The gymnasium floor was made of hardwood basketball court planks. Having been abandoned for years, it was coated in a thick layer of dust. With the roof broken, exposing the interior to wind, sun, and rain, the wood had warped and cracked in various places.

  But one thing was certain: falling from a height onto this surface would still hurt like hell.

  Performing high-difficulty maneuvers like the **Basket Toss** without professional training was madness. A slight mistake could lead to fractures. A major mistake—like landing headfirst—meant paralysis or death.

  Lacey was weeping, tears streaming down her face, yet her mouth remained frozen in that terrified, uncontrollable smile.

  She had done gymnastics as a child. That experience had padded her resume, helping her get into the best private high school. Later, due to puberty and the sheer brutality of the sport, her parents had switched her to gentler hobbies.

  Lacey didn't understand why this was happening to her.

  For the tosses over the past few days, she had survived on fading muscle memory and sheer luck.

  But tonight, Lacey’s sharp female intuition—her *sixth sense*—screamed at her: **Something bad is about to happen.**

  She stepped onto the platform of Jack and Duke’s interlocked hands. Her vision wobbled as she was lifted.

  Lacey felt a freezing cold sensation around her waist, as if something was gripping her tight, squeezing her internal organs. She felt nauseous, but having barely eaten or slept for days, her stomach was empty. There was nothing to vomit.

  Within just a few days, Lacey had withered. Her weight had plummeted, her cheeks sunken, her mental state frayed to the breaking point. She looked like a walking skeleton.

  **'Your weight finally qualifies.'**

  A hoarse, icy voice whispered right behind her ear.

  Lacey’s eyes brimmed with despair.

  Her vision shook violently—Jack and Duke were crouching, coiling their muscles to launch her.

  The dark gym already made seeing difficult; the tears in her eyes made it impossible.

  As she was lifted higher, the iron grip around her waist tightened, threatening to snap her in half.

  Lacey prayed to everyone from God to the Virgin Mary. She had prayed every day before, to no avail.

  **'Complete this move, and you will be the best Captain.'**

  The voice hissed.

  Finally, in the smallest voice in her heart, Lacey whispered: *Mommy.*

  *Whoosh!*

  A circular flash of cold light shot out of the darkness. It struck the air about a fist’s distance from Lacey’s stomach with a dull *thud*, as if hitting an invisible solid object, then bounced off.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  **'AHHH!'**

  A piercing, inhuman shriek tore through the air.

  The crushing grip vanished. Lacey felt her body become light again—her own weight returned to her control. But the sudden release threw her off balance, and she fell backward.

  "Ah!" Lacey screamed. In her panic, muscle memory kicked in—she tucked her chin, hugged her head, and curled into a ball to protect her neck.

  Jack and Duke felt the weight lift too.

  Realizing they had control of their arms again, they reacted instantly, scrambling to catch her.

  They fumbled, but managed to break her fall. Lacey collapsed into Duke’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Jack, usually the one to chase girls, had no mind for romance now. He heard a sharp *ting-ling—* sound on the floor. Instinctively, he looked down.

  By the dim moonlight, he saw the object that had saved them.

  It was an ancient, square-holed **Chinese copper coin**.

  Confused and terrified, the three students remained frozen in a huddle on the floor.

  "You might want to move," a voice said calmly.

  A flame ignited in the darkness.

  Li Li emerged from the shadows, holding a red candle.

  "**It's still right behind you.**"

  The flickering warm yellow candlelight cast deep shadows across Li Li’s face, making her dark eyes look bottomless. In that moment, she looked just as terrifying as the ghost.

  Lacey shrieked again, thinking Li Li was another spirit.

  Jack and Duke were more rational but hesitated, eyeing her suspiciously. They couldn't tell if she was friend or foe.

  Then, Mary stepped out from behind Li Li, shouting anxiously, "Jack! Run! Get over here!"

  Sylvia followed, waving frantically.

  Seeing familiar faces, the trio’s survival instinct kicked in. Jack and Duke practically dragged the limp Lacey, scrambling and crawling toward Li Li.

  The red candle in Li Li's hand was the only light in the abyss—their only hope.

  Seeing her actors trying to escape, the Cheerleader Ghost flew into a rage. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she lunged, her arm stretching unnaturally long to grab them.

  **'The performance isn't over! You can't leave!'**

  *Fwip!*

  Li Li flicked her wrist. Another copper coin shot out, whizzing past Lacey’s tear-streaked cheek and striking the ghost’s outstretched palm with pinpoint accuracy.

  *Hiss!*

  The ghost screamed, recoiling. A black, circular burn mark was branded onto her pale palm.

  Seizing the chance, the three victims scrambled behind Li Li.

  Mary and Sylvia immediately rushed forward to support Lacey, who could no longer stand.

  "It's okay, it's okay," they whispered, comforting her.

  They didn't know if it was actually okay, but looking at Li Li’s straight, calm back, they felt an overwhelming sense of safety.

  Li Li reached behind her back and drew a **peach-wood sword**.

  She looked at the twisted spirit coldly. "You have your obsessions, but that is no excuse to harm the living."

  With that, she tossed the candle into the air.

  Without holding the light, she pushed off the ground and launched herself at the ghost.

  The five students watched from the sidelines, half-terrified, half-mesmerized by the dancing flame in the center of the gym.

  "That’s... the Asian Master you talked about?" Jack gasped.

  Mary and Sylvia nodded violently.

  *She... actually has skills.*

  Lacey stopped crying. She and Duke stared, dumbfounded.

  They couldn't see the ghost clearly, but they could see Li Li. She moved like a whirlwind in the center of the court, her wooden sword slashing and thrusting with sharp, powerful precision. It looked like a beautifully choreographed sword dance.

  **Chinese Kung Fu!**

  Sylvia watched with starry eyes. She had always been obsessed with Eastern culture. Seeing this live performance?

  **This was worth every penny.**

  *She made a mental note to proactively increase Li Li's payment.*

  *Thwack!*

  Li Li’s sword stabbed the ghost’s midsection. The spirit let out a long, agonizing wail, and a violent wind whipped through the gym.

  Li Li didn't flinch. She caught the falling candle with one hand and, with the other, whipped a **Copper Coin Net** from her pocket, throwing it over the ghost.

  The net expanded and wrapped tight, binding the spirit instantly.

  The candle flame flickered but didn't go out.

  Li Li withdrew the wooden sword and raised it high, slashing down toward the ghost’s head.

  The Cheerleader Ghost thought her soul was about to be shattered. Despairing, she closed her eyes.

  The wind from the blade stopped an inch from her forehead.

  The ghost opened her eyes.

  She saw Li Li’s face—expressionless, yet holding a hint of pity.

  "**Wúliàng tiānzūn, dù rǔ kǔ'è.**"

  *(Infinite Heavenly Venerable, I deliver you from suffering.)*

  Li Li whispered softly.

  **Glossary:**

  * **Copper Coin Net:** A classic Taoist tool woven from ancient coins and red string, used to trap spirits.

  * **"Wúliàng tiānzūn":** A standard Taoist greeting/blessing. Here, Li Li is choosing to purify/release the ghost rather than destroy it, showing she's not just a hunter, but a priestess.

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