Chapter 12

Zhou Yuchen forced himself to concentrate, but Lu Xiao's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were like a thorn in his heart. The more he tried to suppress the other party, the more he tried to project an imposing aura, the more he appeared to be overdoing it, his expression stiff, and his lines dry.

Lu Xiao's deep gaze, every time he raised his eyes, every time he fell silent, was like a precise dagger, piercing through the false aura he had tried so hard to create.

"Card!"

"Card!"

"Zhou Yuchen! What's his condition?! What's his condition?!"

The director's shouts grew increasingly furious. The atmosphere on set plummeted to freezing. The crew dared not breathe, their gazes towards Zhou Yuchen tinged with pity and... barely perceptible schadenfreude.

Zhou Yuchen's face was so dark it could drip water. He stared intently at Lu Xiao, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible. He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

A crazy thought began to sprout and spread in his mind—how dare he?! How dare some insignificant ant step on his head?! Since conventional methods weren't working… then he wouldn't hesitate to use some "extraordinary" methods! He had spent a fortune raising some "good stuff"…

After finishing work, Zhou Yuchen returned to his rented upscale apartment not far from the film studio. The heavy curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out all outside light.

He didn't turn on the light, but walked straight to an inconspicuous wall cabinet deep inside the bedroom. He skillfully entered the password and then used a special key to unlock both locks.

There were no clothes in the cupboard, only a carved mahogany shrine. Fresh fruit was offered before the shrine, and three freshly lit incense sticks burned in the incense burner, their smoke curling upwards. In the center of the shrine, instead of a Buddha or Taoist deity, was a tiny, palm-sized, pitch-black wooden demon with a grotesque and twisted form!

The little devil had a ferocious face, bloodshot eyes, and a sinister smile on his grin. He was surrounded by an extremely uncomfortable, cold, and filthy aura.

A fanatical and twisted expression appeared on Zhou Yuchen's face. He lit the specially made black talisman paper, chanting incantations that echoed in the dim room, carrying a chilling, sticky feeling. The ashes of the burning talisman paper drifted onto the wooden carving of the little ghost, its scarlet eyes seeming to flash with an even more eerie red light.

“Go…” Zhou Yuchen’s voice carried a morbid excitement as he whispered to the wooden carving, “Make that kid named Lu Xiao… suffer terribly! The worse the better! Ruin his reputation! Get him kicked out of the film crew!”

An invisible black aura, filled with intense malice and chilling energy, emanated from the wooden ghost like a living thing. It silently passed through the wall, blended into the night, and rapidly drifted towards the old neighborhood where Lu Xiao rented a place!

Late at night, the old neighborhood was quiet. The lights in the tenement building where Lu Xiao rented were turned off early, with only the dim motion-activated lights in the stairwell occasionally turning on and off at the sound of footsteps returning late.

Zhuohua's figure appeared silently outside the thin iron gate of Lu Xiao's house, like an ink stain blending into the night.

She didn't even touch the lock; she simply extended a finger, its tip shimmering with a barely perceptible icy blue light, and gently touched the keyhole.

Click.

A crisp, almost imperceptible click. The old lock cylinder was opened as if by the most sophisticated key.

The door slid open silently a crack.

Zhuohua slipped in sideways and gently closed the door behind her. The movement was fluid and natural, without making a sound.

The room was pitch black, with only the faint light from the streetlamp outside filtering through the window, outlining the simple furniture. The air was thick with the faint smell of sweat, typical of a single young man, and… an extremely faint, yet nauseatingly foul, stench that instantly made Zhuo Hua furrow her brow!

They're here! And right in Lu Xiao's bedroom!

Zhuohua's eyes turned cold, and the lazy, relaxed aura around her vanished instantly, replaced by an ancient, chilling pressure. She didn't turn on the light, and silently walked towards the bedroom door.

The bedroom door was ajar.

Zhuohua's divine sense had already "seen" the situation inside very clearly.

Lu Xiao was fast asleep, curled up in the thin blanket, breathing evenly. However, less than a foot directly above his bed, a thick, ink-like black cloud was churning and gathering!

The black mist took the form of a small human figure, its scarlet eyes flashing with a venomous light in the darkness—it was the incarnation of the little ghost that Zhou Yuchen had been worshipping!

It extended its long, sharp claws made of black mist, viciously clawing towards Lu Xiao's unsuspecting brow as he slept soundly! The claw tips were shrouded in a visible aura of filth, carrying curses and bad luck!

Once caught by these ghostly claws, one may suffer from a serious illness and be plagued by bad luck at best, or even suffer mental damage or death at worst!

A cold glint suddenly flashed in Zhuohua's eyes! She didn't even bother to raise her hand; her mind simply stirred!

Buzz—!

An invisible, vast power, like a sea of ​​stars, descended instantly! The entire bedroom seemed to freeze in an instant! The air stopped flowing, dust particles hovered in mid-air, and even time seemed to have been paused!

