Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

Early morning.

The alarm clock rang.

Du Wei rubbed his somewhat swollen head, washed up, and then went downstairs.

He wasn't feeling very well.

The time spent confronting the Evil Spirit in his dreams had been too long, especially the process of sinking into the lake had been incredibly slow. By the time he escaped the dream, two to three hours had already passed.

It was no different from not having slept at all.

Upon reaching the ground floor, he was dressed in casual wear, with a beige mid-length trench coat on the outside. Out of habit, he touched the spot over his left chest, where a mask was hidden.

After encountering the Evil Spirit, Du Wei had basically given up on wearing more form-fitting and proper clothing.

Carrying the mask, a handgun, a lighter, and the Joker Card wasn't an issue, but the Dagger was not so easy to conceal, which could easily give him away if he wore tight clothes.

Therefore, trench coats became a necessity.

His gaze swept over the Antique Clock hanging on the first-floor wall and the "silent" Annabelle in the display cabinet, and Du Wei's expression relaxed a great deal.

Annabelle had lost the gamble, and the Antique Clock remained mysterious.

Aside from the rather obsessive shadowy presence, his home could almost be deemed the safest place in the entire New York City.

Of course... that was under the condition that he was at home, and it had to be daylight.

Otherwise, anyone who entered might potentially become a target for the shadow entity.

This ghostly thing had already killed more than ten people, far more terrible than before. Although the Antique Clock meant it couldn't cause too much trouble, it was still a looming issue.

The awkward thing was,

until now, Du Wei still didn't know how to deal with the shadow, unclear of its mechanism, and most of the time, living in the shadow.

Without resorting to the Joker Card, Du Wei basically had no way of handling it.

And the more frequently he used the Joker Card, the deeper the Evil Spirit's erosion of his being became, and it would eventually swallow him whole.

With this thought, Du Wei pulled the Joker Card out of his wallet.

There was no change in the pattern on the card, but the wolf, lurking in darkness, was now a little closer to his own figure dressed in a tailcoat.

He could roughly guess,

when the wolf on the card reached his side, baring its fangs, it would be the time when the Evil Spirit started to devour him.

Placing the Joker Card back in its place, Du Wei spoke softly, "If I keep failing to find a way to solve the shadowy presence, perhaps I should consider adding a new member to the family."

As he spoke, he walked to the door.

He twisted the doorknob and pulled it open with one swift motion.

In view, the sun had just risen outside, a gentle breeze caressed his face, clear skies as far as the eye could see.

The current time was precisely six o'clock, not a minute more, not a minute less.

He was always meticulously punctual.

And across the street, there stopped a black McLaren GT, stylish in design, silently imposing like a ghost, striking an eye-catching image.

It was just odd, Alex hadn't gotten out of the car.

"He couldn't have fallen asleep in there, could he?"

Du Wei thought for a moment, his expression somewhat peculiar as he walked forward.

The car windows were tinted, allowing visibility from inside out but not from outside in.

So, he knocked on the car window.

Thump, thump, thump...

There was no response.

After continuing to knock for a while, the car window slowly descended, and Alex's sleep-bleary face appeared before Du Wei.

Bathed in the warm sunlight, his skin looked even paler.

Her facial features were also exquisite, completely conforming to Asian beauty standards.

Actually, Du Wei had always felt there was no need for Alex to dye her hair black. Although she looked good, she didn't have the same commanding presence as when she had silver hair.

"Good morning, Alex."

Alex was a bit grumpy upon waking up. She looked blankly at Du Wei for a while before shaking her head and said irritably, "I'm not good at all!"

Du Wei said awkwardly, "Should I not have woken you up?"

Alex laid on the steering wheel and hummed softly, "It's not that you shouldn't wake me up, but that you shouldn't have gotten up so early. I slept for less than four hours today. I got up at five o'clock to put on makeup and drove all the way to your house. I only just took a nap and I'm so tired I feel like I'm going to die..."

"You're really annoying. If you'd gotten up earlier, you wouldn't have seen me in this sorry state."

Her words were tinged with a complaint.

Du Wei had no experience in dating and didn't quite understand why Alex felt so disheveled...

She wore an oversized blue hoodie with shorts; simple attire but she looked very lively.

And her makeup was beautifully done.

Disheveled?

Not comprehending, Du Wei tentatively suggested, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Alex rolled her eyes in exasperation and replied, "I was planning to snooze a bit more, but I can't just let you watch me like this. Come on up, darling."

"Uh... okay."

Having said that, Du Wei went to the passenger side, pulled the car door open, and sat down.

The McLaren GT was a sports car, but it wasn't cramped inside and was relatively comfortable.

After Du Wei sat down, he watched as Alex raised the car window and then leaned on the steering wheel, tilting her head towards him.

Her breathing... was slightly rapid.

At such close range, Du Wei could smell the light fragrance of her perfume, which wasn't overpowering.

Yet inexplicably, it gave him a strange feeling.

Especially since Alex was tilting her head sideways, half-asleep yet even more enticing.

Alex was a very beautiful woman to begin with.

Moreover, the oversized hoodie she wore today added a touch of casualness, fitting the girlfriend image even better.

And from Du Wei's angle, he could even glimpse Alex's smooth, fair collarbone...

"Darling, what are you looking at?"

Suddenly, Alex's slender eyebrows raised, and a playful smile appeared on her lips.

Embarrassed, Du Wei cleared his throat and said, "Nothing, I just think you look really healthy."
Find adventures on empire

Pfft...

Alex laughed softly, somewhat helplessly she said, "You seem pretty uncomfortable with our relationship, speaking so evasively. Be a little bolder, I won't mind."

Reflectively, Du Wei nodded and then reached out towards Alex's collarbone.

His fingertips touched the collar of her hoodie...

Almost touching skin...

In an instant, Alex blushed, shock filling her eyes. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating, her breathing becoming less smooth.

This was indeed bold...

Had he become enlightened?

Alex suddenly became nervous, opened her mouth to say something, but Du Wei's next move turned her face dark.

Du Wei pulled up her hoodie, covering the collarbone...

Alex's face darkened...

Well, that was very Du Wei...