The cry from that mischievous girl startled me. I quickly looked down and saw Little Rolling Pin and Big-Mouth Rong grabbing the Cat Fiend's limbs, trying to lift it out of the pit.
"Let go!" I shouted.
Little Rolling Pin got so startled that he released his grip, and half of the Cat Fiend's body fell back into the pit with a thud. Big-Mouth Rong glared at me with dissatisfaction, "What are you yelling for? Trying to scare us to death?"
At that moment, Xiao Ying exclaimed, "Look! The monster opened its eyes!"
Crap! The Cat Fiend suddenly opened its eyes, looking exactly the same as when we saw it lying at the edge of the pit earlier. One human eye and one cat eye gleamed with a menacing, chilling light. The cat whiskers on the left side of its mouth twitched slightly, and the corner of its mouth curled into a sinister grin. In the darkness, it looked terrifyingly eerie!
"Ahhh!" Big-Mouth Rong screamed, letting go of the creature's other side and scrambling out of the pit like his life depended on it. Little Rolling Pin tried to follow but was interrupted by a long, drawn-out "Meow..." The Cat Fiend swiped its right hand, grabbing his belt and dragging him back down.
Xiao Ying and I were frozen in panic, unsure how to help Little Rolling Pin. Big-Mouth Rong frantically rummaged through his backpack for something.
"You coward..." Little Rolling Pin cursed at him with a frightened face before retaliating. He swung his talismanic silk ribbon, landing a hit on the Cat Fiend's face.
"Meow!" The creature let out a bloodcurdling scream as a long, diagonal slash appeared across its face. That mischievous girl had told us before that the silk ribbon was a powerful Daoist artifact, exclusive to ghost-catching agencies. As fierce as the Cat Fiend was, it hadn't fully matured yet. Coupled with the Yin-Yang blood curse imbued in the ribbon, even a fully matured fiend would be wary of it.
That hit made the Cat Fiend immediately release Little Rolling Pin. Sensing the tide turning, his fear dissipated, and instead, he became aggressive, whipping the creature several more times. The Cat Fiend screamed in pain, rolling on the ground helplessly, unable to fight back.
Big-Mouth Rong, unable to find what he was searching for in his backpack, crouched down and panted. "Damn it, I knew your ribbon would handle that thing! I was just giving you a chance to shine, you fool. Why are you whining?"
Before he could finish his sentence, two eerie oil lamps lit up among the dim ones. The Cat Fiend's eyes widened suddenly, its lips curling back to reveal fangs. It lunged forward, biting the silk ribbon as Little Rolling Pin swung it at its face. To our shock, the creature bit down hard and held the ribbon in its teeth! However, it wasn't unscathed. Sparks erupted from its mouth, crackling loudly as its lips and whiskers were singed, but it refused to let go.
"Not good! The Ghost Yin Array is activating! Use the white powder on the ground to extinguish the lamps!" the mischievous girl shouted urgently.
I snapped out of it, lunged forward, grabbed a handful of white powder from the ground, and threw it at the lamps. It worked! The lamps went out with a hiss.
Meanwhile, Little Rolling Pin was still wrestling with the Cat Fiend over the ribbon. Big-Mouth Rong noticed a few more lamps lighting up nearby and panicked. "Forget the damn ribbon and get out of there!"
Seeing me extinguishing the lamps, Xiao Ying quickly followed suit, grabbing white powder to douse the newly lit lamps. However, as soon as one side was extinguished, the other side would light up again, leaving us spinning in circles. Suddenly, there was a loud "Boom!" and dozens of lamps lit up simultaneously from all directions.
The Cat Fiend, now revitalized as if on steroids, sprang upright from the pit and swiped Little Rolling Pin with a single paw. He was flung into the air, crashing hard against the opposite stone wall.
"Mix your blood with the white powder and extinguish the lamps!" the mischievous girl yelled.
I rushed over to Xiao Ying, who was bent down grabbing white powder, and bit her hand hard. She yelped in pain and slapped me across the face.
"Are you insane?" she shouted.
Ignoring the burning pain on my cheek, I quickly bit my own hand. "Quick, mix our blood with the white powder!"
Finally understanding, Xiao Ying squeezed her finger to extract blood, letting it drip into the white powder. I grabbed a handful of the blood-stained powder, rubbed it between my hands, and flung it at the glowing lamps. Most of the lamps went out with a series of hissing sounds. The remaining ones were quickly extinguished by Big-Mouth Rong.
"It's done! Find the exit and get out!" the mischievous girl shouted.
Xiao Ying and I turned to see Little Rolling Pin being chased around the cavern by the Cat Fiend, looking utterly pitiful. His talismanic ribbon was nowhere to be seen, and without it, he was as helpless as a bird without wings, frantically fleeing.
Big-Mouth Rong finally pulled something out of his bag. "You guys find the exit! I'll deal with this beast!"
"You're the beast's target!" Little Rolling Pin shouted back, still running wildly.
"Shut up and run!" Big-Mouth Rong snapped, flinging a handful of sticky rice at the Cat Fiend. The creature howled in pain, covering its face and retreating a few steps.
Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed Xiao Ying and ran to the stone wall, shining my flashlight to find a hidden door. Xiao Ying, sharp-eyed as always, pointed. "Over there! That looks like a door!"
Sure enough, it was—a slightly ajar stone door. It seemed like Wulong had escaped through here without closing it properly. Xiao Ying and I pushed with all our might, and after some effort, the door creaked open slightly.
"Get over here, now!" I shouted to the others.
By now, the situation had changed again. Big-Mouth Rong and Little Rolling Pin were both being chased around the cavern by the Cat Fiend. Despite their bickering, they managed to keep running, equal parts comical and nerve-wracking.
Hearing my call, the two sprinted toward us. But as Little Rolling Pin neared the door, he yelled, "My ribbon! I need my ribbon!" and made as if to go back.
Big-Mouth Rong grabbed him by the arm, cursing, "To hell with your ribbon! You're gonna lose your life! Get out now!" He flung Little Rolling Pin toward the door. Xiao Ying and I helped pull him through the opening.
As Big-Mouth Rong reached the door, the Cat Fiend, its eyes blazing—one glowing blue, the other blood-red—lunged at him. Its right hand grabbed the back of his shirt, and its left claw sank into his shoulder. The impact sent Big-Mouth Rong crashing to the ground.
"Run!" he yelled to us from where he lay.
Little Rolling Pin tried to rush back in but was promptly swatted aside by the Cat Fiend. Unable to hold back, I grabbed Xiao Ying's hand, bit down to draw more blood, and leapt back into the fray. At that moment, the Cat Fiend raised its claw to strike a fatal blow on Big-Mouth Rong.
With my tongue already bitten and mixed with Xiao Ying's blood, I spat the bloody mixture onto the Cat Fiend's face. The creature let out a bloodcurdling "Meow!" and staggered backward, clawing at its face in agony. Little Rolling Pin dragged Big-Mouth Rong out of the opening while I spat another mouthful of blood at the Cat Fiend and bolted.
The four of us slammed the stone door shut behind us.