Before forming the new production team, Jing Li had specifically informed Wang San. At the time, the latter only mentioned that the person would join as an actor, without revealing exactly who it would be.
After the casting ended, when Jing Li inquired under the pretext of worrying whether the individual had been selected, he learned they were already on the list.
However, Jing Li was certain that he had attended every audition, and none of the chosen actors bore the distinctive black mist marking of Dark Forest atop their heads.
So before production began, Jing Li had Gu Tingshen retrieve detailed information on all participating actors, yet still failed to identify any suspicious individuals.
Even now, if this person hadn’t voluntarily appeared before him, he wouldn’t have suspected their demon identity at all.
Jing Li narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the demon before him.
The new demon’s name was Wang Xiaoning, a familiar face. He was a rising idol actor in recent years, with delicate features. Due to his quiet personality and often frail appearance, he cultivated a melancholic prince persona.
Coincidentally, he was also an artist under Tusen Entertainment.
It seemed Dark Forest’s mastermind had been pulling quite a few strings behind the scenes to achieve their goals.
Faced with Jing Li’s appraisal, Wang Xiaoning simply stood there, allowing the inspection without uttering a word. His expression remained so still that if not for his breathing, Jing Li might have mistaken him for a human-shaped statue.
“It seems that the Dark Forest is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers1藏龙卧虎 (cáng lóng wò hǔ) – lit. hidden dragon, crouching tiger (idiom) / fig. talented individuals in hiding / concealed talent,” Jing Li sneered with a half-smile. Seeing him still silent, he tired of small talk and asked directly, “Did you bring the cooperation details?”
At the mention of cooperation, Wang Xiaoning finally lifted his gaze. He then retrieved a document folder from his backpack and extended it.
Jing Li glanced at him before taking it but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he casually placed it on the nearby coffee table and said, “Speaking of which, both you and Hu Li are with Tusen Entertainment. I recall that while Tusen is strict with their artists, they’ve always offered excellent benefits and treatment.”
“If you act seriously, although you may not become an instant sensation, they certainly won’t bury any promising talent.”
“With such a conscientious boss and the full blessing of purple-gold aura, how desperate must you be to turn against him?”
Wang Xiaoning remained silent, his expression unmoved, as if he hadn’t heard a word or was utterly uninterested.
Jing Li raised an eyebrow, then continued as if talking to himself, “Come to think of it, I’ve encountered several demons from Dark Forest before, some weak, some strong. Curiously, regardless of their power, they could all conceal their demon aura completely. Without actively revealing themselves, it was impossible to detect them.”
“I found it particularly intriguing at the time, wondering how they managed it. Could Dark Forest’s leader be so generous as to provide each member with a magical artifact to hide their aura? That would be quite the benefit.”
“It wasn’t until I purified their demon cores that I discovered the reason. The demon souls of all members were damaged to varying degrees. The lower-ranked the demon and the longer they’d been with Dark Forest, the more their souls had disintegrated, ultimately reducing them to mindless demonic pawns—neither demon nor spirits.”
At the mention of demon souls, Wang Xiaoning’s expression finally flickered, but only momentarily.
“Isn’t it ironic? They joined an organization seeking protection, only to lose themselves in the process,” Jing Li shook his head, sighing, “It’s really quite tragic.”
He paused, then picked up the folder from the coffee table and began to read, casually remarking, “However, controlling subordinates by manipulating their souls has both advantages and disadvantages. If someone were to sever the connection between the souls and their source, I imagine that great leader would have quite the headache on their hands.”
Though Jing Li’s words seemed offhand, they were laden with implications. Anyone with a modicum of sense would not sit idly by in the face of such a threat.
Moreover, based on Wang Xiaoning’s profile that he had previously reviewed, though the man appeared reticent, his mind was far from quiet.
Particularly considering his refusal to let the company excessively restrict his personal freedom, he was certainly not the type to resign himself to fate.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Wang Xiaoning immediately looked up at him, a flash of emotion crossing his eyes. Though mostly doubt and scrutiny, as if disbelieving Jing Li’s words.
However, Jing Li stopped talking after that last remark and began to “seriously” examine the document in his hands.
Seeing him suddenly fall silent, Wang Xiaoning’s eyes gradually filled with anxiety, as if wanting him to say more but hesitant to speak up.
Jing Li ignored him, even disregarding his intense stare. He closed the file, looked up, and said, “I’ve reviewed the cooperation details, but I need to consider some points further. I’ll get back to you once I’ve thought it through, alright?”
His expression and tone were purely professional, as if his previous comments hadn’t come from him at all.
But his intention to dismiss was unmistakable.
Wang Xiaoning looked at him, lips pressed together without speaking, clearly reluctant to leave.
Jing Li, however, remained unyielding, maintaining direct eye contact.
After a moment, Wang Xiaoning finally conceded.
He nodded to Jing Li, then turned to leave.
His departing figure seemed far more melancholic than when he had arrived.
Jing Li paid no attention to this. Once the man left, he instantly reduced the document to dust with his spiritual power.
He couldn’t help it; he was furious at the malicious schemes of the Dark Forest.
To think they wanted him to cooperate in controlling Gu Tingshen’s soul, using it as a sacrifice for their “grand cause”.
Ha.
Jing Li hadn’t been this angry in a long time. His eyes narrowed, his resolve to eradicate Dark Forest reaching its peak.
As he pondered, his phone suddenly rang.
Jing Li took it out and glanced at it. Seeing it was Gu Tingshen calling, his expression instantly softened. He quickly answered with a gentle “Hello.”
“Is everything going smoothly?”
“Mm.” Jing Li’s lips curved upward, utterly confident in his earlier assessment. “The bait has been cast. Now we just wait for the fish to take it.”
