The entire restaurant was built on top of the lake. Like a half lotus, the centre of the restaurant was the heart of the lotus, while the walkways on one side twisted and turned to form the lotus petals.

Ji Mingxia was not familiar with the structure of the restaurant and in a calm situation, he could walk slowly without getting lost. But he was running in panic at the moment, and he soon lost his way.

He found himself at a dead end.

Ahead of him was a gazebo situated on the lake. It was convenient for sitting and resting while enjoying the moon and drinking tea.

Having had the experience of falling into the water, there was no way Ji Mingxia could run to a place that was near water.

But if he didn't go towards the gazebo, he would have to go backwards, and who knows if he would encounter the ghost when he ran backwards.

As Ji Mingxia hesitated, his footsteps unconsciously paused.

Without the sound of his footsteps, the surroundings fell into silence again. At that moment, a very strange sound came from afar.

It sounded like something landing on the ground, and a regular “clack, clack, clack” could be heard almost every two seconds.

The sound seemed to be coming from a distance, and it was slowly approaching Ji Mingxia.

Ji Mingxia's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. He clenched his fists, forced himself to calm down, and pricked up his ears to listen carefully. 

Soon, Ji Mingxia recognized what the sound was.

It wasn't the sound of human footsteps.

When a person walks, two feet land one after the other, the sole of the shoes rub against the ground, thus creating a regular footstep sound.

However, what was coming towards Ji Mingxia was the sound of footsteps of only one foot.

“Ta, ta, ta”

The sound was getting closer and closer, as if it was about to walk around the corner and come in front of Ji Mingxia in the next moment.

Ji Mingxia did not have the courage to face the ghost again. He hurriedly glanced around, and finally opened a box and quickly slipped inside.

Although the glass let the light from the street lamp outside in, the box was dimly lit and he could barely see.

The entire box was empty, with no cover other than the dining table and chairs.

“Ta, ta, ta.”

The sound of footsteps had gone around the corner and were coming in Ji Mingxia’s direction.

A minute later, a blurred figure appeared outside the box.

She appeared to be human, with long hair reaching her waist, but the limbs were twisted, and were bluish white in color.

She seemed to see the gazebo at the end of the road, so she did not rush forward. Instead, she walked around the boxes, searching and inspecting them one by one.

 Ji Mingxia gritted his teeth and made a decision in his heart.

----

Yu Ning was standing beside Ji Mingxia when the latter suddenly ran out without saying a word.

Yu Ning's first reaction was to reach out and hold Ji Mingxia's wrist.

“Mingxia!” Yu Ning called him, and in the next instant, he suddenly realised that something was wrong.

Yu Ning's body temperature was much lower than normal because of his physique, and every time he touched Ji Mingxia, he felt that Ji Mingxia's body was warm.

Yet at this moment, the wrist he was holding in was stiff and cold like a frozen limb and it made Yu Ning's fingertips freeze.

Ji Mingxia, whose back was turned to Yu Ning, slowly turned around.

He was still wearing Ji Mingxia's clothes, keeping Ji Mingxia's hairstyle, yet that face had lost it’s features.

It was as if a smooth piece of flesh had grown on his face, without eyes, nose or lips, facing Yu Ning in silence.

Yu Ning's hand trembled as he let go of Ji Mingxia's wrist.

“Yu Ning, what's wrong?” the faceless Ji Mingxia suddenly asked Yu Ning.

He had no mouth, and his voice was dully transmitted from his body, but it was indeed Ji Mingxia's voice.

The expression on Yu Ning's face turned cold as he withdrew his hand and straightened the ring on his finger, “You're not him.”

“Yu Ning, what are you talking about?” As if he hadn't heard Yu Ning's words, the faceless man continued to ask.

As he said this, he also walked towards Yu Ning and stretched out his hand, trying to grab Yu Ning.

Yu Ning took a step back and said coldly, "Don't speak like him."

The faceless man paused in his movements, seeming to realise that Yu Ning had indeed seen through his tricks. 

The faceless man seemed to laugh softly, and he clapped his hands.

The clapping sounds came out from all directions, followed by countless voices of Ji Mingxia echoing from all directions.

“Yu Ning, Yu Ning ......”

In just a blink of an eye, the corridor was filled with a dense crowd of people, all wearing the same clothes as Ji Mingxia.

