He caught Feng Ruoxing’s gaze and said to himself, “That dumb dog was right again! He said Feng Ruoxing would be hurt and would definitely ask me that question to my face.”

“Feng Ruoxing seems clever, but she prefers directness. Especially with friends. She’ll risk her life for loyalty.”

“Hiding this from her might not matter to someone with deep intentions, but it will hurt Feng Ruoxing.”

Ye Yang said, “Li Po doesn’t distrust you. On the contrary, he entrusted both our lives to you.”

Seeing Feng Ruoxing’s silence, Ye Yang continued, “After using my illusion, I’ll be incredibly weak. The arrangements I asked you to make were to save my life.”

“With a slight move, you could have left me to the ghosts here.”

Feng Ruoxing’s grip on the steering wheel wavered. Ye Yang continued, “Li Po is the same!”

“He expected fierce resistance on the mountain. His greatest victory would be getting Zhao Yuezhu down safely.”

“If Li Po had any strength left after coming down, he’d have to retrieve the clues I left him and attack the enemy’s base as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he’d have to hide and recover.”

“Whichever path he chose depended on us holding off the ghosts in the printing factory.”

“If we failed, Li Po would most likely be the first to die!”

Ye Yang repeated my words like a parrot, his tone devoid of emotion. Yet, Feng Ruoxing’s eyes reddened. She only said, “Thank you,” before slamming on the gas pedal.

Ye Yang didn’t know what Feng Ruoxing was “thanking” him for; he was focused on the outside.

As the car approached the dirt road in the suburbs Ye Yang had designated, he saw the black-clad woman standing at the crossroads.

She stood in the shadows, only her toes and the ends of her hair visible.

Feng Ruoxing said softly, “We’re two kilometers from our destination. Hold on! I’m going to charge through.”

Feng Ruoxing gripped the steering wheel with one hand and opened the sunroof. She threw a string of copper coins out. As the coins hung on the windshield, Ye Yang suddenly grabbed the string, “Don’t rush! She’s out of range. Keep going!”

Feng Ruoxing floored the accelerator, but the headlights suddenly went out, plunging the car into darkness.

Feng Ruoxing freed a hand and flicked the lights, causing the high beams to flash rapidly, creating a strobe effect.

Ye Yang said grimly, “Speed up! Ignore the woman. Keep driving towards that road.”

The first flash of light revealed the black-clad woman’s silhouette just a few meters away.

The next flash showed the car closer to the woman, who had turned her face slightly. Her profile beneath the dark hair seemed eerily familiar, as if they had seen her before.

“Zhao Yuezhu!” Feng Ruoxing exclaimed, nearly letting off the gas.

“Ignore her! Keep driving!” Ye Yang gripped the string, his eyes fixed on the outside.

As Feng Ruoxing accelerated again, the lights flashed a third time. The woman had turned completely around, pressing her hands against the hood, her face, mostly hidden by hair, lunging towards the windshield.

Her blood-red eyes flashed in their vision, and then the lights went out again. A gust of yin wind seemed to pass through the glass between them.

In an instant, it felt like someone else had entered the car.

Feng Ruoxing tensed, reaching for the dagger at her leg, but Ye Yang shouted, “Ignore her! Keep driving!”

The moment Feng Ruoxing withdrew her hand, Ye Yang’s grip on the string tightened. The copper coins scattered, bursts of yellow light dancing like the rising sun. Ye Yang suddenly yelled, “Turn! Brake!”

Feng Ruoxing didn’t know which way to turn. Ye Yang grabbed the steering wheel, and Feng Ruoxing slammed on the brakes. The car screeched sideways and sped off in another direction.

“That’s the mountain!” Before Feng Ruoxing could finish, the headlights came back on. Two meters ahead of where they had braked was a mountainside. Feng Ruoxing had barely swerved around it.

Before her sweat could dry, she saw the black-clad woman in the rearview mirror.

She didn’t know if the woman hadn’t gotten into the car, or if Feng Ruoxing’s sharp turn had thrown her out. All Feng Ruoxing could see was the blood-red color in her eyes intensifying.

Feng Ruoxing gasped, “That ghost is enraged!”