Yan Shouyi felt no fear about facing Kang Jinlong alone.
From the moment he entered the dungeon, he had prepared for the worst.
He could have stayed out of it, yet he still chose to barge in—if Yan Shouyi had not possessed such courage and resolve, he would never have obtained the Dragon Tiger Secret Script back then.
Deep within the dungeon, outside a secret chamber, Liu Yiren, Long Feicheng, Wang Jiwang, Luo Ning, and Weng Qianxiang stood guard.
Inside the chamber, Wen Yuxian and an old woman sat opposite each other.
They were silent for a long time. Finally, the old woman rose, poured Wen Yuxian a cup of tea, and said,
"Destiny is set. Yuxian, you don't need to be so nervous about me."
Wen Yuxian looked at the reflection of the aged face in the tea before her and sighed.
If she hadn't been trapped in King Jian's tomb for twenty years, she would be the same age as the old woman before her.
Now that she was dead and had become a ghost, it was a form of eternal youth.
Wen Yuxian inhaled the aroma of the tea and said softly, "Sister Qingsu, my Chou'er has already fought his way out. You will certainly be safe tonight."
The old woman's name was Zhang Qingsu, a descendant of the Nuo Gui opera. She was the mother of the actor Li Genmiao.
Zhang Qingsu sat down again, glanced at some miscellaneous items in the corner, and said in a low voice, "Genmiao should have reached the Celestial Master's Hall by now."
"He should," Wen Yuxian replied.
"Do you think the Celestial Master will kill him?"
"The Celestial Master has always been merciless towards demons and evil beings, even if Li Genmiao is your son."
Wen Yuxian's answer plunged the secret chamber into silence once more.
Outside the chamber, Liu Yiren was extremely vigilant, her Ghost-Subduing Rod never leaving her hand. She stood ramrod straight, constantly on guard.
Luo Ning, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. She sat on the floor in a corner, leaning against the wall, so bored she was yawning.
"Hey, you, the skin-changer!" Luo Ning called out. "Come here!"
Weng Qianxiang, hearing Luo Ning call him, became somewhat frightened and hid behind Long Feicheng. Long Feicheng then kicked him away: "Get away from me, I like women!"
Weng Qianxiang said aggrievedly, "I like women too!"
"Then why are you clinging to me? Don't you have impure thoughts about me?!" Long Feicheng questioned.
Weng Qianxiang was speechless.
Luo Ning found it amusing and decided to tease him. "Your face is quite good. Is it real or fake? I found the zombies I made earlier to be a bit too hideous. If I used your face..."
"If you need a face, I'll make one for you. Don't have ideas about my own face!" Weng Qianxiang quickly said.
Wang Jiwang reminded them, "Alright, stop fooling around. Yan Shouyi hasn't returned yet, and the situation is still unclear."
"Yan Shouyi's dad has already made a move. What else is there for us to do?" Luo Ning said casually.
"Even so, we can't let our guard down."
As soon as Liu Yiren finished speaking, she seemed to sense something, her expression changed, and she quickly swung her Ghost-Subduing Rod!
Clang, clang, clang!
Three sharp sounds rang out, and three small stones fell to the ground. Long Feicheng felt a pang of fear.
These three stones must have been flying faster than bullets. If Liu Yiren hadn't intervened just now, he would have been riddled with holes by these stones!
"Someone's coming!" Liu Yiren said gravely.
Luo Ning looked at Liu Yiren with newfound respect. Even she hadn't noticed anything, yet Liu Yiren had sensed it and reacted.
It seemed this woman wasn't just a pretty face after all.
The group became serious and looked in the direction from which the stones had come.
A wooden bird was slowly flying towards them.
Wang Jiwang was startled, "Is it Sanyuan?"
But Liu Yiren's face changed drastically, "It's not Sanyuan!"
Liu Yiren was very familiar with Sanyuan. She could tell at a glance that this wooden bird was not Sanyuan!
The wooden bird seemed to sense that its identity had been revealed and accelerated towards them!
Wang Jiwang had no choice but to throw his cleaver with all his might. The cleaver flew over ten meters and hit the wooden bird precisely!
With the cleaver stuck in it, the wooden bird didn't fly far before exploding with a roar!
The explosion was deafening. Wen Yuxian and Zhang Suqing inside the secret chamber also became alert!
"You stay here, I'll go out and see!" Wen Yuxian stood up.
Outside the chamber, Long Feicheng and the others covered their ears, all in agony.
Such a close-range explosion, and they were all flesh and blood. Although it didn't injure them fatally, it affected their internal organs. They felt dizzy, their eardrums hurt, and Long Feicheng even vomited from the shock.
Wen Yuxian pushed open the door and looked coldly at the source of the explosion, "Who is it?!"
Kang Jinlong's voice came from within the explosion, "Shiniang?"
Wen Yuxian's pupils contracted sharply.
From the smoke of the explosion, Kang Jinlong slowly emerged. He looked at Wen Yuxian in disbelief.
Wen Yuxian, even more shocked, scrutinized Kang Jinlong and asked uncertainly, "Are you... Changqing?"
"Shiniang, didn't you die already? How are you..."
Kang Jinlong couldn't accept the fact that Wen Yuxian was still alive and even took a few steps back.
When Wei Changqing first began his apprenticeship, Wen Yuxian treated him like her own son, and Wei Changqing deeply respected this Shiniang.
Later, when he fell out with Yan Baixiang and Yan Chou, he never considered Wen Yuxian an enemy.
Because Wen Yuxian was the only person in this world who truly loved him.
When he learned that Wen Yuxian had died in King Jian's tomb, Wei Changqing was furious!
And now, seeing Wen Yuxian again, it was easy to imagine the shock it brought to Wei Changqing.
After staring at Wen Yuxian for a moment, Kang Jinlong suddenly understood, "You really are dead..."
Wen Yuxian's face showed affection, "Changqing, what happened? How did you become like this?"
Kang Jinlong couldn't help but turn his head aside and shake his head, "Don't ask."
"I am your Shiniang, how can I not care about you?"
"Don't ask!"
Kang Jinlong gritted his teeth and said coldly, "So the one protecting Zhang Suqing in the end was you! I... I can't help it. Please hand Zhang Suqing over!!"
Wen Yuxian's expression changed, "I never expected that the one who would try to kill Zhang Suqing in the end would be you... Have you seen Chou'er and Shouyi?"
"I said, don't ask!" Kang Jinlong shouted. "Just consider it my plea, hand Zhang Suqing over to me, I don't want to act against you!"
Wen Yuxian, having lived for decades, quickly understood everything.
Wen Yuxian silently closed the secret chamber door, using her frail body to guard the heavy door, and said softly, "Changqing, I am gratified that you still remember me as your Shiniang. However, if you wish to kill Zhang Suqing today, you must first scatter my soul!"
[Author's Note]
Tomorrow, daily updates of ten thousand characters! Please stay tuned!