Little Pink Starfish

Zhang Qiu’s once unwavering belief in scientific rationality had long since shattered. At the mention of the “phoenix essence,” he didn’t even find it strange anymore. Instead, he thought, Oh, so that red orb was really that powerful!

But why had it originally belonged to his brother?

Suppressing his many questions, Zhang Qiu let Lishu pull him along the pitch-black tunnel. Xiapi Prince Hui and Zhang Yushui followed behind. The passage was so narrow that only two people could walk side by side. Their belongings, apart from the bag on Zhang Qiu’s back, had long since been lost.

After walking for a while, Zhang Qiu’s eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to make out vague silhouettes. Suddenly, he heard heavy breathing ahead—deep, ragged, and inhuman. The sound fluctuated between loud and soft, making Zhang Qiu tighten his grip on Lishu’s hand.

“It’s Boss Jin,” Lishu murmured.

His voice was low and close—so close it felt like it was slipping directly into Zhang Qiu’s ear. His ears warmed. He nodded but then realized Lishu might not see it and whispered, “What do we do now?”

“Perfect,” Lishu said, his tone sharp with killing intent.

A shiver ran down Zhang Qiu’s spine. In his memory, though Lishu often exuded a cold aura, he had never truly gone for the kill. He suddenly recalled how Boss Jin and his men had slaughtered Old Fei. The metallic scent of blood seemed to linger in the air.

“Are you cold?” Lishu leaned in, his voice now gentle, warm even—completely different from before.

Zhang Qiu knew his thoughts were inappropriate, but he couldn’t help feeling a secret sweetness in his heart. He treats me differently! He was practically giddy, even more so than a love-struck girl.

Suddenly, Lishu released his hand. Zhang Qiu tensed. “What’s wrong?” He heard rustling in the dark, and the next second, a coat was draped over his shoulders—Lishu’s coat.

“Put your arms in.”

Still dazed, Zhang Qiu obediently slipped his arms into the sleeves. The whole process lasted only a few seconds—Lishu was incredibly efficient. Their hands were clasped again, Lishu walking a step ahead. The coat was cool to the touch, lacking any warmth from Lishu’s body, yet Zhang Qiu felt incredibly warm inside.

“You already have a low body temperature, and yet you gave me your coat.” The tomb was filled with yin energy, and now Lishu was only wearing a T-shirt. Zhang Qiu felt guilty. “I wasn’t even that cold.”

Lishu didn’t turn back. “It’s fine.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t freeze,” Xiapi Prince Hui suddenly spoke from behind.

Zhang Qiu instinctively turned his head, only able to make out two vague shadows. He didn’t understand why Xiapi Prince Hui was so confident, but he figured it was because Lishu was powerful.

The ragged breathing ahead ceased. A faint light became visible in the distance. Zhang Qiu automatically lightened his steps. A subtle noise reached his ears, growing louder as they approached. His scalp tingled.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of bones being gnawed.

As they neared, Zhang Qiu saw the scene clearly. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, except for a single dim flashlight placed on the ground. The faint light illuminated Boss Jin, slumped against the wall, gnawing on something. When he heard movement, he turned to look at them.

Zhang Qiu froze.

Boss Jin was chewing on a Jiangshi’s arm. His mouth dripped with thick, unidentifiable fluid—whether his own or the Jiangshi’s, Zhang Qiu couldn’t tell. The sight of the shriveled, mummified corpse made him gag. He clutched the wall, retching.

Boss Jin tossed aside the half-eaten limb and sneered at them. “There’s no point in struggling. You’ll never make it out alive.” His eyes flicked to Zhang Yushui, and he let out a strange, unsettling laugh that echoed eerily in the narrow passage. “Leave him behind, and you might have a chance. Otherwise, you’ll all be buried here.”

“I’m watching you.”

At the same time Lishu moved, Boss Jin pushed open a stone door and slipped out. Zhang Qiu could hear the hissing of Jiangshi outside, yet Boss Jin’s words still rang in his ears: I’m watching you.

Boss Jin wasn’t afraid of the Jiangshi.

Zhang Qiu’s gaze drifted to the half-eaten corpse. Suppressing his nausea, he asked, “Could it be that because Boss Jin ate the Jiangshi, they don’t attack him?”

Lishu shook his head—whether in denial or uncertainty, Zhang Qiu wasn’t sure.

Even if that were true, Zhang Qiu could never bring himself to eat a Jiangshi. He’d rather be eaten.

“We need to keep moving. There must be a way out. Boss Jin is just trying to scare us.”

Lishu’s eyes narrowed coldly. “The way out is in the outer passage,” he said, pointing ahead. “This is a circular passage. If we keep walking, we’ll just go in circles.”

“There are nine pillars in the outer passage,” Xiapi Prince Hui added.

Zhang Qiu quickly calculated. The inner narrow passage allowed them to avoid the Jiangshi but provided no real escape. To survive, they had to get outside—but outside was swarming with thousands of Jiangshi. And from what Boss Jin said, their entrance tunnel was no longer a viable exit.

“What do we do now?”

“Ah Yan…”

Zhang Yushui murmured, resting his forehead against Xiapi Prince Hui’s neck. His warm breath brushed against the prince’s skin as he whispered his name.

