Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 99 - 19: Who is the Evil Spirit After All?

Chapter 99: Chapter 19: Who is the Evil Spirit After All?

Do malevolent spirits feel pain?

Logically speaking, a person subjected to a blood sacrifice should have already abandoned their physical body, transforming their spirit and consciousness into pure life energy, meaning from the moment the ritual is complete, the physical laws of this world can no longer restrain them.

Malevolent spirits do not get hurt, nor do they feel pain.

At least, when the people confined in the Ghost Prison set up the blood sacrifice array, they firmly believed it would grant them unparalleled strength, helping them transcend all worldly constraints, and truly obtain the power to contend with the Extraterrestrials...with those eleven mechanical beings that descended from the heavens.

Because of this, it had been waiting for the seal to loosen, waiting for the day it could leave the Ghost Prison.

By then, Strange Gates and Devious Techniques would once again descend upon the world.

However...

Before its grand aspiration could be realized, it was first flattened by a "Defense Against Evil Spirits" teacher who had come out of nowhere.

Its head was pressed firmly against the dry ground, and its unwilling blood-red pupils were fixed on Duan Mingyuan, and as it contemplated retaliation, it was shocked to realize that its life energy, dreaded by the academy and the people of the world, had fallen into a state of obstruction, and all of its trickery seemed to be impossible in the presence of the other party.

"According to my assessment, you are an unstable element,"

Duan Mingyuan said.

This was an unavoidable outcome. He had originally wanted to create a harmonious and friendly atmosphere, to reach an agreement over a pleasant dinner.

Dinners and wines often seal most deals, yet the malevolent spirit in the cabin was not only stubborn but also full of aggression in its speech.

However...

Since resigning from his job, Duan Mingyuan had felt that he was becoming more and more irritable.

Or rather, it could be said that his way of doing things had become too much freer than when he was in the company, gradually returning to the style of his high school days.

"Therefore, I can only offer you two choices, to become an assistant for the ’Defense Against Evil Spirits’ class, or to be utterly annihilated."

There was a point Jiuyue did not get wrong.

While mourning for the deceased, one must never waste.

This malevolent spirit’s memory contained a vast amount of knowledge about Tricky Art, "Even if you are not willing to live on as an assistant, I can promise you that, after your death, your knowledge will be properly utilized, and both the teachers and students of the academy will remember your outstanding contributions."

But compared to practically demonstrating through barriers in class, the monotonous instillation of knowledge would be much more boring.

Duan Mingyuan and the malevolent spirit locked eyes, and he had always offered respect to those on the verge of death.

Following Mr. Lu San, he had encountered another person who might lay the foundation for the evolution of modern life sciences.

"Tell me your name, and I will record it in the library,"

"Chen Chou."

The malevolent spirit replied subconsciously.

Obviously, that was not his real name. He found a surname in all his fragmented memories, and the name "Chou" was a constant reminder to himself to remember the shame of his defeat and the hatred for being robbed of everything by the Extraterrestrials, regardless of how many years he had been locked up in the Ghost Prison, and regardless of how the outside world had changed.

"Mr. Chen Chou, I’ve got it. Now, please, be on your way—"

"Wait a minute!"

Chen Chou cried out in haste, "Why be so hasty, young man? We can still talk about the assistantship!"

Insight into human emotions was his innate ability, and he hadn’t sensed anger or hostility from Duan Mingyuan’s tone. The "Defense Against Evil Spirits" teacher, who had come out of nowhere, was serious about everything he said, out of rational thought.

It also meant that Duan Mingyuan was planning to get rid of him very calmly!

What exactly was going on with this man?

Why would someone be ready to kill upon first meeting?

Who exactly is the malevolent spirit?

Too many questions emerged in Chen Chou’s mind, and he knew very well that if he didn’t try to do something, Duan Mingyuan would act to kill him.

"You’ve changed your mind?"

The hand pressing Chen Chou’s face loosened, and the moment he broke free, Chen Chou turned into a whiff of black smoke and swiftly darted into the cabin.

