Chapter 136 Rescue

When those words landed on her eardrums, Lu Yuanyuan was startled and jerked her head up, her eyes wide. She couldn't tell if she was surprised that Duan Lansheng could say such a thing without batting an eye, or annoyed that he had misinterpreted her meaning: "The car was moving, I didn't... bother you!"

Duan Lansheng was indeed different from seven years ago. She simply couldn't imagine that the man she knew would say such a thing.

The man from seven years ago, the man from my past life, is like a damp ink painting scroll, his elegant white robes blurred and faded on the wet paper, making it impossible to see his original appearance.

For some inexplicable reason, a faint gloom settled over Lu Yuanyuan's mind. She tried to pull her leg away forcefully, but due to the cramped space and his fingers being like iron clamps, her leg remained motionless in his grasp after several attempts.

Lu Yuanyuan's face turned cold, and she warned, "Let go. I said it was an accident. Don't force me to take action here and smash this car."

Hearing her threatening words, Duan Lansheng didn't seem angry. Perhaps it was because it was too dark around him, but his eyes showed a subtle depth as his fingertips rested on her ankle: "I'm just telling you not to move around. What you did to me just now was much worse than this."

Not only was he not angry, but after saying those words, his expression seemed to soften a bit, and he slowly released her leg.

Lu Yuanyuan hugged her knees tightly, turned her face away, and kept her mouth shut.

Ultimately, she was in the wrong for kneeing him in the stomach. Any words she uttered would only make things worse. She decided to speak as little as possible to Duan Lansheng from now on.

After a long and bumpy ride, the two beast-drawn carriages successfully passed through the city gates of Swampland. Once inside the city, the beasts' movement slowed noticeably. They then passed through the inner city gate's checkpoint in the same manner.

The memorial banquet for the deceased of Etsuki will be held tomorrow night, and the guests have been arranged to stay in the inner city.

During this period, ordinary guests were free to move around the city and wander about. However, due to their special status, the Third Young Master and his wife were placed under house arrest in their residence on the eve of the banquet.

The two guards weren't wrong; once inside the manor, they wouldn't need to keep a constant watch on the couple. Even if they escaped the manor, they wouldn't be able to cross the walls of the manor. Therefore, there were no guards stationed or watching over the inner courtyard, giving the Third Young Master and Third Madam the space to harbor outsiders.

Deep inside the dormitory, there was a small cubicle, which should have been the servants' quarters. It was sparsely furnished, with only a low cabinet and two narrow beds placed against the wall.

Lu Yuanyuan and Duan Lansheng hid here, waiting for the opportunity to attend the banquet tomorrow.

With a lot of worries on her mind, Lu Yuanyuan didn't eat much that evening. As the moon rose, she went to bed early and stared blankly at the dark beams of the room.

On this day, there were three days left until the deadline set by Xiaoruo's system.

But even a fool would know that the system wouldn't schedule the time so tightly; they couldn't possibly wait until the last minute to act. Attending the banquet tomorrow might be the only chance to rescue Xiao Ruo.

Just then, Lu Yuanyuan's ears twitched slightly. Suddenly, she heard a low voice coming from outside the carved wooden door of the cubicle in the quiet night. After a while, the door was pushed open, and a figure quietly walked in.

There were no lights on in the cubicle; the pale moonlight shone on the window frame. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, upon hearing the door open, Lu Yuanyuan quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Only after hearing the door gently close did she peek open a crack in her eye.

Duan Lansheng has changed a lot, but his love of cleanliness remains the same. Even at this time, he does not forget to wash and change his clothes. The clothes that were stained with mud, weeds and blood are gone. He has changed into a clean robe. His hair seems to have been washed, with the ends slightly damp. He is holding a small porcelain bottle in his hand, and the skin on his fingertips is whiter than the porcelain in his palm.

