Chapter 1153: A Ghost Around the Corner?
“At first, it was a ‘scratch scratch’ noise, like that of a fingernail scraping against metal. Later on, the voice became extremely strange and terrifying, and hard to describe with words. Right, it was a bit like the sound of that waterphone instrument the merchants from the west brought and played at the manor.”
Zu An was a bit surprised when he saw that. He hadn’t expected this world to actually have a waterphone. Most of the terrifying sounds from the horror movies of his previous world had been made using a waterphone.
“I heard from my colleagues that whenever that strange noise went through the mines, a companion would go missing. Not even their corpse could be found…
“I suspect that the sounds are made by a certain monster.
“Also, the black fog is probably left behind when that monster moves around.
“I am really scared… but as the Yu clan’s guard, I have to remember my clan’s glory. I cannot bring shame to my uniform…
“I cannot let anything happen to Maid Xing’s group, so I am trying to find a way to draw this monster in the other direction.
“I do not know how long I will be able to last.
“It is a pity that I will never be able to meet the madam again. I hope that she can at least make it through these troubled times.”
…
A tear trickled down Yu Yanluo’s cheek when she saw those words. She learned her forehead against Zu An’s chest. Her body was shaking slightly, and she was clearly filled with emotion.
Zu An patted her shoulder to comfort her. At the same time, he continued to flip through the pages. There had been a line or two recorded later on, but unfortunately, it was too hard to read through all the bloodstains. Then, the recordings came to a sudden stop. When he connected that fact to the broken sword, Zu An realized that everything pointed at disaster.
He analyzed the situation and said, “This notebook was previously embedded into the wall. He probably threw it here with all of his strength when he was in danger. He probably wanted to leave this behind so others would know what happened.”
“If he threw it at that time, considering the angle and direction…” He looked around the area. Soon afterward, he arrived near a section of the black fog. He reached out his hand and pressed against the wall, saying, “The earth here is softer than the rest. The walls of a mine should be reinforced to prevent cave-ins; there’s no way it should be this loose. Something probably rushed out suddenly from here and ambushed Yu Bin.”
Yu Yanluo also surrounded herself with her elemental barrier and walked over. She examined the wall and said, “But even though the earth here is loose, there are no traces of a cave here. If a monster really emerged from inside, it would have left a huge hole behind, right?”
Zu An shook his head and said, “It’s probably an earth element monster, one that can move freely underground. It wouldn’t really need to make a hole. It’s only because the earth here was affected by the earth element that the dirt here i a bit different.”
“You’re right. Looks like we have to be careful of something suddenly coming out of the walls,” Yu Yanluo said, her expression carrying a hint of grief. She said, “All of this was information Yu Bin left behind at the cost of his life.”
Zu An patted her shoulder. Anything he said at that point would pale in comparison. After Yu Yanluo calmed down a bit, however, he said, “The first priority is to rescue the survivors and to prevent a repeat of this tragedy. Since Yu Bin intentionally drew that beast here, Maid Xing and the others should be on the other side.”
Yu Bin had been cut off from Maid Xing’s group because of the collapsed passage, but with the pair’s cultivations, that wasn’t too big of a problem. They could just break through. They had finally gotten some clues about Maid Xing’s group, so they naturally had to take a look.
Yu Yanluo nodded. She didn’t even know how terrible she would feel if something similar had happened to Maid Xing’s group too. She put away Yu Bin’s booklet and said seriously, “Once I return, I’ll establish a monument for these brave soldiers who have sacrificed themselves. Even though they’ve died, I must let their wills live on, to continue existing in the hearts of the Yu clan’s people.”
Zu An instead felt a bit worried. Now that Yu Yanluo’s Medusa identity had been exposed, she might not be able to return to Cloudcenter City’s Yu clan anymore…
Of course, he wouldn’t bring up something like that while she was grieving.
…
The two of them then headed in the opposite direction. Along the way, they found some traces that had most likely been left behind by Yu Bin.
Eventually, they arrived at a collapsed area. Zu An looked at the wall in front of him and reached out a hand. After sensing it for a bit, he opened his eyes and said, “This path is being blocked by around a dozen meters of rock. We should be able to dig our way through.”
