The ghost of prosperity, Fushou, was far too powerful. This "stripping" technique of mine wasn't enough to deal with her. Wiping the cold sweat from my brow, I recalled how the ghost had nearly devoured Bawang Girl's spirit. I figured she must be in the girls' dormitory now. With Xiao Ying not staying on campus, and Bawang Girl already dead, her next target would be Xiao Xiang.
This realization struck me with urgency. Without wasting time, I closed my eyes, recited the incantation, and re-entered the spirit-communing realm.
The ghostly figure of Feng Lan reappeared, her ghastly face swiveling left and right as though searching for something. The moment her eerie eyes landed on me, her ashen face darkened with rage. With a chilling growl, she resorted to her usual trick—enlarging her face to the size of a satellite dish. Her bulbous eyes glowed like lightbulbs, and her mouth stretched wide like a basin, even more grotesque than before.
Suppressing the terror clawing at my heart, I chanted the same few lines of the spell repeatedly. My approach might lack variety—it was a single move, over and over—but it was effective: "Strip the clothes, keep stripping!"
Don't underestimate this one trick. While I couldn't strip her completely, I managed to rattle her. Feng Lan's entire body trembled, and even her enormous face shrank back to its original size. Now furious beyond belief, her green, spectral eyes blazed with an intense, fiery hatred. Her lips twitched into a grotesque snarl as spasms of pain rippled across her face.
Seeing that my persistent effort was working, I clung to this lifeline, chanting tirelessly. It left Feng Lan gasping for breath, sweat dripping down her pale face. She was struggling just as much as I was, barely hanging on.
But then, an unexpected side effect kicked in. In my overzealous chanting, I forgot a critical rule of spellcasting: you can't endlessly draw in ghost energy without consequences. It was like using a siphon to pull her ghostly essence into my own body. As her ghost energy accumulated inside me, my body turned colder and number, trembling uncontrollably. My teeth chattered so violently I could barely form the words of the chant.
Feng Lan noticed my state and sneered with sadistic glee. "You lack the skill to play hero, yet you insist on trying? Fine, let's see who lasts longer!"
Well, great. We both knew it wouldn't be me. But I wasn't trying to win—I just needed to buy time. As long as I kept her occupied, Wu Long might be able to lead Xiao Xiang and the others out of the school, avoiding tonight's deadly ghost rampage.
I dug deep into my reserves, clinging to a thread of determination. People under extreme stress can summon extraordinary strength. Despite the relentless chill sapping my strength, I kept chanting. My desperation seemed to surprise Feng Lan, whose ghostly face glistened with sweat. She was breathing heavily, no better off than me.
Just then, a sharp blow struck my chest and abdomen, jerking me out of the spirit realm. My legs were swept out from under me, and I hit the ground hard. At that moment, I felt like a rickety old man—too frail to endure more punishment. I lay flat on the ground, gasping for air, unable to muster the strength to get up.
A heavy boot pressed down on my back, making it hard to breathe. A man's mocking voice rang out above me. "Wang Lin, why won't you just die already?"
The voice sent a jolt of panic through me. Damn it—it was Zhu Wantao!
Struggling to catch my breath, I gritted my teeth and retorted, "I'm the immortal cockroach, man. I don't die. But you, you poor sap, you're being played by Yu Zixin and don't even know it. She's using you, and Feng Lan will kill you in the end. You're being sold out, and you're counting her money!"
Zhu Wantao let out a surprised grunt. "Huh? How do you…?" He caught himself mid-sentence, realizing he'd said too much. "Nonsense! What does this have to do with Yu Zixin?"
"Don't play dumb with me. All this just to get into Teacher Qiu's bed? You're willing to betray everyone for that? Don't you think it's a bit much?" I spat the words out, still struggling for breath. Even as I said it, the reasoning felt absurd. Could Teacher Qiu really have that much allure?
Zhu Wantao recoiled, his voice trembling. "How… how do you know that? Who told you?"
I managed to flip onto my back, glaring up at him. "If you want to keep secrets, don't leave evidence, idiot."
"So what if you know?" he snarled. "Feng Lan will be here any second, and when she kills you, your secrets die with you!" His sinister laughter echoed through the night.
But his gloating was cut short by a distant, blood-curdling scream. We both froze and turned toward the northeast, where a flickering light began to glow. At first, it seemed like someone had lit a candle. Then, with a deafening roar, flames erupted, rapidly engulfing a building. The blaze painted the sky crimson, an inferno so intense it was terrifying to behold.
Amid the flames, anguished screams filled the air, plunging the entire school into chaos.
"That's the girls' dormitory!" I exclaimed, horrified. Adrenaline surged through me as I scrambled to my feet. Moments later, the boys' dormitory also caught fire. Panicked students poured out of the buildings like ants from a flooded nest, scattering in all directions.
I was about to run toward the blaze when I noticed a group of shadows racing toward us. At the front was Wu Long, his flashlight bobbing wildly as he shouted, "Run! Get to the woods!"
I froze, recognizing the people following him—Xiao Xiang, Liu Bin, and Zhang Shaoyu. Xiao Xiang was alive. Relief surged through me, nearly bringing me to tears. My desperate standoff with Feng Lan hadn't been in vain—it had saved them.
"Thanks to you holding off Feng Lan, we made it out. Now let's move! We need to get to the woods and out of the school!" Wu Long grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the trees.
"No way!" Zhu Wantao stepped in front of us, spreading his arms to block our path. "The woods are Feng Lan's lair. Going there is suicide!"
"It's fine. I've pinned Feng Lan with a ghost foot spike. She can't follow us for now, but we have to hurry," Wu Long reassured us, pushing past him.
"Why not use the main gate?" Zhu Wantao's tone was suspicious, and he grabbed Wu Long's sleeve.
"The main gate is cut off by Feng Lan's traps. The woods are our only way out!" Wu Long swatted his hand away and kept moving.
"You're leading everyone to their deaths! Xiao Xiang, you really trust this fake Taoist?" Zhu Wantao shouted, kicking Wu Long from behind. The sudden blow knocked Wu Long forward, sending both of us tumbling to the ground.