After closing the door, seemingly realizing she was asleep, Duan Lansheng paused briefly by the door, then moved even more quietly, making almost no sound. He sat down by another bed, and by the moonlight, unbuttoned his clothes, pulled out the stopper from a porcelain bottle, and sprinkled medicinal powder into the bloody hole in his chest.

Is that a healing potion that monsters can use?

It seems he just went to ask the Third Young Master for medicine.

A slightly bitter fragrance filled the air. Perhaps the powder irritated his wound, for he gasped slightly, his fingers trembled, and he lost his grip on the porcelain bottle, letting it tumble to the ground with a "clink."

He squatted down, picked up the porcelain bottle, sat down on the edge of the bed with his head down, and after a while, continued to apply the medicine to himself.

Lu Yuanyuan desperately wanted to fall asleep. She recalled various hypnotic university lectures, forcing herself to induce sleep. However, listening to the clanging sounds coming from the darkness, she couldn't shake the image of the gruesome bloody hole she had just seen from her mind. A faint restlessness lingered in her heart, making it difficult for her to drift off to sleep.

Don't think too much.

Who told Duan Lansheng to go mad? Doesn't he deserve it?

Lu Yuanyuan closed her eyes, silently reciting the incantation, ignoring the sounds of Duan Lansheng struggling to apply the medicine to her. Finally, she waited until he finished, put away the porcelain bottle, and lay down fully clothed on the bed opposite her.

The room fell silent.

Night had fallen, and all was quiet.

Just as Lu Yuanyuan was about to secretly breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard two very soft voices coming from just a door away.

This small cubicle was originally designed for servants. The walls weren't very soundproof, so the servants could hear their masters getting up at night.

The third young master's voice came through faintly: "Tomorrow is... I don't know if I'll be able to leave smoothly..."

A woman's voice then rang out: "I'm a little scared too, but I'm not so scared when I'm with you."

The couple comforted each other, shared some intimate words, and then talked about their neighbors just across the wall.

"You said... who are those two inside? A cultivator and a demon, how come they're acting together? I saw that Young Master Duan has a really deep wound on his chest, it's quite frightening."

A rustling sound of clothes came from the side. The third wife seemed to turn over and said, "They're obviously a couple."

Inside the small cubicle, Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes: "..."

She glanced at Duan Lansheng sleeping on the opposite bed. His hands were placed on his stomach, his sleeping posture like Sleeping Beauty, proper and elegant. His long eyelashes reflected the moonlight, swaying gently, as if only the air was moving, and he was not awake.

The third young master's curious voice rang out from next door: "How did you know? Did you ask them privately?"

"Why ask? I saw it with my own eyes. Didn't you see it? That young master Duan has a big, obvious handprint on his face, all red and swollen. I noticed it as soon as he got into our car today. They say you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but a man, unless he loves someone very much, how can he tolerate someone slapping him in the face... Even in a normal fight, they wouldn't specifically slap someone, would they?"

"But today they didn't seem to talk to each other much, they didn't seem to get along very well..."

"You can't judge a book by its cover. If they weren't familiar with each other, they wouldn't be in this kind of atmosphere... In my opinion, it's probably just the couple having a tiff."

“What you said makes a lot of sense. If you slapped me, I would gladly accept it and would never retaliate…” The Third Young Master said a few sweet words, but the topic unconsciously circled back to the present: “But I think, maybe Young Master Duan is afraid of his wife. Some people can’t be judged by their appearance…”

She was already having trouble sleeping, and the more she listened, the more awake she became. Lu Yuanyuan closed her eyes, then opened them again, finally unable to resist making some noise so they would know she was awake. However, before she could put her plan into action, the sounds of their late-night chat gradually subsided, as if the people on the other end had also begun to drift off to sleep.

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

It was as if she had punched cotton; her strength dissipated, and she had no choice but to close her eyes again.

.

