Xie Shuci walked outside the room and heard Du Pingsheng and Chu Wenfeng chatting enthusiastically inside.

They vaguely heard several keywords related to Xie Shuci. Xie Shuci hesitated for a moment, then leaned against the door to eavesdrop. Perhaps Chu Wenfeng had discovered them, because their voices immediately faded.

Xie Shuci had no choice but to push the door open and look at Chu Wenfeng and Du Pingsheng with a suspicious gaze.

Du Pingsheng sat upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead, while Chu Wenfeng didn't even bother to glance at him.

Xie Shuci walked into the room suspiciously and asked, "You wouldn't be talking about me behind my back, would you?"

Du Pingsheng shook his head, while Chu Wenfeng scoffed, "You're just being presumptuous."

Xie Shuci snorted coldly, returned to the group, glanced at them, and asked, "Where is Sikong Ye?"

"Brother Sikong is going to see an old friend and has arranged to meet us again at the auction," Chu Guiyi said.

Xie Shuci muttered, "How come he has so many friends?"

"Where is Young Master Xie?"

"Ah..." Xie Shuci felt a little awkward when talking about this. He touched the tip of his nose and said, "He still has some things to do. He'll be back in a bit."

"Brother Xie, are you going to attend the auction?" Du Pingsheng looked up at Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci hummed in agreement. "Is that not allowed?"

Du Pingsheng said, "Sure, of course. I'm also heading to the auction anyway, so why don't we go together?"

"You?" Xie Shuci was a little surprised. "Do you have a token?"

Du Pingsheng chuckled, "Yes. To be honest, I owe it all to you, Brother Xie. The Meng family asked me to paint a portrait of you, and in exchange, they gave me a token for the auction."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci remembered something, stepped forward, and grabbed Du Pingsheng by the neck, shouting, "You dare to harm me?!"

Du Pingsheng's face fell. "Brother Xie, what do you mean by that?"

"You actually gave my portrait to other people so casually! If someone with ulterior motives finds out what I look like, they'll definitely try to kill me and steal my treasure!"

Du Pingsheng was uncomfortable from being squeezed so tightly, so he coughed twice with a frown, "Brother Xie, don't worry, the Meng family promised me that your portrait will never be seen by a third person."

Xie Shuci snorted, released him, and scolded, "I thought you were a brother who would be as close as brothers even if we were separated by vast oceans, but I never expected you to betray me for a token! Besides, you're just a mortal, what were you doing at the auction? Aren't you afraid that others will have their eyes on you?"

Du Pingsheng rubbed his neck, which was sore from being strangled, and said, "It's an auction organized by the Meng family. Almost everyone who can attend is a prominent figure in the cultivation world. As long as I show up at the auction, it means that I have already gained the Meng family's approval, right?"

Xie Shuci rolled her eyes. "Are you out of your mind? You still want to go to the auction? Do you want the disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect to stab you to death? You know they don't like you, yet you still want to join in the fun?"

Du Pingsheng flattered, "Isn't it because Brother Xie and you are here? Even if the Xiaoyao Sect wanted to kill me, they wouldn't dare to do it to me in public, right? As long as I'm with you or waiting for Xiaobao's mother to come, the Xiaoyao Sect wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci narrowed her eyes and sized him up for a few moments before asking, "What exactly is written in your book?"

Du Pingsheng looked aggrieved, held up four fingers, and said, "Heaven and earth bear witness, Brother Xie, I wrote exactly what you told me. Some parts may have been exaggerated, but I absolutely, absolutely did not make things up, and I didn't write much about the Xiaoyao Sect at all."

Xie Shuci frowned. "That's strange. If they really didn't write anything, why would they bother with a lousy writer like you?" Moreover, Xie Shuci had a bad feeling. He was worried that the purpose of this third disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect's main family coming down from the Futu Realm was still for Xie An.

After hearing his words, Chu Guiyi and Chu Wenfeng exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming much more serious. They had a very unbelievable guess in their hearts, but because the guess was too far-fetched, they could not easily say it out loud.

Xie Shuci didn't notice the expressions on the two people's faces, and was worried that the Xiaoyao Sect had come for Xie An.

"By the way, Brother Xie, you haven't told me about what happened on Chunsheng Mountain yet," Du Pingsheng said.

Xie Shuci nodded, and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Chu Guiyi on the other side.

Chu Guiyi said, "Young Master Du, it's best not to know about the affairs of Chunsheng Mountain, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."

Xie Shuci thought about it and felt it made sense. He said, "Guiyi is right. There might be some taboo of the Xiaoyao Sect involved. If you write one book, they will fight you. If you really write a second book, they will probably hunt you down like they hunted down Xiao Xun."

