Mu Rongxing's words didn't scare me much. I just nodded to show I understood, then focused on Kong Yi and Qingzi.
Mu Rongxing didn't want us to delay any longer. After all, we only had four hours. Every second counted.
I watched as Mu Rongxing pushed aside the chair he'd been sitting on, lifted the rug on the floor, and revealed a robber's hole large enough for a person to enter. I had a natural aversion to tomb raiding. Frowning, I said displeased, "You want us to help you rob a tomb?"
"Rob a tomb? You think too much, Xiao Lin. Follow me, and you'll understand." Mu Rongxing didn't elaborate. He just packed some water and dry rations, then urged us all to descend.
I gave Kong Yi and Qingzi some food and water. They said they felt better and urged Zhao Feiyu and me to hurry. Zhao Feiyu seemed hesitant about telling them everything, but I was indifferent. Right now, Mu Rongxing and we were like grasshoppers on the same string, but he knew far more than we did. Thinking about it now, cooperating with him might be the wisest choice.
I was the first into the hole. Crawling forward for a while, I saw only darkness ahead and couldn't make out the path. Just then, a beam of light illuminated the way.
"Xiao Lin, it's fine." It was Mu Rongxing's voice. To my ears, it held no warmth.
After I woke up on the Ghost Tower's operating table, I understood one thing: my life now belonged to the Ghost Tower. The day I became useless to them, they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. If they hadn't used every means to preserve the last vestiges of my heart's essence, how could I still be alive in this world?
Lost in thought, I crawled towards Mu Rongxing's position. When I reached him, he dutifully turned off his flashlight. I busied myself brushing the dust off my clothes.
"Xiao Lin, about some things... don't blame your father."
Hearing this, I felt an inexplicable sadness. Father. How long had it been since that word had passed my lips? From that day on, I had only called him by his name, forgetting that particular title.
I didn't respond, just took out my flashlight to examine our surroundings.
It was a structure resembling a raised platform, open on three sides, with a wall on the fourth—where we had entered. Shining my flashlight around, I vaguely sensed something. I wanted to move closer for a better look, but Mu Rongxing stopped me.
"There's a protective formation around us. Can't you feel it? If you step out of this formation unprepared, you won't know what killed you the next moment." Mu Rongxing frowned, clearly unhappy with my recklessness.
Just then, Zhao Feiyu slowly crawled out of the entrance. He also turned on his flashlight. Sensing something amiss, he muttered to himself, "A Yang-Gathering Formation."
"At least you have some knowledge." Hearing Zhao Feiyu, Mu Rongxing sounded somewhat pleased. "I set up this Yang-Gathering Formation a few days ago when I arrived with some others. We realized something was wrong as soon as we entered."
I'd heard of the Yang-Gathering Formation. But establishing one was notoriously difficult and cruel. Yang energy only comes from living humans, so sacrifices were inevitable.
"How many people's Yang Fire did you use?" I asked casually.
"Twenty," Mu Rongxing answered truthfully.
Kong Yi voiced his displeasure. "So many lives, just for you to find some secret. The blood on your hands must be terribly heavy... Amitabha."
Hearing this, Mu Rongxing just smiled. "Reverend, you might not understand. I used twenty lives to save eighty. Isn't that a fair trade? What do you think?"
I had no mood for their bickering. "How do we get out?"
"That will depend on the young Taoist's talismans and red string." Mu Rongxing smiled casually, his gaze settling on Zhao Feiyu. "I brought you four for a reason. A young Taoist priest, a master monk, a girl with exceptional spiritual senses, and finally... a Heartless One. You will each learn your role in due time."
Hearing this, I smiled indifferently. It seemed my identity was quite popular now.
"I understand," Zhao Feiyu replied simply. He then took out five silver talisman papers.
He bit his finger, then produced a golden brush from his waist. Seeing his setup, I hadn't realized he carried so many treasures. Or rather, he had brought all his prized possessions.
The golden brush was named 'Zhen Yao' (Subdue Demons). It was one of the top-tier talisman brushes in the paranormal circle, said to channel the user's essence, energy, and spirit into the talisman, greatly amplifying its power.
Zhao Feiyu dipped the tip of the brush in his blood and began drawing talismans on the silver paper with fluid strokes. After finishing all five, he was drenched in sweat, his face pale.
"Brother Feiyu, are you okay?" Qingzi, seeing his sudden weakness, rushed to support him, her voice pained.
Zhao Feiyu shook his head with difficulty, then gestured for us each to take a talisman. He pulled a large coil of red string from his backpack and prepared to tie it on us.
