45

At this moment, Jiang Luo actually felt at ease — the Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion was in hand.

Almost twenty-five minutes.

Jiang Luo deliberately counted the time a little faster, afraid his subjective sense of time was running slower than the real thing.

He'd better escape from Chi You within five minutes.

Jiang Luo was half out of the pool, the thick blood slowly flowing over his body. Probably because the Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion had the effect of anchoring the soul and guarding the yin, the evil ghost's form was more solid than ever before, as if it already had a body.

Correspondingly, the sense of danger the evil ghost gave off was growing with it.

The evil ghost bent down. Jiang Luo leaned back further, his waist pressed painfully against sharp stones, the foot he had braced against the ghost's waist and abdomen almost uncontrollably sliding down.

How could he get away from Chi You?

Jiang Luo forced himself to calm down, to think of a feasible plan as quickly as possible.

The black-haired youth pressed his lips tightly together, his black hair spreading like something spectral, his whole body taut into a beautiful arc.

The only thing on Jiang Luo's body that could attack the evil ghost was a single Golden Script.

This Golden Script could only transform into a dagger, or at most a mouse.

Damn.

He'd have to find a way to deceive the evil ghost.

He had to divert the evil ghost's attention away from his theft of the Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion.

He absolutely could not let the evil ghost see his urgency, could not let the ghost know he wanted to save someone — otherwise, given the ghost's viciousness and cruelty, it would only toy with him like a cat with a mouse and make Jiang Luo completely miss the window to save Lu You.

'A lost bride?' The black-haired youth's posture was at a disadvantage, but the corner of his mouth curled mockingly, his gaze on the evil ghost as if looking at some fool. 'No — couldn't you tell? I came here specifically to find you.'

Chi You raised an eyebrow, laughing low: 'To find me?'

'That's right, to find you,' Jiang Luo looked at Chi You lazily. 'To come see for myself why the famous Chi You is playing a shaman in a little Shentu Village like this.'

The black-haired youth's smile held a purely captivating malice. 'And while I'm at it, to see how I can make this shaman flee with his tail between his legs like a dog.'

Jiang Luo's current appearance had a deliberately cultivated appeal. Like a flower rotting into full bloom out of mud, exuding an extreme, dense fragrance. The evil ghost's attention was caught by his expression. Head lowered, still smiling, he said elegantly: 'Judging by the current situation, Classmate Jiang is the one who looks more like a dog that only needs to beg me for mercy.'

Something flashed in Jiang Luo's eyes; a flash of disgust crossed his face.

The more displeased he was, the more pleased the evil ghost became. Chi You's laughter rose from low to high, sounding only eerie and strange within the Cave.

The water rippled. Jiang Luo caught a glimpse of the massive Ghost Pattern behind the evil ghost.

Chi You's physique was undoubtedly as excellent as his face, as if the gods had reserved a special measure of favoritism for him alone when making man. He was tall in clothes, his proportions nearly perfect. Undressed, tight but unexaggerated muscles covered his body, every rise and fall of muscle like the rhythm of a musical movement, full of beauty.

Even the excessive pallor, the faint greenish tinge, only added to his strange, sickly aesthetic.

Now, on Chi You's back, a twisted Ghost Pattern covered nearly his entire spine.

The Ghost Pattern was pitch-black, as if hiding an evil with no bottom. Against the pale, firm spine, the ugly, dangerous Ghost Pattern made one feel a chill throughout the body at a single glance, turning Chi You's elegantly handsome, god-like face into something monstrously strange, as if veiled in demonic essence.

But after that first terrifying glance, it was hard to look away — the more he looked, the more his heart panicked, the more he panicked, the less he could control his eyes, as if his soul were about to be pulled out and devoured by this Ghost Pattern.

Jiang Luo forcibly pulled his gaze back.

His whole body slid down again. Jiang Luo was now stepping on Chi You's thigh; he had to use the force of stepping on the evil ghost to keep himself from sliding entirely into the pool.

In the original text, nothing he had read had ever mentioned this Ghost Pattern on Chi You's body.

