We finally cleared the entrance, all of us panting hard with exhaustion. Each of those girls weighed at least ninety jin, and by the time we moved the last one, my arms were already twitching with muscle cramps.
"What's up ahead?" Sun Fatty had collapsed to the ground halfway through the last lift, gasping for air. Now that he'd caught his breath first, he noticed something pale and white lying on the ground in the distance. He shone his flashlight over and, as soon as he saw clearly, whipped out his handgun and pointed it in that direction. "It's Tao Xiangkong!"
His shout caught us off guard. I, Xiong Wanyi, and the others jumped up immediately—guns drawn, batons extended—all our attention focused on "that pile of something."
The face of that "pile" was turned toward us. I could see it clearly—a deathly pale face. Who else could it be but Tao Xiangkong? He was still breathing, barely—he exhaled but didn't inhale. At this rate, he wouldn't last long.
Sun Fatty's Heavenly Eye was useless now. Judging by the naked eye alone, Tao Xiangkong looked like a corpse. Only then did Sun Fatty exhale in relief and turn to Yang Xiao. "Old Yang, is that guy dead?"
Yang Xiao didn't seem surprised by Tao Xiangkong's condition. He gave a cold snort. "Not dead—but close."
Tao Xiangkong was gasping weakly, a gaping wound in his chest still gushing blood. That must've been the fatal blow.
"Old Yang, was that you? Did you use my blood?" Sun Fatty asked, excited. He had already forgotten the cut Yang Xiao made on his palm earlier.
"Yes and no," Yang Xiao replied vaguely. His eyes shifted away from Tao Xiangkong, focusing instead on movements nearby.
I followed his gaze. In the distance lay an unfinished construction site—a row of scaffolding stretched against a wall, clearly mimicking the layout of the Water Curtain Cave. Unfortunately, the work had been abandoned halfway through. Beyond that point, the corridor ended.
"Old Yang, what about the desiccated corpses?" I asked.
Yang Xiao continued to stare forward. "They're probably hiding near Tao Xiangkong." His answer made me nervous, and I instinctively raised my gun. Yang Xiao glanced at me and gave a faint smirk. "As long as you stay close to Sun Dasheng, they won't dare come near."
"Huh?" I didn't get it. Since when did Sun Fatty become some kind of guardian spirit? He had that kind of power?
Yang Xiao seemed to read my thoughts. Back in the Water Curtain Cave, he hadn't thought poorly of me, so he was willing to offer a bit more explanation. Sure enough, he continued, "I used Sun Dasheng's fresh blood just now as a lure to set up a backlash curse that redirected the corpses to attack Tao Xiangkong. Normally, any living presence here would've triggered the corpses, but because the formation used Sun Dasheng's blood, the corpses now avoid him above all else."
When did Sun Fatty get so impressive? Just then, another thought hit me. "Wait—what about Zhao Minmin?"
Yang Xiao nodded silently. The black blood Zhao Minmin had coughed up earlier nearly took his life—he clearly still had lingering fears. But in a place this small, where could she possibly hide?
"Old Yang, should we go grab Tao Xiangkong…?" Ximen Lian was halfway through suggesting we move Tao Xiangkong—dead or alive—but before he could finish, a wave of shrill screams erupted from the corridor:
"Ahhh!"
"Where is this?"
"Let me out!"
Over a hundred Sleeping Beauties had all awakened at once.
"Damn it!" Yang Xiao cursed and stomped his foot. "Get out! We can't stay here!" Beside him, Wu Rendi also wore a grim expression.
Seeing both their reactions, I knew something major had happened. Without hesitation, I turned and bolted toward the way we came.
I'd only taken a few steps when I felt a fierce gust of wind behind me. I didn't dare turn around. Relying on instinct and experience, I aimed my pistol under my arm and fired three times behind me. A corpse thudded to the ground with a crash. I stole a glance—it was one of the desiccated corpses.
Weren't the corpses supposed to stay away from Sun Fatty?
Up ahead, Sun Fatty was sprinting in the lead, but another corpse was chasing him down from the right.
He had his pistol in hand, but the corpse was too close—no time to turn around. Just as its clawed hand reached for his neck, I raised my gun and fired—bang! The shot blew open the corpse's forehead, blood and brains splattering everywhere. It crumpled instantly.
