Chapter 29 Part 2

The very idea of Jing Shao’s “help” made Jing Chi’s head throb. He waved him off at once. “No need, no need. I can handle it myself. So what are you doing here anyway?”

Jing Chi knew the answer full well, but character demanded he ask.

“Bro, didn’t I tell you one of my classmates went missing? It’s that guy from earlier. I need to get him out of here.”

Jing Chi nodded as if it all made sudden sense. “Ah, got it.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Tell you what—since he’s your classmate, I’ll help you spring him. Then you two get the hell out of here.”

“Bro, you’re the best!” Jing Shao’s eyes sparkled like stars.

After all, Jing Chi had actually volunteered to help.

Jing Chi averted his gaze, a touch of guilt flickering in his eyes.

~~~

In the afternoon, Jing Chi resolved to ship Jing Shao and Nan Musheng out first, then turn his attention to his plans with Yu Xingzhou.

The scheme was simple: he’d lure Nan Musheng out, knock him cold, and Jing Shao would haul him away.

Jing Chi had brought his prepared tools to the classroom that morning. He intended to whisk the boy away that very night.

“I’ve got something to take care of. Be right back,” he told Yu Xingzhou.

He approached Nan Musheng’s desk next, whispered a few words, and the pair slipped out of the classroom one after the other.

Yu Xingzhou watched their retreating backs, a pang of unhappiness stirring in his chest. But he remembered Jing Chi’s words and forced the feeling down.

Nan Musheng eyed Jing Chi doubtfully. “You said the teacher wanted me? The office isn’t down this way, is it?”

They reached a secluded corner of the school grounds before Jing Chi halted. “Truth is, it wasn’t the teacher. It was me.”

Nan Musheng frowned at first. Then it hit him—maybe Jing Chi had uncovered Yu Xingzhou’s secret. Joy lit his face. “Have you figured out what’s up with Yu Xingzhou—”

Before he could finish, Jing Chi struck the back of his shoulder. Nan Musheng crumpled, out cold.

As his beloved staggered, Jing Shao darted from hiding to catch him.

“Get going—now,” Jing Chi urged.

Jing Shao cradled Nan Musheng, thrilled yet worried for his cousin. “Bro, what was that about ‘Yu Xingzhou’s man’? Is that the Evil Spirit haunting us this time?”

Jing Chi scowled. He hated anyone talking about the boy that way. His voice dropped low. “No. Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m fine. Just take him and go.”

Jing Shao nodded reluctantly, hoisted Nan Musheng into his arms, and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Jing Chi watched until they vanished from sight, exhaling in relief. One major headache down.

He doubled back to the classroom. Yu Xingzhou glanced around, puzzled by Nan Musheng’s absence. “Where’s the Class Leader?”

“No clue. Teacher had me fetch him earlier,” Jing Chi lied smoothly.

Unwittingly, his words lifted the gloom from Yu Xingzhou’s heart. The boy smiled at once. “Oh, gotcha.”

“By the way,” Jing Chi said, gazing at him, “meet me somewhere tonight.”

Though baffled, Yu Xingzhou nodded.

Jing Chi grinned, his explanation delightfully vague. “Think of it as a surprise.”

~~~

Meanwhile, Jing Shao used a spell to escort Nan Musheng out.

The moment they exited the Illusion Realm, Nan Musheng began to stir.

“Where… is this?” he murmured.

“Musheng, do you recognize me?” Jing Shao asked quickly.

Nan Musheng’s vision sharpened on Jing Shao’s face. “Jing Shao?” he said softly, still confused.

Jing Shao beamed and nodded vigorously. “Thank goodness I found you. Musheng, promise me—don’t come to a dangerous place like this alone ever again.”

With that, Jing Shao explained everything that had happened.

Nan Musheng followed Jing Shao’s gaze and looked toward the abandoned school campus nearby. According to what Jing Shao had said, the memories buried in his mind began to stir and awaken.

He remembered why he was here—and with it, everything that had happened in the Illusion Realm.

At the thought of Yu Xingzhou, his expression shifted dramatically. He grabbed Jing Shao’s hand and turned to him. “Do you know Jing Chi?”

Jing Shao nodded. “He’s my cousin.”

A trace of anxiety crossed Nan Musheng’s face. “Jing Chi’s in danger. Didn’t you just say this Illusion Realm was created by an Evil Spirit?”

“Yeah.” Jing Shao had no idea why Nan Musheng was claiming Jing Chi was in danger. Everything had seemed perfectly normal just moments ago.

“Then Yu Xingzhou must be that Evil Spirit.” There was utter conviction in Nan Musheng’s voice. “Jing Chi thinks of him as a good friend and would never suspect him. Of course he’s in danger.”

The name Yu Xingzhou rang a bell for Jing Shao.

It was the very name his cousin had insisted did not belong to the Evil Spirit.

Jing Shao had placed complete faith in Jing Chi before, but now Nan Musheng’s words planted a seed of doubt.

