This feeling of powerlessness made Lu Liangting remember the day his little sister was killed. He hadn’t had the strength to change the impending tragedy. Because of his weakness, he could only stand there and watch. He ground his back teeth until they cracked, clenched his fists until they bled. In his heart, furious roars and howls of rage were met only with his feet being too afraid to move a single step.
Did he feel no resentment or hatred? Of course he did. But that extreme sense of danger was stimulating his nerves, making him clearly understand in his heart that taking a single step forward would mean dying without a burial site. It was this sense of crisis, and the look in his sister’s eyes pleading with him in agony to leave, that told him if he stepped forward at that moment, he wouldn’t even have the chance to avenge her.
Be a coward now, and perhaps he could avenge her later when he was stronger.
In the end, he didn’t move.
In his heart, he cursed himself as a damnable coward, a lowly rat who couldn’t even bite a chunk of flesh off the enemy when his own sister was being murdered.
Often, choices are this cruel and pathetic.
He raged impotently. He cursed in his heart, too afraid to even make a sound. Before the thought of “Where there is life, there is hope” could even fully form in his mind, he rejected it himself. It was nothing but the self-comfort of the weak. If he had the strength, the courage, the guts, it wouldn’t be about living to fight another day; it would be blood for blood.
After becoming a coward he himself utterly despised, he locked himself in his room for a very long time. He took down all the hanging ornaments, especially the wind chime and the sunny doll. He was afraid to see those things, completely unable to look at them.
He also began to fear choices, especially when he was the one making them.
He somehow managed to pull through, regained hope, and began to strive fiercely to become stronger, tracking the murderer, vowing to avenge his sister.
And today, he had found one of the killers.
But the situation he faced was exactly the same as back then. No, it was even more difficult.
He thought his own strength was considerable, but the enemy’s power was even greater. This was the price he had to pay for his reckless impulsiveness.
The enemy was right in front of him. And what could he do?
Just like back then, he simply didn’t have the power to rush before the enemy and land a punch, or… bite off a chunk of his flesh.
If he charged now, he would most likely be torn to shreds by this horde of evil ghosts.
He suddenly felt a wave of helplessness. After striving for over two years, all he had gained was a self-perceived strength that was, in reality, just that. What was the truth?
Who would die here this time, trading their life for his cowardly escape, allowing him to slink away amidst the enemy’s mockery?
Shen Shuyun?
Gardenia?
Old Yang?
If possible, he would rather die himself in exchange for their escape.
It was his rash impulse that had led his companions into a trap, plunging them deep into danger.
He regretted it. He truly regretted it.
Avenging his sister was his own affair. Why drag others into it?
It turned out that after so many years, he hadn’t changed at all. He was still that damn coward, and had even become worse.
Perhaps that was the most tragic thing in the world. The enemy stood before him, he lacked the power to take revenge, and he had also endangered the lives of his companions.
Just as Lu Liangting’s heart turned to ashes, as he took a step forward, hoping to use his own pathetic life to buy his companions even a sliver of a chance, to bring himself a tiny shred of redemption, a voice spoke from the opposite side.
“Yo, I recognize you. Aren’t you that young master from the Lu family?”
“My, my, my. I didn’t expect you to find your way here. What’s the matter, planning to avenge that girl?”
“Let me think… Oh, I remember now.”
“She was your little sister, right?”
“Hahahaha, truly wonderful, truly wonderful. Your little sister was truly wonderful.”
“It was the first time I’d ever seen such a beautiful sunny doll.”
“Oh, by the way, I haven’t thanked you yet. Thank your sister for providing our lovely audience with such a splendid supernatural tale.”
The speaking man’s voice was deep, magnetic, and quite pleasant, at the level of a professional broadcaster. However, to Lu Liangting, he was a mortal enemy.
Lu Liangting could no longer control himself. At least, that’s how it looked. He gestured to Shen Shuyun and Gardenia, telling them to seize the opportunity and run. Just as he was about to charge forward, he suddenly heard a muffled thud from behind him.
He saw something fly past him, crashing into the group of ghosts.
Lu Liangting’s pupils constricted. He saw clearly what had flown past. It was none other than the two fierce ghosts who had been blocking the door behind them. At this moment, these two fierce ghosts were covered in blade wounds, and the moment they hit the ground, they turned into black smoke and disappeared.
His breath caught. Instinctively turning his head, he saw an extremely familiar, graceful figure he’d seen many times in his dreams walking up the stairs, long saber in hand, standing behind them.
“Bai Yu…”
If, just moments ago, Lu Liangting’s heart was filled only with darkness and self-reproach, completely devoid of hope, then now, it was like seeing the break of dawn in the most despairing night. This beam of light pierced through the darkness, bathing him and telling him that there was hope for everything.
And the one who brought him this hope was this slender, delicate girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Bai Yu, holding her blade, stood slightly behind and to the side of Lu Liangting, next to Shen Shuyun.
