Chapter Fifteen: Man Pursues Ghost

“If nothing unexpected happens, your lives from this moment on will be under my control. Any who dare break the law or stir up chaos—”

Two flashes of silver crossed in the air, and blood burst forth. The two condemned prisoners who had just been entangled with Mu You collapsed to the ground at the sound.

“No mercy for the killers!”

The voice was as cold and ruthless as the wind atop a snow-capped mountain, cutting through the crowd's ears and chilling them to the bone.

Mu You’s palms began to sweat again. It seemed that from now on, in this condemned men’s paradise, he would have to tread with absolute caution, stepping carefully around every minefield. Otherwise, there would be no chance for regret.

Fortunately, this man called Zuo Canglang was, at least, a person who distinguished clearly between love and hate—a small blessing amidst the misfortune.

At that moment, Mu You suddenly felt a surge of longing; the sensation was all too familiar—wasn’t this the same feeling he’d experienced when devouring spiritual entities before?

He saw, beneath Zuo Canglang’s foot, the bodies of the dead, and from each corpse, two identical souls slowly rose, looking blankly around. One of them fixed its gaze on Mu You.

He stood ramrod straight, motionless, yet the sensation of longing only intensified. The souls would not linger long—if he didn’t act, it would soon be too late.

Come here, come closer.

Mu You’s whole body tensed as he cried inwardly, desperate to draw the souls’ attention.

A miracle occurred, perhaps because Mu You had devoured so many spiritual entities that his own soul was far stronger than an ordinary one. The two condemned souls seemed to sense something, moving through Zuo Canglang and heading toward him.

Faster, faster! Mu You saw the souls already beginning to fade. At that moment, Zuo Canglang, with his back to Mu You, was pacing to the other end—an opportunity not to be missed.

Ten steps… five steps… three steps…

The condemned souls continued their unhurried approach. Just then, Zuo Canglang reached the end, stopped, and was about to turn back. In a flash, Mu You darted from the group, seized the two souls in one swift motion, and, under the astonished, bewildered stares of the other prisoners, stuffed them into his mouth, sending the soul energy toward the place of Final Judgment.

To his delight, the place of Final Judgment suddenly emitted a suction force, drawing the souls in completely.

“Big brother… I need more—at least twenty more souls, and I’ll be able to speak,” came the weary voice of Mo You. But Mu You, hearing the voice of his kin at last, could not help but feel excited.

“All right, leave it to your big brother.”

“Thank you, brother,” Mo You replied sweetly, her voice fading away.

At that moment, a prisoner pushed a cart toward them, loaded with over a thousand mechanical electronic watches.

“I hope, after tonight’s game of ‘Manhunt,’ I’ll still see you all tomorrow. The time is from eleven o’clock to one in the morning. Those who have made mistakes this week and must receive ‘extra punishment’ are to arrive half an hour early. Now, take your electronic watches; everything you wish to know is inside, provided your point value is sufficient.”

With those words, and at Zuo Canglang’s signal, the prisoner began distributing the watches.

Mu You noticed the back of the man’s prison uniform was torn, revealing a hint of sakura-patterned markings—so familiar! Suddenly, he remembered: weren’t those the marks formed by Dongguan’s blood?

The prisoner saw Mu You looking at him and smiled kindly as he pushed the cart over. Just as he was about to speak, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled forward, the cart crashing toward Mu You, who couldn’t dodge in time. Both were knocked to the ground.

“Sorry, pal, my bad.”

The prisoner scrambled to his feet, quickly helped Mu You up, and gathered the scattered items back into Mu You’s backpack, returning it to him.

“It’s nothing,” Mu You replied, though his chest ached from the blow.

The prisoner picked up a dropped watch and handed one to Mu You, apologizing repeatedly before turning to leave.

“Wait.”

Zuo Canglang’s voice rang out.

The prisoner, thinking someone else was being called, continued walking without turning his head.

“Stand still!” The command was laced with cold menace.

The prisoner froze, then turned around apologetically.

“Sorry, Chief Warden. Our block A received two extra watches. I was in a rush to return them and didn’t hear your order.”

Zuo Canglang ignored the explanation, slowly drawing his sword and lifting the prisoner’s chin with the tip, pressing forward until the man’s face turned ashen with fear—yet he seemed not to know what he’d done wrong.

“Hand over what you just hid.”

“What!?” The prisoner was taken aback, thoroughly confused.

“Hand. It. Over,” Zuo Canglang repeated, the blade inching closer until a drop of blood trickled down the prisoner’s neck.

The man began to tremble, casting a pleading look at Mu You.

Mu You caught sight of the numbers on the man’s chest: A13–57—one of his own floor.

Should he intercede? But to win hearts at the cost of offending those in power?

Mu You hesitated for a moment, but Zuo Canglang didn’t wait; his sword came down without mercy.

A scream echoed as the prisoner collapsed into a pool of blood, gasping in agony—but not dead.

“The scent of fresh blood—I can smell it! Don’t move, I’m coming!” came a woman’s voice from the distance.

A wave of commotion swept through the crowd as the doors crashed open and Dongguan strode in, swift as lightning. She slit her finger and let the blood drip onto the prisoner’s gaping wound; as the sakura-feathered patterns shimmered, a white smoke rose from the wound, and the bleeding began to slow.

Mu You’s eyes widened. The sakura-feathered markings, wrought from transformed blood, not only radiated intense heat but also possessed healing powers—it was almost reminiscent of the phoenix’s rebirth from the ashes.

Throughout, Dongguan kept glancing at Zuo Canglang. Unlike her usual playful and unruly manner, now she seemed as shy as a demure maiden, her face flushed to the neck.

When she saw the wound on Mu You’s face, the blush deepened and sweat beaded on her skin. Afraid of losing composure in front of Zuo Canglang, she quickly stole a kiss on Mu You’s cheek, then hefted the injured prisoner onto her thin shoulders and dashed away.

So swift was her departure that Mu You was taken aback, though the other prisoners seemed well accustomed to Dongguan’s sudden appearances and disappearances.

So, the woman Dongguan claimed to love was actually Zuo Canglang.

But why did her body seem so defenseless against him? Could it be that, after the body modification, the so-called Meridian Soulworm inside him had a powerful attraction to hers?

Yet, why did he feel nothing himself?

On the way back to cell zero, Mu You pondered the question. The other condemned men from the thirteen floors followed in silence. Zuo Canglang’s leniency toward him, Dongguan’s ambiguous attentions, and Mu You’s own identity and demonstrated strength had already won over the majority—no one dared walk ahead of him now.

He Jing, deliberately picking up his pace, drew away from the others and followed close behind Mu You with an air of pride. Only when Mu You had entered the ‘dangerous condemned cell’—a symbol of status—did the others unlock their own doors and begin preparing for tonight’s ‘Manhunt.’

Carefully avoiding the bandaged lounge chair, Mu You sprawled on the bed, limbs outstretched. His temples throbbed faintly, and he pressed them hard before glancing at the electronic watch on his wrist.

Interest piqued, he immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, eager to explore.