Chapter 271: The Footsteps on the Ceiling

After slipping into the collection hall, the group didn't hesitate and immediately headed up the stairs to the second floor, since Li Yi had previously confirmed there were no anomalies there—it was safer and could serve as a temporary resting spot. Though Li Yi, as an evolved one, didn't need such precautions, most other messengers were ordinary people.

"No wonder the second floor is safer—it has the fewest exhibits," Guo You scanned the surroundings.

Though there were some odd objects on the second floor, their number was far fewer than on the first, and most areas were empty—clearly the curator, Fang Hua, hadn't yet organized or displayed everything.

Li Yi walked to an empty spot near the window and said, "Put everything here, then begin exploring the second floor. Though the chance of a ghost here is minimal, we can't afford to miss any suspicious spot if we want to deliver the letter successfully. Besides, the danger level of this third letter is certainly high—better to be cautious."

Everyone nodded, agreeing it made sense. They set down their backpacks and began inspecting the second floor.

"This delivery mission didn't specify the ghost's identity or location—meaning the ghost could appear anywhere in this hall. Most importantly, we still don't know its killing pattern," Liu Qingqing walked over and said, "If the ghost suddenly attacks you, how confident are you that you'll survive?"

"That depends on how the ghost kills. If it appears directly in front of me, I'm nearly impossible to kill," Li Yi held an old, cracked short stick—his evolved reflexes made it impossible for a ghost to sneak up and kill him.

"You're awfully confident," Liu Qingqing said. "But I suggest—if the ghost appears, come to me first for help. I'll block its attack while you deliver the letter. With your skills, that shouldn't be hard."

"Not a bad plan. But aren't you afraid of being killed by the ghost?" Li Yi looked at her.

"I still have a chance to survive," Liu Qingqing said seriously.

Li Yi nodded. "Alright, I understand."

It seemed spirit controllers were indeed different—once endowed with supernatural power, they had the confidence to confront powerful ghosts.

Though Liu Qingqing's plan was simple, it was effective: one person fights the ghost, the other delivers the letter. With good coordination, the entire mission could be completed in a second, then the letter burned and they could leave safely.

But right now, the most important thing was to locate the ghost.

Li Yi was also slowly exploring the second floor. As time passed, the group circled the floor several times and nearly confirmed it was safe—no ghost, no anomalies, and certainly no supernatural items.

Though they found nothing, at least they now had a secure resting area.

But for safety's sake, Li Yi went to the staircase on the second floor, pulled out the bottle of yellowed corpse-water, and poured it evenly onto the floor, leaving a puddle.

"This is corpse-water infused with supernatural power. I left it here to detect if the ghost sneaks onto the second floor. Be careful when going up or down—don't step on it. I still haven't fully figured out its function, but I know it lets you see ghosts invisible under normal conditions."

He wasn't hoarding his supplies—he suspected this might be his final letter, and he had no intention of bringing these things back.

"From the gym last time?" Guo You stared at the puddle and immediately understood its origin.

Just as Li Yi finished this step—

Suddenly—

Footsteps echoed from the first floor.

The sound instantly drew everyone's attention.

The collection hall was sealed—no one else had entered besides their five. In the past few days, the only unusual figure observed was the curator Fang Hua—but he had been confirmed dead, yet somehow appeared again in the hall.

"Go check."

Li Yi said at once.

Liu Qingqing didn't object. To deliver the letter, they had to confront the ghost—it was unavoidable. Even if dangerous, they couldn't retreat.

Quickly—

The five rushed downstairs to the first floor.

They looked toward the sound's source but saw nothing—perhaps blocked by exhibits, or perhaps the footsteps belonged to an invisible ghost, undetectable by sight.

Li Yi pulled out the corpse-water bottle and peered through its yellowed liquid again.

Still, he saw nothing unusual.

Yet the dull footsteps continued echoing through the first-floor exhibition hall, and judging by their rhythm, they were drawing closer.

