Chapter 2

Wu Xie sat limply on the ground, unsure how much time had passed. Perhaps the water he had consumed had helped, as he now had a slight bit of strength.

He fumbled through his belongings, hoping to find something useful.

Luckily, fate still favored him—he found a windproof lighter.

“Click~”

A weak flame flickered to life, illuminating a small portion of the space around him. The path ahead stretched endlessly into the darkness, while behind him lay the long, bloodstained trail he had crawled through.

His limbs were in terrible shape, his legs twisted from injuries. He could no longer feel his lower legs at all.

He kept crawling forward, unsure of how long he had been moving. A chill crept over him—was it due to excessive blood loss?

Leaning against the stone wall, he took a brief rest, using the lighter to scan his surroundings, hoping to find a way out. Even triggering a mechanism would be better than nothing.

“Rustle rustle.”

Someone was there. Who?

Wu Xie cautiously reached behind his waist, slowly pulling out a short dagger, gripping it tightly. With his other hand, he raised the lighter toward the source of the sound.

The figure wore a black hooded jacket, holding a fire starter in hand, silently watching him.

“Panzi! You found me! Did you see Fatty?”

Wu Xie crawled forward excitedly, extinguishing his windproof lighter and putting it back in his pocket. He reached out, grabbing hold of the figure’s hand—he needed to confirm that this wasn’t another illusion.

The man shook his head, gripping Wu Xie’s hand and leading him forward. When they reached a fork in the tunnel, he chose the left path.

Along the way, Wu Xie spoke about many things, but the man never responded—he only smiled gently at him.

The deeper they went, the colder it became. Wu Xie shivered and tugged at the hem of the man’s clothes.

“Panzi, are we going the wrong way? Why is it so cold?”

It felt like they were climbing a snowy mountain.

The man remained silent, never stopping, only continuing forward with Wu Xie in tow.

The bone-chilling wind felt as if it would freeze Wu Xie to death right there in the tomb passage. Frost formed on his hair and eyebrows—when he shook his head, it fell like tiny icicles.

Staring at the frost in his palm, Wu Xie finally realized something was wrong.

They were nowhere near the snow-capped mountains—how could they suddenly find themselves in freezing conditions within a tomb?

More importantly, if his condition was truly this dire, Zhang Qiling wouldn’t have continued without hesitation. He would have stopped and helped. And yet, this “Zhang Qiling” hadn’t spoken a single word.

In such a dangerous situation, the real Zhang Qiling wouldn’t have smiled so gently at him.

“Zhang Qiling, where are you taking me? I’m too tired. I can’t move anymore.”

Wu Xie deliberately acted annoyed, questioning the man before him.

The man showed no sign of anger at Wu Xie’s complaints. Instead, his expression grew even softer, his eyes filled with urgency as he glanced ahead.

Why was he in a hurry?

Was he planning to eat him? But Wu Xie wasn’t a Tang Monk!

Letting his mind wander in absurd directions, Wu Xie tried to keep his brain working.

He wanted to shout, to demand who this person really was and what his intentions were. But in his current state, he wouldn’t last a single move if a fight broke out.

So, he stopped resisting and followed along—he wanted to see where this man was taking him.

Strangely enough, aside from the unbearable cold, Wu Xie realized that his body no longer hurt.

The man continued to glance back every few steps, as if afraid Wu Xie might run away.

After what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, they finally arrived at their destination.

What Wu Xie saw left him completely stunned.