The entire restaurant is built on the lake. From the sky, it looks like a half lotus. The lotus heart is the center of the restaurant, and the winding walkways on the side form lotus petals.
Ji Mingxia was not familiar with the structure of the restaurant. If he was calm, he would walk slowly so as not to get lost. But at this moment, he was so tense that he jogged and soon lost his way.
He found himself in a blind corner.
In front is a pavilion on the lake, where you can sit and rest while enjoying the moon and drinking tea.
With the experience of falling into the water last time, Ji Mingxia naturally would not run to a place near the water.
But he couldn't go towards the pavilion, so he could only go backwards. No one knew whether he ran into the ghost when he was running back.
When Ji Mingxia hesitated, his steps stopped unconsciously.
There was no echo of his footsteps, and the surroundings fell into silence again. At this moment, a very strange sound came from far away.
It was as if something fell on the ground, making a regular "thump, thump" sound, about once every two seconds, and it was moving towards Ji Mingxia little by little from a far distance.
Ji Mingxia's heartbeat quickened unconsciously. He clenched his fists, forced himself to calm down, and pricked up his ears to listen carefully.
Soon, Ji Mingxia recognized what the sound was.
It turned out to be the sound of human footsteps.
When people walk, their feet land one after the other, and the soles of their shoes rub against the ground, thus forming a regular sound of footsteps.
However, at this moment, there was only the sound of one foot approaching Ji Mingxia.
"Tick, tick, tick."
The sound was getting closer and closer, as if it would turn the corner and appear in front of Ji Mingxia in an instant.
Ji Mingxia didn't have the courage to face the ghost again. He glanced around hurriedly, and finally opened a private room and quickly slipped in.
The glass in the box let in the light from the street lamp outside the window. Although it was dim, I could still see things through it.
The entire box was empty, with nothing to cover the room except the dining table and chairs.
"Tick, tick, tick."
The footsteps had already turned the corner and were heading towards Ji Mingxia.
A minute later, a blurry figure appeared outside the box.
She looked neither human nor human, with long hair reaching her waist and twisted, pale limbs.
She seemed to have arrived at the pavilion at the end of the road, so she was in no hurry to move forward, but slowly paced around the boxes, searching and examining each one.
Seeing this, Ji Mingxia gritted his teeth and made a decision in his heart.
Yu Ning stood beside Ji Mingxia and looked around carefully. Suddenly, Ji Mingxia ran out without saying a word, as if he had encountered something.
Yu Ning's first reaction was to reach out and grab Ji Mingxia's wrist.
"Ming Xia!" Yu Ning said, and in a flash, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Because of his physical condition, Yu Ning's body temperature is much lower than that of normal people. Every time he touches Ji Mingxia, he feels that Ji Mingxia's body is warm.
However, at this moment, the wrist he held in his hand was stiff and cold, like a frozen limb, freezing Yu Ning's fingertips.
Ji Mingxia, with his back to Yu Ning, slowly turned around.
He was still wearing Ji Mingxia's clothes and had the same hairstyle, but his face had lost all its facial features.
It was like a smooth piece of meat growing on the face, without eyes, nose, or lips, facing Yu Ning in silence.
Yu Ning's body trembled, and he let go of Ji Mingxia's wrist.
"Yu Ning, what's wrong?" At this time, the faceless Ji Mingxia suddenly said to Yu Ning.
He had no mouth and the voice came out dully from his body, but it was indeed Ji Mingxia's voice.
The expression on Yu Ning's face turned cold. He took back his ring and adjusted the ring on his finger: "You are not him."
"Yu Ning, what are you talking about?" The faceless man seemed not to hear Yu Ning's words and continued.
As he spoke, he walked towards Yu Ning and stretched out his hand to grab Yu Ning's body.
Yu Ning took a step back and said coldly: "Don't talk like him."
The faceless man stopped moving, as if he realized that Yu Ning had indeed seen through his trick. Then, the faceless man seemed to smile softly.
He patted his head.
Rustling sounds came from all directions, and then countless Ji Mingxia's voices echoed everywhere.
"Yu Ning, Yu Ning..."
In just a blink of an eye, the aisle was filled with densely packed people, all of whom were Ji Mingxia wearing different clothes.
They all had no faces, and they walked back and forth like zombies, constantly emitting Ji Mingxia's voice from their bodies, calling Yu Ning's name.
In front of Yu Ning's eyes, it seemed as if there were thousands of Ji Mingxia. They had the same body, different clothes, and exactly the same voice.
