She had just sucked my yang energy. Her eyes suddenly snapped open. Her golden cat-like eyes widened round, and her pupils shrank sharply into slits when exposed to light. When she bared her teeth, four fangs protruded.
I was so scared that cold sweat broke out on my body, and I quickly stepped back.
Yan Lin let out a clear meow and reached out her sharp claws to scratch at my chest.
Fortunately, I reacted quickly. I tilted my head back, and she missed. When she flipped over to attack again, I held the yellow talisman paper in front of my chest. Her claws just touched the paper.
"Meow~" With a strange cry, she quickly withdrew her hand. A puff of white smoke instantly rose from her palm.
While she was distracted, I took a firm step forward and stuck the yellow talisman paper on her face.
Then she went limp as if she had no bones and collapsed.
I quickly laid Yan Lin flat on the bed, helped her put on her clothes, and wiped the cold sweat off my forehead with my sleeve.
I turned to look at Gu Yuan and smiled at him. "It's your turn now."
It was obvious that he had been worried about me just now. His brows were tightly knitted, but now they relaxed when he saw I was okay.
Gu Yuan climbed up one step of the ladder and helped me down.
Li Xue was so frightened that she was in a daze. She was no longer sitting on the stool but had crawled under the table, curled up in a ball and shivering there.
Gu Yuan glanced at her and curled his lips. "See her? You used to be like this."
He was still teasing me at this moment. I pouted and quickly stepped forward to comfort Li Xue, telling her not to be afraid.
"Drag the table over. She can't lie on the bed." Gu Yuan said.
I pulled Li Xue out from under the table. Her emotions had stabilized a bit.
She helped me carry the table to the center of the dormitory.
Gu Yuan waved his hand gently, and Yan Lin's body floated down and landed right on the table.
Li Xue was so scared that she hid in the corner of the wardrobe, turning her head away and not daring to look.
"Check if there's any blood on her body?" Gu Yuan said.
I followed his order and immediately searched her body, but there was no blood. Instead, I found a tattoo on her collarbone.
Yan Lin didn't have this tattoo before. It should have been done not long ago. There used to be a long scar there. I thought the purpose of the tattoo was to cover the scar.
Strangely enough, the scar was gone. Except for the slightly red skin, there was only a blood - red tattoo of the flower on the other side.
"There's no blood, but look at this tattoo. There used to be a scar, but it's gone."
Gu Yuan just glanced at it and said, "Those who do evil to themselves cannot be saved."
"Is there really something strange about this tattoo?"
"This was tattooed with the blood of a spiritual cat. The flower on the other side can allow her soul to directly reach the underworld. She has sold her body to the spiritual cat."
"Sold? Can she still be saved?" I looked at Yan Lin with concern. Her face was becoming more and more like a cat's face and getting scarier.
"Only by opening the gates of hell and entering the underworld can we try."
I didn't quite understand, so Gu Yuan added.
"Yan Lin's soul has been led into the Yellow Spring by that spiritual cat. To get it back, we must open the gates of hell and lead a living person's soul into the Yellow Spring to find Yan Lin's soul. But this is very dangerous. If we're not careful, the living person may not be able to come back. This is what's commonly known as 'entering the underworld' in folk tales."
After Gu Yuan said this, he paused for a moment. "But now only you can save her."
"Me? How can I save her?"
I had only been with Gu Yuan for a little over two months. Now I could recite the shaman's incantation and help him out a bit, but I was completely clueless about saving someone.
"She just sucked your yang energy. You're now spiritually connected to her. Only you can sense Yan Lin's scattered three souls and seven spirits."
I bit my lip and fixed my gaze on Gu Yuan, ready to follow his arrangements.
Gu Yuan's cold eyes became deep. He was silent for two seconds and then said, "Go. If you really can't come back, I'll raze the gates of hell to the ground and drag you back."
If any other man said this, I would definitely think he was bragging. But coming from Gu Yuan, I firmly believed it. I even thought he was so cool. My third master was so mighty.
I told Li Xue about my plan to go to the underworld to find someone.
Li Xue let out an "Ah" and timidly asked, "Then... what about Yan Lin? If she wakes up again after you leave?"
