Pang Ling finally understood now—only one person had truly had their scalp torn off by the Ghost Combing. Everyone else who witnessed it had torn their own scalps off.
And now, she was facing the same fate.
Her fingers rose uncontrollably, moving toward her scalp. She could even feel them beginning to push through her hair.
If it hadn't been for the Ghost Smoke surrounding her at the start, she might not have lasted this long.
But her Ghost Smoke required smoke as a medium, and with her body out of control, she couldn't release any more.
Just when she was completely at a loss—
Tap. Tap.
A clear pair of footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.
Only two steps sounded before a figure appeared in the room, as if out of thin air.
A black trench coat. A rounded hat. A bloodstained mask.
The moment this figure materialized, he began walking at a calm, steady pace straight toward Li Cheng, who was still combing his scalp.
"Who is this? He's ignoring the rules of Ghost Combing?"
A jolt of shock surged through Pang Ling's heart. "Wait... trench coat, hat, bloodstained mask?"
She suddenly recalled a recently added quasi-S-Tier file in the Ghost Tamer Headquarters database.
"It's the Gentleman! He's the Gentleman!"
Pang Ling practically screamed in her heart. Any new quasi-S-Tier file was treated with utmost caution.
The Gentleman was a terrifying individual who could resist the Drowned Ghost's domain even without his own Ghost Domain and was suspected of controlling four Malevolent Ghosts.
His appearance sparked a glimmer of hope in her heart.
But... could he really resist this bizarre and deadly Ghost Combing?
Chen Xuan, wearing his bloodstained mask, walked right past Pang Ling without so much as a glance.
Because—he hadn't come to save them.
He came because he saw the Ghost Combing's blood-colored comb.
If it could comb off a human scalp, what would happen if it was used on a ghost?
Ghost Combing and Ghost Hair—they might counter each other. Could this help his sister control a second Malevolent Ghost?
But first, he had to deal with the Ghost Combing.
Chen Xuan stopped behind Li Cheng and stared at the bloodied, mutilated back of his head.
There, a grotesque face formed of congealed blood was staring back at him.
And then—
Smack!
Chen Xuan slapped the bloody face.
"Did I say you could look at me?"
His calm voice sent tremors through Pang Ling's chest. If she hadn't been frozen, she might've screamed aloud.
She had seen many powerful Ghost Tamers—but never anyone who slapped a ghost in the face.
Direct contact with a Malevolent Ghost was usually suicide.
But this Gentleman didn't just touch it—he slapped it across the face.
What was he doing? Provoking it?
Impossible. Malevolent Ghosts had no emotions. They couldn't be provoked.
Before her thoughts could settle—
Smack!
Chen Xuan slapped the face again.
"You're still looking?"
Smack!
"Still looking?!"
Smack! Smack!
And just like that, the ghostly face disappeared.
Pang Ling was stunned to find that the oppressive force of the Malevolent Ghost vanished along with it—and her body was hers again.
Before she could speak, she saw Chen Xuan holding the red wooden comb in his gloved hand.
The comb twisted violently, trying to disappear, but something seemed to force it to remain, suppressed by a powerful force.
Thump! Thump!
Behind her, the two soldiers collapsed. They had been unable to withstand the effects of Ghost Combing and had perished.
"Gentleman, thank you for saving my life."
Pang Ling quickly set aside her pride as a captain and bowed with sincere gratitude.
"I didn't come to save you," Chen Xuan replied, glancing at her. "But if you want to repay me, I won't object."
"Huh?"
Pang Ling's heart skipped a beat. When a man saves a woman's life, repayment often means...
Marriage?
She looked at him, still masked. Was he handsome? Young? Could he be an old man with corpse spots underneath his clothes?
After all, most Ghost Tamers had twisted bodies.
"Then... Gentleman, would you be willing..."
As she spoke shyly like a teenage girl, Chen Xuan said plainly, "I need you to take this back and tell Zhong Qing it's suitable for Chen Ruoqing."
"Um—huh?"
She nodded instinctively, then froze.
This is what he meant by repayment?
"What, you thought I meant something else?" Chen Xuan looked at her strangely. "Were you going to offer yourself to me?"
"Ah!" Pang Ling gasped, her cheeks flushing red as she silently cursed herself for being so shameless.
Turns out... it was all in her head.
"N-No, Gentleman, I have a specially-made containment box. I'll complete the mission without fail!"
...
A moment later, Chen Xuan handed over the red ghost comb. Pang Ling sealed it in a golden containment box.
"I'll warn you—if Chen Ruoqing doesn't receive this gift, there'll be consequences."
Leaving those words behind, Chen Xuan vanished into the night before Pang Ling could reply.
By the time he reappeared, he was already back in the former office of the old headmistress.
He glanced at the time—4:00 a.m.
One hour until the Ghost Guard patrol ended.
Chen Xuan thought for a moment and decided to check in.
First weekly check in—maybe it'll surprise me.
[Ding! Check-in complete. Congratulations, Host, you've received—…]
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