Into The Tunnel

The shrine was filled with a strange silence as Xie Ai tried to digest the news. His mouth opened and closed for a moment. His throat went dry at this time, not knowing what to say.

What could he do?

Even though they said nothing, he knew perfectly what they meant—letting Yu Chen sacrifice his soul. But how could he bear to let the man go through such a tragedy? He has already died, why should even his soul suffer?

Xie Ai's heart twisted into a knot as his lower lips quivered. He had difficulty breathing as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

At this time, even the little ghost also understood what was happening. He had an expression of sudden realization as if something dawned on him.

Then, he grinned, looking over at Xie Ai who looked like he was on the verge of crying. "Big brother, I'll finally get a chance to save you!"

After that, he turned around and headed to the hidden door underground. His footsteps disappeared out of the blue, vanishing into the darkness.

Neither of them saw that Yu Weimin was staring at the space without blinking. A frown crossed his forehead as he continued to stare.

Then he looked at Qi Jingguo and gestured to him something and walked toward the underground chamber, jumping inside directly.

His lover sighed and walked over to Xie Ai, patting the latter's shoulders. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Xie Ai looked as if his soul was sucked away. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. A year drop rolled down his cheeks, gently clinging onto his jaw before falling to his shirt.

"We can't save him."

Qi Jingguo didn't know what to say for the first time in his life. So he continued to stay silent until the entire ground beneath him trembled to the point they couldn't stand properly.

At this time, both of their expressions changed as Xie Ai finally raised his pale face, glancing around. He realized what had happened as he spoke in a shaky voice, "Curse broke?"

Qi Jingguo also had a layer of cold sweat on his forehead as he continued to stare at the place where Yu Weimin had disappeared to. His lover had gestured to him that he would be back, but now, even the curse broke! Just what the heck was he doing?!

Only now did Xie Ai realize someone was missing. "Where's Yu Weimin?"

He immediately looked at the underground door as the two rushed toward the door. Without even saying a word, Qi Jingguo directly jumped into the darkness as his entire body looked like the abyss ate him alive.

Xie Ai also gritted his teeth and jumped.

The entire place was shrouded with darkness, utter and complete dark with not a single trace of light. Xie Ai couldn't even see his own hands as he took a shaky breath, staring ahead into the dark. He didn't even dare to move his hands randomly for fear of encountering a ghost.

Just then, a flashlight sparked right on his face, making him scream out of his lungs.

"Shhh…. It's me. Don't scream!" Qi Jingguo whispered and said, "C'mon. I know where he is."

Xie Ai had no choice but to follow.

The two of them continued to walk around the place. Only now did Xie Ai see the scene.

It was a tunnel-like place with an arched ceiling above their heads, both dark and gloomy. The most terrible thing about this place wasn't the darkness, but the sticky, red, and green substance stuck to the surface of the wall, making Xie Ai wrinkle his nose.

He was so thankful to himself for not touching the wall randomly. Otherwise, he would have touched that thing on the wall and ended up getting his hands sticky.

But as they walked, they seemed to be traveling in an endless tunnel without an end. Xie Ai felt increasingly tired, but Qi Jingguo was still walking forth without shedding a drop of sweat.

Seeing that, even Xie Ai's back turned straight as he continued walking.

Just look at the marshal. He would go to terrible lengths to save his lover. But what about him? When the time to save Yu Chen came, he was still hesitating.

If it were any other person, they would have jumped at the opportunity to become his lover's eternal savior.

What a hypocrite!

Xie Ai couldn't help but feel that his emotions for his ex were merely just for show. If he still loved Yu Chen as he claimed, he would be the one jumping in this tunnel, not Yu Weimin.

Ah, of course, they were brothers. Why won't he save the soul? Despite whatever happened, Yu Weimin might still have that person in his heart, won't he?

But what about Xie Ai?

He also had that person in his heart, but he never thought of jumping in the tunnel all alone. Here, everything could be seen crystal clear.

He was never someone who would sacrifice himself for others. From birth until now, he had depended on everyone else above him, be it his family or lover. Even after the breakup, his friends took care on his family's behalf, making sure he even bathed every day.

But now….

When it was his turn to save his ex, he turned his tail and froze in place, not even thinking of jumping. The first thought in his head wasn't to save Yu Chen, but how he could save the man and himself at the same time.

He was utterly and deeply selfish to the core of his heart.

As they walked over, they both heard the sound of someone's footsteps echoing into the dark. Both of them turned stiff as Qi Jingguo pulled out his knife, narrowing his eyes ahead. His entire posture was that of a lion lying behind a pile of grass, staring keenly at his prey with his sharp, narrow eyes.

Xie Ai also became nervous as he also pulled out his small knife, clutching it tightly. His breathing turned shaky as he continued walking.

But what they saw ahead wasn't some monster, but a bloodstained Yu Weimin who couldn't walk properly anymore. He didn't even care about the sticky thing on the wall as he continued to lean against it while walking.

"Xiao Min!" Qi Jingguo's eyes widened as he rushed to his lover who seemed to be on the verge of dying.