Chapter 51 (1/2)
Hao Ren did not know what the enthusiasts were up to but with the gear that was on them, he could roughly figure it out. Vivian on the other hand, was brutal in her assessment. “Those clowns there, a bunch of swindlers they are. Only Nangong and that monk seem somewhat legitimate.”
Lily went about sniffing the floor. After a while she lifted her head and went, “Someone was here.”
“Well… there have been a whole lot of visitors coming to the ruins. That’s not really surprising.” Hao Ren shrugged and he slowly made his way towards the chapel as cautiously as he could. “This sounds really scary, you sure everything is okay?”
“No problem. The spirits are still entombed underground.” Vivian looked around as she activated her magical sight. Her eyes were a flash of crimson in the dark. “Listen, the howling has weakened.”
Hao Ren gulped as he noticed that the howling from the castle had indeed weakened. Instead of reassuring him, it increased his uneasiness. While he could not feel or see the dead, the place was royally haunted to him.
The wooden door had already rotted away but the entrance was barred by some fallen masonry. Hao Ren slowly closed in towards the structure and found a slit amid the boulders. He took a peek through it and saw only darkness on the other side. There were little traces of wind alongside the cries of men and sound of horses coming from the building. As the structure was riddled with holes everywhere, it seemed like the weird noise within the building was not impeded and therefore, audible throughout the castle grounds.
Hao Ren licked his index finger and placed it into the crack. He solemnly nodded. “Yes, there’s no wind.”
“Of course, if there was, you would have been covered in dust and debris when you were peeking.” Vivian pushed Hao Ren aside and waved towards Lily. “Over here, doggie. Move this out of the way.”
Hao Ren was a little queasy. “Wait a minute, won’t this disturb the dead?”
“What dead? I’ve fought real mummies before. Heck, I’ve even faced off with the pharaoh’s guard as well. Go, doggie!”
“I dare you to say that again! I’ll give you a big chomp if that’s the last thing I do!” Lily was getting increasingly infuriated by Vivian’s obvious disrespect towards her and protested menacingly. That said, it was a job well-suited for Lily, who was all brawn so, she went about moving the boulders.
As Lily tossed the first boulder aside, the noise from the chapel ceased.
“It stopped!” Hao Ren exclaimed. “I think I heard something in there. Did you guys hear it?”
Vivian slightly nudged her head towards the chapel, trying to catch the noise Hao Ren heard. At the same time, she gestured towards Lily. “Pay no heed, keep moving.”
“Huurrrrummphhh!” Lily grunted as she lifted a boulder which looked like it weighed a tonne. She lifted it with ease and tossed it a good few meters aside as though the boulder was nothing. Hao Ren wisely stood a few meters away from Lily, fearing that the dumb werewolf would accidentally kill him with a stray toss. Nonetheless, he was still amazed by her feat of strength. “If only I had such strength…”
“She’s all brawn only.” Vivian twitched as she looked at Lily moving the boulders. She was smiling curtly. “The true source of strength is knowledge. Strength alone is no match for my blood magic. Just a curse alone will fell―”
“Go on…” Lily said as she turned around with a boulder lifted over her head.
Hao Ren who was beside Vivian quickly scrambled aside. “STOOPPP!!! I’m just a normal person you know? I’ll die if that lands of me! If you two want to duke it out, let’s go somewhere with no one around later”
Lily hissed bitterly and turned back to continue her labor. It was not long before the boulders were cleared from the entrance, with the last one being kicked away. The entrance of the chapel now stood open for them.