Heimat der Spirituosen

Kapitel 28

It wasn't about the tunnel itself, nor was it related to color; it was just a feeling. Although they didn't possess the advanced precognitive abilities of Lou Liyan or Tian Jin, they still had a weak sense of perception. They knew there were definitely traps inside the tunnel, and even without being told, they could vaguely sense it. However, they couldn't pinpoint which path's traps were more dangerous.

"By the way, where's your sister?" Pei Linhai asked.

Lou Lifan looked at him strangely: "Didn't they leave first?"

When he came down, he only saw Pei Linhai. He thought the two women had left on their own because they didn't want to wait for him, but he didn't expect... "I've been waiting since I came down, but you were the only one I saw. I thought they weren't planning on coming down..."

How could they not want to come down! They suddenly realized that what they were asked to do must be very fun for them, and they would never miss out on something fun. But here's the problem: if that's the case, where did they go? Pei Linhai came down first, and he came down last; they were neither up nor down, so where could they be?

...It can't just get stuck in the middle, can it?

"Alright, forget about them," Lou Lifan said impatiently. "It's good they're not here, we'll handle it ourselves!"

"Uh, can you wait a minute?" Pei Linhai called out to Lou Lifan, who was about to walk into one of the tunnels.

What are you doing?

Pei Linhai pointed to the tunnel: "Um... you're planning to just walk in like this?"

"So what are you planning to do? Have them carried in?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Pei Linhai chuckled dryly. “I meant that they only said they would teach us how to lift the curse, but they just brought us here and then disappeared. They didn’t tell us what to do next…”

“There are only two possibilities for why they aren’t telling us,” Lou Lifan said, holding up a finger. “First, they don’t need to. As long as we’re in here, we can just follow the flow and the curse will be lifted. Second, it’s very likely that they can’t give us any information. Perhaps unrelated people aren’t allowed in here, so they were led elsewhere. Either way, we won’t be able to get their guidance, but if we’re talking about it, it’s safer without them.”

“Perhaps there’s a third possibility…” Pei Linhai cautiously raised a finger as well, “They want to watch the show…”

“That’s one possibility,” Lou Lifan’s expression darkened further. “But you should shut up and do your own thing. Let’s get through this first, no matter what.”

Pei Linhai shut his mouth and nodded.

All four tunnels were identical. Pei Linhai exhausted his pitiful remote sensing abilities but couldn't detect anything. In other words, in his perception, it didn't matter which tunnel he chose. Lou Lifan didn't expect him to detect anything either. After hearing the result, he wasn't surprised and randomly chose a tunnel, walking straight in, with Pei Linhai following closely behind.

When they first entered the tunnel, there was nothing unusual. Although Lou Lifan and Pei Linhai were extremely cautious, as if facing a formidable enemy, there were no monsters, ghosts, or even physical traps.

Pei Linhai was overjoyed. After walking for about five minutes without any problems, he excitedly slapped the soft wall and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha! Really! You made me nervous for so long! Turns out there's nothing there—"

The moment the words left his lips, the wall seemed to respond with a violent tremor, suddenly revealing countless holes from which dozens of iron spikes shot out. Pei Linhai was terrified, his body twisting and turning, nearly straining his back. However, the spikes continued to thrust out swiftly in sequence, leaving him no way to dodge. In the end, he had no choice but to roll forward close to the ground, barely managing to avoid the attack.

Lou Lifan was about to turn around and teach him a lesson, to instill in him the good habit of never moving around carelessly in unfamiliar places, when he suddenly felt his feet sink into the ground. The orange-yellow light sank in, revealing a black hole about a meter square. The hole was empty, seemingly another unknown space. Lou Lifan instinctively reached for the edge of the hole, trying to use it for support and avoid falling in, but wherever his hands touched, the ground softened, and his hands, unable to grasp anything, slipped and sank.

Pei Linhai had just scrambled to his feet when he saw Lou Lifan sliding down into the bottomless black hole. He frantically lunged at the entrance and reached out to grab him, barely managing to touch Lou Lifan's wrist. But the moment he touched Lou Lifan, the orange-yellow floor beneath him began to soften and disappear, like plastic meeting heat. His body slowly sank into the floor, and soon the floor would completely melt away, and Pei Linhai would fall into that unknown space along with Lou Lifan.

"Idiot! Let me go! You'll fall too!" Lou Lifan roared.

Pei Linhai knew this, of course, but if he let go, Lou Lifan would definitely fall into that space. Unlike him, Lou Lifan didn't have the ability to create a space portal with his bare hands. If he fell in, he would never be able to come back.

"Give me your other hand!" Pei Linhai shouted at him. "Give me your other hand!" He couldn't exert force with one hand, but with two hands, he might be able to pull him up by force.

"Damn it! I told you to let go!"

"Your other hand!" Pei Linhai persisted, but then he suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Spiritual energy flight! Spiritual energy flight! Don't you know how to use spiritual energy flight? Use it!"