The doors and windows were also shut, and shortly after, his angry reprimands came from inside, "Mo Song, you little brat, what exactly have you done with the academy’s seal? How could it just be ripped apart so casually? It’s very dangerous!"

A shoddy piece of work!

It almost cost this centenarian his life!

Faced with Chen Chou’s accusations, Mo Song could only remain silent; in fact, at the moment Duan Mingyuan tore down the seal, his mind had gone completely blank.

Logically, the seal was personally applied by the four founders of the Book Academy, and it was reinforced by the successive deans over the years; it definitely wasn’t something that could simply be torn off.

Mo Song had convinced himself that Duan Mingyuan was either provoked by an evil spirit’s tactic or bewitched. When the door to the cabin was suddenly pushed open, Mo Song was even ready to become the eternal sinner of the Book Academy—if the evil spirit broke through the seal, there was no need to wait for the Imperial Court to barge into the academy; the teachers and students inside would be drained of their life energy first.

But what had he just seen?

The seemingly invincible being, created by the Blood Sacrifice Ritual, was beaten up right in front of him, and then, like a child who had been beaten up by delinquents on the way home from school, complained about the significant safety hazard near the school.

Damn!

This "Evil Spirit Defense Class" teacher could actually fight so well!

Finally, Mo Song sorted out his thoughts.

This young man wasn’t crazy at all; he logically felt that even if he released Chen Chou from the Ghost Prison, he could still bring the opponent down at any time.

Chen Chou knew nothing about Duan Mingyuan, but Mo Song detected the deeper meaning in Duan Mingyuan’s words—if the evil spirit was unwilling to cooperate, he would use his Ability to drill into Chen Chou’s brain and forcibly dig out everything it knew.

The only problem was...

Was that something a good person would do?

Duan Mingyuan didn’t want the conversation to go off track and interrupted, saying, "Since you’ve had a change of heart, let’s talk about the assistant’s position."

"What’s in it for me if I agree?"

The sound of gnawing on chicken legs echoed once more in the cabin as Chen Chou vented his dissatisfaction on the lucky marinated chicken he picked up from the ground.

After being beaten and threatened by a thug, he hadn’t endured such humiliation in hundreds of years; it would be a total loss if he ended up without a taste of the chicken.

"This lucky marinated chicken is precisely from Madam Jiuyue’s hands; she has a lot of insight into cooking. If you’re interested in drinks and meals, we can prepare them for you every day."

"You really don’t think much of people, do you?"

Did he look like the kind of person that could be bought off with such small favors?

"I know you want to leave the Ghost Prison to seek revenge on the Extraterrestrials, so let’s make a bet," Duan Mingyuan proposed.

"What bet?"

"If you can defeat me in a Barrier duel, I will let you down the mountain."

"Are you serious?"

Chen Chou was intrigued.

Although he had just suffered a beating, it could be attributed to the suddenness of the attack, and he was not prepared for combat.

Ambushes do not make one a hero.

If both sides were to face off and duke it out within a Barrier, the outcome was still uncertain!

"Indeed," Duan Mingyuan said. "With your current strength, you’re not yet able to contend with the company."

Though the Life Energy Instrument could not measure Chen Chou’s exact strength, judging by the energy level, he was on par with Jiuyue, which meant he was no match for Long Branch.

"What do you know?"

"The eleven armored Extraterrestrials that once descended upon this world."

Upon hearing this, there was dead silence inside the cabin.

Even the sound of gnawing on chicken legs stopped.

Duan Mingyuan knew that to ensure Chen Chou would wholeheartedly be a good assistant, substantial rewards could greatly motivate him, and taking revenge on the Extraterrestrials was a top priority for Chen Chou.

Chen Chou possessed the memories from that era; the terror of Long Branch had taken deep root in his heart.

"...You know them?" Chen Chou asked after a long while.

"Although your current strength is not enough to stand against them, if you serve well as an assistant, perhaps I could find a way to help you advance further."

"Kid, who exactly are you?" Chen Chou asked. Mo Song also looked towards Duan Mingyuan, harboring the same question in his mind.

"The teacher of the ’Evil Spirit Defense Class.’"