Chapter 73: The Dragon Prison Well (1)

The first time Wu Zui witnessed Xiao Ke'ai's madness, he was somewhat stunned. Staring at his wrist, he muttered, "Could this... be rabies?"
"No! You can't get rabies unless you're bitten by an animal that carries it!" Ming Rou-rou, still jotting down notes, replied casually upon hearing this.
Soon, Ming Rou-rou stopped recording and glanced at Wu Zui's other wrist. Driven by her scientific principle that true knowledge comes from practice, she intended to test her theory. Distracting Wu Zui with conversation, she swiftly grabbed his wrist, ready to bite.
But Wu Zui, having been bitten once already, was on guard. Seeing Ming Rou-rou approach while talking, he grabbed the handle of a silver suitcase by the bedside and shoved it into her mouth.
"Mmm—"
Ming Rou-rou, clutching her jaw where her teeth had been jammed, retreated!
Clearly, her experiment ended before it began.
While Ming Rou-rou pondered what had gone wrong, Xiao Ke'ai entered, carrying a three-tier lunchbox and a small wooden dining table.
"Here—sea cucumber and wolfberry soup, black-bone chicken stewed with ginseng, and nourishing porridge for vitality and blood! Eat it while it's hot—" Xiao Ke'ai set the table on Wu Zui's bed and placed each dish on it, her cheeks faintly flushed as she looked at him.
Watching the suddenly obedient and considerate Xiao Ke'ai, Wu Zui felt as if the biting incident had been just a hallucination.
At the side, Ming Rou-rou resumed her note-taking.
"A slap for... three sweet dates!"
Her brightening eyes seemed to reflect the dawning realization of something remarkable.
After Wu Zui finished the food, Xiao Ke'ai brought up the matter of recuperating in Yanjing. Though his physical and internal injuries had nearly healed after consuming adrenaline, his soul, scorched and depleted of magnetic energy, betrayed his fragility.
His current state was much like Yan Sheng, who had lost his magnetic energy to the Shadow Ghost, perhaps even worse. Binhai City no longer had any magnetic energy enhancement chambers, and without them, even a one-star ghost spirit could easily kill him.
Considering the situation in Binhai, and with Xiao Ke'ai assuring him that Yanjing offered access to the institute's latest research breakthroughs, Wu Zui hesitated but decided to go.
"At worst, I'll come back after regaining my strength."
Everyone believed that with the Shadow Ghost slain and the monstrous whale destroyed, Binhai City was now safe. As for the surge of newborn ghosts caused by the massive release of resentful energy after the whale's death?
Wu Zui, whose magnetic energy was depleted, noted that even the enhancement chambers had been destroyed. He could not recover; what else could he do? Surely he couldn't wield his golden sword against ghosts?
"Wait, where's my golden sword?"
With this thought, Wu Zui looked around and realized the golden sword was missing.
"Oh, the military said that when you emerged from your own shadow, you had nothing on you—you were stark naked," Ming Rou-rou said, extending a finger with a teasing air, before returning to her notebook.
"..." Xiao Ke'ai.
"..." Wu Zui.

Devoid of magnetic protective clothing, magnetic energy, and even weapons, Wu Zui, after leaving the military's temporary medical facility, was confined to the Dragon Soar One, now a high-priority protection target.
Accompanied by Xiao Ke'ai and Ming Rou-rou, the three sped toward Yanjing City.
...
Yanjing, though lacking the grand burial grounds of Chang'an—the ancient capital of six dynasties that required constant vigilance against newborn ghosts—still possessed a rich history and its own "gifts" from the past.
Besides the famed Great Wall, Imperial Palace, and Temple of Heaven, all steeped in legend, there were less renowned historic sites like the Dragon Prison Well and Princess Tomb. These, too, were monitored and guarded by spirit explorers to prevent accidents.
Yanjing City, Han Hai Temple, Dragon Prison Well
Han Hai Temple, a recently renovated ancient temple, had long since been abandoned by monks, now watched over only by spirit explorers.
Within the temple courtyard was an old, deep well, wrapped in rusted iron chains that extended into its depths, so fragile they seemed liable to snap at a touch.
Its name was engraved above: Dragon Prison Well.
Before the outbreak of ghosts, this place had attracted many tourists. The well's ancient history and strange legends gave it an aura of mystery, appealing to those with curious tastes.
