Eee~ eee~ yaa~ yaa~
An eerie and sinister operatic voice faintly emerged from the pitch-black stairwell.
The sound brimmed with haunting resentment, chilling anyone who heard it to the bone.
"It's... it's coming, it's here..."
Wang Xiaoqiang trembled in terror, desperately hiding behind Hu Zi.
Hu Zi and Lu Fei exchanged glances, their hands instinctively tightening around their broadswords.
"I'll investigate."
Lu Fei signaled to Hu Zi with his eyes, gripping his datewood staff as he stepped outside.
The stairwell was claustrophobically narrow.
The flashlight beam revealed only stained walls plastered with flyers.
The haunting opera voice echoed through the corridors, yet the phantom costume remained unseen.
Where was the sound coming from?
Lu Fei cautiously scanned the surroundings as Xiao Hei tiptoed to his feet, sniffing the air like a thief on high alert.
Hiding behind Hu Zi, Wang Xiaoqiang felt the operatic voice drawing terrifyingly closer.
Suddenly.
He saw a white water sleeve silently descend from above the door frame, like a snake peering out its head.
"Yes, yes..."
His eyes filled with terror, mouth agape, yet his tongue seemed knotted as he desperately gestured at Hu Zi.
"What are you panicking for... Holy crap!"
Seeing this, Hu Zi was instantly horrified and rushed forward.
"Boss, above!"
The water sleeve had already drooped to the top of Lu Fei's head.
Lu Fei reacted swiftly, immediately channeling protective magic while striking upward with his jujube wood staff.
The water sleeve slithered away, clinging to the wall as it retreated into the room.
Poof!
The lights abruptly extinguished.
The entire room plunged into darkness.
"Holy shit!" Hu Zi wildly swung his ghost-head blade several times through the air.
The room was eerily silent, punctuated only by his thunderous heartbeat.
Fortunately, Lu Fei promptly lit the Gongde Zhan lamp.
A dim yellow glow permeated the space.
"Boss!" Hu Zi urgently scanned the room and noticed Wang Xiaoqiang frozen behind him, "Xiaoqiang, what's wrong? Scared stiff..."
"Hu Zi, something's wrong with him!" Lu Fei beckoned to Hu Zi.
Hu Zi's face paled as an icy chill crawled up his spine. He dashed two steps to Lu Fei's side and turned – his scalp instantly prickled.
Under the murky yellow light.
Wang Xiaoqiang stood with his back to them, his fingers forming the orchid gesture, clad in that white opera costume.
"It's possessed him!"
Hu Zi swallowed hard.
"Boss, what should we do?"
"Stay calm. Let's see what it wants first," Lu Fei replied with composure.
The two men remained still, observing Wang Xiaoqiang intently.
Wang Xiaoqiang twisted his orchid-shaped fingers and began moving gently, turning around slowly like a woman.
His skirt fluttered slightly though his feet didn't shift, as if gliding over - utterly eerie.
Lu Fei suddenly remembered.
This was called Ghost Steps.
An exceptionally difficult technique in opera performance.
Performers wear specially crafted miniature shoes and take tiny steps, keeping knees and upper body completely still to mimic a ghost's floating movement.
Naturally, this gait was used when portraying ghosts.
Hence the name Ghost Steps.
"Eighteen years of rigorous training... Tomorrow I finally debut on stage. I mustn't slack even on this final night..."
After delivering this monologue with grotesque orchid gestures, Wang Xiaoqiang swung his water sleeves and resumed caterwauling in operatic tones.
His performance radiated earnestness, every gesture oozing feminine grace, yet his voice remained utterly unbearable.
Comparing him to a rooster singing opera would insult roosters.
His raspy, broken voice strained to mimic operatic falsetto.
The moment the sounds emerged, both Lu Fei and Hu Zi shuddered, while even Xiao Hei covered his ears with paws.
After singing for a while, Wang Xiaoqiang himself seemed dissatisfied. He cleared his throat and started over.