All of them were faceless, walking back and forth like zombies and their bodies constantly emitting Ji Mingxia's voice, calling out Yu Ning's name.

It was as if there were thousands of Ji Mingxia, who had the same body, the same clothes, and the exact same voice as Ji Mingxia.

Yet when they turned their faces, they were all faceless people without facial features.

The strong visual impact and mental pollution instantly enraged Yu Ning.

The ring in his hand was affected by his emotions and it wriggled uncontrollably, emitting a scarlet glow.

With a slight wave of his arm, the faceless man in front of him, who resembled Ji Mingxia, could be dismembered and extinguished on the spot, just like the faceless man at the spa last time.

Yu Ning's expression was cold and stern, and the red light on the ring flashed, shining on the faceless man's face.

But in the end, Yu Ning hesitated and withdrew his hand.

As soon as he withdrew his hand, the faceless man quickened his pace towards him, ready to swallow him up.

Yu Ning gripped the ring tightly and closed his eyes, as if he was resigned to his fate.

Then, he took a slow but determined step, and the faceless man beside him staggered.

The faceless man was startled, and looked back in surprise, as if he could not understand how Yu Ning could walk past him without being caught.

A second faceless man quickly walked over and reached out towards Yu Ning, but once again staggered as he caught air.

The third, the fourth ...... each Faceless Man reached his hand out, but failed to catch Yu Ning over and over again.

Yu Ning had closed his eyes, but it was as if he had found a real way out, and he weaved in and out of the countless faceless men.

The corridor was filled with countless figures, and Yu Ning weaved his way through the crowd. Although he was almost caught by the Faceless Men several times, he always managed to avoid it at the last minute.

Five minutes later, Yu Ning, who was moving slowly, seemed to be caught by something all of a sudden. He stopped abruptly and met one of the faceless men who should have staggered before him.

The moment they collided, the faceless man was startled and Yu Ning immediately caught him.

The ring's red light glittered and glimmered in the darkness.

In the interplay of black and red light, Yu Ning opened his eyes and stared at the Faceless Man in front of him, saying slowly and coldly, “I’ve caught you.”

The Faceless Man was just about to struggle, but with Yu Ning's words, the ring turned into a red light and drilled into the neck of this Faceless Man.

The red light was like a slender worm, darting under the faceless man's skin.

The faceless man trembled in pain, the flesh on his face squirming.

Each time it undulated, one Faceless Man disappeared until the aisle became deserted, leaving only Yu Ning and this Faceless Man in it.

The red light was still moving under the Faceless Man's skin, and a moment later, a sound like the skin being opened up was heard, amplified in the darkness of the night.

The smooth flesh dripped like liquid, and a woman's face gradually emerged from beneath the faceless man's skin.

Her eyes were calm, her features graceful and dignified. It was none other than the hotel manager, Tong Jing.

The two times Tong Jing appeared in front of Ji Mingxia and Yu Ning, she was an elegant and soft professional woman, yet at this moment, she had a distorted face that was full of hostility.

Seeing that she could not break free of Yu Ning's shackles, Tong Jing stared at Yu Ning almost in shock: "How is it possible ...... that you can catch me on what grounds?!"

"It's true that I couldn't catch you the first time." Yu Ning said, his hand moved and the ring completely locked Tong Jing's limbs in place, causing her to fall to the ground and unable to move, "Using the same trick three times is underestimating us too much."

"My illusion is a refraction of one's heart, based on one's fear. You were able to kill the Faceless Man the first time you saw it, and it's true that these things can't trap you, but what makes you able to catch me?" Tong Jing did not get the answer she wanted and pursued her question reluctantly.

Under the law of attraction, the more one feared something, the more one could see it.

The entire Quanzhuang was covered with a special energy, and specific people would see their inner fears materialise in the hotel.

The Faceless Man that appeared in the spa that day was the first time that Yu Ning's inner fear was materialised, yet Yu Ning's first reaction was not to run away in fear, but to face his fear head on.

The dismemberment of the Faceless Man meant that he had shattered his inner fears.

Tong Jing had long guessed that these things could not defeat Yu Ning, and she moved her target to Ji Mingxia.  She was here at Yu Ning's side because Yu Ning looked harder to deal with than Ji Mingxia.

Her intention was just to delay Yu Ning and prevent him from having a chance to save Ji Mingxia.

As a result, Yu Ning was not blinded by the Faceless Man for long, and he even caught her, who was hiding behind the scenes.

