Chapter 11: A Fierce Battle

The maid’s eyes locked onto me, unmoving and glazed with a lifeless haze. Goosebumps erupted along my arms, and a chill shot up from my soles to my throat, but I managed to keep a calm expression.

Suddenly, the maid stretched her mouth into a smile so wide it nearly reached her ears, grotesque and chilling. Zhao Zhiqiang trembled behind me, unable to speak for a long moment.

Eventually, Zhao Zhiqiang stammered softly from behind, “Brother, brother, isn’t that my face? That smile is too bizarre—I’ve never smiled like that in my life…”

“If you ever dare grin like that, I swear I’d beat you senseless,” I retorted without mercy.

“I’d never smile like that, not in this lifetime. Damn thing, ruining my reputation,” Zhao Zhiqiang muttered, still concerned about his image even in this predicament. I could only shake my head at his vanity.

At that moment, the maid suddenly lunged at us, gaping her bloody mouth wide, her posture spider-like—back arched, limbs on the ground, head thrown back. The sheer strangeness of her stance made my skin crawl.

“What the hell is this monster!” Zhao Zhiqiang shrieked, cowering behind me like a frightened woman.

I burned a talisman, allowing me to touch spirits directly, and dragged Zhao Zhiqiang out from behind me, patting his shoulder. “Stop acting scared. Go attack! If you don’t, it’ll eat you—and if it doesn’t, I’ll finish you myself.”

Zhao Zhiqiang let out a troubled groan, hesitated, then clenched his teeth. He figured dying either way, so he might as well steel himself and fight this thing, even if it meant battling his own body—an oddly unsettling thought.

“Yes, brother, I—I’ll go. But fighting myself feels strange,” Zhao Zhiqiang said nervously. I shot him a fierce look. “Now’s not the time to worry about that. I’m guessing the maid is inhabiting your body right now.”

“What? Then I’d be fighting myself? Oh, I can’t bear to!” Zhao Zhiqiang shrank back, his gaze full of distress as he stared at his own body, now dressed in a maid’s gown and crawling on all fours in a twisted, eerie manner.

I paused, dropped my fighting stance, and dusted off my hands, turning to leave. “Fine. If you’re so attached, you can stay here with the maid. I’m leaving.” I was bluffing, trying to prod Zhao Zhiqiang into action—he never gave his best unless pushed.

Hearing I was about to leave, Zhao Zhiqiang grabbed my arm, pleading desperately, “Brother, brother, I was wrong! Don’t abandon me! She’s got my body, and if she takes my soul too, I’ll be finished!”

Zhao Zhiqiang was nearly on his knees. Seeing his genuine fear, I turned back, asking leisurely, “Will you listen to me now? If I tell you to attack, you attack—no more cowardice!”

“Yes, yes, brother, I’ll do whatever you say.” Zhao Zhiqiang nodded vigorously.

I stood firm, eyes cold and murderous, fixing my gaze on the maid. Sensing my hostility, she lifted her head and howled like a wild beast. In a flash, she sprang forward, all four limbs propelling her toward us!

Just as she was about to grab us, her mouth opened grotesquely, tongue lolling out, whites of her eyes swelling, pupils shrinking—she looked for all the world like a zombie from a horror film.

“So terrifying,” Zhao Zhiqiang murmured.

“No cowardice!” I barked, dodging her attack at the last second.

Without delay, I pinched a talisman between my fingers, ignited it with my inner fire, and hurled it at the maid—a banishing charm, something most spirits feared. Though this creature was beyond the charm’s lethal power, it might still dampen her ferocity.

The charm burned on her body, and she shrieked. For a moment, I thought it was working, but she quickly shook it off, struggled briefly, and seemed unharmed.

“Brother, she isn’t afraid of the banishing charm!” Zhao Zhiqiang exclaimed in shock. Though I kept silent, the astonishment on my face was unmistakable.

The maid lunged at us again. My brows tightened as I drew a peachwood sword from my back and leveled it at her.

“Brother, wait! That body is mine!” Zhao Zhiqiang grabbed my arm.

I frowned, voice grave. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Worst case, you’ll just lose a limb or two.”

“What? Brother, please—go easy!” Zhao Zhiqiang was terrified, heartbroken at the prospect. Who wouldn’t feel for their own body?

I gripped the peachwood sword tightly, charging at the maid. She saw the sword and, for a fleeting moment, fear flashed in her eyes—though brief, it didn’t escape my notice. I smirked; so she feared the peachwood blade.

“Prepare to die!” I swept the sword toward her ankles.

The maid leapt high, dodging like a flea.

Undeterred, I raised the sword to my chest, aiming for hers, and rushed forward. Zhao Zhiqiang called from behind, “Brother, please, don’t ruin me—be careful!”

“You only care about your body, not whether I live or die!” I shouted, stabbing toward the maid without hesitation. She darted upward, and I slid beneath her feet.

Spinning quickly, I found the maid behind me, claw raised, about to strike.

“Zhao Zhiqiang, catch the sword!” I hurled the peachwood blade at him, who stood behind the maid. Zhao Zhiqiang reached out, only to be burned badly by the sword.

“Ah! Brother, I can’t touch the peachwood sword!” His hand smoked, pain twisting his face.

I slapped my thigh in regret. “I forgot—you’re a ghost now.”

As I hesitated, the maid was suddenly before me, her hand clamped around my neck, squeezing to strangle me. I gripped her wrist, trying to pry it off, but her strength was immense, her hands like iron claws, crushing me relentlessly.

“Damn it,” I cursed, kicking her abdomen hard.

But she didn’t budge, as if made of steel, unflinching and impervious to pain.

I unleashed a flurry of kicks, her body swaying with each blow, yet her face remained expressionless, unmoving, as cold and rigid as a corpse.