Chapter 10: Fox Fire

Chapter 10: Fox Fire

My heart skipped a beat, fearing that she might reveal my secret.

But then I realized, shouldn't I have suspected earlier when she was being so kind to me? Could it be that she had already discovered I was alive?

All her eagerness to help me, her offer to take me along – it was all just a ploy, waiting for this very moment!

I couldn't afford to feel the chill in my heart. It felt as if I were walking towards a death sentence, my heart pounding in fear with no means of escape.

"Li Fan, Li Fan, say something!" Li Fan was seated right behind me, and in desperation, I tried to grab him, only to grasp at empty air.

I turned around to find nobody there. Li Fan's figure was nowhere to be seen.

In an instant, my heart sank. Then, I heard applause ringing around me. Two people, bound and gagged, were escorted to stand between us.

It was a man and a woman, both dressed in dark indigo robes. They appeared to be around my age. With their heads bowed, they stood calmly, showing no trace of panic.

For a brief moment, I was bewildered. Suddenly, it dawned on me – they weren't referring to me as the living person!

"The newcomer, do you know what happens to anyone found alive here?" A voice engaged me from the side.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, shaking my head. Curiosity then prompted me to ask, "But how do you determine if someone is alive?"

"Life energy. They think they can slip in undetected, but we can sense it," the person smiled at me, their swollen face quivering with the gesture.

I suppressed the urge to retch, forcing a smile as I continued, "So, do you think I...?"

"You reek of death. You must have suffered greatly before passing away," the person speculated.

I quickly nodded, grateful for an exit from the conversation, though confusion swirled within me. Where did this deathly aura around me come from?

Before I could ponder further, I sensed a gaze upon me. Looking up, I locked eyes with the bound young man.

A foreboding sensation instantly washed over me. True to my intuition, he abruptly pointed at me and shouted, "There's another living person! Catch her!"

My pupils dilated in shock, and a curse flew out of my mouth.

We had no grudge against each other; was he seeking company in death?

"Is she also alive? The aura of death around her is so strong..."

"But there's indeed the vitality of a living being in her, strange, very strange..."

"I had a feeling something was off about her, hehehe, seize her..."

A chorus of eerie laughter echoed, as if a magical assault was underway. Dazed and disoriented, I couldn't make out their words, only seeing the entire field of corpses rising to their feet.

In the midst of the chaos, a golden glow suddenly flashed before my eyes. It originated from the feet of the couple in navy robes. Unnoticed, they had freed themselves from their bindings. Their figures within the magical array gradually turned translucent.

Is that a teleportation array?

Did they point me out before so many people just to buy time for their escape?

With no time to ponder, the onslaught of ghostly figures obscured my vision, filling every direction with their dark silhouettes. Inwardly, I screamed Li Fan's name, but despite my cries echoing for what felt like an eternity, he did not materialize.

This sly fox, didn't she promise to stay by my side? At the crucial moment, she's nowhere to be found!

My mind had utterly shut down at that moment. Suddenly, I felt a tight grip on my wrist, and my body was swiftly pulled along, as if being dragged by someone in a rush.

"What are you daydreaming about? Are you scared stiff? You can't even run?" an anxious female voice rang in my ear.

I turned to look and saw a girl dragging me along as we sprinted across the playground. She was one of the pair in the dark blue robes I had just seen.

"I thought you ran away?" I asked, surprised.

I did see her and the boy fading into the distance, but how did she come back now?

"My senior disciple left on his own! I couldn't leave behind someone's body and run! I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life!" the girl shouted.

We darted and dodged around the playground, with a sea of people pursuing us. Though they weren't fast, their numbers were overwhelming, and the school grounds were limited; we couldn't keep running forever.

"We need to find a place to hide, we can't keep running like this," I said. "Those undead have limitless stamina, but we'll exhaust ourselves."

The girl nodded. "You're right. Let's go to the building where the principal's office is. I've checked it out beforehand, there aren't many people there."

With our plan settled, we changed course. But suddenly, the girl stopped, and I almost crashed into her, having not managed to brake in time.

"Why did you stop?" I rubbed my sore nose.

The girl pointed ahead, her voice trembling slightly, "I think we really can't escape..."

Following her gaze, I was stunned. Ghostly figures surrounded us in every direction. When we ran earlier, it was purely out of fear, without any strategic planning. Now, we were trapped.

The ghosts wore exaggerated smiles, like pale paper dolls. Within seconds, they encircled us.

"Don't be afraid! Cover your nose and mouth to avoid inhaling too much negative energy. I'm a Taoist nun. I have celestial spirits with me. I'll deal with them," the girl shouted at me, frowning.

I nodded and promptly covered my face. Watching her perform her ritual, she formed seals with both hands and chanted words I couldn't understand. Soon, a small, blond fox appeared before me.

The moment the little fox appeared, the air around us grew scorching. Flames then ignited on the ghosts, swiftly burning a large group of them.

"This is fox fire. It's easy to burn these minor ghosts," she said proudly, noticing my gaze.

"Right, my name is Lin Yu. You don't need to be scared..."

"Save the introductions for later. Look, those ghostly figures are closing in again!" I hastily interrupted, as the situation was urgent. Self-introductions could wait.

Lin Yu's fox fire was indeed effective; no ghost could withstand it for more than two seconds. However, the sheer number of opponents was overwhelming, and within minutes, she began to pant heavily.

Yet, these ghostly apparitions seemed inexhaustible. As soon as one was burned, three more would rush forward.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Yu shouted.

Aware of my own limitations, I hastily took cover behind her. At present, I was incapable of anything else; the only thing I could do was not burden Lin Yu.

But Lin Yu's stamina was not limitless. After struggling for a few more minutes, she finally collapsed on the ground. With despair, I covered my eyes, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, I saw blinding flames soaring around us.

Blue-white flames poured down like a spark igniting a lawn, spreading rapidly and engulfing everything in their path. Within mere seconds, not a single ghostly figure remained around us.

Lin Yu clearly hadn't anticipated such a twist, and was left utterly stunned.

I opened my eyes to see a pair of fair hands resting on my shoulders. Looking up, I met Li Fan's gaze.

The flames before me had yet to fully dissipate. Standing beside me, Li Fan's subtle fragrance dispelled the eerie atmosphere around us.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Not bad, you ran for so long and your hair isn't even messed up."