Chapter 248: He Is Just an Ordinary Person

This was probably the first time I had ever spoken to Tie Ningxiang like this, and her expression was incredibly complex.

"I'll wait for you there, until you come." With that, she led Yi Yi toward the exit of the Haunted House.

Qiu Ren saw them approaching and moved to block them, but Lu Xing tactfully stepped aside. "Let them go. Nothing can happen to the heavenly yi noble."

I only breathed a sigh of relief once Tie Ningxiang and Yi Yi were completely gone. If they managed to shut down the Ferris Wheel, my plan would be sixty percent successful.

"I let them go. I trust you can see my sincerity." Lu Xing guarded one side of the passage with his knife in hand, while Qiu Ren guarded the other. They were determined to finish me off today.

While brainstorming countermeasures, I kept Lu Xing engaged in idle banter, stalling for Tie Ningxiang.

Three or four minutes later, Lu Xing's patience ran out. Seeing his growing agitation and his urge to strike, I knew when to back off; I didn't want to push him too far.

"Stumbling into your plan was an accident. I actually have no use for this token, so giving it to you isn't a problem, but I need a guarantee for my own safety."

"What else do you want? Do you really think we won't kill you?" Lu Xing squeezed the words through his teeth. The fate pattern he had waited twenty years for was right in front of him, yet he couldn't touch it. The feeling was driving him mad.

I was banking on that exact mindset, which was why I dared to speak so firmly. "Clear the passage. Both of you, go stand in the corridor."

"Don't push your luck!"

"Do as I say. The people I wanted to protect have already left anyway. At worst, I'll throw myself into the furnace and drag the heavenly yi noble and Heavenly Doctor Destiny down with me!"

Lu Xing was infuriated by the threat, but wary enough not to attack recklessly. "Fine, I'll take another step back. Let's hope you don't do anything irrational."

Lu Xing and Qiu Ren backed toward the corridor. They had stepped away, but almost all of their attention remained locked on me.

My main goal was to stall for Tie Ningxiang. Once the two of them entered the corridor, I slowly pulled back my wax-burned arm and clutched the Octagonal Token, inching away from the furnace.

"We've done as you asked. Hand over the Fate Manipulator Token. That isn't something you can covet!"

Qiu Ren's offhand remark drew my attention to an unfamiliar term. 'Fate Manipulator Token? Is that the name of this Octagonal Token?'

I pondered this, but my feet didn't stop. When I was halfway to the passage, Lu Xing shot Qiu Ren a glance. Reaching a tacit understanding, they drew their knives, their calves tensing as they gathered strength.

Catching sight of this, I knew full well how important the heavenly yi noble was to the Double-Faced Buddha Plan. If I tried to carry this token out, it would very likely just fall into Lu Xing's hands anyway. I might as well destroy it right here.

With that thought, I raised the token in my hand. "Lu Xing, I'm a man of my word. Catch!"

Without any hesitation, I swung my arm and threw it. The pitch-black Octagonal Token traced a graceful arc through the air, heading straight for the furnace in the center of the room!

"You're courting death!" Startled by my sudden move, Lu Xing hurled his knife straight at the furnace.

Whether the knife hit the token and altered its trajectory, I had no idea; the moment I threw it, I bolted for the exit of the Haunted House.

'Shut down the Ferris Wheel, temporarily deactivate the feng shui grand formation, and then release the Fate Ghost!' My mind was perfectly clear as I moved rapidly through the Haunted House's complex corridors. I could hear the faint sound of wind behind me—whether it was Qiu Ren or yin souls, I didn't know. I didn't dare look back; I just ran for my life.

Kicking open the Haunted House's main doors, I ran outside without even pausing for breath, my eyes shooting straight toward the Ferris Wheel.

'Why is it still running?'

Towering over the Amusement Park, the Ferris Wheel resembled a windmill in the dark night, churning the yin energy of the entire feng shui layout in an endless, unceasing cycle.

'Going by the time, Tie Ningxiang should have already found the Ferris Wheel's control valve. Did something go wrong?'

Anxious, I quickened my pace. Yin souls occasionally wandered the streets of the Amusement Park, but there seemed to be very few of them. 'Where did all the yin souls go?'

I sprinted down the somewhat empty streets, only witnessing a terrifying scene once I neared the Ferris Wheel.

Tie Ningxiang was shielding Yi Yi, trapped in the center of countless yin souls. They were only a dozen meters away from the Ferris Wheel's control room.

Intimidated by her general star fate pattern, the yin souls didn't dare to encroach on them, merely surrounding them without attacking. But as Tie Ningxiang grew weaker, the power of her fate pattern seemed to dwindle. A few powerful yin souls had begun attempting to attack her, leaving many dark purple and gray bruises on her body.

I had seen similar marks on the old beggar before. Thinking about it now, he must have been a victim as well, frequently ravaged by yin souls, which was why he was so terrified of the Amusement Park after midnight.

"Tie Ningxiang!"

Hearing my shout, Tie Ningxiang raised her head with great effort. To my surprise, the first thing her face revealed was apology and remorse. She seemed to say something to me, but the distance was too great and I couldn't hear it clearly. It must have been a very brief sentence.