The ghostly claw that was about to touch Lu Xiao's brow was frozen in mid-air, less than an inch from his skin, by an absolute force!

The little demon's crimson eyes instantly filled with unbelievable horror and... an indescribable fear from the depths of its soul! It wanted to struggle, to scream, but not even a wisp of black energy could move!

In this absolutely still space, Zhuohua's figure appeared beside the bed as if by teleportation. Expressionless, she extended her slender, white fingers, the tips shimmering with a faint, cool, and pure ice-blue light like moonlight, and gently grasped at the frozen, terrified black ghost!

It's as easy as taking something out of a bag.

The vicious little ghost, formed from evil thoughts and vengeful spirits, capable of bringing great misfortune or even death to ordinary people, was enveloped by the seemingly faint wisp of icy blue light at her fingertips. It couldn't even put up a single resistance. It was like a snowman thrown into purgatory, emitting a silent, shrill scream (in Zhuohua's divine sense perception). Its entire form was instantly frozen, solidified, and then disintegrated inch by inch!

There was no earth-shattering sound, no blinding burst of light. Only the dense black mist violently twisted, struggled, and contracted within the icy blue light, finally transforming into an extremely fine, almost invisible wisp of black smoke, like a punctured bubble, silently vanishing into the air. Along with it, the nauseating, chilling stench also disappeared without a trace.

It was as if it had never existed.

The icy blue light at Zhuohua's fingertips faded. She withdrew her hand, not even glancing at the spot where the little ghost had been annihilated, as if she had merely brushed away a speck of dust. She lowered her gaze to Lu Xiao, who was still fast asleep on the bed.

The silent exchange of blows just now was executed with exquisite control of power, leaving the sleeping youth untouched. His breathing was steady, his brow relaxed, as if he were still lost in a sweet dream, completely unaware of the danger that had just occurred so close to him.

Zhuohua looked at his unguarded sleeping face, and the cold killing intent that had risen from the impurity of the little devil quietly dissipated. She reached out and, with her fingertips lightly brushing across his forehead, a wisp of warm and peaceful spiritual energy quietly seeped in, dispelling the faint chill that had been picked up by the little devil's approach, ensuring that he slept more peacefully.

Having done all this, she was preparing to leave as quietly as she had come.

Just then—

"Hmm..." Lu Xiao unconsciously turned over on the bed, and the thin blanket slipped off to one side. He seemed to feel a little cold, and he groggily reached out to grab the blanket, struggling to open his eyes a crack.

The bedroom was pitch black. But in his blurry vision, by the faint light of a streetlamp streaming in from outside the window, he saw a blurry, slender figure standing beside his bed! They were practically touching!

"Who?!" Lu Xiao's sleepiness vanished instantly! His heart leaped into his throat! He sat bolt upright almost instinctively, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat! His voice trembled with extreme terror!

He instinctively reached out to touch the switch for the bedside lamp!

Snap!

The dim light suddenly turned on, dispelling the darkness and clearly illuminating the figure beside the bed!

A black tracksuit, long hair tied up, a pretty but expressionless face, and eyes that looked exceptionally calm and deep under the lights—it was Zhuohua!

"Blazing... Blazing Splendor?!"

Lu Xiao was completely stunned, his mind went blank, and all his fear was instantly replaced by immense shock and bewilderment! He looked at Zhuo Hua, then at the tightly closed bedroom door, then at the blanket that had slipped off him, and finally his gaze fell on Zhuo Hua's fingertip, which had just been withdrawn and seemed to still retain a faint, almost imperceptible, icy blue aura...

Just now... in the darkness... he seemed to... seemed to see... blue light?!

Time seemed to stand still.

Lu Xiao sat on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, his face deathly pale, his lips trembling slightly. His glassy eyes were filled with the terror of surviving a disaster, the shock of disbelief, and... a bewilderment as if his worldview had been completely shattered. He stared stiffly at Zhuo Hua standing by the bed, like a frightened fawn.

Zhuohua hadn't expected him to wake up so suddenly, and he even happened to catch a glimpse of that lingering power. Her expression remained unchanged, but a very subtle...helplessness flickered deep in her eyes. This is troublesome. She muttered to herself.

The two faced each other silently under the dim light of the bedside lamp. The air was so quiet that Lu Xiao could hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

"I..." Lu Xiao finally found his voice, which was very dry and trembling. "I...I think I just...I think I saw..." He didn't dare to continue, his eyes fixed on Zhuo Hua's hand, as if it were some kind of monstrous beast.

Zhuohua didn't speak, but looked at him calmly, her eyes open and honest, without the slightest hint of evasion.

Lu Xiao felt even more flustered under her gaze. Countless absurd thoughts clashed wildly in his mind—was it an illusion? A nightmare? Or... was that eerie, chilling feeling just now real?

What...what was Zhuohua doing just now? What was that blue light? Why was she in my bedroom in the middle of the night?!