As soon as Makaay finished speaking, everyone fell silent. The true nature of the thing hidden in the fog was unknown—who would dare go in and provoke it? What if we were no match for it? Anyone who entered would likely die in that mist.
"Makaay, you're the Demon Hunter. You're the best at this kind of thing. The rest of us shouldn't get in the way—you go!" I said quickly.
Anyway, they were all Mr. Lam's men. I didn't care if they lived or died. If they wanted to throw their lives away, so be it—I wasn't going to join them.
Makaay shook his head, also looking uneasy. He explained that precisely because he was the Demon Hunter—the only one on the team skilled at capturing demons—he couldn't afford to take such a risk lightly. This demon was hiding in the fog; perhaps the best approach was to use someone to lure it out first.
A lure? That had nothing to do with me. I quickly turned away, making it clear they shouldn't look my way. After all, my interests weren't aligned with Mr. Lam's, and I had no intention of doing anything risky.
Of course, Mr. Lam still needed me. He naturally wouldn't ask me to risk my life, but he did need someone to lure the demon out. So who should it be?
Originally, Big Beard was the best candidate—he was capable and stood a good chance of surviving. But Mr. Lam didn't want to lose one of his key fighters, so he didn't ask him.
That left the two remaining bodyguards. They knew nothing about Yin-related magic and weren't very useful here in Mount Zhongnan.
"How about you? Weren't you full of bravado just now pointing that gun at me? Should be a real tough guy. Now's the time to contribute—show your loyalty to Mr. Lam," I said, pointing at the bodyguard from earlier.
The bodyguard's face fell, but he couldn't refute me when my words put him on the spot. He could only look at Mr. Lam and wait for his decision. But given how many people had likely already died in that fog, the bodyguard was terrified—his forehead was damp with cold sweat.
An ordinary person entering that fog would be in grave danger. Having a gun was useless against a demon. His fear was completely justified. You wanted to act tough earlier? Now go act tough with the demon!
Just then, Mr. Lam stood up. He slowly walked over to the bodyguard, his expression grave but silent. Then he heavily patted the bodyguard's shoulder, making him flinch.
"S-sir…" the bodyguard stammered, not knowing what to say.
"You… will not go," Mr. Lam said suddenly, which surprised me. The bodyguard instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but the other bodyguard grew tense.
There were only two bodyguards left. They didn't know Yin magic and were expendable—not important at all. If this one wasn't going, did that mean the other one would have to?
But strangely, Mr. Lam didn't choose the other bodyguard either. Instead, he turned toward Nuwa's Forsaken Shade.
"You go," Mr. Lam said, pointing at her. "You go and lure the demon out."
"Why me?" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade also looked surprised.
"No reason!" Mr. Lam's tone left no room for question, as if his orders were inviolable.
Though he didn't say it aloud, I knew why—it was because he didn't trust Nuwa's Forsaken Shade. That's why he sent her. The two bodyguards were his loyal men; no matter how useless they were, it was better to keep them around for protection.
To my surprise, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade didn't protest. This was out of character for her—she must be tolerating it for the sake of the secret of immortality.
"Fine, I'll go. But I want Roger to come with me!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said suddenly, pointing at me.
"What the hell? Don't drag me into this. I'm not going in there. Whatever's in that fog is way fiercer than ghosts—only a fool would go in." I refused immediately.
Mr. Lam didn't agree either. If something happened to me, all his efforts would be wasted. There was no way he'd let me take the risk.
Just then, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Either you come with me, or I tell that dead old man everything about us."
"You—!" I gasped. She could be so ruthless. I should've known she'd use this to threaten me.
"Come on, stupid brother." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade grabbed me and yanked me outside at a dead run.
I had no choice but to follow, resisting slightly but not daring to struggle too much.
"Hey, Roger, you—!" Mr. Lam sounded surprised to see me let her drag me away, but he didn't call out further.