“Sounds good!” Yu Yanluo replied. She had already rolled up her sleeves, prepared to take action.
Zu An couldn't help but laugh, saying, “Just leave this to me. You’re injured and should use this chance to catch your breath a bit.”
Yu Yanluo looked at his chest worriedly, saying, “Your injuries were even more serious than mine. If it were anyone else, they might already have died from a wound like that. I think you should rest and let me do this.”
Zu An pulled aside his clothes and moved closer to her. He was worried that she might not be able to see clearly, so he placed the hand she was holding up on his chest, saying, “I told you my body was tough, right? I even ate Yan Xuehen’s pill, so the wound has already healed. Look, it’s already formed a scab.”
Yu Yanluo’s finger gently caressed his wound and discovered that it really had closed up. She exclaimed, “It really healed that fast? White Jade Sect’s Ice Heart Pill really is as miraculous as the legends state…”
Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed it was really hard for ordinary people to understand his body’s toughness. They always subconsciously thought his recovery speed was because of medicine.
“Sigh, it really is amazing. How could Yan Xuehen be willing to give you such an important medicine?” Yu Yanluo mused, her expression strange. She just felt that the matter was way too absurd.
“Maybe it’s because I’m handsome and she ended up liking me,” Zu An replied.
“Look at you!” Yu Yanluo rolled her eyes and shot back, “If Sect Master Yan heard that, she might just skin you alive.”
Zu An sighed and said, “I’m telling you the truth, but you don’t believe me.”
He quickly approached the collapsed area. His hand pressed against the surface, and he slowly began digging through the wall. However, he didn’t smash into it with his fist. They were underground, after all, so he was worried about causing a second collapse.
Instead, he used a weaker force to slowly soften the earth through vibration. At the same time, he protected the surroundings with his ki. That way, he slowly drew out the dirt; in time, a long, circular tunnel appeared before them.
“You’re completely covered in sweat from all that work,” Yu Yanluo said. She took out her handkerchief to help Zu An wipe away the sweat on his forehead.
When he saw her shockingly beautiful face up close, Zu An couldn't help but raise her chin and kiss her. Yu Yanluo was caught off guard. At first, she hit him lightly with her fists, but eventually, she returned the affection.
“You really are beautiful…” Zu An said with sincere admiration when their lips separated again a while afterward.
“You’re also really handsome,” Yu Yanluo replied, her eyes sparkling. They really were like the most beautiful gemstones in the world.
“Let’s take care of more important matters first,” Zu An said. He knew that Yu Yanluo had just experienced several tragedies, so she was definitely broken-hearted. He didn’t want to take advantage of her at such a time. He said as he crawled into the tunnel, “I’ll take the lead. You have to be careful.”
Yu Yanluo giggled when she saw his bottom stick out clumsily. She was an intelligent woman; how could she not tell that he was doing that on purpose to cheer her up? She immediately felt warm inside. When she looked at him, her expression became even gentler.
The two crawled through the long and narrow tunnel. They weren’t scared of dirt covering their bodies because of the protection of their elemental barriers. Soon, they arrived on the other side. After they took just a few steps, a few more paths appeared in front of them.
“This way,” Yu Yanluo said, having quickly detected a code Maid Xing had left behind. The two of them followed the marked path.
The paths gradually grew growing wider and wider. Judging from their previous experiences, there would be an underground miner resting station nearby. Such places were usually where the ore went through rough processing, and were also where goods were gathered. That was why such areas were usually a bit more spacious.
Yu Yanluo was about to say something when Zu An’s expression changed, and he pointed into the distance. He whispered, “Shh! There seems to be someone there.” Black fog filled the paths, so his spiritual senses weren’t as sharp as usual.
“Is it Maid Xing’s group?” Yu Yanluo asked with pleasant surprise.
“I’m not sure. This place is way too strange, so we need to move carefully,” Zu An said, standing in front of her protectively. The two of them moved forward quietly. He intended to secretly head over first to examine the situation.
Right at that moment, a wave of sound rang out. Both of them immediately felt a stinging pain in their minds. A long and slender sword shot out at Zu An like a viper.