After narrowly escaping death, Wu Tianzhen and Fatty finally had time to examine the pillars closely.
To their astonishment, these pillars were inlaid with dozens of gemstones, large and small, which emitted a dazzling light under the flashlight, blinding Fatty.
"Holy cow..." he gasped, nearly drooling.
He hurried over, reached into his bag without fumbling, and pulled out a small chisel.
With a swift strike, a ruby was pried loose with his bare hands.
He examined his prize under the flashlight, his eyes shining brightly.
There were at least hundreds of pillars in this place. If he could take them all...
As he was about to continue, Zhang Qiling stopped him.
"Something's strange."
Zhang Qiling stared at the path ahead. The darkness at the end felt illusory and distorted, unlike a real road.
"Let's go."
With that, he led the way into the darkness.
Fatty hesitated, but then Wu Tianzhen leaned in and, mimicking Fatty's cheerful tone, whispered in his ear.
"Then Fatty, you stay here and dig slowly while Xiao Ge and I go ahead~"
"Maybe that ghostly bride will come and snatch you for her wedding. It's good we're not here to get in the way. Make the most of your opportunity, ha!"
"Damn it, do I look like such a disreputable person?" Fatty's hair stood on end, but he continued to banter.
"A friend's wife must not be wronged. Fatty understands that!"
This interruption made him lose all desire to stay. He stuffed the ruby into his pocket and affectionately caressed the other gems on the pillars.
"My darlings, wait for me. I will definitely come back for you."
"No."
"Hit it once, it ran away."
Zhang Qiling's tone was calm yet righteous. Wu Tianzhen was momentarily speechless, but undeterred, he asked again.
"Then how did you hit it just now?"
"Instinct."
Wu Tianzhen: ...
Zhang Qiling: ...
"Hahaha, it's nothing serious!" Wu Tianzhen finally gave up. For some reason, even though he hadn't done anything, he felt a sense of guilt for interrogating Zhang Qiling.
"Hmm... to find a ghost, I remember there's a method where you burn rhinoceros horns, and the ghost will reveal itself in the smoke."
He gave a wry smile and deflated again.
"But how could there be rhinoceros horns under this snowy mountain..."
"Let me think of other methods. There must be some!"
Wu Tianzhen quickly perked up and began to search his memory for other ways.
Zhang Qiling couldn't think of a good solution either and leaned against a pillar, trying to provoke the system.
Just then, a lewd voice sounded.
Fatty, uncharacteristically shy, spoke coyly, "...Actually, Fatty has rhinoceros horns here~"
Just as Wu Tianzhen's face lit up with joy, he witnessed Fatty undress on the spot.
One pair wasn't enough; he kept going until he was only wearing underwear!
The underwear encased his ample backside and jiggled a few times. A peculiar ornament hung from the edge!
Wu Tianzhen: His pupils dilated in shock!
Who the hell would sew rhinoceros horns onto their underwear?!
Are you crazy?!
Fatty proudly took down the ornament, praising his foresight, and even pouted his lips to kiss the ornament on his underwear!
"Here, Xiao Ge!" Holding up his pants with one hand and the rhinoceros horn ornament with the other, he swaggered over to Zhang Qiling and, with extreme arrogance, shoved the ornament in his face.
"Don't be polite with Fatty. Take it. Once it's lit, boom, you can give that little ghost a set of torture massages!"
Wu Tianzhen, watching from the side: ...Holy crap!
Zhang Qiling: A death glare.
His hand, gripping the Black Gold Ancient Blade, was itching for action.
Honestly, if Fatty didn't remove the underwear ornament from his sight soon, he might be the one receiving the torture massage first.
Fortunately, Fatty still possessed some sense of danger and wasn't completely blinded by his pride.
On the brink of death, he suddenly had an epiphany and quickly lit the ornament. He held it up himself, moving to within half a meter of Zhang Qiling, and even put his pants back on.
"Thinking about it again, our Xiao Ge's hands are meant for eliminating evil, upholding justice, and vanquishing demons. How can they be used for such a low-skill task?"
"I'll hold it, I'll hold it. Fatty guarantees that the little ghost will be exposed in its true form!"
Wu Tianzhen burst out laughing from behind, earning a fierce glare from Fatty.
After this incident, Fatty held the ornament with exceptional care, as if he could illuminate an ant on the ground.
Although injured, the ghost was still greedy for the scent of living beings. It lurked sneakily in a corner not far away. Before it could hide, it was illuminated by Fatty!
"Xiao Ge, found it! It's over—" here.
With a "boom," the entire path seemed to tremble. Before the ghost could even let out a whimper, Zhang Qiling smashed it with immense force, scattering its soul.
The ghost dissipated, and the surroundings twisted for a moment before returning to normal.
The path was familiar, but the illusionary wall had been broken.
Zhang Qiling straightened up, sheathed his sword, and continued forward expressionlessly.
Fatty: ...For some reason, I felt a chill on my neck.