Chapter 57: Jin Yuan Is a Puppet

When I saw Jin Yuan’s face, it wasn’t just me— even Liu Sui, that stoic, muscle-bound figure who usually wears an expressionless mask, showed a look of shock on his typically indifferent face.

Jin Yuan—the one standing before me in that black dress—was indeed Jin Yuan. I confirmed it once more before I finally snapped back to reality.

“What’s going on? Why is Jin Yuan dressed like that?” I asked Liu Sui in confusion.

At that moment, Jin Yuan’s eyes were tightly shut; he had completely lost consciousness. Liu Sui snapped back to awareness after I asked and said, “He’s been implanted with puppet magic, controlled like a puppet by someone.”

Liu Sui held Jin Yuan firmly and stood up. “It must be Jin Yuan’s appearance that alerted that person. They’re using him to test us. That person has to be nearby.”

Jin Yuan’s head had been struck with a rod earlier and then hit with a beer bottle. Blood was now continuously oozing from his wounds, and as Liu Sui cradled Jin Yuan’s head, the blood soaked Liu Sui’s clothes.

Liu Sui didn’t care. His gaze darkened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “This person has really pushed me over the edge.”

Liu Sui wasn’t joking—I could tell he was genuinely angry. This surprised me because he usually remained indifferent to everything, yet today, over Jin Yuan’s situation, he had lost his composure. Could there be some hidden story behind all this?

Seeing this, I said to Liu Sui, “Do whatever you want. I’ll watch Jin Yuan and make sure nothing happens to him.”

I had to seize this opportunity. It was usually nearly impossible to get Liu Sui to help me. Now that he was burning with rage, why not fan the flames and get him to eliminate that ghost master for me? It might be a bit ruthless, but I had no other choice.

Upon hearing my words, Liu Sui glanced back at me and gave a heavy nod.

He then pulled out the small knife from his body again, one hand still supporting Jin Yuan’s head. I noticed something strange—at the wound site on Jin Yuan’s head, a few blades of grass had begun to sprout. As the grass grew rapidly, the blood around the wounds seemed to vanish, as if absorbed by the grass.

The blood-soaked grass grew even more wildly and quickly.

But just as the grass was growing frantically, Liu Sui swung his knife down, slicing the grass at the wound’s root.

Then an even stranger scene unfolded.

The blades of grass, as if alive, trembled violently in Liu Sui’s hand as he severed them.

Liu Sui paid no mind. He quickly crushed the grass into a ball and held it in his palm, his lips moving rapidly in incantation. Suddenly, he flung his hand open, and the grass had disappeared—replaced by a ball of blue flames.

As Liu Sui released the flames, they floated upward into the sky. Fixating on the blue fire, he said, “He’s got about a dozen hours left. You take him back to school; I’m leaving now.”

I replied with a quick “Okay,” and Liu Sui followed the blue flames, running swiftly. The sky was already darkening; fewer people were on the streets. Liu Sui ran farther and farther, eventually vanishing into the night.

After Liu Sui disappeared completely, I flagged down a taxi and headed back to school with Jin Yuan. On the way, I kept thinking about that blue flame—what was it? Could it have been the grass sprouted from Jin Yuan’s wound transformed? Although I didn’t know for sure, I guessed the flame was guiding Liu Sui to the ghost master’s location.

Still, I worried—was Liu Sui in danger?

I comforted myself inwardly: Liu Sui was full of secrets and already seemed incredibly powerful in my eyes. He was probably even stronger than I imagined. He would be fine.

With that thought, the car finally pulled up at the school gate. I called Li Xiang and Hu Tou, who were both stunned when they saw Jin Yuan. Suspicion and fear showed clearly on their faces.

“Jin Yuan? Damn it, Li Xi, is he even human or a ghost?” Li Xiang hesitated from a distance, unwilling to come closer.

I scolded him, “Ghost my ass. Even if he were a ghost, what’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t he help you before?”

Li Xiang, stung by my words, rolled up his sleeves. “Yeah, even if he’s a ghost, we’re brothers. Hu Tou, what are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

Actually, Hu Tou had already started moving toward me but stopped when Li Xiang called out. Hu Tou gave Li Xiang a sharp retort, “Li Xiang, are your eyes crooked or what?”

Li Xiang scratched his head and then came over to me. Together, the three of us struggled to carry Jin Yuan back to the dormitory. Jin Yuan’s bed was still there, untouched. During his disappearance, some had tried to remove his bed, but I had driven them away.

We pulled out Jin Yuan’s bed—it remained just as it had been.

Everyone knew students, especially boys, could be lazy. His quilt still bulged in the shape of a person, but thankfully, there was no foul smell.

At this moment, Hu Tou was carrying Jin Yuan on his back while Li Xiang directed them from the side. Watching them, I felt a wave of helplessness.

Pulling my attention back, my worry deepened. Would Jin Yuan survive until morning? Although Liu Sui said he had a little over ten hours left, Jin Yuan had just taken a beating on the street—there was no guarantee he would make it.

After putting Jin Yuan down, Hu Tou and Li Xiang approached me, both with puzzled expressions.

“Li Xi, what exactly is going on with Jin Yuan? You have to tell us immediately,” Li Xiang insisted.

His question only made me more agitated. “Enough. We’ll talk tomorrow. Jin Yuan’s in danger now—just let me have some peace.”

I meant it earnestly. Li Xiang and Hu Tou understood and stepped back.

I sat on the bed, heart burning with anxiety. What if Jin Yuan didn’t make it through the night? Or if Liu Sui didn’t return tomorrow?

I inwardly regretted not calming Liu Sui down earlier, telling him not to rush after the ghost master but to focus on saving Jin Yuan first. Now, it was too late.

No, I couldn’t rely on others anymore—I had to rely on myself. There was little record of witchcraft in the “Ghost Arts” book. Now, I could only seek help from the old man by the lake.

I called him, and his voice came through the line. I quickly explained everything about Jin Yuan. After listening, he sighed heavily.

“Didn’t expect that fellow would actually come after you. Holding such a grudge against a junior like that—what a despicable man.”

I pressed, “Is there any way to slow the spread of the witchcraft on him?”

The old man said, “Don’t rush. Just feed him boy’s urine—that will at least keep him alive for three more days.”

I felt a flicker of hope. Hanging up, I hurried to the bathroom and peed. Then, I fed the urine to Jin Yuan. Almost immediately, the grass growing on Jin Yuan slowed down, and some of it withered and died.

I breathed a sigh of relief, sweat pouring down my forehead.

That night, I fell asleep filled with unease.

But the next morning, when I woke up—Jin Yuan was gone.

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