Chapter 131: The Ones Left Behind

I watched Hu Xueman lead us down that straight passage, and I was instantly speechless. I also realized just how wrong my intuition had been about the direction, but why this happened was something I could not understand.

At this moment, the terrifying sound from the slanted exit passage had already disappeared, leaving behind a deathly silence.

However, Hu Xueman did not look relaxed at all. He suddenly picked up Ling Ruyue and said to Su Rou and me, “We are running. You two must keep up with my pace!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sound of footsteps came from that passage. It was only called faint because the distance was too great. If it had been right in front of us, the sound would have been absolutely overwhelming. That passage alone would take about minutes to walk through.

After all, a tomb is still a relatively enclosed space, and sound can indeed travel very far inside it.

Along with the footsteps, that chilling cold laughter came again. This time it was not only laughter, but also a strange continuous buzzing sound like electrical interference. Ling Ruyue and Su Rou immediately clutched their heads and shouted that they could not take it anymore.

Hu Xueman pulled out a few cotton balls from his pocket and stuffed them directly into Su Rou and Ling Ruyue’s ears. He said to me, “Recite the Pure Mind Mantra yourself, run!”

With that, Hu Xueman ran ahead while carrying Ling Ruyue. Su Rou and I followed closely behind him. After all, we had just sprinted earlier, and now we had to run again. Why did all this keep happening?

If we had never come to the Hungry Ghost Tomb, we would probably be sitting in the bamboo forest courtyard having dinner right now. Outside, the rain would be falling softly, and the bamboo forest would be swaying in the mist, the world blurred and peaceful. How comfortable that would have been.

But there is no such thing as a medicine for regret in this world. All we could do now was run with everything we had, because if we slowed down even a little, we had no idea what fate would be waiting for us.

After running just a few steps, I saw sealed chambers along the side of the passage. Hu Xueman did not slow down, and neither could I. In that split second as I ran past, I still saw that the rooms inside had been completely destroyed. My Master and the others had taken this route, and they had been destroying the chambers along the way.

After running for about five minutes, I saw at least seven such chambers. I had no idea how many there actually were, because at that speed, who could stop to count?

At that moment, Su Rou’s exhausted voice came from behind. “I... I... cannot run anymore.”

After sprinting like mad for over ten minutes with only a short rest in between, even an ordinary person would not be able to endure it, let alone Su Rou, who was overweight. I turned back and saw that his face had already turned pale bluish white.

Hu Xueman grabbed Su Rou by the collar and shouted, “If you cannot run, you die. San Wa Er, help him.”

I understood what Hu Xueman meant and also grabbed Su Rou’s collar. The two of us practically dragged him forward together, but this slowed our speed significantly. As if mocking our slowdown, another roar echoed from somewhere behind us, reminding us that death was closing in.

“D... don’t bother with me... go find Jiang Ye to save me!” Su Rou was clearly at his limit and could no longer run. This was a helpless situation. The body has its limits, and once that limit is exceeded, numbness sets in. After that, only willpower remains. But when even willpower collapses, the result is exactly like Su Rou now.

In truth, Su Rou was already impressive. Anyone running at full speed for five minutes under life or death pressure would have done well to last this long. It was precisely the threat of death that had forced out his potential, but even potential runs out.

With that, Su Rou collapsed to the ground with a thud. He was not resisting anything. He had truly reached his limit. His face was pale, and his breathing sounded like a broken bellows. Every breath felt like his lungs were scraping together, and he occasionally coughed out white foam.

“Keep going, keep going. If you stop, you die,” Hu Xueman shouted again, trying to pull him up.

But I grabbed Hu Xueman’s arm and said seriously, “Uncle Hu, leave him here. If he keeps running, his heart will not take it and he will die. He needs to rest. I will stay with him.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Hu Xueman’s eyes widened like cow eyes, and his fists clenched as if he was about to hit me. He could not understand why I would cause trouble at a time like this.

“I am serious. Take Ling Ruyue and go find my Master and the others first, then bring them back to rescue us. I have trained under my Master for years. I can buy us some time.” I helped Su Rou up, but I had already made up my mind not to leave.

Su Rou was in no condition to rest suddenly like this. It was like a tightly stretched string that needed to be released slowly.

