"Manwan, wait for me!"
I was about to chase after her when Mo Xiangqi grabbed my hand. I turned back to her in confusion. "What do you mean by this?"
Her expression was grave. "Haven't you noticed something's wrong?"
"Wrong?" I thought for a moment but couldn't find anything amiss. "What could be wrong? Even if there is, we should catch up with Manwan. We can't let her face that ghost alone."
"Didn't you notice that your 'Manwan' doesn't have a shadow? And when she walks, her feet don't touch the ground."
Mo Xiangqi's grip on my hand tightened, preventing me from rushing out.
Her words struck me like a thunderclap. I suddenly remembered my master's earlier analysis—he had speculated that Ning Manwan might not be human. If I rushed out now, what if what awaited me outside was the ghost? Wouldn't I just be walking into a trap?
But something still didn't add up. Earlier, I'd allowed Ye Cha to possess me to deal with the Red Blossom Fiend, only to be ambushed and knocked unconscious by Mo Yun. Ye Cha had said Mo Yun was a ghost, and he was the one who had brought Mo Xiangqi and me here. So where was Mo Yun now?
Why didn't he just take my soul directly? Why place me here instead?
"I'm sorry," Mo Xiangqi suddenly said, her voice filled with regret.
Confused, I looked at her. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't—"
The more I spoke, the more I realized something wasn't right. Shocked, I stared at her and took two steps back. "You've known all along that your brother is a ghost, haven't you?"
Her face was pale as a sheet, and her once gentle, smiling eyes now reflected pain and hesitation.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I've always known my brother became a ghost. This whole trip… none of them wanted to come. I tricked them into it. I needed them as sacrifices to help my brother leave this mountain so we could be together again."
"Then why are you the one wearing this ceremonial outfit?" Strangely, I wasn't scared anymore. I sat down on a nearby step, pulled a cigarette from my pocket, and held it between my lips—not lighting it, just holding it.
Over the past few days, constantly teetering on the edge of death, I'd developed this habit. Keeping a cigarette between my lips somehow eased the stress, even if I didn't smoke it.
"Because they were all dead before they even got here!"
Her voice dripped with anger. So much for her gentle facade. The phrase "a woman's heart is the deadliest weapon" wasn't wrong.
"Those were your classmates! The Twin Ghost ritual only requires one man and one woman. Yet you brought six people here. You sacrificed their lives just to let your brother leave this place? That's six human lives!"
"They deserved it! They all deserved it! If it weren't for them, Mo Yun wouldn't have died. It's their fault. They deserved to die!"
Mo Xiangqi's voice grew hysterical, shouting madly.
"If they truly committed a crime, why didn't you call the police? Wouldn't the law have brought you justice?"
I didn't know what could drive someone to such madness, but I wasn't about to let myself be a part of her twisted plans. As we talked, I subtly scanned the cave for possible escape routes.
"What good is justice if it doesn't bring my brother back? He was my only sibling. Justice can't replace him! I don't care about anything else—I just want my brother back. I'd give up my own life for him!"
"You're insane!"
The Mo Xiangqi in front of me wasn't a gentle beauty; she was a lunatic. I had to get out of here before her ghostly brother arrived, or I was doomed.
Seizing an opportunity, I sprinted toward the cave's exit. She didn't give chase, or perhaps she couldn't, but I didn't dare slow down. My only thought was to escape this cursed place as quickly as possible.
Yet no matter how long I ran, the tunnel seemed endless. I ran as fast as I could, but the exit remained out of sight. I couldn't stop, though—I bit down and kept pushing forward.
"You think you can escape?" Mo Xiangqi's deranged voice echoed through the tunnel, sending chills down my spine. I didn't dare look back, only focusing on running forward.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook me. I collapsed to the ground, my body as limp as a rag. I couldn't even lift a finger. Even if death came in the next moment, I didn't have the strength to resist.
No sooner had I fallen than footsteps approached from the darkness. Forcing my eyes open, I saw Mo Xiangqi walking toward me, holding an oil lamp. Though she walked slowly, she somehow reached me in the blink of an eye.
"Run. Go on, keep running," she said, her eyes filled with cruel triumph.
"Someone came with me," I said desperately, gripping the knife in my hand. "He's an expert at dealing with ghosts. If you kill me, he'll hunt down your brother. Your plan will fail."
My survival instincts overpowered my rationality, and I blurted out a mention of my master.
By now, enough time had passed that my master should've noticed I was missing and come looking for me. He'd definitely come for me.
Her hand froze mid-swing, the knife hovering above my chest. But then she sneered. "So what? By then, my brother will have been reborn. Not even your master can harm him then."
Thunk!
I watched in horror as she drove the knife into my chest. Agonizing pain radiated through my body. I convulsed, trying to scream, but no sound came out.
One stab. Two stabs. Three stabs…
I could only watch as my body was hacked to pieces like minced meat. Flesh, bones, and blood blended into a grotesque mess. I couldn't die, no matter how much my body was desecrated.
In the depths of despair, a familiar voice called out.
"Xiao Liu?"
The voice was like a lifeline, jolting my exhausted mind back to life. I knew that voice.
It was my master. He'd finally come to find me.