However, when they turned around, they were all faceless people without any facial features.
Such strong visual impact and spiritual pollution angered Yu Ning almost instantly.
The ring in his heart was affected by his emotions. It began to move uncontrollably and emitted a scarlet light.
As long as he gently waved his arm, the faceless man in front of him who looked like Ji Mingxia would be dismembered and turned into ashes on the spot in an instant, just like the faceless man in the spa last time.
Yu Ning's expression was cold and stern. The red light on the ring flickered and shone on the face of the faceless man.
But when he saw the faceless man with the same body shape as Ji Mingxia and wearing different clothes from Ji Mingxia, Yu Ning finally took it back.
As he retracted his sword, the faceless man quickened his pace and moved closer to him, ready to devour him at any time.
Yu Ning tightly grasped the ring and closed his eyes as if accepting his fate.
At that moment, he took a slow but firm step.
A faceless man staggered beside him.
The faceless man paused and turned around in surprise, as if he couldn't understand how Yu Ning could walk past him while he couldn't catch Yu Ning.
The second faceless man walked over quickly, stretched out his hand to grab Yu Ning, but missed again.
The third, the fourth... every faceless man stretched out his hand, but each time he missed.
Although Yu Ning closed his eyes, he seemed to have found the real way out and shuttled among countless faceless men.
On the aisle, countless figures were surging, and Yu Ning shuttled among the crowd. Although he was almost caught by the faceless man several times, he always managed to escape at the last moment.
Five minutes passed in a blink of an eye. Suddenly, Yu Ning, who was walking slowly forward, seemed to be tripped by something. He paused and stopped suddenly, running head-on into one of the faceless men who should have avoided him.
When the two men collided, the faceless man was startled and tried to dodge, but was suddenly grabbed by Yu Ning.
The red light of the ring flickered brightly in the darkness.
In the interlaced black and red light, Yu Ning opened his eyes, lowered his eyes and stared at the faceless man in front of him, and said slowly and coldly: "I caught you."
The faceless man was about to struggle, but as Yu Ning finished speaking, the ring glowed red and penetrated into the faceless man's neck.
The red light was like a slender worm, moving quickly through the faceless man's skin.
The Faceless Man trembled in pain, the flesh on his face rising and falling.
With every rise and fall, there was one less faceless man around.
Gradually, the corridor became deserted again, and finally only Yu Ning and the faceless man in front of him were left.
The red light was still hitting the faceless man's skin. After a moment, a "peeling" sound was heard, like the sound of skin being stretched and cracking, amplified in the darkness.
The smooth piece of flesh dripped like liquid, and a woman's face gradually emerged from under the faceless man's skin.
She had calm features and a dignified appearance. She was the person in charge of the hotel, Tong Jing.
Tong Jing appeared in front of Ji Mingxia and Yu Ning twice, both times as an elegant and gentle professional woman. However, at this moment, her face was distorted and full of hostility.
Seeing that she couldn't break free from Yu Ning's shackles, Tong Jing stared at Yu Ning in shock: "How is it possible... How can you catch me?!"
"I really couldn't catch her the first time." Yu Ning said, and snapped his fingers together. The ring completely locked Tong Jing's limbs, causing her to fall to the ground and unable to move. "The same trick was used three times. It's really too much for us."
"My illusions reflect people's inner world and are born out of their fears. You were able to kill the Faceless Man when you first saw him. These things really can't trap you, but how can you catch me?" Tong Jing didn't get the answer she wanted, so she asked unwillingly.
According to the law of attraction, the more you fear something, the more likely you are to get it.
The entire Quanzhuang is covered by a special energy. Certain people will see their inner fears materialize in the Quanzhuang Hotel.
The faceless man who appeared in the spa was the first real manifestation of Yu Ning's inner fear. However, Yu Ning's first reaction was not to run away in fear, but to face the fear.
The Faceless Man was dismembered, representing that he had crushed the fear in his heart.
Tong Jing had already guessed that these things today would not defeat Yu Ning. Her target was Ji Mingxia. The reason why she was dealing with Yu Ning was because Yu Ning seemed more difficult to deal with than Ji Mingxia.
What she wanted was to delay Yu Ning's time and deny him the chance to save people.
Unexpectedly, from the beginning to now, in just a few minutes, Yu Ning was not only not deceived by the faceless man, but even caught her hiding behind the scenes.
It would be fine if Yu Ning had special abilities, but it was unheard of that he could bring her down with just a ring. How could Tong Jing be willing to accept this
"You knew it wasn't Li You who was causing trouble. You suspected there was another secret item. You even suspected me... Did you look for me in the crowd on purpose this time?" Tong Jing reflected on her defeat and murmured.
