“Misty!” Yu Xiao hissed, instantly feeling the auntie’s eyes boring into her. “It’s hard to see with so many people packed in like sardines,” she added quickly.

    The auntie grunted and turned back towards the river. Yu Xiao, trying to appear nonchalant, asked, “Why’s she in there? Did she fall?”

    “Jumped,” the auntie said flatly.

    “What?!” Yu Xiao stared in horror at Zhao Lan in the churning water.

    Both riverbanks were teeming with onlookers, many brandishing bamboo poles and makeshift hooks, desperate to fish her out. But Zhao Lan, a slippery eel in the muddy current, evaded their every attempt.

    Panic surged through Yu Xiao. This wasn’t a normal rescue; this was Misty on the run. And with this many people around, how could they possibly get her out?

    She scratched her head in frustration. Beside her, Tang Xing Yin spoke, “Your friend, isn’t she?”

    “ Yu Xiao nodded distractedly.

    “Step back a bit,” he said, his face grim. He took a step back. “I’ll get her out.”

    “How?” Yu Xiao looked at him, bewildered.

    Tang Xing Yin’s frown deepened. “Just move!”

    “Right!” She shuffled back, then her eyes widened in sudden terror. “You’re not planning on…you know…, are you?”

    A voice whispered in her ear. It was Nightmare. “There’s no need for a massacre. I can help.”

    “How?”

    “I can pull them all into a dream.”

    Before Yu Xiao could respond, Tang Xing Yin sprang into action. With a swift kick, he sent a startled old man, bamboo pole and all, tumbling into the river. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Before anyone could react, he shoved another onlooker into the churning water.

    He moved like a whirlwind, tossing bodies into the river as effortlessly as a chef flips noodles. In moments, the water churned with over a dozen unfortunate souls.

    Zhao Lan, bobbing amongst them, dodged flailing limbs and bamboo poles. Anxiety gnawed at her. A splash. Someone else was in the river. *Oh no, are they coming for me?* she thought, fear lending her tired muscles new urgency.

    But more splashes followed, quickly turning the river into a writhing mass of humanity. Stunned, Zhao Lan could only watch. *Do they really need all these people to catch one little ol’ me?*

    A chorus of screams rose from the riverbank. “Run!” a voice shrieked. “The Taoist priest has gone mad!”

    Zhao Lan’s head whipped around. The crowd on the shore had dwindled, leaving only A man and Nightmare behind. Yu Xiao, holding out a bamboo pole, shouted, “Misty! Quick, grab on!”

    Without hesitation, Zhao Lan lunged. Yu Xiao hauled her up with surprising strength. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she turned to see a figure in Taoist robes flinging another hapless victim into the churning water.

    “Oh my…” Zhao Lan gaped. “Who is that lunatic?”

    Yu Xiao leaned in. “Wide Sea and Sky.”

    Zhao Lan: “…”

    “Right, she’s out!” Yu Xiao yelled towards a figure striding towards them. “Let’s move!”

    Excitement bubbled up in Zhao Lan as she recognised Tang Xing Yin, the big cheese from the first hospital, the one who’d showered them with power-up cards. Finally, a face to the legend!

    “Hello,” she began eagerly, extending a hand. “I’m—”

    “Where’s the next target?” Tang Xing Yin, however, ignored her, fixing Yu Xiao with an impatient stare.

    “Oh, right!” Yu Xiao chirped, already dialling a number. “I’ll call Precious now.”

    “By the way,” Zhao Lan interjected, “how is Precious? Is she alright?”

    “Same boat as you,” Yu Xiao said, getting through on the third ring.

    “Smiley?” Zhou Xiao Zhen’s muffled voice answered.

    “Precious,” Yu Xiao continued, “where are you? Are you safe?”

    “Seems like I dodged a bullet,” Zhou Xiao Zhen croaked into the phone, her voice thick with disgust. “Smiley, did you find Misty?”

    “We already met up,” Yu Xiao replied. “Why do you sound like you gargled swamp water?”

