Chapter 109: Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy

Although Ye Zhonglin was quite pleased that Yu Menglan had come to help him, a harsh reality stood before him: Yu Menglan no longer possessed the formidable ghostly power she once had.

Furrowing his brow, he whispered, “But your grudge has already been dispelled, hasn’t it? Without your supernatural power, how can you assist me? If you’re also under Guangqi’s control, wouldn’t that be even worse?”

Yu Menglan quietly explained, “I can cover your eyes, which means I can temporarily block the visual and memory transmission between you and Guangqi. Do you understand?”

“Oh! So you’re like a signal jammer?” Ye Dong sized her up. “But how do you know this signal can be disrupted?”

“It was your good brothers and friends who tested it,” Yu Menglan said, floating lightly to follow him as he started forward. “In the experiments by Xiaobao and Dachun, Master Chen’s theory was confirmed. This ‘body-switching technique’ connects the yin and yang realms. As long as a yin-affiliated ghost covers the eyes of a yang-affiliated person, the memory and visual transmission between the two temporarily cuts off.”

“I see. Master is amazing—he figured out the secret of the body-switching technique so quickly. Far better than that Yellow Wuchang!”

“But,” Ye Dong smiled wryly, “if you block the visual link between Guangqi and me, won’t I be at an even greater disadvantage when I go into the tiger’s den alone? He could be shooting at me from hiding, and I wouldn’t even know!”

“They said that if your visual link is intact, Guangqi has Huiyan as a bargaining chip. If threatened, you would be in grave danger. But if your visual link with him is severed, and if you use your tactics wisely, you might still have a slight chance to face Guangqi one-on-one.”

Upon hearing Yu Menglan’s explanation, Ye Dong chuckled, “As expected, Master truly understands me!”

“No, no, this wasn’t Master’s idea—it was Officer Li’s,” Yu Menglan whispered. “Officer Li also said, ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’”

“What!? I don’t quite get it!” Ye Dong frowned and looked at Yu Menglan.

Seeing his confused expression, Yu Menglan shook her head. “Don’t look at me. That was all he said. I asked him to elaborate, but he said you would understand.”

“I would understand?”

“Know yourself and know your enemy?” Ye Dong pondered for a moment, then suddenly tapped his head lightly. “Oh! I get it now. It means I’m about to fight with my own body. I’m fully aware of my own weaknesses! Officer Li’s words are truly inspired—worth their weight in gold!”

Though Yu Menglan didn’t quite grasp what Ye Dong meant, she was happy to see him enlightened. “You really understand! You’re so smart. No wonder Master Chen and Officer Li have such high hopes for you!”

Ye Dong smiled faintly, thinking, “Officer Li deliberately didn’t say more, probably because Guangqi might also know this. After all, the memories requiring thought take time to reach the brain. Officer Li considered everything—truly a divine assist!”

“Let’s go!” Ye Dong’s confidence surged as he led Yu Menglan toward the tomb.

Hearing the engine’s relentless hum but seeing no sign of Ye Dong, Guangqi angrily cursed, “Stop pretending and faking it! Ye Dong, don’t forget I have your visual memories in my mind! Come out!”

“Wuwu!” Huiyan kept crying and cursing, genuinely terrified. She feared Ye Dong might be harmed and dreaded becoming a burden to him.

Listening to Guangqi’s furious shouts, Ye Dong, hidden in the shadows and gasping for breath, sneered inwardly, “If you saw me coming through the visual link, why would you be so nervous? Besides, I have your visual memories too. If you saw me coming, I’d see you as well! Right now, neither of us can see the other. Cut the act!”

Guangqi was also frustrated. Although he found the body-switching technique in the Outer Three Realms’ Mantra, he had never tried reversing it. Naturally, he didn’t know a ghost covering the eyes could briefly sever the visual and memory link. His anxiety was, therefore, understandable.

“Keep going, Hengxing!” Wen Xing and Hengxing sat back to back, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, yet they never gave up, constantly encouraging each other.

“I didn’t expect such severe side effects from the body-switching technique,” Chen Yao glanced at the weary group beside him, anxiety gnawing at his heart. “There are still three experiments left, but time seems to be running out!”

With every tick of the second hand, the minute hand resembled a grim judge of hell, coldly stripping away Ye Dong’s life bit by bit. If the hour hand dared to jump twice more, everything would come to an end.

“You won’t come out, huh!?” Guangqi laughed harshly, cursing across the space, “Ye Dong, you really don’t shed tears until you see the coffin! If I kill Huiyan, let’s see if you come out!”

No sooner had he spoken than he ripped the cloth from Huiyan’s mouth and struck her with his fist.

“Ah!” Huiyan cried out in pain.

But she understood that if she gave in now, she would be playing right into Guangqi’s hands.

“You trash! You’re just too scared to face Ye Dong head-on. You know you can’t beat him!” Huiyan spat through bloodied lips, cursing, “You’re a cowardly waste!”

“Still defiant!” Guangqi landed another punch on her abdomen.

Huiyan’s agonized cries pierced Ye Dong’s ears as he crouched in the corner, already cursing every ancestor of Guangqi’s lineage in his mind. Yet even so, it did little to ease Ye Dong’s anger. “Damn it, Guangqi, you despicable villain!”

He knew he had to stay calm now and must not fall into Guangqi’s trap. “He didn’t lure me here just to rescue Huiyan. I must still be useful to him somehow, so he’s trying every trick to separate me from my masters and friends!”

He surveyed the terrain, gauged the wind speed and direction with a leaf, then stealthily moved to a new spot, as if waiting for something.

“What are you waiting for?” Yu Menglan whispered in his ear.

Ye Dong took a lighter from his pocket and waved it. “I’m waiting for the wind. You’ll see soon.”

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