Li Moyan's eyes, possessed by the entity, glowed red. His nose tip nuzzled against Ye Huohuo's ear and neck, reveling in their warmth. The person beneath him smelled intoxicatingly fragrant, a virgin's scent that left him in a blissful daze.
A surge of desire ignited within him. He had been a ghost for so long, had taken countless women, yet never had one stirred his desire to such a frenzy. He almost felt as if he were no longer a ghost, but a normal man.
Ye Huohuo gritted her teeth, her eyes squeezed shut, feeling the chilling cold seep into her pores. The icy hands fumbled over her body through her clothes, raising goosebumps.
She forced all her senses to focus on hearing. Finally, she detected a faint tearing sound of fabric. This was the moment the possessing ghost's desire peaked, and an involuntary gap opened in Li Moyan's mind as it momentarily detached.
Seizing this opportunity, Ye Huohuo's eyes snapped open, a cold glint shooting straight into Li Moyan's eyes. The possessed Li Moyan recoiled as this cold light pierced his gaze, a sharp pain shooting through his head. Instinctively, he leaned back, creating a small space between them. Ye Huohuo seized the moment, her palm, inscribed with a talisman, moving as she chanted an incantation.
The talisman on her palm blazed with golden light, and she slapped it onto Li Moyan's forehead.
The ghost possessing Li Moyan finally realized the formidable opponent it had provoked and attempted to flee Li Moyan's body. But how could Ye Huohuo let it escape? She had endured the humiliation for so long precisely to lure the enemy deeper. If it got away, her suffering would be in vain.
She swiftly pulled out the scroll from her bag and unfurled it with a flick of her wrist. The beautiful face depicted in the painting transformed into a vortex, generating a powerful gravitational pull. This force did not affect ordinary objects; it was specifically attuned to souls.
The ghost, naturally, was drawn to it. Just as the lustful ghost had extricated itself from Li Moyan's body and hadn't fled far, it suddenly felt a potent suction from behind. Its body continued to move forward in its desperate attempt to escape, yet it was being dragged backward.
"No! No!" Piercing wails echoed through the alley.
Ye Huohuo struck the ghost's back. Several silver lights shot out from its form, and the spectral silhouette suddenly darkened, weakening.
"My painstakingly gathered essence!" With a final roar, the lustful ghost was sucked into the vortex within the painting.
The silver light particles swirled in the air, resembling dancing fireflies. Ye Huohuo took out a glass bottle from her bag, drew a talisman in the air with her finger, and as it formed, a flash of golden light engulfed the silver particles, which then flew into the glass bottle in her hand.
She held the bottle up to her eyes, carefully counting. Precisely seventeen. Satisfied, she placed it back into her tattered cloth bag.
Her task completed, Ye Huohuo examined the painting. The spectral face within the vortex now included the added likeness of the lustful ghost. She rolled up the painting and put it back in her bag. "Misfortune is where fortune lies, fortune is where misfortune hides. This painting truly has a connection with me. No, it should be said that my luck has truly been improving since meeting Li Mohan!"
As the lustful ghost was captured within the painting, the alley, which had been so dark that even starlight was invisible, suddenly lit up. Moonlight cascaded into the alley like a silver waterfall.
Simultaneously, Li Moyan, who had been lying on the ground, slowly awoke. He jolted to his feet, looking around at the surroundings, then at his watch. 12:20 AM.
"We... we're out?" His face was filled with disbelief. He had just felt darkness engulf him, and now he was out of that alley?
"Did you carry me out?" He looked at the small, slender girl in front of him, finding it hard to imagine how this petite figure, barely over five feet tall, could have carried him, a man nearly six feet tall.
Ye Huohuo looked up at him, her small face tilted. Li Moyan's complexion was still somewhat sallow, a sign of depleted vitality after being possessed. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "You're overthinking it. I lack the strength, and I'm not that kind. That ghost was subdued by me. Without the ghost, its fabricated illusion naturally disappeared."
Li Moyan finally understood. "You mean, this is the same alley we couldn't escape from earlier?"
Ye Huohuo didn't want to explain further. "Alright, that's all for here. Let's go back!"
Li Moyan quickly retrieved the large black mask that had fallen on the ground, along with the black baseball cap he had been searching for, which had been by his feet all along. He no longer cared about cleanliness, dusting off the dirt, and put them on.
However, to their surprise, as they reached the mouth of the alley, they saw dozens of people approaching in a rush. Leading them was a burly man with a dragon tattooed on each arm, and by his side was the punk-haired guy who had caused trouble for them earlier.
Seeing these people, Ye Huohuo couldn't help but sigh deeply. "Second calamity!" The five calamities each day, it seemed, were unavoidable. It was just unfortunate that, like all fortune tellers, she could divine heaven and earth, and all things, but not herself. She could never predict when or how misfortune would strike, making it impossible to guard against. This malevolent energy was truly diligent. Just after she'd faced one misfortune, almost being violated by that lustful ghost, and before she could catch her breath, another wave arrived.
The punk-haired guy spotted her and Li Moyan and quickly pointed. "It's them! That guy must be rich. As for that little girl, even though her appearance is disguised, with my years of experience in the entertainment district, I can tell she's a beauty. If we take her to the club, she'll fetch a good price."
The tattooed man in the middle looked at Ye Huohuo and Li Moyan, greediness flashing in his eyes. "Good work this time. You've earned merit. Boys, grab that guy. Let's see how much his family will pay for his ransom. As for that little girl, hehe..." The burly man chuckled wickedly. "Take her back. I'll enjoy her tonight first!"
Ye Huohuo rubbed her forehead. No wonder the lustful ghost chose this place as its base. The people here were indeed driven by lust. She looked around, her brow furrowing slightly. The aura here was strange, almost as if...
Before Ye Huohuo could figure it out, three youths in their early twenties charged towards them. In their eyes, these two were simply meat on a cutting board, easily dealt with. The one in front, wearing a floral shirt, didn't even get to touch Ye Huohuo before his wrist was firmly grasped by a large hand. With a twist, a "snap" was heard, and his arm was dislocated.
"Ouch! A tough one!" The floral-shirted man clutched his arm and quickly retreated, his eyes warily fixed on the man in the white suit who was completely covered up.
"So annoying. It's been a while since I've fought, my hands are getting itchy!" Li Moyan said, cracking his knuckles. A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, the only part of him exposed.