Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

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"This card, is very evil..."

Du Wei looked at the card that bore an image of himself dressed in a tailcoat, identical to him, and his pupils shrank slightly.

Aside from the moon and his doppelgänger, the entire card's pattern and background were exactly the same as the painting on the second floor.

At the same time, an inexplicable chilly sensation slowly emerged from the depths of his heart and lingered stubbornly.

Looking at the card again, Du Wei felt as if he had somehow established a connection with the Evil Spirit.

All of a sudden.

A buzzing sound came into his ears, and his heart began to ache slightly.

The scenery before his eyes also changed abruptly.

It was a vision of death...

Old, dilapidated buildings stood in the night; he, masked and holding a black umbrella with a lighter in hand, walked along the deserted streets. In the darkness, many indistinct figures whispered lowly, seeming to discuss something.

He wandered, stopping now and then, as if searching for a way out, but unable to find one, he barely managed to keep going.

Suddenly...

A bald Caucasian man approached, smiling gently, dressed in black and resembling a priest, but with an Inverse Cross hanging on his chest.

As soon as Du Wei saw the Bald Man, he unhesitantly drew a gun, but before he could pull the trigger, his body stiffened.

Then, he watched as the Bald Man stepped closer, gently took the gun away, and pulled the trigger at his heart.

During this process, it was as if he had lost the ability to control his own body, and he could only watch helplessly as death approached.

Ultimately, he collapsed into a pool of blood.

Then, the Bald Man searched his body for a while, found the Joker Card, and also produced another Joker Card representing the sun.

When both cards were in hand, the Bald Man revealed a sinister smile.

But what happened next was that his own corpse suddenly trembled, stood up under the Bald Man's incredulous gaze, and with a light gesture, the Bald Man was levitated, hands clutching his neck, face turning crimson.

Crack...

The Bald Man's head bent at an unnatural angle, and "Du Wei" walked calmly to his corpse, taking both cards into his hands.

His movements carried an indescribable elegance and solemnity, resembling a noble gentleman from the last century.

...

The vision ended there.

Du Wei's forehead was coated with sweat, and his breathing had become much more rapid.

Holding the Joker Card, he felt an urge to discard it.

It seemed that his previous analysis was correct: there were indeed two Joker Cards, and one mysterious force was plotting something and had obtained the other card. In a future moment, the Bald Man would find him and seemingly use something that would leave him completely immobile.

His goal was the card in Du Wei's possession.

Only, in the end, after his death, it seemed the Evil Spirit Du Wei took over the body and effortlessly killed the other party, gaining possession of both cards.

"So what power does this card actually have..."

Du Wei held the Joker Card, sensing the changes within the entire estate, feeling as if the Evil Spirit was beginning to depart.

But a part of it remained in the card.

"Incomprehensible..."

He shook his head and put the Joker Card away.

Seeing this, the others shrugged at him and someone sat down to start playing cards again.

Now, the game was back to normal.

Du Wei didn't pay them any mind and turned to look at Alex.

Under the Spirit Vision, the black lines on Alex had completely disappeared.

He let out a slight sigh of relief.

However, Alex, puzzled, said, "What's going on now? Have you resolved it?"

Du Wei nodded at her and looked around before saying, "Sort of, got hold of something but also got tangled in a lot of trouble. And now Victor is missing, we need to find her first."

Alex's expression changed as she said, "But I feel there's something wrong with her, and could this be even more dangerous?"

Although Alex did not understand how Du Wei had won, in her eyes, after Du Wei finished speaking and extended his hand, everything returned to normal except for a strange new card.

But this did not mean she could not sense the danger level here.

If even one thing was wrong, the ultimate outcome would be loss.

Losing would mean losing everything.

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Du Wei spoke calmly, "The problem lies with the Victor family, not her, and solving her trouble is exactly what I need to do. Put away the umbrella, let's head to the second floor."

"If I'm not mistaken, she should be on the second floor right now."

Having said that, Du Wei pulled Alex toward the staircase.

Of course... there was something he didn't mention—the second floor was also where another card had originally been placed.

Only now, it had likely moved and would be dealt with later, appearing in the hands of the bald man in the form of a card.

...

The second floor.

The door to Victor's bedroom was tightly shut.

Du Wei and Alex arrived at the door and pushed against it, but it wouldn't budge.

Yet, there was a faint smell of blood in the air.

Frowning, he said, "It seems something has happened."

Thud...

Du Wei tried to force the door, but it was immovable, obviously locked from the inside.

The Victor family was wealthy, so when the house was built, they used the best materials. It might be possible to break through a door by force, but Du Wei wasn't capable of it.

He studied forensic science and psychology in college, and after graduation, he went on to work in a medical institution for revenge, never really having time to work out or learn any martial arts.

"It seems we have to call someone to unlock the door with the keys."

"So Victor is inside? In danger?"

Alex, standing beside him with a furrowed brow, surveyed the door and asked Du Wei.

Du Wei answered, "It depends on her luck. She might already be dead, so now you go and call someone, and I'll wait at the door."

Alex, however, shook her head, "No need for that trouble."
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After saying this, she stepped back a few paces, slipped out of her high heels, and then, under Du Wei's incredulous gaze, with a bang, kicked the door open.

Just because Du Wei couldn't, didn't mean she was unable.

The education she received was much more privileged than most, and naturally, she wouldn't fall behind in martial arts or self-defense techniques.

After all, she was no ordinary person.

Dust filled the air.

The people in the downstairs hall also heard the commotion and looked up.

At that moment, the scene inside the bedroom took Alex aback.

Looking inside, Victor stood with her side facing them, in front of the painting, her face tightly pressed against it, blood dripping bit by bit from her chin, forming a pool on the floor.

What was most eerie was that Victor's face seemed as if it had sunk into the painting; her nose and mouth were no longer visible, only her profile could be seen.

"Fuck! What happened here?"

Alex covered her mouth, unable to restrain a curse.

However, Du Wei quickly noticed that Victor's body was still shaking; she was not dead yet.

He immediately rushed forward and carefully observed the situation.

This was beyond his understanding; he had no idea how to solve it.

How could someone's face be extracted from a painting when it was entirely sunken in? Only an Evil Spirit or an Evil Spirit could do such a thing, impossible for humans.

Victor's trembling was growing weaker, and without intervention, she would certainly die.

Du Wei took a deep breath and said to Alex, "Turn your head away, what happens next might be bloody."

Alex obediently turned around.

Seeing this, Du Wei's right hand underwent an Evil Spirit Transformation, and he reached out to grab Victor's head, pulling it out of the painting with a strange motion.

Gush...

Blood spurted out.

It was followed by a painful scream.

Victor's face, which had been mature and beautiful, was utterly disfigured as it came away from the painting.

Half of her nose was gone, half of her lips were missing, and part of her chin was lost.

The painting, too, due to being pulled, fell to the ground with a snap, its frame breaking.

Behind the painting was a clear rectangular indent...

That was where another card had previously been placed.