Chapter 131, Chapter Thirty-Two: The Lost Manor

The meeting continued until the midday Mass.

Regarding the ants, everyone agreed to Song Xiaona's suggestion.

Most people support killing those weird cartoon ants.

The subsequent discussion mainly revolved around defense.

Some say to build fortifications in the manor, some say to dig tunnels to escape, and others say everyone has to live together.

All sorts of suggestions were adopted, and three specific steps were finally established: first, to remind each other of their original intention to escape in order to prevent being brainwashed by the manor; second, to kill as many ants as possible; and third, to dig tunnels.

Articles 2 and 3 stipulate that shifts will be implemented in rotation. While one shift is digging the tunnel, the other shift will be fighting demons in the two confessionals.

Yesterday, Li Yufei was wearing a gold and silver evening gown, but today she's digging in the sun with a shovel.

You can't wear work gloves even if you have manicures.

What kind of world is this? Will it ever end?

She wanted to get angry, but every now and then she would hear someone say, "Mrs. Li, you're digging so fast!" "Miss Li, how come you've dug so much?" "You can't judge a book by its cover. Miss Li is so beautiful and works so efficiently. Mr. Zheng is so lucky."

Amidst gasps of surprise, Li Yufei suppressed her anger and unknowingly dug deeper and deeper.

After sulking for more than half an hour, she finally snapped out of her reverie and kicked Cheng Yuzhou in anger.

Cheng Yuzhou turned around and saw Li Yufei's sunburnt face. He immediately put down his tools and led her to a shady spot under a tree to drink water.

“Feifei, you should go back first.” He used the Covenant to fan her. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Li Yufei gulped down water, tilting her head back as she glared at him with her fox-like eyes, "Going back, is that appropriate?"

Everyone is working here, how could she possibly go back to enjoy the air conditioning?

After she finished drinking, she handed the water to Cheng Yuzhou. "Why don't you just tell them the truth? Tell them that someone has to be a scapegoat before they can leave. It's so hot under the sun, making them do hard labor, and then they get nothing in return. How unfair is that?"

Cheng Yuzhou frowned: "But how do we tell them?"

“Just say it…” Li Yufei paused.

Explaining to others that they know about this is indeed a difficult problem.

"Why did this manor become like this? Why are we trapped here?" she wondered. "Do you know the reason?"

Cheng Yuzhou lowered his eyes, his fingers tightening slightly as he gripped the plastic bottle.

“It’s me,” he said.

Li Yufei asked in surprise, "What?"

A swallow passed by here.

The swallow perched on the tree behind Li Yufei tilted its head. In its eyes, Li Yufei was a rash woman who might accidentally let something slip.

Should he tell her the truth?

"Swallow?" Li Yufei asked, puzzled.

Cheng Yuzhou said in a somber tone, "It injected a feather into my body, and then this place became a strange place where nothing could come out."

"What?"

Yanzi looked at Cheng Yuzhou with disdain, but did not stop him.

As long as the ghost stories can proceed smoothly, it's not a problem for it to take some blame.

"It calls this situation 'ghost stories,' and claims that it was ordered by its master to spread ghost stories in the world."

“That feather is bound to me and will not dissipate on its own for fifty years.” He lowered his eyelids slightly. “I have also tried to kill myself, but it only destroyed this transformed body. After the body was damaged, I left it, and the situation was still the same.”

Li Yufei opened her eyes, "No, why? Why is it you?"

Cheng Yuzhou shook his head. "It said my soul is suitable."

"Outrageous! What is this thing!" Li Yufei slammed her hand on the seat, her fox-like eyes wide. "What does it do? It sees a nice person on the street and stuffs things into their body. What's the difference between this and rape!"

The swallow flapped its wings twice. Cheng Yuzhou gave it an apologetic look, telling it to calm down.

"Where's that bird?" Li Yufei asked. "It must have a way. Let's go find it!"

"It's gone, saying it won't come back. I can't leave here to look for it, and the living can't see it either."