After repeating this process many times, he stopped. Deep confusion and sorrow emerged from beneath his heavily painted face.
'Why can't I sing well? The performance is tomorrow... If I go onstage like this, I might as well die... What use is this wretched tongue of mine...'
His eyes turned cold. With a resentful flick of his water sleeves, he unexpectedly produced scissors and moved to cut out his own tongue.
'Hu Zi, now!'
We couldn't just stand by and watch.
Lu Fei and Hu Zi immediately rushed forward.
Hu Zi launched a flying kick towards Wang Xiaoqiang's hand.
Wang Xiaoqiang's body drifted backward as if boneless, evading Hu Zi with impossible grace.
The water sleeves coiled up Hu Zi's thighs like icy serpents.
Hu Zi recoiled in shock, hastily swinging his blade to slash at them.
The sleeves fluttered up, instantly entangling his wrists.
Fortunately, Lu Fei struck simultaneously. His date wood staff crackled with electrical sparks as it swung towards Wang Xiaoqiang.
Fear flashed across Wang Xiaoqiang's face. The sleeves retracted with a hiss as his body floated upward, sticking to the wall like a gecko while glaring venomously at them.
'Twelve years of day and night practice... all for this moment on stage! Why stop me? Do you want to steal my role?'
A piercing wail tore from Wang Xiaoqiang's throat. Twin trails of bloody tears streaked through his face paint as a water sleeve suddenly lashed out, rapidly elongating as it spiraled along the walls.
Soon, the entire room became cocooned in layer upon layer of fabric.
The massive silken cocoon now trapped both Lu Fei and Hu Zi within.
'Vile wretches! Let's see you steal roles after I cut out your tongues!'
Accompanied by this savage roar, the other water sleeve came whipping towards them, scissors glinting in its grasp.
"Boss, be careful!"
Hu Zi swiftly swung the Guitou Blade, intercepting the scissors.
The scissors radiated a sinister aura, each strike aimed at Hu Zi's vital points. Fortunately, the Guitou Blade was no ordinary weapon, and Hu Zi defended himself cautiously.
The two clashed fiercely, their weapons clanging incessantly.
Lu Fei raised the oil lamp.
He glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang hovering above and hurled the jujube wood stick toward him.
A bolt of lightning shot forth.
Though wary of the lightning's power, Wang Xiaoqiang effortlessly dodged with a swift drift.
The lightning struck empty air and vanished.
"Damn it!"
Hatred burned fiercer in Wang Xiaoqiang's eyes. The massive cocoon woven from water sleeves around them quivered, as if something monstrous sought to emerge.
A dense, chilling aura rippled outward.
"Preparing your ultimate move, eh?"
Who would let it unleash such a thing?
Lu Fei placed the oil lamp in front of Xiao Hei, instructing the little one to guard the flame, while he retrieved a cloth doll from his backpack.
Gripping the doll, he locked eyes with Wang Xiaoqiang and focused his intent.
His figure vanished abruptly.
The next moment, he materialized beside Wang Xiaoqiang.
Before the ghost could react, Lu Fei struck its forehead with the wooden staff.
Boom!
Wang Xiaoqiang's body trembled violently as he let out a piercing scream.
The two water sleeves abruptly retracted.
In an instant.
The cocoon vanished, the scissors clattered to the ground, and the white opera robe swiftly floated toward the doorway.
Immediately after.
Lu Fei and Wang Xiaoqiang landed on the floor in succession.
Lu Fei maintained his balance.
But Wang Xiaoqiang crashed directly onto the wooden bed, snapping its frame.
Fortunately, the building wasn't tall enough for the fall to be fatal.
The impact jolted Wang Xiaoqiang back to consciousness, his body curling into a fetal position as he emitted grating moans of pain.
Lu Fei paid him no heed, hurling the black umbrella out the door.
"Little Umbrella, chase!"