CH 155

Villainous Malevolent Ghost (9)

Song Xu Yi is accustomed to planning before taking action.

After making the decision to treat Bai Yu as a family member, Song Xu Yi unconsciously began to plan in her mind, with the sole purpose of making Bai Yu happier in the human world.

After all, this is the world that Bai Yu had fought hard for and worked tirelessly to maintain. Thousands of years later, she is more qualified than anyone else to enjoy the bustling human world.

Therefore, Song Xu Yi’s planning is meticulous, covering various aspects of life, including plans for annual overseas trips.

“There are foreigners with high noses and deep eyes beyond the ocean. Their customs and traditions are very different from ours here. You probably haven’t seen them before…”

Song Xu Yi’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Yu and spoke excitedly, “In some ways, the customs there are more open-minded than in our country. We can appreciate different folk customs and even go to beauty contests. The swimsuit show of those young ladies is so beautiful, with their beautiful legs and unique charm…”

Suddenly, Song Xu Yi’s love for beautiful women surfaced, and she couldn’t help but speak her mind. But then she realized that she was speaking to a gentle and reserved ancient person, so she blinked nervously and changed the subject, “Anyway, you can rest assured that I will try my best to help you integrate into this society and make you happy.”

Bai Yu smiled and listened to Song Xu Yi’s words. In fact, she wanted to tell her that when she first communicated with the spiritual world at the age of fifteen, her consciousness swept through many places, and she had already seen foreigners with high noses and deep-set eyes. It was her first time realizing the vastness of the universe and the profoundness of the world… At that time, she was not interested in those overseas people, but only wanted to improve her cultivation and protect her homeland.

However, for some reason, listening to Song Xu Yi’s description of these scenes, the once dull and tasteless overseas world suddenly became vivid and lively to her.

But Bai Yu just smiled and said, “Hmm.”

As a cultivator, Bai Yu understood better than anyone else the principle of following one’s heart. The scenery of the overseas world had not changed, but what changed was her state of mind. She was infected with Song Xu Yi’s expectations, and because she was with her, even the most ordinary scenery became brilliant.

Song Xu Yi’s influence on her seemed to be deeper than she had imagined.

But…

Bai Yu thought for a moment and secretly made up her mind – since Song Xu Yi now treated her as an ignorant ancient person, she would continue this ignorance. Anyway, things like beauty contests…she was determined not to let Song Xu Yi’s character drag her into watching them!

The group bought tickets for the fourth morning to return home.

After the incident with Huang Feng, the itinerary for the next day was a waste of time. On the third day, everyone decided to relax and went to the most famous amusement park in the city.

In this country where superstition is prevalent, the amusement park had a haunted house that was said to be the “most terrifying haunted house in the continent.”

There was a possibility that such existence could offend some spirits, so high-level practitioners had set up an array beneath the haunted house to ensure the safety of visitors. They even spent a high price to acquire relics from a feng shui master to sit in the center of the haunted house.

Over the years, the haunted house had attracted countless visitors with its creepy scenes, lifelike props, intricate maze, and secret passageways. However, in recent years, many similar haunted houses had been built all over the country, and the number of visitors to the amusement park had decreased significantly.

Coincidentally, Song Xu Yi and her group happened to be there when the haunted house was reopened after renovations. In order to promote the reopening and increase its popularity, the amusement park collaborated with the local television station to hold a seven-day event. The haunted house was made even more challenging, with only ten people allowed to enter at a time. If they could successfully exit within an hour, they would receive a gift from the organizers.

According to common sense, with many people, it should not be difficult to come out of a haunted house. However, six days have passed, and only a few lucky ones have received gifts. Even a self-proclaimed Taoist master and some popular online influencers with actual skills have failed to come out unscathed.

Online rumors have also begun to spread about the secrets of the haunted house. According to those tourists who failed to come out within an hour, they suddenly felt a chill on their backs and the path in front of them became infinitely long, causing them to lose their way and unknowingly separate from their group. After coming out of the haunted house, they felt extremely exhausted.

