120: The Death of Robert

"Interesting, a reenactment." A faint smile played on Ming Xuan's lips as she slowly backed up, leaning against the wall.

With a "creak," the door opened.

The man seemed completely oblivious to Ming Xuan's presence. With a dazed expression, he stumbled down the hallway.

As he passed by her, Ming Xuan turned her head to steal a glance.

She saw a distinct red mark around the man's neck and the faint words on the envelope in his hand.

Among them, the words "Suicide Note" were clearly visible.

When the man reached a certain door at the end of the hallway, he suddenly stopped, crouched down, and slid the envelope under the door.

Almost the instant the envelope was placed under the door, a fair and slender hand reached out quickly, grabbed it, and pulled it inside.

This hand looked like a woman's.

At the same moment, a mysterious surge of resentment quietly emerged on the second floor, and an unsettling atmosphere began to spread.

Ming Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to observe this man who was bent on death.

Meanwhile, she sent out a portion of her spiritual sense to quietly slip into that room filled with resentment.

But the man seemed completely unaware of the change in the surrounding atmosphere and soon turned around.

Still in that dazed state, he slowly walked back toward his room with uneven steps.

"This man..."

"This face... he looks like... that male teacher who hanged himself?"

Ming Xuan murmured softly, her voice carrying a hint of doubt.

At that moment, You Lin stepped through the wall and patted Sister Xuan's shoulder, saying, "Fast, right? Eleven minutes and seventeen seconds for over a hundred small fry."

Ming Xuan ignored him, continuing to silently watch Robert pass by her.

She noticed that Robert's face was filled with exhaustion and struggle.

His sunken eye sockets and heavy dark circles proved that his mental state was extremely poor, and his eyes seemed to lack focus.

[Strange... Compared to the evil ghosts I've encountered before, Robert's spirit is a bit—too human. Could it be...]

"Sister Xuan, something's wrong with him. It's rare to see a spirit with such heavy resentment still maintain its sanity," You Lin said, rubbing his chin with a look of curiosity.

"'The Book of Rites: Record on Education'—teaching and nurturing people brings immeasurable merit. Didn't you see that speck of merit on his fingertip?" Ming Xuan rolled her eyes.

"Sister Xuan, it's only as big as the eye of a needle. How sharp are your eyes? It's practically negligible." You Lin widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Tsk, don't forget that hundreds of years ago, This Old Lady was the top embroiderer of Su Embroidery." Ming Xuan raised her chin proudly.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I heard Sister Xuan's mandarin duck bellybands used to be the most lifelike."

"Hehehe... when will you let me admire Sister Xuan's work?" You Lin said with a wicked grin.

Ming Xuan shot him a sharp glare and stomped hard on You Lin's leather shoe.

"Ouch!" You Lin cried out in pain, hopping around as he clutched his right foot. "Don't step on my Chelseas! I just bought them for 1,299 pounds!"

"Shut up. No one will think you're a mute if you don't speak," Ming Xuan glared at him.

"Oh!" You Lin quickly shut his mouth, not daring to make another sound, though his mind continued to chatter incessantly.

[Hmph! Don't think this handsome guy doesn't know that when you were pursuing Dr. Ling Xi, you secretly embroidered several bellybands for her!!!]

[Seeing that there was no hope, you switched targets to her cousin.]

[Exactly, it must be as I thought. Her being with Ling Yao is definitely a 'stand-in trope.']

[Eh! Another piece of gossip. A ghost's life is truly as lonely as snow!]

...Robert returned to the room, wrapped a nylon rope around the chandelier fixture, and tied a slipknot at the end large enough to fit a head and a half.

Then, he stepped onto a chair and stared silently at the loop.

Suddenly, a crisp notification sound rang out—"Ding!"

Robert pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the message panel, only to be met with a string of insults.

[Get lost! A half-breed doesn't deserve to be a teacher.]

[Scumbag who tried to assault a student.]

[You arsehole!]

...He lowered his head and chuckled bitterly, his gaze falling on the few ropes on the floor that had snapped due to poor quality.

"Does no one believe me?"

"Helen, my fiancée, do even you not believe me?"

Robert numbly repeated the actions of his final suicide by hanging... [Sigh! What a pity.]

[I've watched long enough. Before the scene finishes playing out, I'll take him down!]

Ming Xuan shifted her feet, turning her body slightly until she was facing Robert's back.

She gripped the soul locking chain tightly, her gaze locked onto his back, not daring to relax for a second.

An invisible aura rose quietly from her fingertips, flowing slowly along the chain.

Finally, it gathered at the tip of the chain, leaping like a transparent flame full of vitality.

With a "whoosh," the soul locking chain sliced through the air and struck Robert's back like a bolt of lightning.

Accompanied by a dull explosion, the spiritual power within the chain burst forth, forming a ring of dazzling white light.

This powerful surge of spiritual energy nearly tore Robert's body in two, bringing his steps to a sudden halt.

As the spiritual power entered his body, Robert turned around as if waking from a dream, seemingly only now realizing the presence of Ming Xuan and You Lin.

The dazed expression on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a ferocious visage.

But this ferocity seemed somewhat hollow because of the massive hole in his chest.

At that moment, after the sudden burst of resentment, it began to rapidly recede, like a deflated basketball that could no longer bounce.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." A rain of arrows descended like a sudden storm.

You Lin gave Robert no chance to catch his breath. Within a few short seconds, he pulled the trigger of the Xuanji Crossbow repeatedly.

Robert, still in the middle of the hanging motion on the chair, looked as if his body were being torn apart by a dozen fierce beasts.

In an instant, he shattered into pieces, turning into clusters of shimmering light that dispersed like fireworks.

Simultaneously, another wisp of resentment drifted from Robert's body and was quickly drawn into the ghost messenger token, greedily swallowed and purified into pure spiritual power in an instant.

The entire process was over in just a few seconds.

"Sister Xuan, the ghost messenger token the BOSS gave you is so useful! It can attack, defend, and even purify resentment!"

"Of course. A top-tier artifact has to have some powerful functions!"

Having dealt with Robert, Ming Xuan and You Lin turned to look toward the end of the hallway.

"It seems... the real evil spirits are just beginning..." Ming Xuan murmured to herself.