Chapter 114
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Chapter 114: The Arrogant Evil Spirit
While Gu Quan was scolding those reckless people, a constable hurried over with dreadful news.
—Someone had been attacked and possessed by an evil ghost.
"Let’s go."
As they took a shortcut, Gu Quan’s group came across a child. Right before their eyes, the boy—who’d chased a stray cat into the alleys—was seized by the evil spirit.
"Come out, you bastard!"
"Jijiji…"
Gu Quan’s roar proved futile.
After possessing the child, the evil spirit lingered and sneered boldly at him.
"Hahaha, I’m not coming out. What will you do about it…?"
The spirit’s taunting arrogance deepened Gu Quan’s rage.
But anger changed nothing—the deed was done, and Gu Quan needed a solution.
Yet he hesitated, unable to harm the nine-year-old child.
Torn between the evil spirit and the innocent boy, the possessed child suddenly spoke:
"Still wavering? Hahaha…Why hesitate? Kill me!"
"Here I am—why not strike…?"
The child stepped closer as it mocked him.
This brazen provocation made Gu Quan’s fists tremble, murderous rage burning in his eyes.
Just as he steeled himself to act, a voice interrupted:
"Hold back. It’s still a child—restrain him instead."
Zhuang Zhan, showing more mercy than Gu Quan, gave the order. A soldier cautiously approached with ropes to bind the boy.
This only emboldened the possessed child.
"Hahaha! Too scared to fight? Then I’ll do it myself…"
The evil spirit forced the child’s hands toward his own face.
The sight made Gu Quan curse furiously.
It also enraged Mu Lin’s classmates. Earlier, bored by Mu Lin and Wan Yangyu’s stalemate in the tavern, Qi Qiu had shifted the projection realm’s view, hoping to locate Mu Lin’s true form. Instead, he witnessed this horror.
Qi Qiu kept the scene visible and turned to Dongfang Ya. "You’d let Spring Fountain City’s people die? Your student’s skilled but heartless."
Dongfang Ya’s expression darkened.
"Spit it out plainly instead of twisting words to vex me."
"Call Mu Lin cruel? What of your Taoist Palace’s Wan Yangyu? He’s in the city too—has he saved anyone?"
This did not change Qi Qiu’s expression. The thick-skinned man retorted, "This was ultimately Mu Lin’s mission. We shouldn’t steal the host’s spotlight. Yangyu’s team immediately proposed cooperation, but Mu Lin refused. That’s why this tragedy happened."
"If he’d agreed quickly, this child wouldn’t have died… Huh?!"
Qi Qiu tried using the child’s death to criticize Mu Lin, but his words froze mid-sentence as the projection screen suddenly showed an unexpected development.
…
Seeing the evil spirit manipulating the child to self-harm, Gu Quan instinctively rushed forward.
But halfway there, he halted abruptly, wearing the same shocked expression as Qi Qiu. He stopped not because rescue came too late, but because something unimaginable occurred.
Driven by hatred for life and wanting to torment Gu Quan, the evil ghost cackled while forcing the child’s hand toward its own face – specifically aiming at the eyes for maximum impact.
"You can’t save anyone! You’ll all die…"
Just as the ghost raised the child’s arm, an unknown force surged from inside the child’s body, stopping the self-destructive motion.
The oblivious ghost sneered: "Resisting me? Jijiji! If you were adult, I might worry. But a brat like you? How?"
"Let me teach you real terror…"
As the ghost tried invading the child’s deeper consciousness to fully possess him, a panicked scream erupted from within the child less than three seconds later:
"Who are you? Not a child… Not even human!"
"Bastard! Let me out! RELEASE ME!!"
Gu Quan gaped as the terrified spirit desperately tried escaping the child’s body. The ethereal spirit writhed within black smoke, reeking of bloodshed and negative emotions – an amalgamation of ominous energies making it appear utterly malevolent.
Yet the innocent-looking child violently dragged this monstrous spirit back inside himself.
"SEAL!"
"No—!"
A glowing ‘Seal’ character flashed. The frustration-filled spirit ceased struggling, completely imprisoned within the child.
The child then turned to Gu Quan.
Clink.
Meeting those emotionless eyes, Gu Quan instinctively stepped back and raised his guard.
Clearly, the earlier scene had frightened him.
After channeling his inner strength and raising his long knife defensively, Gu Quan finally demanded, "Who are you? Wait—human or ghost?"
"Neither. I’m a paper figure created by Lord Mu Lin."
As the paper figure child spoke, the vitality of the living inside its body was drained to cast Paper Figure Soul Sealing.
Deprived of vitality, the paper figure child began losing color.
Its lifelike human appearance faded into a sickly paper-white hue.
The uncanny valley effect made the pale figure disturbingly eerie.
Just looking at it made Gu Quan’s scalp prickle.
But the child’s earlier explanation clarified this was no enemy.
"A paper figure… Lord Mu Lin’s doing?"
"Yes."
The blank-faced paper figure child nodded, then moved toward Spring Fountain Tavern as summoned.
"…"
Gu Quan instinctively held his breath as the figure passed. Only when it retreated did he exhale sharply.
"Hah…"
"Hah…"
"Hah…"
He soon noticed his subordinates also releasing tense breaths after the child’s departure.
"Pathetic."
Gu Quan scoffed but followed the paper figure toward the tavern, keeping wary distance.
Emerging from the alleys, he froze.
Spring Fountain City’s broad streets lay silent—empty of humans, but filled with motion.
Dozens of blank-faced paper figures marched toward the tavern. The child merged into their ranks seamlessly.
"So those ‘reckless humans’ earlier were all paper figures!"
Gu Quan finally grasped Spring Fountain City lacked true troublemakers. The paper crane had been mere distraction—this paper army was Mu Lin’s real weapon.
"That lord’s methods… terrifying."
Zhuang Zhan shared Gu Quan’s dread, cold sweat dripping as the silent procession passed.
"But when did he act?" Zhuang Zhan muttered. "Lord Mu Lin never left our sight—just ate and drank since arriving…"
Gu Quan shrugged. "Don’t ask me. But does it matter?" His worry transformed into fierce glee. "However he did it, that lord’s ruthlessness surpasses demons themselves. With him here, our city might survive."
Zhuang Zhan blinked, then nodded. "True. His presence… a blessing."
……
An enemy with such power would be nightmare, but as ally—reassuring.
Yet outside Tower of Illusions, Qi Qiu’s face darkened further when Dongfang Ya’s mocking tone pierced the air:
"Scheming genius. Ignores common folk. Oh, and someone predicted that child’s death… Teacher Qi Qiu, know anyone like that?"
The thinly-veiled taunt left Qi Qiu speechless. After long silence, he ground out: "You win this round. But don’t celebrate—Spring Fountain City’s corruption remains uncleansed."
