Xiao Ying looked at me with a blank expression, seemingly as confused as I was about why Wu Long would do such a thing. To prevent her from becoming the target of Da Zui Rong and Xiao Gunda's anger, I quickly explained, "There's another guy who came to Absolute Despair Village with us named Xie Chen. He's a paranormal consultant. Maybe he's the one who stole the item."
"Exactly! My cousin would never do such a thing!" Xiao Ying immediately echoed, catching on to my hint.
However, both of us knew perfectly well that Xie Chen was a total amateur. Forget stealing something; he probably couldn't even make it into the Ghost King's Tomb. Besides, it was unclear if he was even still alive.
Hearing this, Da Zui Rong's anger subsided quite a bit. He turned to Xiao Xiang and said, "You heard it yourself—we didn't steal your stuff, and that guy isn't with us. Let us out, and we'll even help you get your item back. What do you say?"
"Right, right. This is the first time Da Zui Rong has said something that sounds remotely reasonable…" Xiao Gunda muttered, still plastered to the tomb wall in pain.
Xiao Xiang snorted coldly. "You think you can fool me? No matter who stole it, anyone who enters this tomb must die!"
Damn it! This woman was impossible to reason with. It was like trying to argue with a soldier when you're a scholar—logic doesn't work. And dealing with a shrew like her? Forget about reasoning altogether.
Frustrated, I shouted, "Forget talking to her! Let's just fight!" Saying this, I grabbed Xiao Ying's hand and sucked a bit of blood from her finger. With the tomb brightly lit, I noticed her face flush slightly, and her finger trembled slightly.
Da Zui Rong quickly grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?!"
Without waiting for him to finish, I shook him off, sucked some blood from my own finger, and sprayed it onto the oil lamp. Instantly, a mix of blood and spit splattered all over the lamp flame, producing a sizzling sound, and the lamp extinguished halfway. In truth, these surrounding oil lamps were illusions. Once the lamp heads went out, the lamp bodies vanished completely.
As I prepared to spray another mouthful of blood, a massive force suddenly shoved me, sending me flying. With a heavy thud, I slammed into the wall. Damn it, just like Xiao Gunda earlier, I was now pinned to the tomb wall by an invisible force, unable to move no matter how hard I tried.
In quick succession, Xiao Ying and Da Zui Rong were also flung against the wall, and the four of us ended up lined up in a row. It was a rather ridiculous and tragic sight. Xiao Ying was right beside me. Though clearly frightened, she managed a faint smile and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into this."
My heart sank, and I forced a bitter smile. "It's not your fault. I came to save Xiao Xiang. I just hope that when I die, she'll make it out alive." But looking at Xiao Xiang, that hope was immediately dashed. No way this crazy woman would let her go. It was wishful thinking.
"What are you two doing, flirting at a time like this? We need to think of a way to deal with this thing!" Xiao Gunda shouted.
That idiot's comment made Xiao Ying's face turn bright red. To avoid more awkwardness, I closed my eyes and asked the ghost girl inside me, "What now?"
"I'm trying to figure something out!" she replied anxiously. "That ghost was once nurtured by the Ghost King, making her incredibly fierce. Even though her power is limited by the cocoon, she's still overwhelmingly strong. And her energy reserves are still substantial. There's only one solution: use your Yin-Yang blood to extinguish the main lamp. She'll go back to her dormant state."
I opened my eyes and looked around. The main lamp was at least seven or eight meters away. Given our current situation, how could I even use Yin-Yang blood? But the ghost girl seemed determined to help. Just as I was contemplating, she suddenly acted. Before I knew it, I was flipped around—straight into Xiao Ying!
We were practically nose-to-nose, pressed tightly together. If standing upright was close, lying down like this was downright intimate. Though we'd hugged before, those were in desperate situations. This felt deliberate. Moreover, the force behind us was relentlessly pushing me further into her soft, delicate body. It was both thrilling and mortifying.
Face-to-face, with our noses almost touching, I saw Xiao Ying's wide, startled eyes. Blushing, she stammered, "What… what are you doing?"
"Bite your tongue!" I whispered, knowing she couldn't lift her hand.
Xiao Ying froze for a moment before understanding dawned. She frowned in pain, clearly biting through her tongue. Then, to my utter shock, she leaned in and kissed me, transferring blood directly into my mouth. The sensation was electrifying. My mind went completely blank.
Before I could savor it, it ended as quickly as it began. But it was the most intense experience of my life. Laugh if you want, but that was my first kiss—and it wasn't even with my crush.
I stood there, dumbfounded, until Xiao Gunda and Da Zui Rong shouted, "What the hell? Flirting now?"
Snapping out of it, I noticed Xiao Ying's face was bright red, looking as bashful as a ripe apple. Just as I was about to say something, the ghost girl yanked me backward. Against the massive force, I managed a flip and launched toward the main lamp.
Xiao Xiang cursed, "Bastard!"
As she yelled, I felt the pressure on me double, throwing me back again. But the ghost girl gave one last desperate pull, propelling me forward once more. Flipping headfirst, I landed right in front of the main lamp and spat a mouthful of blood onto it. Despite Xiao Xiang moving the lamp quickly, the blood splattered everywhere. Enough landed on the flame to extinguish it. The main lamp flickered out, releasing a wisp of blue smoke.
As the main lamp went out, all the other oil lamps followed, plunging the tomb into complete darkness. Xiao Gunda, Da Zui Rong, Xiao Ying, and I all let out cries as we collapsed to the ground. The ghost girl, panting heavily, said, "Good thing we extinguished the main lamp before I ran out of energy. That ghost won't wake up for at least an hour."
Just as she finished speaking, a glow lit up the tomb. Xiao Xiang stood holding a small oil lamp, her sinister face illuminated by its flickering flame. I froze in shock. She was still awake—and had a new lamp in her hand.
Cackling, she said, "When I woke up, I prepared a backup lamp just in case. This one is called the Nine Nether Soul-Seizing Lamp. Any soul taken by this lamp will burn eternally in its wick until consumed entirely."
Her chilling words made my blood run cold. The ghost girl growled in frustration, "That wretched woman had a backup plan! I've used up all my energy. Now, there's only one way left: drive the ghost cocoon out of her body using the method I teach you. But you better not betray me and kick me out later!"
I nodded hurriedly, "I won't! You can stay with me forever. Just tell me what to do!"