CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 168: TRAPPED

She was about to put the remaining five back.

"Cough cough..."

The leader, with sharp eyes, saw Lin Xiaoyan still had a few amulets left and coughed, saying, "Why not..."

Lin Xiaoyan lifted her head upon hearing the leader speak and saw him smiling, saying, "Don’t put the remaining amulets back, let’s split them among us, just in case."

Lin Xiaoyan: ......

"Let’s treat it as if we’re buying them, and when we return, I’ll pay you double the price for each."

Lin Xiaoyan thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Double the original price for each?"

The leader didn’t understand Lin Xiaoyan’s meaning, he nodded, "Yes."

Lin Xiaoyan felt a surge of joy in her heart, "Okay."

The original price was 998 per piece, but she bought them at 400 per piece; oh, the difference is huge!

If the situation allowed, Lin Xiaoyan would have taken out her phone right now to calculate the price difference.

Lin Xiaoyan passed out the remaining amulets; ten amulets, exactly two per person.

Everyone carefully stored their amulets once they received them.

Lin Xiaoyan was about to fasten the hidden buckle on her backpack when she suddenly noticed a piece of talisman paper wedged in her documents.

She took out the documents and opened them. Upon seeing the talisman paper clearly, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

"What’s wrong? What is that?" Lu Lan looked at the documents and ... talisman paper in Lin Xiaoyan’s hand.

The others also turned their gaze toward her.

Lin Xiaoyan gleefully and carefully picked up the talisman paper.

"This one should have accidentally got tucked into the documents last time I was at Hemu Village."

"Is it also an amulet?"

Lin Xiaoyan handed the talisman paper to Lu Lan and continued to rummage through her backpack.

In the end, she searched it inside and out but didn’t find a second piece of talisman paper.

"Sigh."

Lin Xiaoyan sighed and carefully took back that piece of talisman paper.

"This isn’t an amulet; it’s a Five Thunder Talisman."

After speaking, she briefly explained, "Anyway... it’s pretty terrifying."

Got it!

"What do we do now?" Lin Xiaoyan looked at the leader, waiting for him to issue a command.

After pondering for a moment, the leader’s gaze sharpened, "Let’s go, follow our original plan to find the hidden door."

Lin Xiaoyan sighed inwardly; it had to be this way.

"Alright."

The guard drew the wooden gun from his waist, loaded it, and vigilantly surveyed the surroundings, stepping out of the elevator first.

"Wait a moment."

Lin Xiaoyan called to them, and several people turned their gaze, puzzled.

Lin Xiaoyan reached out and touched the guard’s arm.

"...The hidden door is in the bathroom of room 206..."

Lin Xiaoyan took a deep breath, her heart pounding rapidly, "Inside... it’s full of ghosts..."

Hearing Lin Xiaoyan’s words, their expressions became solemn.

"Full of ghosts? How many?" the leader asked.

Lin Xiaoyan looked at the leader, "One amulet can withstand three attacks; when he went in, within less than a minute, both amulets were destroyed."

Everyone: "!!!"

Lin Xiaoyan kept a composed face and touched the others.

After "seeing" through everyone, she patted her aching head. "I just discovered a place; Xuan Shiyi and the others are probably trapped there, but... we need to figure out how to get there."

"Where?"

Lin Xiaoyan took out a little notebook and a pen from her backpack.

Several people gathered around, watching Lin Xiaoyan sketch the contents.

"This is room 205 and room 206; I just saw Lu Lan enter from here..."

"Um..." Xiao Bo said in a small voice, "My amulet is getting a bit hot."

Everyone was intently listening to Lin Xiaoyan’s words when Xiao Bo stammered out.

Everyone suddenly turned to him, their eyes widened in alarm.

Xiao Bo swallowed, "Y-yeah, really."

At this moment, Xiao Bo was facing away from the elevator door, closest to the outside.

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Xiao Bo’s back, but they saw nothing.

Lu Lan suddenly pulled Xiao Bo over, and everyone pressed tightly against the elevator wall, tensely watching the elevator entrance.

People are often overwhelmed by infinite terror when faced with the unknown.

The guard aimed the wooden gun at the elevator entrance.

Lin Xiaoyan glanced over, "That’s useless; you won’t hit anything."

The guard: ...... Of course he knew!

But holding the wooden gun gave him a sense of security.

"That thing... is it eavesdropping on our conversation?"

The leader glanced around, exuding a cold aura, his superior’s presence overbearing the few of them.

"It’s... possible."

The leader stepped out of the elevator, his gaze somberly sweeping the corridor.

He reached out his hand, "Give me the wooden gun."

The guard looked at the leader with apprehension, "Leader..."

"Give it to me!"

The leader spoke in a deep voice, "Fear only emboldens them; if we can’t leave, then let’s face them head-on!"

"I’ll go with you." The guard’s expression was serious, resolutely moving ahead of the leader.

Xiao Bo took a deep breath and stepped out as well; Lu Lan took one step forward but paused, looking at Lin Xiaoyan.

"Xiaoyan, stay here and don’t move; focus on protecting yourself."

Lu Lan finished advising and strode beside the leader.

These people had experienced countless battlefields, and life and death had become insignificant.

When they enlisted, they had already mentally prepared themselves.

Lin Xiaoyan looked at their decisive demeanor, feeling moved in her heart.

"I’ll go with you."

The leader looked at Lin Xiaoyan, firmly refusing and asked her to stay here.

Lin Xiaoyan smiled, right now inwardly filled with boundless courage.

"Staying here by myself is also dangerous; it’s better to go with you, so we have each other’s backs."

Saying this, she quickly moved beside Lu Lan, clutching his arm.

After "seeing" the new scene, she looked at the corridor ahead, pointing to one of the rooms, "Go to that room."

Following Lin Xiaoyan’s words, several people quickly moved in the direction she pointed.

At the same time

Xuan Shiyi and others were trapped in a closed space.

This place was all white, without any doors or windows, completely sealed.

"This is the Ghost King’s Ghost Realm." Daoist An said gravely.

"Who’d expect there’s a Ghost King here!"

"And right in the city center."

Xuan Shiyi looked at Xuan Wu, "Got any Five Thunder Talismans?"

Xuan Wu glared at Xuan Shiyi, gritting his teeth, "We used them all when dealing with those ghosts outside!

I told you to use them sparingly, but you had to throw them all!"

Xuan Shiyi scratched his nose, "There was talisman paper, so of course I used it; spiritual power is so precious, you have to save it..."

"Then think of a way to break free now!"

Xuan Shiyi: ...

Xuan Er sat calmly, gazing around, "If someone can break us out from the outside, we can get out."

"The important thing is, we all came in; who can rescue us from outside?"

"Lin Xiaoyan?" Xuan Shiyi said hopefully.

The other three coldly looked at him.

Xuan Shiyi thought of Lin Xiaoyan’s timid demeanor; alas, he had pinned his hopes on the wrong person.

"I should have had Xiaoyan check for us before we left!" Xuan Shiyi regretted immensely; how did he forget that?

He should have remembered it then, despite the objections of these guys, gone back to find Xiaoyan!