I pulled a large handful of talismans from my jacket. Disregarding their specific effects and usages, I charged into the yin souls, trying to carve out a bloody path to regroup with Tie Ningxiang.

The number of yin souls kept increasing. Just as Half-Immortal Liu had said in the livestream earlier, one or two yin souls posed no threat, but when the numbers grew, they would snowball—a quantitative change leading to a qualitative change.

It felt as though I was carrying a thousand-jin weight on my back, sinking into a quagmire and unable to take a single step forward.

Time slipped away. Qiu Ren was the first to catch up. He stood off to the side with a smile, watching me get besieged by the yin souls. He didn't intervene, only smiled cruelly. "When you collapse from exhaustion, I'll turn you into a doll. You'll be my finest collection."

A minute or two later, Lu Xing hurried over as well. He wasn't holding his knife; instead, he gripped a token covered in wax.

"Gao Jian, I really have to disappoint you. My knife knocked the Fate Manipulator Token out of the furnace. You're just too unlucky." He was deliberately trying to anger me, hoping I would lose my mind so the yin souls could attack more easily.

I ignored him, walking slowly but firmly toward Tie Ningxiang, step by step.

"It's just a shame about that wicked knife that went through life and death with me. But it's no big deal. In a moment, I'll use your life to pay tribute to it."

Lu Xing and Qiu Ren looked relaxed. Gaining the General Star Divine Fiends while simultaneously acquiring the heavenly yi noble was an unexpected joy that left Lu Xing grinning from ear to ear, the scars on half of his face twisting.

"The nine fiends transforming yin is deployed here. You ran straight for the Ferris Wheel the moment you left the Haunted House, so it seems you also understand feng shui. Trying to resolve the isolated peak hazard to buy yourself time... nice idea. For someone so young to have such knowledge is truly shocking."

Lu Xing held the winning hand, having nearly gathered all the Eight Characters Divine Fiends. But what worried me most was that it was still a long time until dawn.

I didn't dare imagine what would happen to Tie Ningxiang and Yi Yi if they fell into this man's hands. All I could do right now was keep moving forward.

It felt like a massive mountain was pressing down on my spine, growing heavier by the second. My legs trembled, every single step a grueling struggle.

"Still refusing to give up? Inside this feng shui grand formation, I am God. No matter how capable you are, you can't make any waves." Lu Xing took out an inner-thirteen-layer Feng Shui Compass from his pocket. He gave me a cold sneer, then reached out and flicked the dial.

The tip of the needle turned slightly. Just by shifting a mere millimeter, the entire Amusement Park was completely shrouded in yin energy, like dark clouds pressing down and blotting out the starlight in the sky.

"I've killed many people, and you're one of the hardest to deal with. To show my respect, I'll slow down your death and spend the entire night torturing you! Savor the ultimate agony. This is what happens when you go against the Buddha!"

Years of accumulated yin energy from deep underground flooded over me like seawater. Yin souls clung to my body. I felt as if I were going to be torn apart. After taking a few more steps, I was finally drained of all strength and collapsed in front of Tie Ningxiang.

"I... did my best."

My outstretched hand still failed to touch the person I wanted to save. Perhaps my livestreaming career was going to draw its final curtain right here.

Tie Ningxiang's cries mingled with Lu Xing's maniacal laughter. I suddenly felt so tired. My eyelids were heavy, and a voice in my head seemed to be telling me to sleep—just go to sleep, and it would all be over.

Pain radiated from all over my body as yin energy began seeping into my flesh. But just as I was about to give up completely, I thought I heard the very faint sound of an engine by my ear.

The noise gradually grew clearer. It seemed to be coming from outside the Amusement Park.

I turned my head, looking toward the source of the sound in confusion.

It was coming from the scythe-blade malediction point at the Amusement Park's main gate. Guarded by the double doors, a blinding light from outside the grand formation was rapidly approaching!

'Who is it? This feng shui layout can only be entered by someone plagued with yin energy, or someone who has seen ghosts. He's...'

My eyes, which had been about to close, slowly opened wide, revealing a look of pure disbelief.

The bright light pierced the dark night like a sharp sword, speeding down the road outside the Amusement Park. As it drew closer and closer, I could see it more clearly.

It was a blue-and-white taxi. Inside the car, I could faintly make out a slightly balding middle-aged driver holding a cell phone.

"Who is that?" Lu Xing also turned his head to look. The needle of the Compass in his hand was jumping wildly. "Quick, stop him!"

The taxi reached the gates of the Amusement Park, but the driver seemed completely insane. Showing no intention of slowing down, he slammed the gas pedal straight to the floor!

"Crash!"

Like a giant siege hammer from ancient warfare, the hood of the car violently smashed open the Amusement Park's gates. It plunged headfirst into the artificial lake, sending water spraying in all directions. Its tires brutally crushed over the drainage pipes, finally coming to a halt amidst a hazy mist of water.

The car door opened, and the middle-aged driver stumbled out of the taxi. He wiped the splashing water from his slightly balding forehead with one hand, and viciously slammed the door shut with the other.

"Son of a bitch! Uncle is late!"