The floor beneath him was incredibly soft, and half of Pei Linhai's body sank into it. As the edges of the floor were slowly disappearing, a third of his upper body was suspended in mid-air.

"You think I don't want to use it?!" Lou Lifan roared back at him. "I wanted to use it as soon as we fell! But I couldn't start the air-controlling machine!"

He wasn't a novice like Pei Linhai; his body would react instinctively to any danger. However, when he tried to activate his spiritual energy for flying, he found that he couldn't concentrate his power, but his spiritual energy wasn't sealed or bound by anything—simply put, his ability to fly with spiritual energy was blocked.

At this moment, two-thirds of Pei Linhai's upper body was suspended in the air. He wanted to retreat, but his body was fixed in place by the soft, melting floor and could not move at all.

"Pei Linhai! Let go!" Lou Lifan was furious with this stubborn guy. Which was a better choice: one person die or two? This idiot couldn't even figure that out! "I told you to let go! Or I'll beat you to death!"

He made a striking motion with his hand, but hesitated to strike because Pei Linhai whispered to him with a bitter face, "Li Fan, it's no use letting go now. My body is stuck, and I can't escape anyway..."

Lou Lifan really wanted to just faint! Did he think he'd be grateful to him?! If even one person escaped, the one who was trapped could at least be saved. But if this rookie came in too… God! Why didn't God just kill him now!

Pei Linhai was in a very uncomfortable position, as he was relying entirely on his abdominal muscles and lower body to support the weight of two people. Moreover, whether it was his imagination or not, Lou Lifan's body seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, so heavy that he could barely hold on. He gripped Lou Lifan's wrist even tighter, afraid that he might slip away at any moment. Lou Lifan, however, didn't feel himself getting heavier; he only felt Pei Linhai gripping his wrist tighter and tighter. At first, he could feel the increasing pain, but later, his hand gradually became numb due to poor blood circulation, and he lost all feeling.

"Pei Linhai... I told you to let go!" If this continues, this hand will really be ruined! He doesn't want that! He'd rather die than be crippled!

"No!" Pei Linhai insisted.

I really want to kill him...

Lou Lifan no longer expected him to let go, and began to twist his body and shake violently.

"What are you doing!" Pei Linhai was almost out of reach.

"I'll get rid of you!" Since you won't let go willingly, I'll force you to!

"You're definitely going to die if you fall in!"

"I do!"

Pei Linhai's grip on Lou Lifan's hand was already weakening, and this shake made it even harder to hold on. His palms were already sweating profusely, and if Lou Lifan continued to shake him off, he would eventually lose his grip. Pei Linhai knew he couldn't persuade him, but he was also unwilling to just let go and leave this utterly bad-tempered guy to his own devices.

The faces of those three female demons flashed through his mind. If they were here, they would definitely have a way to rescue Lou Lifan! Even if they didn't have a better way, they could at least make him willingly accept being rescued! But he... he was utterly useless. He possessed all-around abilities above A-level, but none of them could be of any use in this situation to get Lou Lifan out of danger!

If they were here...

"Hahahahaha! Remember how good the beautiful older sister is? Hahahahahaha!! Little brothers really can't live without gentle and beautiful older sisters!" A terrifying laugh suddenly rang in Pei Linhai's mind, and his hand slipped, almost dropping Lou Lifan.

Lou Lou Lou Lou... Lou Liyan! Why can she talk inside his head?! Where is she?! His neck was stiff, and he couldn't move his head around. He could only turn his eyes to search for his surroundings, but unfortunately, all he could see now was part of the melting orange floor and a black hole that was completely devoid of light.

They must be nearby, but where could they be? Where could they be...?

"Don't bother looking anymore, you can't see us."

Where are you?! Come out and help!

“Impossible,” the voice sounded cheerful. “This test is for couples living together; outsiders will be blocked by the barrier. But don’t worry, we can meet once you pass the test…”

How could I not be worried! Pei Linhai almost burst out cursing. Your brother's life hangs by a thread, I'm frantic with worry, and you're all indifferent!? Don't you have any humanity left?!

"Why do we need to be sentimental?" Lou Lijia's voice interrupted. "As long as 'someone' is worried about him, it's okay, it's okay."

What's the point of you talking inside my head?

"We're here to cheer you on! ^0^ Go Pei Linhai! Go Pei Linhai! Go Pei Linhai..." You can imagine the two of them probably doing a cheerleading-style leg dance...

Pei Linhai's head began to throb with blood. He finally understood why Lou Lifan called them demons. They truly were demons, no doubt about it! Ruthless female demons! Get out! Don't ever appear in my mind again! Otherwise, I won't be polite! In a fit of anger, the grip on his already numb hand loosened a little, and Lou Lifan's wrist slipped down his grasp, almost slipping away.

"Hehehehehe... Since you care so much about our Li Fan, why not just let things take their course and accept the benefits of being a couple?"

"How could you say such nonsense? No wonder you're from a witch's family!" Pei Linhai yelled at them angrily.

