Two dark shadows clung silently to the backs of Master Tianyuan and Master Kudeng as they stood, fixated on the flickering Yin Candle. They remained completely unaware.
Lu Fei glanced behind Tiger and felt his heart skip a beat.
Tiger noticed his gaze and shivered. "Boss, what's wrong? Is something behind me?"
"Do you feel anything unusual?" Lu Fei asked in a low voice.
Tiger, sporting a military-style buzz cut, now had a strand of long black hair draped over his shoulder.
"I... I don't feel anything. Should I?" Tiger's voice wavered, and he began turning his head to look.
"Don't turn around! If you do, you're done for!" Lu Fei immediately stopped him, his tone firm.
At that moment, he also felt an icy chill creeping up his back.
It was clear now—they each had a long-hair ghost silently attached to their backs, just like in the photos from Su Ningxue's camera.
But how had they appeared so suddenly? Not one of them had sensed anything beforehand.
"Boss, what do we do now?" Tiger asked, frozen in place, gripping his ghost-headed blade tightly.
"Simple. A Ghost-Repelling Talisman will do the trick," Lu Fei said calmly.
Taking out a talisman, he slapped it directly onto his back.
The cold sensation vanished instantly as a strand of icy hair slithered off, disintegrating. The talisman itself burned to ash.
Lu Fei turned to check—nothing was there anymore.
Tiger followed suit, slapping a talisman onto his back with trembling hands.
The eerie chill disappeared, and the long black hair hanging over his shoulder vanished.
"Boss, is it gone?" Tiger asked nervously, still not daring to turn around.
"It's gone," Lu Fei confirmed with a nod.
Yet inside, he felt unease.
The number of ghosts matched the five figures in Su Ningxue's camera: one drawn to the Yin Candle, while the other four silently latched onto their backs.
He knew these spectral hairs were incredibly insidious, but this level of stealth was beyond anything he'd encountered before.
Tiger's lack of spiritual sensitivity was understandable, but both Lu Fei and the other two men were trained in the occult. Lu Fei had even enhanced his senses with spiritual energy, yet none of them had detected the ghosts approaching.
"Stick a talisman on your back. Don't let them sneak up again," Lu Fei instructed, pulling out another Ghost-Repelling Talisman for himself.
Tiger complied, slapping one onto his back.
With precautions in place, Lu Fei turned his attention back to the dormitory room.
"If they think I'm just here for show, let's use them to test the waters first," he thought.
He didn't warn the two men about the ghosts on their backs, choosing instead to silently observe.
The Ghosts Stir
Inside the dormitory, the eerie candlelight flickered as the surrounding air grew deathly still.
Master Tianyuan and Master Kudeng remained oblivious to the shadows on their backs, their attention solely on the Yin Candle.
Black wax dripped steadily, and before long, most of the candle had burned away.
"Why hasn't anything shown up? Could it be that there's only one ghost here?" Tianyuan muttered, his expression pained as he looked at the dwindling candle.
"Master Kudeng, this place seems overrated. That ghost we encountered earlier, with her waist-length hair, must have been the girl killed by her boyfriend," he added.
"Perhaps," Kudeng replied, though his tone was uncertain. "But normally, when a haunting spirit is vanquished, the lingering energy dissipates. Yet the yin energy in this building remains oppressive."
"Probably because of the Scythe Curse. Even if the ghost is gone, the curse persists. Are we supposed to sit around all night for a bit of bad feng shui?" Tianyuan waved dismissively.
"That could be," Kudeng conceded, though his doubts lingered.
Still, with no new activity, he helped Tianyuan snuff out the candle.
Just as they prepared to leave, Kudeng stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed behind Tianyuan. His expression turned grave.
"Master Tianyuan, there's something behind you!"
"Oh?" Tianyuan looked around quickly. "Another ghost?"
Outside the room, Lu Fei widened his eyes.
Had Kudeng noticed the shadows clinging to their backs?
"Be careful, Master!" Kudeng suddenly flung his prayer beads, which landed with a faint golden glow on the ground behind Tianyuan.
Tianyuan turned to see a strand of black hair, thin as a chopstick, wriggling faintly on the floor.
The hair's movement was so subtle and its color so dark that it would have been nearly impossible to spot without close scrutiny.
The prayer beads pinned it down, rendering it immobile.
Lu Fei was stunned.
So Kudeng had only noticed the hair on the ground—not the specters on their backs.
But where had this strand of hair come from?
"Another one? Good thing Master Kudeng is so sharp-eyed!" Tianyuan exclaimed, raising his Seven-Star Sword.
Without Kudeng's intervention, the hair would have likely climbed onto him unnoticed.
"This isn't a new ghost—it's the same one we fought earlier. Its essence is tied to its hair. As long as even a single strand remains, it can regenerate," Kudeng explained, a hint of pride in his tone.
When Tianyuan had destroyed the ghost earlier, a few stray strands had floated in the air. No one had thought much of it.
But now, it was clear that without completely eradicating the hair, the ghost could return.
"This time, we'll obliterate it!" Tianyuan declared.
With a flourish of his sword, he slashed the strand of hair into oblivion, leaving no trace behind.
"That should do it, right?" Tianyuan asked.
Kudeng inspected the area before nodding. "Amitabha, the spirit has been thoroughly exorcised."
"You and I make a great team. Too bad that kid outside will reap the credit for our work," Tianyuan said smugly as they exited the room.
But as they turned, the black hair draped over their heads began to move.
Thin strands crept down, curling around their temples and covering their eyes.
Both men paused briefly, confused.
"Hmm? Where did that kid go?"
"Probably ran off the moment the ghost appeared. The Evil Pawnshop's reputation has been in decline for years. With this guy in charge, it's doomed!"
Lu Fei stood just outside the door, watching as they obliviously mocked him.
"Boss, did they go blind? Should I help them 'see the light'?" Tiger growled, clenching his fists.
"So that's how it works. Looking back triggers a ghostly veil," Lu Fei mused with a smirk. "No need, Tiger. Let them wander in the dark a bit longer."
The two men walked toward the doorway, oblivious to the long black hair that now fully covered their heads, trailing down to their waists.
They looked utterly ridiculous, like they were wearing wigs—especially the bald-headed Kudeng.
Yet neither seemed aware. Instead of leaving, they turned back into the dormitory and began wandering in circles.