Chapter 19
Chapter 19
One Song Tianming was easy enough to recognize. But there were still hundreds of people down there. How were we supposed to accurately pick out the companions who had come in with him and get them out?
At this point, we couldn’t worry about that much anymore. I raised my arm and shouted, “Everyone who doesn’t want to die, hurry up and come with us!”
The four of us took the lead and charged for the exit. Among the hundreds of people, some stayed where they were in confusion, some ran after us, and some started running, only to see the people who had stayed put and stop again, slowly drifting back. The whole place descended into chaos.
“What the hell is going on?”
“No idea. Who are these people? Tianming said they came to save us? But nothing’s wrong here. Why do we need saving?”
“Are you freaking stupid? There are over a dozen Song Tianmings and you’re still saying nothing’s wrong? Look across from us-there are over a dozen of you too. Aren’t they all ghosts? What is your brain made of?”
“Oh, right. That’s terrifying. Then let’s get out of here!”
Song Tianming’s eyes lit up when he heard that.
“Quick, that one, Zhao Tian. He’s real. Zhao Tian, get over here!”
Then he turned back to explain to us, “Zhao Tian is dumb as hell. Only he could’ve said something like that just now.”
Pretty-boy Zhao Tian rushed over at once, his face full of pleasant surprise, and threw himself onto Song Tianming’s arm. “Bro, you still know me best!”
As he spoke, he gave us a playful wink, looking every inch the charming ladies’ man.
“And what should I call these lovely sisters?”
Song Feifei snapped, “Sisters, my ass. Move!”
Our group sprinted madly toward the outside.
We had only gone a few steps when someone in the crowd suddenly let out a piercing scream.
I looked back and saw a young woman’s face begin to melt. Her features vanished, and black slime dripped onto the ground, turning into a monster like a puddle of rotten mud.
She lunged at the person beside her. Black slime spread from her body, wrapping tightly around that person’s face.
The person trapped in it rolled their eyes back and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
As if that had been a signal, dozens of people in the crowd began transforming at the same time. Just like that young woman, they attacked the people around them.
I immediately stopped.
This wasn’t right. By the time we made it to the front gate, most of the people here would probably be dead.
The four of us had gone to all this effort only to get Song Tianming and Zhao Tian out? More than twenty young lives would be buried here. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t accept that.
The others had clearly realized it too. Huahua looked at the massacre unfolding before us, hesitation flickering through her eyes. Soon, that hesitation turned into resolve.
She gritted her teeth, pulled a dagger from her waist, and slashed it hard across the back of her own hand.
Blood gushed out. Huahua swiped three fingers over the back of her hand, smeared the blood onto the center of her forehead, then struck her chest hard and began performing a spirit-summoning dance.
“The gu is born with four horns; the lost soul brings the deed to pass. Beneath the domed heavens, karma is relinquished; dependents by the hundreds and thousands.
“With my blood, I summon your soul. With my body, I pray for your descent-”
Huahua struck her chest again and again in a steady rhythm, stepping left and right as she pleased. The movement of her entire body seemed to merge with nature itself. Her ink-black hair flew behind her, and the expression on her face was devout and holy, as though a goddess had descended.
Song Tianming and Zhao Tian were almost dumbstruck.
Zhao Tian’s eyes were as wide as brass bells as he murmured, “A fairy…”
“Gulp.”
Lu Lingzhu also swallowed hard, her face full of envy.
“Qiao Moyu, why are all her moves so cool and flashy? Next time we throw talismans around, can we do a dance or something too?”
I looked at her in disdain.
“What dance could you possibly do? An old lady’s yangge shuffle?”