Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Will You Just Shut Up
Lu Sangjiu groped at her sides and quickly discovered she was in a very small space, about the size of a coffin. It was completely sealed on all sides.
Xie Ningyuan was pressed against the lid above them, with no room on either side. He really... couldn’t move down.
Lu Sangjiu had a curse she wanted to let fly, but she bit her tongue.
"So, are we actually trapped in a coffin?"
’We just fell, but I didn’t hear any other sounds. How did we end up in a completely sealed coffin?’
Xie Ningyuan’s voice sounded from above her. "Possibly... but I’m guessing the owner of this coffin must have been a pauper. Why else would it be made so small and cramped?"
His tone was relaxed, showing none of the tension or fear one would expect in such a predicament. His words even carried a hint of teasing and mockery.
Lu Sangjiu’s heart skipped a beat. ’He’s so confident. Does he have an ace up his sleeve?’
Just as she was about to ask, a somewhat cold and ethereal voice suddenly rang out.
"Are you calling me poor?"
Lu Sangjiu froze. The hairs on her body stood on end, and she barely stopped herself from screaming that there was a ghost.
Tense, she subconsciously grabbed the front of Xie Ningyuan’s robes.
She pulled a little too hard, causing Xie Ningyuan to lose his grip and fall back onto her.
Even though he hadn’t fallen far, his weight was enough to make Lu Sangjiu grunt in discomfort.
Xie Ningyuan immediately shifted the blame, stating innocently, "...You’re the one who pulled. Don’t blame me."
The two of them were now incredibly close, his voice murmuring right next to Lu Sangjiu’s ear. The atmosphere had become a little intimate.
But Lu Sangjiu couldn’t spare a thought for that. Her grip on his robes only tightened. "Who... who was that just now?"
Xie Ningyuan chuckled. "The owner of the coffin, of course."
Then, in a negotiating tone, he added, "If you’re not poor, how about getting us a bigger coffin?"
After a long moment, the voice spoke again. "I simply didn’t expect two people. I haven’t prepared any extra coffins. You’ll just have to make do."
The voice was ethereal and cold. Lu Sangjiu felt as if it were whispering right in her ear, which was incredibly unsettling.
But since Xie Ningyuan could converse with it and they hadn’t been harmed, it meant there was still room for negotiation.
So Lu Sangjiu gathered her courage and spoke up. "Senior, this guy’s got a screw loose. Please don’t stoop to his level!"
"The two of us just wandered in here by mistake. You’re a magnanimous person, so... how about you let us go?"
Before the voice could reply, Xie Ningyuan spoke first, surprised. "Hm? You’re not just asking for your own release?"
Given their current relationship, he’d thought she would sell him out without a second thought.
Lu Sangjiu was speechless. "Shut up! No one will think you’re mute if you keep your mouth closed!"
If she didn’t know he was the one who had given her the Bodhi Pearl, Lu Sangjiu would have wished him dead a hundred times over.
But now... ’Sigh. He saved my life. I’ll just have to put up with him, no matter how annoying he is.’
Xie Ningyuan shifted, found a comfortable position, and rested his head on Lu Sangjiu’s shoulder.
Then he said lazily, "Alright, I’ll leave the negotiations to you."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
She clenched her fists, desperately telling herself, ’He’s my savior. He’s a Buddhist Practitioner. He is definitely not taking liberties with me on purpose!’
Only then did she manage to suppress the urge to punch him.
Just then, the voice spoke again.
"Wandered in by mistake... No wonder."
He seemed to chuckle softly. "I was just thinking, if someone who knew the truth had opened the altar, there’s no way two people would have come down."
Lu Sangjiu said, "Yes, yes, exactly! We’re purely here by mistake. We’re so sorry to have disturbed you, Senior. Could we trouble you to send us out now?"
"When did I say I would send you out?"
The voice turned grim again. "I have waited for so long to finally have someone arrive. Even if it was by mistake, I will never let you go."
"Besides... the threads of fate are woven by heaven’s will. Since you are here, you are fated to be with me. So why not just roll with it...?"
Lu Sangjiu was startled and quickly cut him off. "Hold on! Senior, please think this through! Even if you’re looking for a body to possess, neither of us is a good fit!"
"From the sound of your voice, you’re a man, right? You definitely wouldn’t be interested in the body of a young woman like me."
"And this guy, while he’s a man, is a Buddhist Practitioner. If you take his body, you’ll never be able to touch a woman again."
"Reconsider... You must reconsider!"
After talking with the voice for a while, Lu Sangjiu had started to figure a few things out.
’Anyone who’s been in this godforsaken place for so long can’t possibly be alive. It’s probably just a lingering spirit.’
’And the altar was opened with a blood sacrifice—that’s not something a good person would do.’
’Maybe it’s an ancient Great Demon, and his followers have been plotting for years just to deliver him a body for possession and rebirth.’
The voice went silent for a moment after hearing Lu Sangjiu’s words, then replied with a hint of confusion, "But... you’re a woman, and isn’t he touching you right now?"
Lu Sangjiu: ...?
A question mark slowly formed in her mind. ’Is this senior trying to tell a dry joke?’
’That’s not the kind of ’touching’ I was talking about!’
Then she heard Xie Ningyuan let out a muffled laugh. "Mm, the senior is truly precise."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
’Seriously, just shut up!’
But a moment later, as if just realizing something, the voice suddenly said, "Wait... Who said I wanted to possess a body?"
Lu Sangjiu, who had been wracking her brain for an explanation, froze. Then, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, not possession? Then I must have misunderstood you, Senior... Heh, I’m just a bit of a coward. Please forgive me!"
The voice snorted. "I have remained here only to find someone who can realize an idea I conceived a thousand years ago."
After a pause, his voice once again drifted to Lu Sangjiu’s ear, dripping with menace. "And I feel that you... seem quite suitable."
Lu Sangjiu’s heart leaped. She was about to refuse, but the voice continued before she could get a word out.
"You can either agree to my request or be trapped here until you die. The choice is yours."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
She fell silent, then couldn’t help but send a mental message to Xie Ningyuan. "Are you done yet or not?"
Xie Ningyuan replied, "It’s a bit tricky. It’ll take at least five days to crack."
In truth, the two of them had already been communicating via mental messages ever since the voice first appeared.
Their ridiculous conversation just now had merely been a cover to buy Xie Ningyuan more time.
Xie Ningyuan had told her that the coffin lid he was pressed against had a Rune Array on it, one similar to a Teleportation Array.
However, the teleportation was one-way. To escape, Xie Ningyuan would need to crack the Array and modify it to teleport them out.
He had been secretly studying the Array this whole time. Unfortunately, Lu Sangjiu was far from satisfied with his findings...