“No, that will not work. It will take at least another ten minutes to reach Jiang Master, and going back and forth will waste too much time. I...” Hu Xueman clearly had not expected this situation.

But in truth, there was no other choice. Su Rou could not run anymore. Could we carry him? He was not a small child like Ling Ruyue. He was a 1.7 meter tall overweight teenager.

“Uncle Hu, you are the one wasting time. Leave marks along the way. Su Rou and I will try to follow them,” I said firmly.

Su Rou looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but he was too exhausted even to speak.

Hu Xueman also knew this was not the time to argue. He gritted his teeth and handed me a gun. “The bullets inside are special. Seven rounds. You know how to use it?”

I nodded. I often went to that small courtyard to play. When bored, those uncles there would teach me a bit about guns. I had even gone to a local military base once to practice shooting. I could not say I was accurate, but I knew how to fire.

“This tomb layout is complicated. You have seen it. There are many turns and forks. I will mark the correct path with a check. Follow the marks,” Hu Xueman warned me one last time.

I nodded again. Hu Xueman was about to leave, but then as if remembering something, he also handed me two talismans. “These are drawn by your Master. They are good for breaking evil and suppressing yin energy. Take them.”

“This red rope locks a person’s yang energy to prevent evil things from detecting them. Unfortunately, I do not know how to tie or untie it, and there is only one. Otherwise, you two could have hidden somewhere as long as that thing is not nearby,” Hu Xueman sighed.

I quickly asked, “What is that thing? Do you know?”

“You have released the Hungry Ghost King. It has already taken form. I am leaving. I cannot waste any more time.” With that, Hu Xueman turned and sprinted away while carrying Ling Ruyue, even faster than before.

It was not that he was cold. It was because he knew the faster he ran, the greater our chance of survival.

Watching his disappearing back, I helped Su Rou and said, “I will help you walk slowly first. After intense running, it is better to slow down gradually before resting.”

Su Rou had no strength left to speak and only nodded. We walked slowly in the direction Hu Xueman had gone, almost like a stroll.

After three to five minutes, Su Rou was feeling better, and I helped him sit against the wall. I took a sip of water and handed it to him.

“Drink slowly. One sip at a time, rest in between. It helps recovery. We will need to fight hard later,” I said.

Su Rou took a sip and felt much better. He asked me, “Why did you stay? If you had gone with Hu, you could have come back to save me.”

“No, Su Rou. I am not being sentimental. Do you remember what you said when you pulled me up earlier? You said even if someone chopped at you, you would never let go. I am the same. If we were together and encountered danger, we could still fight. But if it is only you, then it is certain death. I cannot gamble with your life.” I said seriously.

Su Rou’s eyes instantly turned red. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, “Good brother.”

We sat in silence for a moment. After all, such emotional moments did not suit two grown boys. Then we suddenly burst out laughing.

“I got goosebumps just now. I almost got emotional,” I said.

“I almost vomited while being moved,” Su Rou laughed.

But along with our laughter came another roar and the sound of footsteps.

We immediately stopped laughing. Su Rou looked at me seriously and said, “I bet that thing is getting closer.”

He tightened his grip on a kitchen knife.

“Yeah. It feels like it can sense us from far away. It is haunting us. Now I understand why my Master taught the Yang Locking Knot, it must be to avoid situations like this,” I said, taking out my rolling pin.

“Oh right, I saw that Ling Ruyue girl being covered by Hu Xueman, crying her eyes out,” Su Rou said as he handed me a steamed bun. “Eat up. We fight better on a full stomach.”

I bit into the bun. In truth, I had seen Ling Ruyue too. I guessed she wanted to stay, but Hu Xueman would not allow it. He could not bring no one back.

We were at least older boys, but she was just a little girl.

“That girl is quite loyal,” I said, putting down the bun.

Then I grabbed Su Rou’s hand and pressed it onto the sharp edge of the kitchen knife. Blood immediately flowed again from his right middle finger.

“What are you doing?” Su Rou was still eating and immediately got angry.

“Blood helps deal with these evil things. It increases damage against them. Don’t waste it. Coat the blade. My rolling pin too,” I explained.

“San Wa Er, you damn bastard, didn’t you say we would use yours next time?” Su Rou immediately grabbed my neck in anger.