In the early plot of the original book, there were descriptions of three connected moles on Chi You's side waist, thousands of words describing Chi You's appearance, physique, family background, describing how gentle and friendly his personality was, how many followers he had... even useless things like how Chi You had once rescued a few stray cats and birds were written out — but nothing genuinely useful was ever written.

What was this Ghost Pattern?

Jiang Luo's head ached.

Chi You said ambiguously: 'Maybe if you beg for mercy, I'll be willing to let you go.'

Jiang Luo scoffed. He understood Chi You — if he really conceded, he'd probably be killed the next second for being boring.

He swept the corner of his eye provocatively across the evil ghost's face. 'I'm in your hands now, so of course you can say whatever you want. Want me to bow and scrape? You might as well just kill me.'

His tone was firm, his expression unyielding — as if even if he died the next moment, he would never become the begging dog in the evil ghost's mouth.

Easily able to arouse others' desire to conquer.

The evil ghost rubbed his wrist. The thought of seeing the black-haired youth's heartfelt, defeated surrender rose suddenly, fierce and ardent like dry tinder meeting flame. He laughed silently — if the black-haired youth had really curried favor with him just to survive, he would have found it uninteresting instead.

But now, his mood, dull and boring like a stagnant pool, had stirred. A long-absent desire to conquer was stirring, wrapped in thick interest.

The black-haired youth's unyielding defiance, his willingness to provoke even in the face of death — indeed, it made Chi You even more impatient to crush that proud, unbending character of his.

Taking advantage of the evil ghost's inattention, Jiang Luo gathered his strength and suddenly raised his upper body, lunging to the evil ghost's ear and biting down hard on it.

Dripping wet, he said coldly beside the evil ghost's ear: 'If you don't kill me right now, then wait for me to kill you. We'll see whether I become your dog, or you become an obedient dog in my hand.'

The evil ghost let him bite off a piece of flesh from his ear; the flesh, once separated from the evil ghost's body, turned into Black Mist. The evil ghost slowly arched his back, his upper body pressed against the black-haired youth, and laughed muffledly. The trembling, excited nerves were completely ignited. The Ghost Pattern on the evil ghost's back trembled along with his spine, as if it too had come alive in extreme excitement.

No one could, like Jiang Luo did, make every word, every glance, every expression delight the evil ghost to the point his blood and flesh boiled.

Almost thirty minutes.

Jiang Luo's breathing subtly deepened. He closed his eyes — if this method didn't work, he'd have to break out by force.

But the evil ghost suddenly released him.

Jiang Luo opened his eyes. Chi You, all smiles, slowly retreated.

The milky-white blood pressed against the evil ghost's waist and abdomen. The Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion was, after all, not water — a blurred half-shoe print was left on the evil ghost's waist and abdomen.

'I'll give you one hour,' the evil ghost smiled leisurely, retreating all the way to the other side of the pool, then sat down at his ease. 'One hour from now, if I catch you...'

His pale fingertips tapped the pool wall, his smile deepening. 'Although reluctantly, I'll have to kill you.'

The evil ghost played a little game with his prey.

Give the prey one hour to run. If, after one hour, the prey hadn't successfully escaped the evil ghost's hands, then this game would end with the prey's death.

As the prey, Jiang Luo unhesitatingly flipped out of the pool onto the bank. He glanced back at the evil ghost with a deep look, then turned and left. So calm, without a trace of surprise or hesitation, that his figure had already vanished.

The footsteps faded into the distance. The evil ghost looked at the empty Cave, gently closed his eyes, and in a very good mood began humming his song again. His fingers tapped against the stone wall once per second — a countdown before death's arrival.

While his eyes were closed, a small golden mouse slipped in silently, dragging the shaman's Black Robe that had been discarded at the corner of the cave, and quietly left through a crack.

Jiang Luo hadn't left.

He was hiding near the pool, concealing his form, because he had seen the red-robed man dragging Dead Ghost over from the path ahead.

The red-robed man hadn't noticed Jiang Luo. Gripping Teng Bi, he walked into the Cave. 'Master, I've brought Teng Bi back.'

Dead Ghost looked wretched, drenched in blood, already like a lifeless corpse, only kept upright by the red-robed man as he was dragged into the Cave.

