Chapter 28

Tanyin felt herself being dragged upstairs by little Yuan Zhong, who was holding her tightly. This mechanical man had a nervous and excited expression, as if he were a thief. After locking the door, he left a small gap in the window and crouched by it to peer outside.

She wanted to speak, but her body was out of control. She tried to release her divine consciousness, but her divine power was inaccessible. Fortunately, the stifling sensation in her chest began to fade. Gradually, the culprit that caused her body to loss control emerged—a tiny sesame-sized divine crystal, likely mixed into the tea she had drunk without noticing.

Tanyin struggled to control her body and break free from the crystal’s grip. She couldn’t lie there doing nothing; the vital entrance to the cave was about to be breached. Yuan Zhong was going to face numerous war ghosts alone. If they sealed his left hand with a divine crystal again… she couldn’t bear to think about the outcome. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to move, but it was as difficult as climbing a mountain.

Noticing her trembling, little Yuan Zhong hurried to her side and asked solicitously, “Master, what are your orders?”

Tanyin couldn’t open her mouth and could only stare at him fiercely, hoping he would understand her need for a pot of tea.

Seeing her fierce gaze, little Yuan Zhong stepped back in fright, clutching his chest. “Master! What’s wrong with you?!”

I need water! She desperately tried to convey her demand with her eyes.

“Are you cold?” He quickly wrapped her in a blanket.

Water! Her eyes were almost strained from staring so intensely.

“Still cold?” He added another layer of blankets with great care.

Water! Tanyin was on the brink of despair.

Little Yuan Zhong blushed and fidgeted with his clothes. “I know you’re cold, but… but I’m just a mechanical man and can’t warm the bed for you…”

Tanyin suddenly understood why Yuan Zhong always looked like he was about to vomit blood whenever he saw little Yuan Zhong. She felt exactly the same now—extremely frustrated.

“Water!” She finally managed to rasp out a dry word, which seemed to exhaust all her strength. She lay on the bed, panting heavily.

Little Yuan Zhong hurriedly brought her a pot of tea, poured a cup, and fed her slowly. Tanyin let out a long breath. She couldn’t deal with the divine crystal inside her, so she could only drink large amounts of water to temporarily suppress its effects.

“…More,” she said with difficulty.

After drinking three pots of tea, Tanyin could barely move her body. She managed to move her limbs a bit but couldn’t stand up.

Little Yuan Zhong looked at her round belly with reverence, not daring to say a word.

Closing her eyes, Tanyin arduously summoned her divine power. The thunderous sounds of the war ghosts breaking into the cave had ceased, indicating they had already entered. Anxious, she asked softly, “Little Yuan Zhong, what’s happening outside?”

Little Yuan Zhong peered out of the window for a while before exclaiming, “Oh no! Many fierce-looking people are rushing this way! Let me count… one, two, three… about a dozen. They’ve stopped and are talking to Yuan Zhong. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Yuan Zhong is laughing! He’s actually laughing!”

Tanyin sighed. She shouldn’t have given Little Yuan Zhong such a difficult task.

“Come here,” she ordered.

“Help me sit up.”

With Little Yuan Zhong’s help, she managed to sit cross-legged. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused all her remaining divine power, blocking out Little Yuan Zhong’s incessant chatter. She needed to get down there quickly to protect Yuan Zhong.

The cave’s entrance finally broke open with a thunderous crash, leaving behind an eerie silence.

All the creatures in the cave hid in fear; even the old turtle in the lake burrowed deep into the mud, concealing its spirit. The destruction of the entrance was a significant blow to the cave’s creator. Each cave had an entrance for entry and exit; once forcibly breached, the cave became unusable. If Tang Hua hadn’t left traces when entering the cave, the war ghosts wouldn’t have found the entrance so quickly.

Yuan Zhong sighed deeply and opened his eyes. In the distance, the mountains stood tall, but the sky was pitch black, like a stained glass painting shattered to reveal the stark world outside the cave.

A dozen war ghosts approached silently, different from the young war ghosts he had encountered before. These were mature war ghosts who had survived the life-threatening trials at age twenty-five, their eyes red and filled with killing intent. They cautiously stopped several yards from the small building, silently watching him.

Yuan Zhong smiled and asked, “How is Li Chaoyang?”

The leading war ghost nodded slightly, his voice lacking much hostility.

“Thanks to the remedy you provided, she has been freed from the ice but is still weak and needs time to recover.”

Yuan Zhong chuckled.

“I was the one who sealed her in ice. No need to thank me. You didn’t break into the cave just for her, did you?”

“Correct,” the lead war ghost said sternly.

“You stole the treasure of the gods, an act intolerable to heaven. If you surrender, we can put aside the enmity between our races and spare your life.”

“Stole a treasure?” Yuan Zhong was puzzled.

He recalled the two young war ghosts in Yan city who cursed him as a “thief of the gods’ treasure” before dying and had sealed his left hand with a divine crystal.

His left hand… were they targeting his left hand again?

He found it absurd and laughed.

“I was born with this hand. How can it be theft? Your excuse is too clumsy.”

