door. “Come help me restrain this scumbag!”

To her surprise, there was no response.

Yu Wuyi turned her head and caught Qi Yishu giving her an eerie smile before raising a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

Click— The door was locked.

“You?!”

“Miss Yu, you really shouldn’t have waded into these muddy waters.” Qi Yishu walked unhurriedly past Yu Wuyi and stood before Xu Huixin. “I gave you many chances to leave.”

“Hmph—” Qi Yishu picked up a glass shard from the floor and sliced open her own palm.

Drip, drip… Blood fell in a steady line into Xu Huixin’s mouth.

In an instant, a powerful ghostly aura exploded from Xu Huixin. The temperature in the dorm plummeted, and the chilling air wrapped around Yu Wuyi.

The sudden change made Yu Wuyi freeze for a second.

And in that one second, the scumbag who had lost his mind found his opening.

“Ah—!” He snarled and grabbed Yu Wuyi’s neck, pinning her hard against the wall.

“Choke you to death! Choke you to death!” Ren Zha was truly trying to kill her. The veins on his arms bulged, and his rectangular glasses had fallen and been crushed underfoot.

He glared at Yu Wuyi, his face and neck turning a deep, dark red. A massive sense of suffocation washed over Yu Wuyi. Her throat felt blocked by a giant boulder—she couldn’t breathe in or out.

“Idiot! Wake up! Kick him!” Just as Yu Wuyi was about to lose consciousness, Qin An’s voice rang out again. After a sharp sting in her head, Yu Wuyi snapped back to her senses.

She instinctively followed Qin An’s command, raising her foot and kicking Ren Zha with all her might right in the crotch.

“AH—!” Following a miserable shriek, Ren Zha’s features twisted in agony as he collapsed to the floor, howling.

“Serves you right, you scumbag.” Yu Wuyi caught her breath, grabbed her peach wood sword, and knocked him unconscious with a few strikes. Still feeling unsatisfied, she gave him two more hard kicks.

“A cockroach that won’t die, indeed.”

“Miss Yu, I’ll give you one last chance. Leave this scumbag behind and get out. I won’t come looking for trouble with you.”

“My target from the beginning has only been him and that crowd of bystanders who loved watching the drama.”

“Once this is over, I will take Huixin and leave this place of right and wrong.”

Qi Yishu pulled Xu Huixin firmly into her embrace. The previously crazed and violent Xu Huixin was now like an insecure child, her head buried deep in Qi Yishu’s chest.

At this point, how could Yu Wuyi not understand? Xu Huixin had been raised by Qi Yishu; everything was being controlled by her from behind the scenes.

She had been too naive!

“You are defying the laws of nature and heaven by forcibly detaining and feeding a soul. I cannot stand by and do nothing.” Yu Wuyi gripped a talisman, staring quietly at the woman and the ghost. “She is no longer the living Xu Huixin. She has no memories of being alive, only resentment.”

“Stop being so stubborn.”

“Let her go, and let yourself go.”

“Never!” Qi Yishu gritted her teeth. “I’ve already lost her once. I cannot and will not let it happen a second time!”

“Since neither side will yield, then let’s settle this.”

Ring, ring, ring— Qi Yishu pulled out a bronze bell and rang it. “You two, seize her!”

As the bell rang, two white figures appeared beside Yu Wuyi—the two white ghosts that had been seen with Xu Huixin before.

Obeying the order, the two spirits lunged at Yu Wuyi with bared teeth. However, their strength was nowhere near enough to hurt her. Yu Wuyi dodged their attacks with ease.

“Qin An! Qin An!”

“I’m here.”

“I can’t hurt or capture Xu Huixin, but what about these two white ones? Can I take them?”

“You can.”

Having received the green light, Yu Wuyi stopped holding back. With a wave of her hand, the massive Spirit-Summoning Banner appeared in her grip.

“Go! Capture these two for me!”

The banner floated up automatically, spinning like a top in mid-air before flying straight toward the two white ghosts.

“Who exactly are you? How can a female college student have such an artifact?” Qi Yishu frowned, taking two steps back.

“Me?” Yu Wuyi held the now-retracted banner, a slight smile playing on her lips.

“I won’t hide my name or my title.”

“Acting Emissary of the Eleventh Palace of Yanluo.”

“Yu Wuyi.”