Faced with such a mortal threat, Hu Tao's expression remained unchanged.
Maintaining the balance of life and death is the duty of every Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—and it is her duty.
The Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor never fears death!
A dagger sliced across her palm, and scalding blood poured out. Her expression was solemn and resolute.
The ethereal figure of the Scarlet Butterfly danced through the tomb. Using her blood as ink, she swiftly drew intricate patterns throughout the entire chamber.
As the final stroke fell, she stood at the very center of the tomb. Ignoring the approaching claws, she closed her eyes.
"Secret Art: Guide to Afterlife!"
Shhh—
A sound like wind rustling through fallen leaves filled the air. The blood spilled on the ground floated upward, forming vibrant red spider lilies in mid-air.
These blood-forged flowers, exquisitely vivid and slightly closed, radiated a terrifying aura.
Though it lacked true intelligence, the Jiangshi King's instinct for self-preservation was deeply ingrained.
Seeing the floating crimson flowers that now filled the entire chamber, it turned to flee without a second thought.
But it was as if an invisible barrier blocked its path, preventing any escape.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the spider lilies bloomed. Droplets of blood, like dew, spattered outward as the flowers opened. The instant they left the petals, they transformed into scorching flames. The fire rained down upon the ground and the zombies, and in moments, the entire tomb was engulfed in a raging inferno.
Every zombie that had entered the tomb struggled in the crimson flames before turning to ash. Even the Jiangshi King, which felt no pain, could only writhe in the fire, watching helplessly as its body gradually disintegrated.
The taut string of tension in her mind finally snapped, and Hu Tao's spiritual energy was completely depleted.
Flames enveloped her body, turning her clothes to ash. Only her Vision glowed brightly, protecting its master from self-immolation in the near-suicidal inferno.
Leaning heavily on the Staff of Homa to stay upright, Hu Tao watched the zombies vanish in the flames and offered a slightly regretful smile.
(Spy- I got 3 of those damn staffs trying for the other weapon on the banner back when it was 0/2 fate points. Man what a time…)
Her stamina was completely drained, she had lost too much blood, and her spirit was utterly depleted. If she closed her eyes now, she didn't know if she would ever wake up again.
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor... is going to end with me..."
"Jiang Bai... don't be too sad..."
In the moment between life and death, one truly understands what they cannot let go of.
First, the legacy of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Second, Jiang Bai...
"Director!"
In her daze, she thought she heard Jiang Bai's voice.
It sounded too ethereal, as if drifting from the other shore.
Along with it came the deafening roar of a brick wall shattering.
"Director!"
Another shout, this one drawing closer, laced with urgency and terror.
"Hu Tao!"
Finally, the voice was right beside her ear.
Hu Tao felt herself fall into an embrace. She groggily opened her eyes and saw a familiar profile.
Her mind relaxed, and she completely lost consciousness.
The moment Jiang Bai saw Hu Tao, his heart finally settled. Thank goodness, thank goodness... I made it in time.
But in the next instant, his face flushed crimson.
He quickly turned his head away, afraid that if the fire outside didn't burn him to death, the fire inside him would first.
The flames inside the tomb chamber still raged. Under the scorching heat, even though Jiang Bai had layered himself with hundreds of Geo Shields, he felt as if he would be incinerated in the next moment. He had to instantly replenish his shields the instant they shattered, lest he be burned to ashes.
Under the intense heat, his clothes were instantly soaked with sweat and even showed signs of spontaneously combusting.
With no time to worry about that, he held Hu Tao tightly and prepared to escape.
But perhaps the flames were too fierce, for the tomb's foundation couldn't withstand the high temperature and began to crack in countless places.
Jiang Bai sensed the danger. Just as he stepped out of the tomb chamber and beyond the fire's reach, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the largest tomb collapsed.
The entire mausoleum crumbled like a chain of dominoes, one tomb's collapse triggering a chain reaction in the others. The whole structure was caving in, leaving no room to run!
Jiang Bai could only shield Hu Tao with his body and deploy his Wind Glider to avoid being crushed to death.
The thunderous sound of falling debris crashing into water echoed continuously. By the light of the falling flames, Jiang Bai scanned his surroundings and realized they were in a rift, plummeting downward.
The rift below was pitch-black, but judging from the sound of debris hitting water, there might be no solid ground to land on.
Jiang Bai had no intention of falling straight down. He controlled his Wind Glider, holding Hu Tao close, and searched for a place to land.
Soon, he found a foothold within the rift and gently set Hu Tao down.
In the glow of the Luminstone, Jiang Bai could clearly see Hu Tao's condition.
The gash on her palm had stopped bleeding, but due to excessive blood loss, her lips were colorless and her face was as pale as paper.
Even her once-silky hair had become dry and brittle.
After silently chanting "Amitabha" several times in his mind, Jiang Bai began to examine Hu Tao's injuries.
Besides the cut on her hand, there was a scratch on her back from one of the zombies—inflicted while she was casting a spell. The wound had already turned black. There were also numerous other scrapes and bruises of varying sizes.
Seeing these injuries, Jiang Bai's heart ached.
Why didn't I get here sooner?
What do Tartaglia and Mora even matter? How could they possibly compare to Hu Tao?
Sighing, he took out medicine and bandages to treat her wounds.
The other injuries were easy to handle, but the one on her back posed a problem.
The claw mark wasn't deep, but the wound had turned black. He wasn't a doctor and couldn't provide targeted treatment.
Moreover, the wound was sinister. Every Treasure Hoarder he'd encountered on his way here—the ones who had turned into zombies—had borne the same kind of injury.
This made Jiang Bai deeply worried that Hu Tao might also be infected and turn into a zombie.
They were now deep underground, with no telling how far. Returning to the surface for medical help was unrealistic. If he delayed, the infection might spread throughout her entire body.
Gazing at the unconscious Hu Tao, drained of all stamina, Jiang Bai gritted his teeth. He pulled out a small knife, quickly sterilized it, and prepared to cut away the blackened flesh around the wound.
He knew little of medicine, but he reasoned that removing the necrotic tissue would at least slow the infection. It was a desperate measure, but the only one he had.
Even in her coma, Hu Tao's brow furrowed, clearly sensing the pain. Jiang Bai's heart clenched, forcing him to work faster.
He sliced away the dead flesh piece by piece. What little blood she had left slowly seeped from the wound.
Jiang Bai meticulously sprinkled hemostatic and analgesic powder over the area, then carefully wrapped the wound with bandages, circling from front to back.
Once the wound was treated, he gently dressed Hu Tao again. Then, he took out a bowl and mixed anti-inflammatory and detoxifying powder—purchased from Bubu Pharmacy—with water.
Resting Hu Tao's head on his lap, he gently pried open her mouth and used a spoon to feed her the medicinal mixture, bit by bit.
(Spy- Hey, are these guys together? Have not read this fic lmao)
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T/N: heh i got spy to do this chapter for me ehuehuheuheuheuheuheuheu no im not changing anything