Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 19: Fluttering White Shadow

Chapter 19: Fluttering White Shadow

I only felt a pair of icy cold hands wrapping around my waist. My whole body was as if clamped by iron pincers and couldn’t move. I struggled to pull out my only movable right hand. And following the motion, I touched the neck of the curled-up woman. Who would have thought that this touch felt like touching a piece of thousand-year-old ice? I immediately thought, “This is not good. Why is it so cold?” This clearly wasn’t a human’s body temperature.

“So cold… so cold…” 

Luo Shen muttered faintly. She was shrinking further into my arms. She was incredibly strong at this moment. The hand she used to grab my waist almost choked me. Hearing her painful moans in my ears made my heart feel icy cold. Normally, she seemed cold and resilient. She was not like a delicate woman who couldn’t bear hardship. So one could imagine—what kind of pain she was enduring right now was beyond words.

The coldness from Luo Shen’s body grew heavier and heavier. And her breathing became rough. I gritted my teeth and reached out to hold her waist. I pressed my body tightly against hers. I was trying to drive away her coldness for the time being. As soon as we made contact, it felt as if all the warmth in my body was seized by invisible hands and absorbed by her. All the hair on my body stood up, and I broke out in goosebumps.

I didn’t have time to think about what illness had suddenly struck her. I only knew that right now, I was being frozen to the bone by the ice in my arms. If this continued, both of us might freeze to death. I hurriedly struggled and shakily took out a fire starter to light the humanoid lampstand. I then placed the fire starter next to us. This grand hall was already extremely cold and gloomy. I thought if we could just see a little firelight and feel some warmth, we might be able to hold on a bit longer.

Soon I realized that lighting a few sparks in this vast hall was unrealistic. The blue flame of the humanoid lamp flickered. It was giving off a cold glow, which made the cold feel even worse.

“Gui Zhi… kill me quickly… kill me quickly…” 

The woman in my arms suddenly started speaking nonsense: 

“So cold… so cold… kill me…”

“Luo Shen… Luo Shen…” 

I saw her lips had turned pale. And her skin looked unnaturally transparent. I quickly leaned to her ear and shouted, 

“Who is Gui Zhi? What nonsense are you talking about… Luo Shen?”

“*Sigh…*” 

Just as I was panicking, a faint sigh came from somewhere in the corner.

That barely audible sigh reached my ears. The fear I felt at hearing such a sound was beyond description. I only felt all the hair on my body stand up, my heart trembled. And for a moment, it felt like everything froze. My bl00d—from head to toe—froze solid.

I saw a white shadow standing not far away. Her long hair was like a waterfall. It probably reached her ankles. She looked like a few expressive brushstrokes drawn in a heavily inked painting. That white shadow seemed as if it would emerge from the painting at any moment. If I had seen this woman elsewhere, I would’ve been shocked at how beautiful she looked from afar. She was like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world. But this was the underground tomb of the King of Chu’s consort. Such a floating white shadow was like a sharp blade held at my throat.

I sucked in a breath of cold air. Could it be a *Yin Mei*?

A Yin Mei is one of the most feared entities among tomb raiders. It is formed from the essence of a person after death—having form yet formless—very much like the female ghost in folklore that sucks the essence from men. But the Yin Mei doesn’t feed on essence; its favorite food is fresh human bl00d. Its methods are extremely cruel, making it terrifying beyond measure.

That white shadow seemed to be slowly drifting towards us and the humanoid lampstand. In the faint glow of the firelight around us, I could only see the fluttering white hem of her clothes. Her face remained hidden, always unclear. I was terrified. I used all my strength to hold Luo Shen tightly. I closed my eyes tightly—wishing I could lose all my senses. I wished I couldn’t hear, see, or move—as if I were a stone, so I could avoid this torture of fear.

At this moment, the main hall was completely silent, except Luo Shen’s painful moans. The woman walked without making a single sound.

If Luo Shen and I were in our usual state, we would’ve jumped up and fought that white-clothed Yin Mei. And if we couldn’t beat her, we could still run. But now, with Luo Shen in this condition, and my waist and hand injured, we were like two birds with broken wings—helplessly clinging together, waiting to die.

After a long time, a faint scent of sandalwood reached my nose. It came too suddenly and was entirely different from the cold fragrance coming from Luo Shen.

I knew that the woman had reached us. In this ancient and decaying hall, that sandalwood scent was so out of place. I dared not open my eyes. But my mind couldn’t help imagining the scene before me.

It was as if my soul had left my body, floating above, watching the woman from above. Even with my eyes shut tightly, I could still see her pale face, her gloomy cold eyes. Those eyes stared straight at my soul. They were making it tremble. Her lips must have been bright red, like she had just drunk warm bl00d—making a sharp contrast with her bloodless face. She was coldly smirking at me.

My mind went wild. I was imagining her appearance in great detail—the more I imagined, the more I felt like going mad.

Strangely, even though I was prepared for the worst, nothing happened for a long while. That faint sandalwood scent continued to linger around me. Luo Shen, in my arms, had somehow calmed down and gradually regained warmth. The painful struggling from before was gone.

I was still puzzled when I heard the sound of footsteps nearby—noisy, like many people entering the hall. Then, a pair of hurried footsteps rushed toward me. In the darkness, I thought, “Did the white-clothed Yin Mei leave?” But soon, I heard a mocking voice from above:

“Tsk tsk, you two lovebirds hugging each other so tightly—what are you doing?”

The voice was soft and seductive. I immediately opened my eyes and saw Yu Linxing. She was dressed in red silk, standing right in front of me. She wore a fake expression of surprise. She was hiding her charming face behind her fiery sleeves, acting all coy.

Seeing her, I felt a jolt of relief and quickly said, 

“Yu Linxing, look at Luo Shen—she’s not doing well!”

Yu Linxing saw Luo Shen’s condition. And her face instantly froze. She mumbled, 

“Why is this damned ghost acting up again?” 

Then she turned and called out, 

“Ah Que! Get over here!”

As soon as she spoke, a young man who looked like a scholar came running over. He was full of scholarly aura. He respectfully said, 

“What are your orders, Valley Master?”

Yu Linxing dropped her fox-like charm. She turned cold and stern. She pointed to Luo Shen in my arms and said, 

“Get some people to carry her aside and take good care of her. Do you still have those Warm Fragrance Pills I gave you a while ago?”

“Yes, I do.” 

After speaking, the man named Ah Que turned and shouted. Soon, a few young men in black, about the same age, came running over. They all had red lotus tattoos on their bodies—clearly members of Mo Yin Valley.

Ah Que came over to help lift Luo Shen. But he couldn’t pull her away. Even in unconsciousness, Luo Shen’s hands still tightly gripped my waist. But I was exhausted. And having been scared half to death by that silent white-clothed woman, I had no strength left to free Luo Shen from me—so I could only smile awkwardly.

Yu Linxing glanced at me and scolded, 

“Clinging so tightly—I don’t believe it!” 

She bent down and pulled. Finally, she pried Luo Shen’s hands from my waist. The black-clothed men quickly and carefully carried Luo Shen aside. I saw Ah Que feed her a red pill and knew it was the Warm Fragrance Pill—a rare medicine that improves bl00d flow and warms the body. I finally let out a sigh of relief.