Chapter Thirty-Three: The Mysterious Person

  Outside the abandoned house, Su Tong was still anxiously waiting. She didn't dare to get close to the house and could only pace back and forth on the empty ground in the distance, occasionally glancing at her watch. The wind in the mountain shade seemed colder than anywhere else. As a gust of wind blew by, she shrank her neck and rubbed her arm with her hand, relying on the slight warmth generated by friction to maintain her body temperature. Tang Xiao had been inside for a while now, right? Didn't he say he was just going in to take a look and didn't plan on taking any real action? Didn't he say it would be a quick battle? Why hasn't anyone come out yet?

  I hope nothing happened to him inside?

  This idea had taken hold of Su Tong's mind and couldn't be driven out, she tried to suppress this worry with optimistic thoughts, but after several attempts it was all in vain, her heart became more and more flustered, not knowing what to do.

  Otherwise, rush in and find him! Su Tong gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and wanted to go in and take a look. However, after taking two steps forward, he couldn't help but feel a little timid and wanted to retreat.

  What if Tang Ao didn't have any trouble, and he recklessly rushed in, wouldn't that just become a burden for him? Or, what if Tang Ao really did encounter some problem, doesn't that mean the things in this abandoned mansion are extremely ferocious and troublesome, to the point where even Tang Ao can't handle them? If even Tang Ao couldn't deal with it, then going in would be simply seeking death, a one-way trip with no return, completely wasting his own life.

  Just thinking of this, Su Tong couldn't help but want to slap herself hard and drive this timid thought far away. At a time like this, Tang Ao's safety was still an unknown quantity, yet she was still hesitating! Tang Ao took risks for the sake of solving his own problems, didn't he? This matter had nothing to do with her own interests, yet at a time when others were taking risks for their own affairs, she was still thinking about self-preservation? If that's the case, Su Tong felt she would despise herself.

  It's better to go in anyway, with this large stack of talismans in hand. If Tang Ao is trapped for some reason, going in might help rescue him. Even if there's a possibility that both will be trapped, it's still better than selfishly refusing to go in, which would put Tang Ao in even greater danger.

  Su Tong steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and clutched the bundle of talismans that Tang Hao had left for her. She took a deep breath and strode towards the abandoned mansion, her legs trembling uncontrollably with each step. To counteract this, she quickened her pace, not giving herself any chance to turn back.

  No matter from a moral standpoint or her own conscience, she couldn't allow herself to ignore it or turn a blind eye when she knew that Tang Wei had been gone for over forty minutes and hadn't come out yet.

  She ran to the entrance of the abandoned house in one breath, took a deep breath, and squeezed through the wooden plank seam where Tang Wei had just entered. There was that wooden plank with strange patterns all over it, which made it a bit difficult to get in. Su Tong had to be very careful when squeezing in, lest she scratch herself on the rusty iron nails on the surface of the wooden plank. It was imaginable how Tang Wei, who was so much taller and stronger than herself, managed to squeeze in just now.

  Just as she entered, Su Tong found that the inside of the old house was very dark. She thought to herself whether or not to use something to prop open the door so that some light from outside could shine in a bit. However, before she had time to turn around, the wooden door behind her creaked shut with a "creak". Su Tong's eyes were met with complete darkness and she couldn't see anything. She could only stand still and try to feel for the door behind her. But then something that had happened at her own home occurred again - no matter how hard she felt around, there was nothing but empty space behind her, and she couldn't find any sign of a door.

  At that moment, in the seemingly endless darkness, several faint green lights suddenly appeared, far away, as if a few hungry jackals were staring at her from afar. Su Tong's heart skipped a beat, and an unprecedented fear surged up to her head. She tried to open her mouth and called out softly: "Tang Xiao——"

  I thought this house was big and empty, it should have had an echo, but unexpectedly the sound didn't travel far, it sounded like Su Tong was standing in a narrow space with only room for an elevator, and as she let out a soft sigh, a strange gust of wind blew from somewhere in the house, the wind was weird, it couldn't be told where it came from, it wasn't strong, just gently blowing, but it was piercing, blowing directly into Su Tong's bones, making her feel like every joint in her body was aching unbearably.

