Chapter 167: So, love can fade away, right?

Chapter 167: So, love can fade away, right?

The room's lighting shifted, as the scene on the TV changed once more.

"Phase two concluded. Memory isolation confirmed without issues. We can commence phase three. Ji Xian is a gentle woman; it's a bit of a pity. However, now the experiment requires... maternal love."

Snap ——

"What just happened?!" Gui Lian shouted in surprise, dodging from one side to another.

Chi Shen grabbed the hand with which Ji Xing Chen was covering his eyes, and roughly pushed the on-the-verge Ji Xing Chen back into his own shadow, "Calm down for a bit."

Just moments ago, when Ji Xian was mentioned on the TV, a previously settled Ji Xing Chen suddenly went berserk again. Before he could do anything drastic, the small components inside the TV couldn't withstand Ji Xing Chen's ghostly aura, exploding first. Sparks and crackling noises now emanated from the broken TV.

Chi Shen had no choice but to console Ji Xing Chen first. Causing a ruckus in this residential building was not ideal; it'd affect his work the next day.

Moreover... he quite enjoyed the sensation of being able to contain Ji Xing Chen.

Ji Xing Chen's sudden outburst took the multi-headed specter outside the window by surprise. It seemed that he hadn't anticipated Ji Xing Chen to lose control at this moment, or perhaps he didn't expect that Ji Xing Chen's fury would be quelled so effortlessly.

Following this, several ghostly faces outside the window simultaneously displayed expressions of disdain: "You're so weak, big brother, to be so easily manipulated. How could father ever be fond of someone like you?"

The long necks connecting its several heads writhed in impatience: "If father hadn't prohibited me from entering, only allowing me to show you this video and ensuring you don't escape, I'd love to devour you right now. You all look quite delectable."

Gui Lian, feeling uneasy, shifted to the other side of Chi Shen. However, after moving, he murmured to himself, "Hm... why am I hiding?"

A pair of blood-red eyes appeared within Chi Shen's shadow, slightly moving to gaze outside the window.

Chi Shen also directed his attention outside.

"It's fine; I'll come out," Chi Shen said, surprisingly amiable.

Chi Shen lifted his foot, and in an instant, he stood by the window.

The multi-headed ghost hesitated, only pulling its face away from the glass when Chi Shen's hand touched the window. It retreated hastily, displaying fear on several of its faces. One of the heads shrieked, "Ha! You're trying to lure me in! I won't fall for it, giving you the chance to tattle to father!"

Chi Shen's tone was somewhat resigned, "As I said, I'll come out."

He opened the window, allowing the pungent, decay-laden ghostly aura to flow in.

"You all look rather tasty," one of the heads commented.

"We can't eat them; father would be furious," another head interjected.

Conflicted expressions then appeared on their several faces, "We can't eat, we can't eat!"

"Let's put the issue of eating aside for now, and you can discuss that later," Chi Shen watched their bickering and even played mediator, "Actually, I don't particularly care about your intentions. I just want to know, did you kill Yuan Yi Ping?"

"Who?" A smaller face asked in confusion.

"Nevermind," Chi Shen sighed, "Even I can't remember the names of the ghosts I've slain. You probably don't recall either. I'll find out myself."

As Chi Shen stepped one foot onto the windowsill, the multi-faced ghost retreated slightly.

"My sister told me that she and Zhong Yi traced the aura of the ghost that killed Yuan Yi Ping to this place. It seems the only ghost here capable of killing Yuan Yi Ping is you," Chi Shen pondered for a moment before continuing, "Hmm, perhaps it's not accurate to say 'one'; you're just a crude amalgamation of several ghosts."

"If he makes the first move, can I devour him then?"

"Hahaha, big brother can be consumed too, right? My useless big brother, the one easily controlled by others—"

Thud—

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Chi Shen leapt straight from the window ledge, gripping the slender neck of the ghost as they plummeted from the seventh floor, pinning him into the landscaped greenery below.

Several of the ghost's faces widened in shock, showing no signs of resistance. It seemed he hadn't fully processed what was happening before he was pinned to the ground.

