Iron Bull fait son retour

Chapitre 35

"Wait a moment." Qi Linpo, clutching his lower back and leaning against the stone wall, wearily waved to Tao Rujiu. "My back hurts terribly, like bugs are crawling inside... Please take a closer look."

Following his instructions, Tao Rujiu reopened the hastily bandaged wound. This time, by the light of the flashlight, he suddenly saw a thin object wriggling inside Qilinpo's blood-red wound.

Another blank paper figure!

A paper figure, about half the size of a palm, struggled to compress its flattened body, attempting to burrow into Qilin Soul's body through the wound. When it was discovered, more than half of its body was already embedded in the bloody flesh!

"Hurry up! Pull it out!"

A sharp shout made Tao Rujiu frantically move. He carefully picked up the exposed part of the paper figure and gently tugged at it. He immediately felt a stickiness he had never experienced before, accompanied by a centipede-like writhing sensation, which made him shudder.

Ling Li couldn't help but remind him, "The paper is very thin, be careful not to tear it."

His words only made Tao Rujiu more nervous. Ling Li couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he came over to help. But to his surprise, with just a gentle touch, the white paper figure that had been resisting so fiercely just moments before fell off on its own, like a leech being scalded by moxa sticks.

The white paper figure, forcibly pulled out, was already covered in crimson blood, yet it continued to struggle and writhe. Ling Li threw it to the ground and then took out a lighter.

He was about to light the fire, but Qi Linpo stopped him. "Wait."

Qi Maoxian covered the wound on her waist with one hand, and stretched out the other hand toward Ling Li, saying, "Show me the hand that touched the paper figure."

Although Ling Li was somewhat confused, he still obediently handed over his left hand.

It was a perfectly normal hand, except that the skin had been broken during the struggle, and there were a few spots of blood. Qi Mao Xian stared blankly at the bloodstains, then suddenly seemed to realize something, and lowered her head to bite down on the sharp fingers!

What are you doing!

Caught off guard, Ling Li and Tao Rujiu stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing. In excruciating pain, Ling Li quickly pulled his finger out of Qi Lingpo's mouth, but his fingertip had been bitten with a nearly one-centimeter-long gash, from which bright red liquid gushed.

Could it be that Qi Linpo was also possessed by the white paper figure? This thought popped into Ling Li and Tao Rujiu's minds almost simultaneously.

If that's the case, then the situation will only worsen.

Qin Huakai, who was possessed, was already difficult to deal with, let alone Qi Linpo, who was proficient in magic. ...And then there's Dong Li Bupo coming too. It would be better to just run away.

However, things were not as bad as they had imagined.

After taking a sharp bite, Qi Linpo slowly squatted down, picked up the struggling white paper figure from the ground, and spat out the remaining blood in his mouth onto it.

Then, some unexpected things happened.

The paper figure, stained with blood, suddenly twitched in Qi Linpo's hand, the blood-stained areas turning black and even perforating. In less than three seconds, the entire paper figure turned into a tattered piece of paper riddled with holes, and then slowly burned into a pile of black ash.

Ling Li then realized that Qi Lingpo had only conducted an experiment to prove that his blood had a suppressive effect on malevolent energy. Tao Rujiu also came to her senses, staring intently at the still-bleeding wound on Ling Li's finger. After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke her true feelings with surprising honesty.

"...Your blood is really poisonous."

Ling Li chuckled, then paused for a moment before realizing the teasing in Tao Rujiu's words. A surge of joy welled up inside him, and he suddenly became bolder, grabbing Tao Rujiu's arm and pulling him into his embrace.

Just as he was pondering whether he should kiss the person in front of him passionately, Qi Linpo interrupted in a very unromantic way: "Stop fooling around. Go check on the flowers first."

Upon hearing the words "flowers bloom," the two immediately tensed up again, stopped arguing, and followed Qi Linpo, who had taken a flashlight, slowly down the dark stone steps.

It was cold in the tomb passage.

The chill seeping from the ground seemed to still linger in the tomb, filling it with a cold and eerie smell of decaying wood. Although the three couldn't see their surroundings clearly, they could clearly feel the slippery texture of the ice shards under their feet.

Tao Rujiu followed behind Qi Linpo, unable to see the road ahead. In the narrow space less than a meter to the left and right, the cold rocks pressed inwards from above, forming a funnel shape. The atmospheric pressure and mental tension caused his eardrums to throb slightly. After the terrifying ordeal, he was covered in a light sweat. The sudden gust of cold wind made him shiver several times.

The next instant, something suddenly pressed against his back.

Warm and solid, yet sharp and muscular.

The man seemed to know he was cold, so he deliberately moved closer, letting his breath fall on the back of Tao Rujiu's neck. It was only a little warmth, but in this unusually cold environment, it seemed particularly clear and quickly spread, scorching Tao Rujiu's cheeks.

The resentment and bitterness in her heart had indeed existed, but at this moment, all of Tao Rujiu's attention was focused on the sharp chest pressed against her, while her feet mechanically continued to move forward.

