I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 19

Although she wanted to check the basement, the immediate problem was that Qi Yan had no idea how to get there.

After much deliberation, she had no choice but to turn to Bai Qing again, asking if she could use her spiritual power to locate the basement entrance.

Bai Qing gave her a sidelong glance. “What do you think spiritual power is? A dog’s nose?”

Qi Yan rubbed her own nose sheepishly. “You’re so all-powerful, you could sense someone underground, so finding a way down shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

She guessed correctly, it wasn’t difficult at all. The real challenge was Bai Qing’s laziness.

With her hands tucked into her sleeves, Bai Qing leaned against the headboard without saying a word. Truly befitting a fox spirit, her charm was innate. Just the way she reclined there made Qi Yan think she was breathtakingly beautiful.

If only she weren’t so lazy, more agreeable and gentle Qi Yan felt she would’ve liked her then.

What a shame. Such a stunning beauty, yet so high-maintenance.

Gritting her teeth, Qi Yan scooted over and sat beside her on the bed, coaxing, “You have to take me there. We need to find a way out of this storybook, we need to win this game!”

Bai Qing didn’t even bother lifting her eyelids. “You’re the one who wants to win, not me.”

“But aren’t we bound together?” Qi Yan pressed anxiously. “You keep saying we’ve formed a spiritual contract, it can’t be fake, can it? Trying to back out now? Fine, go ahead and try, let’s see you do it!”

She mustered some boldness, sneaking glances at Bai Qing’s expression.

“Think about it, we’re grasshoppers tied to the same string”

“Who are you calling a grasshopper?”

Qi Yan: “…” She couldn’t understand Bai Qing’s thought process. Why nitpick such bizarre details?

“Fine, fine, I’m the grasshopper, you’re the fox. Whatever we are, we’re still bound together, right?”

This time, Bai Qing didn’t refute her.

Qi Yan pressed on, “Look, since we’re bound together, if I have to clear this storybook, doesn’t that mean you have to come along? If the seven-day deadline passes and I still haven’t cleared it, I’ll probably die. And if I die, what happens to you?”

From Bai Qing’s emphasis on the spiritual contract earlier, Qi Yan could tell that once the pact was formed, they were tied together for life or death. They’d share the same bed in life and the same grave in death. If one died, the other would follow.

Sure enough, Bai Qing finally opened her eyes fully to look at her, deep in thought.

To stay safe and sound, Qi Yan had to live not just survive, but thrive.

Seizing the opportunity, Qi Yan pushed further, “Don’t you want to break free from this storybook and regain your freedom?”

Bai Qing wasn’t originally a spirit from this storybook. She had been trapped here by the divination slip. Though Qi Yan didn’t know the reason, it was her guess and judging by Bai Qing’s reaction, she was right again.

Bai Qing didn’t know why she had been confined to this storybook by the slip, but Qi Yan’s words struck a chord. She needed to leave, to reclaim her true freedom.

After much persuasion, she finally managed to coax the Fox King into action to help search for the basement entrance.

Under the cover of night, the two slipped out of the bedroom. Qi Yan tiptoed cautiously, afraid to make even the slightest sound, while Bai Qing floated beside her.

The little building was eerily quiet at night. Qi Yan crept forward on the balls of her feet like a cat sneaking off to steal fish, her cautious steps amusing Bai Qing, who couldn’t help but feel like mocking her.

Going downstairs was the easiest way to make noise. Qi Yan gave Bai Qing a pitiful look, her eyes full of pleading.

Since they were already out here, Bai Qing had no choice but to scoop her up in one swift motion, and the two of them floated down to the first floor together.

The only light in the entire house came from the corridor. They quickly made their way to the triangular space behind the staircase, where Bai Qing’s fingers flickered with spiritual energy. A rotating door swung open, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

Qi Yan was inwardly delighted and urged Bai Qing to enter the passage. The two of them disappeared behind the secret door in an instant, completely unaware that a faint light was still on in the kitchen.

The basement wasn’t very deep, the staircase seemed to end almost immediately. Bai Qing set Qi Yan down and let her walk on her own.

The basement wasn’t large either, small enough to take in at a glance. What shocked Qi Yan was the sight of a large cage inside, holding a figure with disheveled hair. A dim, warm light shone from a lamp above the cage.

She blinked in astonishment, turning to Bai Qing and tugging at her sleeve to silently convey her thoughts.

“There’s a living person locked in there?”

Bai Qing heard her and nodded.

“If you hadn’t said it was a person, I would’ve thought it was some kind of wild beast.”

Bai Qing shook her head, responding telepathically, “I can tell the difference between a person and a beast.”

Qi Yan wasn’t questioning her judgment, she just didn’t understand why Cuilan would keep someone locked in the basement.

