Liu Xuanyi’s state at that time frightened me. I truly didn’t understand why his reaction was so intense.
His current domineering and dictatorial attitude made me feel suffocated.
It seemed that with that marriage contract in hand, he had me completely under his control.
In a moment of impulse, I blurted out, “Liu Xuanyi, let’s call off the engagement. I’m not a puppet on strings—I want to live the life I deserve.”
As I spoke, I went to the wardrobe to search for the marriage contract. Before I could even take it out, Liu Xuanyi had already left, nearly slamming the door off its hinges.
After that, I was placed under house arrest. Every time I tried to leave the room, I was stopped, and my phone was confiscated. Shen Li brought me three meals a day.
I searched every corner of the room but couldn’t find my copy of the marriage contract.
By the evening of the next day, I couldn’t sit still any longer. I asked Shen Li to call Liu Xuanyi over, as I had something to discuss with him.
“They’ve gone out on a mission. No one’s here.”
“What about my phone? I promised Professor Zhang I’d meet him early tomorrow morning. Even if I’m not allowed to go, I should at least call him and explain the situation.”
Shen Li hesitated, but after I promised not to cause trouble, she agreed to check Chang Di’s room to see if my phone was there.
As soon as Shen Li left, I heard a few muffled groans outside. I hurried to the door and heard a whistle from the top of the wall.
“Haha, how amusing.”
Hu Jinzhao leaned against the wall, teasing, “Other Disciple Horses are constantly being ordered around by their Immortal Families—treating illnesses, moving graves, arranging feng shui, shedding blood and sacrificing their lives without hesitation. But you, as a Disciple Horse, are being kept like a beauty in a golden cage.”
He really knew how to hit a sore spot. I glared at him and snapped, “Why are you here?”
“We had an agreement.” Hu Jinzhao pulled out the Five Emperors copper coin and waved it.
I reached out for it. “Your sister’s Inner Elixir is indeed in Liu Xuanyi’s possession. He’ll discuss it with you in person. Give me back the Five Emperors copper coin.”
Hu Jinzhao tucked the coin away again and said, “An exchange of goods for goods. I’ll return it to you once I retrieve Suisui’s Inner Elixir.”
He jumped down from the wall, landing steadily in front of me, and said seriously, “Don’t blame your Immortal Family for confining you. You can’t go down into that tomb.”
I frowned. “How do you know I was planning to go down into the tomb?”
“We’re all in the same line of work. How could I not pay attention to such a large tomb being exposed by the rain?”
“What’s wrong with that tomb? Have you been down there?”
Instead of answering my question, Hu Jinzhao suddenly leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, “Tonight, I’ll take you out for some fun.”
As he spoke, his fingers moved swiftly, and I saw a few flashes of silver light. The people who had fainted on the ground woke up, but Hu Jinzhao was already gone.
Shortly after, Shen Li returned, pushed me back into the room, and pulled my phone from her pocket, whispering, “Hurry up, girl. I have to return it tonight, or Chang Di will scold me.”
I thanked Shen Li, turned on my phone, and saw several missed calls and WeChat messages.
Both Professor Zhang and Sun Mingyue had contacted me. Their WeChat messages said the same thing: The situation has changed. The tomb exploration plan is temporarily on hold.
I immediately called Professor Zhang, but no one answered. Then I tried Sun Mingyue, and this time, the call was quickly picked up.
I immediately asked what was going on. Sun Mingyue said, “It’s just a rumor, but apparently someone on the archaeological team contracted a strange illness related to that tomb. That’s why the excavation plan was halted, and the team stationed there has been called back.”
“What about Professor Zhang? What are his plans next?”
“I haven’t seen Professor Zhang all day. With something this big happening, as the leader of the archaeological team, he must be swamped with work right now.”
That made sense.
After hanging up, I couldn’t calm down for a long time. I never expected things to take such a turn and wished I could sprout wings and fly back to campus.
But I couldn’t leave. Before bed, I even returned my phone to Shen Li.
Shen Li turned off the light for me. Lying in bed with my eyes open, I kept replaying Hu Jinzhao’s words before he left.
He said he would take me out to play tonight.
If it were before, I would never have gone with him if he climbed over the wall to find me in the middle of the night. But now, the situation was different.
Just as the wall clock struck eleven, I heard muffled groans outside. I rolled out of bed, threw on my clothes, and headed out.
Sure enough, the guards were unconscious on the ground again. Hu Jinzhao stood in the courtyard, dressed in a moon-white robe, hands clasped behind his back, casually admiring the moon.
I walked over and whispered, “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
With a wave of his long sleeve, my vision blurred, and the wind whistled in my ears.
I clung tightly to his robe. After about a quarter of an hour, my feet finally touched the ground.
When I could see clearly again, I was stunned—I was already in the school gymnasium.
The gymnasium was huge, with an indoor basketball court in the center and seating all around. The school usually held large performances here.
At that moment, the gymnasium was pitch black. Crouching in the corner, I felt a chill run down my spine.
Just as I was about to ask Hu Jinzhao why he brought me here, the lights above the basketball court suddenly turned on, illuminating the center. I saw a man and a woman standing on the court.
When the pure, operatic singing began, my hair stood on end.
They were performing The Peach Blossom Fan, singing and dancing as they moved, leaving trails of blood wherever they went.
At the climax of the song, faint cries of a baby mingled with the singing, both sorrowful and eerie.
At that moment, the gymnasium door burst open, and people rushed in, heading straight for the basketball court.
Among them were school officials, medical staff, and Professor Zhang.
They rushed onto the court, tied up the two performers, and the medical staff immediately began examining them.
I couldn’t stay hidden any longer. I quickly ran over, stood on my tiptoes, and peered inside.
The two had stopped singing, their consciousness now clear, moaning in pain.
Their legs, including their feet, were covered in blood, the skin seemingly peeled off by something, looking gruesome and horrifying.
Professor Zhang spotted me and immediately squeezed through the crowd, whispering, “What are you doing here?”
How could I say a fox spirit brought me here? Before I could think of an excuse, Professor Zhang pulled me out of the gymnasium.
“It’s too crowded and chaotic out here. Let’s talk in my office.”
Once we reached his office, I immediately asked, “Who were those two? Why were they singing opera in the gymnasium out of nowhere? And what happened to their legs?”
Professor Zhang pinched the bridge of his nose, looking utterly exhausted as he said, “They are members of the archaeological team. They went down into the tomb earlier, and somehow they suddenly fell ill. What’s even more terrifying is that they aren’t the first team members to show symptoms.”
“Starting from the night before last, some members suddenly went missing. When they were found, they were singing opera in the gymnasium. Not only were they singing, but their bodies also began to rot from the feet upward. It wasn’t fatal, but it made life unbearable.”
“That’s why I suddenly called a halt to the tomb excavation plan.”
I asked in confusion, “Why are you so sure it’s related to going down into the tomb?”
“We conducted extensive research and follow-up investigations,” Professor Zhang explained. “There are indications that the woman in the crystal coffin was an opera singer when she was alive.”