The next morning, the Third Young Master and his wife, suffering from acclimatization issues and lack of rest, developed numerous red sores on their faces, necks, and arms. Fearing they might displease the Lord of Swamp City, they requested the head guard to prepare two veiled hats for them.

The head guard arrived upon hearing the news and, upon closer inspection, saw that the Third Young Master and his wife indeed had many bright red marks on their faces. He felt a pang of disgust, but considering that it was the Lord of Swamp City's birthday celebration today, and he feared that seeing such repulsive faces at the banquet might truly displease him. If the Lord was displeased, he might take it out on them, the servants. Therefore, he didn't refuse and quickly prepared two veiled hats adorned with thin gauze.

That evening, the Third Prince and his wife, dressed in their finest attire and wearing veils to conceal their faces, boarded their carriage. The demon-beast carriage stopped outside the palace gates, and from there, the guards who had accompanied the family had to cease their journey.

The invitation was handed to the ghost messengers at the palace gate. They watched as the two figures in the carriage were trembling as they were ushered into the palace. The guards' mission was finally complete, and they could go and have some wine.

As for the empty beast-drawn carriage, it was towed back to the courtyard and parked. After all, the most important hostage had already been taken inside, and no one would care where the carriage was parked.

Before the palace banquet began, the guests were led to a private room to rest. As soon as the door closed, the "Third Young Master" and the "Third Madam" each pulled off their veils, revealing themselves to be Duan Lansheng and Lu Yuanyuan.

Lu Yuanyuan quickly took off her elaborate and gorgeous robes, removed the hairpin from her hair, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan, and they managed to sneak in unscathed.

Yesterday, she used medicine to cause the Third Young Master and his wife to develop red rashes—as a cultivator, she always had her ways. These rashes would disappear on their own after a day, but it was enough to fool the head guard. Using this as a pretext, they obtained the veiled hat.

Before setting off, she and Duan Lansheng, just like yesterday, hid in a secret compartment in the carriage. During the journey, they switched clothes and positions with the Third Young Master and his wife.

The head guard couldn't enter the palace gates and could only watch their backs from a distance, so he naturally wouldn't notice that the hostages had been switched. The real Third Young Master and Third Madam were hiding in a secret compartment in the carriage. Once the demon beast carriage stopped in a secluded place, they could crawl out, take the jade token given to them by Lu Yuanyuan, and escape from the ghost city.

Lu Yuanyuan hid the clothes she had taken off in the closet, closed the closet door, and looked around at the layout of the room.

Just now, as she was led to the private room by the servants, she noticed that this palace seemed to be a replica of the Yong Kingdom's palace. That was where Yue Qi grew up as crown prince, a place that held the memories of his most spirited years. However, compared to the magnificent and expansive Yong Kingdom's palace, this imitation palace was clearly much more complex, like a maze, layered and concealed, permeated with a sinister, ghostly atmosphere. If one were unfamiliar with the layout, there was a high chance of getting lost.

Lu Yuanyuan looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on a portrait of a deceased person hanging on the wall.

The figure in the painting sits atop piles of white bones, undoubtedly Yue Qi. However, his appearance is vastly different from the handsome man she remembers. His features still vaguely resemble those of his younger self, but his eyes are now completely black, his pupils blood red, and he has a blue face and fangs, transforming him into a thoroughly ferocious and malevolent ghost.

Duan Lansheng tossed his veiled hat into the fire, then turned to look at him: "Do you have any leads on how to find the person?"

Lu Yuanyuan's thoughts were brought back by his question. She looked away and said, "Anyway, we can't just sit here and wait. Let's go outside and look for it..."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly heard a long-lost electronic voice in the air: "Lu Yuanyuan, you've finally arrived! I will immediately point out Xiaoruo's location to you. Yue Qi has just left his palace. You only have twenty minutes to rescue Xiaoruo, so be quick."

The system that had been unilaterally disconnected for so long has finally appeared, and it's come just in time!

