Chapter 516: [The Unrelenting Yin Soul] (Part I)

Hu Xiaotian lowered his voice and said, "Who caught you?"

Tang Qingxuan said, "I didn't get a clear look at him; I was ambushed without knowing why, and when I woke up I was lying here, my meridians sealed, unable to move. If you wouldn't mind, could you help me unseal my meridians?" She obviously gave Hu Xiaotian another problem; Hu Xiaotian had only learned a few grappling moves, the rest being escape-and-feign-death techniques—how would he know how to unseal meridians?

Hu Xiaotian whispered, "That person is probably nearby."

Tang Qingxuan immediately grew nervous: "Quick, quick, take out the fire striker." At this moment she didn't care about propriety between men and women—life and death were at stake, who would bother with such trivialities, especially since Hu Xiaotian is a eunuch.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, This is already the second time you've taken the initiative to ask—it's not that I want to take advantage of you; this person is extremely hypocritical, still putting on an act and saying, "Well… it's not proper, is it…?"

Tang Qingxuan, also short-tempered, snapped, "Enough of you—what time is it now? Stop pretending to be a gentleman, hurry up!" She thought to herself, I don't care, what are you worried about?

Since it's the third request, refusing again would look bad. Hu Xiaotian decided to meet her demand, reaching out. His hand landed on Tang Qingxuan's shoulder, and she said, "Not there—move a bit to the left."

Hu Xiaotian felt her neck: "Here?"

Tang Qingxuan silently cursed him as an idiot: "Go lower." How could she know Hu Xiaotian's eyesight is strong? Even though he can't see clearly in the dark, he can still make out vague outlines, so this guy is just pretending to be stupid.

This time Hu Xiaotian got a handful of the key spot, his right hand pressing Tang Qingxuan's left breast—feeling not bad at all! Soft yet elastic, elastic with strength, really not small. He could hardly get his whole hand around it; if he said his hand wasn't small, he'd be lying—who would have thought the Tang family's young lady actually had some substance.

Feeling such texture, a man's natural reaction would be to squeeze a little harder; Hu Xiaotian had that thought but had to restrain the desire. He whispered, "No."

Normally Tang Qingxuan would never allow him to grope her at will, let alone place his hand on such a sensitive spot; she bit her lip and said, "In my bosom."

This time Hu Xiaotian didn't ask, just slipped his hand inside her collar—previously separated by her outer coat, now only by a thin inner garment. Although Hu Xiaotian made no overt move, Tang Qingxuan, being an unmarried maiden, felt his large hand rubbing back and forth across her chest, making her utterly embarrassed; worse, the friction caused a subtle physiological reaction in her body.

Hu Xiaotian keenly sensed Tang Qingxuan's change. He silently chuckled, I haven't even properly touched you yet and you're already reacting—this girl will surely have strong desires later. He didn't dare linger, lest Tang Qingxuan realize he was deliberately taking advantage; he found the fire striker, quickly withdrew his hand from her bosom, twisted the copper tube, and blew a gentle puff onto the striker. In the darkness a red glow sparked, though not strong, yet in this pitch‑black underground it was as bright as the morning star.

Whether from the red glow of the fire striker or her embarrassment, Tang Qingxuan's face turned scarlet, her thoughts in turmoil. She muttered to herself, How could I be so foolish? Why did I let him fetch the fire striker? I've just felt him all over both sides of her chest—if this were the past, Tang Qingxuan would have killed him to preserve her purity; now, however, she consoles herself: It's fine, he's a eunuch, eunuchs aren't really men, serving the imperial consorts in the palace, they don't avoid such people when bathing, so why should I mind? Besides, he didn't mean to grope me; it was only after my repeated pleas that he touched me a few times.

Hu Xiaotian had no time to join her daydreaming; holding the fire striker, he used its faint light to survey their surroundings—a spacious underground stone chamber. To his left was a stairway; just moments ago he had been dragged down from above by someone, and recalling that, he felt a burning pain in his buttocks, guessing the skin had been scraped raw. Tang Qingxuan sat leaning against the wall, a corpse lay at her left side. Unable to move and still in total darkness, she hadn't noticed it until Hu Xiaotian's gaze suddenly stopped; following his look, she saw the corpse had turned into a desiccated skeleton, its two black eye sockets staring at her, and she screamed in fright.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, continued observing, and seeing no one else besides themselves and the corpse, he relaxed a little, then lifted the fire striker and hurried up the stairs.

Tang Qingxuan thought he intended to leave her alone, and in panic she cried, "Don't abandon me here!"

