The entire restaurant was built on top of the lake. Like a half lotus, the centre of the restaurant was the heart of the lotus, while the walkways on one side twisted and turned to form the lotus petals.
Ji Mingxia was not familiar with the structure of the restaurant and in a calm situation, he could walk slowly without getting lost. But he was running in panic at the moment, and he soon lost his way.
He found himself at a dead end.
Ahead of him was a gazebo situated on the lake. It was convenient for sitting and resting while enjoying the moon and drinking tea.
Having had the experience of falling into the water, there was no way Ji Mingxia could run to a place that was near water.
But if he didn’t go towards the gazebo, he would have to go backwards, and who knows if he would encounter the ghost when he ran backwards.
As Ji Mingxia hesitated, his footsteps unconsciously paused.
Without the sound of his footsteps, the surroundings fell into silence again. At that moment, a very strange sound came from afar.
It sounded like something landing on the ground, and a regular “clack, clack, clack” could be heard almost every two seconds.
The sound seemed to be coming from a distance, and it was slowly approaching Ji Mingxia.
Ji Mingxia’s heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. He clenched his fists, forced himself to calm down, and pricked up his ears to listen carefully.
Soon, Ji Mingxia recognized what the sound was.
It wasn’t the sound of human footsteps.
When a person walks, two feet land one after the other, the sole of the shoes rub against the ground, thus creating a regular footstep sound.
However, what was coming towards Ji Mingxia was the sound of footsteps of only one foot.
“Ta, ta, ta”
The sound was getting closer and closer, as if it was about to walk around the corner and come in front of Ji Mingxia in the next moment.
Ji Mingxia did not have the courage to face the ghost again. He hurriedly glanced around, and finally opened a box and quickly slipped inside.
Although the glass let the light from the street lamp outside in, the box was dimly lit and he could barely see.
The entire box was empty, with no cover other than the dining table and chairs.
“Ta, ta, ta.”
The sound of footsteps had gone around the corner and were coming in Ji Mingxia’s direction.
A minute later, a blurred figure appeared outside the box.
She appeared to be human, with long hair reaching her waist, but the limbs were twisted, and were bluish white in color.
She seemed to see the gazebo at the end of the road, so she did not rush forward. Instead, she walked around the boxes, searching and inspecting them one by one.
Ji Mingxia gritted his teeth and made a decision in his heart.
—-
Yu Ning was standing beside Ji Mingxia when the latter suddenly ran out without saying a word.
Yu Ning’s first reaction was to reach out and hold Ji Mingxia’s wrist.
“Mingxia!” Yu Ning called him, and in the next instant, he suddenly realised that something was wrong.
Yu Ning’s body temperature was much lower than normal because of his physique, and every time he touched Ji Mingxia, he felt that Ji Mingxia’s body was warm.
Yet at this moment, the wrist he was holding in was stiff and cold like a frozen limb and it made Yu Ning’s fingertips freeze.
Ji Mingxia, whose back was turned to Yu Ning, slowly turned around.
He was still wearing Ji Mingxia’s clothes, keeping Ji Mingxia’s hairstyle, yet that face had lost it’s features.
It was as if a smooth piece of flesh had grown on his face, without eyes, nose or lips, facing Yu Ning in silence.
Yu Ning’s hand trembled as he let go of Ji Mingxia’s wrist.
“Yu Ning, what’s wrong?” the faceless Ji Mingxia suddenly asked Yu Ning.
He had no mouth, and his voice was dully transmitted from his body, but it was indeed Ji Mingxia’s voice.
The expression on Yu Ning’s face turned cold as he withdrew his hand and straightened the ring on his finger, “You’re not him.”
“Yu Ning, what are you talking about?” As if he hadn’t heard Yu Ning’s words, the faceless man continued to ask.
As he said this, he also walked towards Yu Ning and stretched out his hand, trying to grab Yu Ning.
Yu Ning took a step back and said coldly, “Don’t speak like him.”
The faceless man paused in his movements, seeming to realise that Yu Ning had indeed seen through his tricks.
The faceless man seemed to laugh softly, and he clapped his hands.
The clapping sounds came out from all directions, followed by countless voices of Ji Mingxia echoing from all directions.
“Yu Ning, Yu Ning ……”
In just a blink of an eye, the corridor was filled with a dense crowd of people, all wearing the same clothes as Ji Mingxia.
All of them were faceless, walking back and forth like zombies and their bodies constantly emitting Ji Mingxia’s voice, calling out Yu Ning’s name.
It was as if there were thousands of Ji Mingxia, who had the same body, the same clothes, and the exact same voice as Ji Mingxia.
Yet when they turned their faces, they were all faceless people without facial features.
The strong visual impact and mental pollution instantly enraged Yu Ning.
The ring in his hand was affected by his emotions and it wriggled uncontrollably, emitting a scarlet glow.
With a slight wave of his arm, the faceless man in front of him, who resembled Ji Mingxia, could be dismembered and extinguished on the spot, just like the faceless man at the spa last time.
Yu Ning’s expression was cold and stern, and the red light on the ring flashed, shining on the faceless man’s face.
But in the end, Yu Ning hesitated and withdrew his hand.
As soon as he withdrew his hand, the faceless man quickened his pace towards him, ready to swallow him up.
Yu Ning gripped the ring tightly and closed his eyes, as if he was resigned to his fate.
