The Price of Escape

This made Bai Wanwan recall Chu Annian’s earlier words: unless a spectral realm was shattered, anyone targeted by it would inevitably perish within it.

Was the current situation proving Chu Annian’s words true?

“Wanwan, this place is dangerous. We barely escaped once. You’re not thinking of…”

Liu Hanzhi tugged gently at Bai Wanwan’s sleeve, her voice faint and soft.

She knew what Bai Wanwan was thinking. She was certainly not the type to abandon someone in distress, yet Liu Hanzhi, driven by her own selfish concerns, still wished to stop her.

This extremely perilous spectral realm, now trying to lure Bai Wanwan back, surely had no innocuous intentions.

It was simply resentful that Bai Wanwan had defied its rules and escaped, now seeking to kill her as an outlet for its fury.

Liu Hanzhi was a ghost herself, and she understood just how petty some minorly accomplished spirits could be.

Even living humans with special abilities behaved this way, let alone ghosts, each consumed by their own desires and unable to reincarnate.

Especially after seeing the ominous pallor on Bai Wanwan’s face, her heart tightened with an inescapable dread.

“But we can’t just watch Deng Shuqi die in the spectral realm, can we?”

The spectral realm had to be dealt with. Bai Wanwan understood clearly that both last night’s incident and Deng Shuqi’s predicament were linked to her unauthorized escape from it.

This spectral realm, known as “Stitched Lips Hospital,” was doing everything in its power to draw Bai Wanwan back inside.

If Bai Wanwan didn’t overcome this trial, it would forever find ways to torment her.

Since this was the case, Bai Wanwan would not hold back.

Originally, they had stumbled in by mistake. Out of respect, they had kept their distance after leaving, and Bai Wanwan had rarely even mentioned the topic to Liu Hanzhi since their escape.

Yet now, this spectral realm repeatedly threatened her, even harming those around her. It was like a fly crawling on one’s skin—it wouldn’t bite, but it was utterly repulsive.

“Then… even so…”

Liu Hanzhi’s palms grew slightly sweaty. At that moment, she was beyond nervous.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Do I have to go in too?”

Liu Hanzhi truly didn’t want to enter the spectral realm. The environment within would make her, also a ghost, feel incredibly suppressed. This was the realm’s method of repelling its own kind, as it was, after all, a private domain.

“You’re not going? That’s fine too. You can stand guard outside, and any minor spirits that try to escape later, you’ll be responsible for catching them all for me.”

“Ah?”

Hearing Bai Wanwan’s dangerous pronouncement, Liu Hanzhi finally noticed the changes in her.

It was true that talismans weren’t allowed inside the spectral realm. But it never said they couldn’t be used *outside* it.

If she stacked all her buffs to the maximum and then brought them into the spectral realm, wouldn’t it be the same?

Even if the talismans’ effects were to expire upon entering, it wouldn’t matter. Some talismans provided sustained physical enhancements.

It was like a restaurant that prohibited outside beverages. They could forbid bringing drinks in, but could they stop her from getting drunk outside before entering?

However, talismans were not as simple as a child’s arithmetic. Each effective talisman was complex and difficult to learn.

Liu Hanzhi knew that Bai Wanwan possessed the ability to summon deities. Yet, how many talismans for personal physical enhancement she knew remained unclear to Liu Hanzhi.

“I think my Wanwan is the most formidable! I’d rather face the dragon’s den and tiger’s lair with you.”

Between staying here to catch escaping evil spirits and watching Bai Wanwan brutally beat them, Liu Hanzhi could easily discern which was simpler.

As the easiest target in the ghost world, the evil spirits scattered by Bai Wanwan’s assault, upon encountering Liu Hanzhi blocking their path, would be like a wolf meeting a lamb.

‘Stumbled a bit? I would be nothing more than a speed bump to them…’

“Wanwan, just in case, let me ask first: what method are you using this time?”

Liu Hanzhi whispered her query.

“Oh, I borrowed some power from a monkey to enhance myself. I’ll have to return it later. By the way, that steel pipe over there looks quite handy. I’ll just take it apart and borrow it for a bit.”

Then, Bai Wanwan, who appeared to be a delicate and frail girl-next-door, walked directly to an unknown steel pipe at the hospital, one as thick as a bowl, and forcibly wrenched it free.

“A… a girl-next-door has come of age! With strength to pull mountains and spirit to conquer the world!?”

Liu Hanzhi’s face had gone utterly pale.