"Ordinary people cannot undo the seal, because doing so would require paying an unimaginable price."
"What kind of price?" Li Tongtian asked.
"Human lives." Master Du Mo looked at us and murmured, "To prevent Han Qianqian from resurrecting and wreaking havoc upon the world again, I placed an extremely terrifying seal on her. It is called the Nine Deaths Seal."
"In other words, anyone who touches the object bearing the seal will be killed. With each death, the seal weakens. This also means that once nine people have died, the tenth person will be able to undo the seal."
"Therefore, the seal can only be undone if nine people willingly sacrifice their lives."
Li Tongtian and I sucked in a cold breath. We never imagined that such terrifying dark magic could exist in this world.
And this terrifying dark magic had actually been cast by a monk.
Master Du Mo seemed to have seen through our thoughts. He uttered a Buddhist invocation, looked at us, and said coldly, "Such an evil technique naturally goes against the laws of Heaven and harms others. But when used for the righteous path, it can also subdue demons and exorcise evil."
"Once Han Qianqian is released, more than just nine people will die. I believe you should know how terrifying she is."
I nodded, then asked in confusion, "So, in order to undo Han Qianqian's seal, at least nine people have already died? That's too strange."
"Yes. If the people before them might have died by accidentally touching it, then what caused the people later on to die?" Li Tongtian murmured.
"From what Wang Qunze said just now, the Female Corpse possesses some mysterious power that can attract others. But from what I have seen, she does not possess such an ability," Master Du Mo suddenly said.
His words left both Li Tongtian and me utterly shocked. We exchanged glances.
I looked at him and asked, "Master, what do you mean?"
"This is a scheme. Someone wants to release Han Qianqian. For that purpose, he is willing to sacrifice the lives of nine people. As for Wang Qunze, he is merely a pitiful man who happened to escape," Master Du Mo said.
"That's terrifying," I exclaimed, my eyes filled with fear.
Who exactly had released Han Qianqian, letting this fierce ghost out into the world?
In the face of such a disaster, both Li Tongtian and I seemed to be nothing more than pieces on the chessboard, trapped in this scheme.
"Someone is helping Han Qianqian, but what does he want? And why can't Han Qianqian leave the school grounds?" Li Tongtian asked two questions in succession.
"No one knows what he wants. As for why Han Qianqian cannot leave this place..." Master Du Mo glanced at us, then turned his gaze toward the school. "This is a place of great ill fortune. I once urged the Principal to move the school elsewhere, because there is a cemetery beneath this place, and it is also an uncanny feng shui formation. The gathering yin energy has made this place extremely terrifying."
"But the Principal did not listen to me. They only moved away after the incident occurred. Since Han Qianqian died here, she cannot leave this place even after transforming into a Fierce Ghost. Therefore, she can only wander here, killing everyone who enters."
"Then does she really have no chance of leaving?" I asked on a sudden impulse.
Master Du Mo looked deeply at me before saying, "Of course not. If things truly reach that point, then run. The farther away, the better."
"Why?" Li Tongtian asked.
"Because by then, she will truly have no restraints. Whoever she wants to kill will have to die. She will become a soul-reaping messenger walking through this world." After saying that, Master Du Mo turned and left.
I was deeply shaken. The thing I had feared most all along might actually happen.
Han Qianqian was terrifying. No matter what means we used, we could not kill her, while she could easily kill every one of us.
But the reason we had been able to escape from her was that she could not leave the school grounds. All we had to do was escape the Abandoned School.
But if she could move freely without being restricted by the area, then no one would truly be able to deal with her.
Li Tongtian had thought of this as well. His arm trembled as he looked at me and said, "No matter what, we must prevent this from happening!"
I nodded emphatically, but we had no way to do so at present. We could only place our hopes in Master Du Mo.
For the next few days, Master Du Mo stayed in the Abandoned School while the construction team prepared for the demolition. Everything was developing in a positive direction.
Lan Lele did not come looking for me during this time, and I had no idea what she was doing.
The only thing I continued investigating was Li Yang.
The investigation into this rich young master was easy. He was the Principal's son, and after graduating from university that year, he had come here to work as a Gym Teacher. Many of the school's beauties had slept with him, including some of the female teachers.
Although his reputation was terrible, his background meant that no one at school dared provoke him. Supposedly, he also had connections with people in the underworld.
I had never taken a scumbag like him seriously. But one thing continued to bother me.
Why would someone like Master Du Mo get involved with them?
Lying across the desk, I chatted intermittently with Wu Yong. He looked at me and said, "Boss, you really don't care about your grades anymore."
"It doesn't matter. I have money anyway," I said listlessly.
"That's true, but where did your money come from?" Wu Yong asked curiously.
I shot him a cold look and said impatiently, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Let's discuss what we're eating tonight instead."
Wu Yong soon gave an awkward laugh and began discussing where we should go to have fun that evening.
With nothing to do these days, I took him out for lavish meals and squandered money. The amounts we spent filled the surrounding students with envy. But only I knew that the more I squandered, the closer I was to death.
Yet this also left me puzzled. Had this money in my hands come from Han Qianqian? Why would she hunt us down while also giving the survivors monetary rewards? It was simply too strange.
Although there were still many things I did not understand, after experiencing so much, I had instead become calm. I only thought about how to escape Han Qianqian's endless pursuit.
At noon, I met with Li Tongtian and the others as usual in a private room. When Lan Lele saw me, her eyes lit up. She grabbed my arm and said, "Hey! Liang Fan, tell me how things are going!"
"What else could happen? With Master Du Mo in the Abandoned School, everything has been peaceful these past few days." I rolled my eyes at her.
"Oh, that's much better. I feel relieved with that handsome monk there." Lan Lele shook her head, her eyes sly as she looked at me. "How have things been lately?"
"It's nothing special. I'm merely clinging to life," I said indifferently.
Before you continue