Though the ghost flailing its knife looked quite formidable, Feng Tian showed no sign of alarm. He casually pulled several strands of red thread from his jacket pocket, tied a loop with one, and handed it to Kuang Feifan, then pulled out another and made a second loop.

He looked at Kuang Feifan and smiled faintly. "Shall we play a round together?"

Kuang Feifan paused, looking at him questioningly.

Feng Tian shook the loop in his hand. "Use the lassos to catch that thing's arms, then pull it toward the replacement dummy at the gap."

Kuang Feifan glanced at the ghost currently performing its "little knife dance" and asked Feng Tian doubtfully, "Can't you just use that 'Ghost Repellent' you have to spray it, or maybe we can just whip it with a tree branch? Why must we use lassos? Have you spent time with a horse caravan in Xinjiang, roping horses?"

This was because the spray bottle Feng Tian held looked strikingly similar to 'Wolf Repellent.'

Feng Tian glanced at the bottle in his hand and chuckled. "My aim is to expel the ghost, or guide it on its way..."

Kuang Feifan cut him off. "I know, I know. Don't disperse the spirit unless absolutely necessary—you've emphasized that many times. But do you think this isn't a case where it's absolutely necessary?"

As he spoke, he gently swung the lasso in his hand. "Besides, look at how thin this line is. Can it really catch that thing?"

Feng Tian hesitated for a moment. "Absolutely, certainly, and positively..."

Kuang Feifan stared at him. "Did you know? When people lie, their eyes involuntarily look to the left."

Feng Tian’s mouth twitched. "Your left, or my left?"

Kuang Feifan sighed. "Let's go."

The two passed through the gap one after the other, stepping from the balcony into the hall. The ghost wielding the knife was circling the backrest of the long sofa. As Kuang Feifan approached it, the ghost clearly sensed him, and its movements momentarily stalled.

It was then that Feng Tian made the first move. Being closer to the ghost than Kuang Feifan, he flicked his wrist, and the loop in his hand floated out lightly. Once the loop caught the target, a gentle pull on the other end of the rope would tighten the noose, securing the target.

It seemed he had executed this move countless times; the angle, distance, and timing were all just right—it could only be described as perfect.

It perfectly snared the ghost’s free hand—the one not holding the knife.

Because just as Feng Tian acted, the ghost also moved, its target being Kuang Feifan.

When the loop caught the ghost's empty hand, its body shuddered, and then its entire form lunged past Feng Tian. It seemed Feng Tian’s throw had enraged it.

Kuang Feifan saw the ghost raise its knife-hand, apparently preparing to sever the rope again.

It was then he noticed that the ghost wasn't actually holding the small knife with its hand; its hand was a small knife—or more precisely, its entire palm was shaped like a blade.

He trusted that if it managed to cut this rope, dealing with it would become even more troublesome.

Kuang Feifan didn't think twice. He strode forward a few steps and threw the lasso in his hand.

The red rope used to form this loop could really only be called a thin red thread. Before throwing, he hardly believed such a thin line could fly out smoothly and catch the ghost’s hand.

One had to know that when a lasso targets something, not only must the rope be thick, but it often needs to be swung several times before throwing to generate the momentum necessary to secure the target.

To just casually toss it like this, the most likely outcome was that the loop wouldn't even form properly and would just droop toward the ground after the throw.

However, Kuang Feifan had underestimated Feng Tian’s capabilities. After all, Feng Tian had given him the red thread. For reasons unknown, after the loop shot out, it flew directly toward the knife-shaped hand the ghost had raised.

Before the ghost could bring its blade down on the rope looped around its other hand, the loop Kuang Feifan threw caught its blade-like hand.

Not just Kuang Feifan, but even Feng Tian could hardly believe his eyes; this must have been the real-life version of 'getting lucky.'

With just a light tug on the ends of the string, both Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian had restrained the ghost’s two hands with line that looked like it would snap with the slightest pull.

In that moment, Kuang Feifan suddenly realized the sensation coming through the red thread rope was very strange. He had punched a ghost before with his bare fist, but this feeling was completely different. He could clearly sense that the other end of the red thread was tethered to something, but there was only a counter-pulling, struggling force—no sense of weight, as if he were wrestling with a mass of agitated air.

