Zombie Bodyguard

Chapter 1996: Chapter 1993: Activation Ceremony

Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu studied the "Soul Summoning Song" and gradually became proficient, encountering not only the gusts of chilling wind every night but also various inexplicable laments.

What’s most terrifying is that the music carries a force that can captivate one’s mind. Even Lin Tian, if he isn’t careful, can fall into it. Sometimes Lin Tian even suspects whether those haunting winds and cries are real or simply a manifestation of the music projecting into one’s heart.

Fortunately, Lin Tian is someone who has experienced grand events and doesn’t let it bother him. He continues training when needed and sleeps when necessary.

The lunar calendar has already reached December, close to the Spring Festival. During this time, Mrs. Xiao made a few phone calls asking when they would return. For people from Huaxia, the Spring Festival is the most important day, so Mrs. Xiao urging them is quite normal.

Speaking of which, Lin Tian hasn’t seen Mrs. Xiao for some time. Ever since the Xiao Family overcame their difficulties and rose to a higher level, Mrs. Xiao has become even busier. Lin Tian isn’t sure if his actions were beneficial or harmful to her.

However, one thing that’s positive is that Mrs. Xiao is a widow, and as they say, "trouble surrounds a widow’s door." Especially one as beautiful as Mrs. Xiao, who attracts even more trouble.

During the period when the Xiao Family was weak and struggling, there were always rumors about her. Some looked down on her as a mere woman, bullying the Xiao Family, and others lusted after her beauty.

Her real name is Li Xinyi, but she has others call her Mrs. Xiao, perhaps to dispel rumors, or maybe more out of helplessness. Now that the Xiao Family’s status has risen, those rumors have naturally disappeared.

On the fifteenth of December in the lunar calendar, as night had just descended, Lin Tian and the others left the villa without alarming any employees. Along the path, through mountain streams and pools, they quickly arrived at the Skull Temple.

Tonight the moon is very round, hanging like a silver plate in the night sky, with moonlight shining in the mountain stream, rendering it into a pale, moonlit ribbon.

It was supposed to be a beautiful scene, but it changed upon reaching the Skull Temple. The moonlight fell upon the temple and the pool, turning it from beautiful moon white to a ghastly pale.

In this ghastly pale world, there was a death-like silence, not even the chirping of insects.

"Birds don’t dare to fly across, beasts won’t approach, insects and ants are silent—it’s truly eerie," Lin Tian said with a slight shake of his head. The daytime silence was now even more bizarre at night.

"Master, it seems there’s a strange energy field shrouding the vicinity, and birds and beasts have a very keen perception of danger, so they won’t come near the pool and the ancient temple," the Sword Spirit spoke within his mind.

Zhang Lingyu’s words also confirmed the Sword Spirit’s guess. The Beautiful Sky Master said, "The ancient altar is not simple; it’s the Yin Sha Land, and no animals want to approach. If modern equipment were used for detection, it would surely find the magnetic field in this area extremely chaotic."

Lin Tian withdrew his gaze and took a waterproof bag from his backpack, placing the ancient zither inside. He had to dive soon, and if the zither got soaked, it wouldn’t be playable. Although the zither is magical, perhaps waterproof, Lin Tian didn’t want to take that risk.

Xu Feibai donned his waterproof suit and was the first to jump in, followed by Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu, with Lin Tian bringing up the rear. After a period of diving, the four returned to the "tomb passage."

This time, they brought waterproof lamps and flashlights, eliminating the need for Zhang Lingyu to use her techniques for illumination. They soon arrived outside the altar, where several beams of light shone into the cave, casting eerie shadows of the altar and totem pole on the rock wall behind, adding a sense of grim atmosphere.

"Don’t go in yet," Lin Tian halted them, casually throwing a stone inside.

The stone landed on the altar and then rolled down from behind. For quite a while, the altar remained unresponsive.

"I’ll go in first. Wait for my signal before you come in," Lin Tian said cautiously. Because Xiao Manxuan was present, he had to be careful. Even though Zhang Lingyu was a Demon Exorcist, she was still a mortal body, susceptible to injury or even death if something unexpected happened.

Xiao Manxuan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, all her words turned into two: "Be careful."

Lin Tian strode into the cave, climbed onto the altar, and approached the totem pole. At this moment, Zhang Lingyu shouted from the passage entrance, "Lin Tian, use the Yin Jade to activate the totem pole and check for any other traps on the altar."

Lin Tian nodded, took out the Yin Jade and placed it back into the slot, pressing down forcefully. A clicking sound echoed, followed by the totem pole vibrating. With successive "clack clack clack" sounds coming from underground, the totem pole rose slowly.

At its highest point, the totem pole paused, coming to a complete stop. Throughout the process, Lin Tian was calm, but Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu were on edge.

Until the totem pole returned to its original position with no reaction from the altar, the two women breathed a sigh of relief as Lin Tian gestured them in. The three entered the cave.

"Lingyu, what should we do next?" Lin Tian asked. She was responsible for hosting the sacred ceremony, and Lin Tian, being inexperienced, could only follow directions.

Zhang Lingyu didn’t immediately assign him but instead instructed Xiao Manxuan, "Xuanxuan, place the ancient zither on the table, sit cross-legged on the ground to play, and no matter what happens, do not stop."

Xiao Manxuan nodded firmly and confidently assured, "Rest assured, I won’t move even if I’m beaten to death."

"He couldn’t bear to let you die," Zhang Lingyu glanced at Lin Tian and said softly.

"Lin Tian, you and Xu Feibai are tasked with guard duty. If anything unexpected happens, first protect Xuanxuan. The ceremony might fail, but we can’t let anything happen to people," Zhang Lingyu instructed Lin Tian.

"Naturally, people are the most important; failure to open the passage is not an issue, we can always kidnap your master and have him open it," Lin Tian joked to lighten the atmosphere.

The two women rolled their eyes at him, speechless. Though his words deserved a beating, they at least relaxed a lot. Lin Tian arranged the ancient zither, and Zhang Lingyu took out many pieces of rune paper from her backpack, sticking them around the altar.

After sticking the rune paper, she used a special paint to draw complex runes around the totem pole. Once everything was complete, the Beautiful Sky Master exhaled a breath, then took out a bottle from her pocket, carefully pouring out an elixir and putting it into her mouth.

Lin Tian recognized it as the Spirit-Boosting Pill crafted earlier, which could rapidly replenish a Demon Exorcist’s mana. Seeing the Spirit-Boosting Pill, Xu Feibai’s eyes flashed with surprise. The Xu Family is a thousand-year-old ancient family, more aware than others of the preciousness of elixirs.

"Xuanxuan, begin," Zhang Lingyu solemnly said.

Xiao Manxuan briefly closed her eyes. Upon reopening them, her eyes were ethereal, and the reflection of the ancient zither in her eyes seemed to merge with her.

For a moment, Lin Tian felt a familiar presence, one that had appeared when capturing Yasuo; a presence of red flames when both the ancient zither and Xiao Manxuan were present.

"Ding dong..."

Xiao Manxuan’s jade fingers plucked the zither strings, evoking a distant melody. Then her five fingers danced across the strings, with notes continuously leaping out, like invisible spirits, flying and circling around Lin Tian’s ears and above the altar.

Even Xu Feibai, an old demon who has lived for hundreds of years, heard the resonating sound of the zither, and his gaze became slightly lost.

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