Du Pingsheng visibly backed down, "Then forget it, you'd better not tell me."

Although he enjoys writing books and becoming famous, one book of supernatural tales is enough; there's no need to risk his life for a second one.

Before long, Xie An walked in unhurriedly.

Xie Shuci quickly waved to him and said, "Xie An, come here. I want to discuss something with you."

Sitting opposite Xie Shuci, Chu Wenfeng glanced at him, curled his lips, and looked at him with a mocking expression. Not long ago, he had been indifferent to Xie Shuci. He wondered what Xie Shuci had talked about outside. In just a short while, Xie Shuci was practically wearing "I'm so worried about you" on his face.

Xie An nodded and walked over to Xie Shuci.

As soon as Du Pingsheng and his page saw Xie An, they immediately tensed up, sat up straight, and kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.

"What?" Xie An came to Xie Shuci's side and asked with his eyes lowered.

Xie Shuci glanced at Chu Guiyi and the other man. They already knew Xie An's identity and therefore knew the Xiaoyao Sect was still pursuing him; Xie Shuci didn't need to avoid them. But Du Pingsheng and his page…

As soon as Du Pingsheng came into his line of sight, he and his page quickly covered their ears, turned their backs, and squatted on the ground, making it clear that they would never eavesdrop.

Xie Shuci almost laughed at their joke, which eased his worries considerably. He then turned to Xie An and said, "The disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect will probably be attending tonight's auction. Xie An, you shouldn't go."

Xie An roughly understood Xie Shuci's meaning and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, they won't expose my identity in public. Even if they want to fight me, they'll only choose a less crowded place."

Xie Shuci was a little skeptical, "Really?"

Xie An nodded. "Mm."

Chu Guiyi also said, "The Xiaoyao Sect must have some secrets that they don't want others to know about, which are in the hands of Young Master Xie. Unless they are absolutely certain, they will not fight with Young Master Xie in public."

Xie Shuci was somewhat swayed by their words. He was determined to attend the auction tonight, after all, he had more than a dozen treasures waiting to be sold. However, he had a bad feeling and his intuition told him that it was best for Xie An not to attend.

Why do I have this intuition?

Xie Shuci thought about it and realized that it was probably because of Sikong Ye's words. He always said things like "Don't regret it," which made Xie Shuci feel that something might happen tonight. In addition, the Xiaoyao Sect disciple who had a grudge against Xie An was also present, and he had come out of the Futu Realm specifically for this purpose, so Xie Shuci was even more worried.

Seeing Xie Shuci's hesitation and worry, Xie An couldn't help but smile. "Are you worried that I can't beat them?" "If you could beat them, how come you were so badly injured back then?" Xie Shuci glared at him.

In the book, Xiao Xun is invincible and unstoppable. Even if he encounters a crisis, Xie Shuci isn't worried because he has the protagonist's halo and is certain he won't die no matter what. However, the timeline he's currently in isn't in the original book. What if something unexpected happens? Xie Shuci can't help but worry about him.

Xie An lowered his eyes and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, I'd like to buy something from the auction."

Xie Shuci was taken aback, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?"

"Soul-Locking Chains".

Xie Shuci sniffed, "What is that?"

Xie An said, "It's a soul-binding artifact."

"A soul-stabilizing artifact?"

Xie An's explanation was too simplistic and blunt. Xie Shuci looked at Chu Guiyi opposite him and asked, "What is it?"

Chu Guiyi frowned, his expression somewhat solemn. He glanced at Xie An with a complicated look in his eyes, and then said, "The Soul-Locking Chain is a kind of weapon. Although it can fix the soul in the flesh, the price is extremely high. The chain passes through every inch of flesh and bone, and one has to endure the pain of steel nails piercing the bone at all times in order to achieve the effect of fixing the soul."

Just hearing Chu Guiyi's description made Xie Shuci's scalp tingle.

Normally, Xie Shuci would be in excruciating pain from even a slight scratch from a knife. If he had to endure the constant pain of steel nails piercing his bones, what would be the point of maintaining his spirit? He might as well be dead. Even if he were alive, it would be worse than death.

"Xie An, what do you need this for?" Xie Shuci asked nervously.

Chu Guiyi's gaze lingered on Xie An's face for a moment before he continued, "Although the Soul-Locking Chain can secure the soul, ordinary people don't use it."

If one can be reincarnated after death, there is no need to endure such great pain to forcibly fix one's soul in the body; if one will be expelled by the Heavenly Dao after death, with both body and soul destroyed, there is naturally no need for the soul-locking chain.