“Doctor, you came at quite the… coincidental time.”
Shen Shuyun smiled. She felt her brain must be malfunctioning.
This was damn too bizarre.
This cursed sense of security, was she supposed to believe it came from this merciless, unblinking butcher?
This damn girl, who had killed so many people that even they, a group of freaks who called themselves freaks, were shocked, bestowing upon her the highest honorific title of “Doctor,” was the one rushing in to save the day?
She should have never tempted fate. Why did she have to say those words before coming?
She truly didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
The current situation was this: the male lead had been pushed to a dead end, his blood enemy right across from him, yet he lacked the power to take revenge. If someone could help the male lead kill his blood enemy or help him escape right now, wouldn’t the affection meter just max out directly?
Of course, it was also very possible they wouldn’t escape and she and the male lead would both die here.
And it was precisely at this moment that the uninvited guest arrived.
Getting out was now certainly guaranteed. With these ghosts… they’d be lucky if they weren’t slaughtered completely, lest they boast about how fast they could run.
The problem was, look at the male lead’s expression right now!
Even seeing a savior descend couldn’t be much more than this, right?!
Was the affection she had painstakingly built up going to be stolen away just like this?
Lu Liangting, could you open your eyes and see? This isn’t a savior! This is, meow, at best a case of a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Wake up a little!
Shen Shuyun’s heart was in turmoil, but she didn’t dare to cry out.
No matter how much it crumbled, it couldn’t change one fact: the “Doctor” had indeed come to save the day.
Lu Liangting naturally couldn’t hear Shen Shuyun’s inner monologue.
His reaction now was simple, summarizable in one sentence: his eyes instantly lit up. There was no need for a complex psychological reaction; a single, simple glance contained everything, and explained everything.
Bai Yu, holding the Blood Thread Long Blade, glanced at Lu Liangting. Facing dozens of enemies alone, her expression remained as blank as ever, still as calm as a light breeze. She stepped forward, actively walking towards the other side.
This cold, proud bearing and the view of her back were deeply etched into Lu Liangting’s mind. Before he could speak, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“What a coincidence, meeting again.”
Zhao Mingyue jumped out, a very strained and stiff smile appearing on her face.
When would her fated meetings with Lu Liangting transfer over to Bai Yu? How did she run into him every time?
“Is that your enemy opposite?”
Zhao Mingyue grasped the situation and asked.
“Yes. Mingyue, I…” Lu Liangting had many things he wanted to say, but when it came time to speak, he didn’t know what to say.
“Alright, alright, I understand your thoughts.”
“Thank Bai Yu for me.”
“Ah, this…” Zhao Mingyue was stunned by his words. She was just about to say it was just a small favor, but since Lu Liangting had already put it that way…
“Ahem, you want to thank Bai Yu?”
“Yes!”
“Then how about this: from now on, all the Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts you draw, you’ll give them all to Bai Yu to eat. Well, not all of them. I see there are six Red-Clotheds across from us. I’ll give you a discount—you just need to provide four Red-Clotheds.” Zhao Mingyue’s large eyes curved like crescent moons, her small hand gesturing the number four.
Honestly, if it were just her, she wouldn’t ask for anything. Lu Liangting usually looked after her quite well. But this time, the one taking action and expending energy was Bai Yu. She couldn’t just let her work for free, right? Wouldn’t that be a loss?
“Agreed!” Lu Liangting agreed almost without thinking, completely failing to consider how difficult it was to draw a single Red-Clothed. In his view, this deal was very worthwhile. Perfect timing, as he hadn’t known how to thank her.
At the side, Shen Shuyun also nodded, silently giving Zhao Mingyue a thumbs-up.
If it was a transactional relationship, then Lu Liangting’s feeling of gratitude shouldn’t be as deep, right? There was hope, but this hope cost money. It wasn’t even a paid service; it was a loan-shark-level service.
Opposite them, the two masked men paled upon seeing Bai Yu appear and commanded the fierce ghosts to surround her.
“Wang Xinxin is one of yours, right? Bring her out here.” Bai Yu spoke coldly.
She wasn’t interested in what happened to Lu Liangting. Right now, she just wanted to drag out that person called Wang Xinxin and then… hack her apart, slice her open, mince her to pieces!
Within the narrow corridor, Bai Yu’s long blade pointed diagonally at the ground. She took a step forward and charged towards the ghost horde.
The long saber tore through the air with a terrifying wail. Three ghosts ahead were directly cleaved apart. Bai Yu stomped heavily on the ground, and four bloody, thread-like spikes suddenly stabbed up from the floor, penetrating the bodies of four fierce ghosts lunging from the side and lifting them into mid-air.
Bai Yu kicked out, sending two ghosts tumbling. Her hand rose and the blade fell, the speed so fast no one present could see it clearly. They could only see three fierce ghosts’ charging movements halt abruptly, their body parts collapsing like disassembled building blocks.
