Discipleship

Wen Ya hadn't seen Wen Tianyan for almost half a year.

She started traveling in her teens and only returned home for the Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival each year. However, with one of them being old and the other young, the holidays were always unusually quiet. But she got used to it.

Even if it's just her and Wen Tianyan, it's still a reunion.

No matter how cold-hearted she may be, he was her only relative. As long as her grandfather was still alive, she would still have a home and a place to return to.

But then she received news of her grandfather's unexpected death. She didn't even have time to think about it carefully. To be precise, ever since she learned of her grandfather's death, her mind has been blank. She rushed back on instinct, but she still couldn't see him one last time, and she didn't even see his body.

No one knows the bewilderment she felt when she learned that her grandfather's body had been buried ahead of schedule and only a tombstone was left for her.

She couldn't understand, and no one could answer her, why they didn't wait for her, why she, as the only immediate family member, couldn't personally see her grandfather off on his final journey.

Wen Yongjie, who could give her the answer, also left in a hurry, without saying more than a few words, leaving the empty old house behind, leaving her stunned.

Later, Wen Ya recalled that something was wrong, but she had always been straightforward and didn't understand those complicated matters. She never thought that there was something fishy about her grandfather's death.

And now, the person she thought she would never see again stands there all alone, gazing at her from afar.

Wen Ya felt she had a thousand words to say, but they were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't make a sound.

Si Mucheng had never met Wen Tianyan before, but he understood the situation at a glance. Wen Ya's expression was unpredictable, and he couldn't help but want to comfort her, but Wen Ya flipped her wrist, and a talisman flew into the sky, spun around, and disappeared.

Si Mucheng's eyes widened; he recognized it as a communication talisman.

Wen Ya didn't explain, but found a path leading down the mountain and headed straight for it. Si Mucheng had no choice but to follow.

The Soul-Returning Lamp was still in the center of the formation. Wen Tianyan seemed to be waiting for Wen Ya, and there was no movement for a long time. When Wen Ya approached, he smiled and said, "Xiao Ya, you've come."

Wen Ya remained silent for a long time before asking, "Grandpa, what exactly happened?"

Wen Tianyan turned to look at the Soul-Returning Lamp: "You'll find out."

Wen Ya followed his gaze and stared at the Soul-Returning Lamp: "Is this formation a Spirit-Soothing Formation?"

"yes."

"You made these arrangements a year ago?" Wen Ya continued to ask.

"yes."

"Are all these things done to activate the Resurrection Lamp?"

"yes."

Wen Ya asked questions one by one, and Wen Tianyan answered one by one. Finally, Wen Ya looked at her grandfather's aged face and said softly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Wen Tianyan looked back at her, his expression indifferent: "Xiaoya, some things are none of your business."

At this moment, Wen Ya suddenly realized that she and her grandfather were indeed family. In fact, compared to her parents, she and her grandfather were more alike, equally cold and ruthless.

Seeing her pursed lips and cold expression, Wen Tianyan sighed lightly: "Xiaoya, I will tell you after everything is over."

“But,” Si Mucheng suddenly spoke up, and both grandfather and grandson turned to look at him. His expression was unusually serious. “You are using her.”

They were clearly family, yet Wen Tianyan told Wen Ya nothing and even used himself to scheme against her. He didn't care if she was saddened by his death, what dangers she might encounter along the way, or her feelings; he only cared that she could help him collect the souls needed to activate the Resurrection Lamp.

Wen Ya was slightly taken aback when Si Mucheng spoke. Wen Tianyan looked at Si Mucheng with interest: "This young friend is unfamiliar."

Si Mucheng took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Wen Ya: "You don't know me, and I'm not important to you. You don't even care about Xiao Ya, so why should you care about me?"

These words were less polite. Wen Tianyan didn't take offense; as if he had seen through everything, his tone even carried a hint of relief: "Xiaoya has made friends too."

Wen Ya was about to say something when someone approached – it was Wen Yongjie. He wasn't surprised by Wen Ya and Si Mucheng's appearance, but simply said to Wen Tianyan, "Uncle, that's enough."

Wen Tianyan nodded and said to Wen Ya, "Xiao Ya, you'll know once I've finished my business."

After saying this, he made a hand seal, his lips moved, and he kept chanting incantations. Under his urging, the Soul-Returning Lamp seemed to come alive and began to spin rapidly.

Wen Ya stared intently at the Resurrection Lamp.

According to the notes of the Shangguan family, the Soul-Returning Lamp had been successfully used before, and judging from Wen Tianyan's appearance, it seems that he had taken the missing activation method of the Soul-Returning Lamp.

So, who does he want to revive?

The copper petals on the resurrection lamp slowly bloomed. Upon seeing this, Wen Tianyan offered up what he was holding. Wen Ya saw clearly that it was a heart-shaped pendant necklace.

However, once the petals have fully opened, unexpected changes occur.

A plume of black smoke drifted out of the lamp. Wen Ya's eyelashes trembled slightly, sensing something was wrong. She stepped forward and stood in front of Si Mucheng, while Wen Xiaofeng's hair stood on end, looking extremely nervous.

Si Mucheng asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Wen Ya's Adam's apple bobbed, and Wen Tianyan also showed a surprised expression. He murmured, "...Evil spirit."

The Resurrection Lamp contains an evil spirit!

