Chapter 99 Yin Peach Blossom (29) Then, it slowly turned its head. ...
The roads here are easy to travel, as the oil lamps will guide them; yet, there is no road more difficult than this. Every road is the same, and they will not encounter any other people along the way. It is as if there are separate passages between every two places, with tangled roots forming a complex network. Without a god's-eye view, it is impossible to reach any destination.
People living here, even if they live next door, may never have seen each other from birth to death; individuals are completely isolated from one another.
The journey from Xiao Liu's room to the secret chamber of the Smoke Mirror was as winding as driving in Diqiu City. The second time, Xie Tan recorded the entire process with his phone and only managed to remember the general outline. However, this was the only route that was passable for him; the others were all unknown.
Xie Tan suspected that this was a network of tunnels swarming beneath Diqiu City, created by insects, snakes, rats, and ants. This eerie city and its strange family—whoever built it based on whom—was building it only to obstruct people's passage.
When the guides who had a better grasp of the area disappeared, those who walked here were like those walking through an endless cave in a deserted mountain, inevitably turning into anxious ascetics.
Xie Tan was alright; people immersed in loneliness don't feel suffocated by deeper seawater, they only feel like they've drifted to other waters. But for a child... He immediately grasped Xiao Liu's hand, as if he wanted to squat down and check on her, but his hand landed on nothing.
He lowered his head; there was no one beside him.
He tightened his grip on the oil lamp. The lamplight still illuminated a long way ahead. In this short time, even with the fog, he would be able to spot her figure. It was the road just a few steps away, around the bend!
Ignoring the dimming light of the oil lamp due to the deviation from the course, he ran quickly, calling her name, and sure enough, he saw her small figure at the end of the road, her expression solemn.
As soon as Xiao Liu saw him, before he could speak, she used the key hidden under her tongue to open the nearest room, pulled him inside, and made a shushing gesture.
This was a dusty storage room. After they hid behind two water tanks, a flash of cold light appeared. Xie Tan swiftly lifted Xiao Liu up, and Xiao Liu, with perfect understanding, used the momentum to push off and crawled into the empty water tank, even obediently closing the lid. The blade passed through Xie Tan's body as if it were air.
Two young women, dressed in white dresses similar to Xiao Liu's, huddled in the corner. One nestled in the other's arms, murmuring, "Sister..."
The older sister protected her younger sister even more tightly, like a mother wolf protecting her cubs. A glint of a knife was still visible on her sleeve. Her eyes, fixed on the water vat, were filled with murderous intent. She turned the blade, but paused for a moment. Instead of striking again, her expression changed slightly. She covered her younger sister's mouth and hid deeper inside.
Outside the door, heavy footsteps approached from afar, each step causing the bricks and stones to tremble, like a giant walking by.
What is that?
He could have gone closer to take a look, but Xie Tan didn't move. He remained by the water vat, watching the sisters' movements.
In the small space, the three held their breath, waiting for the terrifying sound to fade away. Once it was completely gone, the older sister's eyes turned to the water vat again. Xie Tan remained vigilant, ready to take Xiao Liu away at any moment. However, Xiao Liu pushed the water vat aside first and called out softly and lively, "Sister Shao" and "Sister Zhi".
The older sister, Su Shao, looked at her coldly, but her murderous intent had subsided. The younger sister, Su Zhilu, nodded and responded gently.
Xie Tan remained silent, simply staying by Xiao Liu's side, his eyes even colder than his sister Su Shao's.
Judging from the two young women's attire and tense demeanor, they should also be among the last batch of sacrifices. Why are they hiding here?
The fog has risen, which is likely because the Smoke Mirror has rioted again. Black smoke is spreading out, and it looks even more intense than last time, so the guards watching over the worthless elites have all been transferred away.
The guy who just left outside didn't sound human. According to Xiao Liu, the Black Goat often catches all sorts of ghosts and monsters, takes them in for his own use, and keeps them in the family's closed circle. Could it be that the Smoke Mirror's riot caused these monsters to escape? That would really be a complete mess.
He knew he couldn't go to the secret room where the smoke mirror was for the time being. He pulled up the map, and the route back the way he came was in his hands, but he couldn't be sure what might be on the way.