In this eerie underground tomb, he had a strange and forbidden feeling. It was as if, in this dark and chaotic world, only he and Ling Li were leaning on each other in an ambiguous way, without needing words or any memories.

This warm illusion made him dizzy, completely unaware that Qilinpo in front of him had stopped. If Lingli hadn't grabbed him immediately, he would have almost bumped into the cat fairy again.

"We've reached the bottom."

Once the three of them had stopped, Tao Rujiu realized that there were no more steps to take. In front of them was a rocky entrance hall about five meters wide and several meters long, at the end of which was an archway. Inside, it was dark and deep, like a deep pool, and even a flashlight could not illuminate any of the furnishings.

The only thing they were certain of was that they hadn't made a mistake; Dongli Bupo's coffin must be in the depths of this darkness.

There was no time to lose, especially since Ling Li was likely already near the underground river. Every second of hesitation would bring more danger.

Qi Linpo clearly understood this, but at the same time, there was another, even stranger thing worth noting.

He asked Ling Li, "Where do you think the flower should land if it falls from above?"

Without hesitation, the man replied, "The platform is right below the steps. If an ordinary person fell from that height, they would be lying on the platform, unable to move."

Qi Lin nodded: "But there are no of his men here now."

Tao Rujiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "So, if the flowers bloom, then it really means there's nothing wrong with them."

Qi Linpo sneered, "I told you there would be no problem; we're the ones who will be in trouble." Then, he turned and glanced at Ling Li, asking abruptly, "Are you going to do it, or should I?"

Ling Li quickly understood his subtext and readily agreed, "I'll do it myself!" They entered the tomb chamber through the short passage, where the last flashlight began to flicker. Ling Li simply broke off a few pieces of cloth from the still-intact wooden decorations along the passage, wrapped them around his hands, and then poured gasoline from his lighter onto them. In a few minutes, he had made two simple torches.

He loved smoking and always carried more than two lighters with him, which became the key to solving the problem.

At this point, although the three of them each held a lamp, the brightness was still limited. In order to find the location of Dongli's coffin more quickly, they decided to separate a certain distance and walk around the edge of each other's illumination range.

The entire tomb chamber is about five meters wide and has a rounded rectangular shape. The ceiling is a deliberately carved arched rock ceiling, which is covered with a dome made of blue bricks. Some wooden beams are suspended on top, and many yellow banners for summoning souls hang down, making it look eerie and sinister.

“I recognize this style of domed ceiling,” Tao Rujiu said. “It’s from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Tombs from that period had simpler structures, likely just a single burial chamber, and the coffin would often just rest there…”

Before he could speak, he saw Qi Linpo's flashlight flash a few times before finally going completely dark. The cat fairy continued walking a few steps in the darkness, following its momentum, when it suddenly bumped into something hard.

He hurriedly lit the flame at his fingertips and saw clearly that it was a huge vermilion coffin.

The coffin was nearly two meters high and more than one meter wide, and the silver waves and sea eagles depicted on it further confirmed the identity of the tomb's occupant.

—It was Dongli Bupo who was later revered as the sea god.

"No need to go any further in," Ling Li said in a low voice. "Don't even bother moving the coffin. Just set it on fire and burn it all down!"

"good."

Having agreed to his suggestion, Qi Linpo conjured a ball of fire from his fingertips. Tao Rujiu suddenly sneezed several times in a row, then waved his hand in front of him.

"So much dust..."

This statement immediately put the other two on their guard.

If there were only three of them in the tomb, whose noise caused this sudden cloud of dust?

There is clearly only one possible outcome.

"Watch out for the flower; he's nearby!"

As he gave the warning, Ling Li looked up and around, and saw a white object floating down towards him.

Someone shouted, "Watch out!" and thousands of white paper figures flew out of the coffin, which was taller than a person, like snowflakes, raining down on the three of them!

Startled by the sudden sight, Ling Li and Tao Rujiu hurriedly grabbed torches to shield themselves. Qi Linpo's palm flame did not go out; he changed his target and shot sparks at the paper figures filling the sky!

Suddenly, the sky was ablaze with firelight. In the golden-red glow, everyone could clearly see that half of a human head covered with a white paper figure had suddenly appeared on the nearly two-meter-high coffin.

Under the astonished gazes of the three, Qinghua Kai, who was controlled by the malevolent energy, quickly stood up.

In the firelight, the boy's clothes were tattered, his body covered in bloodstains of all sizes, and his right leg was strangely bent. The beads of sweat rolling down his forehead showed that his body was nearing its limit. But the white paper figure still cruelly tried to squeeze out the last bit of life force from Qin Huakai.

Dragging its broken leg, it leaped forward and pounced on Qilinpo!

Qi Linpo was standing beside the outer coffin when he saw Qin Huakai rushing towards him. He quickly clasped his hands together to meet Qin Huakai's attack. Qin Huakai was about to pounce on Qi Linpo, but after seeing the blood-stained talisman on Qi Linpo's palm, he abruptly changed his direction of descent in mid-air.