Hearing his tone, Gu Tingshen couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
They chatted idly for a while before reluctantly ending the call.
As for Wang Xiaoning, events unfolded exactly as Jing Li had anticipated, even sooner than he had expected.
Two days later, after Jing Li finished filming and returned to his hotel, Wang Xiaoning came to see him again.
He entered without preamble, asking directly, “What you said the other day about severing the connection between a demon soul and its source – was that true?”
Jing Li raised an eyebrow, unsurprised by the question. “You’ve come earlier than I expected.”
“You haven’t answered me,” Wang Xiaoning pressed, uninterested in small talk. “Is it true that you can sever the connection between a demon soul and its source?”
“That’s hardly the attitude of someone asking for help,” Jing Li remarked with a wry smile, turning to sit on the sofa.
Wang Xiaoning watched him, pressed his lips together, then followed.
“Jing-laoshi, if you can truly help me sever the connection with that side, I’ll be at your disposal from now on,” Wang Xiaoning said, standing humbly beside the sofa. His sincerity in wanting to escape Dark Forest’s control was evident. “I also know many of Dark Forest’s secrets. I can tell you everything without reservation.”
He looked up at Jing Li, his gaze intense and eager. “So, is it true that you can sever the connection between a demon soul and its source?”
Jing Li studied him for a moment before chuckling softly. “What reason would I have to lie to you?”
Wang Xiaoning’s eyes lit up at these words. “Then…”
“But why should I help you? And how can I trust that you’re not trying to trap me?”
Wang Xiaoning’s expression froze, then he hastily declared, “How could I possibly be trying to trap you? If you don’t believe me, I’ll swear an oath right now.”
Jing Li just looked at him silently.
Wang Xiaoning immediately raised three fingers to the sky, his expression solemn. “I swear by the demon path, if I ever do anything to harm Jing Li, now or in the future, may I face divine retribution, be struck by lightning, and have my soul scattered.”
A flash of white light crossed the sky, instantly binding the oath.
“Look at you, I was just saying. There was no need for such a harsh oath,” Jing Li smiled, suddenly all warmth and congeniality, as if he hadn’t been the unresponsive, noncommittal person from before.
Wang Xiaoning was too anxious to care about this change. Having sworn the oath, he urgently asked, “Jing-laoshi, you’ve seen my sincerity. So can you help me sever the connection with that side?”
“There is a method, but it comes with risks,” Jing Li spoke frankly now. “I don’t know the extent of damage to your demon soul, but the deeper the control, the more painful the severing process will be. The damaged parts can’t be recovered, and you’ll have to slowly nurture yourself afterward…”
“As long as the connection can be severed, I don’t care about anything else,” Wang Xiaoning interrupted, his face resolute. “I’m ready. Please proceed.”
Jing Li was surprised by his decisiveness, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Aren’t you afraid I might be tricking you?”
“What’s there to fear? It’s just one wretched life. Better to take a risk than become some soulless puppet,” Wang Xiaoning replied with clarity. “Besides, Jing-laoshi, since you chose to reveal this to me, you must have a plan. And I haven’t even told you anything yet, so you wouldn’t want to kill me outright.”
With that, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, ready to submit to whatever came next.
Jing Li’s eyebrows rose further, but he found himself appreciating the man’s courage. Without further delay, he erected a barrier around them and began to gather spiritual power to search for the control within Wang Xiaoning’s demon soul.
This search lasted for several hours, from the dark of night until the first light of dawn.
Fortunately, though the process was painful and difficult, the results were quite good.
Once the source buried deep in his demon soul was fully controlled, Wang Xiaoning’s entire aura changed instantly.
But the pain of his soul being invaded and torn was too excruciating. Before any further action could be taken, Wang Xiaoning fainted from the agony.
Jing Li, having worked through the night, had expended considerable spiritual power. By now, he appeared pale and weak.
Fortunately, now that he had found the source of control, the following actions would be much easier.
However, Jing Li didn’t intend to completely remove the source from Wang Xiaoning’s demon soul in one go. Firstly, he wasn’t certain of Wang Xiaoning’s position within Dark Forest and wanted to use this to control him for gathering information. Secondly, he didn’t want to alert their enemies before fully understanding the situation with Dark Forest’s leader.
Jing Li glanced at the unconscious Wang Xiaoning, raised his hand to envelop his demon soul with a layer of spiritual power for protection, then withdrew his energy from Wang Xiaoning’s body.
Afterward, using his last bit of strength, he transported Wang Xiaoning back to his room before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.
*
Meanwhile, at the Gu family’s ancestral home.
Gu Tingshen, busy at his computer, suddenly paused and turned to look out the window.
A flash of white light appeared in the sky for an instant, then condensed into a point of light that flew directly toward him, disappearing as it entered his body.
He raised his hand to touch where the light had vanished, feeling only warm skin, seemingly unchanged.
But Gu Tingshen felt that this occurrence was unusual, especially since he had experienced similar sensations twice before.
The first time was when he saw Jing Li fighting the tree spirit in the film city, and the second was when Jing Li was filming the variety show on Blue Island…
Somehow, Gu Tingshen suddenly recalled the dream he had on the airplane.
In the dream, countless individuals, whether claiming to be demons or other identities, had sworn oaths, including Jing Li when he was still a small koi fish.
Connecting this with the dreamlike memories of past lives, Gu Tingshen had a sudden realization.
He picked up his phone to call Jing Li, but after dialing, he thought of something and quickly hung up. Instead, he sent a WeChat message.
[Gu Tingshen: Xiao Jing, in places like yours, are there any types of beings who can sense other people’s oaths or something similar?]
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