If Yu Ning had special abilities, it would be fine. But he only relied on a ring to defeat her! Such a thing was simply unheard of, and Tong Jing was unwilling to admit it.

“You knew it was not Lu Youzi stirring up trouble, meaning you have long suspected that there is another mysterious item… have long suspected me. Did you deliberately look for me in the crowd?” Tong Jing reflected on the process of her defeat and murmured a guess.

But even after guessing the process, Tong Jing was still resigned: “You have no abilities except for your special physique, and even that ring on your hand is incomplete ...... just by virtue of your.....”

The more she said, the more irritated she became and she struggled once again.

Yu Ning stood aside and looked at Tong Jing coldly, seemingly not worried that Tong Jing could break free.

He was so sure of himself that it made Tong Jing become more and more frightened. The red light flickered over her body and the ring completely locked her in place. Tong Jing eventually fell to the ground in a twisted heap, like a worm bound by the red light and there was absolutely no room to break free.

After confirming that she was no match for Yu Ning, Tong Jing instantly panicked.

She had always hid behind illusions and eaten people, never having been captured before. Today’s failure was something she had never anticipated.

She had underestimated Yu Ning and Ji Mingxia, so she had not made any preparations to retreat, not expecting to get caught red handed.

After being caught, she had completely lost all her advantages.

Yu Ning stood by without saying a word, watching her struggle and roar with cold eyes.

Seeing that it was hopeless to break free, Tong Jing gradually calmed down. She was at least the head of the hotel and had dealt with many emergencies, and what she was best at, negotiating.

Thinking of this, Tong Jing couldn't help but take the initiative to speak up, “You're lucky that you were able to catch me. Although I don't want to admit it, luck is indeed a form of strength.

“Since you were able to catch me, you know what I am. It’s not that easy to get me to be of use for you.”Tong Jing waited for Yu Ning to make an offer.

She knew she was worth a lot of money and many people wanted to get her at a high price. Her unique and special attribute would be her last card.

Yet Yu Ning still did not speak.

When two sides negotiate, the most annoying thing is a person who has the advantage but refuses to speak.

Tong Jing fumed in her heart.

The way Yu Ning had captured her was vicious, directly using the ring's energy to pierce through her throat. Tong Jing had suffered a lot in the process of revealing her true form, so she was full of fury and resentment when she spoke earlier.

But now that she was captured and at a disadvantage herself, there was no point in losing her temper.

Although the current scene was not good, it was not without room for redemption.

Thinking of this, Tong Jing immediately collected the hatred in her eyes and tried to adjust her facial expression as if she was back at the reception room of the hotel.

Although she was not as graceful as before, she tried to make her voice affable and gentle.

Tong Jing spoke to Yu Ning in a gentle voice, “You are not very old and you are all still students who have just  come of age. You may have just started to come into contact with this world and do not know much about it yet.”

“Since you have a mysterious item in your hands, and you can even use it with ease, then you must know how powerful this thing is.”

“Take the ring in your hand for example, a single ring has such an attacking power, if you can get the other one and make it a pair, the energy of the two rings will collide and create an excellent protective shield.”

“This protective shield can protect the owner of one of the rings until the energy within the ring is depleted ......”

Tong Jing said, “How about that, doesn’t it sound very exciting? But such a ring, let alone a pair, even ten pairs, are not as valuable as me. Even a hundred pairs of rings cannot be exchanged for a unique person like me.”

She stared at Yu Ning as she said that, observing his facial reactions and intending to decide what to say next based on every subtle expression Yu Ning made.

Yu Ning, who had been quiet, finally moved his eyes.

His black and grey eyes looked down at Tong Jing: "Impossible."

When Tong Jing heard that Yu Ning had actually questioned her, she was just about to explain, but in the next instant, she heard Yu Ning say, "If Lin Siyun or Li Youzi had been protected by the ring, things wouldn't have ended up the way they did."

Tong Jing did not expect that Yu Ning's focus would be on the pair of rings instead of her.

She held back the annoyance in her heart and patiently explained with a smile on her face, "That's because they don't meet the conditions.”

"This blood red ring relied on the nourishment of human blood to become what it is now, the more people that die, the more energy within the ring, it was originally missing five people ......but it should be ready now.”

"When you find Li Youzi, take the ring from her hand and put this pair of rings on yours. It will be your shield."