But even though she guessed the process, Tong Jing was still unwilling: "Apart from your special physique, you don't have any abilities, and even the ring on your body is incomplete... With you..."
She became more and more angry as she spoke, and struggled hard again.
Yu Ning stood aside, looking at Tong Jing coldly, as if he was not worried at all that Tong Jing could break free.
His confidence made Tong Jing more and more panicked. Red light flashed on her body, and the ring seemed to lock her completely. Tong Jing finally fell to the ground in a twisted state, like a worm bound by red light, with no room to escape.
After confirming that she was not Yu Ning's opponent, Tong Jing suddenly panicked.
She had always been hiding behind illusions to eat people and had never been captured. Today's failure was something she had never expected.
She underestimated Yu Ning and Ji Mingxia, so she didn't make any preparations for retreat and didn't expect to capsize in the ditch.
After being caught by Yu Ning, he completely lost all his advantages.
Yu Ning stood by without saying a word, watching her struggle and roar with cold eyes.
Seeing that there was no hope of escape, Tong Jing gradually calmed down. After all, she often pretended to be the person in charge of the hotel and had dealt with many emergencies. What she was best at was negotiation.
Thinking of this, Tong Jing couldn't help but take the initiative to speak: "You are lucky to catch me. Although I don't want to admit it, luck is indeed a kind of strength.
"Now that you have captured me, you know what I am. It won't be easy to use me for your own benefit."
As she spoke, she waited for Yu Ning to state his conditions.
She knew that she was valuable, and she also knew that many people wanted to get her at a high price. Her unique attributes would be her biggest trump card.
However, Yu Ning still didn't speak.
When two parties are negotiating, what they hate most is someone who has all the advantages but refuses to speak.
Tong Jing secretly resents herself.
Yu Ning's method of capturing people was cruel, and he directly sent the energy of the ring through Tong Jing's throat. Tong Jing suffered a lot in the process of revealing her true appearance, so when she opened her mouth just now, she was full of rage and unwillingness.
But now she was caught and was in a disadvantageous position. The more this happened, the more she couldn't afford to lose her temper.
Although the image just now was not good, it is not beyond redemption.
Thinking of this, Tong Jing immediately suppressed the hatred in her eyes and tried hard to adjust her facial expression, as if she was back in the reception room of the hotel.
Although she couldn't immediately be as elegant as before with a smile, she tried her best to make her voice sound friendly and gentle.
Tong Jing said to Yu Ning in a gentle voice: "You are not very old, you are just students who have just reached adulthood. You may have just started to come into contact with this world and don't understand it yet.
"Since you have this secret item in your body, and you can even use it with ease, you know how powerful this thing is."
As she spoke, seeing that Yu Ning didn't even glance at her, Tong Jing's gaze moved to the red light that bound her.
Tong Jing said: "Take the ring you picked up as an example. A single ring has such attack power. If it can be combined with another ring to form a pair of rings, the energy of the two rings will collide and form an excellent protective shield.
"This protective shield, like a shield or armor, can protect the owner of one of the rings until the energy in the ring is exhausted..."
Tong Jing said, "How about it? Doesn't it sound very tempting? But a pair of rings like this, even ten pairs, let alone one, are not as valuable as me. Even a hundred pairs of rings can't be exchanged for something as unique as me."
As she spoke, she stared at Yu Ning, observing his facial reactions, intending to decide what to say next based on every subtle expression of Yu Ning.
Yu Ning, who had been silent all this time, finally moved his eyes.
His black and gray eyes looked down at Tong Jing: "Impossible."
Yu Ning finally responded, and Tong Jing was overjoyed.
But when Tong Jing heard Yu Ning questioning her, she was about to explain herself, but then she heard Yu Ning say, "Lin Siyun and Li You, if one of them had been protected by the ring, the result wouldn't be like this today."
Tong Jing was stunned. She didn't expect that Yu Ning's focus was not on her, but on the pair of rings.
She suppressed her annoyance and explained with a patient smile, "That's because they don't meet the requirements.
"This blood-red ring is nourished by human blood and has become what it is now. The more people die, the greater the energy in the ring. Originally, we were still short of two people... Now we should be almost complete.
“When you find Li You, take the ring from her neck and put these two rings on your neck. They will be your shield.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ning asked, "Why do you know so much?"
Tong Jing smiled and said, "Mystical objects can devour each other. If I succeed in swallowing the ring, I won't have to eat this year."
