I, the number one master of metaphysics, have achieved legendary status in the entertainment industr

Lu Fan has not yet answered.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, all the lights in the exhibition hall came back on.

Light dispelled the darkness, and everything returned to normal. The display case was intact, and the jade pendant lay quietly on the velvet cushion, as if the eerie scene had never happened.

Only the lingering faint fishy smell in the air and the cold sweat seeping from everyone's backs proved that what had just happened was not a hallucination.

Boss Han let out a long sigh of relief and patted Lu Fan on the shoulder: "Good lad, you've got guts."

Lu Fan nodded to him, then turned to the still-shaken staff members and said gently, "It's alright now. It was just a brief power outage caused by a circuit malfunction. Thank you all for your hard work. Pack up and go home as soon as possible."

The staff looked at each other, full of doubts, but since their boss had said so, they could only suppress their curiosity and start cleaning up the mess.

Boss Han leaned closer to Lu Fan and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "About the Zhou family..."

"The backlash from the formation has already begun." Lu Fan looked calmly at the night outside the window. "Now, it's my turn to close the net."

……

At the same time, in the basement of the Wang family villa.

Qingsong sat cross-legged in the center of the formation diagram, his eyes closed, his hands forming a mudra in front of his chest, and sweat pouring down his forehead.

On the long table in front of him, the scarecrow with Lu Fan's birth date and time pasted on it was trembling violently. Dark red liquid began to seep from the surface of its straw-woven body, emitting a pungent, fishy smell.

"Sir!" Yun Xuzi, who was standing guard nearby, exclaimed in shock, "This...this is a sign of backlash!"

Qingsong suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, but his face was frighteningly pale.

He stared intently at the blood-soaked scarecrow, a low growl escaping his throat: "Impossible! The Blood-Attracting Array has already been activated; it should have triggered a violent backlash of his vital essence. How could it be causing such a reaction?!"

The voice just fell.

"puff--"

Qingsong spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed directly on the scarecrow in front of him.

The scarecrow was instantly soaked in blood, and then—it spontaneously combusted without fire!

A ghostly green flame rose up, enveloping the entire scarecrow. From within the flame, a mournful shriek could be faintly heard, as if countless wronged souls were howling.

"Not good!" Qingsong's eyes widened in horror as he rapidly changed hand seals, trying to stabilize the formation.

But it was too late.

The eerie green flames spread rapidly along the vermilion lines of the array diagram, instantly igniting the entire "Ambush from Ten Sides" array diagram!

"ah--!"

At the heart of the formation, Wang Huajian let out a piercing scream.

His black robes fluttered and rustled even without wind. A burst of scorching heat suddenly erupted from his body, sending him flying and crashing heavily into the wall!

"Hua Jian!" Zhou Li and Wang Zhentao, who had been guarding the outer perimeter, rushed into the formation's range without hesitation.

"Don't come in!" Qingsong shouted hoarsely, but it was too late.

The eerie green flames seemed to have a life of their own, spreading along the array diagram to the feet of the two people, and then turning into countless tiny fire snakes that climbed up their legs!

"Ah!" Zhou Li screamed, feeling a sharp, needle-like pain in her legs.

Wang Zhentao was in no better shape. He tried to pat the flames on his legs, but the fire wouldn't go out and instead burned even brighter.

"This is the backlash of karmic fire!" Yun Xuzi collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. "The formation has been tampered with, and the backlash is coming back! Quick, get out of the formation's range!"

Qingsong forced himself to stand up, bit his tongue, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the peach wood sword, causing the blade to glow with a bloody light. He swung the sword at the fire snakes on Zhou Li and Wang Zhentao's legs.

"Sizzle—"

The fire serpent was severed and turned into blue smoke, but the two men's legs were left with rings of charred marks, emitting the stench of burnt flesh.

"My leg..." Zhou Li trembled with pain and was helped out of the array area by Wang Zhentao.

On the other hand, Wang Huajian's situation was even worse.

