My mind raced, trying to devise a plan, but I found myself utterly incapable of changing the situation.
The main door was sealed by Sui Wan'er, and the surrounding courtyard walls, though not appearing high, were not easy to scale. Moreover, she wouldn't let me leave easily.
A chill spread through me, emanating from the depths of my heart.
"What should I do?"
I forced down the panic; rushing now was useless and could lead to mistakes.
I leaned my back against the coffin, its cinnabar coating offering protection from Sui Wan'er's attacks from behind.
The dim yellow light of the flashlight flickered twice and then died.
"Damn it, this is going to be the end of me!"
I slapped the flashlight several times. The dim yellow light flickered twice, emitting a faint red glow.
"Running out of battery."
The flashlight beam flickered intermittently, like a strobe light in a bar.
The surroundings were pitch black, rendering everything invisible. I could only rely on the occasional flash of the flashlight to cautiously perceive my surroundings.
Sui Wan'er was incredibly cunning, having laid numerous strands of residual energy and malevolent qi around me, making it impossible to discern her location.
I held mugwort in my left hand and took out a sachet of rooster's blood from my pocket with my right, guarding against Sui Wan'er's surprise attacks.
"Hee hee... you're scared."
Her voice whispered beside my left ear, incredibly close. I instinctively swung the mugwort to my left.
"Bang."
"Ouch!"
I had swung with too much force, forgetting the coffin was behind me, and struck it directly. The mugwort in my hand was flung away.
"Haha, you're so clumsy."
Her voice then sounded to my right, accompanied by an icy chill.
Without thinking, I hurled the sachet of rooster's blood I held in my right hand.
"Splat!"
I still missed her; the sound indicated it had hit the ground.
I cursed inwardly, she was truly elusive.
Just then, a knocking sound came from the coffin again.
"Open... me..."
This time, as I was close to the coffin, the voice was clearer. It sounded somewhat familiar, though I couldn't recall who it was.
This sent a jolt through me.
Regardless of who was trapped inside, I had to rescue them first, then figure out how to deal with Sui Wan'er.
Two people against her would surely be easier to handle than just me.
I realized then that Sui Wan'er was treating me like a mouse, playing a cat-and-mouse game.
However, this suited my purpose. In the dim light, fighting Sui Wan'er was almost a death sentence. Only by rescuing the person in the coffin did I have a sliver of hope for survival.
My hair stood on end, my senses heightened, I focused intensely on my surroundings, trying to pinpoint any potential location for Sui Wan'er, while my right hand retrieved another sachet of rooster's blood from my pocket to guard against her attacks.
With my left hand, I pushed hard against the coffin lid, all the while wary of Sui Wan'er's ambushes. However, the lid was heavy, and I couldn't open it.
Judging by the voice from within, the person couldn't hold on much longer. If I didn't release them soon, they might suffocate inside.
I dodged another of Sui Wan'er's surprise attacks, wasting another sachet of rooster's blood. I had only one left.
This last sachet was my final lifeline.
Leaning against the coffin, I felt it shift slightly.
This sparked an idea.
Why not use Sui Wan'er's own malevolent force to tip the coffin over?
With this thought in mind,
I feigned desperation to open the coffin, simultaneously shifting my position to leverage Sui Wan'er's power to overturn it.
"Sui Wan'er, you dream of returning to life through a borrowed body. With Song Qingyun here, your revival is but a fantasy..."
"You court death."
My words indeed enraged her.
The surroundings suddenly brightened as Sui Wan'er's figure floated not far away.
She was still clad in her crimson wedding dress, her face a dark, bruised green, her fingernails a foot long, glaring at me fiercely.
"If you wish for death, I shall grant it. This time, I wonder who will come to your rescue."
As she finished speaking, she lifted off the ground, flying directly towards me, her fingernails elongating further, aimed straight for my heart.
My heart pounded like a high-speed engine.
"Success or failure rests on this moment."
I bent my knees slightly, and just as Sui Wan'er was about to strike, I flung the last sachet of rooster's blood directly at her face, rolling to the side simultaneously.
"Ah!"
My attack was utterly unexpected. The rooster's blood hit her face like acid.
She hadn't anticipated such a move either. Her body collided with the coffin, directly forcing it open.
The person inside tumbled out.
"Gasp... gasp..."
Upon emerging, the person gasped for air, like a fish out of water finally returning to the sea.
"You are so cunning."
Sui Wan'er, having cleaned the rooster's blood from herself, cursed me venomously upon seeing me release the person from the coffin.
I sneered, "It's not my cunning, it's your stupidity."
"Let's see how long your tough talk lasts."
As Sui Wan'er finished speaking, her figure flickered and vanished, and a gust of chilling wind swept towards me again.
Instinctively, I dodged to the side.
Just as I tried to stand up, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and my body was thrown backward. I crashed into something before coming to a halt, tasting a metallic tang in my throat.
With the flickering light of the flashlight, I saw that I had been hit by a half-brick.
I opened my mouth, feeling a trickle of blood flow from the corner of my lips. "You are despicable!"
"Likewise..."
My chest ached intensely; I didn't know if any bones were broken.
At this point, I had no rooster's blood left, and I had no idea where the mugwort had gone. Facing Sui Wan'er bare-handed was suicidal.
I dodged two more gusts of wind, but one still struck me, leaving my entire body cold and stiff, forcing me to my knees.
"With such little ability, you dare seek revenge against me? You truly don't know how you'll die."
Seeing me kneeling, Sui Wan'er's figure materialized before me. Her icy fingernails glided across my face, sending a bone-chilling coldness.
I cursed inwardly, "Who in their right mind would seek revenge against you!"
If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have come here even if you beat me to death.
But it was too late now. All my protective items against Yin entities were gone. I could only resign myself to death.
"I told you, the next time I see you, I'll take your life. But you didn't listen. Last time, someone saved you. This time, let's see who will."
I felt a sharp pain in my chest as her five long fingernails plunged into my chest.
"Am I going to die like this?"
I could feel the icy coldness of her nails and the slow, steady loss of my blood.
Just as I thought I was about to die, Sui Wan'er let out a piercing scream.
"Ah!"