The amusement park has timely released some explanations, stating that everything is due to adjustments in lighting that can cause visual illusions to visitors, without causing any harm to their bodies. They also played videos of visitors inside the haunted house, which showed that they did indeed separate from each other at a dark fork in the road.

Therefore, even though the haunted house has recently reopened, it has once again gained notoriety due to the buzz on the internet. Many people say they will come to play during the weekends and holidays.

Song Xu Yi originally did not intend to participate in such activities, but the rest of the group was eager to try it out. When they arrived, there were not many tourists on weekdays. The TV reporters naturally did not want to miss the chance to interview this group of young and beautiful people, and under the reporters’ enthusiastic invitation, the group finally joined the haunted house and joined a family of three.

Song Xu Yi didn’t want to ruin everyone’s excitement, but she couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the haunted house. Perhaps it was just psychological, but she had a feeling that there was something unpleasant lurking inside. Before entering the haunted house, Song Xu Yi made an excuse to go to the bathroom and called out to Bai Yu.

“Bai Yu, the ghosts in the haunted house are not real. The owners of the haunted house hired people to pretend to be ghosts for entertainment purposes…” Song Xu Yi explained to Bai Yu, who was from ancient times, in order to prevent any misunderstandings.

Bai Yu had never encountered this kind of “entertainment” before. In her time, evil spirits caused countless deaths and injuries, and countless Tian Shi (heavenly masters) were sacrificed to drive them away. Everyone was afraid of evil spirits and would turn pale at the mention of them, let alone using them for entertainment.

Only in a completely peaceful era would people dare to use evil spirits for amusement!

Bai Yu couldn’t help feeling emotional. According to her original personality, she should have been relieved, as the world had become the peaceful and prosperous place she had once dreamed of. However, there seemed to be a voice in her heart mocking her sharply.

Why is that voice mocking her?

Faintly, Bai Yu realized that her emotions seemed to be a bit off: as she approached the haunted house, she felt extremely restless. She had been dead for many years and shouldn’t have had a heartbeat, but walking beside this haunted house, Bai Yu found that her heart seemed to be burning with something hot.

Some sudden and fragmented images flashed through her mind, sharp and piercing.

Bai Yu knew that her memories were gradually awakening, and for some reason, she didn’t dare to let Song Xu Yi know about it. She lowered her eyes and looked as obedient as ever: “I understand, I won’t come out casually.”

Song Xu Yi looked at Bai Yu’s obedient and gentle appearance and finally felt relieved, then went back to the group.

Several people took the map of the haunted house and boarded the boat-like machine, waiting for the staff to activate and arrive at the underground haunted house maze.

Xia Tian was talkative and inquired about the situation of the family of three who were teaming up. She learned that today was the girl’s fifteenth birthday, and she had always wanted to come to this amusement park to prove her bravery. However, there was an age limit for entering this haunted house, and only those over the age of fifteen could enter, so the girl’s family picked today to come.

“Today, sister will definitely help you win a gift!” Xia Tian teased the little girl and boasted confidently.

While waiting for the machine to start, Song Xu Yi carefully examined the map. The map was drawn on old parchment paper and basically showed the layout of the entire haunted house and a brief plot summary. In the upper right corner of the map was a rusty dagger, with a crooked hexagon star engraved on the handle, and all the haunted house plots revolved around this dagger.

Song Xu Yi stared at the dagger for a while and furrowed her brows slightly. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt like she had seen this dagger somewhere before.

“A thousand years ago, a great craftsman built a maze in his own tomb. Only by finding the dagger that guides the way out can one escape the maze. One day, a tour group mistakenly entered the underground maze…”

Accompanied by the mechanical electronic sound, the game began. The machine descended underground, and with the whistling wind on either side, Song Xu Yi’s heart was tight. She couldn’t help but grab onto the safety handlebars on both sides: for some reason, as if an invisible thread was pulling her, her heart was inexplicably painful.

Before long, the machine stopped, and the group had arrived at a strange place.

This was the newly renovated entrance to the maze, and the air was still filled with the scent of fresh paint. However, upon closer inspection, Song Xu Yi always felt that there was a familiar smell of something rotten in the wind.

