Tomb Spirit looked at Ye Chen excitedly and said, "We did it."
Suddenly, the scenery around them changed. Before their eyes lay a barren wasteland, covered in skeletons. In the middle stood a vast blood pool, bubbling and gurgling.
Near the northern edge stood a crude wooden house. A few carrots and potatoes grew around it, and some racks to the right held clusters of grapes.
The cozy scene seemed completely out of place amid the gloomy surroundings, yet somehow it didn't feel incongruous at all. That was exactly how Ye Chen felt as Poison Spirit Ancestor and the others slowly made their way toward the house.
Ye Chen said to Tomb Spirit, "Be careful. There's something unusual about this place." Tomb Spirit nodded.
They entered the house and found no one inside. It contained only a crude table and a bed, with no other belongings, but the room was spotlessly clean.
Suddenly, a three- or four-year-old child crawled out from under the bed, eating a piece of candy.
Ye Chen was startled. "Little one, what are you doing here?"
The child said, "I'm not 'little one.' My name is Axi. And I'm here because this is my home. I live here, not over there."
"W-what? This is your home?" Tomb Spirit exclaimed.
Axi looked up at Tomb Spirit. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Ye Chen asked, "Do you live here by yourself?"
"No. I usually live with Big Brother, but I don't know where he went today," Axi replied.
"Your Big Brother? What does he look like?" Ye Chen hurriedly asked.
Axi tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Big Brother is really handsome. When he wears his ink-black robe, he looks like a Kami from the heavens."
"Big Brother is so good to me. He specially