This completely severed all leads.

“I’m sorry…” he said dejectedly, “I’m so sorry to have trapped you and so many other people here.”

Li Yufei patted him on the shoulder, "It can't all be blamed on you."

Although Song Xiaona said that Cheng Yuzhou was not as innocent as she thought, Li Yufei always believed that he must have had no other choice.

If he were truly capable, he could easily return to the Cheng family, continue being the young CEO, and marry her, instead of staying here as a community volunteer serving every tourist.

"Can I tell Song Xiaona about this?" Li Yufei asked.

Cheng Yuzhou slowly began to speak, "I... don't really trust her."

Li Yufei understood his concerns.

Once Song Xiaona reveals Cheng Yuzhou's true identity, the other tourists will certainly not tolerate a dead soul existing among them.

"Fine, whether we tell or not won't affect the situation." Li Yufei rested her chin on her hand. "What exactly is that swallow? Does it have to trap so many people? Are you and me not enough for its appetite?"

Cheng Yuzhou was stunned: "You... and me?"

"hold head high."

Before revealing some of the truth, Cheng Yuzhou had prepared himself mentally for a long time.

When Li Yufei learns that the "key" to the ghost story is inside him, and that everything can be solved as long as he dies, what will she choose?

He couldn't imagine the consequences.

But after she asked him, and after she expressed her affection for him, Cheng Yuzhou couldn't help but want to trust her as much as possible.

He told part of the truth and waited anxiously for the verdict.

The phrase "just you and me" shattered and melted away all of Cheng Yuzhou's unease.

The summer sun in June filtered through the leaves, casting dappled green light on Li Yufei.

She crossed her legs, rested her chin on her hand, and gazed into the distance with a mixture of confusion and earnestness. It was a future where only he and she existed. She looked calmly at a future where the whole world consisted of only the two of them.

Having experienced this moment, even if one day she wanted him dead or his soul scattered, Cheng Yuzhou would still find solace.

"Feifei," he began, his voice trembling as he spoke when she looked at him, "I..."

He was speechless, his breath heavy and salty, a surge of guilt and gratitude welling up inside him, which eventually turned into self-loathing. He couldn't express his feelings in a few words.

Li Yufei sighed, reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace.

Here we go again, he hesitated, looking like he was about to cry.

"Alright, alright, I already said I don't blame you." She ruffled his hair haphazardly. "So that's why you're so warm and kind to these people."

Pressing against her chest, Cheng Yuzhou listened to her heartbeat and made a muffled, soft sound.

“What’s done is done, so let’s not dwell on it.” Li Yufei looked down at him. “If there’s really no way to leave, let’s just dig a couple more holes for everyone. Let’s work together to think of a way to make things more comfortable for the others here, as an apology.”

Her heart pounded in Cheng Yuzhou's ear, his strong, powerful voice resonating with each beat, just like her—

They are incredibly fresh and vibrant.

They grew up in similar environments. At first, they received very little love, which caused him to wither, while she blossomed with a vitality more robust than other carefully nurtured seedlings.

"What else can we do? You can atone with your death, but you won't actually die. Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's think about what to eat for lunch instead."

Cheng Yuzhou closed his eyes, cowardly and despicably moving closer to her beating heart, burying his entire face in it.

He lacked her powerful vitality; he could only cling to her, relying on her abundant strength to barely survive.

...

The days following the holy war slowly passed by as people dug tunnels and spawned demons.

For some reason, Song Xiaona focused more on farming demons—Li Yufei would say she was just being lazy and didn't want to get out of bed.

The period was peaceful, but some things did happen.

On the third night, Psyche, the messenger holding a candle, visited everyone's bedside again.

Having not seen this thing for a long time, everyone was quite frightened, but this time there were no more victims. Everyone remained stiff on the bed, waiting for the shadowy figure to have seen enough and leave on its own.

On the morning of the seventh day, a second clergy ant possessed by a demon appeared and was dealt with by the people guarding the prayer room.

