Chapter 248: Red-Clad Female Ghost |
"Let's check out the Tomb Chamber ahead first," I Love a Sword suggested. "If we follow the direction the Evil-Warding Beast's rear is facing, we should be able to find another pair of Evil-Warding Beasts. With any luck, we can clear this without taking any unnecessary detours."
"The mage and the healer will take the rear. As for our assassin lady here, we'll stick to the plan—only strike when we encounter a tough monster. Brother Bai, the one with the sword, you will take the vanguard with me. Any problems?"
"No problem." Bai Mu nodded. He grasped a bronze lamp in his left hand and gripped the Flaming Sword in his right. Pulling out his Night Vision Camcorder, he hung it around his neck. Under I Love a Sword's command, the five formed up. Scattered Fireflies remained trailing right behind Bai Mu. The three girls in the back raised their bronze lamps slightly higher to illuminate the way for the men in front, but the dim flames could only light up a radius of about four to five meters. Beyond that lay only pitch darkness and the faint silhouettes of lamp niches hanging on distant walls.
I Love a Sword walked with extreme caution. From the darkness drifted a sound resembling the heavy breathing of a wild beast, or perhaps the rustling of murmured whispers. Listening closely, it sounded just like the wind.
The three in the back huddled closely together; none dared to stray far.
Every few dozen steps, Bai Mu used his Night Vision Camcorder to scan the surroundings. For one, it helped him spot any branching paths, and more importantly, if there were monsters invisible to the naked eye, he could sound the alarm in advance.
I Love a Sword did not pay him much mind. This Taoist Priest brother talked tough, but when it came to action, he led by example. He walked at the very front, even subtly shielding Bai Mu behind him.
Perhaps he felt Bai Mu's equipment was too amateurish to be of any real help against actual ghosts, or maybe he wanted to ease the tension in the group. After all, his earlier words had been quite harsh.
Whatever the reason, Bai Mu's impression of him improved significantly. At the very least, this guy didn't force him to the absolute front to act as a meat shield. After leaving the glowing radius of the Evil-Warding Beasts, the temperature dropped another few degrees. The others looked somewhat tense. Even the usually cold Work Three Rest Four was no exception; her hands were tucked into her sleeves, clearly ready to launch an attack at a moment's notice. Drops of cold sweat even seeped from the forehead of the most timid member, Scattered Fireflies.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Scattered Fireflies suddenly recalled how he had administered nursing care to that terrifying Witch in the Ancient Manor. 'Big Brother Bai really isn't your average person,' she thought. Her own mood lightened in turn, alleviating much of her fear.
Brewing Cat also noticed Bai Mu's unusual composure. Fear was a difficult thing to hide. Even a healer like herself, positioned safely in the back row, felt on edge. Yet Bai Mu, walking in the vanguard, showed not a shred of dread in his eyes. Instead, his gaze held a look akin to curiosity and a thirst for exploration. His entire aura was remarkably relaxed, proving he wasn't faking his courage—he genuinely wasn't afraid.
Her curiosity piqued, she prepared to strike up a conversation with him. But right at that moment, through the screen of Bai Mu's Camcorder, she spotted a woman in revealing red clothes.
"A ghost!" Brewing Cat suddenly screamed.
Bai Mu saw the red-clad woman as well. Wearing nothing but a thin red dress, she had abruptly appeared within his lens. Her hair fell wildly, obscuring her face, and her approach was utterly silent—devoid of any footsteps.
After all, inside this tomb, even the lightest of footsteps would echo clearly.
The environment was deathly quiet. The sealed interior of the mountain acted as a natural amplifier, where the slightest rustle could echo into a terrifying boom. Yet this woman drifted toward them with an ethereal gait. Something was visibly wrong with her.
Her figure was quite graceful, with large swathes of pale skin exposed at her chest. However, she was unnaturally pale—a ghastly white completely devoid of blood. Upon hearing Brewing Cat's scream, I Love a Sword immediately snapped his head around and spotted the silhouette in the darkness.
This red-clad woman was not invisible; she could be seen directly with the naked eye. She had merely been concealed within the darkness, casting no shadow as she moved, which was why I Love a Sword hadn't noticed her earlier.
"A Red-Clad Female Ghost... we're facing something this high-level right off the bat!" Cold sweat beaded on I Love a Sword's forehead. Simultaneously, a sinister gust of wind swept over them, making everyone feel as though they had plunged into an icy cellar.
A status condition called "Baleful Yin Energy" popped up on Bai Mu's interface. His health bar began to drain at a slow, creeping pace, much like being afflicted by a chronic poison.
Clearly, this was a skill of the Red-Clad Female Ghost before them.
"Kill this ghost, quickly!" I Love a Sword yelled. He looked slightly panicked but remained generally composed, raising his sword to meet the enemy. Almost at that exact second—Bang!—a spark flared in the pitch-black tunnel.
It was Bai Mu, firing a shot right at the Red-Clad Female Ghost's forehead. The bullet flew from the muzzle, yet Bai Mu didn't hear the sound of piercing flesh, nor did he see any blood splatter. There was only a dull thud, clearly indicating the bullet had struck stone.
The gunshot gave the other four a massive fright. Mostly, it was because his reaction was absurdly fast. The very moment he was hit by the Baleful Yin Energy, he had hooked his bronze lamp onto his belt and drawn his handgun.
Within the first second of spotting the ghost, muscle memory had compelled him to draw and shoot.
'But what if this is just a scantily-clad, full-figured maiden who accidentally lost her way in the tomb?' he had thought.
Accidentally killing an innocent and missing out on a Side Quest would be a massive loss. Unfortunately, she had struck first, shattering the tiny sliver of hope in Bai Mu's heart, propelling him instantly into combat mode.
After firing the first shot, he put the handgun away.
The gunshot acted like an alarm bell, snapping the other four back to their senses. Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Mu declared, "This ghost doesn't seem to have a physical body. Physical attacks won't hit her. Anyone with magic spells, give them a try."
I Love a Sword shot Bai Mu a glance, gritted his teeth, and pulled a yellow talisman from his robe, burning it as he aimed at the ghost. Meanwhile, a visibly tense Scattered Fireflies raised her staff and unleashed a Fireball Spell at the entity.
The Fireball Spell and a streak of lightning blasted toward the drifting ghost one after the other. Her form immediately dissipated.
"Did we kill her?" I Love a Sword asked.
"If we had, this Baleful Yin Energy should have lifted," Bai Mu replied. Still holding the Night Vision Camcorder, he turned to look elsewhere. As soon as he spoke, the Red-Clad Female Ghost reformed. This time, she materialized directly within the illuminated radius of their lamps, bringing another gust of chilling wind as she lunged at I Love a Sword.
Unprepared for her ability to teleport, I Love a Sword hastily brandished his longsword and fumbled for another talisman from his robes.
"This isn't her real body, it's just an illusion!" I Love a Sword shouted. "There should be a corpse or a coffin nearby! Search the area! We can only destroy her by destroying that! Hurry!"
As he stumbled in near-panic, he watched Bai Mu calmly stride in front of him and suddenly whip out a massive, cylindrical iron box. The ghost smashed directly into the iron box. Next, Bai Mu slammed the lid down tightly and fastened the lock. Silence immediately returned to their surroundings.