Chapter 297 - Rescue
Chapter 297 of "Journey to the End of the Night" begins the action: Ji Ting felt a sourness at the tip of his nose and slowly let down... Discover the next part!
Ji Ting felt a sourness at the tip of his nose and slowly let down the lapel of his garment, âI also donât know if I am considered dead or alive right now.
The Ghost General casually discarded me while I was still not fully dead.
Perhaps my deep obsession and concern for my younger sister resonated with an inexplicable power inside the derelict house.
That power was cold and eerie, flooding into my heartâs wound; unexpectedly, it allowed me to survive in this neither human nor ghostly state.â
Baili An glanced at him and nodded, âThe injury that pierced through your chest has an odd power of a Ghost God attached to it.
You are not really dead; that power is sustaining your life.
If you can find the source of that power, you can still return to your normal human state.â
Ji Ting shook his hands urgently, âMy safety is not important right now.
I donât have the luxury of time to care about these things.
I beg you, young master, to help me find my second sister.â
Baili An said, âThere are two things I donât understand and hope you can clarify.â
âPlease speak, sir, and I shall conceal nothing and tell all.â
Baili An said, âYou mentioned the Ghost wants to kill you, but since you havenât died, why does he keep you alive?â
Ji Ting seemed to have anticipated this question, his expression unchanged as he smoothly replied,
âI heard the Ghost say that after he threw me onto that dead land, my blood soaked into the ground, awakening the Ghost Tears Pearl within it.
He then considered my life could be of some use and has since controlled and locked me inside the derelict house.
It was only when that drum sound was disrupted by a blast of thunder that I regained my senses and came to find you, young master.â
Hearing the words âGhost Tears Pearl,â Fang Geyuâs expression visibly changed.
Baili An said, âMy last question, commoners cannot enter the Inner City, tell me, Ji Tingâexactly how did you get in?â
The moonlight sifted through the clouds, casting half his figure in moonlight and half in shadow, his gaze momentarily bright yet deeply penetrating.
Under such a calm and gentle gaze, even the bravest of people would instinctively tighten their hearts.
Ji Tingâs palms began to sweat profusely, he swallowed his dry throat, and after staring at Baili An for a long time, tears overflowed again as he sobbed, âIn recent days, young master, have you perhaps heard about my familyâs master?â
Baili An: âI have heard a thing or two.â
He did not mention that he had visited his home and found Ji San.
Ji Ting said with sorrow, âPresumably, the young master already knows.
Master Meng, because the matter of borrowing untimely lifespan to extend his own was exposed, took his own life in front of the Holy Tomb within the Inner City.
Actually, even before this, as I worked in his bookshop, I also became a suspect by the cityâs military and was abruptly taken in for questioning a few days ago.â
Baili An asked, âYouâre just a common scholar, why would the cityâs military think you are the culprit capable of dealing with ghosts?â
Ji Ting gave a wry smile, âTo tell the truth, a maid who died unexpectedly beside Officer Lan a few days ago was an old acquaintance from my hometown.
The night before she disappeared, she met with meâŚ
cough, she saw me once.
After that, she vanished, and naturally, I was suspected by the cityâs military.â
As he spoke, the emotion shining in his eyes grew heavier, âI just never expected the master to choose her as his next target.â
Ji Ting couldnât help but clench his fists, his face full of regret, âI knew that Xianling City was not peaceful recently, and yet I was so careless.
If I had been more thoughtful that day and walked her home, perhaps this wouldnât have happened.
She was with the young miss of Wandao Immortal Alliance, destined for a prosperous future, a flower-like girl.
Now she has fallen in this desolate land, keeping company with ghostsâŚ
I, I would rather that this fate had befallen me.â
Baili An consoled, âDonât overthink it.
Perhaps it was her destiny.
The deceased are gone; we canât change the past.
We can only try to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
Letâs go save Miss Ji Ying first.
Oh, and thereâs one more thing you need not worry about, Ji San is safe and has been arranged to stay in an inn within the city.â
âJi San?â Ji Tingâs tear-streaked face paused, unsure if he didnât understand his affectionate reference or for some other reason.
It took him a moment to smile and touch his head, âYouâre referring to my little sister, young master?
So without my knowledge, you have bestowed upon my Ji family such a great kindness.
Your grace to my Ji family is like giving us a new life.â
Baili An waved his hand, âYouâre welcome.
Since youâve been lurking in the derelict house for several days, do you know where your sister is being held by the Ghost?â
Ji Ting nodded quickly, âI am aware of that; please follow me, young master.â
This conversation gave Baili An a new understanding of the Ghost.
This was an extremely arrogant ghost who looked down upon mortals with disdain.
A mortal without any cultivation, having lurked inside the derelict house for a few days, was left completely unguarded, allowing him to determine the exact location of the prey he had been captured and imprisoned.
Following him, Baili An and Fang Geyu found the imprisoned women in a building that appeared to have been abandoned for many years.
There were about a dozen women locked up, most curled up in corners trembling and sobbing softly.
The room emanated a foul odor, the scent of ancient rotting wood mixed with dust, coupled with these women being detained here without daylight, and bloodstains on the ground from beatings at unknown times.
The air was heavy with the smell of sweat, blood, and excrement, rendering it almost unbearable to the senses.
The moment the door, sealed with iron plates, was pushed open, Ji Ting was the first to lean against the wall and start retching.
Expecting Fang Geyu, born of a noble family, to react violently, Baili An glanced at her worriedly, thinking of asking her to wait downstairs.
Yet Fang Geyu stepped forward, entering the room first, acting as if the stench didnât exist at all.
She even glanced back at them with an impatient expression, âArenât we here to save someone?
What are you dawdling for?â
Baili An quickly followed, tearing off a piece of his sleeve to offer her as a handkerchief.
Fang Geyu merely gave it a brief look, dismissing it with, âI donât need this.â
Baili An asked, âAre you sure youâre not just being stubborn?â
As Fang Geyu scanned the situation inside the room, her expression always carried that pride and disdain, looking down on everyone.
Yet when a woman inside bore severe wounds festering with pus, she did not hesitate to use the contents of her Qiankun Bag.
She took out various types of healing medicinesâtranquilizers, hemostatics, painkillersâto treat these unrelated women.
As for their dirty bloodstains that soiled her clothes and fingers, she only huffed in disgust, but her hands never slowed as she bandaged them.
These women, detained for who knows how long, were disheveled and in filthy clothes that, while dirty, were still decent and made from fine material, indicating they were well-born mortals.
Here, they seemed to have been tortured, their spirits somewhat disturbed.