Chapter 812: Chapter 605: Incense
Although he couldn’t hear any movements from inside the house, Xiang Fengchen was almost certain that it must be that trash, Zhang Songde, causing trouble—compromising himself wasn’t enough, he even had to endanger their lives. Had he known earlier, he should have gotten rid of him in advance.
But it was too late for regrets now. The ritual to suppress evil with the Divine Turtle Shell hadn’t finished, and to withdraw at this moment would mean not only abandoning all their efforts but also risking backlash. However, if they didn’t retreat, once the ghost emerged from the well, the fate of him and Nalan Shuo would be unpredictable.
The experience and mental fortitude of seasoned players were evident at this moment. If an ordinary person were in this situation, they’d have already run back to their room, locked the door, and trembled under the covers, perhaps even screaming their lungs out. But after exchanging a glance, Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen both understood each other’s intentions: they decided not to leave, but to stay and take a gamble.
Xiang Fengchen grabbed a handful of soil, stuffed it in his mouth, chewed for a moment, then spit it out. He smeared the now-muddy soil on the edge of a porcelain bowl. Tonight’s bottom line was that the bowl could not break, otherwise, he and Nalan Shuo would pay with their old lives right here.
At that moment, Nalan Shuo was not idle either. From his bosom, he took out the last remaining Short Incense. With a hardened heart, he inserted it between his fingers, snapping it in half, and lit the two pieces with a Fire Starter. He kept one piece of the life-saving incense for himself and handed the other to Xiang Fengchen.
The sound of tugging on the well rope grew louder, and just as a plump and pale hand emerged and slapped the edge of the well with a smack, Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen both took a deep breath and bit the ends of the incense between their lips.
There was no escaping; they had to face the Drowned Ghost rising from the well. As the swollen body climbed out in an extremely twisted posture, they finally saw the true face of the ghost—a woman, no doubt, whose features were swollen nearly beyond recognition. And yet, her clothing was remarkably lavish.
Yang Xiao, who was peering from behind the door, saw the whole thing clearly. Remembering the clothes on the ghost, which seemed familiar, he immediately recalled a statue they had previously encountered in the Zhongyi Temple, dressed in a similar fashion.
The ghost was one of the temple’s venerated figures, a loyalist of the previous dynasty who had died defending his master.
And he had died in this very well.
The Drowned Ghost emanated an astonishing Evil Qi. Even hidden behind the door, Yang Xiao could feel a chilling breath desperately trying to squeeze through the cracks. One could only imagine the assault that Director Nalan and Xiang Fengchen were facing.
The ghost did not immediately start killing, but instead walked with stiff steps, circling the well and Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen.
It wasn’t exactly circling, but more like aimless wandering, yet she was confined to a certain range. Yang Xiao’s heart was in his throat, understanding that the ghost knew someone was hiding near the well, but because they had incense in their mouths, she was temporarily unable to pin down their exact location.
But it was only a temporary reprieve; once the incense in their mouths burned out, it would be their time of death. Yang Xiao, having experienced something similar not too long ago, knew all too well how dangerous it was.
"Plip-plop."
"Plip-plop."
"Plip-plop."
The Drowned Ghost swayed from side to side, staggering as she walked. Each step wasn’t so much a step as it was a heavy plop of her bloated, rotting feet onto the ground.
Under such circumstances, the Short Incense wouldn’t last very long, let alone the fact that Director Nalan and his companion only had 15 minutes worth of incense. Yang Xiao reached toward his chest, where he had hidden another piece of life-saving incense given to him by the Director.
Just as Yang Xiao was calming down to think, suddenly, an accident occurred: the Drowned Ghost stopped in her tracks, precisely between Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen. Then, under Yang Xiao’s nervous gaze, the Drowned Ghost’s plump body shook, expanding slowly, and the already cold and translucent swollen skin began to fill up, enlarging the body by more than a fifth.
The next second, Yang Xiao witnessed a horrifying sight: the ends of the incense in the mouths of Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen suddenly turned a dark red and ignited, burning away a third of it at a visibly rapid rate.