The red-robed man callously threw Teng Bi to the ground. Teng Bi hit the floor, his rough breathing unusually conspicuous in the quiet Cave. The fingers of his hand, which had been stripped to the bone, moved slightly, still trying to grip his Great Sword.

The red-robed man kicked his sword aside and said coldly: 'Teng Bi has been mixing with two humans. He wants to betray his Master.'

Weren't Dead Ghost and the red-robed man the left and right guardians of the Divine Statue? Why were they calling Chi You Master?

Jiang Luo knit his brows.

But Chi You was in a very good mood — so good that even at this moment, his words still carried a smile. 'Teng Bi, is what Huali said true?'

Dead Ghost coughed up a mouthful of blood and said: 'My name is Dead Ghost, not Teng Bi.'

Chi You: 'Mm?'

The ice in Huali's tone was practically falling out: 'He's forgotten everything about who he is.'

'Is that so?' The evil ghost's voice carried curiosity. 'Teng Bi, come here.'

But Dead Ghost gathered his last strength and suddenly lunged toward where his Great Sword had been kicked. But his stamina was completely spent — every movement was so slow a child could have knocked him down. Before he could take a single step, Huali kicked him into the cave wall.

Dead Ghost fell from the wall into a corner, completely motionless.

Huali and Chi You's expressions remained calm. Huali tossed Teng Bi out of his mind and said: 'Master, the Divine Statue is still in the Cave, but we don't know which section it ran to.'

Chi You: 'Mm.'

Huali said with some tension: 'Neither Teng Bi nor I expected the Divine Statue to develop self-awareness. Once it did, it began craving to become a living Divine Statue, constantly driving us to find sacrifices for it. You hadn't come to Shentu Village yet at the time. Teng Bi and I thought the stronger the Divine Statue, the better it would suit as your new body, so we didn't reveal our identities and became the left and right guardians beside the Divine Statue, obeying its commands to help it grow.'

Chi You said without a ripple: 'Continue.'

He was so calm, but sweat slid down Huali's temple. He said quietly: 'But we raised an evil god. Once the Divine Statue's self-awareness strengthened, it could bewitch villagers into coming to worship it on its own. By the time we noticed, it was already nearly coming to life.'

He paused, even more cautious: 'It only needs one last sacrifice, and it will be born with its own soul.'

Chi You laughed softly: 'So that's why you notified me to come, and had me impersonate a shaman?'

Huali immediately lowered his head: 'Master, we know we were wrong.'

Chi You said listlessly: 'I asked you to watch a stone statue, and you still managed to mess it up. In the end, I had to step in myself and pick a sacrifice that couldn't revive the stone statue. Huali, these past few years of easy living have made you careless.'

Huali said nothing, but his hands trembled slightly. Chi You seemed to remember something and suddenly laughed muffledly: 'Do you know why I chose that sacrifice?'

Huali secretly breathed a sigh of relief: 'Why?'

Jiang Luo answered for Chi You: because I am a man, and my birth chart contains no yin.

Using his blood would have been useless.

The evil ghost didn't explain; the muffled laughter echoed alone. Huali had misunderstood something. Considerately, he said: 'Don't worry, Master. I'll kill that human, won't let her become the sacrifice that helps the Divine Statue revive.'

Chi You raised an eyebrow: 'You're going to kill him?'

Huali nodded, his attitude not lacking contempt: 'Just a human, Master. I'll deal with her as soon as possible.'

But Chi You said unhurriedly: 'Huali, if you underestimate him, you'll get bitten.'

Huali clearly hadn't taken Chi You's words to heart. He had always felt hatred and disdain toward humans. After taking his leave of Chi You, Huali turned and left the cave.

Jiang Luo had already slipped away quietly.

His face expressionless, he sped back the way he came.

He moved twice as fast on the return. By the time Jiang Luo, drenched in sweat, found Lu You, Lu You was already ashen-faced, a layer of frost over his features, unconscious.

There was still time. Jiang Luo's body was covered in the Blood of Female Poisonous Scorpion, the viscous blood completely soaked into his clothes.

