Chapter 127: Ghost Path

Hearing Cheng Hao’s words, a chill ran down my spine, making my scalp prickle. I let out a dry, awkward chuckle and said, "Senior, what kind of joke is that? If I had jumped off the building, how would I still have the life left to play this 'back-to-back' game with you?"

A sinister, giggling voice suddenly came from behind me: "Junior, who told you that just because you've jumped off a building, you can’t play a game of back-to-back?"

Immediately after, I heard a rhythmic *crack-crack-crack* sound behind me. Without a doubt, it was the sound of a neck being forcibly twisted.

Cheng Hao had turned his head around. My heart was pounding with extreme tension. Gritting my teeth, I quietly raised my right hand, silently chanting in my heart: "Heaven is round, Earth is square; by the nine laws of the decree, palm thunder and fire, let all ghosts hide!"

The moment I finished the incantation, a powerful wave of Yin energy surged toward my back. Instinctively, I took a step forward, whipped around, and slammed my palm toward Cheng Hao.

As my palm thunder struck, Cheng Hao had just finished turning his head. Just like before, only his head had turned; his body remained completely motionless.

My palm landed squarely on his face. With a loud *bang*, Cheng Hao’s entire body was sent flying backward toward the wall.

Seizing the opportunity, I didn't care if he was severely injured or not; I bolted toward the door. As soon as I scrambled out of the classroom, the heavy door slammed shut behind me. I let out a breath of relief—it was a close call.

Once outside, I sprinted toward the staircase. As I passed the classroom window, I saw Cheng Hao climbing up from the wall and moving toward the window with terrifying speed.

He pressed his face—now a bloody, unrecognizable mess from my strike—against the glass and gave me a chilling grin. He whispered, "You... are not faster than me!"

"Go to hell."

After being startled by Cheng Hao time and again, the initial paralyzing fear had faded. After all, I had weathered many storms. I glared back at him and dashed toward the stairs.

In my mind, I had played the back-to-back game for at least several minutes—surely enough time for Dadi and the others to have escaped. Cheng Hao had no personal grudge against me, and it was Dadi’s group who had provoked him. Exhausted from my earlier battle with the Corpse Matron, I knew I was likely no match for this ghost. I had no intention of engaging in a life-or-death struggle; as long as they were safe, I could slip away. I wasn't foolish enough to sacrifice my life for some grand "demon-slaying" mission. Besides, the world was filled with monsters and spirits; I couldn't possibly eliminate them all alone.

I quickly reached the stairwell and descended at full speed. To my shock, when I reached the second floor, I saw Dadi and his group still there.

They were all pale with terror, acting in a bizarre, repetitive loop. The seven of them were walking up and down the same flight of stairs on the second floor, over and over again.

"What are you doing? For God's sake, is this really the time for games?"

In my anxiety, I swore at them. They jolted at the sound of my voice, looking at me like a drowning man clutching at a straw. Dadi’s face was twisted in agony as he cried, "Dao, you finally came! These stairs are cursed as hell. No matter how we run, we end up back on the second floor!"

I froze, realizing they were caught in a "ghost-wall" illusion. Without overthinking, I ran toward them.

As I stepped onto their staircase, I felt a gust of cold Yin wind brush against the back of my neck. I realized my situation had changed—I was trapped too.

"Stay there and don't move," I ordered, then turned and ran down the stairs. I was certain I was heading down, yet when I reached the floor below, I found myself right back where Dadi and the others were.

I took a deep breath and tried again. The result was the same. I stopped running, realizing I was now trapped in the same loop.

I wasn't overly worried. This ghost-wall wasn't a sophisticated spell, just a common optical illusion. A splash of young boy's urine in a corner would do the trick.

I turned to the group. Regardless of the ladies present, survival was the priority. "Which of you is still a virgin? Go to that corner and take a leak," I asked.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with helplessness, then stared at me as if I were an idiot. It hit me: Dadi and the guys in our dorm were long past that stage. Li Fengyu and Zhou Lei were in relationships. That left only Liu Yi and Zhang Juan. Liu Yi’s gold-digging reputation preceded her, and Zhang Juan... even if she were a virgin, I couldn't ask a woman to do this.

As I pondered, Dadi burst out laughing, pointing at me. "Dao, what are you pretending for? Among us, aren't you the only one left who's still pure?"

At his words, Liu Yi and Li Fengyu looked at me in shock. I even caught a flash of intense interest in Liu Yi’s eyes. My face turned bright red. Being a sophomore and still a virgin was indeed embarrassing. I glared at Dadi, wishing I could tear him apart.

"Dammit, all of you turn around! Don't you dare peek!"

I walked to the corner, feeling as embarrassed and awkward as a child caught watching adult films.

"Liu Yi, what are you doing? Taken a liking to our Dao? Turn your head around!" Dadi yelled. I sighed, waited until I was sure the girls had turned away, and finally began.

Perhaps because of the nerves, it took a while. Dadi urged me on, "Dao, what’s the hold-up? Is your urinary tract blocked?"

"Blocked? I'll block your mother!" I was already fuming from the night's events, and now this idiot was mocking me. I swore to myself that once we got back, I’d deal with him.

Finally, a few drops came out—enough to break the illusion. As soon as I finished, a cold wind hit my neck again.

"Quick, follow me!"

I pulled up my pants and ran downstairs. This time, we easily reached the first floor and sprinted out of the terrifying old laboratory building.

However, I distinctly remembered the iron gate being open when we entered, but now it was locked tight. We couldn't budge it. Panic set in, but I shouted, "Don't panic! It's just a gate. You guys have climbed over enough courtyard walls to skip class, haven't you?"

I told Dadi to climb up first to help pull the girls over. Dadi scrambled up nimbly, but before Liu Yi could reach for his hand, he let out a blood-curdling scream and fell heavily from the gate.