The scent from the burning incense seemed to be drawn by some force, gathering directly in front of the Drowned Ghost and greedily inhaled into its body.
This ghost was sucking in the incense!
This one breath had sucked away a third of the half-stick of incense. This sudden scene made Yang Xiao’s whole body chill, and if things continued this way, it would be all over.
After taking the breath, the Drowned Ghost’s bloated body seemed to deflate and slowly returned to normal; then, it took a step forward and continued walking.
In the sparse moonlight, Yang Xiao saw that Director Nalan’s face was ashen, and although Xiang Fengchen’s face couldn’t be seen clearly as he was turned to the side, his expression could be no better.
Standing still, one to the left and one to the right of the well’s edge, it seemed that they had no other choice, or else they would never just wait to die.
Yang Xiao had rarely felt as desperate as he did now. He wanted to save them, but he didn’t know where to start; any rash action could doom the Director.
Soon, under Yang Xiao’s nearly collapsing gaze, the Drowned Ghost completed its circle and came back to the same spot. After stopping, it took another fierce breath. Its sodden white flesh quivered, and from the back, it looked like a mound of rotting flesh, causing both psychological and physiological discomfort.
No miracles occurred; this breath also took away another third, and only a small half of the incense remained in Director Nalan’s mouth. Without even needing another breath, if they just waited out the time, in a few minutes the incense would burn out, and tonight would come to an end for him.
But this time, Yang Xiao noticed something. When the Drowned Ghost stopped between Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen, their shadows on the ground changed, pulled oddly towards the direction of the Drowned Ghost by some mysterious force.
The Drowned Ghost began to circle again, but Yang Xiao understood that it would surely return, and the next visit would be the moment to harvest a life.
Yang Xiao kept his eyes fixed on Director Nalan’s face, and as the Drowned Ghost made its circular trip again, Yang Xiao suddenly noticed that the usually tense face of his own Director relaxed; his lips slightly curled at the corners, he nodded at Xiang Fengchen beside him, as if entrusting him with something, and a moment later, Xiang Fengchen nodded back subtly.
The next second, Nalan Shuo turned his head towards the direction where Yang Xiao was and then slowly rotated his body. This was the first major movement he had made, which undoubtedly attracted the Drowned Ghost’s attention—the "patter-patter" of footsteps suddenly quickened and charged straight toward him.
With a "buzz" in his mind, Yang Xiao instantly understood; it seemed more like a trade, with Nalan Shuo trading his own life for Xiang Fengchen’s. The condition was for Xiang Fengchen to protect himself and lead himself out of this place alive.
And as expected, the Drowned Ghost this time came directly to Nalan Shuo’s side, while Xiang Fengchen, ignored by the ghost, had already prepared himself, ready to seize the opportunity to break the situation when the ghost took Nalan Shuo’s life.
Better one should die than both, he thought the deal made sense. Although he didn’t get along with Nalan Shuo, he would keep his promises.
This had nothing to do with his perception of Yang Xiao. Even if Yang Xiao were a despicable beast, he would do his utmost to get him out alive.
In terms of means, he did not see himself inferior to Nalan Shuo. But when it came to apprentices, there really wasn’t much to compare. He wouldn’t match up to Nalan Shuo, who was ten times better in that regard. Sometimes, he also didn’t understand what someone like Nalan Shuo was thinking. After all, isn’t it every man for himself? If you have the green hills, you need not fear running out of firewood; with a master, shouldn’t one worry about lacking apprentices?
Just like ten years ago, Nalan Shuo was still a fool, pursuing him for ten years to avenge his subordinate. Yet, at this moment, Xiang Fengchen had to admit that the fool had his respectable qualities, no wonder his subordinates were willing to die for him.
With his back to Yang Xiao, Nalan Shuo slowly closed his eyes. His life’s journey had come to an end, but the path under Yang Xiao’s feet was just beginning.
The next second, both Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen couldn’t help but shudder as they heard a "creak" not far behind them.
A heavy door was suddenly flung open.