After she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly think of something and said to Yu Ning: "Yu Ning, you are very capable, but you are very young, you know nothing about this world, and you have no experience at all.
"In fact, it's not just people who can cooperate, people and secret objects can also cooperate.
“There are many mysterious items in this world, but advanced mysterious items like mine, where thoughts and mysterious items are integrated into one and possess wisdom, are extremely rare.
"It has been several decades since I became conscious, and my abilities have been increasing. I can create fear, use illusions, and erase people's memories.
"As long as I am given room to grow, I can keep improving. There is no end..."
Tong Jing said, looking at Yu Ning sincerely: "This ring has been completely used by you, and I will not steal the other ring from you. Not only that, I can even help you find more secret items to make you stronger and stronger.
"We can be friends and partners. Your physique is special, and I am also unique among the secret items. The two of us working together is simply a perfect combination."
Tong Jing said this, looking at Yu Ning hopefully.
Yu Ning said: "The price."
Tong Jing smiled and said, "It doesn't cost anything. I've said it before, I'm importing a type 3 secret item. You need to grow, and so do I. We just need to help each other."
After she finished speaking, she waited for Yu Ning's answer, but Yu Ning stopped talking again and just looked at her quietly, as if he had already seen through what she was thinking.
Tong Jing was secretly annoyed.
The ID information of Ji Mingxia, Yu Ning and others had already been entered into the hotel.
A group of young people in their 18s and 19s, with special physiques, rare treasures, and no experience or knowledge.
This kind of naughty boy is always the easiest to deal with, but who would have thought that he would end up in a disaster.
Especially this Yu Ning, who is so gloomy and vicious that he doesn’t look like a student at all.
The faceless man was created by Yu Ning's inner fear, but he is certainly a part of Yu Ning's heart.
Faced with his own fear, he was not afraid, but his first reaction was to fight back.
And the method used was such a cruel and perverted one as dismemberment.
It turns out that people who are very cruel to you are the most difficult to deal with.
At this moment, Yu Ning was silent. The scene was silent. The red light of the ring was still locked on Tong Jing. Helplessly, Tong Jing said, "As long as you let me go, we can cooperate."
Yu Ning said calmly: "If I conquer you, we can still cooperate."
Tong Jing saw that Yu Ning had a calm expression and was not moved by her words at all from beginning to end, and she couldn't help but get furious.
The negotiation failed, and Tong Jing could only reveal her last trump card: "Your friend is in my house. If you don't want him to die, you have no choice but to let me go."
Seeing Yu Ning approaching coldly, Tong Jing sneered, "Ji Mingxia, to you, he should be more than just a friend. You can face your deepest fear, do you think he can?"
As Tong Jing finished speaking, the entire scenery on the lake began to sway like a mirror in the water.
Immediately afterwards, a winding corridor appeared in front of Yu Ning, and Ji Mingxia was running frantically in the corridor.
Behind him, a bluish-white female ghost followed closely. It was none other than the ghost of Lin Siyun whom they met at school a while ago.
This was the most terrifying thing Ji Mingxia had ever seen in his life, so when he entered the illusion, the fear in his heart took over. Lin Siyun's ghost appeared again and kept chasing him.
At this time, Ji Mingxia ran to a pavilion.
The road ahead was blocked and there was a ghost chasing him from behind. Ji Mingxia had no choice but to hide in a box nearby.
There was only a sideboard, a dining table, and countless chairs in the box, with no shelter at all.
Seeing the ghost shadow getting closer and closer, Ji Mingxia was so anxious that he could only rearrange the chairs, placing the tables and chairs more densely, and then clearing out a small hiding place behind the table.
Before the ghost knocked on the door, Ji Mingxia sneaked in.
With a creaky sound, the door of the box where Ji Mingxia was was opened by a ghost.
Without any suspense, Ji Mingxia was found by the ghost almost instantly.
This ghost is the embodiment of Ji Mingxia's fear. No matter where Ji Mingxia hides, he will always be found.
The only way to defeat it is for Ji Mingxia to face the fear himself.
The ghost shadow crawled towards Ji Mingxia little by little, and soon pounced on Ji Mingxia.
Ji Mingxia was in extreme fear, his whole body twitching, and countless bloody marks were cut on his body by the ghost.
He lay weakly in a pool of blood, barely breathing. If he didn't get help, he would most likely die in the illusion.
Tong Jing looked at Ji Mingxia on the other side of the corridor, then looked at Yu Ning beside her.
