Eerie Lair

"Wuu~"

In her sleep, Liu Daimei rolled over, but her little hand found nothing. She opened her eyes blearily, and a fragrant aroma drifted over from behind her. Looking around, she found herself sleeping on a stone covered with a soft cushion, with Gu Sheng’s windbreaker draped over her. That bad little brother was busy roasting meat and cooking behind her!

"Chief of Staff, Madam is awake!"

A sharp-eyed guard reminded him. He was very young, a rookie who had just joined the Wen County Security Force.

"She’s awake!"

Gu Sheng smiled as he walked over to Liu Daimei and crouched down to help the still-dazed beauty up.

"I’m awake. Have we… arrived?"

Liu Daimei leaned against Gu Sheng. The large stone wasn’t very smooth. Even with the soft cushion beneath her, she still hadn’t slept very comfortably.

"We’ve arrived. Let’s eat something first, then we’ll head up the mountain."

Gu Sheng brought Liu Daimei over to the campfire. They ate some roasted meat and drank some wild-vegetable soup, which made them feel much better. When they had eaten their fill, Gu Sheng helped Liu Daimei to her feet and said to the three guards, "My wife and I are going hiking. You don’t need to come along. Stay here and watch the carriage until we return."

"Chief of Staff, the Commander’s orders were for us to protect you and Madam."

The guard who had reminded Gu Sheng earlier spoke through gritted teeth. "Chief of Staff, this is a desolate wilderness. Who knows what danger we might encounter? Please let us go up with you!"

"That’s enough. This is an order—my order. Don’t follow us."

Gu Sheng barked coldly. The hotheaded young guard was about to argue, but the more mature guard beside him hurriedly pulled him down to sit on the ground. "Rest assured, Chief of Staff. We’ll stay here and keep watch over the carriage."

"Remember, don’t leave this place!"

Gu Sheng reminded them once more, then took Liu Daimei up Pig Head Mountain. Pig Head Mountain was fairly famous in Wen County and counted as a sizable mountain range. It covered a large area. Taotie’s Ghost Cave was on one side of the mountain, while the Gold Mine and Yue Qiluo’s lair were on the other.

If Gu Sheng had come straight here, he might have fallen headfirst into the Ghost Cave. He had no desire to plunge into Taotie’s belly, which was why he had gone to Qingzhu Pavilion to ask Yu Xiaozhu for accurate information.

Zhang Xianzong—the body Gu Sheng had descended into—was fairly familiar with Pig Head Mountain. Following the images in his memory, he slowly advanced along a mountain trail. Insects chirped and birds called around him, while Pig Head Mountain teemed with life beneath the sunlight.

Before long, the trail ahead disappeared. Gu Sheng began leading Liu Daimei through the grass and woods. The undergrowth was difficult to traverse, with mosquitoes swarming together and attacking any living creature they found. Fortunately, Gu Sheng wasn’t bothered by mosquitoes, and they didn’t go after Liu Daimei, so it caused them little trouble.

After walking for a long time, the two had nearly left Pig Head Mountain and arrived at a barren place. It was a desolate stretch of wilderness, with only a few abandoned hills and graves visible in the distance.

"Daimei, be careful in a moment!"

Gu Sheng called out to Liu Daimei behind him. He gripped the tombstone with both hands and wrenched it aside. The already-loose tombstone was pulled completely free. He then lifted it upward, raising the entire tombstone.

Gu Sheng leaped down into the burial passage. The gap inside was pitch-black. Such darkness would have been a problem for ordinary people, but Gu Sheng’s eyesight far surpassed that of a normal person, so he wasn’t afraid of it at all.

"Daimei, come down!"

Gu Sheng looked around to make sure there was no danger, then called to Liu Daimei. A rush of wind sounded beside his ears as Liu Daimei jumped down. Vampires were nocturnal creatures by nature, so the darkness here was nothing to her either.

Thanks to the information Yu Xiaozhu had given them, the two advanced quickly. Soon, they reached a stone staircase leading downward. After descending the stairs, they arrived in an underground palace passageway.

"Boom~"

A torch flared to life in the darkness. Gu Sheng and Liu Daimei entered the underground palace passageway. Along both sides of the long passage stood row upon row of statues. Perhaps because they had never seen sunlight or been exposed to wind and rain, they still retained a layer of vivid color.

Liu Daimei carried the torch over to a statue. After studying it for a while, she sighed, "The craftsmanship of these stone statues is exquisite. To create such a massive project in this barren mountain, they must have found a stonemason of extraordinary skill. The person who commissioned this underground palace must have been a great figure in his time."

"Let’s go."

After looking around and confirming that the passage was safe, Gu Sheng spoke to Liu Daimei, then took the lead. As they went deeper into the passage, the carved Buddhist statues began to change. Their faces grew increasingly ferocious, and all kinds of sounds began to emerge around them.

"What’s going on? Where are those sounds coming from?"

Liu Daimei’s ears twitched. She could be certain that she had heard something, yet there wasn’t the slightest sign of any living creature at the source. As a vampire who feared sunlight, she had gained as well as lost something. In darkness, her five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even Gu Sheng in his current state might not be stronger than her.

"Ghosts."

Gu Sheng was succinct. Although he couldn’t close his eyes and see a different world the way Wu Xin could, his spiritual perception was powerful after opening his Niwan Palace. He could vaguely "see" the invisible biological magnetic fields and the scene of vengeful ghosts howling ahead.

"Ghosts? You mean… spirits?"

Liu Daimei asked for confirmation several times. As a girl, she was still deeply afraid of certain things.

"Bang!"

Gu Sheng said nothing. He walked to the end of the passage and smashed open the stone door with one punch. A nauseating, bloody wind rushed into their faces. After the dust settled, a pile of white bones came into view beneath the torchlight. Within the invisible magnetic field, countless vengeful souls and evil ghosts lay scattered everywhere, seemingly reenacting their dying screams.

"So many dead people. Is this a mass grave?"

Liu Daimei’s pretty face went pale at the sight. Although she was more capable than Chu Xin, before entering Lord God Space, she had only been a comparatively bold girl. She still instinctively feared supernatural things.

"Get lost!"

Gu Sheng shouted explosively. His vigorous yang energy blazed like a bright lamp, while astonishingly terrifying fiendish energy mixed with killing intent that seemed almost tangible. Not a single one of those evil ghosts dared approach him again.

"There are quite a few Ghost Fiends here. Don’t leave my side!"

Gu Sheng spoke to Liu Daimei and took her delicate hand.

Liu Daimei said nothing. As Gu Sheng held her hand, warmth spread from his palm throughout her body. She couldn’t help smiling. Being cherished and protected by someone feels wonderful!

The two continued forward and turned right again. They had already passed one bend earlier, and now that they had turned once more, they had no idea where the passage ultimately led.

"How did this place suddenly become so clean? Something’s wrong!"

Liu Daimei’s brows drew together. She abruptly stopped and looked at Gu Sheng. There were no strange Buddhas or corpses ahead, and the passage looked smooth, clean, and peaceful. Yet in a place like this, suddenly finding an immaculate area was even more suspicious.