"You two, keep an eye on Roger. I don't care if he's alive or dead—just make sure he doesn't escape. Understood?" Mr. Lam said immediately to Makaay and Big Beard.
"Yes!" Big Beard and Makaay nodded. They followed us but didn't step into the fog. Instead, they observed from the shadows. Makaay fiddled with his compass—even through the impenetrable mist, he could still detect demonic presence.
As we entered the fog, the corners of Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's mouth curled into a sly smile. "Heh, you're still the best. As long as you're around, that dead old man won't abandon me. He'll definitely send someone to protect us."
"Ugh, using me again? You're so devious. I've never seen someone so brazen!" I cursed.
"Brother, if I'm so shameless, why are you still holding my hand so tightly? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade raised our hands—I was indeed gripping hers tightly.
"What the hell? Didn't you grab my hand first?" I quickly shook off her hand. But in this thick fog, the moment I let go, I immediately felt uneasy. The mist was so heavy that even someone standing right next to me could vanish in an instant.
"Don't be scared. I care about you more than Mr. Lam does. Here, take this paper figure." Nuwa's Forsaken Shade pulled out a small white paper cutout and shoved it into my hand.
"What is this? What's it for?" I asked, puzzled.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade explained that this paper figure was enchanted with witchcraft. As long as I kept it on me, she would be able to find me no matter where I went, preventing me from getting lost in the fog.
It sounded mysterious—but would it actually work, or was she just fooling me?
Despite my doubts, I had to trust her at least a little under these circumstances. After all, we were in the same boat now.
I tucked the small paper figure into my pocket and looked around. I could hardly see anything; sometimes I didn't even notice the rocks on the ground and nearly stumbled several times.
Neither Nuwa's Forsaken Shade nor I knew how to lure the demon out, so we could only wander blindly. We didn't dare go too far, afraid we wouldn't be able to find our way back.
Just then, a voice from behind suddenly called out, "Cut your hands and use the blood to draw the demon out."
That's right—whether ghost or demon, they're all sensitive to human blood. This demon had probably sensed our intentions and was being cautious, hesitating to reveal itself. Using human blood should be enough to lure it out.
Right at that moment, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She took my fingertip and slowly brought it to her mouth, gently licking it. Her expression reminded me of a little female cat in the village at night—it gave me goosebumps, yet there was an indescribable thrill to it.
"Hey, big sister, there might be two pairs of eyes watching us from behind. This isn't really appropriate, is it?" I said, slightly embarrassed.
But suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my fingertip, making me gasp.
"What the hell! You bitch, screwing me over again! Why don't you bite your own finger?"
There was no use shouting—my finger was already bitten open. As soon as she released it, blood gushed out wildly.
"Pah!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade spat out a mouthful of blood. "Nonsense! A man sheds blood without tears. You're a grown man—you want me, a woman, to bleed? Besides, I already helped you with my mouth."
"Hey, speak properly—don't cause misunderstandings. You bit me, alright?" I retorted hurriedly.
"Biting is the same thing… Break down the word 'bite' and read it," Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said, looking at me with amusement.
"Break it down? That would be 'mouth'… Screw you, get out! What kind of time is this for dirty jokes?" I rolled my eyes.
Just then, I suddenly heard a rustling sound—as if something was writhing on the ground. It was getting closer and closer, as though crawling straight toward us.
It's here!
My heart pounded fiercely, leaping into my throat.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade's expression turned serious. I tightened my grip on the Copper Coin Sword. Both of us were高度警惕, watching intently.
Suddenly, with a swoosh, a dozen tentacle-like red roots shot toward us.
Those roots aimed straight for our hearts and livers, also wrapping around our necks as if trying to strangle us.
Here it comes. We'd finally lured the demon out!
The roots were terrifying and extremely fast. An ordinary person would have been killed instantly. As soon as I reacted, I raised my sword and slashed—within two or three strokes, I had cut down those roots.
The severed roots squirmed and twitched madly on the ground like earthworms before dissolving into red powder.