Sun Fatty, still in shock, shouted, "Lazi! Behind you!"
Too late.
Cold, brittle fingers had already clamped down on my throat. I didn't even have time to fight back before I was slammed to the ground. Sun Fatty tried to shoot the corpse attacking me, but more were lunging at him. He had no choice but to defend himself first, gunning down the ones closest to him.
The grip on my neck tightened. A shriveled, leathery face leaned in, jaws gaping for my throat. I could smell the rank stench of death from its mouth.
It's over, I thought. I remembered what those corpses did in the Water Curtain Cave. Even after all this time, I still couldn't escape.
Just as I braced for the fatal bite, the pressure on my neck suddenly vanished. The corpse fell backward, a small bolt embedded in its forehead. I looked toward the direction of the shot—Wu Rendi was reloading his miniature crossbow.
"Fall back!" Yang Xiao shouted. "The corpses have gone berserk—we can't hold them off!"
We ran with every ounce of strength we had. Just before the horde could catch us, we reached the corridor. Yang Xiao was the last one in. As he entered, he smashed a small porcelain bottle on the ground.
A foul, rotting stench filled the corridor instantly.
The dozen corpses that had been chasing him stopped in their tracks. Instead of following, they began wandering aimlessly, as if searching for something.
Seeing that the corpses couldn't enter, we finally relaxed a little. I gasped for breath and asked Yang Xiao, "Didn't you say they wouldn't come near us as long as Sun Dasheng was around?"
"With me here? They wouldn't dare? Give me a break," Sun Fatty cut in indignantly. "I was the first one they came after!"
Yang Xiao didn't respond right away. He squinted at the hundred-some girls who had just regained consciousness. I repeated my question. He finally snapped out of it, gave a cold chuckle, and said, "The sudden return of all these girls' souls added a massive surge of vital energy to the area. The corpses picked up on that and got agitated. But that alone shouldn't have made them attack us." He paused, took a breath, then added, "They attacked because of that." He nodded toward a corner.
There, a piece of parchment had been shredded to bits with a sharp blade.
No one said a word. It was obvious now—someone had destroyed the curse formation Yang Xiao had set up, then somehow reawakened the girls, releasing a flood of vital energy to enrage the corpses.
The instigator had to be among the frightened women now trembling before us.
Honestly, if it weren't for Shao Yiyi's special connection to Wu Rendi, I'd have suspected her first. She'd been guarding this place the whole time. If something happened, she should've been the first to notice. But now, Shao Yiyi just looked dazed, staring at Yang Xiao in confusion like she hadn't understood a word he'd said.
"Did anything strange happen just now?" Yang Xiao asked her. Judging from his tone, he wasn't suspicious—he just wanted clarity.
Shao Yiyi shook her head. "No. I'd only just gotten here when everyone suddenly woke up. Then you all came back." Her answer made us all frown.
Although the girls had regained their minds, they were still timid, staying far from our weapons. But some couldn't help speaking out when they saw familiar faces.
"Xiong Wanyi, what the hell are you doing bringing us here while we were asleep?" said Xu Miaomiao, glaring at him. "Are you behind the missing persons cases on campus? Were you planning to sell us?" She stumbled, barely catching herself against the wall.
Xiong Wanyi walked toward her, saying, "Come on, don't stir the pot while the kitchen's on fire. Who'd dare sell you?"
"Don't go near her!" two voices shouted at once—mine and Yang Xiao's. He sneered at Xu Miaomiao, then said to Xiong Wanyi, "Unless you want to die, stay away."
Something had felt off when Xu Miaomiao first spoke, but I couldn't put my finger on it until Xiong Wanyi tried to help her. Then it hit me—the feeling she gave me. Too familiar. Just like when Yang Xiao had disguised himself as Sun Fatty to trick me in the tunnels under the Qing River.
Xu Miaomiao was a fake.
Xiong Wanyi reacted just as quickly—he immediately pulled back the leg he had stepped out with, spun around, and in just a couple of strides, positioned himself beside Yang Xiao and Wu Rendi.
Yang Xiao cast a surprised glance at me, but quickly shifted his focus to Xu Miao-miao.
