Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 234 Exchange

Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Exchange

Faint panting echoed through the narrow alley. Yu Wenxuan ran at the front, followed closely by Jiang Li and Lu Guo.

The three of them ran for nearly three minutes before finally stopping, hiding behind an old house.

Yu Wenxuan wasn’t wrong; this path indeed had many places to hide. Whether to escape or to deal with the ghost, it was far better than the direction Bai Yanliang chose.

If the fierce ghost entered the path Bai Yanliang chose, he’d definitely be doomed with nowhere to hide.

Yu Wenxuan leaned against the old house and said to Jiang Li and Lu Guo, "You can rest, but don’t make any noise."

"Okay."

Lu Guo and Jiang Li nodded together. Avoiding unnecessary noise was fundamental to surviving in the Fog Gathering task.

So, although Yu Wenxuan was extremely hostile towards her earlier, Jiang Li didn’t hold much resentment against him in her heart.

She knew it was indeed her problem.

In truth, she wasn’t as timid as she was now. Unlike most people, after experiencing life and death repeatedly, she didn’t become numb but instead more cautious. Even a slight anomaly could trigger her fragile nerves and cause a huge reaction.

Jiang Li knew that this behavior could lead to her death, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

What can be corrected is called a shortcoming.

What cannot be corrected is called a weakness.

Years of living on the edge of life and death had left her nerves increasingly sensitive and fragile, which was her greatest weakness.

"Where... should we go next?"

Fear flashed in Lu Guo’s eyes as he looked at Yu Wenxuan and asked in a low voice.

Humans are inherently lazy. When those around them are in the same situation, and their ability is superior, humans are always willing to place hope in others.

Lu Guo’s behavior at this moment was a typical example.

In fact, he himself had quite capable abilities; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived the previous tasks.

Yu Wenxuan didn’t answer Lu Guo’s question. He gestured for silence and listened intently.

"Keep quiet; it seems like it’s coming."

Jiang Li and Lu Guo felt a twinge of tension in their hearts. They mimicked Yu Wenxuan, clinging to the wall of the old house without daring to make any noise.

Two or three seconds later, clear footsteps appeared.

The three of them pressed against the wall, holding their breath...

...

The right path.

Bai Yanliang and Xu Zhifei fled this way.

Although he hadn’t consulted Xu Zhifei, knowing her, if she didn’t agree to take the right path, she would have untied the rope and gone in another direction.

However, the fact was that Xu Zhifei followed him in silence and ran into what seemed like a dead-end on the right path.

Almost every village has a desolate dam, and now it seemed that he and Xu Zhifei had reached Zhongyuan Village’s dam.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the whooshing of the wind piercing their ears.

"It went the other way."

Bai Yanliang hadn’t heard any sound from the path they came from.

Xu Zhifei didn’t respond, but Bai Yanliang could clearly hear her breathing. Just running this far, based on her previous stamina, she definitely shouldn’t be breathing so heavily.

Obviously, her body was about to give out.

"I can save you." Bai Yanliang said calmly, "But you have to pay a price."

"Speak..."

Xu Zhifei seemed reluctant to speak; even uttering a single word appeared extremely difficult.

"Where did you get your key?" Bai Yanliang asked his puzzled question directly, without any intention of taking advantage of the situation.

"..." Xu Zhifei remained silent.

But Bai Yanliang wasn’t in a hurry; she would eventually talk.

Sure enough, as he expected.

"Mother... left it for me."

Xu Zhifei’s tone took Bai Yanliang by surprise; he never associated the word "gentle" with her.

Yet, when she said "mother," she sounded so gentle like she turned into a completely different person.

And her answer was something Bai Yanliang had never anticipated.

Xu Zhifei’s mother was actually a cursed person in a space similar to "Fog Gathering"?

So, Xu Zhifei is a descendant of a cursed person?

"How is the key used?" Bai Yanliang didn’t pursue the story about Xu Zhifei’s mother, as now was evidently not the right time to ask such things.

This time, Xu Zhifei answered quickly.

"Palm blood."

Palm blood? Bai Yanliang fell silent for a while, recalling his conversation with Feng Xiuxue.

Feng Xiuxue had indeed deceived him.

"Key holders can sense each other," Bai Yanliang said, looking at the surrounding air, "Is there any way to hide it?"

"... Only one way, gather more keys; few cannot sense many." Xu Zhifei’s answer resolved Bai Yanliang’s doubts.

This point, Feng Xiuxue hadn’t lied to him; however... palm blood was clearly the method of using the key. Why did she lie and say it was a way to block sensing?

Recalling the scenario at the time, Bai Yanliang had a revelation.

Someone was after his key, even threatening his life.

Ordinarily, after Feng Xiuxue hinted that palm blood contaminating the key could block sensing, most people would likely do just that.

If Bai Yanliang had really done that, he wouldn’t have blocked sensing but inexplicably used the ability.

And the cost of using the key’s ability... he already knew well.

If it were someone else, Feng Xiuxue’s plan might have succeeded. She could have easily gotten Bai Yanliang’s key without bloodshed.

But she never expected that Bai Yanliang hadn’t had any designs on the key all along, viewing its existence as far exceeding its mystical nature.

After all... it was something left by Yanren.

A few breaths later, having received many answers from Xu Zhifei, Bai Yanliang no longer hid his thoughts.

"One last question, about you." Bai Yanliang asked, "In your perspective, can you see your own body?"

Although this notion was a bit strange, Xu Zhifei grasped Bai Yanliang’s meaning.

"... Yes."

In truth, before Xu Zhifei answered, Bai Yanliang already knew what her answer would be.

When he asked Xu Zhifei to assess her body’s changes, he partly aimed to determine if she could see her own body.

Touching her body was also Bai Yanliang’s intent.

But the area he touched was purely accidental.

"Hmm, your current state isn’t invisible. To be precise, you are in a soul state that can be touched. Your body is hidden somewhere, and it is decaying. Only by finding it and restoring you could the curse possibly be lifted."

Bai Yanliang’s tone was assured, as if he already knew where Xu Zhifei’s body was hidden.

Xu Zhifei quietly absorbed his words, yet before she could respond, a sudden change occurred.

The wind... was getting stronger.

Bai Yanliang looked up at the overcast sky filled with dense clouds.

At this moment, the previously impenetrable rain cloud suddenly split open, and a glimmering white light penetrated through the clouds.

"Damn..."

Bai Yanliang muttered.

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