The moment Wu Long entered the room, he placed eight talismans in a pattern around the house to create a "Bagua Soul-Locking Array." This array traps any ghost entering it, and with a single incantation, Wu Long could destroy the ghost's soul. However, Feng Lan wasn't foolish enough to charge in recklessly. The real question was how long the array could withstand the attacks of the Prosperity Ghost. That thing was vicious; if it broke through one side of the array, the entire setup would collapse.
I glanced at the four terrified people in the room and said to Wu Long, "Should I use the spirit-communing technique again? I could wear Feng Lan down, which might stop her from breaking through the array."
Wu Long shook his head, his expression worried. "Your body hasn't fully recovered. Don't rush to use the spirit-communing technique again. Let's see if we can hold out. If the situation gets critical, then you can step in. That way, we can buy more time and possibly last until sunrise."
I nodded and then quietly asked him, "How did you figure out I used the spirit-communing technique to weaken Feng Lan?"
Wu Long chuckled. "I didn't figure it out myself. Someone told me." As it turned out, when I had reached the third stage of my cultivation, Wu Long had followed Feng Lan to the girls' dormitory. There, he was ambushed and nearly injured. He fought the attacker in the dark for half the night, but neither saw the other's face.
During the fight, the attacker said, "Don't think you can handle Feng Lan with spirit-communing techniques. It's impossible. If you want to live, get out of the school and stay out of this mess."
That tipped Wu Long off that I was likely meditating to cultivate the spirit-communing technique. After fending off the attacker, he entered the dorm to find the "Queen of Death" had died, but Xiaoxiang was still alive. That confirmed his guess that I had used the technique to delay Feng Lan. When he escorted Xiaoxiang and retrieved Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu from the boys' dormitory, they provoked Feng Lan, who then burned down both buildings in fury.
But who was this attacker? Wu Long admitted that even his "Heavenly Garb Divination" couldn't determine the identity. He humbly explained that divination isn't omnipotent; it's influenced by time, location, and a person's own mental defenses. Additionally, each attempt to divine the future exacts a toll, as it's akin to peering into the heavens—a transgression that invites punishment. Excessive divination could lead to disaster.
At this moment, Xiaoxiang, filled with guilt, apologized to Wu Long. "I was misled by Zhu Wantao and thought you and Wang Lin were conspiring against me. I refused your help at school because I didn't listen to my boyfriend. I'm sorry!"
Wu Long smiled faintly and said, "I came uninvited this time, not for your boyfriend but to save all your lives. As an exorcist, it's my duty to eliminate demons and uphold justice. I've been practicing Taoist arts since the age of five under the Maoshan sect's Flowing Cloud Celestial Master. After eighteen years of training, I opened the Wolong Taoist Hall in this city. Making money is secondary; the main goal is to help people resolve calamities and dispel misfortunes."
These words, spoken with conviction, moved everyone. Initially, I had misjudged him, thinking he was just a money-grubbing idiot who caused more problems than he solved. I hadn't expected him to be a principled exorcist. Without his timely intervention, I wouldn't have been able to complete my spirit-communing cultivation. The one who ambushed me earlier was likely the same scoundrel who fought Wu Long.
Suddenly, the sound of an intensely ringing bell came from outside. Instinctively, we all turned to see Feng Lan's terrifying ghostly face pressed against the window, her glowing green eyes glaring menacingly at us.
Xiaoxiang and Xiao Ying screamed and clung to each other.
Wu Long reassured us, "Don't be afraid. For now, she can't come in." But after saying this, his face grew serious as he whispered to me, "I'm worried that person might return and release another malicious ghost to assist her. If that happens, the Bagua Soul-Locking Array could be easily destroyed."
"You mean…" I could tell he was about to assign me a task.
"If another ghost does show up, use your spirit-communing technique to persuade it to switch sides and fight Feng Lan," Wu Long murmured in my ear.
"Even if it switches sides, it's no match for the Prosperity Ghost," I replied.
"Don't worry about that. That person isn't an ordinary human. He's likely a member of the Ghost Sect and has spirits as powerful as the Prosperity Ghost at his disposal. If you can win one over, we'll have no more worries."
Wu Long's mention of the Ghost Sect reminded me of the mischievous girl who also said this person belonged to the sect. Did all Ghost Sect members keep ghosts? What exactly was the Ghost Sect?
Feng Lan glared at us for a while before leaving, though she didn't go far. She lingered nearby, likely searching for a way to breach the array. As soon as she was gone, Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu pounced on Zhu Wantao and began beating him again. He had already taken a beating earlier, but the terror of the ghost encounter reignited their anger, and they vented their frustration on him.
I was tempted to join in for some relief, but Xiao Ying pulled them apart, saying, "Handle this properly. Beating him to death will get us into legal trouble." Only then did Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu back off, leaving Zhu Wantao clutching his head as he said, "Stop hitting me! I'll reveal more secrets!"
Unbelievable. The guy still had secrets he hadn't spilled. Under our urging, he confessed: "The real mastermind behind all this isn't Yu Zixin. I don't know who it is either, only that it's someone from her hometown. Yu Zixin killed Xiaoxiang and Xiao Ying to clear her path and become An Shengzhe's only choice. As for Teacher Qiu, she helped because her husband works for An Shengzhe's family business, and this would secure him a promotion and a raise."
This vixen might fool around with other men, but she wouldn't abandon her family. The more promiscuous a woman is, the more determined she is to keep her husband. It sounds contradictory, but it's often true.
Yu Zixin's motive puzzled me. Who was An Shengzhe?
The answer soon emerged—Xiaoxiang's boyfriend. And also Feng Lan's boyfriend!
Years ago, An Shengzhe was a year below Feng Lan and had used despicable means to win her over. Yu Zixin, a classmate of his, was an ambitious girl who wanted to marry into the wealthy An family. She forged a breakup letter in An Shengzhe's handwriting and gave it to Feng Lan. At the time, Feng Lan was four months pregnant and had fully relied on him. The letter devastated her. Under Yu Zixin's scheme, Feng Lan was drugged and driven to commit suicide.
But no one expected Feng Lan to wear a red dress when she hanged herself, which, according to legend, would turn her into a vengeful ghost. Terrified of exposure and retribution, Yu Zixin sought help from a hometown classmate, who brought in an exorcist. This exorcist claimed that sealing Feng Lan's corpse at the site of her death would prevent her from ever taking revenge.
Wu Long sneered after hearing this. "That was just a scam. The exorcist wanted to raise Feng Lan as a Prosperity Ghost for his own use."