Just as I picked up Xiao Xiang, Xiao Ying, lying by the tomb door, suddenly shouted, "Something's wrong! Water is coming into the tomb!"
We were all startled and turned to look in that direction, but the oil lamp's dim light wasn't enough to see clearly. The flashlights had long been smashed. Little Roller and Big Mouth Rong were still bickering as they ran toward the door, then came back supporting Xiao Ying.
"The water really is coming in!" Little Roller said, panic-stricken.
Xiao Ying looked weak, likely from her earlier heavy fall. I rushed to ask, "Are you alright?"
"I'll manage. We need to find an exit quickly, or the tomb will be flooded!" Xiao Ying said through gritted teeth.
Frowning, I asked, "How is water coming into the tomb?" But I immediately remembered—the sealed door had been opened, allowing creek water to flow into the tomb passage. Since the tomb chamber was higher up, the water accumulated and spilled over into this area.
"No time to wonder about that—just find a way out!" Big Mouth Rong snapped, heading toward one of the chamber's doors, speculating it might lead to a side room.
Little Roller, still arguing, dragged Xiao Ying toward the opposite side.
"Hey! It's this way!" Big Mouth Rong yelled.
"No, over here!" Little Roller retorted.
"Stop fighting!" Xiao Ying barked, though she winced in pain from her injuries. Her tone shut Little Roller up, and he reluctantly followed Big Mouth Rong's lead.
Carrying Xiao Xiang, I followed them. After searching both side chambers, we found no exits—just some broken ceramics and nothing valuable. We circled the walls of the main tomb chamber to no avail. I asked the ghost girl for help, but she admitted she couldn't assist. Her energy was too drained to see beyond the chrysalis' confines.
Dejected, we sat on the ground, watching the water slowly trickle in. The flow was slow, but it would eventually fill the tomb. If not drowned, we would starve to death.
Big Mouth Rong gazed at the rounded dome above us and mused, "Maybe the water will stop rising at the ceiling, and I won't starve after all."
"Why not?" Little Roller asked.
"Because I'll have water to drink and meat to eat—you, to be exact!" Big Mouth Rong joked, patting his belly.
"Like hell you will. I'll eat you first!"
"Enough already! You're still bickering at a time like this?" Xiao Ying snapped. Despite her exhaustion, she tried to silence them.
The ghost girl trapped in the oil lamp began wailing again, fraying our nerves further. We didn't dare extinguish the lamp, fearing she would escape.
From within the lamp, the ghost pleaded, "Let me out, and I'll tell you where the exit is."
I scoffed, "Dream on. Let you out so you can eat us? Not a chance."
"I won't hurt you! I'm too weak now—just let me go, and I'll show you the way out!"
After some deliberation, we struck a deal: she would reveal the exit first, and once we escaped, we would release her.
The ghost revealed the exit was hidden in the right-side chamber. Beneath a pile of broken ceramics was a strange symbol resembling funeral paper money. Pressing the symbol triggered a mechanism that opened a two-foot-wide escape route in the ceiling.
As we prepared to leave, I asked the ghost about the strange symbol. She weakly explained that it was a sigil used by the Ghost King to raise spirits.
The ghost, too weak to scream anymore, seemed subdued as we climbed out. Once we reached the surface, we extinguished the lamp. In the dark, we saw a wisp of black smoke dart into the tomb below before the escape hatch slammed shut.
Little Roller, ever the opportunist, smirked, "Even without my Spirit Officer's belt, I've got a Soul-Locking Lamp now! No more scolding for me when I get back!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. That lamp was claimed by Wang Lin at great risk. You think you can just take it?" Big Mouth Rong said with disdain.
Little Roller sheepishly laughed and turned to me. "Brother, you're skilled enough not to need this lamp. How about you let me keep it? Come visit me in Shaanxi, and I'll treat you to a feast!"
I was about to agree, but the ghost girl interjected, "No way! That's a valuable tool for warding off evil spirits. Don't give it away!"
"Sorry, but I'll need it for now. I'll return it if I don't need it later," I told Little Roller.
Reluctantly, he handed over the lamp. But then a sudden cold wind swept through, making us all freeze. Looking around, we realized we were in a small room similar to the tomb chamber, complete with mats and incense burners. Standing by the doorway were two spectral figures radiating an icy chill—a ghostly mother and child.
So much for relief! Before we could react, the ghostly child shrieked and lunged at me.
Little Roller raised the lamp and blew toward the child, instantly trapping it in the flame.
The child's agonized screams were heart-wrenching, leaving us all shaken.
The ghostly mother, panicked, knelt before us and wailed, "Please, spare my child! He's not even a year old!"
Her desperate pleas softened our hearts. She wasn't malicious by choice; someone had turned her into a ghost servant. Her child, too, was an innocent victim.
How could humans be so cruel? Compared to them, even ghosts seemed pitiable.