"Damn it!" Wu Xuan cursed, his voice echoing off the temple's empty walls. Not a single trace of life remained. "San Jie? Luo Cheng?" Yu Lingyu called out again and again, but no answer came.
There were no signs of struggle. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
"Wu Shixiong, what do we do now?" Lingyu asked, searching every corner of the temple, even peeking into cracks in the walls, though no one could possibly hide there.
"I know it came here," Wu Xuan muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. "But where did it hide?"
Though he didn't show it openly, Yu Lingyu was clearly upset with him. Wu Xuan had always cared more about capturing the devil than about his own sect brothers. And now, it seemed like San Jie and Luo Cheng had been sacrificed for his selfish goal.
Clenching his fists, Lingyu slammed his hand down on the statue's base. "Did you really come here without planning for this?" he asked sharply, trying to keep his cool.
Wu Xuan just gave a short grunt. The temple was eerily quiet. Only the flickering torches moved, their shadows dancing on the walls. Wu Xuan crouched down and began tapping around the floor and statue, making clicking noises with his tongue and humming like he was testing for a hidden switch.
"The statue's position… it's different," Yu Lingyu said after circling it for a while.
"What?" Wu Xuan stood up and dusted off his clothes. He walked over to Lingyu, trying to see what had changed, but nothing looked different to him.
Lingyu, ignoring Wu Xuan's doubtful stare, pointed at the fly whisk in the statue's hand. "It's off by two degrees."
Wu Xuan blinked. "???"
Without saying more, Lingyu pulled out a demon-repelling talisman and flicked it at the whisk. As expected, it caught fire and burned away instantly.
"This one's no ordinary demon," Wu Xuan said, watching the flames.
He drew his sword and slashed upward at the whisk. It spun with a clank, stopping with its tip pointed toward the statue's face.
Suddenly, the temple began to shake. A cold wind blew through and all the torches were snuffed out at once, plunging the temple into darkness.
Yu Lingyu felt a cold hand grip his wrist.
Before he could react, the ground beneath their feet gave way, and both of them plummeted into blackness.
Thud!
Yu Lingyu landed hard on a rough surface. A moment later, Wu Xuan landed right on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs. "Ahh…" Lingyu groaned from the pain in his head and from Wu Xuan's weight pinning him down.
He tried to roll over, but they were stuck in a very tight space. He couldn't even see.
Reaching for a luminous talisman in his pouch was useless, Wu Xuan's body was pressing him down. "Don't move," Wu Xuan muttered, clearly annoyed.
Lingyu reached around the cramped space. The walls felt wooden, not smooth but not rough either. Above them was a hard surface—they couldn't stand up. They were trapped.
Then Wu Xuan placed both hands beside Lingyu's head and pushed one of Lingyu's legs aside, lifting himself slightly. The pressure eased.
His silky hair brushed Lingyu's cheek, and even in the darkness, his brown eyes seemed to glow. Now free to move, Lingyu pulled out the luminous talisman and lit it.
"…Are we inside a coffin?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
He turned his face away from Wu Xuan's, who was still hovering right above him.
"Yu Shidi," Wu Xuan whispered, so close his breath tickled Lingyu's ear.
"Hm?"
"Don't make a sound. I'll try to open it."
Then Wu Xuan raised himself and pushed hard against the coffin lid.
"Shit," he hissed, as the lid didn't move. He dropped back onto Lingyu again, accidentally brushing his lips against Lingyu's forehead. Lingyu, still wearing his cold mask, couldn't feel it, but he still blushed in embarrassment.
"Why is your mask so cold?" Wu Xuan asked, still lying on top of him.
"Why can't we open this thing?" Lingyu grumbled. He could even hear Wu Xuan's heartbeat, loud and steady. It startled him.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Wu Xuan hushed him.
"Shhh… listen."
Drums echoed faintly from outside. A flute joined in, and the gentle strumming of a guqin followed. But there were no voices. Only music.
"…Who holds a ceremony at a grave?" Wu Xuan muttered.
"Can you open this?" Lingyu asked.
Wu Xuan stared at him for a moment, then tried again. Same result—nothing.
"Use spiritual energy," Lingyu said through clenched teeth.
"You try," Wu Xuan shot back. "You think I didn't already try?"
He leaned back against Lingyu, obviously giving up—and oddly, enjoying the closeness.
Frustrated, Lingyu summoned his spiritual energy, but nothing happened. It was being blocked.
"This is so embarrassing," he whispered.
Wu Xuan lifted his head slightly, staring down with an unreadable look. Then, shaking it off, he pushed himself up again. This time, the lid twitched.
"Ah," he winced.
With another strong push, the lid finally creaked and shifted aside. Wu Xuan was off Lingyu in a second, giving him space to breathe again.
"Damn it."Xuan cursed as he hit the ground, groaning from the impact.
Yu Lingyu, clutching his head with one hand, sat up in the coffin, shoulders and back aching from the fall. He glanced around, several coffins, identical in shape with bright emerald lids and dark wooden bases, were arranged on slightly raised stone plinths.
The earth beneath was muddy, overgrown with weeds, and the whole area was engulfed by a dense, looming forest. The only light came from the dying glow of the moon.
Dozens of wooden plaques hung from towering trees nearby, memorial plaques, no doubt.
What the hell is this? Lingyu's mind raced.Some kind of magical array tied to the temple... but why coffins?! DAMN YOU!
Fixing his mask, Yu Lingyu jumped out of the coffin without hesitation, but slipped, landing face-first in the mud with a splat, mouthful of briny, bitter muck.
"Aw," came Wu Xuan's groan beneath him.
Yu Lingyu had stepped squarely on his head.
