Chapter 60: Tomb-Guarding Spectral Beast

The suddenly erupting scream shook dust loose from the walls and made Cheng Xiangru jump in fright.

The scream came from Zhurlov's direction. Cheng Xiangru abruptly turned his head and saw Lin Xiaqi acting like a madwoman, biting down hard on Zhurlov's arm and refusing to let go, while her hands flailed to scratch at his face.

Zhurlov's face was already covered in bloody claw marks, dripping with fresh blood—a truly horrifying sight.

Boss Zhou reacted the fastest, rushing forward first to pull at Lin Xiaqi. "Open your mouth! Let go! Have you lost your mind...?"

Leng Ying glanced sideways at Cheng Xiangru. "See? If I hadn't stopped you just now, you wouldn't be in any better shape."

Cheng Xiangru was frantic. "Go help them quickly!"

Leng Ying shoved Cheng Xiangru behind her, dashed toward Zhurlov's side, and shouted without looking back, "Don't get too close, I'll handle it!"

By the time her words trailed off, Leng Ying had already reached Lin Xiaqi.

Despite Lin Xiaqi being a woman, Boss Zhou found himself completely unable to subdue her. He could barely manage to grab her wrists to prevent Zhurlov from suffering any more scratches.

Poor Zhurlov, injured as he was, was still worried about his wife. "Boss Zhou, please be gentle, don't hurt Xiaobao!"

Boss Zhou exclaimed anxiously, "Why are you telling me to be gentle? Control your wife instead! What on earth is wrong with the two of you?"

Leng Ying quickly unslung her travel backpack, rummaged through it, and shouted, "Hold on a bit longer, she's possessed!"

"Possessed?" Boss Zhou and Zhurlov cried out in simultaneous astonishment.

Leng Ying couldn't be bothered to explain further and kept searching the bag. A moment later, she pulled out a long, narrow iron box.

With a snap, she flipped open the lid, and an eccentric sandalwood fragrance immediately wafted out. Inside the box lay neatly arranged, ultra-thin black incense sticks.

Mixed within the sandalwood aroma was a rich, icy freshness. Just a whiff of this scent made one's mind instantly refreshed and clear.

Upon seeing this item, Zhurlov couldn't help crying out, "Soul-Waking Incense!"

Leng Ying offered no confirmation, simply reaching in to pinch three sticks of incense. She whipped out a windproof lighter, coaxing out a flame with a series of clicks, ignited the three sticks, and waved them right in front of Lin Xiaqi's face.

The burning incense raised wisps of light smoke, further diffusing the chilly, refreshing sandalwood scent.

Incredibly, after inhaling some of the white smoke, Lin Xiaqi—who moments before had seemed completely uncontrollable—began to lose her fierce strength. She slowly opened her mouth, released Zhurlov's arm, and finally rolled her eyes back, collapsing like a limp pile of mud straight into Zhurlov's embrace.

Disregarding the wounds on his face, Zhurlov tenderly supported Lin Xiaqi and gently laid his most cherished wife flat on the ground.

Boss Zhou raised a hand to wipe away his sweat, panting heavily. "What just happened here?"

Before Zhurlov could answer, Leng Ying chimed in, "Didn't I already say? She's possessed."

Boss Zhou found it utterly incomprehensible. "How could she just suddenly become possessed out of nowhere? And why is Luofu completely fine?"

Leng Ying packed away the incense while explaining, "These two tomb-guardian beasts are deities of thunder. Their eyes have been carved into a witchcraft formation. If you make eye contact with them, you'll be hypnotized. First you hear thunder, then you gradually lose consciousness, and finally, you bite and tear at any living thing around you like a wild beast. Don't ask me how I knew; if you must ask, I guessed."

By this time, Cheng Xiangru had also walked close by. Hearing Leng Ying's explanation sent a lingering wave of terror through him.

