At this moment, Elder Peach stared coldly at Howard Zhou outside the cell.
"Master Zhiqing, have you made up your mind?"
Howard Zhou glared wickedly at Zachary Justice inside the cell. Only those who had just witnessed Zachary Justice's use of the illusion spell knew that it was actually a straw man; everyone else simply saw Zachary Justice sitting there, calm and composed.
The cell door opened, and two constables entered, holding batons.
"Master Zhiqing, I've heard you're a man of integrity, that physical suffering means little to you. But for your two disciples, it may be a different story."
As Howard Zhou spoke, he signaled with his eyes, and the two constables stepped forward.
"I dare you, you fat pig! Try laying a finger on me and I'll cast a spell to take your life tonight. And you two, you're just a pair of lackeys!"
Zhang Anle cursed, then quickly bit his finger and drew a ghostly talisman on his palm. It looked convincing, but Elder Peach saw through it immediately—it was fake.
"Come on, try me! Tonight you'll regret it. We're nothing like those charlatans—you'll see what real skill looks like."
Sure enough, the two constables hesitated. Zhang Anle walked over, and when the constables saw the talisman in his palm, they immediately left and locked the cell door. Howard Zhou, sweating profusely, shuddered and couldn't help but glance over—it was Lenny Lee, whose eyes were terrifying, staring at Howard Zhou like a ghost.
"Howard Zhou, let me tell you the truth: I cursed your son to death. You always called me a fake Taoist, but you should know—I’ve hated you for years. Soon, I’ll be dead, and when I am, I’ll come for you. I’ll peel off your skin, break your bones, and eat your flesh."
In that instant, Lenny Lee grew agitated and began to cough violently, spitting out mouthfuls of black blood. He laughed maniacally, pointing at everyone around him.
"You too! I’ll kill every last one of you—every single one! You pack of conniving bastards! Hahaha..."
"Master Lee, don’t get upset."
Elder Peach called out immediately, sensing the chilling aura emanating from Lenny Lee. The angrier he got, the stronger the backlash became. If he kept this up, he wouldn’t last seven days.
Howard Zhou and his men slunk away, and the two constables guarding the cell didn’t dare stay either—they could feel the air turn frigid when Lenny Lee laughed.
After a while, Lenny Lee fell asleep, tended by his disciple. Elder Peach handed over a purple talisman for Lenny Lee’s disciple to keep, then drew protective symbols on the chests of Zachary Justice’s two disciples as well, to shield them from the chilling aura radiating from Lenny Lee.
The days passed one after another. By the third day, Lenny Lee’s complexion had turned bluish and signs of decay appeared, his whole body reeking of rot.
No one dared enter the cell anymore. The prisoners complained bitterly, terrified by the bizarre and horrifying scene. The jailers only delivered food and water through the skylight, not daring to set foot inside.
"Haha, I bet that bastard Howard Zhou is scared out of his wits by now!"
Zhang Anle laughed heartily, while Zhang Wuju beside him grinned. Elder Peach kept checking on Lenny Lee’s condition.
When a curse is used as a spell, the summoned ghost is special—it’s powered by the curse itself, making it difficult to deal with. And since this is a contract between Lenny Lee and the ghost, any outside interference would only hasten Lenny Lee’s death. His body is frail, his foundation weak—so weak that not even a deity could save him. Yet Elder Peach still held onto hope; Zachary Justice, the man who always kept his word, would never abandon Lenny Lee.
By the fifth day, Lenny Lee was unrecognizable—his cheeks had completely rotted, thick fluid dripped constantly, and fangs had sprouted from his mouth.
Things were getting worse and worse.
"Master Lee, please keep your mind clear. Think often of the woman you lost—don’t ever forget her."
Lenny Lee’s human presence was almost gone. Elder Peach shouted, and Lenny Lee opened his eyes, turning his head slightly, his mouth split wide, eyes filled with sorrow. Zhang Anle and Zhang Wuju kept watching the window, worried—Zachary Justice still hadn’t returned. Had something happened to him?
"What do we do? Master still isn’t back."
Zhang Anle asked, but Elder Peach just shook his head—he didn’t know what to say. All they could do was wait. The chilling aura was making most of the prisoners sick. After Elder Peach repeatedly called for help, constables finally came and took all the prisoners out, leaving only five people in the cell.
"Master Lee, you must hang on!"