Yu Ning, who had a blank expression just now, now had his jaw clenched and his face looked stern.
His skin was pale, and any slight change in his mood was very obvious.
At this moment, the blue veins on his forehead and back were faintly visible, and it was obvious that he was on the verge of emotional collapse due to the stimulation of Ji Mingxia's injury.
Tong Jing saw that it was finally effective, and said at the right time: "Once dominated by fear, people will be killed by their own fear in the illusion... This was the scene one minute ago. Ji Mingxia had fallen into fear and his life was in danger.
“Although you have captured me, it is almost impossible to subdue me.
"I refuse to acknowledge you as my master. With your physical condition and this broken ring, you may not succeed by next year. But I'm afraid Ji Mingxia can't wait that long. Do you want to watch him—"
Tong Jing said this before she could utter the last word "death".
In an instant, the red light of the ring rushed directly to Tong Jing's head, under her skin, and crawled up from her neck.
Tong Jing was like a parasitic zombie, pinching her own neck to squeeze out the red light.
The slender light acted as a thin and sharp blade, penetrating into Tong Jing's brows.
Tong Jing felt a great threat and her whole body froze, not daring to move at all.
She didn't expect that after Yu Ning was provoked, his first reaction was to kill her. Tong Jing was completely stunned. She almost trembled and said to Yu Ning: "What are you going to do? Don't you care about Ji Mingxia's life? Do you want to threaten me..."
As he spoke, the red light became even deeper.
The light seemed to have cut Tong Jing's flesh and blood, and the scarlet blood merged with the red light, as if it was about to burst out of her bones at any time.
Yu Ning stood aside indifferently, without responding to Tong Jing's words.
Knowing that Yu Ning was not trying to persuade her but was determined to kill her, Tong Jing screamed in disbelief: "You want to kill me? I am an advanced type of secret item with intelligence that is no less than that of humans. Countless people flock to me..."
The red light became brighter and brighter, the cut between the eyebrows was so deep that the bone was visible, and Tong Jing's face gradually became deformed.
With Yu Ning's ability, it is basically impossible to forcibly subdue a mysterious item of her level.
But if you want to wipe out the wisdom of a mysterious object alone, it is not difficult.
The wisdom of secret items is generally not easily exposed. Tong Jing was careless and underestimated the enemy, and eventually fell into Yu Ning's trap.
If Yu Ning couldn't catch Tong Jing, it would be basically impossible for him to hurt her. But now that Tong Jing was under his control, he only needed to kill Tong Jing and lose her wisdom. The mysterious item would become ordinary, just like the blood-red ring in Yu Ning's hand.
Unless you encounter a dead soul full of hostility, it is just an ordinary object before its energy is stimulated.
Therefore, as long as Tong Jing died, Ji Mingxia would be safe.
At the critical moment of life and death, Tong Jing also understood Yu Ning's plan. She covered her forehead and endured the pain, and hurriedly shouted in a trembling voice: "Don't kill me, Yu Ning... That was fake! Ji Mingxia was not caught by the ghost at all, he is still fine... I deliberately created the illusion to threaten you."
As she spoke, she begged Yu Ning: "Ji Mingxia is not injured at all, let alone dead!"
However, the blood-red light did not fade away. Not only was Tong Jing's body deformed, but her limbs also gradually twisted, and she was approaching death little by little.
"I know."
Tong Jing heard Yu Ning's voice in extreme pain.
She raised her head and looked towards Yu Ning, and saw Yu Ning looking at her coldly.
Perhaps it was because of the wisdom that drove the blood-red ring to kill another mysterious object, but at this moment, both of Yu Ning's eyes were flashing with a faint gray.
The night fell behind him, and in the moonlight, his skin was pale, his eyes were a gloomy gray, and his face was indifferent and emotionless.
It looks even more eerie and strange than the most vicious ghost.
Yu Ning said: "Of course nothing will happen to Mingxia."
Tong Jing was stunned.
Then why kill her...
The red light completely penetrated her head, and Tong Jing's body was completely twisted, like a paper figure burned by flames, rolling up little by little and gradually disappearing into the air.
Until the moment before her death, Tong Jing finally understood.
From beginning to end, Yu Ning was never affected by her illusion.
He was not induced by Li You as Zhao Zhuoyue said;
He was not crushed by the faceless man;
He was not deceived by the illusion that Ji Mingxia was injured.
He was angry because Tong Jing had fabricated the illusion of Ji Mingxia being hurt;
He killed her because she used Ji Mingxia's life as a threat.
Even if it is false, it won’t work.