Chapter 2

“It’s Leo Harrison! He’s Leo Harrison, the eldest son of the Harrison family!” Chloe Bennett cried uncontrollably, clutching at the hem of Ethan Moore’s shirt as if it were her last hope for survival. “Last week, he and his men broke into our house. They tied up my parents and brother. They threatened that unless I married you or you went with them to the Harrison family, they would kill our entire family!”

Leo Harrison? Ethan Moore’s gaze turned cold instantly. Of course he knew Leo Harrison. The Harrison family and the Moore family had been feuding for years, constantly battling both openly and secretly. The Harrison family specialized in dark and unholy spells, while the Moore family’s esoteric arts were their greatest counter. What he hadn’t expected was that Leo Harrison would resort to such despicable tactics against him.

“Why would Leo Harrison target me?” Ethan Moore spoke in a cold tone. The Yin-Yang ring on his finger glowed faintly again, and a slight surge of spiritual energy flowed through his body. He had just come down from the mountains and hadn’t had the chance to confront the Harrison family head-on. Yet, Leo Harrison had already taken action, clearly with premeditation.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” Chloe Bennett said, shaking her head while tears continued to flow. “He told me that as long as I did what he asked, he would release my family. Moore, I had no choice. There was nothing else I could do.”

Ethan Moore watched her helpless expression with a cold smile. Forced into this situation? Probably not that simple. Leo Harrison was able to find her, despite her efforts to hide from him. It was likely Chloe Bennett who had passed the messages to him in secret. Moreover, Leo Harrison had given her two choices: to marry him or to lure him into the Harrison family. Either way, she would end up suffering the consequences.

In the Round House, he’ll die from the backlash of those dark spells. Going to the Harrison family would be like a lamb going into the lion’s den—a certain death. Leo Harrison is determined to kill him.

“Okay, I’ll help you.” Ethan Moore suddenly smiled, his tone relaxed, as if the seriousness from earlier had been nothing but a pretense. “But we still can’t consummate our marriage yet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go with you to the Harrison family. It’ll be like acting along with you, to help you save your family.”

Chloe Bennett’s face immediately lit up with joy. Tears still streaked her cheeks as she said eagerly, “Really? Moore, you really want to help me?”

“Of course.” Ethan Moore shrugged nonchalantly. “I can’t stand it when beautiful women cry. Besides, that Leo Harrison dares to play tricks on me. I really want to see what kind of scheme he’s up to.”

Chloe Bennett quickly wiped away her tears, a grateful smile appearing on her face. “Thank you, Moore. I really appreciate it! Moore, you go ahead and rest. I’ll go get you a cup of tea as a way of thanking you in advance.”

With that, she turned and went inside the rental house. Soon, she came back with two cups of tea. She handed one cup to Ethan Moore. “Moore, this tea was just brewed. Please try it.”

Ethan Moore took the tea. His gaze casually swept across the bottom of the cup. There, tiny white powdery particles could be seen, slowly dissolving and emitting a faint, unusual odor. He understood what it was, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.

Sure enough, there’s a problem. Leo Harrison isn’t as simple as he seems. He actually had Chloe Bennett put drugs in the tea. It seems he wants to control her first, then take her to his destination.

“Okay, thank you.” Ethan Moore didn’t hesitate at all. He picked up the teacup and drank its contents in one gulp. The tea was slightly cool to the taste, with a hint of bitterness. However, this unusual flavor was masked by the taste of the tea itself. It would be impossible to detect unless one paid close attention.

Chloe Bennett watched as he finished drinking. A barely noticeable hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, though her face remained filled with gratitude. “Muller, you should get some rest now. I’m in the next room. Tomorrow morning, we’ll set off for the Harrison family’s estate.”

“Okay.” Ethan Moore nodded. As Chloe Bennett turned and walked into the next room, closing the door behind her, the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by coldness.

He immediately took the bracelet off his wrist. The bracelet was made up of a dozen or so black beads, each with strange runes carved on them. When he opened one of the beads, a completely black insect, shaped like a centipede, slowly crawled out. It measured about five centimeters in length and had a faint glow on its body.

“You’ve worked hard, little one,” Ethan Moore said softly. He turned his wrist slightly, allowing the insect to find his vein, then leaned forward and let it bite.

A slight stinging sensation occurred as the insect sucked a small amount of his blood. Then, it slowly crawled back into the bead. Ethan Moore closed his eyes and activated the Yin-Yang techniques within his body. Soon, the medicinal properties in his body were neutralized by the insect’s venom, and they disappeared completely.

He took out his phone and sent a text message to the old man: “The Harrison family has set a trap. The target is me. The location is unknown. Don’t worry.” After sending the message, he turned off his phone, tossed it aside, and lay sprawled on the bed, pretending to be unconscious.

