The golden light of the runes seared my soul. The overwhelming pressure from above felt like a giant hand squeezing my heart tightly, making it almost impossible for me to catch my breath.
"… Aren't you going to save me yet?!"
I couldn't stand steady and fell backward, facing the sky. I heard a soft sigh behind me, and then someone supported my lower back and helped me up.
"Si Jiangchen!!"
I was overjoyed and reached out to grab the arm that had supported me from behind. But my fingers only touched something ice-cold, like a fish in an icy lake that suddenly disappeared.
"The great star above the altar responds to changes without pause…"
A low and hoarse voice came from the darkness, reciting the Heart-Cleansing Mantra at a speed I could hardly hear, dispelling the lingering shadow left by the runes.
"What are you doing here?"
After the room returned to complete darkness, I heard another sigh from Si Jiangchen.
"I'm here to save you!"
He pushed me to a corner of the wall. Maybe he had cleared this area, for I no longer encountered the attacks from those talismans.
"You said I'm your medicine! No matter how badly you're injured, I can save you!"
Facing the dead silence, I couldn't help but feel extremely scared. I shouted loudly but didn't dare to move rashly.
"Heheh…"
Si Jiangchen's laughter came from the darkness. "Xiao He, after living for so long, why are you still so naive!"
"?!"
I didn't know why Si Jiangchen suddenly said such things.
After a short pause, he still said in a calm voice, "Do you really think I like you? Don't you know that zombies and evil ghosts have a major tribulation every hundred years?! I just wanted you to take the Heavenly Calamity for me. It's rare that you're so devoted to me."
"Hehe!"
After hearing Si Jiangchen's words, I imitated his laughter. "Si Jiangchen! You big idiot. When you said these words, did you think I'm a fool or a love-struck girl?!"
This bastard actually wanted to use such venomous words to make me angry, to make me hate him, and hopefully hate him so much that I'd turn around and leave, ignoring him!
Since I asked Gu Fancheng to send me in here, I didn't plan to go out!
I made up my mind and lunged towards the direction of the voice!
If Si Jiangchen didn't catch me, I'm afraid I'd fall into the formation set by that old bastard Sheng Shixun again.
Sure enough, my face hit a hard chest heavily. Si Jiangchen still caught me precisely. I reached out to hug his waist as I used to, but found that his waist was even thinner than mine.
"What… What's wrong with you?!"
I hurriedly reached out to touch Si Jiangchen's face, but he reached out and held my palm.
"Xiao He, give me some dignity."
Si Jiangchen's voice in the darkness was as hoarse as two dried leaves rubbing against each other. "You won't like my current appearance."
"Do I like you just for your appearance?"
Although I said so, I still withdrew my hand, hugged his waist again, pressed my whole body against him, and stretched my neck long. "Since my blood can save the two stewards of the Gu family, you'll be okay too!!"
Si Jiangchen was silent. It wasn't until my neck felt sore that I felt him slowly lower his head and gently kiss my neck.
"Silly girl, if just biting you can solve the problem, how could I be willing to leave you?!"
Si Jiangchen finally started his "sweet talk" again. This was the real him. Facing me, he never concealed his emotions.
"Then… Just eat me!"
Thinking of Du Wenzhong who followed me, I could roughly understand the way of survival for us zombies. Surviving in the world with a fragmented soul, the missing parts could probably only be maintained by plundering.
"I did something bad outside. I bit the third daughter of the Gu family!"
I buried my head in Si Jiangchen's arms. My voice was full of panic. "If I don't clean the zombie poison out of Baobao's body, the Gu family will chase and kill me to the end of time! So, you… Go out for me and save that little fox!"
"Are you still afraid of being chased and killed?"
Si Jiangchen's hoarse voice became even more severe, but there was a hint of a smile in his words.
"I don't care! That Gu Fancheng is very terrifying. Instead of being caught by them, it's better to fulfill you!"
I grabbed the clothes on Si Jiangchen's back and could feel that his spine was clearly distinguishable…
"Do you want to exchange your life for my recovery, Xiao He?!"
Si Jiangchen ruffled my hair. "Actually, I'm really waiting for the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation here. If you come now, aren't you just giving an extra life to God for nothing?!"
"How could it be?!"
I was extremely surprised. "Aren't you… Because of Sheng Shixun's formation…"
I originally wanted to say that Sheng Shixun's formation had destroyed his art of immortality and made him as fragmented as Gu Nian and the others, but I swallowed the words back at the last moment.
"A half-baked immortal like Sheng Shixun can't hurt me."
Si Jiangchen smiled faintly. "He somehow managed to get a Six-Union Demon-Searching Talisman. I just happened to run into it. The divine sense of King Lingguan on the talisman reached straight to the Heavenly Court and brought my Thunder Tribulation forward."
The hand that was holding Si Jiangchen's clothes tightened involuntarily.
We had experienced the Thunder Tribulation before. For Si Jiangchen, as long as he was well-prepared, the Thunder Tribulation should be perilous but not life-threatening! But now, we were in Gu Fancheng's mansion, completely unprepared to deal with the Thunder Tribulation!!
"It's okay! I'll protect you!"
In an instant, I thought of the stories in the strange tales. As long as someone took the terrifying thunderbolt, the spirit undergoing the tribulation could survive!
"Xiao He probably hasn't heard of the Transformation Tribulation!"
As Si Jiangchen was speaking, I could already faintly hear the sound of wind and thunder.
But… But this was a place several meters underground. How could it be possible to hear the sound of thunder?!
Without waiting for my response, Si Jiangchen continued on his own, "The tribulation comes from within the body of the one undergoing it, passing through the seven meridians and eight collaterals and the twelve-story tower. How do you plan to protect me?"
I was pressed against Si Jiangchen's chest and suddenly felt his chest vibrating violently. When I looked up, I saw two faint blue lights flickering dimly. I knew those were Si Jiangchen's eyes!
His eyes were usually as black as ink, but they would turn as red as the lava in hell when he was furious or using his magic power. I had never seen them like this before!!
And I had never thought that the Thunder Tribulation would actually originate from within his body!
What should I do? I couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
I suddenly grabbed Si Jiangchen's neck and pressed my lips against his thin ones. Since the Thunder Tribulation would pass through his seven meridians and eight collaterals, the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose were the channels for the tribulation to be released!
I didn't care whether my blood was useful or not. As long as there was even the slightest hope, I wanted to help Si Jiangchen get through the tribulation!!
I bit my lip hard and kissed the dry, thin lips in the darkness.