Yu Ning suddenly asked, “Why do you know so much?”

Tong Jing laughed a little: “Mysterious items can devour each other, if I succeeded in swallowing the rings, I wouldn’t have had to feed this year.”

And as if she suddenly thought of something, she said to Yu Ning, “Yu Ning, you are very powerful, but you are too young. You know nothing about this world, and you are completely inexperienced.”

“Actually, cooperation is not only possible between people and people, it is also possible between people and mysterious items. There are many mysterious items in this world, but evolved mysterious items like me, where the mind becomes one with the mysterious item and possesses intelligence, are very rare.”

“It’s been decades since I became conscious, and my powers have been increasing; I can create fear, and I can also use illusions and erase people’s memories.”

“As long as I’m given room to grow, I can evolve without end ……”

Tong Jing said, looking at Yu Ning sincerely, “This ring is completely yours, I won’t rob you of the other one either. Not only that, I can even help you find more mysterious items, making you stronger and stronger.”

“We can be friends and partners, the two of us working together is simply the perfect combination.”

Tong Jing said, looking at Yu Ning hopefully.

Yu Ning said, “At a price?”

Tong Jing smiled, “No need for any price. As I said, I am an evolved mysterious item, as you grow, so do I. We just need to help each other.”

She finished speaking and waited for Yu Ning’s reply. However, Yu Ning once again stopped speaking and looked at her quietly, as if he had seen through what she was thinking.

Tong Jing was secretly annoyed.

The ID information of Ji Mingxia, Yu Ning and the others had long been entered into the hotel.

They were just a bunch of youngsters, with one having a special physique, mysterious item, and little experience.

These kinds of brats were the easiest to deal with, but in the end, how could one expect that she would get captured so easily!

This Yu Ning, in particular, he’s so gloomy and vicious that he did not look like a student at all.

The Faceless Man was supposed to be transformed into Yu Ning’s inner fears and was equivalent to being a part of Yu Ning’s inner heart.

Faced with his own fear, not only was he not afraid, but his first reaction was to actually fight back against it.

And in such a cruel and perverse way as dismemberment.

As expected, those who deal with themselves ruthlessly can deal with their enemies with ease.

At this moment, Yu Ning did not speak and the scene was silent. The ring’s red light was still locked around Tong Jing, who had no choice but to say, “As long as you let me go, we can cooperate.”

Yu Ning said unhurriedly, “We can cooperate just as well if I make you submit.”

Tong Jing saw that Yu Ning’s expression was calm. He had not been moved by her words from the beginning to the end and she could not help but feel furious.

Since the negotiation had failed, Tong Jing could only show her last card: “Your friend is in my hands, if you don’t want him to die, you can only let me go.”

Seeing Yu Ning look over coldly, Tong Jing sneered, “Ji Mingxia should be more than just a friend to you. You are able to face your deepest fears head on, but can he?”

As Tong Jing’s words fell, the surrounding scene swayed as if it were a mirror in water.

Immediately afterwards, a winding corridor appeared in front of Yu Ning, and Ji Mingxia was running frantically down the corridor.

A bluish white female ghost was following behind him. It was none other than the ghost of Lin Siyun, whom they had met at school a while ago.

This was the most terrifying thing Ji Mingxia had ever seen in his life, so when he entered the illusion, his inner fear turned into reality. Lin Siyun’s ghost reappeared and kept chasing him.

At this point, Ji Mingxia ran to a gazebo.

With his front path blocked and the ghost chasing him from behind, Ji Mingxia had no choice but to hide in a box.

The box only had a sideboard, a dining table and countless chairs, so there was no place to hide.

Seeing that the ghost was getting closer and closer, Ji Mingxia was so anxious that he could only rearrange the chairs and tables to make them more densely packed, and then make a small hiding place underneath the table.

Before the ghost could knock on the door, Ji Mingxia went inside in a flash.

With a creak, the door of the box where Ji Mingxia was hiding was opened.

There was no suspense, and the ghost immediately found Ji Mingxia almost instantly.

The ghost was the embodiment of Ji Mingxia’s fear, and no matter where he hid, he would always be found.

The only way to defeat it was to face the fear himself.

Little by little, the ghost crawled towards Ji Mingxia and soon pounced.

 Ji Mingxia was so frightened that his body convulsed, and countless dripping blood marks appeared on his body where the ghost had clawed him.