Lu Yuanyuan stiffened, stopping her previous words, and said to Duan Lansheng, "Come with me, this way!"

Duan Lansheng was slightly taken aback and narrowed his eyes. But seeing that Lu Yuanyuan didn't seem inclined to explain, he paused, then quickly followed.

This palace was indeed like a three-dimensional maze. Lu Yuanyuan discovered that even if she could recite the layout of the Yong Kingdom's palace from memory, she couldn't apply those memories. The system's voice was like a ray of light in the fog, helping her avoid the patrolling guards and guiding her to choose the right direction at countless crossroads.

"Turn left."

"Go straight, then turn right at the third intersection ahead."

“There’s a staircase down there. After you go down, turn left at the second intersection, run forward and then turn left again.”

Gradually, the system led them to the depths of the palace, where a magnificent and quiet bedroom appeared under the cover of night, with all the doors closed.

System: "Xiao Ruo is imprisoned in the dungeon beneath this palace. The entrance to the mechanism is under the bed. You have ten minutes."

It's unbelievable that it only took them ten minutes to find this place. Without systematic guidance, they probably would have wandered around aimlessly for two hours without any clue.

Duan Lansheng stopped and looked up at the outline of the palace roof. He reached out to stop her: "Wait a minute, I don't know if there's anyone inside."

"No need to wait, there's no one inside!"

Lu Yuanyuan brushed his hand away and ran up the steps in a few strides. Time was limited, and there was no time to simulate the treasure hunt and puzzle-solving process. She looked around, followed the system's prompts, went straight to her destination, found the mechanism to open the dungeon under the bed, reached in, and twisted it hard.

Amidst the rumbling tremors, the wall split in two, revealing a stone staircase leading downwards.

We've found the entrance!

Lu Yuanyuan descended the stairs. This staircase led to an underground prison that never saw sunlight, where the temperature was extremely low, and everything was made of stone. In the center of the prison was a square stone platform resembling an altar, about the height of an adult's calf.

The first thing she saw was Xiao Ruo on the altar.

Xiao Ru lay weakly on the rock, curled up in a ball, shivering. A long, dark metal chain bound her ankle. Hearing the sound of the stone door opening and closing, Xiao Ru flinched, groggily opening her eyes. The moment she saw Lu Yuanyuan, she froze, seemingly unable to believe that the person who had come was really Lu Yuanyuan.

When the maskless figure behind Lu Yuanyuan also entered the dungeon, Xiao Ru's expression changed slightly. She quickly glanced at Lu Yuanyuan, her eyes flashing with a complex mix of emotions and guilt.

It was this one glance that confirmed Lu Yuanyuan's suspicion that Xiao Ruo must have known all along that Xi Ye was Duan Lansheng, but had been hiding the truth from her. She was immediately furious, but now was not the time to pursue this matter.

Xiao Ru had been locked up for so many days and had suffered a lot. She was very weak and seemed unable to utter a single word. She barely raised her hand and pointed to her throat, probably expressing the same meaning.

Lu Yuanyuan understood. She lifted her robe and squatted down, taking a little effort to break the chains binding Xiao Ruo's feet. As soon as the suppressing force disappeared, Xiao Ruo fainted. In a flash of light, her body shrank, transforming into a snow-white fox. Her clothes grew larger and fell away, revealing a black necklace around Xiao Ruo's neck, its material very similar to the metal chains binding her ankles. Lu Yuanyuan reached out to remove it, but found the necklace was as if nailed to Xiao Ruo's neck, impossible to remove, and felt an extreme chill in her palm.

Time is running out. Forget it, getting out of here is the most important thing right now. Anything that doesn't hinder our escape can wait.

"Let's go!" Lu Yuanyuan stuffed Xiao Ruo into her clothes and left the dungeon the same way she came with Duan Lansheng.

Before the infiltration plan even began, the Demon King had already arranged for backup. As soon as they rescued Xiao Ruo and sent out a signal, he would immediately come to pick them up.