Let's assess the situation first. It's best to wait until the Black Goat region calms down and they can return safely.
Then he heard Xiao Liu say, "The road to the east is impassable. All the ghosts imprisoned there have come out. Where do we go from here? What about the west?"
Su Shao immediately denied it: "The family's fortune teller came back from the west last night. I think the current chaotic situation is inseparable from her. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"
Su Zhi nestled in her sister's arms and said in a muffled voice, "The north won't work either, that's where the smoke mirror is. Only the south is an option."
Xiao Liu made a quick decision: "Okay, we'll take turns exploring. We can't use mirrors; we'll communicate using talismans."
They set off immediately.
Xie Tan, who had been pulled away by Xiao Liu, also realized that they needed to take advantage of the chaos to escape from here!
He didn't know how things suddenly got to this point, nor when they had met or how long they had been planning it, but he quickly used his ghostly abilities to find a way out for Xiao Liu.
The oil lamp led them toward the smoke mirror to the north, so they had to walk in the opposite direction of dimming the light. However, this cheating method was not very effective, because the light went out completely after a certain distance from the secret room, and they had to figure it out on their own.
Xie Tan then witnessed that this could not be considered a family gathering place at all. If it was indeed built underground as he had guessed, it was a true depiction of the 18 levels of hell. Every path was filled with monsters to hide from, with ever-changing appearances and methods. It was like compressing several series of bound volumes into a maze with no boundaries, and they were the miserable adventurers... without any extra lives or save functions.
Moreover, Xie Tan originally thought that the ghosts and monsters could see him because the monster's esophagus leading to the smoke mirror had once touched him, but those monsters ignored him and seemed unable to smell his pheromones, just like everyone else.
What's the difference? Could it be because that passage connects to the Smoke Mirror and is shrouded in black smoke? After all, he used the power of the Smoke Mirror to travel through it.
Xie Tan doesn't know how to fight, nor does he know any spells or magical artifacts. The Joker card in his pocket is missing, the Joker couldn't come with him, and he can't use his pheromone advantage. He only has the Ghost ability, so he keeps seizing opportunities to grab Xiao Liu and dodge the monsters' attacks.
Xiao Liu was under immense pressure, and Xie Tan's comfort was always limited. They mostly cooperated silently, and their tacit understanding seemed to be something they were born with.
She pulled the talisman out of her hair, and Xie Tan was indeed stunned for a moment, wondering how she had hidden it. Wasn't it him who had tied her hair this morning?
She communicated with another pair of sisters, exchanging information about the routes to rule out the real exit. However, when Su Shao said, "The road to the weapons room is impassable," Su Zhi's sharp cry of "Sister!" drowned out all other sounds, and the communication was instantly cut off.
As the communication ended, the surrounding sounds became clear, and Xiao Liu froze abruptly... Something was breathing in her ear!
Xie Tan scooped her up and ran, but Xiao Liu was faster, grabbing him and running down another path. The smell of blood filled the air, and the bear demon, its eyes bloodshot, pounced. This time, Xie Tan dodged with Xiao Liu in his arms, but the female ghost, a step slower, was bitten by the bear demon.
The piercing screams spurred them to run even faster, but the female ghost wasn't even a proper snack. The bear demon devoured her whole and caught up in an instant, causing the earth to shake and closing in on them in just a few steps.
The Black Goat's men were all dead. Apart from the corpses and them, there wasn't a single living person on the road. Their temporary companions were also likely dead. Just as Xie Tan was about to throw Xiao Liu onto another road, a cat's meow attracted them. Xiao Liu patted his arm, and he rolled into that road with the girl in his arms, narrowly escaping the bear demon's claws.
The stone door slammed shut, blocking the bear demon's attack. After several unsuccessful attempts to open it, the bear demon slowly walked away.
Xiao Liu breathed a sigh of relief: "We still bumped into each other, but luckily we dodged quickly." She gave Atan a bright thumbs-up.
A calico cat led the way for them. In a corner, the two sisters were not dead, but they had many injuries.
The older sister, in particular, was deathly pale, her cold sweat evaporating the bloodstains and giving them a fishy smell as they slid down her skin.
