About a kilometer further, the expert told me to slow down. I drove slowly for two hundred meters. Only then did the expert feel relieved that Chu Qi wasn't following, and he urged me to speed up again, to prevent Chu Qi from realizing she had mistaken her target and turning back to pursue us. In fact, she did exactly that. However, at this point, her presence was almost three kilometers away from me, just barely within the range of my Qi Sensing technique, and her speed wasn't fast enough; she flickered in and out of detection.
Soon, we left Wofenggou Town. Ahead lay the mining area. The expert kept urging me to drive faster while glancing at the scenery on either side of the car. Suddenly, he told me to stop.
I slammed on the brakes, put the car in park, and asked him with a smile, "Can we part ways now?"
"Part ways? Hehe, you mean 'see you again,' right?"
"In Yanxia, 'part ways' and 'see you again' mean the same thing," I explained.
"No, no. 'See you again' means 'goodbye forever, never to meet again!'" The expert got out of the car, told me to shift the car's gear to neutral, then took the keys and locked the doors. Before I could even react to what was happening, an unprecedented push from behind sent the car forward!
Looking back, I saw that the expert was using his internal energy to push the car forward!
Since there was no power, the steering wheel couldn't be turned. I could only watch helplessly as he pushed our car, which quickly cleared the dirt mound by the roadside, and into the Huludang ahead. This was a steep slope, and at the bottom of the slope was a pond!
I hadn't fastened my seatbelt, and the car was moving very fast. I couldn't even sit steadily, let alone unlock the doors to escape. I could only plunge into the pond with the car. Fortunately, the car's sealing was quite good, and it sank slowly.
I looked back at the expert. The reeds blocked my view. Activating my Qi Sensing technique, I saw the expert walking away on foot, entering the residential area across the road. At this moment, Chu Qi's presence was still two kilometers away. Moreover, even if she reached this point, she might not find us. I needed to call her and tell her my exact location before the car sank completely!
I could only call her now; everyone else was fighting.
I quickly took out my phone and dialed Chu Qi's number. By this time, the water had reached halfway up the car windows. The signal inside the car wasn't good, and the call didn't go through. The sunroof wouldn't open, and although the car doors could be unlocked, they wouldn't open due to water pressure.
In desperation, I pulled off the Soul Summoning Token from my waist. I had to try this!
"Hello, static, static, static..." There was also noise.
"Can you hear me? Can you hear me? I am Wu Chengfeng!"
"Hello? Lord Wu, where are you? What are you saying?"
Beep, beep, beep, the line went completely dead.
At this moment, the water level had reached the car roof and began to seep in. It seemed no external rescue was possible. I had no choice but to call Zheng Bingbing and try to wake her up. I slapped her cheeks twice, but she showed no reaction. However, this might be a good thing. If she was unconscious and drowned, perhaps the impurities her lungs inhaled would be easier to "resurrect" her.
I hung the Soul Summoning Token back on my waist and waited quietly.
About a minute later, at the bottom of the pond, I "saw" Chu Qi's presence flash by on the road. The last glimmer of hope was extinguished. I could only wait to die. So be it. With Zheng Bingbing as company, I wouldn't be too panicked.
When the water inside the car was about to reach my chest, I dragged Bingbing out from the passenger seat and held her in my arms. This way, if we died, we should be collected by the same underworld emissary.
If I had known this would happen, I should have brought Zhang Xiaomiao with me quietly instead of leaving her to stay with Chen Ke. With her, a real ghost, to guide me, I wouldn't be so inexperienced in dying.
As I thought randomly, the water level reached my nose. I took a deep breath and struggled one last time. My vision submerged into the water. After holding my breath for a minute, I felt there was no point in persisting further and deliberately inhaled the somewhat murky pond water, drowning myself...
From now on, I need to be more mindful. If I absolutely must die, I should find a quicker way. This kind of death is too unbearable. I "died" for a good five or six minutes before I was completely dead.