After several such attempts, Yun Qingxue drooped her head in defeat. She thought she would surely develop a phobia of wall-penetration techniques from now on…
The wind outside grew fiercer, howling like ghostly wails. It rushed incessantly through the unclosed door, tousling her hair and making it hard for her to even keep her eyes open.
Silently, Yun Qingxue cursed Hua Yin—that wooden-faced jerk! Even if he wouldn’t help her free herself from the wall, the least he could have done was close the door on his way out!
“Ssss~”
A-Dai, having woken up, lifted its head from Yun Qingxue’s wrist, its round little eyes still slightly dazed.
“A-Dai…” Yun Qingxue called out, on the verge of tears.
“Ssss~” A-Dai flicked its tongue in response.
“I can’t get out!”
Whether A-Dai could help or not, Yun Qingxue felt she needed to vent her frustration—words couldn’t even describe how she felt right now.
“Ssss~” A-Dai’s round eyes shifted between Yun Qingxue and the wall trapping her.
Suddenly, Yun Qingxue felt a slippery sensation on her wrist as A-Dai dropped to the ground, its tiny body wriggling uncontrollably…
In its nearly two hundred years of life, A-Dai had never encountered anything so amusing—it was practically dying of laughter!
Though it shouldn’t take pleasure in its master’s misfortune, being stuck in a wall… it just couldn’t help it!
“Ugh…” Yun Qingxue sighed, watching the little snake convulse on the floor. With a dark expression, she asked, “Had enough fun?”
A-Dai’s twitching abruptly stopped. It raised its head innocently to glance at Yun Qingxue before resuming its wild wriggling…
Yun Qingxue suddenly laughed too—though it was more out of exasperation at A-Dai’s adorable antics.
The wind outside seemed to have died down a little. Since she couldn’t free herself from the wall anytime soon, Yun Qingxue closed her eyes and began recalling the wall-penetration technique recorded on the pearl.
She needed to figure out what had gone wrong, leading to this awkward predicament!
After a while, A-Dai stopped wriggling and noticed its master ignoring it. Its little heart skipped a beat—had it angered her?
“Ssss~” It flicked its tongue, but seeing its master still had her eyes closed, it sheepishly slithered back onto Yun Qingxue’s wrist, coiling itself up as it reflected on how unkind its schadenfreude had been…
Gradually, the howling wind outside completely subsided, though the thick clouds still obscured the moon and stars, leaving the sky oppressively dark.
A streak of light darted into the room through the night. Sensing the movement, Yun Qingxue abruptly opened her eyes.
“Bang!” A force slammed the door shut behind it.
Yun Qingxue looked up, her gaze full of resentment as she stared at Hua Yin—only to find his expression unusually grave.
“What’s going on?” she asked urgently.
Hua Yin’s face was grim. “That stupid creature appeared tonight.”
“And? The cultivators didn’t catch it again?” Seeing his expression, Yun Qingxue ventured a guess.
“Hmm.”
“You saw it—is the monster really that powerful?” she pressed.
“It’s trouble.” Hua Yin frowned deeply, his eyes flickering with confusion and surprise as he looked at Yun Qingxue. “You… why are you still stuck in the wall like that?”
At the mention of this, Yun Qingxue’s face twisted between laughter and tears. She gave Hua Yin a pleading look. “Hero, could you lend me a hand?”
Hua Yin frowned but didn’t move.
Yun Qingxue was nearly in tears. “I’m stuck!”
The moment she spoke, Hua Yin’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening as he stared at her…
His expression made Yun Qingxue feel utterly humiliated. She swore that once she got out of this wall, unless someone held a knife to her throat, she would never practice this wall-penetration technique again!
This experience had left an immeasurable, colossal shadow on her psyche! 〒_〒
To make matters worse, Hua Yin—still wearing that incredulous look—asked in an equally disbelieving tone, “You’re stuck?”
Yun Qingxue glared at him. “Do you really think I’d just hang out in a wall for fun if I weren’t stuck?!”
Hua Yin blinked, cleared his throat, and let out a stifled, “Ahem! Hmm!”
Yun Qingxue would bet anything she saw the corners of his lips twitch upward ever so slightly—and then twitch again unnaturally.
“I’ll help you.” Masking his amusement with another cough, Hua Yin extended his hand toward her—though his lips still betrayed a faint, involuntary quiver.
Yun Qingxue gritted her teeth, itching to bite someone!
But Hua Yin’s hand was her lifeline to freedom from the wall, so biting was out of the question. Suppressing her frustration, she grabbed his outstretched hand.
The moment their hands touched, a strange energy flowed from Hua Yin’s hand, coursing through Yun Qingxue’s arm and spreading across her body. She tentatively took a step—and finally, her entire body passed through the wall.
“Whew~” Yun Qingxue exhaled deeply. After being trapped against a wall for so long, she was finally free again.
She stretched lazily but didn’t forget the pressing matter. “What’s the situation outside?”
At this, Hua Yin’s expression darkened further. “That creature claimed another victim. The cultivators in this town discovered its trail and tried to ambush it, but… the thing is genuinely formidable. Not only did it evade capture, it wounded the cultivators and… even abducted a young, beautiful female cultivator.”
“Did you figure out what kind of monster it is?” Yun Qingxue asked.
Hua Yin’s brows knitted tightly. “I have some clues, but… they’re just speculation.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Yun Qingxue’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. She wondered what kind of creature would dare defy the cultivators stationed in this ancient town—and not only escape unscathed from two ambushes but also leave them worse for wear!
“I suspect…” Hua Yin’s frown deepened. “I suspect that thing escaped from the Underworld.”
The Underworld? The realm of ghosts?
Yun Qingxue’s eyes widened as she stared at Hua Yin. “What makes you say that?”
“That creature has skinned its victims both times, devouring their flesh and blood. Each time it appears, it’s surrounded by whirlwinds, and its voice is hoarse and grating—all traits that match the legends of a certain ghostly entity from the Underworld.”
As Hua Yin spoke, Yun Qingxue suddenly recalled a ghost story from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*—*The Painted Skin*.
Though talking about ghosts in the dead of night was eerie, her curiosity overpowered her unease. She pressed, “A ghost that steals human skin? What kind of ghost is that?”
“Truthfully, if we’re to speak of its origins… it’s a mystery…”
Hua Yin’s voice turned solemn, and Yun Qingxue’s curiosity only grew stronger.
A ghost with a mysterious background? There had to be a story behind this!
“How is its origin a mystery?”
Yun Qingxue watched Hua Yin eagerly as he continued, “A thousand years ago, a mysterious monster suddenly appeared in the world. It was hideously ugly, with a raspy, unpleasant voice, and… it specialized in flaying human faces.”
“As the weakest race on the Xuanling Continent, humans naturally suffered the most.”
“But the creature wasn’t exclusively targeting humans. The beastfolk, aquatic races, winged tribes, and even the floral clans all had members fall victim to it when their magic proved insufficient to resist.”
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