  Just as she was about to be blown away by the strange wind and could no longer support her own legs, a warm sensation suddenly appeared on her chest, and a soft orange-yellow light shone through her clothes. She was startled and quickly reached out to touch it, pulling out an octagonal pendant from inside her collar. The pendant was now entirely orange-yellow, and after being taken out of her clothes, the light seemed to shine even brighter, allowing Su Tong to see clearly around herself in a circle with a radius of about half a meter. It was only then that she realized this glowing object was the protective amulet, Bi Xi, which Tang Xiao had given her to wear earlier that morning to calm her mind.

  As soon as he saw this thing, Su Tong felt a little guilty again. How could he have forgotten it just now? If he had thought of it earlier and taken it off before Tang Ao came in here to wear it, the situation might not be so different now.

  It's just that at this time, something like this has no meaning at all. With the addition of this tortoiseshell pendant, Su Tong's heart also gained a bit more stability. She held the talisman in one hand and the tortoiseshell pendant in the other, carefully moving forward while softly calling out Tang Ao's name. Her voice seemed to be completely absorbed by the endless darkness, without even a hint of echo, let alone any response from Tang Ao.

  She took a few steps forward, with the help of the light emitted by the tortoiseshell, Su Tong saw that on the ground in front of her there was a foot, and the shoe on that foot she would never recognize wrongly, it was Tang Ao's. So she hurried to quicken her pace and walk over, getting closer, she could see more clearly, the person lying on the ground seemingly unconscious, wasn't it Tang Ao whom she had been worried about all along?

  "Ah, Tang Ao!" Su Tong immediately rushed towards Tang Ao to see if he was seriously injured and could be woken up. However, before she could reach his side, her neck suddenly felt like it was being constricted by an invisible force, lifting her entire body off the ground and suspending her in mid-air. Su Tong tried desperately to struggle free from the unseen force gripping her neck with her hands, but no matter how hard she grasped, there was nothing to grab onto. The power was indeed invisible, leaving her feeling like she was being lifted into the air, with the constriction around her neck making it difficult for her to breathe, yet not quite suffocating her. The force was applied with great precision, neither too much nor too little, just enough to put her in a precarious situation without putting her life in danger.

  When Su Tong tried to break free from the force, she vaguely saw someone standing not far away. To be strict, it couldn't be called a person, maybe a ghost or a soul. That person was in the same state as her now, with both feet off the ground, but the difference lay in that she was painfully suspended in mid-air by someone else, while the other party was floating there on their own. The "person" looked quite tall, and to Su Tong, Tang Ao was already considered a not-so-short person, but this "person" seemed even taller than him. His whole body presented a faint silver-white color, with unclear clothing, and his facial features were also indistinct, only the outline of his face could be vaguely discerned as being strong and hard, with slightly disheveled hair. Even though his appearance couldn't be seen clearly, one could still feel an aura of unbridled wildness.

  Just now, Su Tong's attention was focused on the ground and the light emitted by the tortoise shell, without noticing the surroundings. Now that he has been picked up and suspended in mid-air, he can see the situation around him more clearly. The "person" is surrounded by a faint, dim light that is not bright and different from the warm orange-yellow light of the tortoise shell. The light emitted by "him" is a kind of faint, almost imperceptible glow, like a small dome that covers the "person", Su Tong, and Tang Yao who is lying on the ground unconscious. Through this layer of faint, imperceptible light, Su Tong can see the scene outside that he had not noticed before. Originally, he thought it was just dark outside, but now, looking through the dome, he finds that there are thick black vapors surging outside, like waves rolling, churning, and pounding against the dome, as if trying to attack from the outside. The "person" stands motionless in the center of the dome.

