Tiger followed Lu Fei under the canopy of trees, rubbing his arms as they walked. The dense foliage above blocked out the sky entirely.
"This place is so creepy. No wonder it's haunted."
"Tiger, be careful tonight. There's more than one ghost here," Lu Fei warned.
"Boss, those two look pretty impressive. Are they really as good as they seem?" Tiger whispered, glancing at the Daoist priest and monk.
"If Master Duan knows them, they're at least not frauds," Lu Fei replied casually.
The world of exorcists was vast, filled with all kinds of extraordinary individuals. Having only recently stepped into the field, Lu Fei hadn't met many of them yet.
Tiger nodded. "More people means less danger tonight..."
As he spoke, Principal Qin approached, seemingly wanting to talk to Lu Fei.
"Principal Qin, is something the matter?"
"Lu, I can see those three masters are quite capable. Why don't you sit this one out tonight? Your willingness to help is already admirable," Principal Qin said with concern.
Despite Su Liguo's strong recommendation, Principal Qin still saw Lu Fei as a student. No matter his family's background, he doubted Lu Fei could handle such a perilous situation.
"I know you're worried about me, Principal, but please rest assured—I'm not acting impulsively," Lu Fei insisted.
"Just remember, don't overexert yourself," Principal Qin urged. Still uneasy, he turned to ask the monk and Daoist priest to look out for Lu Fei.
Both agreed readily enough, but their expressions carried a hint of disdain.
Once Principal Qin left, the Daoist priest, Master Tianyuan, let out a cold snort.
"These young people today sure have it easy—no effort required, yet they can still earn fame. Back in my day, we devoted ourselves to exorcism and never thought about self-preservation."
Duan Tiankui interjected, "Master Tianyuan, Lu is the young master of the Evil Pawnshop and a graduate of this university. I believe he sincerely wants to help."
Though Duan spoke in Lu Fei's favor, he couldn't vouch for Lu Fei's abilities, having never seen him in action.
"What's so special about the Evil Pawnshop? Just riding on their family's reputation, reaping the benefits without doing the work. Once the fame is there, finding clients is a piece of cake," Tianyuan scoffed.
"Who are you calling a freeloader?" Tiger clenched his fists, stepping forward.
Lu Fei pressed a hand on Tiger's arm, smiling lightly.
"Master Tianyuan has a point. Why didn't I think of that? You must have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, right, Master Tianyuan?"
"You—" Tianyuan's face darkened, and he snorted again. "Let's see if you can still run your mouth when the ghosts show up!"
He stormed off, ignoring Lu Fei.
Lu Fei remained unbothered.
Initially, he'd considered sharing his findings about the multiple long-hair ghosts in the dormitory.
But if they were so capable, they could figure it out themselves.
Night Falls
Darkness engulfed the old campus, with only a few dim streetlights casting sparse pools of light. The air was silent, devoid of even insect or bird sounds.
"Masters, I leave it to you. Lingyue and I will guard the array from here," Duan Tiankui said, sitting cross-legged with his granddaughter outside the dormitory.
"With Master Duan's support, we'll make quick work of this!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Master Kudeng and Master Tianyuan entered the dormitory without waiting for Lu Fei.
Lu Fei didn't mind—he preferred to act independently anyway.
"Brother Lu, be careful!" Duan Lingyue called out, winking at him.
"Thank you," Lu Fei replied with a smile before entering the dormitory with Tiger.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, the other two had already entered Room 404.
Lu Fei hesitated and decided to stay outside the room instead.
The two masters mistook his caution for cowardice, smirking condescendingly.
They turned off their flashlights, plunging the building into complete darkness.
Lu Fei gripped his Lightning-Struck Jujube Wood Staff, channeling his spiritual energy to heighten his senses and monitor his surroundings.
Tiger clutched his ghost-headed blade tightly, his heart racing.
The First Spirit
Time passed. Despite the oppressive yin energy filling the building, the night remained eerily quiet.
"Could it be that the ghosts are avoiding us because of the large group? Or do we need to perform some kind of summoning ritual to draw them out?" Lu Fei wondered.
Just then, a dim, yellowish glow appeared in the dormitory room.
Master Tianyuan had lit a black candle and placed it by the window.
The glass in the window was long shattered, allowing the night breeze to rustle the ivy outside. Yet the candle flame remained steady.
Lu Fei recognized it immediately—it was an Yin Candle, used to attract spirits.
"An interesting choice for a Daoist," Lu Fei thought.
Master Tianyuan retreated to a corner, gripping a well-crafted Seven-Star Peachwood Sword adorned with red tassels and engraved with Daoist symbols. Though finely made, it paled in comparison to Lu Fei's staff.
The portly monk, Master Kudeng, removed the long string of prayer beads from his neck, wrapping them around his hand.
Under the faint candlelight, the two men's expressions grew tense.
Whoosh!
A gust of icy wind swept through, shaking the tree shadows outside.
The candle flame turned an eerie green.
"Tiger, it's coming," Lu Fei whispered.
Tiger tensed, gripping his blade and scanning the surroundings.
The temperature plummeted.
A vague shadow began to form outside the window, gradually taking shape.
Its hair was impossibly long, reaching its waist, and it seemed drawn to the candlelight, slowly drifting inside to feed on the scent of the candle.
Master Tianyuan didn't immediately attack. Instead, he observed the ghost for a moment before his tense expression relaxed.
"Just a vengeful spirit? How dare it stir up trouble here!"
He lunged forward, his sword aimed straight at the long-hair ghost.
Startled, the ghost's black hair writhed wildly, releasing a surge of yin energy that forced Tianyuan back.
Master Kudeng stepped in, tossing his prayer beads to ensnare the ghost.
Chanting under his breath, the beads emitted a faint golden light, binding the ghost in place.
The long hair stretched out, reaching toward Master Kudeng.
"Courting death!" Tianyuan shouted, taking advantage of the ghost's restraint to slash at it with his sword.
"Ahhh—!"
The engraved symbols on the sword glowed faintly as the ghost let out a piercing scream.
Tianyuan pressed his advantage, striking several more times until the ghost dissolved into ash, leaving only a few strands of hair floating in the air.
"Amitabha," Master Kudeng murmured, retrieving his beads.
"Just a minor spirit. For the two of us, it's hardly worth mentioning," Tianyuan said smugly, his tone full of pride.
"But if it's just one spirit, why is there so much yin energy here?" Kudeng asked, a trace of doubt crossing his round face.
"Even if more come, what's the big deal? With Master Kudeng's help, I'll kill as many as appear," Tianyuan boasted.
Outside the room, Lu Fei noticed something unsettling.
Two dark shadows had silently appeared behind the two masters.