He slumped against the wall, convulsing, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back. The robe he wore was still burning with a ghostly green flame, as if it were about to devour him entirely.

"Hua Jian!" Zhou Li screamed and tried to rush over, but Wang Zhentao held her back tightly.

Qingsong staggered to Wang Huajian's side, used his peach wood sword to press several acupoints on Wang Huajian's body, then took out a crumpled purple talisman from his pocket, bit his finger and quickly drew a few strokes on it, before slapping Wang Huajian on the forehead.

"Certainly!"

Wang Huajian's body jolted violently, the convulsions stopped, but he collapsed limply, unconscious. The green flames on his body gradually died down.

The basement was a complete mess.

The battle formation was burned beyond recognition, the cinnabar lines charred and broken. The candles on the long table were askew, the scarecrow had been reduced to ashes, and the air was filled with the stench of burning and blood.

Qingsong leaned on his peach wood sword, panting heavily, his face ashen like a dead man.

Yun Xuzi knelt on the ground, trembling.

Zhou Li and Wang Zhentao supported each other, both with charred wounds on their legs, sweating profusely from the pain. But what terrified them even more at that moment was their unconscious son.

"Sir..." Zhou Li's voice trembled, "How is Hua Jian?"

Qingsong slowly turned his head to look at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions, including anger, frustration, and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

"The formation... has been broken." His voice was terribly hoarse. "The enemy was prepared; they had a countermeasure in the jade pendant. Not only did the Blood-Attracting Formation fail, it also attracted a backlash of karmic fire..."

He looked at the unconscious Wang Huajian: "Young Master is the core of the formation, bearing the brunt of the attack. I barely managed to stabilize his soul with the Purple Cloud Soul-Stabilizing Talisman, but the karmic fire has already damaged his foundation, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?!" Wang Zhentao asked urgently.

"It will probably take a long time to recover." Qingsong paused, then added, "Moreover, instead of borrowing luck, you suffered a backlash. Young Master's future fortune... may be even worse than before."

"What?!" Zhou Li was struck dumb, staggered backward, and was supported by Wang Zhentao.

She looked up abruptly, her eyes flashing with a terrifying glint of ferocity: "Lu Fan... it's Lu Fan! He did it on purpose! He knew we were borrowing luck all along, and he turned the tables on us, harming Hua Jian instead!"

Wang Zhentao's face was ashen as he looked at Qingsong: "Sir, are we just going to let this go?!"

Qingsong remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

He looked down at his scorched cuffs and disheveled appearance, a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Forget it?" His voice lowered, but carried a chilling coldness. "He broke my formation, damaged my foundation, and made me lose face so badly in front of Mr. Jay Chou and Mr. Wang..."

Qingsong raised his head, his eyes as cold as a venomous snake.

"This matter is not over."

"But since he was able to break my 'ambush from all sides,' it means there is indeed a master behind him, or he has some hidden cards that we don't know about. Next time we make a move, we must be absolutely certain of success."

Zhou Li gritted her teeth and said, "Whatever you need, sir, just name it! As long as you can cripple Lu Fan and avenge Hua Jian, I'll pay any price!"

Qingsong nodded, but did not answer immediately.

He walked to the pile of ashes of the scarecrow, squatted down, picked up a bit of ashes with his fingers, and smelled it.

Then, a glint flashed in his eyes.

"There are traces of dragon energy remaining in this backlash of karmic fire."

"Dragon energy?" Wang Zhentao asked, puzzled.

"Yes." Qing Song slowly stood up. "Although it's faint, I can't be mistaken. Lu Fan, or whatever he's been in contact with, possesses a treasure containing dragon energy. And this treasure... is awakening."

He turned to look at Zhou Li and Wang Zhentao, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"Find that treasure and get it."

"With it, not only can Lu Fan be completely crippled, but the foundation that the young master lost can also be restored, and even... the fortune of the Zhou family can be raised to a higher level."