Chapter 24: The Crimson-Clad Vengeful Spirit

Perhaps hearing the nurses' screams, the security guards patrolling the corridor outside the intensive care unit rushed in like a swarm of bees.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"There... there's a ghost!" Lin Ruoyu pointed toward the ward, trembling.

The guards were bold enough to lean in and take a look. Finding nothing but an old lady lying on the hospital bed, they didn't bother arguing with the two nurses and left after offering a few words of comfort.

The two nurses returned to the station, barely managing to calm down. Around two in the morning, the alarm at the nurses' station went off for beds No. 1 and No. 11. Bed No. 1 was in the section Chu Lingyu was responsible for, while Bed No. 11 was under Lin Ruoyu's care. (One really wishes hospitals provided nurses with roller skates; the two of them hurried toward one ward, and if nothing was wrong, they would slide over to the next.)

Chu Lingyu checked the alarm, paused for a moment, and told Lin Ruoyu to head to Bed No. 1 while she went to Bed No. 11.

Lin Ruoyu reached Bed No. 1, checked it, and found nothing amiss. Puzzled as to why the alarm had sounded, she turned to head to Bed No. 11. When she arrived, she found Chu Lingyu lying on the floor, motionless. The patient in bed No. 11 had passed away as well. (One must admit, this red-clothed ghost was truly vicious; killing one was enough, but she had to go and kill them both. That’s just going too far.)

Hearing this, Liu Jun finally realized that Chu Lingyu might have actually died in Lin Ruoyu’s place. Damn, wait—that means there is a malevolent spirit in red haunting this intensive care unit.

"Fatty, we're in trouble. There’s something even more dangerous here. Follow me, quickly." Liu Jun walked toward the door, but just as he reached for the handle, the door was slammed open with great force, colliding squarely with his nose. As Liu Jun stumbled back, clutching his nose, he heard a sharp female voice cry out:

"Bad guy, eat this needle!" A massive syringe was thrust toward Liu Jun’s face. He could tolerate being poked in the arm or the rear, but his face? How was he supposed to show his face in public after that?

"At that moment, the needle was only 0.01 meters away from me. Although it was incredibly close, I was full of confidence. With the skills I’ve honed over many days of cultivation and my agile speed, surely I could dodge it? What a joke!" Liu Jun thought to himself.

"Tiantian, don't misunderstand! They aren't bad people; they're here to help us. Don't attack!" Lin Ruoyu urged anxiously from behind.

Liu Jun wanted to say, "Miss, next time, could you tell people not to attack first? Put the important part before the explanation of who is good or bad, please?"

***

Liu Jun stared silently at the large syringe stuck in his shoulder. Damn it, he had dodged with his head, but his shoulder hadn't kept up with the rhythm.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I saw you following Ruoyu into the pharmacy room and thought you were bad guys." The little nurse looked apologetic. She had a round face, was quite short, and looked rather cute, though a bit impulsive.

Liu Jun ignored her and rushed out, checking every ward, not even bothering to pull the syringe out of his shoulder. He couldn't pull it out himself anyway, and he might run into the red-clothed spirit at any moment. If he pulled it out now, was he supposed to put on a performance of spraying blood three meters for her? What if she felt good and sent him straight to the underworld?

When he reached ward No. 9, he finally saw the red-clothed spirit. Her clothes were blood-red, and her hair was long—the kind that hadn't been trimmed in at least a year. He couldn't see her face clearly, so Liu Jun didn't charge in. Instead, he started cursing from outside the door, fishing for paper charms as he shouted.

"Listen here, you female ghost inside! You have been surrounded by a Maoshan Taoist! Release the person inside and come out to die immediately. I’ll make sure you die looking decent. If you continue to harm the innocent, beware that I will... not be able to beat you." The reason Liu Jun’s speech took such a turn was that the ghost didn't wait for him to finish his line—she appeared right in front of him. Talk about sudden!

The red-clothed spirit’s face was indeed terrifying; even a makeup artist who had spent years on horror movie sets couldn't have achieved this effect.

The spirit struck Liu Jun in the chest, sending him flying. A quick glance confirmed it: this was a ghost he couldn't defeat.

Liu Jun struggled to get up. After knocking him back, the spirit didn't follow up with a combo; she just stood there, watching him quietly.

"Don't be afraid, you guys. My Brother Liu is very powerful. Watch him summon divine lightning to blast her later!" Fatty confidently comforted the two nurses behind him.

Liu Jun pulled out a Five Thunder Charm and began to chant the incantation.

"Before us is Jesus, behind us is the Queen Mother. Above is the Jade Emperor, below is the Divine Dragon. Mommy Mommy Boom!" Liu Jun brandished the charm, making a move to throw it, which actually made the spirit take a step back. Then, he yelled:

"Fatty, run! Find Mo Li! I, damn it, I forgot the incantation for the Five Thunder Charm!"

"Brother, I knew your spell sounded off! You really are my own brother—I’d even drafted the bragging rights for you, and you pull this stunt?" Fatty complained while running.

***

The red-clothed spirit let out a roar, likely out of sheer embarrassment and rage, and the surrounding resentment grew much denser. She chased after them rapidly. Damn it, this was when he realized the downside of his leg injury—he couldn't run fast. He had no choice but to turn back and fight!

"Fatty, you guys go first! Get Mo Li to come save me!" Liu Jun turned around and threw an ordinary lightning charm at the spirit. You have to wonder why the Five Thunder Charm requires an incantation—why not just throw it like an ordinary one? Wouldn't that be better?

"Brother Liu, hold on! You must persist! Don't worry, the Party and the people will not forget you; you will live in our hearts forever!" Liu Jun thought: *Damn this fat guy. If I survive this, I’m definitely going to beat him up.*

The lightning charm emitted a string of sparks, striking the spirit. However, it wasn't divine lightning, so it didn't have much power.

The spirit was only charred a bit, and her pursuit paused for a split second. Seeing this, Liu Jun thought he had a chance. *Lightning charm, throw! Lightning charm, throw! Lightning charm... out of charms.*

He didn't panic. Since he was out of lightning charms, he still had the Golden Body Charm. Although it might not last ten minutes against a powerful spirit, it would definitely hold for a while.

Protected by the Golden Body Charm, he withstood the spirit's attacks and occasionally landed a blow on her whenever he found an opening. The spirit was truly formidable; his Golden Body Charm could only last two or three minutes under her assault.

Liu Jun's fists were starting to hurt, so he gritted his teeth, pulled the syringe out of his shoulder, and sprayed her with his blood. Whether it was because a Taoist’s blood wasn't pure or because his blood was actually toxic, the ghost started emitting blue smoke. Although she seemed injured by his toxic blood, her attacks became even more ferocious.

Liu Jun continued to cycle through his tactics: activate the Golden Body Charm, jab her with the syringe, activate the Golden Body Charm, jab her with the syringe.

His shoulder was still bleeding, and Liu Jun felt that if Mo Li didn't come to save him soon, he might go meet his ancestors due to blood loss. Golden Body Charm, jab, Golden Body Charm, jab. Golden Charm... *Oh, damn!* A jolt of electricity surged through Liu Jun’s body. How had a lightning charm gotten mixed in with his Golden Body Charm? And why was it stuck to his own body?

This was it; he was going to meet the ancestors. He wondered if, as a Maoshan disciple, he could snag a government post down there. Even at the brink of death, Liu Jun was still letting his mind wander.