Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 45: Bewitching Miasma

Chapter 45: Bewitching Miasma

Luo Shen supported my waist from the side. She was silently watching me. Her thin lips were deathly pale. It was devoid of any color.

“You must think I’m talking nonsense again.” 

I rasped and mumbled to her, 

“This Dragon Ravine has been buried for so many years. How could I possibly recognize this peach tree? But it’s standing there, real and solid. Luo Shen… my head hurts so much.” 

My mind was in utter chaos at this moment. The acupoints near my eyes were throbbing violently. And even my speech became disordered and incoherent.

She reached out to wipe the sweat from my forehead. But just then, a loud rustle came from the peach blossom thicket—someone had fallen down from a tree upside-down. It startled both me and her greatly. From my angle, I could see a delicate little face. It was like a carved jade doll. She had large eyes as pure as black jade. And two dimples were nestled in the pink blossoms around her. It was sweet and endearing.

“Changsheng?” 

I recognized the person and was instantly shocked.

Changsheng swung down from the tree with a giggle. She landed lightly on the ground. Her floating movement made one mistake her for a feather from a swan—utterly insubstantial. Luo Shen quickly helped me up. And Changsheng approached with eyes like black pearls glimmering with laughter. Her voice was soft like honey: 

“Sister, we meet again! Changsheng is so happy.”

I exclaimed, 

“Changsheng! Why are you here?”

This child was as delicate as carved jade. She came and went as freely as the wind. Since our fleeting farewell at Qisha, I never expected to see her again in this perilous Dragon Ravine—how could I not feel suspicious?

Changsheng hid her hands behind her back and smiled brightly, 

“This is where I live! I’ve always been here.”

“Here… here?” 

A chill ran down my spine. I glanced at Luo Shen instinctively. She still looked as calm as ever, like snow. But her eyes were flickering with suspicion.

“Yes, this place is my paradise.” 

Changsheng suddenly opened her arms childishly and gestured at the air. 

“I got tired from playing. So I climbed the peach tree and fell asleep. Then I heard voices below and came down to check. Who knew it would be you, Sister! What a coincidence!”

I quickly crouched down and gently touched her hair. Her rosy smiling face peeked out from a white fox fur collar. It was sparkling like crystal. For some reason, looking at her made me feel a sudden fondness.

Her beautiful eyes blinked as she looked at Luo Shen. She tilted her little head, and asked,

“Who is this lady in white? She’s so pretty. Is she your friend, Sister?”

I nodded, and saw Luo Shen slightly turn her face. Her gaze was drifting outward. I immediately understood—she seemed not too comfortable around children.

But it wasn’t surprising. She had always been aloof with strangers. I couldn’t help but recall how cold and proud she was when we first met. We even exchanged blows back then. And now, we were comrades through life and death. Time truly is a wondrous thing.

My thoughts drifted again when Changsheng’s eyes sparkled. And she ran over excitedly to where Aoyue was lying. Hugging its silver fur, she kissed it and cried, 

“Big Doggy! You haven’t played with me in so long. I even gave Sister the flowers, and you didn’t give me a single reward!” 

Aoyue snorted and nudged her. It made her giggle.

Seeing how familiar the girl and the wolf were, I finally realized—so the “Big Doggy” Changsheng referred to was actually Aoyue! I quickly beckoned her over and gently asked, 

“Have you lived here long? What’s this place called?”

“This is the Abandoned Wilds,” 

She said, touching her head and sticking out her tongue. 

“I have a bad memory, so I don’t know how long I’ve been here.”

She was so innocent and lively that affection surged in my heart. I thought to myself, having such a cute younger sister would be a wonderful thing. Then she smiled again and said, 

“It’s really lively today! No one’s come here in ages. Look, I met you guys today! And not long ago, lots of people came too. The leader was a lady in red.”

I was shocked and quickly interrupted, 

“A lady in red? Where did they go?”

Changsheng pointed with her little mouth toward the deep darkness, 

“They went that way. The lady in red didn’t look well. A big brother was helping her. A bunch of people went with them.”