The protective charm bead on Song Xu Yi’s wrist suddenly became scorching hot.

Song Xu Yi’s footsteps paused as she pursed her lips.

She never thought that she would be proven wrong right after warning Bai Yu about the possibility of encountering evil spirits in the underground maze. The familiarity of the situation only signaled one possibility – there really were evil spirits lurking in the maze.

However, ghosts were the least scarce thing in this maze. In this sinister and terrifying environment, no one knew where the evil spirits were hiding. Moreover, the rest of the group had already tiptoed into the maze…

Song Xu Yi couldn’t think of a reason to ask these people to leave this place. Even if she did, they probably wouldn’t believe her and would only think she was cowardly… Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and Song Xu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed them, taking light steps.

She estimated that she would owe Bai Yu another favor after this.

In the dim light, there were creepy skulls and terrifying noises everywhere, and fake moss and vines decorated the surroundings. Occasionally, ghosts with disheveled hair would wander around, and if anyone triggered a trap or made a sound, these ghosts would chase after them.

Everyone had read the rules and was being careful not to touch anything. However, as they approached a dark corridor with a fork in the road, two lifelike withered claws suddenly stretched out from the nearby wall!

One claw grabbed Song Xu Yi’s ankle from below, and she was startled since she had been on guard against the evil spirits in the maze. She quickly covered her mouth and didn’t make a sound. Unfortunately, the other claw caught the shoulder of the birthday girl, a fifteen-year-old girl named Ye Gonghao Long.

Ye Gonghao Long had never seen anything like this before, and she had been holding back her fear since they entered. But the moment she was grabbed by the prop, she completely lost her composure and screamed loudly.

And that scream attracted the wandering ghosts!

In a rush, Song Xu Yi only had time to move the withered claw that was gripping the trembling little girl’s shoulder. The chasing “ghosts” behind them caught up, and about thirty or forty of them chased them with all their might. Song Xu Yi unknowingly got caught up in the atmosphere and ran forward desperately.

After five minutes of being chased by the “ghosts,” Song Xu Yi stopped and gasped for breath, only to realize that there were only four people left beside her: Bai Jin, Xia Tian, and the little girl. The others had disappeared without a trace…

This was the psychological warfare that the haunted house played on its visitors: when there are many people, fear is naturally suppressed, but once people are separated, fear multiplies, and decisions are no longer rational.

The little girl was already curled up in the corner, crying, afraid of attracting the “ghosts.” She was crying so silently that she looked pitiful.

None of them had experience in comforting little girls, so they could only look at each other. In the end, Bai Jin spoke up with a brave face, “Little sister, do you want to continue following us? Or should we press the emergency button and have the staff take you out?”

“No!” The little girl shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I promised my mom and dad that I would make it out on my own!”

She stood up again, clinging to Song Xu Yi who had helped remove the withered hand from her shoulder. She held onto the hem of her clothes and followed behind her.

After running around aimlessly in the maze for a while, the group found themselves at a crossroads. Bai Jin examined their position and decided to head deeper into the maze, but Song Xu Yi furrowed her brow at the increasingly putrid smell in the air.

With time running out, they hurried down a path and soon came to another crossroads. The light here was dim and twisted, causing headaches if stared at for too long.

The intersection was decorated with many vines, some adorned with skeletal remains for realism. The once smooth path was now bumpy and uneven, with roots protruding from the ground.

The already panicked little girl stumbled over the protruding roots, and in the process, instinctively reached out to grab the vines on either side. However, those vines were just unstable decorations, and the little girl still fell down, even tearing off a piece of vine with a ‘crash’…

There was a sound of something falling to the ground.

Song Xu Yi looked at the infrared monitor that fell down with the little girl, squinted her eyes, and quickly pulled the few people back a few steps–

And almost at the same time, a strange sound echoed around them.

It sounded like the wind, but also like something crawling and squirming underground, coming from all directions.

“Xu Yi–” the system in her mind sensed something was wrong and anxiously spoke up.

Song Xu Yi’s gaze gradually became blurred, her head dizzy for a moment, and she couldn’t help but take two steps forward. But in that moment, the protective charm on her wrist suddenly became scorching hot, and Song Xu Yi instantly regained her clarity!

