[Rain-Praying Village] The Book

"Holy shit, h-how is that Sister Bai?!"

When Liu Chengfeng saw the head in the jar, he felt his heart clench painfully!

He never could have imagined that Bai Xiaoxiao's head would appear in the glass jar before him!

The shock was indescribable.

Bai Xiaoxiao was a veteran who had passed through many blood gates, and she carried quite a few life-saving Ghost Artifacts. If even she couldn't handle the Spirit Medium, what were they supposed to do?

The two examined the head in the jar closely. As much as they didn't want to believe it, they had to acknowledge one fact-the head in this jar really did belong to Bai Xiaoxiao.

Her alluring face had grown paler, and her usually languid, peach-blossom eyes now held a vacant look.

Ning Qiushui checked the bottom of the jar.

The cut across Bai Xiaoxiao's neck was very clean, suggesting that something extremely sharp had severed it in a single stroke. But a large patch of something black covered the wound. What was it?

An ordinary person had no chance of surviving decapitation, but somehow, the Spirit Medium had managed to keep Bai Xiaoxiao alive!

Holding the jar, Ning Qiushui turned off the light.

In an instant, the entire room sank back into darkness.

The chattering cries gradually faded away as well.

Ning Qiushui carried the jar out of the empty room, then spoke to Bai Xiaoxiao's head inside it:

"Sister Bai, can you hear me? What's your situation right now?"

After about three seconds of silence, the head in the jar spoke:

"What time is it now?"

Ning Qiushui told Bai Xiaoxiao the time.

There was no denying that this woman was extraordinary. She was far more than a pretty face. Even in her current predicament, Bai Xiaoxiao remained composed.

"Good... it's not too late."

Bai Xiaoxiao's weak voice sounded relieved.

"Listen, we don't have much time left. You must remember everything I'm about to tell you!"

Ning Qiushui nodded.

"Go ahead, Sister Bai."

Bai Xiaoxiao fell silent for another moment, as though speaking took considerable effort.

"Something has gone wrong with the Spirit Medium's body. It seems that using certain dark arts to suppress the village's ghosts for so long has caused a backlash..."

"There's a mechanism under the bed in her bedroom. Turn it, and a hidden compartment will open. There's a very important book inside, containing the truth about what happened in this village back then... and a way to reach the Back Mountain Temple safely!"

"You need to take it... and whatever you do, don't confront the Spirit Medium head-on. You're no match for her!"

Once she finished, Ning Qiushui immediately asked:

"Is there still a way to save you?"

Bai Xiaoxiao's face remained expressionless. In her current state, she couldn't make much of an expression anyway.

"If you can find my body and bring it here before sunset today, I can survive."

"My body... is at the Temple on Back Mountain."

Ning Qiushui replied:

"All right!"

He was about to return the jar containing Bai Xiaoxiao's head to its original place when he heard her speak again.

"One more thing... there are a lot of bodies in the Temple on Back Mountain. You'll probably have a hard time finding mine if you just go looking."

Ning Qiushui paused briefly, then heard Bai Xiaoxiao say quietly:

"I have a dagger-shaped birthmark on my left buttock. It's pretty noticeable..."

Seeing the faint embarrassment Bai Xiaoxiao betrayed, Ning Qiushui didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Still, they both knew that when a life was at stake, things like that no longer mattered so much.

After returning Bai Xiaoxiao's head to its original place, Ning Qiushui checked several times to make sure they had left no trace of their visit. Only then did he carefully leave the room.

"Beardy, lock it!"

Liu Chengfeng nodded. He not only locked the door again but also restored the lock to its exact original position.

"Qiushui, what did Sister Bai just tell you?"

Ning Qiushui was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

A birthmark on her butt... better not tell anyone else about that.

After all, Bai Xiaoxiao was a woman.

"Let's go to the Spirit Medium's bedroom first and find that book with the important clues!"

The two entered the Spirit Medium's bedroom once more.

They had already searched this room earlier, but they hadn't expected the Spirit Medium to be so cautious that she would install a hidden mechanism even in a place where she normally lived alone.

Following Bai Xiaoxiao's instructions, they quickly found the mechanism beneath the Spirit Medium's bed. With a gentle twist, a hidden compartment appeared before them.

Just as Bai Xiaoxiao had said, a yellowed book lay inside.

The book's exterior was terribly worn. Although it had been carefully preserved, it still bore marks that the passing years had left behind. Frequent handling had inevitably damaged some areas.

Without hesitation, Ning Qiushui picked up the book and closed the hidden compartment.

Then they left the Spirit Medium's bedroom and stepped into the courtyard.

But just as they were about to leave, the courtyard gate slowly opened-

An old, familiar face covered in wrinkles appeared before them!

As their eyes met, both the person outside the gate and the two inside visibly froze.

The atmosphere instantly became deeply awkward.

Especially when the Spirit Medium saw that Ning Qiushui was holding the important book she had hidden away.

After a moment of silence, Ning Qiushui immediately turned and bolted toward an archway in the courtyard!

"Beardy, run!!"

At his shout, the two raced toward the western archway, one after the other, without looking back!

Behind them, the Spirit Medium's expression twisted into something hideous. With an enraged roar, she gripped her cane and limped after them!