What Qi Linpo had written in his palm was the Five Thunder Orthodox Technique. This was a powerful talisman used in Taoism to manipulate lightning, especially when combined with the user's cultivation and written with the blood of a person of extreme yang. Once it came into contact with it, the white paper figure and the malevolent energy attached to it would instantly vanish into nothingness.

The paper figure naturally understood, so it slowly turned its head to the side, trying to avoid direct contact with the Five Thunder Orthodox Method. But since it had already risen into the air, it still fell down beside Qi Linpo due to inertia.

Qi Linpo shouted, "Quickly, grab him!"

Ling Li and Tao Rujiu immediately rushed forward. The two knelt down on either side, using their knees to brace against Hua Kai's arms, while simultaneously freeing their hands to take out a long, thin, dark red rope, which was undoubtedly stained with Ling Li's blood.

Although Qin Huakai was injured, he immediately struggled again upon seeing the rope. Ling Li pressed his still bloodied hand onto Qin Huakai's body. The boy immediately let out a series of sharp screams, his limbs twitched uncontrollably, and he desperately turned his head to the side, trying to protect the paper figure on his face.

At this moment, Qi Linpo also arrived and struck Qin Huakai squarely in the face with a palm strike.

The boy let out another piercing scream, accompanied by a sound even sharper and more shrill than a human voice. Looking in the direction of the sound, it was discovered that the noise was coming from the paper figure.

Qi Linpo's palm left a dark brown bloodstain in the center of the little paper doll's head, where a hole cracked open. It grew larger and larger as it burned, as if a mouth was splitting open, emitting a piercing howl.

In less than five seconds, the paper figure's head had turned into a pile of black ash, and the remaining limbs began to "rot" from the central heart area, splitting into four or five strangely shaped fragments.

Strange things happened again.

The paper figure's separated limbs struggled and crawled toward Qin Hua's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—the four weakest points.

"Oh no!" Qi Linpo cried out in alarm, "It's going to crawl inside!"

As if to confirm this judgment, the paper figure's severed foot pried open the boy's tightly closed lips. A moment later, Qin Huakai let out a whimper, and blood gushed from the corner of his mouth! The situation was critical. Ling Li and Tao Rujiu hurriedly grabbed the pieces of paper, but they did not expect that when they loosened their restraints slightly, Qin Huakai suddenly sprang to his feet and jumped four or five meters away like a corpse.

At that moment, a whooshing sound of wind suddenly came from the cave outside the tomb!

The deathly silent underground cavern suddenly roared, and all the unsecured objects began to tremble. The ancient sea god temple emitted a creaking, reverberating sound; the rusty copper angle iron boomed for the first time in its life.

"It's him!" Qi Linpo shouted, but his shout was quickly drowned out by the howling wind. The ground was violently overturned, and the tomb door that the three of them had failed to break open was sent flying into the air; when it fell again, the loud bang was so loud that it hurt people's eardrums!

Dust filled the air, and the chill that had just receded rose again. In the thick fog formed by dust and frost, Ling Li could vaguely see a silver seabird soaring through the air, passing the three of them and heading straight for the coffin.

The boy lying beside the coffin was now also enveloped in mist. A gentle sweep of a seabird's wing turned the remaining scraps of paper writhing on his face into ashes.

The boy, now free, immediately collapsed, and the mist enveloping him instantly transformed into Dongli Bupo.

The ghost gently embraced the boy in its illusory arms, carefully transferring some of its spiritual energy to him. After about half a minute, Qin Huakai slowly woke up.

When he realized who was holding him, tears streamed down the boy's face.

"Did you come with them to deal with me? And you got yourself into this state..." Dongli felt heartbroken and puzzled as she stroked her lover's body covered in wounds.

(No! I...) Although Qin Huakai could not speak, his distressed expression spoke volumes about the torment he was going through.

"Does it hurt?" Dongli Bupo didn't ask any more questions, but simply pressed down a little harder on Huakai's leg.

Hua Kai shook his head repeatedly, but his expression betrayed the excruciating pain of broken bones. Whether it was his current body covered in wounds or the dark and terrifying imprisonment he endured hundreds of years ago, he had always suffered torment from the Dongli family.

This is all something he owed Dongli Bupo. If he hadn't been by Dongli Bupo's side in this life, what would the future hold for this mute boy?

Dong Li dared not consider this question. At this moment, he only felt intense hatred for Qi Lingpo and the others who had brought Qin Huakai here. He had already decided in his heart when he came that he would not show even the slightest leniency towards Ling Li.

—Anyone who dares to harm his blossoming should not continue to exist in this world. "Little darling..." He suddenly lowered his head and kissed Qin Huakai's forehead, "You're tired, rest here first. When you wake up again, everything will be over."

As he spoke, he reached out and stroked the boy's cheek, muttering incantations. Qin Huakai then closed his eyes and fell asleep, letting the ghost carry him to a flat place to lie down.