After pulling in two people, Yan Tuo stopped—letting those already inside take over. Climbing against the water flow had completely exhausted him.
He slumped against the wall, breathing heavily while watching others work at the cave entrance.
The water curtain acted like a thick wall, blocking all sounds except the rushing water. Inside the cave, one could feel an eerily isolated loneliness.
People entered one by one, with the Bandaged Army members prioritized, while Sun Zhou and Feng Mi were placed toward the end.
Yan Tuo silently counted: only Nie Jiuluo, Xing Shen, and Yu Rong hadn’t entered yet—he hoped Nie Jiuluo wouldn’t be last, as the final person would have no one to hold the rope and would have to climb down manually.
Among the three, Xing Shen entered first, drenched like a drowned rat and shivering uncontrollably.
Usually, people would immediately untie the rope around their waist so those above could pull it back for the next person, but Yan Tuo noticed that Xing Shen didn’t. Instead, he pulled the rope in from above.
Were they done with the rope?
Yan Tuo became anxious: “Where’s Ah Luo?”
Xing Shen was surprised: “Didn’t they tell you?”
He continued: “Halfway through lowering people, Ah Luo spotted White-Eyed Ghosts approaching. She went to intercept them, probably trying to buy us more time.”
Yan Tuo’s face changed: “She’s alone?”
Xing Shen understood his concern: “Right now, she’s worth more than ten of us combined. You’d only get in her way if you went—she’ll do better on her own.”
Though logical, concern clouded his judgment. Yan Tuo’s mind buzzed: “Then how will she get down? Does she know about this cave?”
Just then, there was a splash as Yu Rong entered through the water. After lowering Xing Shen with the rope, she climbed down manually.
As she landed, she caught Yan Tuo’s words.
Yu Rong wiped the cold water from her face: “She knows, we told her. I even left a knife mark at the entry point as a signal, but…”
But who knew if she had registered any of it in her drug-like state?
***
All they could do was wait.
Dozens of people crammed into the small cave, their lips purple and bodies shivering from the cold. The water’s roar made it impossible to hear what was happening outside.
Yan Tuo couldn’t sit still, several times feeling too much time had passed—yet checking his watch showed only a minute or two had gone by.
Perhaps Nie Jiuluo would enter the next second.
Or perhaps she was on a killing spree above, with White-Eyed Ghost corpses everywhere.
Or perhaps…
Yan Tuo’s insides burned; he dared not think further. In his anxiety, he heard Datou’s bitter words: “It’s all because of that damn woman, her brain’s in her ass. Spent a month and a half choosing, and this is what she picked.”
Feng Mi gave a cold laugh but said nothing.
They were temporarily safe now, and there was nothing else to do. Besides, an Earth Hawk in their custody had no right to act superior.
Datou grew angrier: “Didn’t you know there were White-Eyed Ghosts and Owl Ghosts here? Or did you think you were lucky enough not to run into them? Damn it, you deserved to all die this time.”
Feng Mi, normally hot-tempered herself, had held back once or twice but now let loose: “There weren’t any here before! We told you, they don’t come up here.”
Someone nearby made a sarcastic comment: “Hah, they don’t come up, but they did when we arrived. What a coincidence.”
Yan Tuo’s mind stirred.
Feng Mi shot back: “Hasn’t your Bandaged Army always used the Blue Soil path? You’ve used it hundreds of times since the Qin Dynasty, haven’t you also never encountered White-Eyed Ghosts—only knowing there were Earth Hawks down here? Coincidence or not, I don’t know, but your luck must be bad.”
Yan Tuo suddenly called out: “Xing Shen!”
Xing Shen was sitting in a corner, finding the argument between Datou and Feng Mi as annoying as buzzing flies.
Caught off guard by his name being called: “What?”
“I remember when we first arrived, you were trying to strike the Bandaged Bell, and Yu Rong mocked you about not having the musical score?”
Xing Shen didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up: “Yes.”
“You said you knew where the musician terracotta warriors were, but couldn’t find the score because the ancients hid things obscurely—you couldn’t figure out the mystery?”
Right, Xing Shen nodded.
“Sheet music and Bandaged Flags are easy to hide. But the Bandaged Bell is huge—how could you not find it?”
Xing Shen nodded: “The Bandaged Bell is the chime bell, right in the middle of the musician warriors.”