Even if they become vengeful ghosts after death due to lingering resentment, they would never use soul-locking chains to possess someone else's body. They could simply take over another's body; why would they use such methods to torture themselves?

Therefore, although the Soul-Locking Chain is a rare and precious artifact, it has never been used since its appearance in the world. After changing hands several times, it became like a hot potato, with no cultivator willing to take it on. Gradually, it came to be known as a murder weapon. After all, it brings immense pain to its user.

It is also the only item in the Meng family auction that has gone through several auctions and still hasn't been sold.

Upon hearing Xie Shuci's words, Xie An's long eyelashes trembled. He slowly shook his head and said, "It has no specific use, but it's for emergencies."

"Oh, okay." Xie Shuci nodded, not thinking much of it.

However, Chu Guiyi and Xie Shuci are different.

He looked at Xie Shuci with a very complicated expression. Ever since he learned Xie An's identity, he had been guessing about one thing: whether the Reincarnation Array, which Bixie had spent thousands of years to refine, had anything to do with Xie An.

One person born out of calamity cultivated the path to godhood; another person born out of hope cultivated the path of slaughter.

This stark contrast made it hard for Chu Guiyi not to wonder if there was some kind of agreement or deal between them.

It was as if they had made a pact to defy fate together.

What unforeseen circumstances would require the use of the Soul-Locking Chain?

Xie Shuci thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you have money?"

Xie An: "..."

He glanced at Xie Shuci, his meaning clear.

Xie Shuci nodded knowingly, "Alright, I have money." Xie Shuci originally disagreed with Xie An attending the auction, but after being interrupted like this, Xie Shuci's mood quickly changed, and he gradually forgot about his concerns.

They stayed in the room for more than an hour. As it got dark and the streets became less crowded, they set off for Laiqulou.

After leaving the inn, Du Pingsheng and his pageboy furtively grabbed two wooden sticks from the side and looked around warily, fearing that a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect might jump out from some corner and kill them.

Looking at their timid and cowardly state, Xie Shuci seemed to see his own timid self in the past, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

He walked around behind the two men, put his arm around each of their shoulders, and pulled them close to him, sighing, "Brothers, you are me yesterday, and I am you tomorrow."

Du Pingsheng's eyes darted around quickly as he said to Xie Shuci, "Brother Xie, we're not just guarding against the Xiaoyao Sect. You may not know this, but just two days ago, a disciple from a cultivation sect stayed at an inn arranged by the Meng family, only to be murdered in his room in the middle of the night by villains who also stole their tokens. Perhaps someone is eyeing our tokens right now."

Xie Shuci exclaimed in shock, "Really? The person is dead?"

"real!"

"But if someone dies in an inn arranged by the Meng family, Old Master Meng might have a hard time explaining it, right?"

Du Pingsheng nudged him with his elbow. "What are you saying? The Meng family only provides them with free accommodation and doesn't care about anything else. Everyone knows that. The Meng family disciples will also give them instructions before they enter the inn."

"Hiss... This thing is really a hot potato."

“Yes…” Du Pingsheng nodded. If it weren’t for his damn pride, he wouldn’t want this hot potato. “We had all agreed to go with Xiaobao’s mother, but she rushed home overnight and apparently had a big fight with Xiaobao’s father. I waited all day and she still didn’t come.”

Xie Shuci asked in surprise, "Is Xiaobao's mother very capable?"

Du Pingsheng nodded vigorously: "Very impressive! You've met Ye Changxuan, right? She's Ye Changxuan's junior uncle."

"Sister Changxuan's junior uncle? But isn't Sister Changxuan an elder of the Hehuan Sect?"

"Xiao Bao's mother is the younger sister of the Hehuan Sect Master. Although outsiders may not have heard of her name, she is actually very powerful."

Xie Shuci couldn't help but gasp in amazement. What incredible luck he had! Even people he'd only met once were so influential.

The group arrived at Laiqulou without incident. Du Pingsheng's tense mood relaxed a lot, and he chatted with Xie Shuci. To be precise, he listened to Xie Shuci chat and made promises to him.

Du Pingsheng was completely taken aback by the promises of "my best brother Du," "never forget me if we become rich and powerful," and "I will definitely help you out if you need me in the future."

As Xie Shuci was about to enter Laiqulou, he spotted several familiar figures at the entrance. He looked closely and, coincidentally, the group of people also turned to look at him.

They were a group of cultivators in blue robes, their faces covered by golden masks, but Xie Shuci still recognized them. They were none other than Xie Shuci's former junior brothers.

