Chapter Ninety-Five: The Disappearance of Cao Wen

I opened the first room—it was perfectly normal. Then I moved to the second room, still nothing unusual. The third, the fourth, all the way to the fourteenth room. Only then did I finally sense a faint presence of ghostly energy lingering there. The black-and-white twin fish talisman I carried began to warm, warning me to be cautious. I switched on the lights and looked around carefully before stepping inside. Yet, the only thing I could detect was a flow of ghostly energy; there was no other sign of supernatural phenomena. I then approached the bathroom, cracked open the door slightly to peek inside, but found nothing there either.

Suddenly, I heard Cao Wen scream loudly. I whipped my head around just in time to catch a ghostly figure passing through the wall. Without hesitation, I dashed after it. The spirit’s presence was thick—it had turned into a vengeful ghost. I roughly gauged the direction beyond the wall, spun around, and ran straight out. I reached the fifteenth room and kicked the door open. The malevolent spirit was indeed there, but upon seeing me, it slipped through the wall again and fled to the sixteenth room. I frowned and hurried to the next room. It seemed this ghost was playing a game of hide and seek—every time I chased one room, it escaped to the next.

By the twentieth room, I kicked open the door and immediately threw a talisman meant to dispel spirits. A burst of golden light erupted, and the vengeful ghost let out a pitiful scream before retreating in terror. I intended to move in to subdue it, but then I heard a scream from the fourteenth room, followed by Cao Wen’s desperate cries for help. I froze for a moment, glanced at the ghost before me, and without hesitation, dashed back. But when I arrived at the fourteenth room, Cao Wen had vanished without a trace. I was utterly stunned. Instinctively, I pressed a talisman onto the floor and searched every other room on the sixteenth floor, but found no sign of Cao Wen, nor of the vengeful ghost.

I stood there dumbfounded and pulled out my phone to call my master. He answered quickly, yawning as he said, “Hello, kid, what—”

Before he could finish, I cut him off anxiously, “Master, something’s wrong. It’s serious.”

Startled, he jumped to his feet and hurriedly asked, “What happened?”

“Uncle Cao… he’s missing. I’m on the sixteenth floor. Please come quickly,” I gasped.

“Alright,” my master replied and rushed out immediately. Still skeptical, I searched the sixteenth floor once more. As I opened one of the rooms, a sudden chill ran down my spine. I spun around and saw a faceless vengeful ghost hovering in the air. Its claw shot toward me. I reacted swiftly but still got scratched along the edge of the claw. I clutched my shoulder as the black fish talisman flew out and charged at the ghost—but in an instant, the ghost vanished from sight. I looked at my hand; blood was seeping from the wound. I pressed a talisman over the cut, releasing a flow of ghost energy. Gritting my teeth, the pain was sharp.

Seconds later, the ghost energy at my wound dissipated. I tossed the talisman aside and was about to turn when a sinister laugh echoed around me. I frowned as a ghostly claw swiped past my side. This time, I was prepared; the pattern on my palm glowed, and I struck out, shattering the claw. But it wasn’t over. More claws appeared behind me, and the black fish swiftly opened its jaws to swallow them. I moved my hand, summoning the Celestial Melody Breaker. The black-and-white twin fish guarded my side as I cautiously surveyed the corridor.

After a moment, the faceless vengeful ghost reappeared before me. Its long hair hung down, dressed in what looked like ancient clothing. Its claws were long and drooped along its sides. It didn’t speak—only laughed incessantly—a laugh that sent chills down my spine. The corridor lights flickered ominously.

Suddenly, amidst the laughter, I heard other sounds—swish, swish, swish. I turned slightly, eyes darting to both sides of the corridor. I was now trapped between two vengeful ghosts. The newly appeared one was also faceless, clearly a doppelgänger of the first. I clenched the Celestial Melody Breaker tightly and faced the ghost on my right, while the twin fish confronted the one on my left. With a fierce roar, the ghosts ceased laughing, lowered their heads, raised their claws toward me, and snarled, “Kill… kill… kill.”

I furrowed my brow as the ghosts kept chanting “kill.” We faced off for a moment without me making a move. The ghosts seemed ready to attack, but suddenly vanished. I raised the Celestial Melody Breaker, prepared for battle. Seconds later, the ghosts reappeared and lunged at me. I swung the weapon horizontally; with a sharp hiss, the ghostly claw was sliced into dissipating spirit energy. The ghost behind me sprang into action; the black-and-white twin fish charged fiercely. This ghost seemed more experienced, engaging the twin fish in a fierce struggle. I tangled with the ghost in front of me. It was crafty, dodging several of my strikes, though I managed to avoid injury.

After several minutes of combat, heavy footsteps approached, and then my master’s voice rang out. A beam of golden light descended, forcing the ghost before me to retreat. The ghost seemed to have achieved its goal. Before I could pursue, both ghosts vanished instantly, leaving only residual ghostly energy swirling in the corridor.

My master hurried to my side and asked, “What happened? Where’s Cao Wen?”

I sheathed the Celestial Melody Breaker and briefly recounted the events. My master frowned and went to inspect the fourteenth room. I followed. His keen eyes immediately spotted something amiss. He knelt where Cao Wen had stood, ran his hand over the floor, and when he lifted it, I noticed a black mark on his fingers. Alarmed, I asked, “Master, what is that?”

He stood and wiped the mark off, saying, “If I’m right, this is ghost powder used exclusively by the Ghost Path.”

“Ghost powder? What’s that? And what is the Ghost Path?” I asked, puzzled.

My master thought for a moment and explained, “Ghost powder is common among the Ghost Path faction. Every member carries it; it can confuse the mind or be used to poison. As for the Ghost Path, despite the name, they’re not spirits from the underworld but rather a group formed by paranormal practitioners. They cultivate ghost arts, and their bodies are similar to ghosts, often enveloped in ghostly energy, and they like to keep minor spirits.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “So what now? Could this be the work of the Ghost Path?”

He shook his head. “Not certain yet, but for now, the Ghost Path is our prime suspect. Let’s head back and figure this out.”

I agreed and followed him back to the room. Once inside and the door closed, my master sat on the bed, and I took a seat beside him. He spoke directly, “Our immediate priority is to find Cao Wen.”

“Where do we start looking?” I asked, frowning.

My master remained silent, lost in thought. After a while, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, help me check if there’s been any Ghost Path activity recently in Beijing. Good. Let me know immediately if you get anything.”

He hung up, and I asked curiously, “Master, who did you call?”

He answered, “His name is Li Xin, the head of the Chongqing Paranormal Intelligence Association. He has access to many underground sources and knows more than we do. He should be able to track Ghost Path movements. Be patient; things are urgent but can’t be rushed.”

I nodded, though my master, despite saying to be patient, paced anxiously around the room. I sat on the bed, waiting. After a moment, his phone suddenly rang. I jumped to my feet as he quickly answered, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the speakerphone button.