    “Swamp water is a compliment,” Zhou Xiao Zhen coughed. “They captured me, tied me up, and threw me into a cave. It was pitch-black, couldn’t see a thing, but the smell… oh god, the smell.”

    “A cave, huh?” Yu Xiao frowned. “Do you have any idea where it is?”

    “How would I know?” Zhou Xiao Zhen retorted. “They were practically using me as a human bowling ball.”

    “Don’t worry,” Yu Xiao reassured. “We’ll get you out of there soon.”

    “Yeah, hurry up, Smiley! It’s like a biohazard down here,” Zhou Xiao Zhen gagged. “If it takes much longer, I’ll permanently be flavoured ‘cave stench.’”

    Ending the call, Yu Xiao filled the others in. “Zhou Xiao Zhen is trapped in some awful cave. It’s apparently a haven for terrible smells.”

    “Lovely,” Zhao Lan deadpanned. “Where is this cave, anyway?”

    “I have no idea, but based on the description, it’s probably where they keep their poisoned prisoners,” Yu Xiao pondered. “Here’s an idea: one of us gets caught, and the rest of us follow secretly. Easy peasy, we find the cave.”

    Zhao Lan gave her a look. “No thanks. beat up quite a few people when I escaped. Let’s just say they weren’t too happy and threatened me with a ‘warm welcome’ if they catch me again.”

    “Same here,” Yu Xiao sighed. “They would just send me back home for a serious scolding. No cave time for the spoiled princess.”

    All eyes turned to Tang Xing Yin. He met their gaze with a stoic nod. “The Taoist temple is across the river. Let’s go.”

    He turned and walked away, with the others trailing behind him.

    “So,” Zhao Lan whispered to Yu Xiao, “The big guy is a Taoist, huh?”

    Yu Xiao nodded. “Yep.”

    Zhao Lan sighed, a hint of longing in her voice. “Why couldn’t I be a Taoist? Then I could pull off the whole mysterious, long-haired look, right?”

    “Don’t worry,” Yu Xiao chuckled, patting Zhao Lan’s shoulder. “Your hair will grow back.”

    Zhao Lan ran a hand over her shorn head. It was now even shorter than Nightmare’s. “Just wish it’d hurry up.”

    A steep climb awaited them on the other side of the bridge. The Taoist temple sat perched atop a hill, accessible only by a seemingly endless flight of stairs. Huffing and puffing, the four of them finally reached the summit. Two dishevelled Taoist priests were sweeping the courtyard.

    Yu Xiao nudged Tang Xing Yin. “Perfect timing! Go on, make your grand entrance.”

    Without a word, he strode towards the unsuspecting priests.

    The two priests looked up, their eyes widening as they recognised the newcomer. With shrieks of terror, they dropped their brooms and fled, their cries echoing across the courtyard, “He’s back! He’s back!”

    Yu Xiao watched them disappear, bewildered. “What was that about?” she asked Tang Xing Yin.

    A faint blush crept up his neck. “I, er, may have… overdone it a bit when I beat them up the last time I was here.”

    Silence met his confession.

    “Right, so, what now?” Yu Xiao wondered if they should cut their losses and find someone else.

    Zhao Lan, ever resourceful, pointed at Tang Xing Yin. “They’re scared he’ll beat them up again. Easy fix! He just needs to look a bit worse for wear, like he can barely stand. They’ll come running.”

    Tang Xing Yin tilted his head. “You want me to… lie down?”

    “Even better if you cough up some blood,” Yu Xiao added helpfully.

    Tang Xing Yin obliged, but nothing came out. Yu Xiao frowned. Everyone else seemed to be coughing up blood from the poison, why not him?

    Apparently deciding that subtlety wasn’t working, Tang Xing Yin promptly lowered his head and sank his teeth into his own palm.

    “Whoa!” Yu Xiao yelped, scrambling over and pulling his hand away. “What are you doing?”

    Tang Xing Yin flinched, yanking his hand away from her arm and leaving a bloody smear across his face.

