I opened a bottle of perfume and sniffed it—yes, this was the scent Xiaoxiang often wore. She was in the underground palace!
My heart started pounding furiously, and I could no longer sit still. I had to find her quickly because one question haunted me: was she alive or dead?
I stuffed everything from her bag into mine, carefully studied the map, and proceeded. Left turn, then right, followed by another right, to the northern "Life Gate" of the burial chamber.
The journey was nerve-wracking. One moment I feared I'd find her corpse, the next I was thrilled because she still carried two small gifts I had given her. She must have treasured them, which hinted at something—did she secretly like me back then? Had I missed my chance to confess, letting that jerk An Shengzhe swoop in? But if she had a boyfriend, why would she still keep these things? Could they be truly important to her?
The thought filled me with wild joy—did she still like me after all this time?
My shameless optimism is legendary. I'm a master of indulging in one-sided fantasies.
"Something's wrong up ahead!" Dead Girl suddenly warned.
I stopped abruptly. My headlamp illuminated a good thirty meters ahead, but the area seemed calm. No signs of danger. But if Dead Girl said something was off, she wasn't joking. I was about to ask when a piercing scream echoed from ahead.
It was a familiar scream that made my heart freeze—and race with hope. Could it be Xiaoxiang? Was she alive?
I bolted forward, pulling two talismans out of my pocket—one Golden Light Talisman and one Samadhi True Fire Talisman.
At the sharp turn ahead, a figure dashed toward me. I froze—damn it, it wasn't Xiaoxiang. It was Liu Ying, that buck-toothed girl. My excitement plummeted into disappointment.
Why is it that women's voices sound so different, but their screams are so similar? Frustrated as I was, I ran toward Liu Ying, whose headlamp revealed her panicked face. She screamed at me, "Run! There's a ghost behind me!"
Yeah, no kidding. Why else would you be screaming? I held my talismans in one hand and swung my peachwood sword in the other. "You keep running—I'll hold it off!"
Dead Girl snorted. "Hold what off? That's a Fushou Kid coming!"
"A Fushou Kid? Isn't that the baby ghost from Old Fushou Ghost?" I scoffed.
"This one's grown up!"
Wait, what?! The Fushou Kid can grow? You could've mentioned that sooner! This place was freaky as hell—ghost babies could grow up here? I didn't even know how Mo Xi escaped alive. If turning into a girl could save me, I'd rather lose my manhood entirely.
Liu Ying reached me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me back to flee. Knowing it was a full-grown Fushou Kid, I abandoned any pretense of heroics and sprinted alongside her.
"How did you even get in here?" we both asked each other simultaneously.
"Let's talk later—find somewhere to hide!" she gasped.
Her voice had changed—it sounded much better now and oddly familiar. Suspicious, I whispered to Dead Girl, "Did she disguise herself?"
"She and Wu Luo both did. Their faces are covered with mugwort juice, so I can't see their real appearances."
Damn it. Why were they in disguise? Were they targeting Dead Girl? My gut told me I'd stepped into a trap again. I stopped abruptly, nearly tripping Liu Ying.
"Who are you, and why are you in disguise?" I glared at her.
"Are you insane? Just run!" she shouted.
"I'm not moving until you explain!" I'm stubborn like that—I dig my heels in until I get answers.
Dead Girl grumbled, "The Fushou Kid's here, you idiot!"
Crap—no more bravado. But it was too late. The Fushou Kid caught up in an instant. A freezing, ghostly chill engulfed us, sending shivers through my body. I turned and stared—dear God, what the hell was this?
The grown-up Fushou Kid was nothing like I imagined. I thought it would be a towering, terrifying man-ghost. Instead, it was a dwarf, barely a meter tall, with a huge head and not a single hair. Its smooth, bald scalp oozed black mist. Its oversized face was grotesque—its eyes, nose, and mouth were squished together into an unnatural mess. It was uglier than a ghost fetus.
"Use the Samadhi True Fire!" Dead Girl shouted.
Snapping out of it, I grabbed the talisman and flicked my lighter. The moment the flame appeared, the Fushou Kid blew out a stream of white, icy mist, snuffing the flame out. I was stunned—was this thing messing with me?! But I had no time to play. Chanting the spell, I ignited the talisman, which burst into flame.
Triumphantly, I hurled it at the Fushou Kid. Its eerie green eyes flickered, and it retreated thirty meters in an instant. Then, it exhaled another wave of cold mist. The fire and the freezing mist collided, creating an unbelievable sight. They canceled each other out—the mist swallowing the fire, and the fire burning away the mist.
Both disappeared!
I nearly cried. How could this baby ghost be stronger than its ghost mother?
"Run!" Liu Ying pulled me, throwing something small and black over her shoulder. It looked like a mini grenade.
The Fushou Kid caught up just as the object exploded with a bang. The ghost let out a shrill screech, clutching its head as it stumbled backward.
"What was that?" I asked, fascinated.
"Wu Luo's new anti-ghost bomb—filled with chicken blood, dog blood, and three talismans. The explosion burns the talismans, and the blood splashes on the ghost's head. It won't kill it, but it'll keep it away for a while."
Her voice turned raspy again, distant and unfamiliar.
This mix of exorcism tools and explosives was brilliant. "Then why are we still running? Let's blow it to ashes!"
"That was the last one…"
Damn it! Say that earlier! I picked up the pace and sprinted like mad. Just as we reached a corner, a white figure flickered ahead. I skidded to a halt—Old Fushou Ghost was blocking the path!
Trapped between the mother and child, I panicked—where the hell could we run now?