Hu Xiaotian ignored her, gritted his teeth against the burning pain in his buttocks and climbed the stairs, only to see that the entrance through which he had just been dragged was now sealed.

Tang Qingxuan spent a long half‑day anxiously waiting in the dark; finally a living person appeared, and she had hoped for rescue, but Hu Xiaotian walked off without a word, plunging her into despair. She burst into helpless tears, sobbing, "Hu Xiaotian, you bastard…!" After uttering that curse, she saw Hu Xiaotian descending the stairs again and immediately stopped her invective.

Hu Xiaotian said, "The opening above is sealed; we have to find another way out." He also didn't know how to unseal meridians, so he asked Tang Qingxuan, "Shall I carry you on my back?" Just as he turned, he recalled that her meridians were blocked and she couldn't move, so he could only hold her, and amended, "Shall I hold you and go?"

Tang Qingxuan nodded; when there's no choice, one can endure anything. She thought to herself, It's fine—after all, he's a eunuch.

Hu Xiaotian lifted Tang Qingxuan from the ground; to their left front was a doorway. With no retreat possible, he could only go forward. He understood that the terrifying figure who had abducted them might be secretly watching their every move from somewhere. But in their predicament, they could not afford to overthink—each step forward was progress.

Stepping through the doorway, they felt a cold wind blowing toward them; Tang Qingxuan's delicate frame shivered slightly. Hu Xiaotian said, "I hear water—there's water ahead." He quickened his pace, walking over two hundred steps, and indeed saw an underground river appear before them, a stone arch bridge spanning it. After crossing the bridge, after just a few steps he saw light shining ahead; Hu Xiaotian focused his gaze—it was a lantern hanging far away, emitting a pale white light in the darkness.

Tang Qingxuan gazed at the lantern ahead, which looked like a ghost fire, feeling a bit afraid, and trembled, "What if there are ghosts? We'd better not go over."

Hu Xiaotian replied, "What ghosts? I'd say eight or nine times out of ten it's someone faking spirits, but we can't stay forever in this lightless underground." He held Tang Qingxuan and continued toward the lantern.

Upon approaching, they saw the lantern hanging from a dead tree; on either side of the tree lay a massive boulder, and between the boulders ran a narrow path barely wide enough for one person. On the right‑hand boulder were carved two large characters: Netherworld.

Seeing those four characters, Tang Qingxuan's face turned deathly pale with fright, and she pleaded desperately, "Please don't go any further."

Hu Xiaotian didn't believe this place was really the netherworld; although underground, it was likely just a structure beneath Lujia Village, certainly not the actual netherworld.

Just then, a low, melodious dongxiao flute sound came from ahead; though the flute was played well, in this setting it sounded especially grim and terrifying. Tang Qingxuan trembled with fear, her former boldness vanished, and Hu Xiaotian whispered, "How about I leave you here first and go check it out?"

"Don't go!" Tang Qingxuan begged.

Hu Xiaotian set her down, insisting that his going forward was not due to curiosity but because he had no other choice.

Tang Qingxuan added, "I don't want to stay here alone; bring me with you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Or I'll go ahead first to scout the situation."

Tang Qingxuan bit her lip, realizing that in her current condition coming along would be a burden; if danger arose, Hu Xiaotian would have to split his attention to protect her, only making things worse, so she urged, "You also be careful."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "It's fine—I still know a bit of martial arts."

Tang Qingxuan was no stranger to his abilities; relying on his half‑assed kung fu, she had once chased him all over the place, let alone facing a true master.

Hu Xiaotian had no confidence in his martial arts either; he trusted his escape skills, and the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps weren't learned for nothing. He entered the narrow path between the two boulders; after just a few steps he saw mist swirling, the air becoming unusually damp, and the temperature seemed to have risen considerably.

Following the flute's sound forward, he saw ahead a patch of grass and flowers flashing with colorful fluorescence—something he never expected to find in this dark underground. Five‑colored subterranean plants shifted their gorgeous hues, and amid the blossoms fluttered insects that glittered with golden light. Hu Xiaotian suddenly recalled the Blood Shadow Golden Toad released that night from the Bright Moon Palace, and his heart gave a jolt. The flute was now right before him; he lifted his gaze and saw inside the stone pavilion a girl in a white long dress seated there, holding a flute in both hands. The flute's tone was soft and mournful, filled with a desolate, chilling aura. Though he couldn't make out her face, from her bewitching figure and flawless silhouette he could already tell who she was.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year, Zhangyu persists in updating for the new year—commendable! Asking for monthly ticket red packets; those who still have monthly tickets, cast them for the Medical Union! (To be continued…~^~)