After the ghost outbreak, the site was closed to visitors, and even the area around Han Hai Temple was cordoned off by spirit explorers.
Yet today, the long-sealed Dragon Prison Well stirred. Echoes resounded from the depths, and a pungent odor wafted up—a thick scent of sulphur, tinged with fishy stench, billowing from the mouth of the well.
In moments, the entire temple was saturated with the smell.
Anyone approaching the well would hear, faintly, the sound of ocean waves below, as if standing by the sea. The weathered, rusted iron chain at the well's edge shook violently in time with the waves.
Clatter—clatter
The noise drew the attention of a three-star spirit explorer assigned to guard the area.
Though something was amiss below, his magnetic energy senses found no excessive concentrations of resentful energy near the well, so he mustered his courage and approached, intent on investigating.
Peering into the well, he saw nothing but swirling, murky water beneath. Just as he prepared to probe with a magnetic energy blade, a shadow flickered at the bottom.
The next instant, the explorer's eyes lost focus, his body went limp as though boneless, and he toppled headlong into the well. After the sound of waves subsided, the disturbance faded, leaving silence.
Soon after, a throng of spirit explorers poured into the temple.
...
At this time, Wu Zui, riding in the back of the Dragon Soar One, was seated in the middle—because Xiao Ke'ai refused to sit next to Ming Rou-rou. He felt no comfort from the proximity of soft, fragrant companions, but instead, discomfort. By chance, he caught sight of Ming Rou-rou's observation diary.
Subject of observation—Xiao Ke'ai.
Measurements...
Personality...
Special case analysis...
Snap—
Sensing Wu Zui's gaze, Ming Rou-rou slammed the notebook shut, then coquettishly said to him, "Why are you looking at me? Do you miss me?"
"Miss you? You wish!"
Wu Zui returned her seductive glance with a sanitary look.
Ming Rou-rou paid no heed; she had collected nearly all the data she needed on Xiao Ke'ai. Once they arrived in Yanjing, she could begin her experiment—Wu Zui donating a vial of blood each day would no longer be just a dream!
Ming Rou-rou glanced at Xiao Ke'ai, who wore large, bobbing white rabbit-ear headphones and watched a live broadcast about ghosts on her laptop, and thought to herself,
"So, it's the cute style, is it? I can do that too!"
As for the driver and co-driver up front, they cared nothing for what happened in the back seat. Of course, for safety, they would report everything to Xiao Anguo. What he made of it was his own concern.
"Master, this bunch is courting death again! This time, it's even worse than before!" Xiao Ke'ai leaned toward Wu Zui, placing her notebook before him; it was playing a live broadcast about ghosts.
Since its debut, the show had soared in ratings, earning its investors handsome returns. Each subsequent broadcast featured new, strange ghosts; though the creatures were often low-level, the popularity remained high.
This time, at the urging of numerous viewers, they chose a three-star ghost. Although four-star spirit explorers belonged to the Dry Investigation Division and couldn't be hired by the broadcast company, they had managed to employ five three-stars.
Their leader was Ma Liang, who had gained a fan base during the first broadcast. Perhaps few knew his name, but his reputation as a soul painter was widespread.
His ability to seal low-level ghost spirits and anomalies had earned him many points in the Dry Investigation Bureau. Frequent visits to the magnetic energy enhancement chambers had brought his strength close to that of a four-star awakened.
But this time, their target was Yanjing's Dragon Prison Well. Earlier, a three-star spirit explorer stationed here had vanished, and a thorough search by others had turned up nothing, prompting the task’s issuance.
Since a group of three-star explorers had encountered no danger, the task was rated at three-stars.
Ma Liang and his teammates searched the temple throughout the broadcast, the camera lingering on the well—a deep, black abyss, thick iron chains aged and eerie.
The narration recounted the well's history and related events, the cool voice echoing through the ancient temple; it was nearly one in the afternoon.
Ma Liang and his team had found nothing unusual after hours of searching. The viewers grew impatient; without a ghost, there seemed no excitement.
This was the company's mistake—they had not investigated beforehand. Perhaps repeated success had bred arrogance, or maybe they believed that ghosts from ancient sites carried extra allure for ratings. Thus, they went live even without preparation.
"Chief, we can’t just leave like this. How about we check the bottom of the well? If there’s nothing, we’ll head back."
One teammate approached Ma Liang, covering his microphone, and whispered in his ear.