Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

May 27, Thursday, 1:20 AM.

Inside the psychological counseling clinic.

After Du Wei finished cleaning "the place" at home and came down from the attic, more than half an hour had passed.

When he walked to the bathroom, he glanced at the bedroom door that hadn't been replaced yet and sighed silently.

This door was destroyed by the Evil Spirit; although he had thought about buying a new one to replace it, he never had the time.

After thinking for a moment.

Du Wei took out his phone, wanting to place an order online.

But as soon as he turned on the phone, he saw that Alex had sent him a message half an hour ago.

[Dear Mr. Du Wei, it's 12:11 now, and I guess you're probably asleep by now; I just came out of the garage, and um... I've picked out a car for you that should suit your temperament, so I hope you'll get up a bit earlier tomorrow so you won't keep me waiting for too long outside.]

At the end... there was an out-of-place looking heart symbol added...

Du Wei shook his head to himself, "I hope this car isn't too expensive, after all, I'll have to return the favor..."

At that time, he was riding in Officer Tom's car rushing home, and after arriving, he was busy dealing with the heads of the Veda Sect followers.

So Du Wei had never gotten around to checking his phone.

However, he felt that since he'd received a message, he ought to reply, otherwise, it would seem rather impolite...

Therefore, he quickly composed a message and sent it to Alex.

After doing these things, he put the phone in his pocket and went into the bathroom to start his evening routine.

These past few days, he had been a bit too busy; although he wasn't in constant contact with Evil Spirits like before, it was certainly not relaxing.

Fortunately, the followers of the Veda Sect in New York had been completely dealt with, so he should be able to have some peace for a while.

In this time, he wouldn't be continuously on edge and could get some proper rest and preparation before going to the Uninhabited City in Massas.

…

On the other side.

At Alex's home.

She too was showering in the bathroom.

Reclining in a luxury bathtub, Alex looked quite content; a woman in love seemed to exude a much more vivacious aura.

Buzz...

The phone vibrated.

Alex glanced at the phone on the bath's handrest, which she could easily reach, and a trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.

It was so late, there shouldn't be anyone messaging her.

Her parents didn't live in New York, but they weren't too far away either; they usually wouldn't text her this late, it would most likely be a call.

And her old friends, who mostly lived in other cities, didn't keep in contact much.

With that thought, a light sparked in her eyes, and she hurriedly grabbed her phone.

But then, Alex felt somewhat annoyed.

"Damn, why isn't he asleep yet? Doesn't he know staying up late is bad for health?"

However, after opening the message, Alex couldn't help but bite her lip, huffing quietly.

There was just one succinct message.

[OK, I'll be up at six.]

Alex smiled helplessly and muttered to herself, "Six o'clock, which means I need to get up at least at five to get ready and drive to his place to show him the surprise."

"What a headache, looks like I need to dry my hair and go to sleep right away, otherwise I might not wake up in time."

Splash.

Water splashed everywhere.

Alex stood up from the bathtub, casually took a towel to wipe herself, and then draped a bathrobe before returning to the bedroom.

…

2:08 in the early morning.

Phew...

In the bedroom on the second floor of the psychological counseling clinic.

Du Wei, dressed in black sleepwear, lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed and his face extremely pale, vaguely showing signs of struggle.

Next to him were placed a Joker Card, a mask, a lighter, and that Black Umbrella.

Yet eerily, the Joker Card depicted him in a tailcoat, but with his head turned, quietly staring at Du Wei on the bed.

...

Drip...

Drip...

All around was darkness.

Beneath his feet was a cold, bone-chilling pool.

Overhead was pitch-blackness, nothing visible, feeling only the droplets of spring water splashing on his forehead.

Du Wei was well aware that he was trapped in a nightmare once again.

But this experience was completely different from the previous ones.

In the dream, he was unaffected by anything other than his line of sight.

Of course, he knew that sight was only a concept.

The act of seeing was really just how the mind accessed information in the dream.

But strangely...

Du Wei looked around for a while and frowned.

He remembered that he had been in the bedroom, and having been so tired, he fell asleep shortly after lying down.

Yet unexpectedly, as soon as he fell asleep, he found himself in this strange and eerie dream.

"Am I standing on the surface of a lake?"

He stomped his foot with force but found that his body couldn't sink in at all.

Glancing at himself, he was wearing sleepwear, but it was somewhat blurry and unclear.

"The curse has just weakened; this dream shouldn't be related to the nun, so is it because of that Joker Card?"

According to what Father Tony said, and considering his own connection to the Joker Card.

There was a part of the Evil Spirit within that card.

And this ghastly thing would gradually assimilate and erode him, ultimately making him become a part of itself.

"So it affects my consciousness in the form of a dream and then starts to act at some point?"

Du Wei shook his head; the Joker Card was his prize from a bet, it belonged to him, but unlike the Black Umbrella and the lighter, it didn't carry as many risks.

Because those two objects were types of mediums, the Evil Spirits that should have been present were already eliminated and wouldn't cause trouble anymore.

However, this lake...

Suddenly, Du Wei furrowed his brow and glanced downward.

In an instant...

His expression turned very ugly.

At the bottom of the lake, a vague shadow, positioned at the opposite angle, also stood below.

The scene was very eerie.

It was as if standing on a mirror, with the reflective surface dividing two parts: one side was him, and the other was an opposing reflection.

Du Wei bent down to take a closer look.

During this process, the vague silhouette at the bottom of the lake made no movements.

Not until Du Wei got closer and closer to the lake surface, the figure, as if sensing something, also bent forward, approached, and its shape and appearance gradually became clear.

By the time Du Wei's face was about to touch the lake's surface, the shadow at the lake bed was fully revealed before him.

A man wearing a black trench coat, with slightly messy, broken hair, and sporting a wrinkled woman's face.

Precisely, it was another Evil Spirit Du Wei, identical in memory, personality, and logical behavior to him.

Then, Evil Spirit Du Wei slowly extended his hand, tore off the wrinkled woman's face, crushed it in one squeeze, and revealed a pale, expressionless face.

Throughout this process, its movements were very graceful, reminiscent of a high-society gentleman; even though the action was violent, it was executed with an elegance that left no room for criticism.