The ghostly energy struck the ghost bride square in the chest. It should have benefited her, but Jiang Nuo's strange power was mixed into it.
In excruciating pain, she slammed into the wall, nearly falling apart.
The room shook ever more violently. The ghost bride paled in alarm and covered her heart, which had already begun to dissipate.
"You're not a Taoist?!"
She had encountered plenty of Taoists over the years, but none had ever possessed power as bizarre as his!
Jiang Nuo was even more confused than she was. "Huh? I'm a Taoist?"
When did that happen?
"I don't care who you are. You're staying here!"
The ghost bride realized she had underestimated him, but ghosts had never been reasonable. Suppressing her terror at her dissipating ghostly energy, she charged again.
Their next clash blasted the entire room apart.
Jiang Nuo's expression changed instantly. He grabbed the ghost bride by her collar and slammed her into the floor, even more viciously than before.
Yet he forced a smile onto that crazed face.
"Unfortunately, this yin residence is about to disappear. So are you."
Behind him, the room kept exploding and disappearing. Jiang Nuo faced the ghost bride's final, all-out attack head-on, his left eye glowing eerily, like an asura from hell.
His methods were brutal. He actually looked even more uncanny than the ghost bride.
"AAAAAH-"
The ghost bride screamed. As though her soul were being crushed, her terror and agony peaked at once, and bloody tears actually flowed from her hollow eyes.
The instant the room vanished completely, the ghost bride also crumbled into dust.
[Detected the killing of an evil ghost. System triggered.]
Jiang Nuo restored his usual expression and walked out under everyone's astonished gazes, brushing dust off himself.
For a moment, he seemed to hear a voice inside his head.
It was an unfamiliar voice, not the strange system that called itself Lingduan.
He glanced at the camera, then looked at the stunned group and blinked.
"Are you playing statues, or did someone seal your acupoints?"
Why isn't anyone moving?
Yang Xiaoxiao's mouth hung half-open as her gaze shifted from Jiang Nuo to the rubble behind him.
"You... you fought a ghost and brought the house down?"
Was that something a human could do?!
Jiang Nuo immediately waved his hands in denial. "It wasn't me. I didn't do it. The house was shoddily built. It collapsed on its own."
He rubbed his left eyelid and frowned, scanning the scene again.
"Where's Si Yan?"
Where was his great big reservoir of soul nourishment?!
The others relaxed a little, only then realizing Si Yan was missing.
The house was shoddily built? Don't tell me ghosts are just as flimsy in Jiang Nuo's eyes... the more I think about it, the scarier it gets!
Jiang Nuo really... he's annoying, but what a badass...
Oh, please, the production team set this up, and you're actually praising him? What normal person can knock down a house?
Holy shit! Has anyone seen Si Yan?
It's dangerous to be alone! Si Jiaojiao, come back!!
The yin residence continued to disappear, and Jiang Nuo could clearly sense the thick, sinister aura around them.
Quite a few people had died here. The ghosts probably wanted to absorb more living energy before the yin residence disappeared.
Si Yan was a potent tonic to them.
Don't you dare fight me for his spiritual energy!
Once Jiang Nuo figured it out, he led everyone running toward the way out.
"Pick up the pace, folks! Or you'll be stuck here!"
Those words hit everyone hard. They all ran at full speed, and even the camera operators carrying their cameras stopped worrying about keeping the shots steady.
Jiang Nuo searched for Si Yan as he ran. Suddenly, his gaze stopped. He had found him.
He was actually at the yin gate's exit.
Si Yan was clearly trapped by ghosts. He stood rooted to the spot, his face pale, a blue-purple bruise on his neck.
At the sight of Jiang Nuo, his phoenix eyes brightened slightly. He immediately looked over, his misty brows knitting as though silently asking for help.
Aaaaah, why is our Jiaojiao hurt again?!
Damn this production team! I'll fight you bastards!
Holy shit, holy shit, Si Yan! Is he acting cute with Jiang Nuo? Is he? Is he? Just standing there waiting for Jiang Nuo to come over?!
I think he... looks more like he can't move? orz
"Si Yan, close your eyes."
With three ghosts trapping him, it would have been stranger if he could move.
Jiang Nuo grabbed his wrist and swept a hand out to his side.
Mysterious silver threads flashed, and the three weak ghosts vanished instantly.
Si Yan could finally move. Clutching his neck, his face bloodless, he nearly fell into Jiang Nuo's arms.
"Don't fall, or your fans will curse me to death."
Jiang Nuo hurriedly steadied him. Seeing how weak he was, he didn't dare absorb any more spiritual energy.
"Can you hurry up?!" Tian Dong urged, constantly afraid he would die here.
"Can you walk?" Jiang Nuo asked the person leaning against his shoulder.
Si Yan shook his head and actually wrapped his arms around him.
"Can't move."
His tone was cool, yet somehow held a trace of grievance.
"...Then should I carry you on my back?"
Jiang Nuo shook his neck slightly. The breath brushing his skin made it tingle.
"Carry me in your arms."
Si Yan's voice grew weaker as he spoke. After those final words, he actually passed out just like that.
Jiang Nuo: "..." Bear with it. I still need him to nourish my soul.
With a resigned sigh, he scooped the fragile Best Actor Si into his arms.
"Stop filming. Come give me a hand."
Unable to free his hands, Jiang Nuo could only tip his chin toward his camera operator, gesturing through the air at the yang gate's location.
"That wall. Push hard. The rest of you, go help too."
His camera operator quickly put down the camera and pushed alongside all the guests' camera operators.
Holding Si Yan, Jiang Nuo watched from behind, silently marveling at whichever extraordinary person had passed through here and lent a hand.
Otherwise, even with the female ghost gone, finding the yang gate would have taken some effort.
Si Yan wasn't entirely unlucky, either. Even trapped by ghosts, he had managed to wander over here.
With everyone working together, the yang gate was finally pushed open.
Unable to stop their momentum, they all tumbled down in a heap.
"Oh my, making a human pyramid?"
Holding Si Yan, Jiang Nuo carefully hopped past them, avoiding everyone's hands.
When they got up again, they discovered they were back in the original room!
Yang Xiaoxiao was on the verge of tears.
"Are we back, or are ghosts making us walk in circles?"
Jiang Nuo smiled. "This is where the yin and yang gates first switched places. Of course we're back."
Holding Si Yan effortlessly, he was the first to head outside, muttering as he walked.
"The candles are gone too. Wonder if this counts as completing the task."
I'd better not end up failing to find that soul fragment and getting chewed out by Brother Cui when I get back.
Aaaaah, they're back!! This is so fantastical!
I give up... I can't tell what's real anymore.
Jiang Nuo, I'm seriously crying. We Shuimo fans will never curse you again! You get cursed,
"Quick! Go find them!"
Seeing this, the director hurriedly grabbed his walkie-talkie. Every crew member relaxed.
Thank goodness they'd invited Jiang Nuo! Otherwise, never mind their careers-they would have lost their lives!
The guests followed Jiang Nuo out of the residence. Only when the warm sunlight fell on them did they finally feel they had returned to reality.
Seeing the crew members running over to find them, even Yun Kang, a middle-aged man, nearly cried.
How was this any different from a trip to death's door?!
From a distance, Jiang Nuo spotted several crew members rushing over. Si Yan's name was printed on their red vests, so they were probably his assistants.
He was just about to walk over and hand Si Yan to them when he noticed the breathing of the person in his arms grow slightly uneven, as though he had woken up.