She lay down on her sister's lap to rest, and seeing tears welling up in her eyes, she raised her hand to touch her face, softly singing a lullaby to soothe her to sleep.
The younger sister held back her tears, afraid that the tears would fall on her older sister's wound and worsen her pain. She lowered her head and gently blew on her sister's wound, pausing to softly respond with two lines of a song.
"Little Yao, don't be afraid. We'll be out soon and we'll see the real sun. Didn't you want to see what the water lily looks like? I heard... people outside call it lotus more often. It must be a very beautiful flower..." Su Shao coaxed.
"But...but I'm so stupid. They're right, I'm useless. I only drag you down. If it weren't for protecting me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. You would have escaped long ago, and my brothers and sisters wouldn't have gotten hurt so soon..."
"Don't listen to them. Things are in such a mess now, how are they any better? They are the culprits, it's not your fault. Xiaoyao, don't be afraid, your sister is here, I will stay with you, we will escape together, don't be afraid."
The calico cat rescued them and brought them to the door. Then it went to a corner to groom itself. Xiao Liu thanked them and didn't disturb them. She whispered to Xie Tan, "They are children from the branch of the former head of the family. Originally, there were five brothers and sisters, but only the two younger ones are left to depend on each other."
"Hmm..." Su Zhi forced a smile, "Peony flowers will definitely be beautiful too. We'll build our own shrine and fill the courtyard with these flowers. Eldest sister, second brother, and third brother can't be left out. They'll definitely be watching over us and blessing us. Then the whole family will be reunited... Hey?"
The pitch-black passage was suddenly pierced through, and the faint light from the stones, like dawn breaking through the dead end, pierced through Su Zhi's body; she was still in a daze.
The mantis, as big as a praying man, crouched at the entrance of the cave. It withdrew its sharp, catching legs, and the blood trails it left behind reflected in Su Shao's wide eyes.
Su Zhi leaned back, blood spreading beneath her like a blooming lotus.
"Little Yao!!!"
That scream was even more shrill than a female ghost's. Seeing that something was wrong, Xiao Liu immediately pulled out another talisman from his hair and stuck it on Su Shao's back, freezing her in place.
Under Su Shao's almost resentful gaze, Xiao Liu ruthlessly controlled Su Shao to run with her.
But just as he was about to run out of the room, amidst the tremors, the crawling of mantises, and the flying dust and bricks, Xie Tan suddenly caught a faint meow from a cat.
Oh right, the cat is still here. Is it going to guide them again and help them escape?
Xie Tan glanced at the corner; the cat still had its back to them, but it had stopped grooming itself and was motionless.
Then, it slowly turned its head.
His facial features were sunken inwards, like a whirlpool.
Xie Tan felt a chill run down his spine and lunged at Xiao Liu, but this time, he didn't touch her. As if passing through a fog, he fell straight to the ground.
The little girl's body then fell before him... but she had no head.
He slowly raised his head, and the long shadow cast by the dim light on the wall was a long cat tail, curled around a small head, swaying triumphantly.
The tail split open, turning into a mouth full of sharp teeth, and swallowed the head.
Xie Tan leaned on the ground, clenching his fists. His vision began to blur and then go black. His ears were ringing and his head was throbbing with pain.
He shook his head violently, then opened his eyes again. The building was deserted, with only ruins and bloodstains remaining.
He remained silent for a long time, then got up and walked out. As he walked away, another woman approached, but it wasn't the two sisters.
Her features were delicate, and her demeanor even more ethereal, more like the real fog than the pervasive mist itself. Even in the dimly lit corridor smeared with corpses and blood, her every move remained dignified, like a lady from a noble family stepping out of a painting, though in reality her body was trembling subtly.
Xie Tan paused, initially mistaking it for Xia Wujin... but this was actually another Xia Wujin.
Xia Wujin raised his eyes, his gaze passing through him and landing behind him, and said, "If the south doesn't work, let's try going around to the east."
Before Xie Tan could turn around, his hand was grabbed again.
He lowered his head, and Xiao Liu took his hand, agreeing to Xia Wujin's words.
After Xia Wujin left in another direction, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you. Let's go."
Xie Tan looked at her quietly without saying a word.
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