"You're out of luck," I muttered. I was already out of strength and relying entirely on Wulong to drag me forward. When I collapsed to the ground, my whole body felt like it had fallen apart again, leaving me utterly useless, gasping for air and unable to speak.
Xiao Xiang said anxiously, "If Master Wulong hadn't arrived in time, we'd all be dead. Please don't misunderstand him!"
Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu chimed in, "Xiao Xiang is right, don't stir up trouble."
Just as Zhu Wantao was about to retort, Wulong sprang to his feet with an agile leap, glaring at him coldly. "You're a traitor. You're helping someone commit evil!" he declared, his right hand continuously calculating as if he had divined the result.
"Don't try to bluff me with your tricks!" Zhu Wantao took a step back, visibly guilty. He turned to Xiao Xiang and said, "Xiao Xiang, can't you see it? I've been telling you, he's working with Wang Lin. Look at how chummy they got the moment they met! I'm not making this up!"
Xiao Xiang froze, her eyes darting down to look at me lying on the ground. Under the dim light of the flashlight, her pretty face instantly turned into a mask of hatred. My heart sank; this misunderstanding was going to be hard to resolve.
"Stop hesitating—run!" Wulong shoved Xiao Xiang forward, then kicked Zhu Wantao flying two zhang (around 20 feet).
"You want to silence me—" Zhu Wantao yelped shamelessly, scrambling to his feet and fleeing northeast.
Xiao Xiang, Liu Bin, and Zhang Shaoyu glanced at one another, unsure whom to believe, but realizing that escape was the priority. They bolted into the grove. Wulong bent down, hoisted me over his shoulder, and followed them into the woods.
"Don't leave me! Help!" Zhu Wantao screamed.
In the flickering firelight, I saw his face twisted in terror, his hand desperately reaching out to us. Though I saw it all clearly, I merely let out a cold laugh. I had no sympathy left for this despicable traitor.
But then he said something that caught my attention.
"Wang Lin, I was wrong! Save me, and I'll help clear your name!"
Clearing my name was crucial—not for anyone else but to dispel the knot in Xiao Xiang's heart. I decided immediately and closed my eyes to chant an incantation. The moment Feng Lan's ghostly face appeared in my mind, an icy chill swept through my body. My heart pounded, dizziness overwhelmed me, and I knew the forced use of the summoning spell was taking its toll.
"You idiot! You're still trying to show off? Go to hell!" Feng Lan shrieked as her ghostly figure hurtled toward me. Terrified, I shuddered violently, and everything went black.
I thought I was a goner for sure. In that final moment before I lost consciousness, I felt my body go icy cold, the stench of death permeating me.
But when I woke up, I saw a soft light on the ceiling above me. Was the underworld this modern now? "Upstairs and downstairs, electric lights and phones?"
Suddenly, a familiar, gentle face appeared in my vision. There was a hint of worry mixed with familiarity, a sight so comforting it put me at ease.
"Ah! You're awake!" It was Xiao Ying, her voice filled with delight.
"Ah! What are you doing in the underworld?" I shouted back.
Xiao Ying blinked her bright eyes, a mix of joy and mischief, but her face remained serious. "I came to visit you in the underworld to see how you're doing. Are you settling in?"
I pursed my lips and said bitterly, "Of course not. I heard they have boiling oil here. You'd better go back."
"Any last words you want me to take back?"
"Yes. Tell Xiao Xiang that the incident in the new building was Zhu Wantao framing me. Don't let me die unjustly!"
"Anything else to say to Xiao Xiang?" she asked, her big, sparkling eyes full of curiosity.
"Yes... Tell her, even if I die, my heart remains unchanged!" As soon as I finished, I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. But I was dead, so who cared about face?
Xiao Ying burst out laughing and suddenly pulled someone into view. "She heard everything. Now you can rest in peace!"
To my shock, Xiao Xiang was standing right there. Her face was flushed red as she stammered, "Wang Lin, I'm sorry. I believed Zhu Wantao's lies and misunderstood you. I'm just glad you're okay..."
Xiao Ying's antics had made me blush, and I couldn't meet Xiao Xiang's gaze. I quickly sat up and said, "The underworld isn't a place for humans. You should all leave!"
But when I looked around, I realized Xiao Ying had tricked me again. This wasn't the underworld—it was a bedroom, and the blanket over me smelled fresh and fragrant.
Her prank sent her into peals of laughter, and even Xiao Xiang couldn't help but smile.
"Uh-oh!" I frowned and turned to Xiao Ying.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?" she asked, concerned.
"I think... I wet the bed!"
"No way! That's my bed!"
"Ha-ha..." My joke dispelled the earlier tension, and everyone burst into laughter.
But suddenly, a loud "crack!" of thunder rumbled outside the window, making my heart jolt. The sound of pouring rain followed soon after.
Wulong, Liu Bin, Zhang Shaoyu, and Zhu Wantao were all gathered in the living room.
Earlier, when we had entered the grove, I had used the summoning spell to save Zhu Wantao from Feng Lan. Wulong explained that Feng Lan had expended a lot of energy fighting me on the spiritual plane, allowing him to lead Xiao Xiang and the others out of the building. She was too drained to pursue us further, though the effort had left me unconscious as well.
Wulong, fearing that Xiao Ying—living outside—might also be in danger, had brought us to her place. He used acupuncture to restore my energy flow, along with talismans and blessed water to expel the ghostly influence. That's how I regained consciousness.
Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu apologized profusely for their earlier suspicions. Zhu Wantao, meanwhile, sat in a corner like a prisoner awaiting judgment, his head hung low.
Just then, a sharp ringing sound broke through the rain.
"The soul bell!" Wulong's face turned pale. "Feng Lan is here!"
We all froze in terror. Liu Bin and Zhang Shaoyu huddled together, while Xiao Xiang clung to Xiao Ying.
"The bell is ringing so frantically—it must mean she's recovered her energy. I'm not sure if the barrier I set up can hold until morning," Wulong said, a trace of despair in his voice.