Xiapi Prince Hui stiffened. A shiver ran down his spine, but his face turned cold. He wanted to shove Zhang Yushui away.

“Imperial Uncle.”

Zhang Yushui’s voice was soft, but the title struck Xiapi Prince Hui like a thunderclap. His hand, mid-push, halted. But instead of pulling back, Zhang Yushui leaned in closer, pressing his lips against the prince’s neck, licking gently.

“Your Bing’er feels so hot, Imperial Uncle… help me…”

Zhang Qiu, a few steps away, could hear everything. At first, he thought Zhang Yushui had finally woken up and was about to ask if he was okay—until he heard what was being said.

The tone was somewhere between coquettish and possessive—an intoxicating blend of desire and dominance.

“…Imperial Uncle, have I not treated you well enough? Or is this not satisfying? Do you want me to go even deeper, so deep you’ll cry and beg me, unable to leave?”

Zhang Qiu: …

Did I just hear something I absolutely shouldn’t have?

Should he pretend he didn’t hear anything?

Zhang Qiu turned to Lishu, silently asking what to do.

In the darkness, Lishu saw Zhang Qiu’s embarrassed, flushed face. His mind flashed to an image of Zhang Qiu’s round, perky backside, his whimpering red face pressed against him…

Lishu’s eyes darkened with a hint of desire.

A flicker of crimson flashed. It was so fast Zhang Qiu thought he had imagined it.

“Did you see that red—”

Bang!

A sudden noise made Zhang Qiu turn back. In the dim light, he saw Xiapi Prince Hui looking furious, while Zhang Yushui lay on the ground.

“What happened?”

Xiapi Prince Hui instinctively touched his neck and, lowering his voice, replied, “Nothing.” But his tone lacked its usual calm—it was tinged with embarrassment.

Zhang Yushui, still sprawled on the floor, continued calling out “Imperial Uncle” pitifully.

Zhang Qiu didn’t know how to face his brother anymore. Every time he heard “Imperial Uncle,” all he could think of was doing him senseless.

“Let’s go,” Lishu said, pulling Zhang Qiu forward.

“But I thought you said there’s no way out inside?”

“This door is packed with Jiangshi outside.”

Zhang Qiu listened but heard nothing. He didn’t understand how the stone door worked—from the outside, it required a hidden mechanism, but from the inside, it opened easily.

After ten minutes of walking, Lishu suddenly stopped before another stone door. His sharp gaze locked onto Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu felt nervous. “W-what is it?”

Lishu didn’t answer. Instead, he patted Zhang Qiu’s shoulder.

Just then, Zhang Qiu caught the scent of blood. Before he could react, Lishu pushed open the door.

The moment the door opened, Xiapi Prince Hui saw the bloody handprint on Zhang Qiu’s shoulder and let out a cold laugh. So that’s how it is. Just as I thought.

With one arm still carrying Zhang Yushui—who was busy making trouble against his neck—Xiapi Prince Hui frowned impatiently. But instead of pushing him away, he bit his own hand and smeared his blood onto Zhang Yushui’s shoulder before carrying him forward.

Zhang Qiu had expected to be swarmed by Jiangshi the moment they stepped outside, but surprisingly, the scene was eerily calm.

The tomb passage was too dark to see clearly, but Zhang Qiu could faintly make out the silhouettes of the Jiangshi. Their hollow, red-tinged eyes glowed in the shadows, but they didn’t rush forward as expected. Instead, they hesitated, standing still as if unwilling to approach.

The heavy stone door rumbled shut behind them. Zhang Qiu turned and saw Xiapi Prince Hui and Zhang Yushui emerging.

Sssss…
Rooooar—

As if triggered by their arrival, the previously hesitant Jiangshi suddenly went wild. Their shrill screeches filled the passage as they lunged toward Xiapi Prince Hui, their necks stretched out unnaturally as they let out piercing screams.

Lishu swiftly dispatched several of them with ease, his brow furrowing. “They’re all coming.”

“Get inside!” Zhang Qiu panicked. The sheer number of Jiangshi was overwhelming. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from deeper within the passage, accompanied by the unmistakable rotten stench of decay. It was as if every single Jiangshi in the tomb had been awakened and was heading straight for them.

And in the chaos, Zhang Qiu heard it again.

That chilling, familiar voice.

“I’m watching you.”

It was Boss Jin.

The footsteps grew faster, the air thick with the overwhelming stench of death.

Cold sweat dripped down Zhang Qiu’s forehead, but he didn’t move to push the stone door shut. Instead, he stood right beside Lishu, his expression unwavering in complete trust.

“One chance to survive,” Lishu murmured, his gaze locked onto the black pillar before them.

Zhang Qiu had no idea what Lishu was doing, but a second later, the pillar suddenly collapsed with a deafening crash.

The entire tomb trembled violently.

The Jiangshi froze mid-charge, their movements abruptly halted. The screeching wails cut off, replaced by an eerie, deathly silence.

Zhang Qiu’s heart leaped. It worked!

Bang!

Suddenly, Xiapi Prince Hui collapsed to the ground. His entire body seemed to glow with a blood-red light, his features twisting in pain.

And just then, Zhang Yushui, who had been lying unconscious, snapped his eyes open.

His pupils shone with a brilliant golden light.