Chapter 247: The Second Trade

I clearly remembered the savage, malicious tone Lu Xing had used when he narrowly escaped the thunder talisman at Century New Garden. It seemed this madman had made good on his word.

"Gao Jian, your biggest weakness is that you care too much. You want to protect everyone, but is that realistic?" Lu Xing stared at the Octagonal Token in his hand. "If you had left the Amusement Park the moment the General Star Divine Fiends went missing, you might have escaped with your life today."

He put away the Octagonal Token, his scar-riddled face twitching with extreme excitement. "You didn't expect it, did you? The General Star Divine Fiends was just a decoy. Did you think I'd be stupid enough to set such an obvious trap?"

"Cut the crap and finish him off." Lu Xing's arrogant attitude annoyed Qiu Ren. After all, his own plan from five years ago had failed completely because of me. Seeing Lu Xing successfully set his trap inevitably left him feeling disgruntled.

"Don't rush. This guy has a lot of secrets on him, and I'm going to dig them out slowly." Lu Xing looked at me like a cadaver waiting to be dissected on a lab table, his gaze seething with madness and cruelty.

Knowing I'd fallen into their trap, my mind raced. Now was not the time to give up.

"Gao Jian..." Tie Ningxiang grabbed my hand. Filled with self-blame and guilt, she lowered her voice. "You go. I'll hold them off."

Feeling the icy chill of her palm, I knew Tie Ningxiang was already injured and suffering from severe blood loss. If this dragged on any longer, her life would be in danger.

To Tie Ningxiang, her proposal was the best solution. She was badly hurt and couldn't run fast anyway; she figured it was better to stay behind and fight to the death to hold off Lu Xing and Qiu Ren, buying me a chance to survive.

"You were only dragged into this because of me and Yi Yi. This had nothing to do with you in the first place. I'll hold them back—just run!"

"I can't leave." I shook my head. The outside of the Haunted House was swarming with yin souls. Even if I managed to escape, the feng shui grand formation outside was still operating, generating an endless stream of yin souls. They would catch up to me sooner or later.

I sighed. I really had been careless this time, led astray by the environment and the clues. Even the Underworld Live Show seemed to be intentionally helping them out. Everything had pointed toward Tie Ningxiang, causing me to overlook the others.

Lu Xing truly couldn't be treated like an ordinary criminal. There was a reason he had committed so many crimes and still remained at large.

Looking at Tie Ningxiang's soft, beautiful profile, I slowly made a decision. "Senior Sister, I have a way to save you and Yi Yi."

"Are you trying to trade yourself for us?"

"Don't be so quick to refuse. Think about what will happen to Yi Yi if she falls into the hands of these people." I gripped Tie Ningxiang's hand tightly. "You have to do exactly as I say in a minute. It's the only way we'll have a chance to live."

Perhaps it was the warmth from my fingertips that brought a trace of comfort to Tie Ningxiang's despairing heart. Thinking of Yi Yi, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

I forced a smile and looked at Lu Xing. "Your setup is clever, but it doesn't seem like anything worth bragging about. You just relied on evil arts and a few cheap tricks. I'll admit I was careless and let you gain the upper hand in a fair trade, but that's all. Tie Ningxiang and I aren't dead yet. This game of life and death is still far from over."

"Refusing to give up until reaching the Yellow River, I see. I know you're hiding other trump cards, but this place isn't Century New Garden. This is my home turf." Lu Xing walked toward me with an eerie smile, still gripping that blood-dripping knife. "This Amusement Park was built over a graveyard. Qiu Ren and I have operated here for five years. Under our modifications, this place has become a feng shui grand formation. Once midnight strikes, it's a night walk of a hundred ghosts—anyone who enters can never leave. Even if you use an Upper Vehicle Talisman, it will be suppressed by the feng shui array, leaving only twenty or thirty percent of its power."

Lu Xing seemed to want me to experience a fate worse than death, which was why he hadn't attacked yet. "You can't escape. As for those rescuers you called the police for, they'll have a hard time getting in. Once this feng shui grand formation activates, only living people with heavy Yin energy are drawn into it."

Believing he was standing in an invincible position, Lu Xing was arrogant and unbridled, pressing closer with every step.

"Don't get too cocky. There might still be some room for negotiation between us." My mind raced as I went over all the trump cards and clues I had left, and a highly risky plan surfaced in my thoughts.

"You want to negotiate with me? Negotiate what? What are you wagering? Do you even have the right?" Lu Xing laughed savagely. Seeing him pause, I immediately grabbed Tie Ningxiang's hand and sprinted madly toward the exit.