"Seeing how hard you're trying, young man, I'll give you some medicine." Whether out of sudden compassion or something else, Mu Rongxing took a small blue-and-white porcelain vial from his pack and offered it to Zhao Feiyu. I wondered if it was poison.
"Good for restoring stamina. But don't treat it like candy. Let it dissolve on the tip of your tongue." Mu Rongxing took a silver talisman and handed the vial to Zhao Feiyu.
Zhao Feiyu hesitated, holding the vial, then asked weakly, "It's not poisoned, is it?"
Mu Rongxing laughed heartily, which was answer enough.
"If you die, I'll bury you properly. Don't worry," I said to Zhao Feiyu with equal seriousness.
I could tell Zhao Feiyu wanted to hit me.
Without further ado, after Zhao Feiyu took the pill, he prepared to tie the red string. Unexpectedly, Kong Yi chose that moment to say solemnly, "Feiyu, after taking that medicine, do you feel... adorable?"
My face twitched. So did Zhao Feiyu's. We hadn't expected the monk to crack a joke at a time like this.
With a dark expression, Zhao Feiyu tied the red string around our wrists using a peculiar knot. He explained, "Barring accidents, these talismans will protect your Yang energy for four hours. So, each person's Yang energy is essentially stored in this paper. But after that, they're useless. The red string on your wrists is called the 'Heart-Protecting Knot.' If we aren't out in four hours, this might still offer some protection. The rest is up to you."
Zhao Feiyu's last words were directed at Mu Rongxing. Mu Rongxing smiled and nodded, then expertly found the way down from the platform, reminding us, "Little girl, try not to cry from fright later."
Dong Qingzi snorted, retorting, "I'm not that weak!"
I didn't bother speaking and followed Mu Rongxing down. Climbing down the rope ladder, we all held our flashlights in our mouths. When I reached the ground, I saw figures watching me from the shadows.
They wore ancient armor, held weapons, and stared at me警惕ly. Mu Rongxing, noticing the problem, came over and slapped the back of my head, whispering harshly, "Didn't I teach you the rules? Don't make eye contact! They only have their memories from before death. Best not to provoke them."
I frowned in disgust at his action. Flashlight in hand, I followed Mu Rongxing in silence. Dong Qingzi, with her keen senses, had already noticed these entities. Her face pale, she clung to Kong Yi's arm, carefully staying behind him. It seemed seeing these things had terrified her.
The ground beneath our feet was littered with corroded armor and weapons, which sometimes made unpleasant crunching sounds when stepped on. Each noise sent a chill down our spines. Mu Rongxing, leading the way, was the calmest among us.
I began to understand where we were. If I wasn't mistaken, this was the very pit where the four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers had been buried alive.
We were walking inside a massive pit, accompanied by countless souls. No matter what, it was unnerving. When we reached the center of the pit, I saw a column of about a dozen spectral soldiers marching towards us in formation.
I felt the ghosts pass through my body—something I was used to—but when I heard a thud behind me, I knew something was wrong.
"What happened?" Mu Rongxing asked without turning around, stopping in his tracks.
"清子倒下了."排在最后的孔乙看清楚发生了什么.我相信他明白原因.
"现在挑事了."我不满地咂了咂嘴.
我们的身体含有灵魂,灵魂的强度自然有所不同.当体内的灵魂遇到外在的灵魂攻击时,如果内的灵魂较弱,它就可以移位,而外的灵魂可以接管身体作为新的宿主.
现在的情况是,董清子对路过的鬼兵的恐惧,让她的灵魂变得脆弱.她的身体被占据了,原本的灵魂也被放逐了,飘散了.
我们不知道是哪个赵兵占据了清子的尸体,但在场的人都知道事情变得复杂了.在这里尝试灵魂召唤,很可能会扰动周围所有的灵魂,因为这代表着一次重生的机会.
"现在怎么办?清子好像...醒了?"孔乙皱着眉头向我们问道.
"我们要不要召唤她的灵魂?"我没有回答孔乙,而是向赵飞宇提出了问题.
赵飞宇沉默良久,大概是在思考.当他终于开口说话时,语气十分坚决. "我们召唤!"
"你来进行召唤,我和萧林来抵挡外来的威胁,这里充沛的阴气,其实是对我所统领的武魂的补充."慕容星并没有丝毫反对的意思,说话也很随意.
我没有说话,本能地拔出了流铁剑.那一刻,我仿佛听到慕容星低声呢喃:"我已经很久没有和儿子并肩作战了."
我想我一定是听错了.