On the ground, pure white silk threads climbed up Shen Boyuan's arm in strands.

Shen Boyuan tried to break free, but found himself unable to move: "What is this thing?"

Cheng Jingru: "Of course they are good things, senior brother, you can also control them."

Shen Boyuan struggled fiercely: "Nonsense! How could I know such evil tricks? Jingru, don't be so stubborn!"

Cheng Jingru shook his head: "Senior brother, you should have acted from the beginning, but unfortunately you were too soft-hearted. And now, it's too late."

She stepped forward, snatched the magic sword from Shen Boyuan's hand, and threw it on the ground.

It made a "ding" sound.

——

"What? Shen Boyuan has disappeared?" He Wangyao couldn't believe her ears.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Could it be that Luo Wenxin and Cheng Jingru did it? But why?"

Mingzhuo: "Because Shen Boyuan is the male lead."

He Wangyao said she didn't understand.

Gu Xu guessed, "Could Shen Boyuan also be a chosen one?"

Mingzhuo nodded. "Axu, you're so smart! If I'm not mistaken, Shen Boyuan should also be a chosen one, but he probably doesn't have as much luck as Cheng Jingru."

Shen Boyuan, a prodigy who had a smooth and successful life, was already the pinnacle of disciples before Mingzhuo appeared, which is why he was promoted to teaching assistant.

However, he encountered a bottleneck in his spiritual practice at that time. He had mastered the theoretical knowledge, but what he lacked was a breakthrough in practice and mindset.

Cheng Jingru was also taken to that Xuanmen academic exchange conference by Chu Yuqi. If I'm not mistaken, she must have had a deeper meaning in doing so.

Mingzhuo thought for a moment and then made a phone call to Chu Yuqi.

She used to ignore Chu Yuqi, whether she was a leading lady or a villainous supporting character; her life was never defined by anyone.

Now she's really interested in learning about the contents of that book.

Chu Yuqi was flattered and overwhelmed that Ming Zhuo would call her personally.

Ever since Bai Tingtao was seriously injured and didn't have much time left, and then learned that her body belonged to that old bald monk Wuyou, her worldview was completely shattered.

Given her previous pride and arrogance, she would never have stayed in the Bai family as a dependent.

But her identity is sensitive. What if Wuyou makes some enemies... wouldn't she be in big trouble?

On the contrary, staying in the Bai family is the only way to protect herself. After all, nowadays, whether it is the major families or folk sorcerers, they all give the Bai family a lot of respect.

Because the Bai family has Mingzhuo protecting them, who would dare to disrespect Mingzhuo?

Chu Yuqi is now living under someone else's roof, so of course he knows whose bowl he's eating, and dares not be negligent in the slightest.

When Mingzhuo asked her, she told him everything.

Just as Mingzhuo had expected, she had her own selfish motives in bringing Cheng Jingru to the Xuanmen Academic Exchange Conference.

The Xianyuan Village instance was originally a key point where Cheng Jingru and Shen Boyuan's feelings for each other first blossomed. She specially brought Cheng Jingru along as her assistant, so Cheng Jingru naturally did not qualify to participate in the training.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Jingru's protagonist aura was too strong, and she managed to infiltrate Su Changqing's team, achieving remarkable success.

According to the original plot, Shen Boyuan would also gain some insights and break through his mental state under Cheng Jingru's influence.

She also didn't expect that Ming Zhuo, a supporting female character, would be so capable, not only slapping her in the face but also making the male lead almost feel inferior.

Mingzhuo: "So you mean I'm the one who's hindering Shen Boyuan's cultivation?"

Chu Yuqi was startled: "No, no, cultivation is inherently about people being more powerful than people and heavens being higher than heavens. You are strong if you are strong, but you can't say that someone is weak and therefore has a right."

Mingzhuo was satisfied. She had said it herself, how could she be blamed?

Chu Yuqi hesitated for a moment, then added, "In the story I know, there are no ancient ghosts in the Xianyuan Village. Instead, the fierce corpse and the female ghost Hu Shengnan are the culprits, and they were beaten to a pulp."

She had also seen the final case file, which showed that neither the monstrous corpse Hu Mazi nor the female ghost Hu Shengnan were the real culprits behind the haunting; they had already been cleansed and reincarnated by Mingzhuo.

However, according to the original plot, Cheng Jingru and Shen Boyuan killed both of them, but the real culprit never showed his face and remained at large.

Ming Zhuo wasn't surprised, since Chu Yuqi seemed completely unaware of the existence of the thousand-year-old tortoise at the time.

"Then what?"

Chu Yuqi carefully recalled the plot of the book and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. "I remember that Bu Qianqian, who went to Xianyuan Village with Cheng Jingru in the book, did not appear again in the later part of the book. Then, many chapters later, someone mentioned that she died in a car accident."

At the time, readers were all focused on other plot points, and many couldn't even remember who Bu Qianqian was or when she had appeared, so they didn't pay any attention to her at all.

However, Chu Yuqi was a cultivator after all, and had a very good memory. At the time, he thought that this woman was too weak and would indeed die young.

Looking back now, Bu Qianqian's death seems very strange.

If the male and female leads failed to catch the ancient ghost due to negligence, then it wouldn't be surprising if Bu Qianqian, who was the first to be targeted, was the first to be taken away afterward.

Just like when they first went to Xianyuan Village to exorcise ghosts, only to find the monk in their home suddenly dead after returning home.

The male and female leads have protagonist auras, but what about the others who are with them? Are they also being targeted and dying one by one?

Chu Yuqi felt increasingly frightened as she thought about it, her palms sweating profusely.

“Ruan Mingzhuo, if it weren’t for you going to Xianyuan Village back then, I might have died long ago.”

Mingzhuo: "You're only finding out now?"

Isn't this an obvious fact? How come it took you so long to realize it?

Chu Yuqi: "That book is very strange! It only describes the male and female protagonists from their perspective, but even they are deceived."

Mingzhuo: "So that book definitely won't have a good ending. The male and female protagonists are just tools, and they'll be taken down sooner or later."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!