Chapter 19 Let Me Teach You

Ji Linmo’s expression stiffened instantly.

He had already done as the note instructed—lighting the candle—so why did the ghostly bride still want to touch him again?

Or perhaps, “hugging” didn’t count as violating “bodily and spiritual purity,” which made the candle ineffective?

“Is it that you dislike hugging me?”

In the darkness, the ghostly bride gazed at Ji Linmo, the upturned corners of his lips still holding a gentle smile. Though he smiled, those bright, clear eyes radiated a chilling murderous intent.

[System prompt: You have angered the other party. Please take immediate action to avoid death!]

The room was so silent it felt lifeless, the air frozen in place.

“I don’t dislike it,” Ji Linmo replied. Facing the bride in full ceremonial attire, he obediently opened his arms.

“Because I would never refuse any of your requests.”

[Kind reminder]

[1. Tonight is your wedding night; be sure not to go against your beloved’s wishes.]

He could not refuse the ghostly bride.

But he dared not truly comply either.

After all, each physical contact felt like plunging into an ice cellar—he might die in the bride’s embrace at any moment.

He had to think of a way out...

Ji Linmo desperately recalled the rules written on the note.

Yet nothing came to mind.

He was about to embrace the ghostly bride. Ji Linmo gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

Bang! Bang bang bang!

Suddenly, a frantic knocking erupted.

He feigned surprise and glanced toward the hallway.

“I’ll... go check outside?”

The ghostly bride pursed her lips in displeasure but finally nodded her assent.

Ji Linmo seized the opportunity and quickly left the bedroom, heading for the main door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each violent pound, rust flaked off the old iron door, drifting down in the darkness.

Through the peephole, Ji Linmo could only make out a blurry shadow.

“It’s me... Ji Linmo... please, open the door...”

A weak voice drifted in from outside.

It was Zhang Lanlan’s voice.

Ji Linmo didn’t reply. He rested his hand on the doorknob, quietly observing.

Outside, the shadow shifted.

Moonlight spilled through the cracks in the corridor wall, illuminating the girl’s deathly pale cheeks.

She hugged her arms, drenched as if she’d just crawled from some watery abyss, and looked utterly disheveled.

“Please, Ji Linmo, I helped you before... that note, it was me... if I hadn’t helped you...”

As if she knew he was listening behind the door, Zhang Lanlan whimpered softly, crying with genuine grievance.

Watching her tears fall like pear blossoms, Ji Linmo’s eyes darkened.

“Drop the act...”

“No matter how well you disguise yourself, you forgot—Zhang Lanlan has plenty of moles on her face. Yours is too smooth and lovely, like a beauty filter.”

The crying outside stopped abruptly.

A faint, resentful muttering was all that remained.

“Get lost. Someone else is here; I don’t have time to play with you.”

Ji Linmo had already figured out who was outside the door. He spoke coldly, then turned to leave.

Clack, clack!

The person outside gripped the doorknob, shaking it violently.

Already corroded and on its last legs, the doorknob screeched shrilly, nearly coming loose from the frame.

“Tch.”

If the iron doorknob fell onto the tiles, it might alert the ghostly bride inside. Ji Linmo quickly grabbed the handle.

Suddenly, a plume of black smoke rose from the doorknob.

The cold metal felt as though it melted, exuding a sticky fluid that glued his right hand firmly in place, impossible to pull free.

[Doorknob Glue]

[Item Quality: Intermediate (C-grade)]

[Description: A sub-item from the C-grade instance “Adhesive World,” it allows the doorknob to secrete extremely sticky glue.]

[Note: The glue secreted is controlled by the user. It may seem useless, but don’t underestimate it... or perhaps, it really is just that useless.]

Rip!

The handle twisted downward, dragging Ji Linmo’s hand with it.

Someone on the other side was controlling the glue, forcing Ji Linmo to open the door himself!

To think this thing actually came in handy...

Ji Linmo’s brows rose in surprise.

In the next instant, an iron-hard baseball bat swung wide, smashing straight toward his nose.

“Damn it, Ji Linmo! If you saw through the act, why not say so earlier? Made me pretend for so long!”

His hand still glued to the doorknob, Ji Linmo could only duck quickly.

Ji Linmo’s senses far surpassed the average person’s. He pinpointed his opponent’s position and swept his leg in a perfect arc, tripping Liu Bi—the first to charge in—so that he landed flat on his back, legs in the air.

“Ugh!”

In the cold moonlight, Liu Bi’s odd short skirt shimmered with a pink fluorescence.

A fluorescent pink miniskirt?

Ji Linmo didn’t have time to be surprised. With a flick of his left wrist, a dark purple whip materialized in his grip.

“Seal his movements! Go for his hands! Use everything I told you—don’t be stingy with your items! Bring them all out!”

“A top-tier player from an S-grade instance is no match for one alone. Let’s take him together! Whatever we get, we split!”

A fishing net came down over Ji Linmo’s head.

The instant it touched his body, the net shrank tightly, pinning him fast.

“The whip is mine!” Wang Dazhi impatiently pinned Ji Linmo’s left hand, stomped on the whip to prevent him from wielding it, and then tried with all his might to snatch the lightning whip from Ji Linmo’s grasp.

“Liu Bi, what are you waiting for? Don’t chicken out! You still haven’t gotten your revenge!” Zhu Jun moved behind Ji Linmo, locking his arms around his neck and shouting at Liu Bi, who was still on the floor.

With his right hand stuck to the doorknob, Ji Linmo was trapped in the doorway’s corner, held tightly by the two men, unable to move.

“You’re all really courting death.”

Even so, Ji Linmo showed no sign of panic; his expression only grew frostier.

“I might even consider leaving your corpses intact.”

Clang!

Previously, Ji Linmo had avoided making noise for fear of alerting the ghostly bride. But now, that didn’t matter. He slammed his elbow hard into the iron door. With a deafening crash, the doorknob broke off.

Freeing his right hand, Ji Linmo bent low, grabbed Zhu Jun’s shoulder, and yanked him forward. His taller stature left Zhu Jun’s feet dangling—suspended off the ground.

For a split second, Zhu Jun’s grip loosened.

Ji Linmo, quick as lightning, bent and slammed backward into the wall.

Serving as a human cushion, Zhu Jun was rammed repeatedly until he went limp and released his hold.

“Zhu Jun!”

Wang Dazhi panicked as the tide turned. Fortunately, he’d already gotten hold of the whip, so he lunged straight at Ji Linmo.

“So this is how you swing a whip?”

Ji Linmo laughed, deftly dodging the crackling whip as he strode confidently toward Wang Dazhi, lightning dancing around him.