"Can't you just let Rachel Lan go?"
Seeing Miles Mao had already freed himself and Mr. White wasn't paying attention, I hurriedly asked, hoping to distract him.
Mr. White smiled and shook his head.
"Once someone from the Underworld commits a crime, they will never be forgiven. This isn't a trivial matter. My brother and I are here to take the sinner back."
I knew it was hopeless, and then I noticed Miles Mao had already gotten up.
How did he manage to break free from the ropes? Just as I was wondering, Mr. White suddenly stood up, whooshed into the air, and flew toward the row of houses on the left. I still couldn't see how he got out.
None of us moved; we just waited quietly, even though Mr. White had already disappeared.
"That's enough. I can't sense Mr. White's presence anymore."
Suddenly, I heard Vivian Ouyang's voice. Turning around, I saw all four of them had untied their ropes. Except for Dalton Fang, who looked pale and was being supported by Mason Yu and Miles Mao, the other three seemed fine.
"How did you get free?"
"Hey, Ethan, I saw you trying to cut the ropes with a knife and ended up hurting yourself. At that moment, I wasn't thinking about anything—just figured, if we're doomed, we're doomed. At least we'd have company in the Underworld. But then..."
"Stop, stop, let me explain. Ethan, if you clear your mind of distractions and relax your body, the ropes will naturally loosen."
Dalton Fang said.
I closed my eyes, emptied my mind, and sure enough, the ropes around my hands loosened. Then, almost without thinking, I slowly drew my hands out. Suddenly, I opened my eyes, stood up, and clutched my aching hands.
The ropes came undone.
"Looks like these ropes can sense a person's thoughts. The more you struggle and tense up, the tighter they get."
Miles Mao explained, and I nodded.
"Let's go. The exit to the Shadow Realm should be over there."
I had just reached the riverbank, about to climb up, when Miles Mao called out to stop me.
"Don't go, Ethan. My master once told me that once you enter the Shadow Realm, it's best not to wander around. If you're not careful, you're done for."
"We can't just sit here. Look at the monk—he's covered in yin energy. If he doesn't get some sunlight soon, he won't last much longer."
Vivian Ouyang said, and we looked at Dalton Fang. His skin was pale and he looked freezing; we couldn't afford to wait any longer.
There was no other choice—we had to take things one step at a time. Supporting Dalton Fang, we walked up to the riverbank and onto a street paved with bluestone slabs. I had just seen Mr. Black and Mr. White leave from somewhere ahead, among the low houses.
But which house exactly, we had no idea.
Miles Mao glanced around cautiously. You can’t wander aimlessly in the Shadow Realm—I’d never heard that before. It’s dangerous, but as long as we don’t run into the master of this place, we should be fine. Mr. Black and Mr. White had already left.
"Let's try searching house by house."
We reached the door of one house. The door was tightly shut. Just as we were about to knock, it suddenly swung open. An old man with an ancient-style makeup stared straight at us.
Everyone was startled.
"Young people, it's about to rain. If you have nothing to do, don't linger at my door. Go home quickly."
As he spoke, thunder rumbled in the sky and raindrops began to fall. With a bang, the old man slammed the door shut.
In a daze, I noticed the street was suddenly filled with people. Some ran under the eaves to avoid the rain, while others hurried along with oiled paper umbrellas.
The rain was pouring down, and we were instantly soaked, forced to take shelter under the eaves.
Dalton Fang's face grew even paler, and now his brow was tinged with a dark blue-black.
I looked at the houses nearby—there were only three. Mr. Black and Mr. White must have left through one of them, but all three doors looked identical.
I walked along the eaves and knocked on the door of the second house. There was no response for a long time, and just as I was about to give up, the door creaked open. A Pale Scholar stood there, looking refined and gentle.
I glanced inside, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Then Miles Mao forced his way in.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you barging in like that?" The Pale Scholar immediately blocked his way.
"It's here!" Miles Mao shouted, and we all crowded over.
Sure enough, inside the Pale Scholar's house, we saw a section of wall that seemed to shimmer faintly.
Suddenly, the Pale Scholar stepped right up to Miles Mao, head lowered, silent.
"Hurry!" Miles Mao urged. Suddenly, the Pale Scholar lifted his head, his face turning green, eyes bulging, and a long tongue dangling down. In an instant, his tongue wrapped around Miles Mao's neck and flung him toward us.