As night deepened, the rental house fell silent, with only the sound of the wind outside and the chirping of insects to be heard. After about an hour, soft noises came from outside the door. The door was quietly opened, and Chloe Bennett peeked in. She carefully glanced at Ethan Moore, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed and even breathing. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

“Take him away quickly. Be careful not to alert anyone else.” Chloe Bennett spoke in a low voice, waving her hand toward the door. Two tall, strong men immediately stepped in. They carefully lifted Ethan Moore, carried him out of the rental house, and loaded him onto a small truck parked at the end of the alley.

The moment the car door closed, Ethan Moore slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was cold, and a sneer curled his lips. He was determined to find out exactly where Leo Harrison was taking him.

The truck started moving slowly, bumping along as it headed toward the outskirts of the city. Ethan Moore kept time by checking his watch. After about half an hour, the truck finally came to a stop. Everything around was silent; not a sound of people was heard. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard, creating a eerie atmosphere.

The driver got out of the car, cursing under his breath as he walked away. “Damn it, what kind of place is this? So gloomy and creepy. Mr. Shen really is ridiculous for bringing people to a place like this.”

Ethan Moore calmed himself down and carefully sensed his surroundings. A strong sense of darkness seeped in through the cracks in the car door, making his whole body shiver. The ancient techniques of yin and yang within him began to activate automatically, helping him ward off this dark energy.

He muttered to himself, while taking out his lighter from his pocket. He kept lighting and extinguishing it repeatedly. Every time the lighter lit up, faint shadows could be seen on the inner walls of the carriage. After a few attempts, the sound of the wind outside grew louder, along with strange, childlike laughter—that was both harsh and eerie.

Ethan Moore curled his lips in a smirk and flung the lighter against the car door. With a loud “bang,” the lighter shattered. In the brief flash of light, a yellow talisman the size of a palm appeared on the car door. The runes on the talisman glowed faintly, emitting a soft glow of positive energy.

“1, 2, 3… 10!” Ethan Moore counted softly. As he reached ten, there was a loud “boom”! The car door was blown open by the power of the spell, crashing heavily to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

Ethan Moore clapped his hands and jumped down from the truck. Under the bright moonlight, he looked around. The area was covered with dense locust trees. Their twisted branches resembled ghostly hands reaching out, creating a eerie atmosphere. Even more bizarrely, the trees were planted in a completely irregular pattern—some here, some there, with gaps in between. What lay there was a long-lost evil formation: the Ghost-Calling Formation!

“No!” Ethan Moore was shocked. Suddenly, a piercing chill rushed towards him from behind. A dark shadow moved swiftly towards him, carrying with it an overwhelming sense of darkness, aiming straight for his heart.

Ethan Moore immediately dodged to the side. The shadow passed by his shoulder, landed on the ground, and turned into a blurred silhouette. At the same time, that eerie child’s laughter rang out again—giggles that echoed through the silent locust tree forest, sending chills down one’s spine.

Ethan Moore quickly formed seals with his hands, reciting the spells of Yin-Yang magic: “Heaven and earth are boundless; I borrow their power! Mighty Yin and Yang, illuminate the universe! Let no demons stand in my way; may all evil be banished! Break!”

A fierce wind blew everywhere, causing the branches and leaves of the locust tree to dance wildly, making a “whispering” sound. A surge of yang energy burst forth from his body, colliding with the surrounding yin energy and producing a “buzzing” sound. Under the pressure of the yang energy, a ghostly figure the size of a child gradually took shape. It was a child who appeared to be only five or six years old. Wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket, the child had a pale face like paper. Its eyes were completely black, with no white at all. A grotesque smile hung on its lips.

Ethan Moore had a serious expression on his face. He had seen countless evil spirits before—all of them with grotesque appearances and a foul stench emanating from them. But this little spirit before him was delicate and cute, like a porcelain doll. Yet, the evil energy surrounding it was stronger than that of any other evil spirit he had ever encountered.

He suddenly remembered that today was July 15th, the birthday of the Ghost King. Leo Harrison had set up the Ghost-Summoning Array and brought him here. The purpose wasn’t to take him back to the Harrison family at all, but to use him as a sacrifice to the Ghost King!

“Play with me~ Giggles~ Play with me~” The little demon laughed as it stepped toward Ethan Moore. Its dark energy grew stronger by the moment. The branches of the locust trees around it began to twist wildly, reaching out toward him.

Ethan Moore clenched the Yin-Yang ring in his hand, his gaze cold. Leo Harrison, what a heartless man you are! Today, I’ll see whether it’s you who sacrifices me, or I who defeats this Demon King!