Chapter 1249: Chapter 829: The Deal (Part 2)
The candlelight at the entrance of the cave was also dimming bit by bit, clearly unable to sustain for much longer.
"Let’s go, I’ll help you walk." Yang Xiao supported Datou, who was in a bad state at the moment, his face pale, relying only on a makeshift crutch to barely stand.
But as Yang Xiao helped Datou, he realized Datou’s condition was worse than he thought; he could almost no longer walk. Only his two arms were able to move, while his two legs hung weakly on the ground.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao felt a chill in his heart. He knew this meant Datou could not get out; they couldn’t possibly break through with someone like this. It wasn’t realistic.
"I told you not to dawdle! I’m not waiting for you. I’m leaving first!" the tavern owner said angrily, stomping his foot.
Meanwhile, the situation outside continued to worsen as more "village people" kept arriving, blocking the entrance of the cave, easily numbering in the dozens, a solid mass of darkness.
Now, not to mention bringing someone along to break out, even Yang Xiao himself found it difficult to leave. Though he had a whole candle left, surrounded by so many "village people," how long could it last?
This group was familiar with the terrain and quick, and relying on this single candle certainly wasn’t enough to help Yang Xiao return to the starting point and leave by boat.
No time to waste; he had to make a decision. After his lips moved a few times, Yang Xiao finally spoke, "Datou, you can’t get away."
He wasn’t particularly familiar with Datou; they didn’t even know each other’s real names. But at the moment he decided to abandon Datou, Yang Xiao still felt a sense of blockage in his heart.
"I know." Datou struggled to stand, holding the crutch, using the remaining candlelight to shine on his own legs.
The shadows remaining on the ground drew Yang Xiao’s attention. He noticed Datou’s leg shadow was very strange, especially the lower part, as if something had torn it apart, scattered into pieces.
Suddenly aware of something, Yang Xiao turned to examine his own shadow, and sure enough, the left shoulder of his shadow also appeared incomplete, though not as severely as Datou’s.
Yang Xiao tried to raise his left hand. He could lift it, but it was laborious, exerting only about 50-60% of its former strength.
Seeing this, Datou raised an eyebrow at Yang Xiao’s shadow, smiling with a relaxed tone, "Not just me, you’re finding it hard to get away too."
"Yes." Yang Xiao didn’t avoid the issue; it was a fact.
"Chu Xi, how about we strike a deal?" Datou’s expression turned serious, "I’ll try to cover you so you can leave here, but you must promise to find my sister and take her with you once you’re out."
"You have a way?" Yang Xiao was very skeptical about this.
"I can’t fully guarantee, but I will do my best." Datou urged in a low voice, "There’s no time, what do you say, do you agree?"
"Alright, it’s a deal!" With matters at this point, Yang Xiao decided to gamble.
Seeing Yang Xiao agree, Datou smiled broadly and reached into his chest, pulling out a candle that was more than half a length.
"Give this to my sister when you find her," Datou entrusted like leaving a legacy, firmly pushing the candle into Yang Xiao’s hands.
After putting away the candle, Yang Xiao didn’t waste any more words. Every second was precious now, "What’s your plan?"
"Help me to the exit, quick!" Datou grasped his crutch, extending a hand to Yang Xiao.
At this moment, the tavern owner was almost despairing, as the three of them arrived at the entrance, the very last bit of candlelight extinguishing.
Datou pushed Yang Xiao aside, raising the remaining short stub of the candle with one hand, supporting himself with the crutch, inching forward with difficulty. The flickering candlelight cast Datou’s shadow onto the cave wall, incomplete and tall.
Yang Xiao realized what he was going to do—he would use himself to lure those ghostly things blocking the way outside. But Yang Xiao didn’t understand the purpose behind such an action.
The small stub of a candle Datou held wouldn’t last long, and his legs were already useless, unable to carry him far.
Pure heroism wasn’t advisable; Yang Xiao saw Datou’s actions as more of an emotional gesture, an escape from the reality of his powerlessness.
Datou couldn’t be counted on; Yang Xiao decided to rely on himself and figure out a way to break through.
There was another matter, though—since Datou hadn’t fulfilled his promise, Yang Xiao wouldn’t honor the prior agreement with him.
Yang Xiao didn’t buy into moral blackmail, nor did he intend to.
But soon, Yang Xiao noticed something wasn’t right—the path down was on the right; if Datou meant to lure the ghostly shadows away, he should have gone right. Instead, Datou chose left, which led to a steep uphill path.
Considering Datou’s condition, he couldn’t even manage the downhill path smoothly, let alone climb uphill. Was he crazy? How far could he possibly lure the shadows?
"What path is to the left?" It was a matter of life and death, so Yang Xiao had to ask the tavern owner.
At this moment, the tavern owner’s panic was worse than Yang Xiao’s, "There’s nothing on the left, it’s a cliff, it’s a dead end!"
"A dead end... a cliff..." Yang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat; he seemed to understand what Datou intended.
Outside, the "village people" stood ominously in place, each gazing blankly. Upon closer inspection, none left shadows on the ground.
The shadows had followed Datou, clustered together like a school of piranhas scenting blood, determined not to stop till they hit their target.
The next instant, Datou’s hoarse shout echoed from afar through the mountains, "Chu Xi, remember what you promised me! If you dare to break it, I, Mengda, won’t let you go even as a ghost!"
"Find my sister and take her home!!"
The last sentence started close and then faded into the distance, disappearing into the mountains, but it left an unprecedented shock to Yang Xiao and the tavern owner.
The tavern owner’s mouth agape, finally returning to senses after a while, "He... he jumped off the cliff!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dozens of "village people" standing outside collapsed like dominoes.
After their collapse, the bodies quickly decayed and expanded, dirty water pouring from every orifice, clearly corpses rotten from soaking in water.
This was their true form.
Yang Xiao understood; those shadows Datou lured away followed him off the cliff. The distance between the shadows and bodies was too great, the link severed, and thus the bodies "died."
Judging by their state, they likely wouldn’t have a chance to "revive" again.
While the tavern owner pondered how Datou dared, Yang Xiao had already begun moving. The life Datou sacrificed for his opportunity to escape couldn’t be wasted.
The two quickly left the cave. As they looked around the path down the mountain, dozens of corpses lay scattered, the stench unbearable, each swollen as if dead pigs or cows floating post-flood.
Carefully avoiding these rotten corpses, Yang Xiao and the tavern owner hurried toward the mountain’s base; the tavern owner kept asking how Yang Xiao found this hidden village, hoping to have him guide him home.
The tavern owner was a crucial character connected to the dreams of his blind old mother, prompting Yang Xiao to consider taking him back.
If this were a game, the tavern owner would be an important clue NPC.
If utilized correctly, he could trigger key storylines, as he was potentially the only eyewitness to the events of the past.
Though he’s now lost his memory, Yang Xiao guessed this was likely a constraint placed by the "River Immortal Village." Once they left, upon reuniting with his mother, perhaps the events of those bygone days would return to his memory.
Walking along the mountainside now, gazing down at the silent eerie village below, Yang Xiao’s heart was a mixed bag of emotions; he didn’t know where to find Datou’s sister, Sopa.
Additionally, it’s uncertain whether she was dead or alive.
Based on Yang Xiao’s experience, if Sopa hadn’t reached the cave, her survival probability was extremely slim.
"Where’s your boat? Where?" The tavern owner glanced towards the mountain’s other side, having no intention of returning to the village.
But in the next second, Yang Xiao noticed a strange light appear in the village.
It was coming from the village’s center, in a large, luxurious fenced yard.