Fortunately, Leng Ying had blocked his line of sight just moments ago; otherwise, he would have been hypnotized too, and the consequences would have been simply unthinkable.

"Is she alright?" Cheng Xiangru asked cautiously.

Leng Ying had already stowed the Soul-Waking Incense away. She drew out a telescopic pole and attached the red-tasseled spearhead. "She's fine, she should recover in a little while. Rather than worrying about her, you'd better care about her husband—he's turned into a painted canvas."

Zhurlov's face was clawed up and covered in blood, making him look quite alarming, but they were merely superficial wounds. A wash and some antiseptic ointment to prevent infection would do; it wasn't a severe injury. Although he had been bitten on the arm by Lin Xiaqi, he was wearing thick layers of clothing, so the damage shouldn't be too serious either.

Chen Shangke stood nearby, watching the spectacle with a pocket full of Five Emperors coins. Every time he shifted slightly, his pockets jingled loudly, suggesting he had harvested quite a haul.

After about ten minutes, Lin Xiaqi slowly regained consciousness. Fluttering her eyelashes, she opened her eyes and found herself looking at Zhurlov, whose face was covered in cuts and blood. She immediately sat up in a panic. "Luofu, what happened to you? Who did this?"

Leng Ying said indifferently, "The one he loves the most has inflicted the deepest wounds."

Boss Zhou cast a helpless sideways glance at Leng Ying. "Why are you starting to sing poetry again?"

Leng Ying shouldered her travel backpack once more, hoisted the red-tasseled spear, walked back over to the thunder deity tomb guardian, and resumed studying it intently, deep in some unknown research.

Chen Shangke walked over with a curled lip. "Well, Xiaobao, your husband's face was scratched up entirely by your own hands, so you can't blame anyone else."

Tears streamed down Lin Xiaqi's face in heartfelt distress. Though she still harbored some doubt, she believed it mostly, as her memory had indeed gone blank moments before and she had no idea what had actually transpired.

Zhurlov gently soothed her, "As long as you're okay, I'm fine."

With a choked voice, Lin Xiaqi asked, "How can you be fine? Your face is ruined, I don't know if it'll leave scars."

Zhurlov forced a lighthearted smile. "Scars are scars. I'm already a married man with a wife, as long as you don't mind."

"You fool, how could I ever mind? I'm going to spend my whole life with you."

"Do you feel any discomfort anywhere on your body...?"

Chen Shangke had been happily enjoying the show, never expecting these two to suddenly start publicly displaying their affection and feeding him a bellyful of romance. "Could you two wrap it up already? We're tomb robbing right now, why are you two flirting?"

"None of your business!" Lin Xiaqi wiped away her tear tracks, glared angrily at Chen Shangke, and then turned back to Zhurlov with utmost gentleness. "Husband, help me up."

As Zhurlov assisted Lin Xiaqi to her feet, he said, "It's a good thing Miss Leng used the Soul-Waking Incense on you just now, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. We need to properly thank her."

"Soul-Waking Incense?" Lin Xiaqi's face registered shock.

Boss Zhou remarked, "Now do you understand why I had her walk at the very front? Not only does she have Soul-Waking Incense, she also has Undying Water. She's probably learned quite a few of Zhifeng's tricks..."

Leng Ying suddenly interrupted, "Goat-beard, come here for a moment."

Everyone looked around, failing to realize for a moment who Leng Ying was addressing.

When Boss Zhou met Cheng Xiangru's gaze, he saw the latter awkwardly say, "Uncle Zhou, she's calling you."

Boss Zhou froze, a flash of irritation crossing his face, but he managed to suppress his temper. He walked over to Leng Ying, looked up at the stone sculpture of the thunder deity tomb guardian, and deliberately avoided the sculpture's eyes. "Did you discover something?"

Pointing at the stone sculpture, Leng Ying knitted her slender eyebrows into a knot. "Didn't you notice? This pair of tomb-guardian beasts is very strange. I suspect there is something hidden inside their bellies!"