Chapter 37: The Arrival of the Pen Spirit

Chapter 37: The Arrival of the Pen Spirit

11:30 PM, at Lu Li's home.

A group of people sat huddled around the coffee table in the living room. The lights were on, and several white candles were placed on the table.

"Young Master Pan, when does our thrilling bachelor night adventure begin?"

Pan Shuai’s mouth twitched slightly. "In five minutes."

"Tch." He hesitated, still feeling uneasy. "Old Lu, are you sure about pulling off so many at once? If these urban legends don't cancel each other out and instead turn on us together, we’re all going to die here tonight."

"It’s fine. Once we pull these so-called spirits in, we’ll do what we did the other day—you know the drill."

Lu Li winked.

Pan Shuai understood immediately. Old Lu meant that, just like yesterday, he would directly interfere with everyone's five senses. Even if something like the Pen Spirit possessed someone present, it would be hindered by that interference. That would give them a way to save anyone affected.

Although he didn't know why Lu Li wanted to keep this hidden from Xing Tian and his group—after all, using his abilities would inevitably reveal that Old Lu was an extraordinary—he didn't ask further. They had that much tacit understanding.

Soon, the clock struck midnight. Lu Li lit the candles, turned off the lights, and returned to the coffee table.

There were nine people sitting around the table. One was eager to try, four were cautious, and four were dismissive. The four who were dismissive were precisely the new companions brought by Xing Tian.

To put it mildly, they were indeed quite cautious at first—even now, they remained so. According to the task prompts they had received, the true difficulty of this instance world didn't lie here, but at the Old Locust Village outside the city, where clues to the truth behind the urban legends were hidden.

This place was supposed to be easy. Moreover, things like the Pen Spirit were a piece of cake to them. As long as they stayed alert, they wouldn't fall for it. Even if they were affected, they could handle it. Therefore, they subconsciously relaxed their vigilance.

Lu Li glanced at them and said, "Liangzi, explain the rules."

"Right." Hao Liang pulled up some data on his laptop and explained to everyone: "The Pen Spirit urban legend is a two-person game. Two people interlace their hands, holding a pen between them, keeping it perpendicular to the table. Keep your hands relaxed, then silently recite, 'Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present life. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper.'"

"You don't need to confirm if the Pen Spirit has arrived, because since this is a forced, passive Pen Spirit game, a pen and paper will appear in the center of the table at 12:05 AM."

"If you refuse to play, the target will be possessed and begin a slaughter. Regardless of whether they kill anyone else, the possessed person will die ten minutes later. Then, the Pen Spirit game will begin searching for the next person."

"If the ritual to send the Pen Spirit away fails, the result is the same."

"If you succeed in sending the Pen Spirit away, the urban legend will enter a dormant state until someone else actively plays the Pen Spirit game correctly again."

"The Pen Spirit in the game will only answer three questions, any questions at all."

Lu Li nodded. "What if the Pen Spirit doesn't know the answer?"

Hao Liang choked for a second, then struggled to phrase his words. "Um... we haven't encountered that yet. After all, people drawn into this urban legend only want to survive or have something they desperately want to know." He glanced at the note by Lu Li's hand. "We haven't encountered anyone asking various math or physics riddles yet. Usually, people like that wouldn't play the Pen Spirit game anyway."

"Well, you have today." Lu Li smiled faintly and even checked his watch. "Why hasn't it come yet?" He was already looking forward to it.

The onlookers: "..."

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Soon, a black ballpoint pen appeared on the coffee table.

Lu Li pulled out a piece of paper, laid it flat on the table, picked up the pen, and looked up at Xing Tian. "Who wants to play with me?"

Pan Shuai wanted to volunteer, but a look from Lu Li stopped him. Xing Tian thought to himself, *I knew it would be me.* He was about to step forward, dejected, when a beautiful woman wearing glasses stopped him.

"Captain, leave this to me." She looked at Lu Li and licked her red lips. This guy was troublesome, and he seemed very familiar with Pan Shuai, the key quest NPC. To avoid complications and successfully infiltrate the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she decided to use an ability she had redeemed in a previous instance to control Lu Li.

Yes, her proudest ability was the Eyes of Charm (Tier 2, Upper). As long as she made eye contact, anyone without a sufficiently strong will would fall under her control, regardless of their combat strength. They would appear normal, but they would act according to her instructions. Even if their willpower was strong enough to resist, they would still suffer a momentary lapse. In a battle between experts, a split second is the difference between life and death.

Xing Tian glanced at her, her information appearing in his mind. This woman was named Sun Xiu, a Zhongtian-level descender. As the saying goes, "There are nine heavens," and the strength levels of descenders were named after them. Sun Xiu was a descender of the first level, the Zhongtian level.

Don't underestimate this level. For descenders, reaching the "Nine Heavens" level meant being one in ten thousand. Many veterans couldn't even reach this level. To compare, Zhongtian was roughly at the level of Tan Jingyao, the "King of Northern Kicks" from the film *Kung Fu Jungle*. While not a match for firearms, they could kill people in a fight; a handful of thugs wouldn't be able to get close, though a dozen or two would be too much.

Xing Tian always preferred quality over quantity. He was at the Xiantian level, so the members he recruited were at least Zhongtian. As for others at the Xiantian level... experts had their own pride; they didn't need to stay in his team.

Xiantian was the level that initially transcended human limits. For example, they might know some Taoist arts combined with external martial arts—roughly equivalent to someone slightly weaker than Uncle Four-Eyes from *Mr. Vampire*—or they might have cultivated internal energy, akin to a third-rate expert in low-martial arts.

But the target was Lu Li, a monster on the level of an instance boss. Xing Tian looked at the disdainful Sun Xiu, then stole a glance at Lu Li’s mocking expression. He decided to play the ostrich and stay silent.

"Sure." Lu Li didn't object.

Lu Li and Sun Xiu sat facing each other on either side of the table, their hands interlaced with the pen held between them. Sun Xiu took off her glasses with her free hand, revealing her deep, mesmerizing eyes. She stared at Lu Li and secretly activated her Eyes of Charm.

Lu Li offered no resistance and was hit instantly. He felt his mind grow hazy, as if he were watching a movie in the first person. But the next moment, a warm current surged through his chest, instantly clearing his mind. He looked up at the startled Sun Xiu and smiled faintly.

"Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present life. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper."

A cold wind suddenly rose inside the room, despite the windows being closed. The candles on the coffee table were extinguished. The room plunged into darkness.

A second later, the flames on the white candles reignited.

Lu Li felt a force controlling the pen in his hands. He could no longer move it. However, he could sense that the pen seemed agitated, as if it wanted to plunge itself into someone's throat the next moment.

He glanced at the woman opposite him, whose face had gone pale with panic, then scanned the others. He pointed his other hand at the paper filled with unsolved mathematical and physical riddles and asked:

"Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, what are the answers to the problems on this paper? Please show the steps."

Lu Li could feel it. The pen, which belonged to the Pen Spirit and was gripped between his and Sun Xiu's interlaced hands... stopped moving entirely.