Jiang Luo kept wiping Lu You's wound with the cloth on his body. Only when the blood turned from black to bright red did he feel his heart settle.

Lu You's complexion gradually returned to normal. He groggily opened his eyes and said weakly: 'J-Jiang Luo.'

Jiang Luo replied weakly: 'You finally woke up.'

Lu You said dazedly: 'Did I sleep long?'

'Fifty minutes,' Jiang Luo exhaled a breath of stale air, trying to scare him: 'Ten more minutes and you wouldn't have woken up.'

Lu You was immediately frightened back to his senses. He braced himself on the ground to sit up, looked down at his wound, and asked: 'What bit me?'

'A Poisonous Scorpion,' Jiang Luo teased. 'Impressive, Lu You — surviving a Poisonous Scorpion bite, you really are lucky.'

Lu You sucked in a cold breath, only to be choked by his own saliva, coughing violently: 'Holy shit, it was actually a Poisonous Scorpion cough cough cough!'

Jiang Luo perfunctorily patted his back. After he stopped, he asked: 'Do you still remember where you and Dead Ghost fell from?'

Lu You nodded slightly.

Jiang Luo said: 'Let's go. I'll send you out from there. You're not in any condition to stay underground now. Best to find a Hospital and check whether there's any toxin left.'

Lu You hesitated: 'What about you... and Dead Ghost?'

Jiang Luo smiled, with an oddly cold edge: 'I'll take care of everything else.'

Lu You had just been detoxified, his limbs still weak. Jiang Luo used Inch Tiger to carry him on his back and sent him to the surface. People had been waiting on the surface. Wenren Lian and Ge Zhu hauled Lu You up with effort; Kuang Zheng carried Lu You on his back, preparing to find staff.

Jiang Luo looked at their fully-equipped appearance, as if they were about to descend into the cave, and raised an eyebrow: 'Going for a full assault?'

Ge Zhu breathed a sigh of relief: 'Since you're back, we won't need to go.'

Jiang Luo shook his head, extended his hand: 'Give me a set of clothes and equipment.'

Everyone was stunned.

Zhuo Zhongqiu frowned: 'Jiang Luo, first place or not isn't that important anymore. Getting back safely is what matters most.'

Jiang Luo smiled. He didn't believe that just leaving the Cave meant Chi You wouldn't come looking for him in an hour.

No — there wasn't even an hour left.

Besides, if he let himself flee in disgrace, even if he escaped, Jiang Luo wouldn't be content.

Seeing his insistence, the others had no choice but to give him what he wanted. Fortunately, Kuang Zheng had been thoughtful — having received Wenren Lian's Thousand Paper Cranes and rushed up the mountain, he had thought of Jiang Luo's group of three's attire and specially prepared three sets of clothes to bring them.

Jiang Luo took the things and was about to descend into the cave. Zhuo Zhongqiu took a deep breath and decisively said: 'Wait, I'll go with you.'

Wenren Lian said: 'We'll go too.'

Jiang Luo sat at the cave's edge, waved lazily: 'I know what I'm doing. One hour from now, if I haven't come back, you can come down and rescue me.'

He turned his head to look at his companions, pressed two fingers to his lips, and gave them a confident flying kiss: 'Wait for me.'

Having said that, he had already jumped down the cave opening.

Sailor asked, blushing: 'Then what do we do?'

Wenren Lian smiled bitterly: 'Since he's said that, we'll wait.'

Otherwise, if they rashly went down, they might disrupt Jiang Luo's plan and become a burden to him.

*

Underground.

Jiang Luo changed his clothes in a hidden corner.

The damp, ethnic-style clothes came off; cargo pants and hiking boots went on. Jiang Luo, cigarette dangling from his lips, lowered his head to tie his waist rope, his sharp profile flickering in the cigarette's ember.

He put away his talisman papers. When his cigarette was half-smoked, Jiang Luo re-wrapped the black cloth on his right hand.

He glanced at the watch he had just put on.

Half an hour had already passed.

Jiang Luo lifted his eyelids, pinched out the cigarette, and looked into the pitch-black darkness.

The hunt had begun.