By afternoon, Lenny Lee was already babbling incoherently. He probably wouldn’t last the night. Zachary Justice still hadn’t arrived, and Elder Peach’s hope was fading fast. The corruption was spreading so quickly—Lenny Lee had resisted it for a whole year, never turning into a ghost, but now, in just four days, he was almost completely transformed. Soon, he would become a malevolent spirit.
"I... I don’t think I’m going to make it."
Lenny Lee spoke in a low voice, his eyes turning lifeless and dull. He was nearly gone.
Elder Peach lowered his head in silence and shook it sadly.
"When you turn into a ghost, let me—"
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Elder Peach spoke, and Lenny Lee nodded, giving a miserable smile.
Just then, Zhang Wuju leaned against the bars and shouted.
"Don’t die, Master Lee! That young lady once told you, didn’t she? You promised her—you’d meet her at the Bridge of Sighs. If you turn into a ghost, you won’t be able to cross, and you’ll never see her again. Master Lee, hold on!"
Zhang Anle quickly chimed in.
"That’s right, just think—if you end up like this, when that young lady waiting for you sees you, she’ll probably die of fright! She must be a real beauty!"
Elder Peach stared in shock at Zachary Justice’s two disciples, who kept trying to encourage Lenny Lee. He was deeply moved, even though he knew their words shouldn’t have had any effect.
But at that moment, Lenny Lee nodded and smiled. His fading consciousness returned.
Clap, clap, clap.
Just then, the sound of clapping was followed by footsteps. Elder Peach immediately stood up and looked over—a man wearing a green mask appeared, with Howard Zhou following behind.
"Who are you? Are you with the Immortality Society?"
The masked man looked surprised, then bowed, clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.
"Mr. Elder Peach, one of the Nine Daoist Scions—it’s an honor to meet you. I am Wang Degui of the Immortality Society."
Howard Zhou pinched his nose, staring fearfully at Lenny Lee.
Elder Peach watched the masked man warily, hiding one hand behind his back as he began forming a spell.
"You’re the ones helping Howard Zhou from the shadows, aren’t you? I’ve seen it before—Howard Zhou’s brow has been blackened for ages, but he always manages to escape danger. It’s because of your interference, isn’t it? You bastards."
The masked man burst into laughter, while Howard Zhou trembled behind him.
"Master Wang, you have to save me, I..."
"Did I say you could speak?"
Howard Zhou dropped to his knees in terror, shaking and clearly wanting to flee.
"Still, I do remember all the service you’ve done for the Immortality Society over the years."
Howard Zhou nodded repeatedly.
"So, Master Wang, can I become one of you?"
The masked man smiled, then turned to face Elder Peach.
"All right, the Immortality Society’s selection begins now. As for that one over there, we’ve been watching him for a long time—he’s excellent material, perfect for something special."
As he spoke, the masked man looked at the dying Lenny Lee.
"What exactly have you done?"
Zhang Wuju shouted. The masked man glanced at him with disdain, then placed a hand on Howard Zhou’s shoulder as he stood up.
"Nothing much. Over the years, the Immortality Society has recruited many talented people from this place—all thanks to him."
"What do you mean?"
Elder Peach asked coldly, having finished forming several seals. He was ready to attack or defend at a moment’s notice.
"What do you think motivates people the most?"
Elder Peach shook his head, sensing the overwhelming aura of the masked man—far beyond his ability to handle.
"Sadness and anger. People driven by these emotions often do the most extreme things. For years, Howard Zhou has helped us create endless grief and rage. Many of those people have passed our trials and become members of the Immortality Society. Not a bad strategy, right?"
As the masked man spoke, Howard Zhou quietly began edging away, ready to bolt at any moment.
"As for Lenny Lee over there, we determined from birth that he’d make an ideal substitute for a certain master. So we need him—and the tragedy Howard Zhou orchestrated was perfect, wasn’t it?"
"You bastards!"
Zhang Wuju, overwhelmed with emotion, rushed forward, but Elder Peach held him back forcefully.
"Hey, Lenny Lee, did you know? Your fiancée suffered terribly at Howard Zhou’s hands. He was merciless—he tortured her, beat her to death. You must have seen how horrific it was."
Howard Zhou let out a cry and bolted.
"Master Wang, wasn’t it all your orders?"
"Heh, I only told you to create tragedy. You’re the one who did all this, aren’t you?"
With a thunderous howl, Lenny Lee suddenly floated up, bursting through the cell bars and instantly swooping past the masked man, reaching out for Howard Zhou.
"I want your life..."