She craned her neck to get a better look at the person in the cage. The figure was curled up on the bed, facing away from them, and likely hadn’t noticed their arrival.

To see more clearly, Qi Yan tiptoed closer to the cage, carefully examining the figure on the bed and the furnishings inside.

The setup was surprisingly complete everything was arranged to make the person as comfortable as possible inside the cage. It was almost as if the cage had been transformed into a tiny room.

Qi Yan frowned in confusion, wondering what the relationship was between the captive and Cuilan.

Suddenly, Bai Qing grabbed her hand, her head snapping up in alert.

Qi Yan tensed immediately, silently asking what was wrong.

“Someone’s coming down!”

After the telepathic warning, Bai Qing urgently pulled Qi Yan to the shadowy corner on the other side of the cage, where a stack of large cardboard boxes provided just enough cover for Qi Yan to hide. Bai Qing then slipped into her ring.

Without her by her side, Qi Yan panicked. “Don’t leave me!” she whispered frantically.

Bai Qing’s voice echoed in her mind, “Don’t worry. It’s easier for me to stay in the ring this corner can’t hide both of us.”

In the next instant, the secret door to the basement creaked open, and footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Who would come down at this hour? The answer was obvious, the only people living in this house besides the surviving players were Cuilan and Hongjie. It couldn’t be Hongjie, Qi Yan knew. It had to be Cuilan.

She stayed frozen in her hiding spot, barely daring to breathe, straining to hear every sound.

Cuilan walked up to the cage, followed by the sound of a lock being opened.

“Time to eat, child.”

Qi Yan held her breath, ears pricked for the slightest noise.

There was a rustling sound fabric shifting likely the person on the bed turning over. Qi Yan bit her lip, suddenly unsure whether the captive had been asleep or awake when they first arrived. If they had been awake, had they noticed them? Would they tell Cuilan?

At this thought, she broke into a cold sweat, not even daring to breathe, holding her breath for a long time before exhaling softly.

“Today, there’s your favorite braised pork ribs,” Cuilan’s voice was incredibly gentle. “No one touched much of them at dinner. I saved them all for you!”

Mom!?

Qi Yan’s eyes widened abruptly, filled with shock. Cuilan actually had a child?

Given her age, it wasn’t impossible.

But, it had been two days since she moved into the house. She had interacted with Cuilan quite a bit, seeing her every day, yet Qi Yan had never known she had a child, let alone that she was married.

Wait, not only had she never seen Cuilan’s husband in these two days, but the child was also locked in a cage in the basement. What on earth was going on?

Qi Yan held her breath, listening intently.

The sound of dishes and chopsticks clinking came through, as if someone had started eating.

Thinking of the meat from dinner, Qi Yan suppressed another wave of nausea.

The person in the cage was eating, with Cuilan keeping her company. No one spoke, and Qi Yan naturally didn’t dare make a move.

After a while, perhaps having eaten her fill, the person in the cage spoke up, “Mom, can I go out and see?” The voice belonged to a girl.

Qi Yan’s mind instantly raced with scenarios, wondering why this child was locked underground.

“Locked” might not be the right word Qi Yan felt it was more like “hidden.” Maybe there was a reason Cuilan had to hide her child.

Qi Yan’s mind always worked fast, and just as she suspected, Cuilan sighed helplessly and said, “Rong Bao, Mom doesn’t want to keep you locked up either, but we have no choice. No one can know you’re still alive!”

Silence fell in the cage as mother and daughter sat wordlessly. After a long pause, Rong Bao suddenly said, “But what’s the difference between hiding in this endless darkness and being dead? Is this kind of existence really still living?”

Her murmured words seemed to ignite a fire in Cuilan’s heart. The timid, gentle Cuilan Qi Yan had seen over the past two days suddenly erupted in anger, shouting, “What nonsense are you spouting?! Living is always better than dying! As long as you’re alive! Mom just needs you alive! I’ve already lost your two brothers! You’re my life!”

Rong Bao seemed frightened by her sudden outburst, stammering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Mom, don’t be angry. I, I was wrong.”

Qi Yan was also startled by Cuilan’s explosion, instinctively covering her mouth to stifle any sound.

The sound of pacing came from the cage as Cuilan walked back and forth anxiously, muttering incessantly, “I won’t let anyone find you! You must live! Only if you live do I have meaning!”

“I won’t let anyone know you’re still alive! Anyone in this town!”

By the end, her voice was nearly torn, sounding almost like a monster’s growl.

Qi Yan clamped her hand over her mouth, staring in horror at the shadow cast on the wall, watching it move with Cuilan’s frantic pacing.

“Another three years have passed, and this year’s sacrifice hasn’t been chosen yet. But tomorrow, those outsiders will enter the mountains! This year will go smoothly too as long as someone dies in the mountains, the sacrifice will take care of itself!”

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