Bai Yu launched a Cross Blade Aura, blasting away a Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost nurse. After a brief charge, a massive Blood Thread Blade Aura spanning the entire corridor flew out, decapitating six fierce ghosts before it was finally blocked by another Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost.
Flipping her blade’s grip, Bai Yu held the knife in reverse and slashed upward. With a shing sound, the lunging fierce ghost was split vertically.
At this moment, another Black Qi-covered fierce ghost tried to ambush Bai Yu from the side. However, as it rushed forward, Bai Yu’s hand was already waiting for it. It was almost like the fierce ghost was actively thrusting its neck into her grasp.
This fierce ghost was the wraith of a powerfully built, 1.85-meter-tall male patient. Now, its neck was firmly clamped in Bai Yu’s hand. She lifted it high and then slammed it forcefully onto the ground. Its skull exploded upon impact with the floor.
The visual impact caused by this size disparity was incredibly strong, stunning the people behind her.
Bai Yu crouched, slapped the ground with one hand, and launched herself into the air.
Ghosts could naturally levitate. After Bai Yu jumped, seven ghosts scrambled to pounce on the spot where she had just been standing.
She lightly tapped the head of one fierce ghost with her small foot, using it to propel herself a second time into the air. She was already holding the knife in a reverse grip. Now, she grasped the handle with both hands, blade pointing downward, leveraging the force of her landing. The instant she landed, she plunged the knife into the center of another Red-Clothed’s forehead.
She twisted the handle in her hand. With a pop, a Blood Thread Lotus blossomed. The Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost, now headless, staggered and fell, then was enveloped by Bai Yu’s blood threads.
A single Red-Clothed was killed just like that. Bai Yu stood atop the blood-thread-wrapped corpse of the Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost, standing in the very center of the ghost horde.
Her view obstructed, the onlookers saw Bai Yu surrounded and their hearts instinctively tensed for her. After all, compared to so many ghosts, Bai Yu’s body truly seemed “frail and delicate.”
But in less than three seconds, the dozen-plus ghosts closest to Lu Liangting and his group were simultaneously sent flying backward, crashing to the ground, their bodies bearing multiple blade wounds to varying degrees.
At this moment, Bai Yu was completely unharmed. The sight of her holding her long blade made the surrounding fierce ghosts visibly show fear, no longer daring to advance. They barely possessed any self-awareness anymore; their current fear was purely a primal terror that had been carved into them by slaughter.
Suddenly, as if receiving some kind of influence, the fierce ghosts’ eyes turned bloodshot again. They threw themselves forward once more like moths to a flame. The Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts beside the two masked men also joined the fray.
Bai Yu took a deep breath, assuming the stance for Quickdraw Slash.
After a brief charge, swarms of ghosts surged forward and backward at once.
Clang!
A crisp ring of the blade rang out. A circular Blood Thread Blade Aura swept out, slicing the dozen-plus fierce ghosts at the very front on both sides clean in half at the waist. They turned to black smoke and vanished.
In the onlookers’ eyes, it seemed that with just a single slash, Bai Yu had cleared the area around her.
It was at this moment that the rear Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts pounced—three of them at once.
Bai Yu lowered her body, centering her weight on her left leg. The instant the three Red-Clotheds lunged, she delivered a whip-like kick that sent one Red-Clothed flying. Just as she steadied herself, she drove an elbow strike backward, sending the Red-Clothed behind her crashing away. The final Red-Clothed, slightly slower, was still in mid-air.
As everyone knows, in a duel between masters, you never jump unless absolutely necessary. It creates too many openings.
The blade howled. First, the two ghostly claws reaching out from the Red-Clothed were severed. A flash of blade aura, and with a squelch, the Red-Clothed’s legs flew into the air. But the Red-Clothed’s body still hadn’t stopped. In that extremely short span of time, its movements seemed to be in slow motion, while Bai Yu moved at normal speed.
One slash across the throat. One stab through the heart. Leveraging the Red-Clothed’s forward momentum, Bai Yu raised her long blade vertically. The female ghost impaled itself onto it, the blade piercing from under its chin and out through the top of its skull.
This female ghost had been wearing a long red dress. Now, with both arms and legs severed and its head mounted on the blade, it was literally a Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost version of a sunny doll.
This Red-Clothed’s strength was not weak at all; it belonged to the masked man on the left and was somewhat stronger than an average Red-Clothed.
Yet before Bai Yu, the simple act of jumping led to it being carved into a sunny doll.
Three Red-Clotheds had attacked simultaneously. The entire sequence couldn’t have lasted more than two seconds.
The result? Two were sent flying, and one was hacked to near-death.
The two masked men instinctively took half a step back, their pupils trembling.
They had dealt with countless ghosts, so they weren’t afraid of Bai Yu—even knowing she had a record of killing Red-Clotheds.
But now, they were starting to realize… this ghost seemed a tiny bit different from the intelligence reports.