"As long as you don't lift the yellow talisman paper, she won't wake up."
Since ancient times, the dragon and the tiger have been in competition, and it's always the dragon that wins. Otherwise, the dragon wouldn't be mentioned before the tiger.
There was Gu Yuan's blood on this yellow talisman paper. Snake blood was equivalent to a small dragon, and it should be more than enough to suppress the blood of a mere spiritual cat.
As he said this, Gu Yuan flipped his palm, and a white candle appeared in his palm.
"Tell her to watch this long - burning lamp carefully. It mustn't go out. Otherwise, even if the soul is retrieved, the person will be a fool."
I repeatedly told Li Xue to watch this candle carefully. It was Yan Lin's life, and it mustn't go out.
Although Li Xue was very scared, she also knew the seriousness of the problem. She took the candle and nodded repeatedly.
After leaving the school gate, Gu Yuan took me and turned into a silver light, returning home.
I obediently lay on the bed and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, my body and soul had separated.
Beside me were not only Gu Yuan but also Ji Xiang. Since only three people were allowed to enter the gates of hell at most, any more would attract the attention of the ghost guards.
It wasn't July, not the day when the gates of hell opened. If we wanted to force - open the gates, a celestial being needed to cast a spell on earth and also guard the physical body when the soul left it.
Both Gu Yuan and Ji Xiang could cast spells. But because Gu Yuan had a strong aura of righteousness and was immune to all ghosts, if he accompanied me to the Yellow Spring to find Yan Lin's soul, it might be even more difficult than me going alone.
So he must be the one who stayed on earth to cast the spell.
After the gates of hell were officially opened and we entered the Yellow Spring, there was a possibility that all kinds of souls would escape. So Ji Xiang had to guard the entrance to prevent the ghosts from getting out.
Then I would enter the Yellow Spring alone to find Yan Lin's soul.
Before I left, Gu Yuan instructed me that Yan Lin's soul might not be complete. When entering the Yellow Spring Road, I needed to carry a blue lantern and quickly track down. Any small animals I saw, such as snakes, spiders, mice, rabbits, etc., were Yan Lin's missing souls.
There were ten in total, three souls and seven spirits. Once I caught them all, I should immediately bring them back, and the soul could return to the body.
Remember, Ji Xiang and I only had one hour. After one hour, whether we found them all or not, we must return immediately.
I nodded to show that I remembered Gu Yuan's instructions. He still seemed a bit worried and said, "Whether you find them all or not, if you're in danger, shake the bell, and I'll go straight to the underworld to pick you up."
Although his tone was still as cold as usual, it was obvious that he was very worried.
I stepped forward and hugged his waist, comforting him, "I'll be back soon."
After I said this, Ji Xiang took me and with a turn of our figures, we descended into the underworld and arrived at the gates of hell.
It turned out that the underworld wasn't the pitch - black place I had imagined. Instead, it looked like a gloomy day. Apart from the feeling of oppression, it was okay.
I looked at the gates of hell. They were so huge that they connected the human world above and the underworld below. This magnificent gate looked quite imposing.
I never thought that I would be able to visit this place while still alive.
Ji Xiang didn't rush to open the gate. Instead, he set up a soul - collecting banner at the entrance.
This was to prevent a large number of souls from rushing out. The soul - collecting banner could take them all in.
After everything was ready, Ji Xiang lit a yellow talisman to inform Gu Yuan on earth to cast the spell to open the gate.
I just quietly waited for two minutes, and then the vermilion gates of hell opened a crack.
A strong gust of yin wind rushed out through the crack.
The soul - collecting banner fluttered violently in the yin wind, and the copper bell on it jingled, breaking the silence of the underworld.
Ji Xiang sat cross - legged under the soul - collecting banner, and the banner kept spinning above his head.
"Little brother, go quickly and come back quickly. Remember, don't speak once you enter the underworld, and no souls will notice you."
I followed his order, summoned up my courage, and squeezed through the crack in the gates of hell.
The moment I stepped onto the Yellow Spring Road, suddenly a withered hand landed on my shoulder. I felt a tingling sensation all over my body. Was I discovered so soon?