However, upon closer reflection, this isn't surprising. Judging from the appearance of these three ruthless individuals, their family is undoubtedly a matriarchal society. Lou Lifan's mother is a high-level witch, his grandmother is a thousand-year-old female ghost, and who knows what comes before her… Women raised in such a family are naturally extraordinary! —Naturally, Lou Lifan is the same… fierce! If he were a woman, he would be even more terrifying…

“Pei Linhai, don’t you think you should be a little kinder to your sisters?^^” The two witches’ voices were filled with the calm before the storm. “Look, you can barely hold on anymore.”

Lou Lifan's hand slid down another notch, and Pei Linhai broke out in a cold sweat. He could only grip on it more desperately, but he probably couldn't hold on any tighter. Even though Lou Lifan's hand was numb, the force was still so strong that it made him glare at Pei Linhai. If he gripped any tighter... if he gripped any tighter, either he would be killed by Lou Lifan's eyes, or Lou Lifan's wrist bones would be crushed by him.

You, you, you... you all...

"Call me 'sister'."

Sister... Sister... (Why are you still dwelling on this now!) Please help! Save him! (And why does it feel like he's my brother and not yours...)

“It’s actually very simple,” Lou Lijia’s voice became eerie, concealing an barely suppressed laugh. “As long as you shout ‘I love you!’ to him, a red thread will connect you and him. Then, no matter which dimension he goes to, you can easily find him.”

Pei Linhai's mind went completely blank for a moment.

Why did I shout that?! If I had shouted that at him, he would have killed me!

“Oh,” the witches said indifferently, “then let him die.”

The orange floor beneath Pei Linhai lost its luster and was no longer as soft as before. Suddenly, it made a cracking sound, as if it was about to break off from the part supporting his legs.

You...you really...wouldn't help someone in distress...?

"If you really die, we'll ask that perverted principal for personal injury insurance compensation, which could amount to several hundred million yuan?"

"It's five hundred million."

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho...that's right."

In other words, they would rather take money than offer any help.

Pei Linhai looked at Lou Lifan, whose expression was helpless and sad, as if someone had forced him to swallow an egg raw.

Lou Lifan was very annoyed to see him like this, and really wanted to punch him so hard that he would vomit up the eggs he had eaten the year before last.

"Pei Linhai! Are you going to let go or not?!" He made up his mind; if this guy said he wouldn't let go, he really would kill him...

"I love you……"

"What!?" Lou Lifan felt like his ears were malfunctioning.

Lou Jia's older sister's voice rang out again: "The voice is too soft!"

"I love you……"

"What are you talking about?" Lou Lifan decided that if he could get home safely, he would definitely have to clean his ears... Look, he couldn't even understand what Pei Linhai was saying!

"You brat! Would it kill you to raise your voice a little?! If you keep this up..."

His hand... went numb... Lou Lifan's hand slid open inch by inch...

"I love you!!"

With a slip of his hand, Pei Linhai could no longer hold onto Lou Lifan. The stiff man, turned into marble by that terrible incantation, fell into the black hole. The other person, who was stuck to the floor, also turned into some kind of stiff petrified substance and was unable to move for a while.

"Hehehehehe... This child is teachable! This child is teachable!"

Pei Linhai finally recovered from that terrifying remark, only to realize that Lou Lifan had vanished without a trace into the darkness. He was horrified and involuntarily shouted, "What kind of crazy idea did you two come up with! Where's Lifan?! Where's Lifan?! He's gone!"

"Who said he's missing?" The two beauties laughed leisurely. "Look at your left hand, you two are connected by a red thread."

Pei Linhai looked at his left hand as instructed, and sure enough, a dark red thread was tied around his wrist. The thread was very long, stretching into the distant darkness, its destination unclear. But... such a long thread...

"How can I bring him back?" If I try to bring him back little by little, will it take until next year?

"Hehehe... All you have to do is shout 'I love you' one more time..."

"...I'll pull it up little by little." He shouted it one more time; he had wanted to commit suicide before Lou Lifan killed him.

"Alright, I was just kidding. If you keep calling him like that, our only brother will have no choice but to marry you." The witch's voice became unusually serious. "Call him, and he will come back by following the red thread."

How do I call it?

"Use 'Lingkuang'."

Spiritual amplification uses spiritual power to amplify sound more than 300 times, raising the frequency to over 20,000 Hz. Since the frequency range audible to ordinary humans is 20-20,000 Hz, frequencies above 20,000 Hz are called ultrasound, which is inaudible to humans. Furthermore, ultrasound travels much farther and at a much faster speed than ordinary sound, and is therefore generally used for special summoning techniques. Spiritual amplification is not a superpower; it is merely a technical method that anyone with spiritual power can easily master.

Pei Linhai gathered his spiritual energy in his throat, causing it to vibrate slightly on his vocal cords. At first, it was just a slight tremor, but later, the frequency of the vibration increased, gradually forming a faint sound.

Lou... Li... Fan...