"Run!"

Lu Xing stared darkly at our backs. In his eyes, Tie Ningxiang and I were just putting up a dying struggle. He held the absolute advantage, and he had the final say over everything in this Amusement Park now.

"Running? Aren't you worried about that little girl? The moment you step out of the Haunted House, I'll skin her alive!"

Hearing Lu Xing's voice behind us, Tie Ningxiang slowed down, but I pulled her along. "Don't listen to him. Let's get out first!"

Tie Ningxiang and I sprinted all the way out of the eerie corridor, stopping next to the furnace filled with melting wax.

"Done running? Have you thought it through?" Lu Xing and Qiu Ren strolled after us at a leisurely pace. The mocking expressions on their faces made them look like feral cats toying with a mouse.

Billowing waves of heat surged from the furnace. Because we were so close, droplets of hot wax would occasionally splatter out and land on our bodies, burning fresh scars into our skin.

"Lu Xing, I never said I was going to run. I just wanted to change the venue for our trade." I gently let go of Tie Ningxiang's hand and stood beside the furnace. "I know you've been collecting the Eight Characters Divine Fiends, and I'm well aware of the connection between that Octagonal Token and the divine fiends. Today, we're going to make another trade."

"Gao Jian, have you gone mad from desperation? What do you possibly have to trade with me?" Lu Xing's facial scars twitched as he and Qiu Ren blocked the passage leading up to the surface from the left and right.

"Don't be so quick to refuse. You'll definitely be interested in what I have to offer." Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out the Octagonal Token I had kept close to my chest. Under the widened eyes of Lu Xing and Qiu Ren, I flipped the token to the side with characters engraved on it.

"Do you see clearly what's written on it? Heavenly Physician, Yuan Chen, and Heavenly Yi! The Heavenly Yi Nobleman Destiny you want most is right here with me. If you want to make a deal, bring the real Yi Yi over. Otherwise..." I held the Octagonal Token over the furnace. The churning liquid wax splattered onto my arm, burning patch after patch of wounds into my skin.

"Otherwise, I'll throw it into the furnace! Two-Faced Buddha waited twenty years for the Heavenly Yi Noble. I don't know if you have the patience to wait another twenty years!"

"The Heavenly Yi Noble really is with you! Zimao and Zichou, those two pieces of trash, are truly incapable of success, but more than capable of failure!" Lu Xing's eyes were bloodshot, and even his breathing turned ragged. The General Star Divine Fiends was indeed rare, but the most precious of all divine fiends wasn't the General Star—it was the Heavenly Yi Noble. After all, even that individual who was neither a monk nor a Daoist priest didn't dare to casually touch the karma of the Heavenly Yi Noble, instead waiting a full twenty years before daring to make a move.

"Deal! As long as I can get the Heavenly Yi Noble, forget about the little girl—I have no problem letting all of you go!" Lu Xing promised solemnly, waving his hand to send Qiu Ren to fetch Yi Yi.

A moment later, Qiu Ren brought Yi Yi out from a hidden compartment deep in the corridor. The little girl was pale with fright, and the moment she saw Tie Ningxiang and me, she burst into tears.

"My senior martial brother and his twisted hobbies wanted to test a few things on her, but I stopped him. She's perfectly fine."

"Let her go first!" The liquid wax had scorched my arm red. Seeing my resolute attitude, Lu Xing nonchalantly pushed Yi Yi toward us.

The moment he let go, Yi Yi ran straight to Tie Ningxiang. "Auntie!"

"Wait a second. Check if she has any Talisman Paper, rag dolls, or cursed seals hidden on her." Having learned from past mistakes, I had Tie Ningxiang inspect her thoroughly. Once she was done, I finally relaxed. This was the real Yi Yi.

Lu Xing and Qiu Ren weren't afraid of me playing any tricks now. Believing they were in complete control, they thought that no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't escape the palm of their hands.

"Gao Jian, I let her go. Shouldn't you give me your token now?"

"I'll give it to you. Of course I will, but not right now." I leaned close to Tie Ningxiang and whispered in her ear. "Take Yi Yi and leave first. Remember, as soon as you get outside, run straight toward the Ferris Wheel. You have to shut it down."

"What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you."

Tie Ningxiang knew exactly what I meant. Believing I was preparing to sacrifice myself to ensure her and Yi Yi's safety, she hesitated. "How about you take Yi Yi out, and let me stay behind..."

"Go! Just go!"