For a moment, he couldn't quite adapt to the sensation. The red thread was stretched taut by the force. He gently held his end but dared not pull hard, merely trying to draw it back slowly to prevent the ghost from slicing the red thread on the other hand with its blade.

Feng Tian suddenly said, "It's fine to put some force into it. This line is like fishing line; it won't just snap with a little tug."

Kuang Feifan slowly increased the power, and sure enough, the rope in his hand actually held the ghost's blade-like hand.

Everything happened incredibly fast; even the ghost seemed unaware of what had befallen it. However, having both hands restrained by the red threads didn't completely subdue it. Since it couldn't break free, it changed tactics and rushed directly at Feng Tian with its body.

Feng Tian sighed softly and raised his hand, pressing the button on the spray can.

"Wuh... Aow..."

The ghost shrieked, rapidly retreating backward. Feng Tian and Kuang Feifan slightly increased the tension on their ends, instantly halting the ghost's backward momentum.

But the wrongfully deceased spirit clearly lacked thought, acting purely on instinct. If it couldn't get Feng Tian, it charged straight toward Kuang Feifan.

Unfortunately, it failed to notice that Kuang Feifan still held a peach branch in his hand.

"What now?"

Although Kuang Feifan successfully repelled the ghost with the peach branch, maintaining this stalemate wasn't a long-term solution.

Unexpectedly, Feng Tian remained unhurried. He put away the spray can, pulled out a small glass vial, and tossed it to the ground not far from where the red threads formed the gap.

The glass vial shattered upon impact, and the liquid inside spread into a damp patch on the ground, releasing a faint, coppery odor into the air.

"Damn it, what is that?" Kuang Feifan was genuinely tired of Feng Tian pulling out strange props like a magician.

Unexpectedly, Feng Tian didn't answer directly, instead urging him, "Quick, we must get out through the gap first."

Just as he finished speaking, the ghost lunged toward the damp patch like a beast sighting prey, "whoosh"-ing forward with a sound like wind.

Kuang Feifan then understood Feng Tian’s meaning and swiftly bolted toward the gap. Not far off, Feng Tian was also rushing forward quickly.

The two, chasing the ghost, raced toward the balcony.

Perhaps due to the restraint of the red threads, the ghost ultimately could not outrun the two humans.

Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian crossed past the earthen doll one after the other onto the balcony. Turning around, they found the ghost had abruptly halted its charge, as if it had lost interest in the damp patch.

Before it could struggle again, Feng Tian urged Kuang Feifan, "Quick, pull it toward the dummy!"

Almost instinctively, Kuang Feifan pulled the red thread rope he hadn't let go of. The opposing resistance returned from the other end, but with both of them pulling simultaneously, the ghost was dragged closer to the gap.

Because of the distraction of the liquid patch earlier, its position was already close to the gap. This time, after they only pulled it a short distance forward, the ghost reached the earthen dummy.

There were two standing dummies left, but the ghost clearly didn't want to turn into a wisp of smoke and drill into a dummy like the previous two. Instead, it writhed and struggled pointlessly.

"Anything else? Keep using it!" Kuang Feifan asked.

Feng Tian reluctantly pulled out the spray can again and sprayed a few times on either side of the ghost’s body and above its head, without aiming directly at the ghost itself.

By now, the red thread rope was pulled extremely tight. Furthermore, being subjected to constant tension and release might cause material fatigue in the line, making it very likely to snap. Therefore, they had to use surrounding pressure to force it onto the dummy.

While spraying, he asked Kuang Feifan, "Do you have a knife or scissors on you?"

"What for?" Kuang Feifan didn't grasp the purpose of the question now.

Feng Tian showed his teeth in a smile. "When you see the ghost starting to turn transparent, about to become smoke, remember to cut the red thread rope. Otherwise, it won't be able to affix itself to the dummy."

Kuang Feifan grumbled, "Next time you need something, say so earlier! What if I don't have it on me?"

Saying that, he passed the peach branch in his hand to the other hand holding the red thread rope, and pulled out a *—something he had prepared after seeing Xu Hui’s gear but never used—only to find himself using it now.

But just at that moment, the red thread rope suddenly snapped...