“Xia Tian!”

“Bai Jin!”

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, watching as Xia Tian and Bai Jin walked towards another direction with a dazed expression–

Behind Song Xu Yi, the previously empty passage was now covered with vines that twisted and coiled, filling the entire space with a dense and tangled mass that seemed to extend endlessly. The pungent smell almost filled the entire space, and for some unknown reason, Song Xu Yi’s heart was aching more and more intensely, causing her to clutch her chest.

The little girl who had been pulling on Song Xu Yi’s clothes also stood up, her eyes vacant, stumbling towards the cave.

Song Xu Yi grabbed the little girl’s hand.

But the girl, who had been frightened, suddenly became incredibly strong, and Song Xu Yi couldn’t hold her back, even being dragged forward by her for a couple of steps.

A vine quietly crawled over from the ground and tightly wrapped around Song Xu Yi’s leg, even trying to climb further up.

As Song Xu Yi struggled and held tightly onto the protective charm on her wrist, her face turned red.

–It was at this moment.

The sound of the wind and eerie music suddenly disappeared, and an invisible barrier seemed to envelope the entire cave. In front of Song Xu Yi, a pair of white embroidered shoes with pearls on the tips appeared.

The vines that had been entwining Song Xu Yi let out a scream and silently turned into black ashes. Unable to resist, Song Xu Yi looked up and saw Bai Yu hovering in the air.

Countless vines twisted and attacked Bai Yu in midair. Bai Yu’s white clothes fluttered without wind as her black hair billowed behind her. Accompanied by complex hand seals, the vines gradually turned black and twisted fiercely in the air like vicious pythons.

Although it seemed like their side had the upper hand, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel extremely worried: Bai Yu in the air was clutching her chest, her face pale as a sheet.

Was the pain she was feeling transmitted from Bai Yu?

If even the symbiotic connection between them could sense such severe pain, Bai Yu must be feeling even worse at this moment.

Despite her pale complexion, Bai Yu was still graceful and alluring. Her eyes appeared even brighter and more black, with her eyebrows furrowed tightly. Golden light swords continuously emanated from her body, piercing through the vines one by one until they disappeared completely.

“Is it over?” Song Xu Yi furrowed her brows, smelling the burnt scent in the air. Perhaps it was because the battle had just ended, but she still felt the lingering stench of decay in the surroundings.

Bai Yu floated lightly to the ground.

Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to ask Bai Yu why she suddenly experienced heart pain. But just then, she was hit by a much more intense pain in her heart than before, and she covered her chest while Bai Yu crouched on the ground, biting her lower lip tightly.

What is happening?

Worried, Song Xu Yi hugged Bai Yu and realized that her body was as cold as ice, and her lower lip had turned blue.

Recalling that yang energy could help heal Bai Yu’s injuries, Song Xu Yi immediately bit her finger and handed it to her lips.

As Song Xu Yi was focused on healing Bai Yu, she didn’t notice that the young girl with a dazed expression had turned around. Her eyes glinted with a crimson hue, and her gaze became strange yet clear.

Watching the expressions of Song Xu Yi and Bai Yu, a thoughtful expression flickered in the young girl’s eyes. Suddenly, a sinister smile crept onto her lips, and two vines burst out from behind her at lightning speed.

The vines aimed straight for Song Xu Yi’s heart!

Song Xu Yi only heard the sound of a whip cutting through the air, followed by a pair of hands grabbing her shoulders and pushing her to the ground. Her lips met a soft object–

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes in shock!

Did Bai Yu lose control again, craving for yang energy?

However, Song Xu Yi quickly sensed that something was wrong–

“Pu” and “Pu” sounds, what was piercing through flesh and blood?

Bai Yu groaned in pain, her dark eyes narrowed as she bit her lip.

With some unknown strength, Bai Yu struggled to turn around and grabbed the fleeing vine, giving it a hard squeeze. With a sharp scream that almost pierced the eardrums, she finally saw what was happening in a corner of the wall, her eyes shrinking. Then, as if releasing all her strength, she fainted…

Song Xu Yi felt her hands covered in blood.