The winged messenger from the demon realm flew out of Duan Lansheng's sleeve, flapped its wings, and flew out of the city.

Under the cover of moonlight, they climbed over the palace wall, and Lu Yuanyuan clearly heard an extremely angry roar coming from inside the palace—it didn't sound like a human shout, but rather like a ferocious beast being provoked.

Oh no, the 20-minute safety countdown has already run out!

Fortunately, with the system's guidance, they were able to avoid most of the conflicts and retreat all the way to the outer gate of Swampland. The pursuers finally swarmed in, like a dark tide surging, surrounding and swallowing them up.

There was no way to avoid it; only a battle remained. Lu Yuanyuan held Xiao Ruo in one arm, her palm glowing as a longsword materialized. Unexpectedly, Duan Lansheng pressed her hand down, sheathing the sword and declaring brooking no argument, "You go first, I'll handle them!"

Lu Yuanyuan was startled. Following his gaze, she turned around and saw flickering firelight in the distant wilderness. The Demon King's subordinates had arrived!

After a brief moment's hesitation, she sheathed her sword, took Xiao Ruo, and scaled the city wall. Riding the wind, they raced towards the distant demon army. The distance between them drew ever closer. From the dark mass of people, a figure suddenly appeared at the very front – it was Yue Hong, his face filled with anxiety.

Lu Yuanyuan stumbled, startled, and exclaimed, "Yue Hong, what brings you here?!"

Yue Hong landed on his sword and rushed over anxiously, looking even more excited than she was. Seeing that she was unharmed, he initially relaxed, then his face contorted with anger, his teeth clenched: "Why didn't you discuss such a dangerous thing with me...?"

For the past ten days, he had been waiting outside the swamp with the demons, but had not received any news of Lu Yuanyuan. The day before yesterday, news spread through the city that a demon who had sneaked in to abduct people had been killed... Several times, he couldn't sit still and wanted to rush in to find her, but he was also worried that his rash actions would harm her.

He had never felt that ten days had been so long.

Lu Yuanyuan awkwardly reassured them, "It happened so suddenly, look, I came back unharmed, didn't I?"

Yue Hong glared, about to say something. Seeing the situation was turning sour, Lu Yuanyuan quickly interrupted him: "By the way, you've come at the perfect time!"

She placed the fox she had been carrying all the way into Yue Hong's arms and said, "Take Xiao Ruo to a safe place at the back and meet up with the Demon King's people."

Yue Hong was stunned for a moment, then looked down and saw a fox in his arms: "Is this the queen of the demon race?"

"That's right."

Seeing Lu Yuanyuan turn to leave, Yue Hong quickly freed one hand and grabbed her, saying, "Wait, aren't you going back with me?"

Lu Yuanyuan shook her head and said in a deep voice, "The Lord of Swamp Orchid City is a vengeful ghost, not easy to deal with. I need to go and see..."

As she was speaking, she suddenly noticed that the sky behind her had suddenly become brightly lit.

From Yue Hong's stunned expression, she realized something. She abruptly turned around, her pupils contracting slightly—a colossal black shadow had appeared in the sky above Swamp Orchid City, blotting out the sun, its armor and cloak billowing in the howling wind. What was once a terrifying ghost was now enveloped in a blazing foxfire, the shadow roaring and melting in the brilliant light. Through the blinding flames, a fox-like outline could be vaguely seen, its thick, soft tail swaying in the firelight.

That was... Duan Lansheng's original form?

His original form has grown so big!

The magnificent scene drew everyone's gaze involuntarily towards the direction of Swamp City. So much so that no one noticed that as Yue Qi began to dissipate in the flames, the necklace around Xiao Ru's neck seemed to possess a life of its own, trembling painfully. Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound rang out, the necklace shattered, and a thick plume of black smoke billowed out.