"Are you a Zhao or a Tao?" he asked.
Xu Miao-miao's expression stiffened. She said nothing.
Yang Xiao pressed on. "Are you going to change back yourself, or do I need to rip that face off you?"
Xu Miao-miao sighed softly and replied in a low voice, "A true Grandmaster is indeed a true Grandmaster. A little trick like this couldn't fool you."
As she spoke, her facial skin began to change. Swellings emerged all over her head, writhing and shifting—just like when Sun Fatty had morphed back into Yang Xiao beneath the Daqing River. In a matter of moments, the writhing lumps subsided, revealing her true face—the one belonging to our math teacher, Ms. Zhao Minmin.
The female students around Ms. Zhao were already stunned. They still couldn't make sense of the situation and hesitated—uncertain whether to stay by her side or come over to us.
"What are you looking at? Come here! Do I look like a bad guy to you?" Sun Fatty shouted at them.
Unfortunately, it would've been better if he'd said nothing. His yelling startled a few of the more alert girls, who had just started moving in our direction. Hesitating again, they ended up staying close to Ms. Zhao instead.
"Sun Fatty, do us all a favor and shut up unless it's important," Ximen Lian said through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed.
"I'll ask you one more time," Yang Xiao said coldly, staring at Zhao Minmin. "Zhao or Tao?"
"I'm a Zhao. Zhao Minmin is my real name. Zhao Zida is my father, and my grandfather is Zhao Dejun."
Now that she'd been exposed, Zhao Minmin made no attempt to resist.
"Zhao Dejun," Yang Xiao repeated, sneering. "Even if Zhao Dejun were still alive, he wouldn't dare make a move against me. And yet his granddaughter has more guts than he ever did."
Zhao Minmin didn't respond at first. Only after Yang Xiao finished speaking did she say, "If my grandfather were still alive, he'd do the same. The Ghost Path Sect has long since been reduced to a hollow shell. The Sect Leader abandoned us a century ago, and the followers have become nothing but living corpses. If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?"
Yang Xiao was silent for a moment before changing the subject.
"What did Lin Huo tell you? That if you kill me, those followers will return to normal?"
Zhao Minmin shook her head. "He didn't say that exactly."
Her words made the corner of Yang Xiao's eye twitch.
"So... he wants me alive?"
Zhao Minmin nodded. "Yes. Lin Huo said there's something of his hidden within you. As long as he gets it back, he'll let you go. He said he wouldn't trouble you further."
"Wouldn't trouble me?" Yang Xiao let out a cold laugh. "Do you believe that?"
Zhao Minmin lowered her head—a silent answer.
Yang Xiao stared at her for a moment, then sighed.
"Forget it. I won't make things harder for you. Before I send you on your way, let me tell you one last thing: Lin Huo is dead. The Ancestor Shaman is dead. And the main altar in Dian Kingdom is finished."
Zhao Minmin shook her head. "Impossible. I've seen Lin Huo's power with my own eyes. I've seen the Ancestor Shaman. The teachings say that you, at best, could only fight Lin Huo to a draw. And as for the Ancestor Shaman..."
She trailed off, clearly unable to accept what she was hearing.
"They didn't die by my hand," Yang Xiao said, deflated. "But they are dead. And all of you have been deceived by Lin Huo. Dry corpses cannot be reversed. There are hundreds of them in the main altar of Dian. If they could be brought back to life, Lin Huo would've done it long ago."
"No!" Zhao Minmin refused to believe him. Her voice was trembling with emotion. "Don't try to fool me. Lin Huo and the Ancestor Shaman cannot die!"
Yang Xiao glanced at Wu Rendi, who gave no indication of wanting to speak. Then Yang Xiao turned to me.
"Shen La, you explain it to her."
Why me? This wasn't my argument. Still, I sighed and said,
"Lin Huo died by my hand."
Then I described his appearance—that of a simple, honest forest ranger. My words clearly shook Zhao Minmin. Her voice quivered as she asked,
"What about the Ancestor Shaman?"
I looked at Wu Rendi. He gave me a signal—he didn't want to be identified.
So I sighed again and pointed at Sun Fatty.
"He's the one who chopped the Ancestor Shaman's head off."