The blood of a guardian deity is different from human blood. Bai Yu’s blood has a silver-white color. As the blood flowed from Song Xu Yi’s fingertips, it disappeared into the air, just like Bai Yu’s gradually fading vitality.

Strangely, even though Bai Yu’s spiritual body was pierced by the vines, Song Xu Yi did not feel any pain.

She remembered the information she had found about symbiosis: the two people in symbiosis are bound by their souls, and only damage to the soul will be transmitted from Bai Yu to Song Xu Yi.

But, how could Bai Yu’s soul suddenly suffer such severe damage?

However, this wasn’t the time to think about that. Bai Yu’s face was incredibly pale, and those fair and slender fingers had already become as translucent as when they had first met…

Song Xu Yi hurriedly placed her bleeding fingers to Bai Yu’s lips, but the unconscious Bai Yu did not react at all.

Has she even lost the strength to actively absorb yang energy?

Song Xu Yi became increasingly anxious. Due to Bai Yu’s serious injury, the barrier she had set up was also beginning to break apart. Strange cries from outside kept coming in, and at any moment someone could discover the surveillance damage here and come over…

“In an emergency, let’s just call it artificial respiration!”

Song Xu Yi bit her lip, looking at Bai Yu’s pale and peaceful face, trying to overcome her embarassment and slowly lowered herself–

Bai Yu felt like she was back in an incredibly cold place, tied up with countless shackles, her whole body aching, and the most painful part was her chest, where her heart seemed to be bleeding constantly, as if pricked by a needle.

She didn’t know when warm currents slowly flowed into her body, and the pain gradually subsided…

Bai Yu opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw when she woke up was Song Xu Yi’s reddened face, who was very close to her.

Bai Yu blinked and felt the surge of power in her body, instantly understanding everything. According to etiquette, she should have taken the initiative to speak up, but Bai Yu didn’t know what was wrong with her. She greedily wanted to feel the breath of Song Xu Yi between her lips and teeth, and remained silent.

But Song Xu Yi soon noticed that Bai Yu had opened her eyes. She sat up in a panic and was about to speak when Bai Yu grabbed her hand.

Bai Yu leaned down with a complicated look in her eyes, her lips gently brushing over Song Xu Yi’s fingertips until the wound on her fingertips disappeared. Only then did Bai Yu slowly raise her eyes.

She met Song Xu Yi’s pitch-black eyes, and she bit her lip, unable to help turning her face away– here it came again! That tingling feeling in her chest.

Bai Yu didn’t notice Song Xu Yi’s discomfort. She waved her hand and set up another barrier, then looked towards the corner of the wall.

“It’s Devil’s Ivy!” Bai Yu spoke softly, as she looked at the burnt plant in the corner.

Song Xu Yi blinked, remembering the legend of Devil’s Ivy in this world: it had the power of regeneration. If one vine died, another would immediately sprout. It was an extremely difficult evil to deal with and was difficult to identify. It only grew next to great evil.

Why was Devil’s Ivy here?

Seemingly aware of Song Xu Yi’s thoughts, Bai Yu approached the burnt plant and discovered a small hidden door behind it.

Pushing open the door, Bai Yu revealed an ancient dagger stored in a velvet box.

As Song Xu Yi marveled at the ancient weapon, she couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden within the mysterious room.

As soon as she saw the object, Song Xu Yi felt a sense of familiarity. And now, seeing it in person, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind: “Sister, this is a birthday gift I made for you with my own hands.”

In Song Xu Yi’s dream, this was a gift from Bai Yu’s younger brother, something that Bai Yu treasured and often wore on her person.

Apparently, Bai Yu also remembered this memory. She pursed her lips and picked up the dagger–

And in that instant, a memory flashed in Song Xu Yi’s mind:

–A snow-white dagger with a hexagonal star engraved on the hilt, plunged straight into Bai Yu’s heart as she looked on in disbelief!

Bai Yu had died under the blade of this dagger!

The author has something to say:

(●—●) Little Bai is about to awaken, hehe~