On the evening of the ninth day, the tunnel reached the boundary, and people couldn't wait to catch squirrels, insects, and birds and throw them at the end of the tunnel.

The result was not satisfactory; even twenty meters underground, the area outside the barrier remained a dead zone.

This result dealt a huge blow to everyone's enthusiasm.

They tried to go deeper, but Yanzi couldn't help but remind Cheng Yuzhou: "[The ghost story is bubble-shaped, exceeding fifty meters in length; we're really going to cross the line.]"

[You're different from the living; they're simply going home, but you truly risk your life. Don't dig yourself away.]

Cheng Yuzhou nodded. "Thank you, but there's no need to worry about that."

Nine days of grueling labor under the scorching sun resulted in failure. The excavation of the tunnel continued, but no one held much hope.

The excavation progress slowed down, and some people started skipping work.

Once someone started this, a lazy and passive atmosphere quickly spread. When there was no improvement even at a depth of more than 30 meters, the project of digging tunnels gradually fell into disuse, and no one organized it to continue.

Cheng Yuzhou nodded to Yanzi.

There won't be any problems.

The two-week period of safety gained through the Holy War passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, besides gaining a 40-meter-deep pit, they only killed one ant.

With the Second Holy War approaching, Cheng Yuzhou became busy again. As the war drew near, people were filled with anxiety, and people came to him every day to offer comfort and discuss the situation.

The confessional in this manor is not on the first floor, but on Cheng Yuzhou.

Li Yufei listened patiently at first, but soon got bored.

Taking advantage of Cheng Yuzhou's busy schedule, she decided to go see Song Xiaona. Song Xiaona had been giving her signals every day, wanting her to come see her; she was practically blinking herself sick.

"Why are there so many people here?" After entering Song Xiaona's room, Li Yufei glanced around at the people in the room. Apart from Dean, the other seven people from the Thunder Racing Team were all here.

The atmosphere is a bit off.

Li Yufei's fox-like eyes darted around warily, noticing that all seven men were staring at her with inscrutable gazes, each one conveying a complex and unspeakable hostility.

She took a half step back and grabbed the doorknob with her other hand.

What are you doing, Song Xiaona's seven dwarfs? What do you want to do to her?

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous." Dean separated her from the door. "We don't mean anything by it. Yufei, your strength is obvious to all. What could we possibly do to you?"

At first, he was unconvinced that Song Xiaona thought he was weaker than Li Yufei, but after three weeks of getting to know each other, Dean completely gave in.

Li Yufei looked suspiciously and warily from left to right, and from right to left.

The whole room was filled with Song Xiaona's pugs.

“They all know,” Song Xiaona, who was sitting at the very back, suddenly spoke up.

"Know what?"

"Zheng Jianbin is Cheng Yuzhou."

Li Yufei opened her eyes, "You..." "I don't need to say it." Song Xiaona interrupted her, "Anyone who knows Zheng Jianbin can tell that it's not him."

"..." This point cannot be denied; Cheng Yuzhou and Zheng Jianbin are indeed very different.

"What do you want!" Li Yufei straightened her back and crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell everyone about this?"

The youth drivers trained by Zheng Jianbin couldn't contain their excitement and asked, "Where is Brother Bin now? How is he doing?!"

The boy next to him couldn't help but say, "You're supposed to be Brother Bin's girlfriend, how can you be so vicious!"

"Me?" Li Yufei exclaimed in astonishment. "What do you mean I'm vicious? What does that have to do with me? If I had the ability to teleport, I'd put you all into pig bodies first!"

"Stop arguing! Stop arguing!" Dean separated the two sides. "Didn't I tell you? Jianbin is fine. We still need to believe Yufei on this point."

"You believe her just because she says so?" the youth driver muttered disgustedly. "Adulterer, adulterer."

"What did you say!" Li Yufei grabbed the lamp beside her and pointed it at him. "You little brat, you bastard, say it again if you dare!"

