Chapter 83 - 83 Eighty-three

Words : 1418 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

83: Eighty-three. Commission concluded. 83: Eighty-three. Commission concluded. Thump thump thump— Lu Li took steps up the staircase, all the way to the second floor. At the farthest reach of the oil lamp’s light, the ghost’s face, which seemed to smile but not quite, appeared again at the edge. It once again deliberately waited for Lu Li to catch up, just as Lu Li had drawn it into the room. It watched Lu Li indifferently for a moment, then turned and scuttled away. Rustle rustle— This time Lu Li did not choose to immediately follow, he stood at the top of the stairs, pondering slightly. “Woof!” The bark drew Lu Li’s attention. Lu Li tilted his head, looking towards the dark corridor from where the sound originated. A greyish, semi-transparent golden retriever stood on the edge of the light. “Woof!” After barking at Lu Li, it turned into the darkness, then looked back at Lu Li. “Want to lead me somewhere? Lead the way.” The same as luring Lu Li, the result was completely the opposite. The spirit of the dog and the humanoid spider ghost were not comparable. Rustle rustle— Just a few steps behind the spirit of the golden retriever, the sound of something crawling came from behind. Lu Li turned his head, the oil lamp spilling light behind him, and the spider ghost appeared at the edge of the light. This time it got quite close, with most of its body emerging from the darkness, revealing a gunshot wound on its abdomen with continually bubbling blood blisters. “Whimper—” The golden retriever bared its fangs, crouched low like a wolf, and let out a series of low growls. The spider ghost’s eyes fixed on the man and dog for several seconds before slowly retreating back into the darkness. The golden retriever returned to its normal demeanor, leading Lu Li through the corridor and directly into a half-open doorway. As they reached the door, Lu Li paused slightly. Light entering from behind only revealed half of the study. Inside the study was very likely its owners—the owners who had already passed away. Lu Li pushed the door open and entered the study, two pairs of legs appearing within the range of the oil lamp, and as he approached, they transformed into three pairs. A family of three’s bodies sat against the wall, a little girl seated in the middle, they huddled together, their flesh pale with decay under the white light. “It’s beyond saving.” Lu Li looked at the spirit of the golden retriever lying at their feet and, after a short silence, lightly shook his head. To ordinary people, ghosts and talismans were completely incomprehensible. There were no weapons to fight them, not even a way to guard against them. Only after suffering enough terror or attack could one be on guard and attempt to escape. Lu Li thought of something, then walked to the golden retriever’s side. “Lead me to it.” The golden retriever was smart enough to know Lu Li’s intent and stood up, running towards the door. Following it along the corridor for about ten meters, suddenly, three shadows appeared ahead. Like the spider ghost encountered before, they were pitch-black and skeletal, only their outlines distinguishing them as the family of three. The spirit of the golden retriever saw them too, whimpered, and ran over, wagging its tail and circling around the three ghostly figures. Rustle rustle— The sound of crawling suddenly came from behind, the spider ghost spirit lay on the stairs leading to the first floor, quietly watching Lu Li. Having found the target, Lu Li gave a silent glance towards the silent family of three, turned and followed, and the spider ghost took off running. Lu Li chased it down the stairs, running back through the corridor he had previously passed. When passing the piano room, Lu Li stopped in his tracks. The spider ghost was no longer in his line of sight. Had he lost it? Lu Li frowned, and suddenly the sound of crawling appeared behind him; before he could turn around, a tremendous force pushed him, slamming him against the wall— The expected collision didn’t occur, and after a blur before his eyes, Lu Li staggered to a stand. Lu Li stood in the corridor while the crashing sounds were coming from inside a room. He had returned to the real world. Lu Li turned his head, and a black silhouette on the wall was rapidly retreating, its limbs sprawling on the ground in an unmistakably distinctive manner. Spider ghost... was it bringing him out of the Soul Attracting Formation? Was it naturally benevolent, or was the real killer of the family of three another spirit... Lu Li did not know. Halting his thoughts, Lu Li walked into the piano room. Hades, with his back towards Lu Li, was holding a piece of wood that could be found anywhere and was scraping off the talisman on the wall. “You’re back!?” Anna, floating in midair, was the first to notice Lu Li’s return and she shouted in surprise. Hades turned around in confusion and jumped in shock, “When did you... How did you get out!?” “The ghost let me go,” Lu Li replied. “What...?” Hades still maintained his stance against the wall, puzzled. Lu Li walked to the piano, picked up the cooled coffee, and drank it in one gulp, “I don’t understand it either.” “Are they very weak?” Hades hypothesized a possibility. “I only encountered one of them, the family of three didn’t target me.” “Really...” Hades sighed, unsure of how to interpret this. “Anyway, come on over and help, we’re now destroying the talisman. Hmm... but the talisman is too large and it will take us a long time... perhaps several hours.” “There’s no need for that, I have a way,” Lu Li said, looking towards the door. Hades wasn’t surprised, Lu Li had learned about talismans, so knowing how to deal with them was not strange. Lu Li left the room and Hades dropped the wood and followed Lu Li upstairs. Entering the study, Lu Li walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a book, flipping through it casually. Could the solution to the talisman be in this book? Then he saw Lu Li lift the windscreen off the oil lamp and tilted the flame to ignite the book. Hades nodded slightly; if the book was the focal point of the formation, burning it was indeed more efficient and convenient than tearing it. The corner of the book that described species caught fire, and Lu Li held it as he returned it to its place on the shelf. The gradually rising flames illuminated Lu Li’s face. The flickering light and shadow made his complexion appear grim and unsettled, but his eyes remained calm throughout. Hades had a moment of epiphany and suddenly realized. “Are you actually thinking of setting a fire!?” Lu Li turned his head, his expression calm, “Can you think of a more convenient way to destroy all the talismans.” The entire book burst into flames, the fire several dozen centimeters high spreading to nearby books and other areas. The houses on Oak Street were spaced about ten meters apart, with two or three-meter-high walls in between, so the fire was unlikely to spread to the other side, at most just blackening the outer walls. Hades had no response; indeed, this was the most time and effort-saving method. However, Lu Li’s approach really made him... “I’m glad you joined the Exorcists and not some terrible profession.” With a sarcastic squint, Hades sighed as he looked at the fire spreading to the surrounding bookshelves, “Weren’t we here to perform an exorcism, why are we burning down the house” Lu Li stopped worrying about the burning bookshelves and left the study. He went to other rooms and repeated the same trick, igniting curtains, firewood, clothing, and other flammable items, and he and Hades retreated back to the courtyard. By then, the fire was big enough, with flames rising from the first and second floors and smoke billowing into the sky. “Someone will call the fire department, let’s go.” Lu Li, who had been gazing up at the house, withdrew his gaze and headed for the main entrance. Behind him, the flames quietly devoured everything. The talismans, traces, and the three bodies huddled together.

Chapter 83 - 83 Eighty-three

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