As the fog engulfed the dormitory, spreading its icy chill through the night, Duan Tiankui sprang into action, repositioning the formation flags.
"Ling'er, adjust the formation quickly, or they'll be trapped inside!"
"Yes!"
Duan Lingyue's face turned pale as she hurried to follow her grandfather's instructions.
Duan Tiankui retrieved a purple-gold compass, glancing toward the haunted building while chanting incantations under his breath.
The compass needle wavered.
With each direction it pointed, he planted a formation flag.
Once thirty-six flags were in place, he strode to the center of the formation and sat cross-legged. The compass in his hand was replaced with a century-old tortoise shell.
"Arise, Qiankun Formation! Invoke the mighty winds of righteousness, banish the vile energies!"
He placed the tortoise shell at the formation's core.
*Whoosh!*
A sudden gust of wind rose within the formation, surging toward the ghostly dormitory.
The thick fog swirling around the building began to churn violently.
Inside, cold winds swept through the halls as the malevolent ghost's long black hair grew back again, writhing through the air like living tendrils.
"What's happening?"
"She was gravely injured before—how is she recovering so quickly?" Kudeng trembled, his bulk quivering in fear.
The prayer beads lying on the ground, connected by a faint golden glow, were dimming rapidly. They could hold the black hair at bay for only another minute.
But the malevolent ghost seemed invincible. No matter how much damage it took, its hair regenerated almost instantly.
Even if they could hold out for ten minutes, what was the point?
Tianyuan's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his body cold and his eyes filled with despair.
He never imagined his end would come here, in an old haunted dormitory. How could such a terrifying ghost be hidden in this place?
"Boss?" Tiger stood, looking at Lu Fei.
He trusted that his boss still had a plan.
Though drained of spiritual power and physically exhausted, Lu Fei was strangely calm.
He held the last ghost-suppressing talisman tightly in his hand, his eyes locked on the malevolent ghost.
If the ghost were truly invincible, it would have killed them outright earlier. Why had it fled and been pursued?
There must be another reason.
The turning point had been when the ghost was suddenly dragged away by the black hair. That hair had come from the walls, not the ghost itself.
Wait.
An idea struck Lu Fei.
Could it be that the hair...
"You shouldn't have come here."
The ghost's icy voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
The tendrils of hair flew around her as she surged toward them, intent on ending it all.
"Boss, she's coming!" Tiger stepped forward, blade in hand, ready to defend.
Lu Fei's heart raced.
Just then, a sudden gust of wind burst through the tightly shut door, scattering the fog and clearing the view slightly.
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes.
He noticed a single, thin strand of hair extending from the ghost's head upward, connecting to the torrents of black hair flowing from the walls.
"So that's it! The hair is channeling yin energy to her, enabling her to recover quickly!"
Lu Fei's pulse quickened.
If they could sever that strand, defeating the ghost would be much easier.
"Tiger, can you hold her off?"
"I'll try my best!"
As the ghost closed in, Tiger roared and charged, swinging his ghost-head blade recklessly to draw her attention.
"I'll take you down with me!"
Tiger's attacks were wild and desperate, keeping the ghost's focus on him.
Her cold, hollow eyes showed no emotion, as though she were watching a futile insect's struggles. The hair quickly ensnared and wrapped around him.
Meanwhile, Lu Fei had maneuvered behind her unnoticed.
Clutching his final ghost-suppressing talisman, he aimed for the long strand of hair atop her head and slapped it down with all his might.
The ghost's expression twisted in shock as she hurriedly redirected her hair toward Lu Fei, but it was too late.
As the hair coiled around him, the talisman burned away, severing the delicate strand of hair.
The ghost-suppressing talisman crumbled to ash.
The black hair ensnaring both men suddenly lost its vitality and loosened.
Lu Fei tore the hair off himself, inadvertently knocking a small jewelry box to the floor.
It was the item Guo Haitao had pawned to the Evil Pawnshop, but Lu Fei had no time to retrieve it.
"Run!"
Grabbing Tiger, Lu Fei bolted toward the door.
The prayer beads' golden light had faded. Kudeng didn't need any prompting—he was already running faster than anyone.
Tianyuan, the last to react, scrambled after them, half crawling.
To their surprise, the ghost didn't pursue.
As they crossed the threshold, Lu Fei glanced back.
The ghost stood still, staring blankly at the small jewelry box on the floor, her hollow eyes filled with disbelief.
Behind her, the black hair surged like a tidal wave, flooding toward the door.
"Go! Don't come back!"
The ghost's anguished cry rang out as she waved her hand, slamming the door shut just as the hair engulfed her entirely.
Outside, the four ran until they were far from the dormitory.
"Brother Lu Fei!"
Duan Lingyue's voice called out joyfully as she saw them.
"Grandpa, they're back!"
"Good, they made it out!" Duan Tiankui let out a sigh of relief, putting away the tortoise shell and massaging his stiff knees as he rose to his feet.
The four finally stopped to catch their breath.
Their backs were soaked in cold sweat, and the night wind chilled them to the bone.
Lu Fei glanced back uneasily.
The dormitory looked as it always had—dark and silent, as if nothing had happened.
Tianyuan and Kudeng, shaken but alive, looked as though they might cry.
"Masters, have the ghosts inside been cleared out?" Duan Tiankui asked once everyone had calmed down.
Tianyuan and Kudeng exchanged awkward glances.
Kudeng replied hesitantly, "There were many ghosts in the building. We exorcised four, but one extremely powerful malevolent ghost remains."
"A malevolent ghost?" Duan Tiankui's face darkened. "No wonder the yin energy was so thick, even locking the doors. It's fortunate I managed to blow them open."
"So it was you who opened the door, Master Duan. We're truly grateful."
Both men bowed to him.
"No need for thanks. I'm just glad you're all safe," Duan Tiankui said with a smile. "Exorcising four ghosts in one night is already a tremendous achievement. With a bit of rest, you'll surely be able to handle the malevolent ghost too!"
At his words, their expressions grew even more awkward.
"Well, actually... it was Shopkeeper Lu who took down three of those ghosts," Kudeng admitted reluctantly.
Though they hated to acknowledge it, the truth was undeniable.
Without Lu Fei's efforts, they wouldn't have escaped the dormitory alive.
"What?"
Duan Tiankui looked at Lu Fei in astonishment.
"Young Lu, I didn't expect someone so young to have such skill!"
"You flatter me, Master Duan," Lu Fei replied modestly. "I was just taking advantage of the situation."
But his thoughts lingered on the events inside.
Why hadn't the ghost killed them in the end?
Why had she helped them escape instead?