I saw Luo Shen’s expression change slightly and also started to worry—was the demoness hurt? That could be bad. I gave Luo Shen a look and quickly said to Changsheng, 

“We’re going to catch up with the lady in red. So we must leave now.” 

Then I called Aoyue and we leapt onto his back.

Changsheng’s expression changed drastically. She was shaking her head, 

“Sister, don’t go! Once she went in, she never came back! There are lots of bad guys in there. They’re really mean. Changsheng doesn’t like them!”

I bent down and said to her, 

“That lady in red is our good friend. We can’t let her get hurt.” 

Realizing that Changsheng seemed very familiar with this strange place, I still couldn’t fully trust her—she was still just a child. So I reminded her, 

“Don’t run off. If we come back safely, we’ll come find you.”

Aoyue howled. It then shot like an arrow into the shadows. I looked back and saw the small figure standing next to the blooming peach tree. It was growing smaller and smaller until she became a tiny black dot. A pang of sorrow hit my chest. It was like watching flowers by lamplight and catching glimpses of old wounds.

The deeper we went, the more black mists wound around the pitted ground. It was emitting a pungent smell—completely different from the grassy plains of the Abandoned Wilds. Many footprints remained ahead. They grew messier the deeper we went. It looked like a major upheaval had occurred. Yu Linxing and the others must’ve encountered something difficult here. Luo Shen and I no longer hesitated and continued searching. Soon the muddy paths vanished and were replaced by stone slabs. All around were crumbling walls and stacked boulders—it seemed to be a giant, abandoned ruin.

Thin streams of fog drifted low along the ground. It was like a bewitching smoke spreading outward.

I smelled a strange scent in the air and felt a strange sensation. Luo Shen quickly warned, 

“Be careful not to inhale too much. This is Bewitching Miasma—it disturbs the mind.”

I held my breath and carefully walked among the collapsed stones. Suddenly, a gust of wind struck from behind. And I was grabbed tightly at the waist.

I cried out in shock and twisted my waist. But it felt like a spirit snake had wrapped around me—I couldn’t break free. The person dragged me down and pinned me to the side. They then climbed on top of me. Their body was scorching hot, and their hands were choking my neck.

I had been caught off guard. I was pinned to the ground. Everything blurred before my eyes. In panic, I grabbed the attacker’s wrist—it felt silky and smooth. It was like mutton-fat jade. Alarmed, I tried to call out their name. But hot hands blocked my throat. They silenced me.

The figure before me wore flaming red—it was none other than Yu Linxing. She had been separated from us earlier.

But she seemed possessed. She was strangling me with all her might. I tried to knee her, but she felt as heavy as iron. She shouted furiously,

“Kill you! Kill you! Who do you think you are? We of the Yu family control our own fates! I’ll kill you now and shut you up!”

Her eyes were crimson like burning fire. And in her red dress, she truly looked like a flame raging through hell.

“I’ll kill you! Kill you! I’ll make sure you see in the underworld just how happy I am!” 

She screamed madly. She choked me until I was almost unconscious.

Suddenly, a mess of footsteps sounded nearby. It was followed by a loud *slap!* The red-dressed woman pinning me down was stunned by the slap. It released her grip and she froze.

I seized the chance to push her off. Luo Shen had just slapped Yu Linxing hard across the face. Her expression was calm as ever. She bent down and helped me up.

“*Cough cough*… you crazy woman… what are you doing? You almost killed me!” 

I backed away, holding my throat and glaring at her.

Yu Linxing seemed to regain clarity after the slap. She leapt up. She was holding her flushed cheek in a daze. After a moment, she asked, 

“Who hit me just now?”

Then, with teary peach blossom eyes, she said indignantly, 

“Oh no, my beautiful face—it’s probably ruined!”

She looked around. She was eyeing both me and Luo Shen. She then stared tearfully at Luo Shen: 

“You jerk! How could you slap me the moment we meet? What did I ever do to you?” 

Then she turned to me and said, 

“Shishi, quick! Give me a mirror. I need to check my face.”

Luo Shen remained expressionless and silent. While I was already spitting bl00d in anger. Just moments ago, she was trying to kill me. And now she’s worried about her face?! This woman is completely unreliable.

Right now, I really wanted to go over and strangle her!