He was lying weakly in a pool of blood, dying, and if he didn’t receive help, he would probably die in the illusion.

Tong Jing looked at Ji Mingxia on the other side of the corridor, and then at Yu Ning beside her.

Yu Ning, who had been expressionless, now looked cold and stern.

His skin was pale and the slight change in mood was very obvious.

The veins on his forehead and the backs of his hands were bulging at the moment. He had been stimulated by Ji Mingxia’s injury, and had reached the verge of an emotional breakdown.

Seeing that it was finally working, Tong Jing spoke at the right time: “Once dominated by fear, a person can be killed by their own fear….this is the image from a minute ago. Ji Mingxia fell into fear and his life is in danger.”

“Although you have captured me, it is almost impossible to subdue me.”

“I refuse to recognize you as master, with your physique alone, and such a broken ring, you may not succeed even years later, but I’m afraid that Ji Mingxia can’t wait that long, do you want to watch him-“

Before she could say the word “die”, the ring’s red light directly rushed towards her head, burrowing under her skin and crawling up her neck.

The thin light turned into a thin, sharp blade which penetrated Tong Jing’s brow.

Tong Jing sensed a great threat and she stiffened, not daring to move at all.

She did not expect that Yu Ning’s first reaction after being stimulated would be to kill her. Tong Jing was dumbfounded and her voice was trembling as she spoke, “What are you going to do, you don’t care about Ji Mingxia’s life anymore? Are you trying to threaten me ……”

The red light went a few more points deeper, and Tong Jing’s brow looked as if the flesh and blood were separated by the light, and the scarlet blood fused with the red light.

Tong Jing was sure that Yu Ning was not planning to threaten her, but had decided to kill her, and she screamed incredulously, “You want to erase me? I’m an evolved mysterious item with human intelligence! Countless people want me ……”

The red light became more and more intense, the flesh between her brow kept cut open, and Tong Jing’s face gradually became deformed.

With Yu Ning’s ability, it was basically impossible to forcibly subdue a mysterious item of her level.

However, if one wanted to wipe out the intelligence of a mysterious item, it was not difficult.

An intelligent mysterious item would not be easily exposed, and it was only because of Tong Jing's carelessness and underestimation of the enemy that she fell into Yu Ning’s hands.

Tong Jing was now under his control, as long as he killed her and she lost her wisdom, the mysterious item would be reduced to an ordinary one like the blood-red ring in Yu Ning’s hand, and unless it encountered a hostile dead soul, it would just be an ordinary item until it was energised.

Therefore, as long as Tong Jing died, Ji Mingxia would be safe.

In the life-and-death situation, Tong Jing also understood Yu Ning’s intention. She endured the pain as she hurriedly shouted in a trembling voice: “Don’t kill me, Yu Ning …… that scene is a fake! Ji Mingxia wasn’t caught by the ghost shadow at all, he’s fine …… I created the illusion to threaten you.”

She said, looking at Yu Ning pleadingly, “Ji Mingxia wasn’t injured at all, let alone dead!”

However, the red light did not stop, and not only did Tong Jing’s head deform, but her limbs gradually twisted up as she approached death bit by bit.

“I know.”

In the midst of her extreme pain, Tong Jing heard Yu Ning’s voice.

She lifted her head and looked in Yu Ning’s direction, and saw Yu Ning looking at her coldly.

Perhaps it was because the blood-red ring was driven to attack a mysterious item of intelligence, both of Yu Ning’s eyes were actually shining with a faint grey colour at the moment.

The night curtain fell behind him, his skin was pale, his eyes a dark grey. His face was indifferent and merciless and he looked colder than all the fierce ghosts.

Yu Ning slowly said, “Of course Mingxia is alright.”

Tong Jing was stunned.

Then why did he still want to kill her ……

The red light completely penetrated her head, and Tong Jing’s body twisted up completely. Like a liquid, it rolled up little by little and gradually disappeared into the air.

It was only in that moment before her death that Tong Jing finally understood.

Yu Ning had never been affected by her illusion from the start to the end.

He had not been lured by Li Youzi as Zhao Zhouye had.

Had not been deceived by the faceless man.

Nor deceived by the illusion of Ji Mingxia being seriously injured.

He was angry because Tong Jing had created the illusion that Ji Mingxia was seriously injured.

He killed her because she used Ji Mingxia’s life as a threat.

Even if it was false, it would not do.