Come to think of it, Xie Shuci hadn't seen them for the past few days and had assumed they had already left.

Xie Shuci looked at them blankly, wondering if they also wanted to buy something. Our little immortal sect is so poor, do you have any money?

The moment Xie Shuci's eyes met Xie Shuci's, he clearly felt that their lips curled down in disapproval upon seeing him.

Xie Shuci: "?"

Surely not?

One of the senior brothers stared intently at Xie Shuci for a moment, then looked at Xie An with pity and sighed.

Xie Shuci: "?"

Are you all alright?

Xie An also glanced back at Xie Shuci, his eyes devoid of emotion.

The senior brother looked at Xie An with even more pity, and glared at Xie Shuci with a look of disappointment.

Xie Shuci was completely baffled. He tried to touch his head, but as soon as he raised his hand, he pressed it against the back of a head.

"?" Xie Shuci was a little confused. So my head is on my waist? I can touch it with just a raise of my hand?

He turned his head in confusion and suddenly realized that there were two other people standing next to him. He was now in a position with one arm on Du Pingsheng's shoulder and the other arm on the pageboy's shoulder.

Xie Shuci: "..."

"No, I didn't..."

Xie Shuci realized what was happening and, with a start, pushed Du Pingsheng and the pageboy away. "Senior brother, please let me explain. I really didn't do anything wrong to him. I didn't have any other women with me..."

Xie Shuci was in a difficult position. The little bit of image he had managed to salvage last time had been completely ruined by himself. When his senior brothers saw him with one woman in each arm, and then looked at Xie An walking alone ahead, they would definitely think that he had won Xie An's heart but didn't cherish it, and was even taking advantage of Xie An's blindness to have women on both sides.

However, the few Xie Shuci heard the sound, turned around, glared at Xie Shuci fiercely, and signaled him not to shout.

"No...you've misunderstood..." Xie Shuci said with a bitter face.

Upon seeing this, the Meng family disciple guarding the door looked at Xie Shuci suspiciously and asked the several blue-robed cultivators inside, "Gentlemen, do you know each other?"

The monk in blue decisively shook his head:

"I don't know him."

"Never seen it before."

"It doesn't matter."

"dross."

Xie Shuci: "..."

He threw himself onto Xie An's back, pleading, "Please explain this to me!"

Xie An raised an eyebrow. "Explain what?"

"Explain that I'm not a jerk, that I haven't wronged you." Xie Shuci was truly helpless.

Tell me, isn't it normal for men to put their arms around each other's shoulders?

This is perfectly normal!

But the original owner of this body has a criminal record!

Xie An pursed his lips and said, "You haven't wronged me."

"Don't explain to me, explain to them." Xie Shuci pointed at the blue-robed cultivators inside the door, only to see them disappear from sight one by one as if there were ghosts behind them.

"Damn it!" Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Chu Guiyi walked to Xie Shuci's side, smiled reassuringly, and said, "Shuci, they don't dislike you. It's just that the golden mask represents the identity of a guest of the Meng family, and it's not appropriate for him to have any relationship with the buyer, so they are avoiding suspicion."

Xie Shuci's face scrunched up like a bun. "No, they're not trying to avoid suspicion, they're just disgusted with me."

Chu Wenfeng said gloatingly, "Then you should reflect on yourself and see what you did that made them dislike you so much."

Xie Shuci gave him a resentful look and said, half-jokingly, "Because I flirt with men."

Chu Wenfeng was taken aback, "?"

As if that wasn't enough, Xie Shuci dropped another bombshell: "Many men."

Du Pingsheng: "..."

Pageboy: "..."

Chu Wenfeng: "..."

"Xie Shuci, from this moment on, stay three zhang away from me and Senior Brother!"

"Brother Xie, we're brothers for life, so please, please don't have any bad thoughts."

"Young Master Xie, I am but a lowly pageboy, how could I be worthy of you..."

Seeing how they all avoided her like the plague, Xie Shuci couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Although I flirt with men, I don't flirt with just any man."

Upon hearing this, Chu Wenfeng looked at him with even more disdain.

Xie Shuci immediately retorted, "Pah! What do you mean by seducing men? When did I seduce men?"

"Alright." Xie An pulled Xie Shuci to his side. "Let's go inside."

Xie Shuci turned around and saw that he wasn't angry, so he calmed down and took out the Meng family's token from his small pouch and tied it to himself.

Chu Guiyi smiled faintly and said, "Let's go."

Upon seeing the group produce their tokens, the Meng family disciples immediately bowed and said, "Please, gentlemen."

Du Pingsheng leaned closer to his disciple and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, young hero, have the disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect arrived yet?"

