"Master Kudeng, when we meet Principal Qin later, we must make it clear that this kid fled. He shouldn't get any credit for our work," said Tianyuan, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Amitabha, Master Tianyuan, you're right. A monk does not lie..."
The two wandered in circles within the dormitory, completely unaware they were looping aimlessly. The black hair coiled tighter and tighter around their arms, slithering like living vines.
Suddenly, Tianyuan swung his Seven-Star Sword violently toward Kudeng.
"Master Tianyuan, what are you doing?!" Kudeng shouted, startled, as he narrowly dodged the strike.
"Master Kudeng, don't misunderstand! There's a ghost behind you! I'm trying to help!" Tianyuan explained, thrusting the blade toward Kudeng again.
This time, the strike aimed directly for Kudeng's throat.
"Is that so? Well, Master Tianyuan, I see there's a ghost behind you as well!" Kudeng retorted angrily, flinging his prayer beads at Tianyuan.
The two began brawling furiously in the dim room.
As their attacks collided, the force of their spiritual energy cleared their minds momentarily. Both froze in shock.
"Master Kudeng, what are you doing? Stop this madness!"
"You stop first!"
Despite their attempts to cease fighting, the black hair had entwined them tightly, leaving them no choice but to continue.
"It's ghost entanglement! Lu Fei, you're just going to stand there? Help us already!" Tianyuan finally realized the situation, his expression panicked as he struggled to break free.
"I'm just here to reap the benefits, not to lend a hand. A mere vengeful spirit should be easy work for you two, no?" Lu Fei replied coldly, standing at the doorway with a clear look of schadenfreude.
"You!"
The two masters turned pale with rage, but they had no choice but to focus on surviving the ghost's attack. The black hair constricted further, forcing them into an increasingly dire struggle.
"Serves them right!" Tiger laughed loudly, barely able to contain his glee as he watched the chaos unfold.
Lu Fei, however, turned his attention to the pitch-black surroundings outside the room.
Thanks to the two so-called experts, he now had a better understanding of the long-hair ghosts. They used ghostly veils to manipulate their victims, leading them to either self-destruction or mutual annihilation.
As long as the veils were avoided, the ghosts could be defeated.
But two of the ghosts had yet to appear, likely deterred by the Ghost-Repelling Talismans on Lu Fei and Tiger's backs. To lure them out, he needed bait.
His gaze shifted to Tiger, and with a quick, subtle move, he peeled the talisman off Tiger's back without him noticing. Then, he waited.
Inside the room, Tianyuan and Kudeng fought desperately.
The black hair continued to entangle them, winding tighter around their bodies. Kudeng's shoulder was slashed open, blood pouring freely, while Tianyuan took a palm strike to his abdomen, leaving him gasping for air, blood trickling from his mouth.
The once-proud masters were now utterly humiliated.
"Master Tianyuan, if we keep this up, we'll both fall, giving the ghost exactly what it wants!" Kudeng shouted through gritted teeth.
"I know that! Think of something!" Tianyuan snarled, frustrated and furious at the turn of events.
"I'll count to three. Let's stop attacking and focus on breaking free!" Kudeng proposed.
"Fine!"
"One... two... three!"
Both men poured their remaining strength into retreating to opposite corners of the room, where they sat cross-legged and attempted to channel their spiritual energy to purge the black hair.
Dark mist began rising from their bodies as the hair tightened around their necks, threatening to strangle them.
Outside, Tiger was engrossed in the spectacle when a strand of black hair silently descended from above.
"It's here," Lu Fei muttered under his breath.
The strand was barely visible in the darkness, and the ghostly aura it emitted was so faint that even experienced practitioners would struggle to detect it.
The hair brushed Tiger's shoulder, and he remained oblivious.
Lu Fei didn't warn him but instead pretended to remain fixated on the scene inside the room. In his hand, however, he gripped his Thunder-Struck Jujube Wood Staff, silently charging it with energy.
"Boss, did you call me?" Tiger asked, hearing what sounded like Lu Fei's voice near his ear. He began to turn his head.
"Don't move!" Lu Fei barked, raising the staff and swinging it at the strand of hair.
Tiger froze in place.
A crackling blue arc of lightning surged through the hair, tracing it back to the ghost's form. The spectral figure, with long black hair, writhed and screamed as it materialized in midair.
It struggled to escape, but Lu Fei acted decisively. He grabbed the hair with one hand while delivering another electrified blow with the staff in the other.
With a blinding flash of blue light, the ghost dissolved into ash, leaving no trace behind.
"Boss! When did that thing get here?" Tiger exclaimed, visibly shaken.
"Don't worry—it's gone now," Lu Fei replied, slapping Tiger on the back in reassurance.
Tiger patted his back, feeling the talisman still there, and breathed a sigh of relief, oblivious to Lu Fei's earlier trickery.
Inside the room, Tianyuan and Kudeng were stunned.
They had seen the blue lightning—it was unmistakably the power of Thunder-Struck Wood.
The "novice" they had dismissed as a glory-seeker had just eradicated a long-hair ghost in two swift moves.
Tianyuan's face twisted with frustration. If Lu Fei had shown his capabilities earlier, they wouldn't have ended up in such a pathetic state.
"Lu Fei, did you know the ghost's tricks all along and purposely keep it from us?" Tianyuan demanded.
"I'm just here for the scraps. What would I possibly know?" Lu Fei replied with a shrug.
"You're despicable! Watching us struggle and refusing to help—you're unworthy of the path of righteousness!" Tianyuan's face flushed red, whether from rage or the constricting black hair, it was hard to tell.
"You seem lively enough to keep shouting. Why would you need my help?" Lu Fei said indifferently.
"You..." Tianyuan's anger disrupted his concentration, giving the hair an opening. It began snaking its way into his mouth.
Kudeng, on the other hand, remained silent, pouring all his energy into resisting the relentless hair. Yet, he too was struggling, the black strands covering almost his entire head.
The scene was both eerie and grotesque.
"Boss, are we really just going to stand here?" Tiger asked hesitantly.
"Not yet," Lu Fei replied, his calm demeanor betrayed by the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Let them suffer a little longer."