By the time Lu Yuanyuan caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye, it was too late. The plume of black smoke swirled in the air once, then with lightning speed, it viciously burrowed into the abdomen of Yue Hong, who was closest to it!

...

The following morning, the main force, carrying the rescued Xiao Ruo, moved back to the border city of the demon realm. This was now demon territory, so even if there were pursuers, there was no need to fear.

After being possessed by the wisp of black smoke, Yue Hong fell into a deep sleep. The demon race's healers and the alchemists of Jin'ao Island tried to awaken him, but to no avail. Although Lu Yuanyuan was the puppeteer, the textbook she had received focused primarily on the puppet-making process and was unusable to solve the current problem.

If you want to find the right solution, you first need to know what the necklace is.

Perhaps only Xiaoruo can answer this question.

Therefore, not long after returning to the border town, Lu Yuanyuan washed her face, rested for a while, and then went to find Xiao Ruo.

The two demon guards standing at the door immediately bowed to her upon seeing her.

Lu Yuanyuan nodded and said directly, "Is the Princess awake? I have some questions for the Princess, please inform her for me."

The demon guards recognized her as the leader of the delegation and knew she was the great heroine of the operation to rescue the princess. They answered with exceptional respect and caution: "The princess has just woken up. His Majesty visited her and just left. I will inform him immediately."

"Thank you for your trouble."

After waiting at the door for a while, a guard came out and invited her in.

Lu Yuanyuan strode inside, crossed the garden, climbed the steps, and entered the hall.

Xiao Ruo was in much better condition than last night. She had changed into a nightgown and was leaning against the headboard with her black hair loose and a pair of fox ears sticking out of her head. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was pale and looked pitiful. It seemed that she had not yet recovered from the shock of being imprisoned for more than ten days. She was sipping the ginseng tea that the maid handed her.

Lu Yuanyuan slowly stopped, stood against the light, and looked at her expressionlessly.

Xiao Ru met her gaze, realized something, put down the bowl in her hand, looked at the maids on both sides, and instructed, "You all go out first, I want to thank the Immortal Lord separately."

The maids responded "Yes" in unison, walked past Lu Yuanyuan, and filed out.

After the palace doors closed, Xiao Ruo's eyes flickered slightly. She swallowed hard and said, "I know you have a lot of questions for me... Go ahead and ask."

"So you knew too?"

Lu Yuanyuan strode towards Xiao Ruo, bent down, braced her arms against the wooden railing of the bed, trapping Xiao Ruo in front of her, her gaze sharp: "Why didn't you tell me from the beginning that Xi Ye was Duan Lansheng!"

Xiao Ru said urgently, "Let me explain, I have my reasons for this!"

Lu Yuanyuan said coldly, "Difficulties? What difficulties? You always have a lot of difficulties."

Xiao Ru frowned, ran her fingers through her hair, and said, "I'm not telling you because back then, I clearly saw him die with my own eyes, and I buried him myself. I have no idea whether the living person in this world is Duan Lansheng."

Lu Yuanyuan was stunned: "What do you mean by that?"

"You still remember what happened seven years ago, right? You killed Duan Lansheng at Lihe Mountain. I wanted to rush there to stop you, but I was too late. After the sky and earth collapsed, you and Yin Xiaozhu disappeared, and thunder roared in the sky. I finally found Duan Lansheng buried under the rocks at the foot of the mountain. At that time, you stabbed him in the chest, and his face, neck, and chest were covered in blood... He even had a wound on his back. In other words, he was almost pierced through by a sword."

Lu Yuanyuan remained silent, but her breathing seemed to quicken slightly.

Recalling this, Xiao Ru became a little agitated: "You know my mission. If Duan Lansheng dies, the plot of defeating the Ghost Emperor will be over. Of course, I can't let him die like that! So, I immediately took out all the healing and life-saving items in my backpack and used them all on him without thinking twice. At that time, the earthquake had stopped, and the cultivators of Shu Mountain had started searching the mountain. I couldn't let them find out what I was doing, so I could only hurriedly carry Duan Lansheng away... By the time I found a safe and secluded place to put him down, he was already dead. His injuries were too severe, and even the rarest system items couldn't help. Using them on him was a complete waste."