A fall from the seventh floor might not be a big deal for a ghost. Apart from the flattened trees, no harm seemed to have been inflicted.

Meanwhile, Gui Lian floated anxiously mid-air, glancing left and right. Upon realizing that no one had noticed the commotion, he exhaled in relief and quickly descended to Chi Shen's side.

"You... Ahh!!!"

The faces, filled with terror, began screaming in unison.

From Chi Shen's grasp emerged a rusty, chipped black cleaver. With one hand on the ghost's neck and the other wielding the cleaver, he swiftly severed each head from the solitary body, subsequently drawing out different strands of ghostly essence from within them.

"Hmm, not this one."

Chi Shen murmured as he sifted through the ghostly energies.

"Not this one either. As a generally good person, Yuan Yi Ping's essence should stand out..."

Soon, Chi Shen located a faint golden strand of ghostly essence. Raising an eyebrow, he remarked, "This is it. Golden, interesting. So, it was you."

Lifting his cleaver once more, he methodically crushed the fleeing heads, remarking, "While I'm no paragon of justice, Yuan Ge has helped me a lot. It would be a favor to me if you'd just perish."

"Hmm? I seem to be missing one." Counting the heads on the ground, Chi Shen stood up to search for the absent one.

Gui Lian quickly scurried to a nearby shrubbery, signaling to Chi Shen, "Over here!"

Chi Shen parted the bushes to reveal a terrified ghostly head. He then raised his cleaver once more.

The ghostly head closed its eyes in utter despair.

Yet, the descending blade of Chi Shen suddenly halted.

"I just remembered, there's something I need to clarify," stated Chi Shen.

Sensing Chi Shen's hesitation, the ghostly head stealthily opened an eye. Hearing Chi Shen speak, the ghost almost seemed to exhibit a 'survived against all odds' expression, hoping fervently that Chi Shen would prolong the conversation, giving him a chance to explain and possibly find a way to survive.

"Being forced to be controlled and willingly allowing oneself to be controlled are different."

The knife in Chi Shen's hand fell, the last ghost head shattered to pieces, its face filled with anticipation till the end.

In the depths of the pool's shadow, the crimson eyes closed, vanishing within the dark silhouette.

A gentle breeze started to rustle, diminishing much of the ominous aura enveloping the building. However, the lingering resentment accumulated over the years within the building didn't fade so easily. What disappeared was merely the specter's aura.

"Perhaps it's worth calling the Special Security Bureau for an exorcism," Chi Shen pondered, "Bai Wan and the others should be safe by now."

"So, should we head back now?" Gui Lian popped up and said, "That ghost keeper, should we go find Ji Xing Chen's body? Aren't you guys heading back?"

"Hmm," Chi Shen nodded in agreement, "But it's getting late. Meeting up with Bai Wan and the rest seems more pragmatic."

Gui Lian: "Huh? Didn't you say they were safe?"

"Not seeing them means uncertainty. I'm still worried. Zhong Yi is so vulnerable now that even a mere ghost might take his life. Being with Bai Wan and her chilling aura, he might be on the brink."

After a brief silence, Gui Lian asked, "Why do I feel like you're not eager to save Ji Xing Chen?"

"Of course, I want to. But isn't Ji Xing Chen right beside me?" Chi Shen reached out to his own shadow, which reciprocated the gesture. He grasped Ji Xing Chen's hand from the shadow, "See? He's right here."

Gui Lian stared at the dark hand held by Chi Shen, his face contorted momentarily, then fell silent.

Chi Shen began to smile and pulled out his phone to call Bai Wan. Just then, an incoming call interrupted him.

The caller ID displayed a familiar name: Zhang Yao.

Chi Shen frowned and answered the call.

"He will vanish."

Zhang Yao's voice wavered, betraying her unstable breath.

"After today, he will vanish."

Chi Shen ended the call and leaped into his own shadow.

"Let's go."

Gui Lian was caught off guard. In the blink of an eye, he found himself on his own balcony. Chi Shen had already rushed into the bedroom.