He Cheng sat beside Lin Yan on his own, carefully sensing the yin energy emanating from Wei Xicheng and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
This Wei Xicheng was truly foolish. No matter how powerful that ghost was, what difference did it make? There was a natural divide between the living and the dead. If he entangled himself with that great ghost for too long and had no way to preserve his own yang energy, he wouldn’t live long.
And yet, he still thought that ghost had true feelings for him.
Wei Xicheng was unaware of He Cheng’s hidden thoughts; he could only sense the faint hostility directed toward him. After a brief moment of contemplation, he quickly grasped the situation—He Cheng must have seen Yu Beiyan, but given Yu Beiyan’s overwhelming strength, there wasn’t much He Cheng could do.
Or rather, perhaps he himself had made He Cheng feel threatened.
But why?
Before coming to this gathering, Wei Xicheng had never expected to encounter Yu Beiyan here. His original intention had been to uncover He Cheng’s secret, but the moment he saw Yu Beiyan, that so-called secret lost all its appeal. His only thought was to figure out how to help Yu Beiyan and return as soon as possible.
Now that He Cheng had taken the initiative to approach him, Wei Xicheng started assessing him as well.
Looking around the private room, Wei Xicheng noticed that there wasn’t a single ghost present, giving his vision a temporary respite. He simply assumed that Yu Beiyan’s presence had driven them all away, completely unaware that the red pearl gifted to him by the female ghost had already been stolen by Yu Beiyan.
He Cheng’s sudden arrival interrupted Lin Yan, making him a little annoyed. But since He Cheng was a close friend, he forcibly swallowed back his words. He didn’t know why, but out of some personal instinct, he didn’t want He Cheng to overhear his conversation with Wei Xicheng.
This thought left him even more flustered.
“Aren’t you singing?” Lin Yan attempted to change the subject to ease the awkward atmosphere. He turned to ask He Cheng.
He Cheng gave him a strange look. “I’ve already sung three or four songs. Didn’t you see?”
“Ah, haha, I did! You sang really well. I actually wanted to hear a couple more songs.” Lin Yan scratched the back of his head.
Wei Xicheng sat beside them, biting on a straw. Even though the awkwardness between the three of them had solidified into something almost tangible, he remained unfazed.
To be honest, this might be the last parallel world he would experience, so he didn’t want to form any unnecessary attachments to the people of this world.
But even if that was his intention, some people wouldn’t let him be.
“Lin Yan! Your song is up!”
That call was like a lifeline to Lin Yan. For the first time, the always cheerful and composed young man became flustered, hurriedly excused himself, and bolted away.
Watching Lin Yan take the microphone from his classmate, He Cheng chuckled coldly. “I didn’t expect our classmate Wei to have some ‘abilities’ after all.”
“Hmm.” Wei Xicheng responded indifferently, as if he hadn’t caught the sarcasm in He Cheng’s tone.
“The one by your side—I’ve never seen anyone stronger than him in all these years. I’m very interested in him.” He Cheng took a sip of juice—it was extremely sour.
At the mention of Yu Beiyan, Wei Xicheng was no longer indifferent. He turned to look at He Cheng. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said.”
Seeing Wei Xicheng finally show some emotion, He Cheng felt a strange sense of satisfaction rise within him. He immediately suppressed it. What was wrong with him? How could he become this kind of person?
“You can try.” Wei Xicheng held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away, not taking him seriously at all.
He Cheng felt an unbearable frustration rising in his chest, and his previously suppressed emotions surged again. His tone grew even more cutting. “A romance between a human and a ghost is doomed to end badly. In the end, either he will be taken by fate, or you will die young and reincarnate early.”
“Hmm.”
“Ungrateful.” He Cheng abruptly stood up and walked toward his close classmates, leaving this small corner to Wei Xicheng alone.
Once his master returned, this matter would naturally be dealt with.
It had been more than half a month since the class reunion. During this time, Wei Xicheng had been staring at his report card, looking distressed.
The grades of his original body were honestly too unbearable to look at. But that was understandable—after all, the original owner of this body had never had the opportunity to be alone, always under immense psychological pressure, making it impossible for him to score well.
However, now that Wei Xicheng had taken over this body, seeing how the Wei parents were constantly busy for his sake, he felt quite guilty.
He didn’t know if he could stay in this world as he had in the past or if, at some specific moment, he would have to leave immediately.
Yu Beiyan had seemingly disappeared. Ever since the class reunion, he hadn’t shown up even once.
Wei Xicheng had already realized that he had lost the red pearl, but the strange thing was that ever since he returned home, all the ghosts around him had vanished. If he hadn’t occasionally spotted one or two little ghosts hurriedly fleeing, he would have thought that his yin-yang vision had disappeared.
But he didn’t even need to think to know this was Yu Beiyan’s doing.
Wei Xicheng stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains, gazing outside in a daze.
Not being able to contact Yu Beiyan—he hadn’t thought much of it when Yu Beiyan mentioned it that day. But thinking about it now, the phrase “unable to contact” was filled with dangerous implications.