Wen Tianyan reacted quickly, making another hand seal, trying to activate the Soul-Returning Lamp, but found that it was already out of control.

A continuous stream of black mist rolled in, threatening to engulf everything in an instant. Wen Ya and Wen Tianyan simultaneously threw out a talisman, which flew into the sky and cast a restriction around the area. That was all they had time to do, confining the black mist within the valley.

The next second, Wen Ya grabbed Si Mu Cheng's hand, and the two of them were simultaneously enveloped in black mist.

When Si Mucheng opened his eyes again, he only saw thick fog around him. The slightly cool touch on his hands told him that he was not alone.

“…Xiaoya?” Si Mucheng called softly.

"Mmm," Wen Ya responded.

Si Mucheng saw Wen Ya's hazy face through the fog, and his heart calmed down slightly: "What happened?"

Wen Ya sighed: "The evil spirits have created a dream; we've entered the evil spirits' dream world."

Si Mucheng asked, "An evil spirit? Whose spirit? The one in the Soul-Returning Lamp? How did it get in?"

Wen Ya hesitated and shook her head: "I don't know."

No one expected that there would be an evil spirit inside the resurrection lamp.

She guessed, "The malfunction of the Soul-Returning Lamp must be related to this evil spirit. Judging from the time it malfunctioned, it must have been taken in a very long time ago. Was it captured? Or perhaps..."

She had a hunch that there were methods to suppress evil spirits using magical artifacts in ancient times, but she couldn't say for sure. Many things had been lost to the modern world, and the information about the Soul-Returning Lamp was only found by the Shangguan family, which was very limited. For now, she could only take it one step at a time.

"So now...?" Si Mucheng looked around, the thick fog around him seemed to be dissipating.

Wen Ya sighed, "I wonder whose dream it is... Grandpa and the others should be inside too. Let's see if we can find them first."

To escape the evil spirit's dream, one must first find the dream's owner and dispel it; the problem will then be easily solved. However, dreams are formed from the evil spirit's obsessions in its previous life, and no one knows what they might encounter within them. Wen Ya's only consolation is that the barrier she erected prevents innocent bystanders from being drawn in. Moreover, being deep in the mountains, with a bewitching array outside, she has several layers of protection and doesn't need to worry too much.

The two looked around warily. Wen Xiaofeng was nowhere to be seen. Wen Tianyan and Wen Yongjie must have been brought in as well, but their whereabouts were unknown. However, Wen Ya wasn't worried. Wen Tianyan had spent most of his life exorcising spirits, so he was at least capable of protecting himself from evil spirits. Even with Wen Yongjie added to the mix, it wouldn't be a problem. She only needed to protect Si Mucheng.

The two could not see the surrounding scenery clearly and could only move forward slowly, but soon the fog dissipated, revealing the dense forest around them.

It turned out that Si Mucheng's feeling that the sky was dark was not an illusion. At this moment, they were in the woods, where the lush foliage blocked out the sun.

"Is this... still in the mountains?" Si Mucheng asked in confusion. He remembered that when he accidentally stumbled into the abusive man's dream last time, the address in the dream was the entrance of the man's residential complex. This time... why is the surrounding scenery unchanged? Did they enter the dream?

Wen Ya looked around and said with certainty, "It's not that forest."

Si Mucheng couldn't see anything different, but he could vaguely see smoke rising from chimneys ahead. He raised an eyebrow and said, "There seem to be houses ahead. Shall we go take a look?"

We definitely need to take a look, but since it's here, it must be related to the dream's owner. Wen Ya thought for a moment and then instructed, "Let's see what's going on first, and don't act rashly."

"OK."

They hadn't gone far when they saw a house, but it had a thatched roof and a fence in front, enclosing a small courtyard. At first glance, it looked like a secluded paradise.

"That's a bit strange..." Si Mucheng whispered.

Wen Ya agreed wholeheartedly. After thinking for a moment, she said to Si Mucheng, "Wait here for me, I'll go take a look."

Si Mucheng grasped her hand: "How can that be?" He disagreed, "How could I let you go alone? No matter what, I have to protect you."

Wen Ya paused for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid it's dangerous inside."

Si Mucheng squeezed her hand: "I have to protect you even more when you're in danger. Don't worry, my spells have improved a lot recently, and I can handle ordinary spells."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ya was speechless.

Si Mucheng's fingers were long and warm, but Wen Ya could feel the dampness in his palm. Looking to the side, she could see his pursed lips. Wen Ya's eyebrows curved, but she didn't say anything. She just took his hand and pushed open the gate to the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, but the scene inside showed that someone was taking care of the house—some medicinal herbs were drying in the sun in front of the house, some incomprehensible tools were placed on the stone table, and some vegetables were planted under the fence.

In short, it doesn't look like a modern society at all. Even in rural areas, it shouldn't be this regressive to our ancestors.

Just then, footsteps approached from afar, pausing for a moment as they reached the courtyard. A clear, cool voice then asked, "Excuse me... what brings you here?"

Wen Ya and Si Mucheng turned around at the same time, only to see the person who came was tall and elegant, with his long hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, wearing a moon-white robe, with a handsome face and gentle eyes. Beside him, a white jade-like doll hugged his leg and hid behind him, staring at Wen Ya and Si Mucheng with its big, dark eyes.

Wen Ya: "..."

Si Mucheng muttered, "Heavens, where did this come from?"