"You're a spirit controller—do you sense anything special?" Li Yi glanced at Liu Qingqing.

"Supernatural energy fills every corner—anywhere could spawn a ghost. But to pinpoint its exact location? I can't do it yet," Liu Qingqing shook her head.

"Then I'll take you around to find the source of those footsteps. We can't let a single sound paralyze us." Li Yi moved instantly beside Liu Qingqing and grabbed her wrist.

Then, the martial artist's qi erupted—his evolved physical prowess laid bare.

Li Yi shot forward with Liu Qingqing like an arrow, his protective aura surging, churning a series of airwaves midair.

Yet even with such explosive force, almost no sound was made.

Such control over power was unthinkable.

Liu Qingqing's pupils shrank sharply—her vision blurred, ears ringing, nothing audible. When she regained awareness, she'd already been flung dozens of meters. She thought it was over—but after a brief pause, she was yanked forward again.

That brief pause was both preparation and observation.

Li Yi's vertical pupils glowed, his dynamic vision maxed out—every flicker of movement, even a mosquito's flight, was instantly captured.

Anything that moved couldn't escape his gaze.

But to ordinary people—even Liu Qingqing, a spirit controller—it was invisible. Her senses and reactions remained within human limits; she couldn't assess her surroundings in a single second like Li Yi.

"Li Yi, you're too fast—stop this! I can't handle it!" Liu Qingqing felt like she'd faint.

"Speak normally. I'm not fast at all—this is already slow."

"Besides, don't worry about anything. I'll tell you when I find the ghost. Don't talk now—those footsteps are strange. They're right around us, yet we see nothing." Li Yi's vertical pupils scanned continuously.

According to his judgment, the footsteps' source was no more than ten meters away.

At such close range, he couldn't possibly miss it.

He pulled out the corpse-water bottle again.

Through the yellowed liquid, he scanned once more—but still saw nothing.

Until Li Yi's spiritual sense detected something—his pupils shrank instantly. He yanked Liu Qingqing upward, leaping to the ceiling, five fingers like steel driving deep into the concrete, his immense finger strength effortlessly suspending both of them.

"Wrong. Those footsteps aren't on the first floor—they're on the basement ceiling. And they're not stepping on the first-floor floor—they're walking on the ceiling."

Li Yi broke into a cold sweat.

The first-floor floor and the basement ceiling were separated by only a single wall.

If those footsteps belonged to a ghost, he'd just been inches away from it.

Had the ghost attacked then, he might not have reacted in time.

"What?" Liu Qingqing was stunned—she hadn't expected the footsteps' origin to be this.

What was walking on the ceiling below?

Li Yi said nothing, staring at a spot on the floor, hesitating. With his strength, he could smash through the floor with one punch and enter the basement—but that would create massive noise and risk instant ghost attack. Even with his old stick and Liu Qingqing as a spirit controller, he might not react in time.

But if luck held, he could instantly seize the ghost and complete the delivery.

"Who's there?"

Just as he thought this, he suddenly felt a strange gaze fixed on him.

Li Yi instantly turned toward the direction of the gaze.

It was a person.

At least, on the surface.

The figure stood motionless beside a distant exhibit, stiff and rigid, eyes glinting with unnatural color.

"Fang Hua?" Li Yi recognized him at once.

The footsteps still echoed—but now they were fading, moving away toward a direction behind them.

Thus it was clear—

The footsteps and Fang Hua were two separate entities.

Then—who was the ghost?

Liu Qingqing, suspended midair by Li Yi, also spotted the resurrected Fang Hua. Her expression turned startled, then she said at once: "He radiates supernatural energy—he's not alive."

"I noticed," Li Yi took a deep breath, then released his grip. Both he and Liu Qingqing dropped to the floor.

But the moment they landed, his qi surged again, shooting across the air toward Fang Hua.

Whether man or ghost—he'd know after one punch.