We barely caught Miles Mao, but the force sent us sprawling into the rain. At that moment, every pedestrian on the street stopped moving, and even the raindrops seemed frozen in midair.
"Think of a way to break through!"
Miles Mao shouted, and suddenly all the pedestrians on the street raised their heads. Just like the Pale Scholar, they looked like hanged ghosts, each with a tongue reaching out toward us.
I gripped the butcher's knife and, without hesitation, hacked away. Severed tongues writhed on the ground, inching toward us.
"Ethan, we can't use any spells. It's up to you—break through!"
Miles Mao shouted, and I nodded, swinging the butcher's knife as I charged toward the doorway. Instantly, the tongues wove together like a net, blocking our path.
I gripped the butcher's knife tightly, murderous energy surging from my hand as I slashed downward.
With a swipe, I cut an opening. Just as we thought we could rush inside, a massive tongue shot out from the doorway, slamming into my chest and sending me flying backward.
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Before I could react, the massive tongue struck me head-on. Down below, Miles Mao and the others were already entangled by tongues, unable to move.
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
All I could do was block with the butcher's knife. With a crash, I was sent flying onto the riverbank, hitting the ground hard. My head spun, seeing stars.
My nose felt hot and itchy. I wiped it—blood.
As I lifted my head, everyone—Miles Mao and the rest—had vanished. The sky was still gloomy, but it didn't look like it had rained. The road above the riverbank was empty.
I stood up and shouted loudly, but no one answered.
Where had they gone? I wondered, stumbling toward the riverbank. Just as I got close, the riverbank seemed to collapse, caving in a large section to the west. As I stared in shock, a black rope shot up, coming straight at me.
I quickly swung the butcher's knife at it. With a clang, it felt like I'd hit metal. Looking closer, it was still a black rope, twisting like a dancing snake, coming right at me.
I hurriedly stepped back several paces, but as I reached the river's edge, the black rope recoiled, lifting like a cobra. As I moved left, its head instantly shifted direction, as if it was stalking me.
It looked like it didn't want me to reach the riverbank.
What should I do? Everyone else had vanished, lost in this Shadow Realm.
"Prison Rope, return." Mr. White's voice rang out, and the black rope instantly recoiled. The riverbank returned to normal.
Suddenly, Mr. White appeared before me. I stared in shock as he held a rope, its end tied to Rachel Lan. Her eyes were empty, her gaze vacant, as if she were lost.
With a cry, I looked to the side—there were the four of them, thrown to the ground, covered in bruises.
"If we'd come back a moment later, your tongues would've been digested!" Mr. Black said, walking over.
But looking at Mr. Black and Mr. White, something seemed off—they looked hurried, as if they'd just been through something.
"Enough, Bi'an, release these four from the Shadow Realm. Let's go report back."
I was stunned for a moment. Four people?
"What are you going to do?"
Mr. Black reached out and pulled Vivian Ouyang over.
"She's already dead. We hadn't noticed before, but now we'll just take her along so she doesn't suffer any longer in the living world."
Suddenly, I realized Vivian Ouyang looked just like Rachel Lan—her expression numb, her eyes vacant.
"Let them go!" I shouted, raising the butcher's knife. My whole body ached from the fall.
"Don't meddle, William Fan has already spared you several times. If you keep interfering, I, Brian Shea, won't be so lenient."
Suddenly, Mr. White reached out with a white rope, binding the three together and covering their mouths. With a wave of his hand, they flew backward and vanished—probably sent out of the Shadow Realm.
"Brian..." I saw Brian Shea raise the Mourning Staff, glaring at me fiercely, but Mr. Black held him back by the elbow.
I had to save those two. Right now, it was the only thing on my mind.
"William Fan, this kid is tied up with that old grudge. If he stays, there'll be trouble down the line. Why not..."
Mr. Black shook his head.
"Heaven values life—let him go. Besides, that old grudge is not to be trifled with. Let's not cause any more trouble."
I understood then—Mr. White wanted to finish me off.
I was furious, but I couldn't beat them.
"Afraid, brother?" I heard the voice of the Old Grudge in my mind. I smirked, crouching down and tossing aside the butcher's knife, a cold smile on my face.
"Who says I'm afraid?" I replied, then closed my eyes.
"Kid, you'd better stop meddling, or I won't be so nice."
With a clang, Mr. White shook the Mourning Staff.