Seeing Jing Shao waver, Nan Musheng pressed his advantage. “We should go in and help your cousin. If anything happens to him, how are you going to explain it back home?”

Jing Shao saw the logic in that, but he hesitated as he recalled Jing Chi’s firm instructions to leave the area immediately.

“How about this—you let me go in.” When Jing Shao didn’t budge, Nan Musheng played his trump card.

He knew Jing Shao harbored feelings for him that went beyond friendship, but he’d never spelled them out. After all, a little ambiguity was what made things unforgettable, what kept them lingering in the heart.

There was no way Jing Shao would let him go alone. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, “All right, we’ll go in together and take a look. If anything happens to my cousin, I can help him right away.”

Nan Musheng watched as Jing Shao drew the Peachwood Sword. With a swing of his arm, he chanted an incantation Nan Musheng couldn’t make out.

In moments, a door materialized out of thin air before them, as if the world itself had been rent by a jagged tear.

“Let’s go,” Jing Shao said, sheathing his sword. He stepped through with Nan Musheng.

~~~

Meanwhile, Jing Chi had no idea that the people he’d sent away had come back.

By now, he had led Yu Xingzhou to a remote, open area—spacious enough for him to do what needed to be done.

The youth was still curious. With nothing much to see around them, his eyes drifted back to Jing Chi.

He watched as Jing Chi set his backpack aside and beckoned him over.

Yu Xingzhou promptly sat down beside him.

Then, out of nowhere, Jing Chi said, “Can you summon your other self?”

The smile on the youth’s face froze solid. A flash of shock appeared in his eyes, and he shook his head vigorously. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Had Jing Chi figured it out? Was he finally afraid of him?

Jing Chi sighed inwardly at the cold sweat beading on the youth’s forehead. He took hold of Yu Xingzhou’s hand, hoping to reassure him.

“The truth is, I’m a Celestial Master,” Jing Chi confessed.

The youth’s face drained of color in an instant. He’d suspected Jing Chi didn’t belong in this world, but he’d never imagined he was a Celestial Master—the mortal enemy of an Evil Spirit like himself.

As Yu Xingzhou tried to pull his hand free, Jing Chi drew him into a tight embrace. He rested his chin on the youth’s shoulder and murmured softly in his ear, “Do you trust me? I would never hurt you. Remember what I promised? I’ll take you away from here.”

Yu Xingzhou’s hands clenched hard at Jing Chi’s back.

Yes—Jing Chi had promised to take him away.

Little by little, he relaxed, leaning into Jing Chi’s arms. “I trust you.”

Only then did Jing Chi gently help him sit up straight. “In that case, can you call him out now?”

Yu Xingzhou nodded.

A faint soul body soon materialized before them.

The Evil Spirit had once been solid and substantial, but as Yu Xingzhou’s state of mind had shifted, his soul body had faded to a translucent haze, fragile as if a mere breeze could scatter it.

For the first time, the Evil Spirit regarded Jing Chi directly. He shot him a glare and demanded, “You’re taking him away?”

This time, he referred to Yu Xingzhou as “him,” not “us.”

Because he knew that the instant Yu Xingzhou left, he himself would cease to exist.

Jing Chi studied the figure before him—a youth identical in appearance to Yu Xingzhou, but with a haughty edge sharpening his gaze.

Jing Chi nodded. “Does that mean you’ll disappear?”

The Evil Spirit gave a casual smile. “Something like that, I suppose. Not entirely, though. He is me, and I am him. I’m just going back to where I belong—though I won’t be a separate self anymore.”

Yu Xingzhou’s eyes dimmed, a pang of sorrow weighing on his heart.

“From now on, you stay with him in my place.” The Evil Spirit waved a hand, a relieved smile on his face.

“Actually, all those bad things were my doing. He had nothing to do with them.”

Even at this moment, the Evil Spirit didn’t forget to put in a good word for Yu Xingzhou.

With every word that fell from the Evil Spirit’s lips, Yu Xingzhou felt something fading from within him while something else returned.

The Evil Spirit’s figure grew even fainter. Jing Chi reached out and brushed his cheek, as though the slightest pressure might make him vanish entirely.

The Evil Spirit froze for a moment, then let out a huff. In the end, though, he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. His voice grew choked:

“You have to take good care of him for me. When I’m gone, make sure to protect him. He’s pretty dim-witted, always getting bullied. I’m worried that even after we merge, he’ll still be just as dumb.”

A pang of sorrow stirred in Jing Chi’s heart, but he knew this was a necessary step. If they didn’t merge, Yu Xingzhou would never be able to leave this place.

He gently stroked the young man’s head and made his promise. “Rest easy. I’ll protect him.”

Those words dispelled the Evil Spirit’s final obsession. He smiled at Jing Chi and Yu Xingzhou, then gave them a wave.

That sharp-tongued Little Evil Spirit, who had always tried so hard to protect himself, fully dissipated into the air.

Yet he hadn’t truly left. He was merely continuing his life in a different form.