What chilled Li Bai to the bone even more was that, after all this time, she still hadn't heard a sound from Zhang Yuanchao.
Why? Why hasn't he told me to stop? I'm about to get out. Isn't he worried I'll leave on my own and abandon him here?
At that thought, Li Bai abruptly froze. Then her body began to tremble uncontrollably. It wasn't that she'd never suspected Zhang Yuanchao's motives; given how wary she was, she should have. But strangely, during the time they'd spent together, he'd left a deep impression on her. She'd once noticed the look in his eyes when he gazed at her. It was so pure—unusually pure—and it reminded her of her family. Her father and mother had looked at her the same way.
Gradually, her wariness of being manipulated faded, replaced by a sense of dread, as if something precious was about to leave her.
She stared at the cellar, now less than ten meters away. She was certain that if she walked another ten meters, she could leave this cursed place. The Road of the Vengeful Ghosts, the monstrous infant, Zhusheng Niangniang—none of it would have anything to do with her tonight.
But this short distance kept her from taking another step. She knew she couldn't. She simply couldn't.
Without turning around, she reached for her waist and mechanically tugged at the rope, inch by inch. After pulling for about five or six meters, she reached its end. Staring at the rope, which had clearly been cut, Li Bai crumpled. "Zhang Yuanchao!" At that moment, she couldn't care less if those ghostly things discovered her. All she wanted was to hear Zhang Yuanchao's honest, gentle voice.
After she called several times, a sigh came from far behind her. Li Bai couldn't understand