Standing quickly, coughing as he tried to wipe the filth from his face, only making it worse, he muttered, "Sorry, Wu Shixiong."
Wu Xuan didn't sound angry. "You planning revenge now that because I fell into your body??" he asked, deadpan. His silky black hair was streaked with muddy footprints.
Lingyu gave an awkward chuckle, waving his hands. "No, no! it's really an accident. I swear!"Sorry for disturbing your noble hair, he silently added. After all, hadn't he carried Wu Xuan's burdens for so long now? Therefore, Lingyu was not really worried about stepping on Xuan's head.
Wu Xuan got up, rubbing his back. He walked over to another coffin and pushed the lid aside.
He hoped that the missing disciples were buried in those coffins, but as soon as the lids opened, he quickly backed away, startled by something. Yu Lingyu glanced at it.
Rats.
Swarms of them erupted from the coffin, squeaking madly as they scattered. Wu Xuan's expression twisted in distaste as he tried to avoid them, and he twirled as if dancing to escape the rats running from between his legs.
"The music stopped," Lingyu said suddenly, eyes narrowing as he recalled the drums from earlier.
He gripped his Qiankun wallet, ready to draw a talisman. "Where are we?"
"In a forest," Wu Xuan growled, still kicking away rodents.
"In the forest," Wu Xuan growled, still struggling with the rats. Yu Lingyu stepped closer as Wu Xuan kicked off a mouse that had latched onto his leg. Gripping his sword tightly, Lingyu turned away from the rats and shot a sharp look at Xuan. Calm down. Calm down, he told himself, forcing his mind to focus.
Ignoring Wu Xuan, Lingyu began opening several coffins, one by one. Still empty, just like before. "San Shidi, Luo Shidi, can you hear me? Luo-" Lingyu's voice was suddenly cut off as someone clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shut up!" Wu Xuan hissed behind him, covering Lingyu's mouth with his right hand.
"What?" Lingyu snapped, slapping his hand away and stepping back. He stared into Wu Xuan's eyes with confusion.
"Look," Wu Xuan said, lowering his voice as he pointed to a coffin in the corner. "It's a different color."
Lingyu followed his gaze. In the dim light, it was hard to see, but there, tucked into the shadows, was a blue coffin among the other green ones.
Grabbing Lingyu's hand, Wu Xuan quickly stepped forward, dragging him toward it.
"Hmm?" Wu Xuan muttered, knocking on the locked coffin. It had silver patterns around the body, and the design looked more elegant and expensive than the rest.
"There's something inside," Lingyu said, folding his arms as he stepped aside.
Wu Xuan turned toward him, surprised. "How can you tell?"
Lingyu pointed at the ground. "The earth beneath it is dug deeper. The coffin's the same size and shape as the others, so if it's heavier, it means something else is in there."
A faint smile crept across Wu Xuan's lips. "There's definitely something... but it could be dangerous. Did you notice the guardian talismans at the base?"
Lingyu gave a small nod.
But before he could say anything, Wu Xuan was already peeling off the talismans one by one. Then, without hesitation, he broke the lock and pushed the lid open.
"Wu Shixiong-!" Lingyu started to protest, but it was too late.
Inside the coffin lay a young woman dressed entirely in black, resting on a bed of bright red flowers. Her cheeks were flushed as if she had just fallen asleep, and her body looked full of life.
Wu Xuan frowned and brought two fingers to her nose, then gently touched her neck.
"She's dead," he said at last, withdrawing his hand.
Lingyu hadn't expected to find a woman inside. Letting go of his Qiankun pouch, he moved beside Wu Xuan and stared into the coffin.
Climbing onto the pedestal, he crouched down to get a closer look. "She's been dead for years," he said quietly. "But her body looks so fresh. Why?"
"Do you know her?" Wu Xuan asked, pressing his palm against the coffin again.
"No. But look, her clothes are falling apart, and her nails are so long. Did you know nails keep growing after death?"
He pointed to her claw-like fingers, sharp and unnaturally long.
"But the flowers are still fresh," Wu Xuan murmured, picking a red rose from the coffin.
"Her body's warm, too," Lingyu added, watching him closely. "Could it be the effect of the coffin?"
Wu Xuan nodded, handing him the rose. Its petals were already starting to fall. "It's dying. You're right, it must be the coffin. Now that we've opened it, her body's probably beginning to decay."
He reached out and pulled Lingyu off the pedestal. Then Wu Xuan leaned down again, bringing his face close to the girl's.
He didn't notice her hand moving.
Her sharp claws shot up and grabbed him with terrifying speed, ripping through his skin as she dragged him into the coffin.
"Wu Shixiong!" Lingyu cried, rushing forward to pull him out.
But before he could reach the edge, the lid slammed shut on its own, tight and sealed.
It all happened in an instant.
Lingyu screamed and threw himself at the coffin, trying to pry it open. But it didn't move at all, not even an inch.
"Oh, stop that, will you?"
A cold, familiar voice came from the woods behind him.
Lingyu spun around, heart pounding.
"I promise, she'll give him a good time."
A tall figure dressed in black stepped out from the trees. A hood covered his head, and his footsteps echoed like a hunter walking through moonlight.
"I thought I was lucky tonight," he said with a sigh. "But it turns out all those victims are your brothers."
Bells jingled from the sash on his waist as he crossed his arms, watching Lingyu.
Lingyu was stunned at first, but quickly regained his focus. He didn't say a word and simply stared.
The stranger smirked and stepped closer. "But look who I ran into."
He grinned, opening his arms. "I even stopped my party early for you, and you still won't give me a hug?"
Lingyu stepped aside just in time. The stranger's arms closed around nothing, and he bumped straight into the coffin.
"Oh," he muttered in disappointment, clicking his tongue.