“Stubborn Fool,” the lead war ghost, shook his head and stepped back as the others slowly advanced, drawing their long whips. Although the small building was protected by a barrier, a dozen war ghosts could break it in no time.

Yuan Zhong spread his left hand, a red light flickering in his palm, and sighed. “This enmity grows deeper…”

He had sealed Li Chaoyang in ice on orders, prompting the war ghosts’ revenge. After the war ghost killed Zifei, he would kill the war ghost to take revenge, and then more war ghosts came to him for revenge, and the cycle of killing seemed endless.

As the war ghosts were about to break the barrier, he prepared to plunge his left hand into the ground. At that moment, he felt a sudden, hammer-like blow to his chest, a wave of indescribable fear engulfing him. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“…Yuan Zhong,” the lead war ghost, spoke softly.

“We have your name, birthdate, and hair. It’s only a matter of time before you’re cursed to death. Your high status won’t save you. Killing you will only deepen the enmity between our races, which our lady does not wish for. Surrender now.”

Name, birthdate, and hair… Yuan Zhong wiped the blood from his mouth, rage surging within him.

Tang Hua must have revealed it!

He looked across the lake and spotted the purple figure of Tang Hua. He hadn’t left! He had taken his hair and birthdate and was cursing him!

He said nothing, suddenly transforming into a flash of golden light and darting into the small building. The war ghosts behind him lashed their whips against the barrier, producing a loud, metallic clanging sound.

He understood well the power of a death curse. Using the victim’s body and hair as a medium, any powerful immortal could, within a short time, make the cursed person’s life worse than death. He had offended too many people under Ding Xu’s orders, which was why his name and birthdate were top secrets. He had no personal attendants for this reason, yet today he had been betrayed by his own clan.

As Yuan Zhong reached the third floor, he felt a searing flame rise from his feet, setting the hem of his clothes ablaze and engulfing him in the agony of the curse fire. His skin emitted a hazy golden light, shielding him from the flames. He burst through the door, startling Little Yuan Zhong, who screamed, “You’re on fire!”

Yuan Zhong’s eyes immediately fell on Tanyin, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Without a word, he rushed over and picked her up, causing her to flinch from the heat of his burning clothes. He then tossed her to Little Yuan Zhong.

“Go!” Yuan Zhong transformed into a streak of golden light and flashed down to the first floor. The war ghosts were still attacking the barrier, which wouldn’t hold much longer.

Little Yuan Zhong followed, yelling, “What’s happening? Where are we going?”

Enduring the curse’s torment, Yuan Zhong sat cross-legged and said softly, “Hold her and don’t let go. I’m summoning the death gate. You take her and leave.”

“What about you?!” Little Yuan Zhong cried, panic evident on his face.

“Are you playing the hero saving the beauty? This isn’t a play, Yuan Zhong!”

Ignoring him, Yuan Zhong focused on summoning the death gate. The curse fire crept up his body, consuming him. Although the curse wouldn’t leave scars or turn him to ash, the pain was a hundred times worse than ordinary fire. Most immortals wouldn’t use such a vile method, but Tang Hua…

He forced himself to stop thinking about it, enduring the agony to summon the death gate. He had no personal attachments and just wanted to ensure Tanyin’s safety.

Ironically, at this moment, he remembered how she had stood in front of him in Yan City, claiming she would protect him.

This silly child, how can a woman protect a man?

The death gate, a dark portal unlike the life gate, was gradually summoned. Every cave had such an exit for catastrophic times, though no one knew where it led—perhaps a cliff, deep sea, or blazing inferno. But it was better than staying here.

Just a little more time, he thought. If given a few more seconds, Tanyin could escape. Just a little more.

Suddenly, there was a sharp crack, and the barrier around the small building finally broke.

Several long whips lashed silently towards Yuan Zhong. He barely had time to erect a barrier around Tanyin before two whips struck his back, tearing his clothes and splattering blood. The rich scent of blood filled the air.

A few more war ghosts rushed into the building. Seeing two Yuan Zhongs—one exhausted and another trembling while holding a woman—they hesitated before charging at little Yuan Zhong.

Seeing so many red-eyed people coming at him, Little Yuan Zhong waved his hands frantically.

“Wait, wait! Let’s talk!”

No one listened. The sharp sound of wind whistled by, and little Yuan Zhong’s noisy chatter abruptly stopped. He looked comically at his severed left arm, shaking it.

“They even attack a mechanical man…”

“This one is a fake.”

The war ghosts shifted their target, switching their whips for short knives.

Their orders weren’t to kill Yuan Zhong but to sever his left hand. Yet the enmity between the war ghosts and the Fox clan was deep. Yuan Zhong had harmed Li Chaoyang, preventing her from recovering for years, and had killed many war ghosts. Their hatred was immense. The short knives flashed like lightning, aiming for Yuan Zhong’s head.

With several dull thuds, the knives embedded in a wooden figure that had suddenly appeared, blocking the attacks. This wooden figure seemed to have materialized from nowhere. It shielded Yuan Zhong, and beneath it was Tanyin, tightly hugging Yuan Zhong and protecting him.