Round One (06)

Si Jiu managed to smile, but the “Big Sister” inside her could not.

After being sealed for over a thousand years, she had lost even her spiritual form. Only a wisp of her essence remained, on the verge of dispersing, when suddenly, Si Jiu’s foreign spirit appeared out of nowhere.

Then, thanks to Shen Huai’s accidental touch—his blood brushing against the bronze mirror—her seal was broken entirely by sheer chance.

If only she could “consume” this boy, she’d be strong enough to challenge Si Jiu. Once she fully took over Si Jiu’s spiritual body, where couldn’t she go?

But unexpectedly, this boy wasn’t the least bit affected by her allure.

Was her spiritual energy now so weak?

Enraged and humiliated, she abandoned all pretense, her face twisting with malice as her five fingers curled into claws, reaching straight for the crown of Shen Yu’s head.

Never mind how upright and unruffled Shen Yu had sounded just moments ago—inside, he was panicking like a terrified dog.

Yes, he’d grown up with Shen Huai. Shen Huai was a legend, revered by all manner of luminaries inside and outside their circle. But that didn’t mean Shen Yu himself was talented.

In truth, his talent was abysmal. Even sensing the most basic yin energy was a struggle for him.

So when the female ghost lunged at him, Shen Yu nearly burst into tears from fright, scrambling desperately to escape the shower, not even caring that he was stark naked.

“Mom, Dad, Buddha, Jesus, Guanyin… Uncle, save me!”

Howling and wailing, he rushed out of the shower to the bathroom door, yanking with all his might at the handle.

No surprise—it wouldn’t open.

With a flash, the ghostly woman appeared behind him. Watching him cowering and resigned to his fate, she felt a wave of satisfaction and let slip her thoughts aloud, “Be good and let me eat you, and you’ll suffer less.”

As she drifted past the vanity, she was just about to seize Shen Yu.

At that moment, Si Jiu caught sight of herself in the large wall mirror.

It was truly herself—her original face, her own features, not hiding beneath any foreign shell. Her hairstyle and attire had been altered according to the “Big Sister’s” taste, though—classical and ancient in style.

In that instant, Si Jiu grasped the “Big Sister’s” situation.

When she saw the spirit in the mirror bearing her own image, her mood turned cold. She wasn’t the interloper squatting in another’s home—the “Big Sister” was the one scheming to become the usurper. At best, Si Jiu had wandered into someone else’s house by accident, but this woman intended to seize her very shell.

How greedy could you be, Big Sister?

The thought barely formed before Si Jiu seized control of the spiritual body.

“No! You’ve ruined everything!” the Big Sister shrieked in fury.

“Shut up,” Si Jiu snorted coldly. “You think you can take my spiritual body? Do you even know what kind of soul I am?”

“You… you dare…”

“Perish.”

With a piercing scream echoing through the air, the Big Sister was utterly annihilated.

Si Jiu glanced down at her mourning attire, frowning slightly. With a single thought, her appearance began to change.

The snowy white ancient dress faded, from top to bottom, into a rich crimson. Not only did the color shift, but the style as well. In the space of a few breaths, the figure before Shen Yu had transformed beyond recognition.

Dazzling crimson robes, sumptuous and grand, adorned her form. Her dark hair was quickly swept up, revealing a slender, alabaster neck. Though her neckline was high and her entire body modestly clad, Shen Yu still found his mouth going dry.

Those eyes, once so chilling in their stark contrast of black and white, now sparkled with radiant light—perhaps because the spirit within had changed, or perhaps simply due to the play of the light.

Beneath her left eye, near her cheekbone, were two small brown moles—utter perfection.

Shen Yu was utterly entranced, lost in the sight, until Si Jiu asked with a half-smile, “Do you find me beautiful?”

“Beautiful,” he blurted out without thinking, his face instantly flushing scarlet.

Oh no, oh no! She’s a true master!

At first, he’d thought she was talking to herself in a fit of madness. Then, as the conversation grew more sinister, he’d realized it was two spirits fighting for control. In the end, she’d obliterated her opponent in an instant.

That same opponent who’d just been chasing him to the brink of terror—gone in a blink.

This wasn’t just a master—no, she was a supreme being.

How could he, of all people, have dared to flirt with her?

A hundred and eight ways to die flashed through his mind.

“I think I’m beautiful too,” Si Jiu said. “But you… you’re not looking so good.”

Shen Yu: !!!

Only then, belatedly, did Shen Yu realize. He squeezed his legs together, bent over, and clapped both hands over his, ahem…

His face erupted in a fiery blush as he stammered at the top of his lungs, “S-s-s-so sorry!”