Shen Cuiyu suddenly raised her hand to stop Dongfang Xiao, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "It's fine. I'll go with him."
She stood up and said to those around her, "I'll be back soon. I'll just stay nearby to keep watch for him."
Zhong Shengwan frowned tightly but finally only uttered four words, "Go and come back quickly."
Just as Shen Cuiyu turned around with Ji Xiaoqi and their figures were about to disappear into the denser darkness outside the mourning hall—
On the table, the last bit of the incense tip suddenly flared up and then completely dimmed. The three wisps of green smoke abruptly ceased, and the incense ash silently fell.
Almost at the same moment, a very soft sigh drifted faintly into everyone's ears.
"Alas..."
Dongfang Xiao shivered all over and suddenly turned his head to glare at Zhong Shengwan beside him. "Hey! You bookworm! Why did you suddenly sigh? It's so creepy!"
Zhong Shengwan was already a bit scared. Now, being shouted at by him, he glared back angrily and hissed in a low voice,
"What are you talking about! When did I sigh? That sigh just now was clearly from you!"
"Get out of here! Why would I sigh for no reason?!"
As they were arguing, another sigh sounded.
"Alas..."
This time, the sigh was clearer than before, carrying endless desolation and exhaustion, as if it was ringing right next to everyone's ears.
Dongfang Xiao and Zhong Shengwan instantly fell silent, their hairs standing on end. They suddenly turned their heads simultaneously to look at Pei Yu, who had been silent all along.
Pei Yu stood with his arms folded. The moonlight outlined his cold and sharp side profile. His thin lips were tightly pursed, and he hadn't even opened his mouth!
The three of them suddenly met each other's gazes in the air, and they all saw the same surprise, suspicion, and horror in each other's eyes!
"Not good!" Zhong Shengwan cursed under his breath. The three of them immediately got up and quickly headed in the direction where Shen Cuiyu and Ji Xiaoqi had left!
The other students hadn't yet reacted to what was happening. They only saw the three of them suddenly start running in a certain direction. They thought the evil spirit had appeared, so they quickly picked up their talismans and magic tools and followed!
The mourning hall was originally located in a secluded place on the outskirts. Shen Cuiyu didn't go far with Ji Xiaoqi. They just found a hidden forest nearby.
After Ji Xiaoqi quickly finished his business, the two of them started walking back along the path they had come. However, after walking for only a short while, the surrounding scenery became increasingly familiar—they had actually circled back to the same place!
Ji Xiaoqi looked at the big tree not far away where he had just relieved himself. His little face instantly turned pale, and he subconsciously shrank his neck. His voice trembled,
"Sister... Have we walked back here again..."
He subconsciously hid behind Shen Cuiyu, and his little hand tried to grab the corner of her sleeve for a sense of security.
Shen Cuiyu was just about to turn around to comfort him when her gaze suddenly froze on the shadow behind Ji Xiaoqi. She suddenly stopped still.
In the air, a faint, nauseating stench of decay suddenly became stronger.
Ji Xiaoqi keenly noticed the change in Shen Cuiyu's expression. His small body stiffened, and he subconsciously wanted to turn his head to look.
"Don't turn your head." Shen Cuiyu's voice remained calm. She quickly raised her hand, and her warm palm gently covered Ji Xiaoqi's eyes. With her other hand, she pulled him closer.
This sister was usually quiet, but at this moment, the clear and cold fragrance from her sleeves surrounded him, and it strangely dispelled the fear in Ji Xiaoqi's heart.
In the shadow, the corpse slowly emerged. It was even more terrifying than yesterday. The decay had worsened, and its face was hardly recognizable. The chilling aura of death almost seemed to solidify. It was definitely a sight that no child could bear.
"Ji San?" Shen Cuiyu said calmly, as if she was just calling an old friend.
She knew that Ji San had deliberately led them here. There were too many celestial masters outside the mourning hall, and it was natural for Ji San to be afraid.
Under her palm, Ji Xiaoqi's body suddenly stiffened, and then he couldn't help but tremble violently. "....Dad?"
"Thank you, celestial master... for taking care of Xiaoqi for me..."
A hoarse and rough voice sounded, like a broken bellows.
Completely different from his previous violent and chaotic state, Ji San's eyes now regained a bit of clarity, even with a kind of dead calm.
The moment Ji Xiaoqi heard this voice, he didn't know where he got the strength, and he suddenly broke free from Shen Cuiyu's hand.
"Dad!" He exclaimed and turned around!
When he really saw the figure in front of him, he seemed to be nailed to the spot. His little face was full of shock and disbelief.
Was this thing that was neither human nor ghost in front of him really his father?
Ji San raised his lifeless eyes and greedily stared at his son.
He was already a walking corpse, so of course he couldn't shed tears, but Shen Cuiyu clearly felt a kind of almost tangible and heavy sadness from his distorted and stiff face.
Shen Cuiyu flicked her finger, and a yellow talisman fluttered gently and landed on Ji San's chest.
"This talisman can temporarily suppress your evil aura so that you won't hurt the child."
Ji San stiffly nodded to show his gratitude, and then he tried to wave at Ji Xiaoqi. His voice was hoarse but extremely gentle. "Xiaoqi... Why is your clothes torn like this..."
This familiar concern brought Ji Xiaoqi back to his senses, and the little bit of fear just now completely disappeared.
This was definitely his father in front of him.
Ji Xiaoqi didn't cry when he had to sleep in the open along the way, didn't cry when he was hungry, and didn't cry when he was looked down upon by others.
But at this moment, he suddenly burst into tears and threw himself into Ji San's cold and stiff arms.
There was no heartbeat, no warmth, only a cold chill.
"Dad! You didn't keep your promise! You said you would accompany me. Why... Why did you become like this?!" Ji Xiaoqi wailed, his words in a jumble.
Ji San made a few strange grunts in his throat, as if he was smiling bitterly. "It's Dad's fault. When Dad was working, he accidentally..."
Actually, before going down the mine, when he saw the simple protection, he had his doubts.
But the pay was really too high, so high that he was willing to take a chance. Who would have known...
He struggled to pull the corner of his mouth, trying to show a smile, and softly asked, "How... did you come here?"
"I..." Ji Xiaoqi was crying so hard that he could hardly catch his breath. "I begged the neighbor uncle to lend me some money, and I asked a passing freight truck to take me here..." As he cried, he hurriedly took off the shabby backpack that he never left. He lifted the cover cloth—inside, it was full of carefully folded golden paper ingots!
He remembered that his father used to say when he burned ingots for his mother that after people died, they would go to the underworld, and these paper ingots were the money used in the underworld.
Ji San was stunned for a long time, and then he slowly raised his cold and stiff hand and carefully stroked his son's head. "It's been hard on you. You've done so much for Dad..."
However, the next second, the evil aura around him that was barely suppressed by the talisman paper began to churn violently. The edge of the talisman paper made a faint burning sound, as if it was about to break at any moment. In his dead eyes, great grief and anxiety welled up.
"If I leave... What will happen to you?!"