Chapter 177: Chi Shen, You Deceiver!

Chapter 177: Chi Shen, You Deceiver!

A golden radiance converged at Chi Shen's fingertips, shaping into a sword.

It was a mantra Bai Wan once used, a combination of Chi Shen's recent study of the Zhong family's scriptures and the Bai family's history – a newly acquired method, used by the living in the sunlit world to exorcise ghosts.

Half of his body continued to disintegrate, making him appear as a ghastly half-man, half-ghost. Yet, the golden sword in his hand radiated a potent righteousness. The incoming dolls greedily absorbed the escaping dark mist from him, growing stronger, but Chi Shen paid them no heed.

With a swift motion of his hand, the golden blade aura cleaved through the encircling dolls with the might of splitting mountains and seas, heading straight for Fang Man!

Due to the excessive external organs she had attached, Fang Man's body looked bloated. However, she moved through the ventilation ducts with surprising agility. Despite her quick reflexes, Chi Shen's blade light was faster, and she couldn't evade in time, losing two of her arms to the golden flash.

"Quite handy," Chi Shen remarked with a smirk. Moving forward casually, he waved his hand. Without reciting any spell this time, the golden blade light still emerged from his fingertips, slashing out with the wave of his hand.

A section of the ventilation duct split into two, and two more arms dropped out. Fang Man, noodle-like in her agility, swiftly darted into another duct, her voice echoing from all directions: "Chi Shen, many wish for your demise, not just me!"

"I'm aware. My dear father included," Chi Shen replied with a grin, severing sections of the ventilation ducts one by one. More hands and eyes fell out, turning into smoke and vanishing.

"No, it's not like that. Listen to me. They—"

"I know," Chi Shen interrupted, crushing a palm-sized doll that was creeping up to him. He continued, "You're merely stalling for time. Bai Xi Ming wouldn't have you delay me if he truly understood how much you wish for my death. He wants a life exchange. If I die before that deal, he won't survive either."

"Do you know what they're planning?" Fang Man's voice echoed ominously from the ducts overhead. "You're wasting time with me!"

"They've gone to my home," Chi Shen casually mentioned, pressing down on a half-bodied doll with his skeletal hand. The doll disintegrated under the intense ghostly aura.

——

Tongfu Residential Complex.

Under festive lights, a middle-aged man followed some latecomers into the complex.

The security guard felt a sudden chill, tightening his coat around him. He glanced outside.

He saw a man with a handsome profile. Despite having seen countless faces, the guard couldn't quite guess his age. The man seemed neither young nor old, radiating a mature aura. He hadn't swiped an access card, merely following residents in. The guard paid no mind, reasoning that he probably forgot his card — a common occurrence. The guard spared him only a glance and then returned to his register.

Glancing back up from the register, the guard noticed the man had disappeared. He tried recalling the man's features but drew a blank.

Dismissing it, attributing his lapse to the sheer number of people he saw daily, he resumed watching the busy entrance.

With ease, the middle-aged man made his way to Building Four, Unit Four, and took the elevator up.

A dark human-like figure suddenly emerged within the elevator. Seeing him enter, it frantically tried to escape through the elevator's ventilation fan.

"Delicious."

A voice, layered with chants, echoed beside the middle-aged man. The fleeing shadowy figure was yanked back from the fan and vanished beside him.

"Everything here smells delectable."

The voice didn't come from the man, and at that moment, the elevator was empty. But there was no one around to notice.

Quickly, the elevator reached the 13th floor. A middle-aged man stepped out and slowly walked to an apartment door, giving it a knock.

With a courteous three taps, there was a creak from the door before it swung open. Inside stood a young man who had an ordinary appearance, resembling a university student. He looked at the middle-aged man with a hint of apprehension, "H-hello?"

The middle-aged man's expression slightly shifted, but he quickly regained his composure, smiling at the young man, "Hello. Is this the residence of Chi Shen?"

"Yes, yes it is. He went out this evening," the young man glanced at his phone, showing a regretful expression, "he should be back soon. Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

"Thank you," the middle-aged man entered Chi Shen's home. "I'm Wen Qin. What should I call you?"

"Ah, my name is Zhou Xun. Just call me Xiao Zhou," Zhou Xun replied with a goofy smile, "Please, take a seat. Let me think... Oh, I should get you some water. Sorry, just give me a moment... Where did Chi Shen keep his kettle again?"

Zhou Xun quickly headed to the kitchen. After a brief look around, he located the kettle. Possibly feeling his behavior was a bit odd, he turned to Wen Qin to explain, "Sorry, it's my first time here. I'm not familiar with his place. He told me he'd be out and asked me to attend to a guest, which I presume is you?"

Outside the kitchen door, Wen Qin paused, placing one hand in his pocket. He glanced at Zhou Xun busying himself with tea-making, then waited a bit before taking a seat by the sofa.

His gaze shifted towards Chi Shen's bedroom. It was eerily silent.

Soon after, Zhou Xun came out with two cups of tea, placing both on the coffee table. One cup steamed with warmth, while the other was cold.

He wore an apologetic look again, "Are two cups enough? I wasn't sure... um, if the other guest needed one too. If needed, I can make more tea. Would you prefer ashes or blood?"

A change came over Wen Qin's eyes.

"Can you see me?" A monstrous entity with multiple heads peeked out from beside Wen Qin, looking down at the young man.

Zhou Xun responded with confusion, "Of course I can see you. Why else would Chi Shen ask me to host you all?"

"Can I eat him?" one of the heads inquired, "He smells delicious."

Sipping his tea, Wen Qin simply said, "As you wish."

The monstrous entity's heads all chuckled, stretching towards Zhou Xun, "So tasty."

"Wait!" Zhou Xun immediately went on alert, taking a step back. Though he moved only slightly, he seamlessly transitioned from the living room to the kitchen entrance, causing the creature to miss its bite.

The creature, unfazed, extended its serpentine necks, lunging at Zhou Xun once more. Backed into a corner, Zhou Xun clenched his teeth, his arm morphing into a shadowy figure that swiftly expanded into a massive hand, gripping one of the creature's throats with a fierce grasp.

With a sickening snap...

The seized neck broke off, landing on the floor, a puddle of red blood forming around the severed head.

"It hurts so much!"

The remaining heads roared in anger. Without hesitation, they lunged at Zhou Xun. A dense ghostly aura exploded in the confined living room. The glass door to the kitchen wavered from the force, and a soy sauce bottle on the stove teetered before falling onto the table.

Zhou Xun's eyes widened in response. His other hand conjured a shadowy figure that steadied the soy sauce bottle. At the same time, a frozen black shadow emanated from behind him, rapidly enveloping the entire house.

In an instant, everything ceased its movement, shrouded in a gloomy veil. The space felt infinite, and no matter how fast one might run, they could never traverse from one end of the living room to the other.

This was a skill he acquired in the endless game – spatial freeze. An invaluable asset in puzzle games. While they couldn't alter the room's layout once activated, they could freely search for clues or defeat monsters without worrying about evidence being destroyed.

He often wondered if this unique skill was the reason why Chi Shen always kept him close, ensuring his escape from the endless game.

Today, it was Chi Shen's message that brought him here. Chi Shen mentioned an errand outside and asked for his help to entertain a special guest.

Now, with the monster's head nearly reaching him, Zhou Xun realized, "Damn it, Chi Shen! You tricked me again!"