After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Wait for Me Here

The two of them moved almost simultaneously, flanking the creature from the left and right.

Jiang Huaiyi was still wielding her Senior Sister’s sword and lunged forward with a sharp thrust. The weasel was incredibly fast far beyond any normal speed. Before the two could react, it let out a sharp shoo and dove into the hollow center of the massive black pillar.

Jiang Huaiyi stayed hot on its heels. She thrust her Senior Sister’s precious longsword straight into the hollow space. She twisted and hacked inside, but the blade simply wouldn’t strike the weasel.

Anxious, Jiang Huaiyi looked at Shen Wensi, who was rushing toward her, and asked urgently, “What do we do? If it stays in there, we’ll definitely die here!”

Shen Wensi leaned toward the pillar and cast a downward glance into the hollow center. The tight furrow in her brow smoothed out, and she said with eerie calm, “Don’t worry. It’s dead.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyi peered inside and found that the weasel, which had been frantic moments ago, was now frozen in place. She immediately thrust her sword in; the blade sank deep into its body, but the creature didn’t even flinch. It just stayed there, motionless.

A faint human silhouette flickered over its body—a figure still maintaining a choking posture. Jiang Huaiyi could see it was the soul of the woman who had just been swallowed. Right now, the City God’s neck was being gripped with a deathly strength, his eyes bulging hideously, all his previous composure vanished.

Jiang Huaiyi felt a sudden, sharp sense of catharsis. The cracks the weasel had used to enter were shrinking, and the entire hollow pillar began to contract until it was no thicker than a thumb and the interior was completely sealed off.

The horrifying sound of crushing bone echoed from within. One by one, the bodies hanging from the pillar fell to the ground, creating a series of heavy, wet thuds. When she turned around, Jiang Huaiyi found the scene behind her had become a living hell.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere. Some were fresh; others were half-rotted. Every single one shared a common trait: they were empty shells. Their souls had been entirely consumed by the thing inside the pillar.

From the floating lampwick, a soul-light drifted out and condensed into a piece of Peace Jade (Ping’an Kou), falling into Jiang Huaiyi’s hand. She instinctively caught it. The soul-light smiled for a fleeting second before turning into a brilliant stream of light that shot toward the misty sky and vanished.

In an instant, all light vanished, and the world turned a blinding, piercing white. When she could see again, Jiang Huaiyi found the three others unconscious on the floor, Shen Wensi standing nearby, and a single lampwick floating in the mid-air.

“We have to go. This pocket dimension is collapsing.”

Jiang Huaiyi could hardly believe it. The battle had ended so abruptly. When the weasel fled inside, she thought the real fight was just beginning. She hadn’t expected it to meet its end by its own “food” so quickly.

Shen Wensi easily picked up the three unconscious people. She looked at Jiang Huaiyi; she had no hands left to carry anything else. Jiang Huaiyi took the hint and grabbed the meter-long lampwick. The white light intensified, and the world began to spin violently.

She felt a wave of nausea, like severe motion sickness. Fortunately, the sensation lasted only a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the hospital room.

Back in Reality

In her hands, besides the now-tattered scroll, was a Book of Life and Death.

Jiang Huaiyi’s heart hammered against her ribs. The heart monitor began to beep frantically. Footsteps echoed in the hallway as nurses and doctors rushed in. Shen Wensi wordlessly tucked the scroll away and stood by the bed, looking exactly as she had before they entered the painting.

Jiang Huaiyi’s body ached. It felt as though her experiences had been a dream, yet the physical toll was very real. The clock on the wall pointed to 4:00 AM; they had been gone for quite a while.

She dazedlly underwent the doctor’s examination. Seeing no major issues, the doctor warned her not to get too excited and left.

Jiang Huaiyi looked down at the notebook. It was about her Master. She hadn’t had time to read it inside, and she wasn’t even sure how she had managed to bring it out. She also held the Peace Jade, which was stained with something that gave it a faint, reddish hue. Thinking of the mother and daughter’s bodies, she felt a chill and handed the jade to Shen Wensi.

The Chaoyuan Xianzhang Tu was now completely ruined. As for the lampwick, Shen Wensi had kicked it under the bed when the doctors arrived. Now that they pulled it out, its metallic texture had changed to a twisted yellow hemp.

Once they were alone, Shen Wensi stepped forward and locked the door.

“How are you feeling?” Shen Wensi’s voice was quiet.

“Not great,” Jiang Huaiyi replied. “Everything hurts. Did my Senior Sister and the others make it out?”

Shen Wensi sat on the dark gray leather sofa and checked her phone. “They should be out. The pocket dimension is destroyed; no one will ever be able to use that map again.”

Jiang Huaiyi nodded. She picked up the Book of Life and Death. She couldn’t take her eyes off it, yet she couldn’t find the courage to open it. She didn’t understand why her Master’s life history would appear in a fake Underworld. Lately, her Master hadn’t appeared in her dreams. A sense of nameless dread rose in her chest. Where did she go?

The pages of the book were becoming yellowed and brittle since leaving the painting. She knew that if she didn’t look now, the book might crumble into dust. She looked at Shen Wensi. “Do you think this thing is real?”

“Not necessarily. The real records are kept deep within the true Underworld.”

Jiang Huaiyi propped her chin on her hand. “Why ‘not necessarily’?”

Shen Wensi looked down, then reached out her hand in a silent request. “Let me see.”

Jiang Huaiyi handed it over. In just those few minutes, the book had aged significantly. Every second was precious. She rested her cheek on her hands, watching Shen Wensi. The other woman’s fingers moved carefully as she flipped through the fragile pages.

“Do you have… friends down there? I mean… ghosts?” Jiang Huaiyi asked.

Shen Wensi glanced at her, then returned to the book. Her long, ink-black hair fell over her shoulder like fine silk. She gave a soft “Mhm” in response.

Shen Wensi’s calm expression turned serious as she read. Her brow furrowed deeper with every page. By the final pages, the paper was so brittle that pieces began to flake off and vanish into thin air before hitting the ground.

Jiang Huaiyi sat up, gripping the sheets. “Well? Is my Master mentioned in there?”

Shen Wensi closed the book. The paper crunched, and the entire notebook shattered into fragments, then turned to ash. It happened in seconds.

Shen Wensi stood up and gently pressed Jiang Huaiyi back down by her shoulders. “It wasn’t real. Lie down. I’ll go out and ask around for you.”

Shen Wensi wasn’t using much force, but Jiang Huaiyi was too weak to resist. The warmth of Shen Wensi’s palms seeped through the thin hospital gown. Shen Wensi’s long hair brushed against Jiang Huaiyi’s neck, making her skin itch.

“Stay here and rest. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Looking at her from this close, Jiang Huaiyi felt her heart racing. Shen Wensi’s features were as breathtakingly beautiful as a deep pool reflecting snow on a winter night. A cool air radiated from her. Jiang Huaiyi nodded involuntarily.

Shen Wensi released her, pulled the blanket up, and walked out of the room, leaving Jiang Huaiyi staring at her elegant silhouette.

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