  Su Tong didn't know if the other person was friend or foe, good or evil. She could only make a judgment based on what she saw in front of her and struggled to open her mouth: "Ple...please...please you...please..."

  "What do you want from me?" The "person" suddenly spoke, his voice was very low and full of energy, without a clear tone, but gave people a sense of being shocked to the core. "Want me to let you go?"

  That "person" had a faintly mocking tone in his question.

  Su Tong felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall where she had heard it before. At this moment, she was in no position to distinguish these things. Facing the "person's" questioning, she wanted to shake her head, but her neck was being strangled and she couldn't do so. She could only struggle futilely while saying: "Please... save Tang Ao... rescue him..."

  That "guy" seemed stunned for a moment: "You're still somewhat righteous."

  After finishing, the force on Su Tong's neck suddenly loosened, and she fell to the ground with a thud, almost unable to catch her breath. However, at this moment, she didn't have the energy to care about that much, so she hurriedly crawled to Tang Hao's side, grasping the agate pendant to take a closer look at how he was doing. With the help of the faint light, she saw Tang Hao lying motionless on the ground, his body without any obvious external injuries, looking as if he had fallen asleep. Yet, he seemed lifeless and devoid of vitality, just like those seven children in the hospital.

  It's just like that, the current Tang Ao and those seven children are exactly the same, looking as if they were exquisitely crafted realistic dolls, completely devoid of any signs of being alive.

  Su Tong was so anxious that she almost cried, she stretched out her hand to try Tang Ao's breath, just as she stretched out her hand, she felt a pain in her neck, the original pendant on her chest suddenly flew out, she was shocked and hurriedly wanted to stretch out her hand to catch it, but it was too late, the pendant flew straight into the hand of that "person" suspended in mid-air.

  "Why is this thing on your body?" The "man's" tone suddenly increased with some anger, and his figure quickly approached, coming to the front of Su Tong and Tang Ao.

  Su Tong's tense internal organs were trembling, she stared intently at the person, afraid he would make any sudden movements, while quietly moving closer to Tang Hao, taking his cold and stiff hand, which had no warmth, just like a dead man's. But for now, this was the only way Su Tong could muster up her courage, she and Tang Hao had to get out of there together if they wanted to survive, and he was in this state because of her, so even if it meant risking her own life, she had to protect him at all costs.

  "This thing was given to me by my friend... he... he's really formidable." Su Tong stuttered, originally hoping to sound more forceful, in case the other party wasn't a good person, at least to exert some psychological pressure on them. Unfortunately, her voice trembled nonstop, and the forcefulness she wanted to convey didn't come across at all. "What do you want to do? It's best if you don't have any bad ideas, or else when he wakes up, you'll be in for a world of trouble. You might even lose your soul and never be able to reincarnate! Or, if you can help us get out of here, we'll definitely be grateful!"

  That "person" suddenly laughed when he heard her say that, and his laughter was full of disdain: "You don't have the guts, but you're good at talking nonsense. If you continue to drag things out, it won't just be me who loses my soul."

  Su Tong shivered, Tang Ao's hand was clenched in her palm, but there was no sign of warmth at all. On the contrary, her own question seemed to be sucked away by Tang Ao's icy hand. Originally, the jade pendant had given her some warmth, but now that it was in "that person's" hand, Su Tong felt an increasing chill all over her body.

  Suddenly, an idea flashed into her mind. Tang Ao had said before that if a person's soul leaves their body, the physical body becomes an empty house. For someone like her with such a light eight characters, the physical body is like a house with a simple wooden door, and all the homeless vagrants would rush to break the door and occupy the house. Could this "person" in front of her be the most ferocious one among the evil spirits? Was he using that vague and ambiguous method to trap Tang Ao in between, in order to eliminate rivals and monopolize Tang Ao's physical body?

  No way, gotta think of something!