Yan Tuo continued: “Black-White Creek is vast—no matter how loud the bell, its sound is limited. What made you think the Owl Ghosts could hear it?”
Yu Rong was confused: “Wait, Yan Tuo, are you bored? Is this the time for this? What’s the point?”
Yan Tuo: “There is a point.”
There is? Yu Rong fell silent. Her mind wasn’t quick, but if there was a point, she’d keep listening.
Xing Shen said: “Well, the Bandaged Army’s records mention the bell stone’s special material. The ‘Youyang Zazu’ records say, ‘There is a bell stone, shaped like a half-moon… when struck, its sound reaches a hundred li.’ The sound might not be loud, but it travels far. Also, where the musician warriors are, the terrain and shape are odd, like a horn or speaker for amplifying sound.”
Yan Tuo made a sound of acknowledgment: “Then let me ask you—you brought several people, arriving days before all of us, saying you wanted to study ‘borrowing the ghost army.’ During these days, you couldn’t have just wasted time—did you ever strike the Bandaged Bell in Black-White Creek?”
Xing Shen froze: “What do you mean?”
Yan Tuo said: “I remember playing escape rooms with friends in college. Sometimes we needed to crack combination locks. The staff would give hints, and we’d keep trying different combinations based on them, sometimes taking three to five attempts to get it right.”
“You arrived days early to study the clues around the musician warriors. I want to know if you tried striking it. Is it possible that one of your attempts worked?”
Xing Shen’s face suddenly burned: “What are you implying? Are you suggesting the White-Eyed Ghosts and Owl Ghosts came up because I summoned them?”
Feng Mi didn’t know about “borrowing the ghost army,” but listening to their exchange, she understood roughly. Between Xing Shen and Yan Tuo, she naturally sided with Yan Tuo: “That’s what I was saying—White-Eyed Ghosts stay underground, and while Owl Ghosts are in Black-White Creek, they’re concentrated on the ‘Yin’ side. We’ve never heard of them crossing the creek. How could they suddenly appear without a reason?”
Yu Rong couldn’t hold back, pressing Xing Shen: “Did you strike it or not?”
She thought he probably had, since when she arrived, he was still trying to strike it, annoying her: “You must have gotten it right before, but since no Owl Ghosts appeared, you thought you had the wrong score and didn’t think much of it—actually, the reason no Owl Ghosts appeared might be because they’re controlled by the White-Eyed Ghosts. Even if they heard the summons and became restless, they couldn’t rush up recklessly. Everything had to follow the White-Eyed Ghosts’ command.”
Xing Shen’s mind was pounding, unable to contain himself: “This is pure speculation!”
Yan Tuo explained: “I just thought of this possibility after hearing Feng Mi’s words. Xing Shen, this fits your plan. You always wanted to borrow the ghost army. If this theory is correct, you did successfully borrow them, and Lin Xirou’s group suffered heavy losses because of it. It’s just that things went beyond our control—as for the Bandaged Flags and signals, it doesn’t matter whether you found them or not. With White-Eyed Ghosts present, you couldn’t control the Owl Ghosts even with these things.”
Xing Shen gritted his teeth, feeling the gazes of those around him suddenly take on new meaning.
Damn, Yan Tuo was hateful, throwing such a huge accusation at him without any evidence, based purely on speculation!
He had tried striking it, though he wasn’t the only one. They had made various attempts based on the positions of the musician warriors’ bent fingers and even the direction of their glancing eyes, but what proof was there that this had brought up the White-Eyed Ghosts? Maybe there were other reasons?
Seeing Xing Shen’s reaction, Yan Tuo knew his speculation had been rash, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back.
He checked the time again—about ten minutes had passed.
Ten minutes with Nie Jiuluo alone up there.
Yan Tuo couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up, walking toward the exit.
Yu Rong initially thought he was just stretching his legs, but seeing him prepare to climb out, she quickly called out: “What are you doing?”
Yan Tuo said: “I’m going up to look.”
Before Yu Rong could speak, Datou became anxious: “Don’t! I know you’re boyfriend and girlfriend, but don’t pull this stunt now. We’ve finally found a hiding place—if you go out and get discovered, what happens if our location is exposed?”
Others joined in agreement. Xing Shen silently calculated the time.