The Meng family disciple looked up and glanced behind them. Xie Shuci and the others followed his gaze and saw a dozen or so cultivators dressed in the robes of the Xiaoyao Sect slowly walking over from not far behind.

The sun had completely set by then, and lanterns had been lit along the streets early in the morning. The dim yellow light shone on one side of them, while the other side was completely shrouded in darkness. They walked almost silently, and Xie Shuci couldn't sense their presence, much like the feeling Xie An gave him.

These people had a different aura than ordinary cultivators, and since they were constantly concerned about Xie An's life, Xie Shuci held his breath, afraid that if he breathed too loudly, it would attract their attention.

Du Pingsheng and his page were even more decisive, their legs went weak with fear, and they scurried behind Xie Shuci to hide. Xie Shuci even wanted to hide behind Xie An! But he held back, not wanting to lose face in front of his brother.

Compared to Xie Shuci and his two companions, Chu Guiyi, Chu Wenfeng, and Xie An were much calmer, remaining unfazed even upon seeing the group of Xiaoyao Sect disciples.

It's one thing for Xie An and Chu Guiyi to act this way—one is the young master of the Xiao family, and the other is undoubtedly the number one among the younger generation of cultivators—but tell me, what gives Chu Wenfeng the right to act like this? He's just a little follower of Guiyi! Even if he is the young master of the Chu family, he shouldn't be so arrogant, right?

In fact, Chu Wenfeng was even more arrogant than the other two. He held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his arms and stared straight at the disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect. Xie Shuci was afraid that he would say something like, "Useless trash, wanna fight?"

The leading disciple was the third disciple of the master that Sikong Ye had mentioned before. He walked up the steps, raised his eyes and looked at Xie Shuci and his group. His gaze swept over Xie Shuci and the other two. Xie Shuci couldn't help but tense up, and at the same time felt Du Pingsheng and the pageboy behind him about to pull off his belt!

"This must be Xie Shuci, Young Master Xie," the leading disciple said, his gaze fixed on Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci was startled. "How did you know?"

The man stared at him with his deep eyes for a moment, a stiff smile appearing on his face, but he avoided answering: "My name is Deng Xingsen."

After saying that, he didn't look at Xie Shuci anymore. His eyes glanced at Du Pingsheng behind him, and his expression immediately turned several degrees colder. Du Pingsheng was so frightened that he shivered and burrowed into Xie Shuci's back.

Deng Xingsen's gaze then turned to Chu Guiyi and the other person, and he immediately switched to the demeanor of an elder. "I heard that the Chu family has produced two outstanding talents in this generation, namely the two of you."

Chu Guiyi, always polite, cupped his hands and said, "I dare not accept such praise."

Deng Xingsen said, "No need to be modest. You must be Guiyi. The elders of the Siming Pavilion have heard of your deeds and think highly of you. If you can lead the Chu family back to the Floating Pagoda Realm in this Immortal Sect Selection, you can directly enter the Siming Pavilion to work for the elders."

Chu Guiyi remained calm throughout, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She lowered her eyes, smiled, and said, "I am ashamed."

Chu Wenfeng curled his lip. What was so great about the Floating Pagoda Realm? Even if their Chu family qualified, they wouldn't go back. The only reason they participated in the Immortal Sect Selection was to prove they were capable of returning, but the Floating Pagoda Realm wasn't worth their trip. Did they really expect their senior brother to be bossed around by a bunch of old men? Dream on!

Deng Xingsen finally fixed his gaze on Xie An. Xie Shuci's heart immediately jumped. Although he knew that Deng Xingsen would not fight Xie An in front of so many people, Xie Shuci was still very flustered. What if they were wrong? Xie An's soul and body were now separated, and he might not be their match!

It's no exaggeration to say that Xie Shuci had already figured out how to escape with Xie An at that moment, but Deng Xingsen looked away as if he didn't recognize him.

"Farewell." Deng Xingsen nodded to the group and then walked into the Laiqu Building first.

Du Pingsheng and his companion hid behind Xie Shuci the entire time, not daring to utter a sound.

After everyone had gone inside, Du Pingsheng and his companion finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Shuci frowned and asked Xie An, "Did he recognize you or not?"

Xie An replied, "I don't know."

He truly didn't know that there were very few people Xie An could remember, and it was clear that he didn't know this Deng Xingsen. As for whether the other party knew him or not, Xie An didn't care.

Xie An didn't care what they were up to or what their purpose was. He had already warned Sikong Xin that he would kill every disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect who came.

After tomorrow, once Xie Shuci leaves, he will have no more scruples.