"You're awake."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a young man in a robe.

It was him, the man who said strange things when we first met.

But considering the bizarre experiences of the past two days, what he said was not false.

"Master Jiang, please save me."

I immediately knelt down in front of him.

"I told you earlier, didn't you bring the talisman I gave you?"

I knew I was at fault, but the urgent matter now was what to do.

"Master, I know I was wrong, and everything you said has happened to me."

I told him in great detail about the strange scenes I had experienced these past few days.

"I know everything. If I hadn't arrived in time last night, you would probably have been with them."

"The red string connects souls, and the Yin energy persists."

"They have targeted you. They want to use you as a scapegoat."

A scapegoat? How could that be? Is Luo Qing no longer here?

I couldn't believe it. Just a few days ago, we were together. When did she have an accident?

"She visits your dreams every night. If you drown three times, you will be trapped here forever, while she will be resurrected using your body."

To be honest, I didn't believe him at first. I didn't believe that my best friend would die like that or harm me. But everything that has happened in the past few days is vividly etched in my mind. It's all true.

"Today is the second night I've been here, and it has already happened twice." I murmured to myself.

"No, tonight is the third night."

I looked up at the dense night outside the window and realized that I had slept for a whole day.

"Tonight is the last night. They will definitely try every means to keep you here. This is your last chance."

Jiang Yi looked at me with a serious expression.

"What should I do?"

I looked at him as he took out a yellowed talisman from his pocket. Unlike the previous one, this talisman had more strange symbols densely written on it.

He handed me the talisman and repeatedly told me to keep it close to me.

This time, I learned my lesson and quickly put it in my pocket. This was my lifeline.

The talisman alone was not enough. He also took out a peach wood sword stained with cinnabar. The blade was wrapped in a piece of white cloth, which he handed to me through the fabric.

"This wooden sword, soaked in cinnabar, is useless for us, but it's deadly to those ghosts. If you encounter them, stab them in the chest with the sword, and they will be completely destroyed."

"Is it really necessary?"

I didn't want to harm Luo Qing, especially since she hadn't harmed me, at least not physically.

"If you sympathize with them, you won't leave yourself a way out. When they use these malicious methods to harm you, do they care about the bond you had before?"

"If you don't want to hurt them, do you want to wait for them to kill you?"

He asked me to stay with him tonight, not to sleep, and everything would be over after tonight.

"Alright."

I nodded, fully believing in him.

Jiang Yi turned around and started to prepare.

"What are you doing?"

I watched as he drew on the ground and set up a large array. He also hung more than a dozen needles from the ceiling with thin ropes.

"I'm setting up a formation. If they still don't know what's good for them and want to harm someone, then don't blame me for being impolite."

"The formation can trap them, and when these enchanted needles fall, they will be annihilated. Even if it's just a few fragments of their souls, it will be effortless."

"Do we really have to do this?"

I didn't want to hurt Luo Qing, and she hadn't harmed me in any substantial way.

"If you sympathize with them, you won't leave yourself a way out. When they use these malicious methods to harm you, do they care about the bond you had before?"

"If you don't want to hurt them, do you want to wait for them to kill you?"

Jiang Yi's words struck me deeply. I realized that I couldn't afford to be sentimental in this situation. These entities were not my friend Luo Qing anymore; they were dangerous beings trying to harm me and trap me in this realm forever.

With a heavy heart, I nodded and decided to follow Jiang Yi's instructions. I understood that my survival was at stake, and I needed to protect myself.

The night grew darker, and the air became heavy with an eerie presence. Jiang Yi and I stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the mystical array he had prepared. We held the peach wood sword and waited for the inevitable confrontation.

Minutes felt like hours as we anxiously listened for any signs of their arrival. Suddenly, a chilling gust of wind swept through the room, extinguishing the candles and causing the temperature to drop abruptly.

"They're here," Jiang Yi whispered, his voice filled with determination.

As the darkness enveloped the room, I could sense their malevolent presence drawing closer. I gripped the peach wood sword tightly, preparing myself for the encounter.

Within moments, the room was filled with ghostly apparitions, their ethereal forms floating towards us with menacing intent. Their eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and their mouths opened to emit haunting whispers.

I felt a surge of fear and doubt, but I remembered Jiang Yi's words. These entities were not my friend; they were dangerous spirits that wanted to harm me. I had to defend myself.

Summoning all my courage, I brandished the peach wood sword and lunged towards the first ghostly figure that approached me. The blade pierced through its chest, and a terrifying shriek echoed through the room as the spirit dissipated into nothingness.

Emboldened by my success, I continued to fight back against the other entities. Jiang Yi, too, fought alongside me, his movements swift and precise.

The enchanted needles hanging from the ceiling began to fall one by one, piercing through the remaining spirits and reducing them to fragments of their former selves. The room was filled with anguished cries and the sound of shattering souls.

As the last ghost vanished, the room fell eerily silent. Exhausted but relieved, I dropped the peach wood sword, its blade stained with the remnants of the malevolent spirits.

Jiang Yi approached me, his expression grave yet satisfied.

"You did well. You have successfully defended yourself and broken free from their grasp."

I nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. Relief, sadness, and a lingering sense of loss intertwined within me.

"What about Luo Qing?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jiang Yi's gaze softened as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Luo Qing is gone, but her spirit lives on. She was trapped in this realm, just like you, manipulated by these malicious entities. But now that you have broken free, her spirit can find peace."

I couldn't help but shed tears for my lost friend. It was a bittersweet ending, knowing that she was no longer suffering but also realizing that I would never see her again.

Jiang Yi guided me out of the room, and as we stepped into the cool night air, I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders. The nightmare was finally over, and I had survived.

But the experience had changed me. I had witnessed the existence of a world beyond our comprehension, filled with spirits and dark forces. I couldn't go back to the life I had before; I had to embrace this newfound knowledge and prepare myself for whatever lay ahead.

As we walked away from that haunted place, I whispered a final goodbye to Luo Qing, thanking her for the memories we shared and hoping that her spirit would find eternal peace.