    Yu Xiao yelped, “Bloody hell! That must sting!”

    He grimaced, his pale complexion now marred by a crimson streak. “Not particularly.”

    “This is…” Yu Xiao furrowed her brow, thinking, He’s awfully rough on himself. “There are other ways to get blood, right? Why the bite? How bad is the wound anyway?”

    Tang Xing Yin seemed genuinely confused. “Isn’t this how they do it in the movies?”

    Yu Xiao’s face contorted into a question mark.

    Undeterred, Tang Xing Yin lumbered to the door and banged on it. Then, with a dramatic flourish, he flopped onto the floor, positioning his gory visage front and centre.

    Zhao Lan placed a reassuring hand on Yu Xiao’s shoulder and murmured, “Don’t compare him to normal people. His way of thinking is… different.”

    Yu Xiao cast her a bewildered glance. Zhao Lan elaborated, “He was just fourteen when he entered Horror hospital, still a kid in junior high. The internet wasn’t huge back then, and kids didn’t have the same access to information. He spent years alone in that place. No wonder his mind works differently.”

    Yu Xiao blinked, her gaze flitting back to Tang Xing Yin sprawled theatrically by the door. She’d always attributed his eccentricities to the lingering effects of yin energy, but clearly, there was more to the story.

    Suddenly, Nightmare’s voice cut through the silence, “Someone’s coming!”

    Yu Xiao whisked them both into hiding in a flash. The door creaked open, revealing the hushed murmurs of the Taoist priests within.

    “He’s not moving!”

    “Let me see…”

    “Get help, quick!”

    The door swung wider, revealing a gaggle of flabbergasted priests surrounding the “injured” Tang Xing Yin. After receiving no response, they resorted to a few well-placed kicks.

    The scene devolved further as they trussed Tang Xing Yin up like a trussed turkey and dragged him towards the back of the temple, disappearing into the mountain foothills.

    Yu Xiao and her crew hotfooted it after the priests. The group heaved their “patient” to a rocky patch on the back slope. With practised ease, they rolled a massive stone aside, revealing a gaping maw. Before Yu Xiao could blink, they chucked Tang Xing Yin in and slammed the stone shut, clapping their hands with a satisfied air as they retreated.

    As soon as they were gone, Yu Xiao’s group surged forward. Zhao Lan kicked the stone aside. The stench that erupted was enough to knock a buzzard off a dungheap. Both women recoiled, gagging.

    “Ugh… Precious?” Yu Xiao choked, clamping a hand over her nose and retreating.

    “Precious, are you…?” Zhao Lan began, but was cut off by a bellow from within.

    “Misty! Smiley!” Zhou Xiao Zhen’s panicked voice echoed from within. “I’m in here! Get me out! What fresh hell is this? Hey! Don’t touch me!” A strangled cry cut her off.

    A figure came hurtling out of the hole and with a graceless splatter landed like a star.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen groaned, spotted her friends and scrambled towards them, a joyous reunion cut short by the stench that preceded her. Both Yu Xiao and Zhao Lan instinctively dodged out of the way, leaving a bewildered Zhou Xiao Zhen flailing in mid-air.

    Finally, covered in grime, Tang Xing Yin emerged, dusting himself off with a nonchalant, “Just a bunch of corpses in there.”

    “No wonder it reeked to high heaven!” Zhou Xiao Zhen exclaimed, wrinkling her nose and raising her arms in a futile attempt to distance herself from the lingering odour. “I spent ages feeling around in the dark!”

    “I think I’m going to be sick…” Yu Xiao moaned, clutching her head. “Let’s get out of here.”

    Down by the riverbank, Zhou Xiao Zhen scrubbed her skin raw, leaving a trail of soggy clothes in her wake. The four of them collapsed on the grass, desperate for a breather and some semblance of a plan.

    “So, picture this,” Zhou Xiao Zhen recounted, still faintly reeking of death. “I wake up in bed, some old bird claiming to be my mum. Before I can even process that, in walks a mute doctor who starts poking and prodding me. Apparently, I’m poisoned. Nice, right? Then, before I can argue, a mob of people descends and bundles me off. Needless to say, I put up a fight, but they outnumbered me big time. Tied me up and tossed me into a corpse-filled cave.”