Then, he took a slow but determined step, and the faceless man beside him staggered.
The faceless man was startled, and looked back in surprise, as if he could not understand how Yu Ning could walk past him without being caught.
A second faceless man quickly walked over and reached out towards Yu Ning, but once again staggered as he caught air.
The third, the fourth …… each Faceless Man reached his hand out, but failed to catch Yu Ning over and over again.
Yu Ning had closed his eyes, but it was as if he had found a real way out, and he weaved in and out of the countless faceless men.
The corridor was filled with countless figures, and Yu Ning weaved his way through the crowd. Although he was almost caught by the Faceless Men several times, he always managed to avoid it at the last minute.
Five minutes later, Yu Ning, who was moving slowly, seemed to be caught by something all of a sudden. He stopped abruptly and met one of the faceless men who should have staggered before him.
The moment they collided, the faceless man was startled and Yu Ning immediately caught him.
The ring’s red light glittered and glimmered in the darkness.
In the interplay of black and red light, Yu Ning opened his eyes and stared at the Faceless Man in front of him, saying slowly and coldly, “I’ve caught you.”
The Faceless Man was just about to struggle, but with Yu Ning’s words, the ring turned into a red light and drilled into the neck of this Faceless Man.
The red light was like a slender worm, darting under the faceless man’s skin.
The faceless man trembled in pain, the flesh on his face squirming.
Each time it undulated, one Faceless Man disappeared until the aisle became deserted, leaving only Yu Ning and this Faceless Man in it.
The red light was still moving under the Faceless Man’s skin, and a moment later, a sound like the skin being opened up was heard, amplified in the darkness of the night.
The smooth flesh dripped like liquid, and a woman’s face gradually emerged from beneath the faceless man’s skin.
Her eyes were calm, her features graceful and dignified. It was none other than the hotel manager, Tong Jing.
The two times Tong Jing appeared in front of Ji Mingxia and Yu Ning, she was an elegant and soft professional woman, yet at this moment, she had a distorted face that was full of hostility.
Seeing that she could not break free of Yu Ning’s shackles, Tong Jing stared at Yu Ning almost in shock: “How is it possible …… that you can catch me on what grounds?!”
“It’s true that I couldn’t catch you the first time.” Yu Ning said, his hand moved and the ring completely locked Tong Jing’s limbs in place, causing her to fall to the ground and unable to move, “Using the same trick three times is underestimating us too much.”
“My illusion is a refraction of one’s heart, based on one’s fear. You were able to kill the Faceless Man the first time you saw it, and it’s true that these things can’t trap you, but what makes you able to catch me?” Tong Jing did not get the answer she wanted and pursued her question reluctantly.
Under the law of attraction, the more one feared something, the more one could see it.
The entire Quanzhuang was covered with a special energy, and specific people would see their inner fears materialise in the hotel.
The Faceless Man that appeared in the spa that day was the first time that Yu Ning’s inner fear was materialised, yet Yu Ning’s first reaction was not to run away in fear, but to face his fear head on.
The dismemberment of the Faceless Man meant that he had shattered his inner fears.
Tong Jing had long guessed that these things could not defeat Yu Ning, and she moved her target to Ji Mingxia. She was here at Yu Ning’s side because Yu Ning looked harder to deal with than Ji Mingxia.
Her intention was just to delay Yu Ning and prevent him from having a chance to save Ji Mingxia.
As a result, Yu Ning was not blinded by the Faceless Man for long, and he even caught her, who was hiding behind the scenes.
If Yu Ning had special abilities, it would be fine. But he only relied on a ring to defeat her! Such a thing was simply unheard of, and Tong Jing was unwilling to admit it.
“You knew it was not Lu Youzi stirring up trouble, meaning you have long suspected that there is another mysterious item… have long suspected me. Did you deliberately look for me in the crowd?” Tong Jing reflected on the process of her defeat and murmured a guess.
But even after guessing the process, Tong Jing was still resigned: “You have no abilities except for your special physique, and even that ring on your hand is incomplete …… just by virtue of your…..”
The more she said, the more irritated she became and she struggled once again.
Yu Ning stood aside and looked at Tong Jing coldly, seemingly not worried that Tong Jing could break free.
He was so sure of himself that it made Tong Jing become more and more frightened. The red light flickered over her body and the ring completely locked her in place. Tong Jing eventually fell to the ground in a twisted heap, like a worm bound by the red light and there was absolutely no room to break free.
After confirming that she was no match for Yu Ning, Tong Jing instantly panicked.
She had always hid behind illusions and eaten people, never having been captured before. Today’s failure was something she had never anticipated.
She had underestimated Yu Ning and Ji Mingxia, so she had not made any preparations to retreat, not expecting to get caught red handed.
After being caught, she had completely lost all her advantages.
Yu Ning stood by without saying a word, watching her struggle and roar with cold eyes.
Seeing that it was hopeless to break free, Tong Jing gradually calmed down. She was at least the head of the hotel and had dealt with many emergencies, and what she was best at, negotiating.
Thinking of this, Tong Jing couldn’t help but take the initiative to speak up, “You’re lucky that you were able to catch me. Although I don’t want to admit it, luck is indeed a form of strength.
“Since you were able to catch me, you know what I am. It’s not that easy to get me to be of use for you.”