Lu Yuanyuan's hand, which was resting on the headboard, suddenly tightened, but she restrained herself and did not show any unusual reaction.

So that's how it is. Back then, the disciples of Mount Shu couldn't find Duan Lansheng's body, so they could only erect a cenotaph for him. It turns out, he was taken away by Xiao Ruo.

Xiao Ru's description of the scene back then is quite consistent with her understanding.

That day, she ambushed Duan Lansheng face-to-face. At such close range, there was absolutely no way she could have missed.

No cultivator or demon can survive a severe heart injury. This is why she didn't deliberately search for Duan Lansheng's body. Firstly, it wasn't worth the effort, and secondly... she didn't want to see his mangled body after death.

Therefore, when she discovered that Duan Lansheng was still alive, she was so shocked that her mind went blank, as if her thoughts had stopped. She wondered if the male protagonist's halo was really that strong? Even his heart could be excluded from his weaknesses?

But at this moment, Xiao Ruo's words can prove that Duan Lansheng really died seven years ago.

Lu Yuanyuan said somewhat stiffly, "And then?"

"I refused to believe it and didn't want to give up, so I stayed by his side from dawn till dusk until I finally believed that those tools were really useless and that he really couldn't be saved. Thinking that it wouldn't be humane to leave his body to rot in the wilderness, I decided to go all the way and dug a big pit at the foot of the mountain to bury him, packing the soil tightly around him. Not long after, I met Ji Shuo in that area and began a new round of conquest missions."

"Initially, Ji Shuo was just a demon king who ruled over a mountain. He recruited soldiers and horses, wanting to unify the southern region. Gradually, he had more and more talented people around him. But with great power comes great responsibility, and he also became the target of attacks from many forces. Ambushes and assassinations against him increased."

Xiao Ru recalled the past, biting her lower lip, and said, "I remember it very clearly. That time, Ji Shuo was attacked and disappeared while he was out. Everyone thought he was dead, after all, it was a near-death situation. Unexpectedly, half a month later, he returned with only minor injuries, and even brought back a monster. He said that he was able to escape danger because of the other party's rescue, and he seemed to trust the other party very much."

Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but ask, "Is this monster Duan Lansheng?"

“That’s right. Although he is a nine-tailed fox, calling himself Xi Ye, and his appearance has changed, and his attitude towards me is very cold, as if he has never seen me before. But that face… it’s definitely Duan Lansheng. To verify my guess, I secretly ran away from everyone and found the place where I buried him back then, a place only I know. I’m afraid Duan Lansheng didn’t know that I buried him. After digging it up, I found that there was indeed nothing under the soil… It’s only been half a year, it’s impossible for even the bones to have rotted away, right? At that time, I knew that Duan Lansheng had crawled out of the ground.” A few unease flashed in Xiao Ru’s eyes: “But I’m 100% sure that he was really dead when he was buried, and his body was cold. So I’ve always suspected that he wasn’t the Duan Lansheng of the past, and that he might have been possessed by some monster… Fortunately, I hardly ever interact with him, and he lives a secluded life, as if he really is a dutiful subordinate of Ji Shuo.”

Lu Yuanyuan fell silent.

Although she didn't know why Duan Lansheng was able to survive, she never suspected that the body's core had been replaced.

Duan Lansheng's temperament had indeed changed a lot. But the feeling she had when she was with him told her that the soul in that body was Duan Lansheng, and had not been replaced by some messy ghost.