    “Sounds like the definition of a bad day. All those bodies…they must be other poisoned victims.” Zhao Lan grimaced. “But why the cave? Why would they think poisoning is divine punishment?”

    “Something about a Taoist named Immortal Master Zhang.”

    (张仙人 [Zhāng Xiānrén; Zhang Immortal]: “仙人” (Immortal) implies a significant stature or supernatural abilities, often used in Chinese folklore and mythology.)

    “Master Zhang sounds like our best lead,” Zhao Lan mused. “Should we try and find the others first, or go straight to him?”

    “We should definitely find the others,” Zhou Xiao Zhen insisted. “For starters, we don’t even know where to find this Zhang Xian bloke.”

    “Good point.” Yu Xiao pushed herself up from the riverbank, brushing grass stains off her trousers. “They’ll probably head to my place looking for me.”

    As it turned out, finding ‘the others’ was as easy as falling out of a boat and landing at your own doorstep. Five figures were sprawled outside Yu Xiao’s house, gossiping like old women at a tea party.

    “Where’s that girl got to?”

    “Call her again.”

    “I literally just did! She’s on the line…”

    The sound of approaching footsteps made them look up. Four figures rounded the corner, and Yu Xiao’s face broke into a relieved grin. “There you all are!”

    Yu Qing Lang, leaning against a pillar, raised an eyebrow. “And just where have you lot been?”

    “Looking for someone,” Yu Xiao replied, waving a hand towards Tang Xing Yin. “Remember I told you about that incredible big shot from the First Hospital? This is him! Wide Sea and Sky say hello to our colleagues from the Second Hospital.”

    Now that everyone was present and accounted for, Yu Xiao clapped her hands. “Right, let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

    “Hold on a minute.” Yu Qing Lang jerked her chin towards Nightmare. “Who’s he? And don’t even try to avoid the question.”

    “Ah, right…” Yu Xiao cringed inwardly. There was no hiding it now. “This is Nightmare. You may have heard of him, he’s, uh, kind of was a big deal in the news. You know, the whole dream manipulation thing? I asked him to, er, help you guys sleep better…”

    She didn’t get to finish her sentence. The expressions of her companions turned thunderous. Before Yu Xiao could blink, they’d surrounded Nightmare, pushing her aside to outer perimeter.

    Tang Xing Yin’s eyes narrowed. “So that’s how it is,” he muttered darkly. “You won’t lend him to me, But You can lend him to them.”

    Yu Xiao: “…”

    “I didn’thim to them!!”

    *Lend? They’re camping out in my hospital room!* she thought incredulously.

    Under the shade of a large tree, the nine of them huddled together. Nightmare, naturally, had transformed back into a fluffy yellow kitten and nestled himself in Yu Xiao’s arms.

    “Didn’t Qu Lian come to see you?” Yu Qing Lang asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

    “You were first,” Yu Qing Lang confirmed. “Then Zhao Lan and Xiao Zhen, followed by Wang Dong Dong, and lastly Wide Sea and Sky. Nobody else came after that.”

    “Right.” Yu Xiao nodded. “So, let’s hear it. What’s everyone’s story?”

    “Mine’s pretty similar to yours,” Wang Dong Dong piped up. “Woke up to some random woman claiming to be my wife. Qu Lian showed up, diagnosed me, then all hell broke loose. Luckily, I managed to slip out before they could catch me.”

    “Qu Lian didn’t even bother with me,” Yu Qing Lang grumbled. “No diagnosis, nobody chasing me down…”

    The others murmured in agreement, their experiences mirroring Yu Qing Lang’s.

    “So, we’ve got nothing,” Yu Xiao sighed. “The only lead we have is this Master Zhang character. We need to find him.”

    “Master Zhang…” Yu Qing Lang echoed. “Sounds like a final boss.” sea??h thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.