Soul Burial at the Sophora Root and the Lantern Shadow Curse
The moment the bronze mirror cracked, a sudden "dong dong" sound emanated from the pit beneath the old locust tree, as if something were knocking against the coffin. Su Xiao took a half step back. The Red Sun Gu transformed into a crimson flame, hovering before her. The flame illuminated the pit, and she saw with astonishment that the black coffin, previously buried in the pit, had flipped over, its lid facing upwards. The incantations on the coffin glowed dark purple, as if blood were flowing through its veins.
Even more bizarre, locust tree roots were creeping through the cracks in the coffin, entwined with strands of gray hair. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the hair of Meng Meng and the old patriarch. The roots stirred within the coffin, making a rustling sound, as if they were chewing something. Each movement made the coffin thud, sending particles of dirt falling from the ground.
“Lidya Su…save…”
A faint cry for help suddenly rang out from within the coffin. The voice was thin and sharp, like Meng Meng's, but with the hoarseness of the old patriarch. Su Xiao clenched the Chiyang Gu box and was about to step forward when he heard footsteps behind him. It was Zhao Yu. He had woken up at some point, his face as pale as paper, his eyes frighteningly empty, and he still held the machete covered in black frost.
"Zhao Yu, how are you?" Su Xiao turned hurriedly, only to see Zhao Yu staring at the coffin in the pit. A stiff smile slowly spread across his lips, identical to the smiles Meng Meng and the old patriarch wore before their deaths. He raised his machete and swung it toward Su Xiao. The black frost on the blade reflected the shadows of the locust leaves, casting a distorted light on the ground.
Su Xiao dodged sideways, and the Red Sun Gu's flames wrapped around Zhao Yu's wrist, attempting to trap him. But Zhao Yu's arm suddenly stiffened, and the blood vessels beneath his skin bulged. He forcibly broke free from the flames and slashed at Su Xiao's neck again. At this moment, the cries for help from within the coffin suddenly intensified. The lid creaked open, and a wisp of black air drifted out, transforming into Meng Meng—her hair disheveled, her eyes hollow, her hands tied behind her back, as if she were hanging from the beam.
"Don't hurt him... He's haunted by the locust tree spirit..." Meng Meng's phantom drifted to Zhao Yu's side, reaching out to touch him, but passed through him instead. She turned to look at Su Xiao, her voice tinged with tears, "Under the locust tree lie the offerings of generations of Qingwu Town. The man in black robes has awakened the locust tree spirit with a spell, and it's absorbing our souls..."
Only then did Su Xiao notice that the previously closed eyes on the old locust tree's trunk had suddenly opened again, their pupils reflecting countless blurry figures, like souls trapped within the tree. Black sap oozed from the trunk, dripping into the pit with a sizzling sound. The spell on the coffin glowed brighter, and the roots entwined even more tightly.
"Then how can we save Zhao Yu?" Su Xiao asked hurriedly. The flame of the Red Sun Gu had begun to weaken. Zhao Yu's machete was getting closer and closer to her. The coldness on the blade made her scalp numb.
"Use my Gu-repelling cloth...burn it, it can temporarily suppress the Huai Hun..." Meng Meng's phantom pointed in the direction of the wooden house, "The cloth is still on Meng Meng's body. Hurry...the Huai Hun is about to absorb all his soul..."
Su Xiao turned to look at the cabin, then at the approaching Zhao Yu. With a sudden resolve, she stuffed the Chiyang Gu box into her arms and ran towards the cabin. Zhao Yu chased after her, his footsteps thumping like they were stepping on everyone's heartbeats. At the cabin's door, Meng Meng's body still lay on the ground, the Gu-repelling fabric shredded into strips, clinging to her skin. Though the silver thread was black, it still shone with a faint blue light.
Su Xiao squatted down, picked up a piece of cloth, and was about to stand up when she saw Meng Meng's body suddenly move, her fingers curled slightly, as if trying to grasp something. Her eyes slowly opened, the shadow of the old locust tree reflected in her pupils, and the smile on her lips grew wider and wider until it stretched to her ears. Su Xiao's heart sank, but he still grabbed the cloth and turned to run towards the old locust tree.
Zhao Yu had already reached the edge of the pit. He raised his machete and slashed at the coffin lid. It cracked with a crackling sound, and more black energy poured out, transforming into countless blurry figures that pounced on Zhao Yu. Seeing this, Su Xiao hurriedly ignited the strip of Gu-repelling fabric and threw it towards Zhao Yu. The strip of fabric blazed in the air and landed on Zhao Yu. A burst of blue light instantly dispelled the black energy surrounding him.
Zhao Yu's movements suddenly paused, and his eyes regained some clarity. He looked at the machete in his hand, then looked at Lidya Su, his eyes full of shock: "I...what happened to me just now?"
"You're being haunted by the locust spirit! Get out of here!" Su Xiao said hurriedly. Suddenly, the old locust tree's trunk shook violently, its branches rustling as if roaring in anger. The eyes on the trunk suddenly shot out a red light, shooting towards the two of them. Su Xiao pulled Zhao Yu up and hurriedly hid by the pit. The red light fell on the ground, burning tiny holes and emitting a burnt smell.
"The Huai Hun is angry... It wants to bury us all here..." Meng Meng's phantom reappeared, her body becoming increasingly transparent. "The man in black robes left a curse in the mirror. He wants the Huai Hun to devour everyone in Qingwu Town... Quickly find the fragments of the bronze mirror. Putting them together can break the curse..."
Just as Su Xiao was about to ask further questions, Meng Meng's phantom suddenly dissipated, the black air in the coffin gradually receded, and the coffin lid creaked shut. The old locust tree's shaking gradually stopped, but the eyes on the trunk were still open, and the figure in the pupils was still struggling, as if calling for help.
"Where are the fragments of the bronze mirror?" Zhao Yu helped Su Xiao stand up. His face was still pale, but he had regained consciousness.
Su Xiao remembered that when the bronze mirror broke, the fragments were scattered in the pit. She hurriedly lowered her head to look, but saw that the coffin in the pit had disappeared, leaving only an empty pit. At the bottom of the pit were scattered several pieces of bronze mirror fragments, emitting a faint light.
The two squatted down and carefully picked up the fragments, only to see that they were engraved with dense spells, exactly the same as the spells on the coffin. As soon as the fragments touched Su Xiao's fingers, she felt a sharp pain, as if a needle was piercing her skin.
"These fragments are imbued with evil energy. Don't touch them directly." Su Xiao hurriedly placed the fragments into the Red Sun Gu box. The Red Sun Gu inside the box hissed, as if resisting the evil energy. She looked up at the old locust tree. The eyes on the trunk were closed, but a sinister aura still emanated from it. "We must find all the fragments as soon as possible, otherwise the locust spirit will awaken again and Qingwu Town will be doomed."
Zhao Yu nodded, gripping the machete tightly, and looking around warily. Just as the two were about to leave the pit, they saw oil lamps suddenly light up in the villagers' houses in the distance. The dim light cast an eerie glow in the night. Even more terrifying, beneath each lamp stood a vague figure, like a puppet being manipulated, walking towards the old locust tree.
"Oh no, the villagers are being controlled by Huai Hun!" Su Xiao's heart suddenly tightened. She looked at those figures, her heart filled with despair - the crisis in Qingwu Town was far from over.
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