Xiao Ru sighed and said, "I admit I kept it from you for my own selfish reasons. I was afraid that if you knew he was Duan Lansheng, you would harbor resentment and, to avoid suspicion, propose changing the envoy instead of staying in the demon realm. I was also afraid of him—what if I exposed that he had come back from the dead? He might retaliate against me. After all, he really did kill me once. If it were you, wouldn't you be afraid? I don't want to provoke him, so I can only pretend that I don't know anything."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Ru lowered her head, her voice softening slightly: "Lu Yuanyuan, to be honest, when my system suggested I could ask you for help, I never expected you to agree to save me, after all, back then..."

Her fingernails dug into her flesh, stopping her from speaking: "I will definitely repay this kindness. Even if it costs me all my points, I will help you find your way home."

Having received similar empty promises far too many times, Lu Yuanyuan didn't believe the other party's commitment, so she didn't respond. After a pause, she turned her attention to the necklace.

Xiao Ruo had just woken up and, as expected, was unaware that the necklace had turned into black smoke. After Lu Yuanyuan finished recounting what had happened, Xiao Ruo's face paled, and she said, "Yue Qi wanted to eat me, but he is a vengeful ghost. Vengeful ghosts cannot swallow and digest me like a physical object. Therefore, he needed to perform a sacrificial ritual. He hid one of his souls in that necklace as preparation for the ritual."

Lu Yuanyuan suddenly raised her voice: "A soul from Yueqi?"

"Wait a moment, let me ask my system." Xiao Ru made a pause gesture, and after a moment of silence, she stammered, "My system said that Yue Qi was about to vanish into nothingness, and he was unwilling to die, so he wanted to possess another body. The reason he chose Yue Hong was twofold: firstly, because Yue Hong was the body of a puppet, and secondly, because Yue Qi recognized that it was his younger brother whom he hated to the core in the mortal realm. These two consciousnesses will fight for control of that body, and whoever wakes up first will win."

Lu Yuanyuan frowned: "Is there any way to help Yue Hong? In the struggle for control of the body, the more ferocious the ghost, the easier it is to succeed. Yue Qi's resentment is so strong, Yue Hong may not be his match."

Xiao Ru was taken aback: "Aren't you the creator? You can't do anything about it either?"

"All I know is how to make clay figures, create and repair them."

“Maybe… I mean maybe, you could ask someone.” Xiao Ru hesitated for a moment before saying, “That was a long time ago. Do you remember? In the early stages of Ji Shuo’s pacification of the Southern Border, many people didn’t understand why he chose such a difficult target as his second attack objective. At that time, I eavesdropped on his conversation with Duan Lansheng behind a screen and vaguely heard something. It seemed that his decision was influenced by Duan Lansheng. They even mentioned the word ‘puppet.’ But as far as I know, Ji Shuo knows absolutely nothing about puppetry, which means that Duan Lansheng might have also come into contact with this kind of knowledge.”

Duan Lansheng?

How could he know these things? Speaking of puppetry, the only one she remembered that was Yin Xiaozhu.

Xiao Ruo said, "I can't guarantee anything. After all, so much time has passed, and I'm not sure if he really understands. Also, I sincerely remind you that he's not the same Duan Lansheng as before. You have to be very careful when you're with him."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a servant outside the hall said, "Immortal Lord! Cultivator Yue has awakened!"

The two people inside the hall were both stunned. Lu Yuanyuan rushed out in one stride: "Really? What happened?"

The attendant's expression was slightly strange, and he nodded: "It's true. But..."

Seeing her hesitate, Lu Yuanyuan had a bad feeling and quickly brushed past her, rushing back to Yue Hong's temporary residence. As soon as she stepped into the room, she found that almost all the cultivators from Jin'ao Island were there, and everyone's expressions were somewhat strange.

"What exactly happened?"

Lu Yuanyuan pushed through the crowd and came to the bedside, where she was also stunned.

The person on the bed was covered with a thin blanket, with one arm exposed and placed beside them.

It wasn't the immature hand of a teenager, but a large, adult hand.