It had been over an hour since Nie Jiuluo’s transformation. Though her abilities were weakening, she should still be able to hold on.
He looked at Yan Tuo and said coldly: “First, your eyes can’t see in the dark. Second, in terms of fighting ability, you’re far behind Nie Er. Are you sure you’ll help rather than hinder her? I know you have a special relationship, but I suggest you be rational now and control your emotions.”
Yan Tuo held back his anger: “Ah Luo is alone up there. No matter how strong she is, she can’t fight overwhelming numbers. You’re right, we do have a special relationship, which is why I can’t just hide here safely while letting her fight alone.”
Datou said anxiously: “But you can’t endanger everyone! We finally have a hiding place.”
Yan Tuo looked at Yu Rong: “Is there still rope? Lower me down from the cave edge—I’ll swim forward in the river before climbing up. That way I won’t reveal our location or endanger others, right?”
This seemed like it wouldn’t endanger them, so no one objected further. Feng Mi watched Yan Tuo, sigh softly inside.
So his relationship with Ah Luo was this close. She felt a bit envious, thinking her judgment of people wasn’t bad after all.
Yu Rong was silent for a moment before coming to help him tie the rope. After finishing, she said: “The river current is very strong.”
Yan Tuo said: “It’s fine, I’m a good swimmer.”
As Yan Tuo gripped the rope and put one foot over the cave edge, Yu Rong made one last attempt: “It’s really dangerous out there. We can barely handle Owl Ghosts, let alone White-Eyed Ghosts. What if you leave and she comes back right after? Wouldn’t that be a mess? Why don’t you sit and wait a bit longer?”
Yan Tuo gripped the rope tightly, his back already under the cold water’s flow.
After a pause, he said: “You don’t understand. I really can’t just sit here.”
Everyone else in the cave could sit still because if something happened to Nie Jiuluo, she was just a stranger or friend to them.
For him, it was different.
***
Nie Jiuluo spotted the first group of White-Eyed Ghosts while Yu Rong’s group was halfway through lowering people.
From her high position, she saw clearly: about three or four White-Eyed Ghosts leading seven or eight Owl Ghosts, rapidly approaching.
Either intercept or disperse them. Her eyes narrowed as she immediately leaped forward. Xing Shen had seen them too but couldn’t stop her. He anxiously gave directions: “There, there, I’ll have Yu Rong make a mark for you!”
Nie Jiuluo nodded carelessly. She was feeling somewhat arrogant now, thinking herself invincible. Rather than risking herself to protect her companions, it was more about finding a stage to show off her abilities.
After several forward leaps, just as she was about to encounter them, two rope-attached arrows suddenly shot up at her from the formation below.
This move—she’d seen it before. White-Eyed Ghosts loved using this technique to bind people. The rope was made from underground moss; she couldn’t tell if the arrowheads were copper or iron.
It didn’t matter. The two arrowheads arrived almost simultaneously. Nie Jiuluo, atop the battlement, leaped up, caught both ropes mid-air, and yanked hard.
One against two, the ropes went taut. The two White-Eyed Ghosts who had shot the arrows almost lost their footing, stumbling two steps before regaining their stance.
Nie Jiuluo smirked: Were they trying to compete with her strength?
She continued applying force. Just as the two White-Eyed Ghosts were about to give way, she suddenly released the ropes, using the momentum to fly down. Before they could react, her dagger had pierced one’s throat, then twisted half a circle before being pulled out.
Surprisingly, that White-Eyed Ghost didn’t fall immediately. It stood rigidly, swayed a few times, then finally crashed face-first to the ground.
Strange calls echoed from afar, and the nearby White-Eyed Ghosts suddenly became excited, responding with calls of their own as they quickly retreated.
Reinforcements were coming?
Nie Jiuluo didn’t plan to chase them. She quickly climbed the nearest battlement and looked around.
They had indeed come—two groups from different directions, their formations twisted into “S” shapes. Including the current group, from above they looked like a three-pronged boomerang converging on her position at the center.
There must be… thirty or forty of them.
Just as Nie Jiuluo was about to step forward, her vision suddenly blurred, and her calf went weak. Her heart jumped, though she quickly steadied herself.
This couldn’t be—her strength seemed to be failing. Had that much time passed?
Xing Shen’s words suddenly echoed in her ears.
—If you go overtime, you might not recover, you might go mad.