Chapter 38: Rise of the Soul

Snap!

Inside the living room, someone, hoping to prevent their companion from retreating, slid a fruit knife from the kitchen into the floor through a crack. The others, seeing this, hesitated and drew back as well.

For the sake of profit, people often do things that defy belief, even if such deeds violate established laws and morals.

Chu Ning could not sit still after witnessing this scene; his eyes reddened as he looked at the guests, whose faces twisted with malice. They were openly destroying his property.

“This is too much! I’ll drive them out of here—right now! I must apologize to you first!” he exclaimed.

With that, Chu Ning cooperated with the people in the living room to conduct the summoning ritual. He sat cross-legged on the floor, thick black mist rising from his body, creeping along the edges of the walls, finally slipping out through the narrow gap beneath the door.

Tanya found the situation puzzling. As the host, she felt she should be the one angry about her furniture being ruined, yet Chu Ning was the first to erupt. And why was he apologizing to her? He hadn’t done anything excessive.

Judging from Chu Ning’s earnest apology, she had a faint sense that something unpleasant was about to occur.

The summoning ritual proceeded smoothly. With Chu Ning occupied, the people in the living room were able to focus entirely, and their fear gradually dissipated. Tanya herself was curious to see what would happen and, besides, she could not stop the furious Chu Ning.

Soon, the black mist spread across the floor, obscuring Tanya’s vision. The temperature in the room plummeted. Those within shivered as they recited incantations, their lips turning blue from the cold, bodies curled into tight balls, yet they could not see the mist on the ground.

“Rise!” Chu Ning uttered a low command, as if completing the ritual, and staggered to his feet from the floor. He leaned unsteadily beside Tanya, who was watching the spectacle, wondering why this summoning was so taxing.

Was it that he could no longer wield the knife? Had he prematurely entered old age? During the ritual, he felt a sluggishness, lost the smooth, fluid sensation he was accustomed to.

Chu Ning shook his head, unwilling to admit his own decline. A man could never accept his own weakness!

Outside the house, footsteps echoed in the corridor through the night, clear and brisk, interspersed with anxious voices.

“What should I do, Lingling? I really can’t hold on much longer!” Ye Hui, who was always clinging to someone’s leg, now literally hugged a woman’s thigh.

Over the intercom, Liu Lingling’s voice sounded, full of reproach. “How is it that you can’t even handle this little matter?”

Ye Hui replied with a wretched expression, “It’s not my fault! Who could have predicted this black mist would emerge and mess things up? I had everything under control, but now it’s completely ruined!”

“If it doesn’t work, just give up. I have more important matters to attend to and can’t help you right now. You’ll have to fend for yourself—your own safety is most important!” Liu Lingling lowered her voice, and afterwards, Ye Hui received no further reply.

“Hey, hey, can you hear me? If you get this, respond! Oh my god!” Ye Hui crashed into the stair railing, unable to contain his misery—what terrible luck!

As the sixth floor drew nearer, Ye Hui decisively let go of the thigh he’d been clinging to, crawling away to hide in a secluded spot. He’d never imagined that clinging to a leg could be such a skillful task. It was simply too difficult.

The person freed from Ye Hui’s interference moved with greater purpose, heading straight for Tanya’s home. The black mist touched their body and quickly seeped inside.

“Ah, everything really does happen at once!”

Inside the house, Chu Ning stared intently at the entrance, waiting for a miracle. He feigned a casual glance at Tanya, then resumed his silent vigil.

In the darkness, candlelight flickered, the red wax dripping onto the table, leaving dazzling wax blossoms in its wake.

“The candles are almost burned out. We’ll be able to leave soon!”

“Yes, after this, I want to travel the famous mountains and rivers, see all the wonders of the world!”

“Tch, what a shame—nothing happened at all. They promised we’d see a ghost; such talk is always a lie!”

As the ritual neared its end, chatter filled the living room, thoughts tumbling forth. Yet the darkness before dawn is the hardest to endure—the guests outside were thirty seconds from reaching the scene.

Knock, knock, knock, knock!

Rhythmic knocking echoed within. Everyone’s hearts tightened. After some shoving and hesitation, it was decided the same person who had previously opened the door for Chu Ning would go to investigate.

He approached the entrance, peering through the peephole at the figure standing outside. The visitor wore a red dress, wrapped tightly about her frame, exposing her snowy white legs.

What caught the observer’s attention most was that she appeared to be wearing only the dress, her curves accentuated beneath the fabric, inviting the imagination.

The woman radiated a bleak, haggard, numb aura; her body was rigid, her eyes bloodshot, staring intensely at those inside, the dark circles beneath them giving her a wan and wasted appearance.

Those inside, swept by her gaze, instinctively retreated a step, their bodies stiffening, unable to meet her eyes.

“Who is it?” a companion in the living room demanded, the tone unfriendly—since the person at the door was the easiest to bully.

“It’s nothing—just a rather pretty woman.”

“Then hurry up and open the door! Invite her in so I can have some fun!” a sleazy man ordered, brandishing the knife in his hand to threaten the one at the entrance.

“Alright, I’ll open it now!” Hearing the command, he had no will to resist, enduring in silence, waiting for his reward so he could finally sever ties with these false companions.

He thought of his gentle, adorable girlfriend, and in his terror, managed a rare smile. Once he completed this task, he would have enough for the house deposit, and they could marry.

“This is outrageous!” Tanya, unable to stand seeing others bullied, strode up behind the ruffian and struck him hard on the back of his head.

“Who hit me?!” The ruffian whirled around, roaring in fury.

Driven back by his fierce glare, Tanya patted her chest, relieved he could not see her. She also marveled at her ability to strike a human—it was a rare and curious thing.