Chapter Fifty-Three: The Calamity of the Seventh Night (Part Nine)

"Hey! Wake up, you fool! Wake up!"

It seemed as if someone was calling out to him. Who was it, and why did that voice sound so familiar?

"Who is it? I must go and see."

In the boundless darkness, Luo Hanya let out a pained groan, instinctively crying out a single name, "Bing'er," before slipping into unconsciousness once again.

No one knew how much time had passed before Luo Hanya slowly opened his eyes, gasping for air.

"You're awake?" Luo Hanya saw Menghen Lige sitting beside him. The cold indifference she once wore was gone; now, she gazed at him curiously, as if he'd done something unusual.

"W-what happened to me? Why are you looking at me like that?" Luo Hanya felt awkward under Menghen Lige’s inquisitive stare, so unlike her usual self, and stammered out his question.

"Ah? It's nothing. I was just worried, so I kept watching you—I was afraid something might happen," Menghen Lige replied, her cheeks flushing inexplicably. Even her speech became hesitant, a far cry from how she usually was, and she hurried to explain herself.

Seeing the heroine before him with cheeks tinged red, her long lashes trembling, beauty in every detail, Luo Hanya finally felt a weight lift from his heart. He let out a long breath and gave Menghen Lige a wide, silly grin.

For some reason, Luo Hanya felt a burning pain in his cheeks whenever he smiled.

Rubbing his face in confusion, he asked, "Did something happen while I was unconscious? Why does my face hurt so much?"

"N-no, nothing happened. Maybe it's just your imagination," Menghen Lige stammered, her face growing even redder.

Luo Hanya felt a warmth in his heart at her adorable expression, and with a hearty laugh, let the matter drop.

"By the way, what happened to you just now? You were shouting and rolling around—what on earth did you experience?" Menghen Lige asked.

Luo Hanya briefly recounted what he had gone through. Both of them fell silent, then turned in unison to look at the enormous locust tree in the center of the courtyard.

"There’s something wrong with that tree—definitely something wrong!" Luo Hanya stared at the eerie, ghostly locust tree, a chill crawling over his scalp. He gritted his teeth and declared with certainty.

"You’re right, but what should we do?" Menghen Lige replied calmly.

Gazing at the massive tree, Luo Hanya couldn’t help but recall the many hands and the dead who should not have been there beneath its boughs. His brows knit together in silence.

"Maybe we’re overthinking this. These things don’t seem directly related to our main objective. Let’s ignore the ghostly talismans and the locust tree for now, and just see if we can leave. No need to risk more the longer we stay," Luo Hanya said at last with a bitter smile.

"It does feel like we’ve gotten off track," Menghen Lige admitted with a sigh.

Bang! Bang!

"The door… won’t open?" Luo Hanya scowled, pounding on the door several more times with no effect.

"Hmph, let me try," Menghen Lige said, drawing her longsword. With a single sweep, she unleashed a flying sword technique, aiming to pierce through the door.

The blade’s force was terrifying; even several paces away, Luo Hanya could feel a chill as though it might slice through his own skin. Watching this powerful strike, Luo Hanya was full of hope, imagining the door shattering to pieces.

But things did not go as he wished. A strange gray light flashed across the door, and with a startled cry, Menghen Lige was flung back more than ten paces before regaining her footing.

She stared at the door in shock, unable to believe her eyes. She knew well the power of her technique—such a blow could easily pierce even a great tree, let alone a wooden door. Yet the door remained utterly unharmed, and she herself had been rebounded so far.

But Luo Hanya saw something else. After the gray light flashed, a faint mist began to spread through the courtyard, growing denser by the moment.

"Do you see the gray mist in the courtyard?" Luo Hanya asked.

"What gray mist? There’s nothing there," Menghen Lige replied, casting him a puzzled glance.

"You really can’t see it? There’s mist everywhere, and under the locust tree, something seems to be struggling," Luo Hanya said, staring hard at the tree, his whole body trembling as he swallowed nervously.

Menghen Lige stepped forward, scrutinizing the tree for a long while, but saw nothing unusual.

"There’s really nothing there. I don’t see a thing," she replied.

"Don’t you feel cold? Look, the droplets on the leaves—they’re turning to ice crystals," Luo Hanya continued, his words coming in a rush, leaving Menghen Lige increasingly baffled.

She walked up to him and lightly slapped his cheeks twice, but seeing that he remained fixated on the tree, she struck him harder.

"What are you doing? What did I do to you? Why do you always hit me for no reason?" Luo Hanya protested angrily, finally tearing his gaze from the locust tree to glare at Menghen Lige, who stood before him in stunned silence.

"Sorry, I thought you’d passed out again," Menghen Lige replied softly, her head hung like a child who had done something wrong.

Luo Hanya stared at her, half amused and half exasperated. "So, when I fainted earlier, was this how you tried to wake me up?"

"Mhm," she murmured, burying her face deeper, as if afraid to meet his eyes.

"You…" Luo Hanya couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected side of Menghen Lige—she actually knew how to play the innocent.

He was just about to forgive her when, suddenly, a shadow crawled out from beneath the locust tree and rushed straight at Menghen Lige. Alarmed, he shouted, "Get out of the way! Don’t just stand there!"

Menghen Lige’s eyes widened, but she chose to trust Luo Hanya. With a graceful leap, almost as if she’d mastered the art of lightness, she bounded over ten paces away from where she had stood.

"What is it?" she asked, looking back in confusion. Nothing had happened where she’d been.

Luo Hanya was equally perplexed. He could have sworn he’d seen the shadow lunge right at that spot, yet no trace remained.

"Could I be under an illusion again?" he wondered silently.

"Menghen, do you see any small ice crystals on the locust tree?" Luo Hanya asked once more.

Though puzzled by his question, Menghen Lige still glanced up at the tree.

"There are! Yes, there really are," she exclaimed in surprise.

Luo Hanya stood there in a daze, murmuring to himself,

"Yin energy—the breath of the underworld. The coldest, most frigid force. In an instant, it can turn water into ice."