Wei Xicheng had long ago tasted the consequences of defying the system. After living in comfort for so long, he had almost forgotten that bitter experience. So when Yu Beiyan said, “I can do it,” he had agreed without hesitation.
Now, thinking back, Wei Xicheng wanted to smack himself. After being spoiled and protected by Yu Beiyan for so many worlds, he had actually gotten used to it. That was not a good sign.
Last time, Yu Beiyan seemed to have said a lot, but he hadn’t actually revealed anything truly important.
That only made the situation seem even more perilous.
Wei Xicheng stared at the scenery outside and silently called out Yu Beiyan’s name in his heart, hoping that he would sense it.
Yu Beiyan didn’t appear, but someone passing by downstairs caught Wei Xicheng’s attention.
A middle-aged man with long hair, carrying a strange large bundle, had arrived at his building. Instinctively, Wei Xicheng felt that this man had come for him.
In this era, long-haired men weren’t uncommon, but those with the presence of the man downstairs were rare. He wore a somewhat filthy long robe, his face was covered in dust, and even his beard was tangled with grass and debris.
He looked like a beggar, yet everything about his demeanor made it clear that he was not.
Despite the three-story gap between them, the man suddenly raised his head and met Wei Xicheng’s gaze.
Wei Xicheng took a step back and drew the curtains shut.
Barely three minutes later, there was a tapping sound on his window.
Soon, a nearly blackened hand lifted the corner of his curtain.
Wei Xicheng stood still, coldly staring at the scruffy man.
“Who are you?”
Having not moved from where he stood after closing the curtains, Wei Xicheng now found himself face-to-face with the disheveled man. The man was precariously balanced on the building’s water pipe, looking utterly ridiculous.
At the sight of Wei Xicheng’s silhouette, the man clinging to the window wobbled, as if startled. It was a heart-stopping moment, as if he might fall from the building at any second.
“Oh wow, you scared me to death.”
The Taoist priest, Zi Daoren, pressed his entire face against the glass, smearing the dust onto himself without realizing it. Instead, he grinned and struck up a conversation with Wei Xicheng. “Young friend, I am Zi Daoren. How about you open the door first? I have something to discuss with you.”
“No.”
“Why not?” Zi Daoren looked at the young boy in front of him. His eyes were clear and transparent, but faint traces of red and black flickered in the depths—an obvious sign of someone born with Yin-Yang eyes. This was a rare and promising talent, and Zi Daoren was unwilling to let him slip away.
“My mom told me not to open the door for strangers,” Wei Xicheng replied as he prepared to close the small gap in the window, blocking the Taoist priest outside.
“Wait, wait, hold on.” Zi Daoren had no choice but to withdraw his hand. “Little Daoist friend, you must already be aware of your unique nature, right? You don’t look older than eighteen. Don’t you want to accomplish something great?”
“Oh, no, not really.” Wei Xicheng reached for the curtain.
“Wait! Look at this.”
Zi Daoren pulled out a small embroidered pouch from his chest and revealed a red bead inside.
Wei Xicheng’s pupils contracted. The bead looked exactly like the one he had lost—one he had assumed was taken by Yu Beiyan. But now, seeing it in Zi Daoren’s hands, combined with the fact that Yu Beiyan had disappeared for half a month, his mind started racing with countless speculations. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes had already turned completely black, like deep ink.
“Sigh.” Zi Daoren let out a light sigh and pinched a yellow talisman between his fingers. The charm dissolved into streaks of spiritual light that entered Wei Xicheng’s eyes, gradually restoring their original color.
“Where did you get this bead?” Wei Xicheng asked, slightly tense.
He had always had great confidence in Yu Beiyan, but now he was realizing just how dangerous this situation might be. His concern clouded his judgment.
“You recognize this bead?” This time, it was Zi Daoren’s turn to be surprised. He had assumed that Wei Xicheng was merely tormented by his Yin-Yang eyes, never expecting him to be someone with real experience in these matters.
“I picked it up by the roadside,” Zi Daoren said.
He wasn’t lying—it was just sheer luck that he happened to come across such a once-in-a-century treasure, a Blood Yearning Bead.
“Really?” Wei Xicheng asked suspiciously. Slowly, he unlatched the iron chain on the window and opened it fully, allowing Zi Daoren to enter.
“Of course.” Zi Daoren climbed inside, not even bothering to wipe his face. Holding up the bead, he began speaking animatedly. “You mustn’t underestimate this Blood Yearning Bead. It can only form when a powerful vengeful spirit continuously infuses it with Yin energy day and night for over a hundred years. If the process is interrupted for even a single day, the bead will fail to take shape.
“It has incredible uses! For humans, it can suppress evil energy. For ghosts, it replenishes essence and enhances their power. Ah, I wonder which wandering ghost had the time and patience to create such a thing…”
Zi Daoren was as talkative as his disheveled appearance suggested—rambling and unkempt.
Meanwhile, Wei Xicheng’s thoughts drifted toward the bead itself.
If Yu Beiyan had taken this bead, why didn’t he use it himself?
Why would he leave it by the roadside?
And most importantly—where was Yu Beiyan now?
