Chapter 75: Crowned in Black Mist

As soon as I finished speaking, Wang Dan replied with a mocking tone, “Oh, Wu Dao, looks like you’ve grown some skills. Well? What did you sense from me?”

“Don’t you know exactly what I sensed?”

“Heh, you mean the dark energy, right?”

I hadn’t expected Wang Dan to be so blunt. She immediately stood up, walked over to me, and leaned close, her lips brushing my ear as she blew gently, “I used to know your family ran a coffin shop, but it seems you actually know a bit about the craft.”

My expression hardened. “Wang Dan, I don’t care what you are, but leave Emperor alone. We mind our own business. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”

“My, such a bold threat!” Wang Dan laughed softly in my ear. “But you should only do what you’re actually capable of. Let me give you some advice: don’t meddle in things that aren’t your concern, or you’ll end up getting more than you bargained for!”

I stood up abruptly, no longer caring about being gentle. I grabbed Wang Dan’s collar, my eyes blazing with murderous intent. “If you dare, try it!”

She was clearly startled by the killing aura in my eyes—she hadn’t expected me to radiate such sharp energy.

At that moment, Emperor walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers and saw me gripping Wang Dan’s collar.

“What’s going on, Dao?”

Emperor rushed over and pried my hand away, his voice tinged with anger.

Before I could speak, Wang Dan began to sob, throwing herself into Emperor’s arms. “Li Yi, Wu Dao just insulted me. I cursed him, and he tried to hit me—how could he do that?”

Emperor froze, then looked at me. “Dao, what’s the meaning of this?”

I saw Wang Dan sobbing in Emperor’s embrace and felt frustrated. I knew that with Emperor’s intellect, any explanation now would only make things worse, so I said nothing and walked out of the hotpot restaurant.

Outside, I went straight back to campus, my mind completely muddled. I couldn’t figure out what Wang Dan had gone through after taking leave last semester, why she had changed so much, or what her sudden involvement with Emperor was for.

I headed straight to the dormitory rooftop and sent Emperor a brief text: when he got back, meet me there.

Standing atop the building, the cold night wind swirling around me, I lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

After two or three cigarettes, Emperor arrived, his face dark and sullen. I didn’t waste words and asked immediately how Wang Dan was.

Emperor asked for a smoke, lit it, and said he’d already taken her back to her dorm. On the way, she’d said a lot of bad things about both of us, urging him not to associate with me.

I smiled indifferently and asked, “So what do you think? Do you really believe I tried to assault Wang Dan?”

Emperor flicked away his cigarette, walked slowly up to me. I thought he might hit me, but he didn’t. “Dao, as the leader, I know what kind of person you are. You’re too timid to do something like that to Dan. I think there’s some misunderstanding between you two.”

I chuckled. “Emperor, do you really love Dan?”

“Of course,” he replied. “I’ve chased her for four years.” At the mention of Wang Dan, his face lit up with happiness. He said she was an excellent woman, pursued by countless admirers, and that her choosing him was fortune earned in a previous life.

Then he looked at me seriously. “Dao, I know you’re interested in Wang Dan too, but you’re not as good-looking or talented as me, so she didn’t choose you. But I’m not petty—we’re brothers. If you truly like her, you can pursue her. I won’t blame you. But if she rejects you, don’t act out. And hey, as your leader, I can have her introduce you to one of her friends. You're still single, and I’ve always been concerned about that!”

Seeing Emperor’s earnest expression, I felt a sense of helplessness. This was exactly why he and I became brothers. He’s not the sharpest thinker, but I admire his straightforward, honest character—something both Lu Li and Wang Feiyang share.

Of course, I couldn’t just watch Wang Dan harm Emperor, but I had no idea how to convince him to leave her. In the end, I tentatively asked, “Emperor, if—just if—Wang Dan is with you not because she loves you, but because she wants to hurt you, what would you do?”

His expression changed instantly. “Dao, don’t talk nonsense. How could your sister-in-law want to hurt me?”

“I’m only saying if.”

“That’s absolutely impossible!” Emperor clearly didn’t want to discuss this topic and his tone turned angry.

I really didn’t know how to talk to him. Emperor was just an ordinary guy and didn’t believe in the existence of monsters and spirits. If I said both he and Wang Dan had darkened foreheads and were close to death, he’d think I was insane.

In the end, I threw away my cigarette and said casually, “Emperor, I don’t think Dan is right for you. You’d be better off breaking up with her.”

Emperor finally got angry. “Dao, just this once. I’ll chalk it up to you being drunk, but if you say anything like this again, I won’t be so polite. I mean it—if you really like Wang Dan, I’ll let you compete fairly, but I know she’ll reject you because you’re not as handsome as me…”

I didn’t have the patience to listen to his rambling. My mood was complicated as I walked down from the rooftop. After returning to the dorm, perhaps because of the tension, Emperor and I spoke less than usual, and soon Jiang Chao and Liu Dong came back from the internet café, noticed something was off, and asked what was wrong.

I told them nothing was the matter, then lay down to sleep. But all night long, my mind raced with thoughts of Wang Dan and Emperor—I still hadn’t figured out what was really going on with Wang Dan.

In cases like hers, with dark energy and a blackened forehead, it’s usually because she’s encountered something unclean, but from her behavior earlier, it seemed far more complicated. She had already spread her aura of death to Emperor, and this phenomenon is recorded in many ways in the Book of the Underworld and the Maoshan Secret Record, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly which type.

I had no other options now—just had to take things one step at a time.

The next few days, the semester officially started. College life was actually pretty dull, with less class time than in high school and a lot more freedom. Over the week, I only attended one or two classes, and Emperor didn’t go to any, spending all his time with Wang Dan.

I kept a constant eye on their movements, but saw no immediate danger for Emperor. The only change was his health deteriorating—his body grew weaker, the dark energy heavier, and his forehead was almost completely black, close to the point of no return.

I became anxious. Once the black energy reached its peak, Emperor would surely die.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch Wang Dan kill Emperor, so I made up my mind: if Emperor’s black energy peaked, I wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate Wang Dan, regardless of whether Emperor would turn against me afterward.

That Friday at noon, Emperor, who had been lethargic lately, suddenly seemed in high spirits, practically floating as he walked, his face beaming with joy.

Jiang Chao asked him what was up, why he was so happy—had he found some money?

Emperor grinned foolishly. “Brothers, tonight your Emperor becomes a general!”

“Dan agreed to rent a room with you?” Jiang Chao looked shocked.

“Heh! Tonight’s the night.” Emperor wore a wicked smile. “Jiang Chao, quick, bring out your stash—that magic oil you bought online?”

Jiang Chao laughed mischievously and started teasing Emperor, “Didn’t you swear you’d only consummate after marriage? Can’t wait so soon?”

While Jiang Chao and Emperor joked around, I stood silently to the side, a deep sense of foreboding rising in my heart. I knew that tonight, Wang Dan might finally make her move on Emperor.

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