The older member next to him pushed him and disapproved, "That's going too far. Yufei was dragged here by Jianbin. She's a victim too. Listen to what she has to say first."

The boy glared at Li Yufei and reluctantly shut his mouth.

"You're such a nuisance!" Li Yufei slammed the desk lamp down on the table. "I must be out of my mind to come see you."

She's so angry!

If it weren't for the big battle tomorrow, she would have beaten that bastard into a pulp.

"No, no," Dean pleaded with a pained expression, "Can I apologize to him? Yufei, please understand, anyone would be anxious if their brother was suddenly possessed. Don't hold it against a child, I apologize, I'm so sorry, just tell us what you know."

"I came here specifically for this," Li Yufei sneered. "Now, if you're not happy about it, get out of my way!"

"Calm down!" Song Xiaona stood up and put her arm around her shoulder. "You know a lot of inside information now, so you can live and date in peace. But what about the others? They're still trapped in unknown fears."

Li Yufei stopped walking out.

After a moment of silence, she turned around, her face sour, and gritted her teeth, "Just this once!"

Although Cheng Yuzhou is not primarily responsible for the current situation, he is not entirely uninvolved.

Seeing others trapped in unease these past few days, Li Yufei couldn't bear it, otherwise she wouldn't have come here on her own initiative.

"I can tell you some things, but you must not reveal Cheng Yuzhou's identity." But if they did, she couldn't stop them, and Li Yufei couldn't help but feel worried.

“That won’t do us any good,” Song Xiaona said. “Spreading rumors that this place is haunted will only increase fear and won’t help us leave.”

"Really?" Li Yufei asked skeptically. "You're not thinking you can just kill him and leave?"

Song Xiaona asked, "Can he be killed?"

"No, only the body will be killed." Li Yufei was afraid they really had that idea, so she added fuel to the fire and threatened them, "Without Zheng Jianbin's body, he'll have to find another one, and who knows who he'll end up with. You'd better not make that stupid move!"

“I thought so too.” Song Xiaona was not surprised at all. “Ghosts are quantum entities that living people cannot easily kill, so you don’t need to worry.”

Li Yufei agreed.

“Yes,” Dean agreed, “you don’t need to be so wary. We all have the same goal: to get out of here.”

"Alright. Let's talk about Zheng Jianbin, who you're most concerned about," Li Yufei said. "He's gone out."

Several people stared intently at her.

She said, "Cheng Yuzhou didn't use Zheng Jianbin's body. This body was just sculpted based on Zheng Jianbin. This place only goes in and doesn't go out. Cheng Yuzhou voluntarily became Zheng Jianbin's scapegoat to get him out."

This completely new information left everyone stunned.

"You mean Brother Bin isn't dead?" a member pressed.

"I never said he was dead!" Li Yufei said angrily.

"If that's the case, then we have to thank that Mr. Cheng..."

"Of course!" Although Cheng Yuzhou was partly responsible for the strange tales, Li Yufei was still assertive and confident, "He's done so much since you came in!"

"Tch." The young boy turned his head away. "Who knows if it's true or not."

Li Yufei narrowed her eyes, and Dean quickly interrupted the young lady's anger, "So, if we want to get out, we have to find a new person to be a scapegoat? How can we find a new person?"

"Bringing in new people won't work; it has to be someone exactly like you to fool the ghost stories. Either wait for someone who looks exactly like you to come in, or wait for a ghost to come in and voluntarily take your shape—I think you should forget about it; there's no such possibility."

According to this logic, they have absolutely no chance of leaving.

The atmosphere became heavy for a moment.

"Then why did this manor become like this? Did we trespass into the territory of some kind of ghost or spirit?" they asked, their eyes glancing at Li Yufei.

Clearly, everyone believes that Cheng Yuzhou is behind the strange events here.

Li Yufei paused for a moment before replying, "I asked him too, and he told me that it was all the work of a swallow."

"swallow?"

"Yes, a swallow that claims to be spreading ghost stories all over the world. It often creates ghost stories. And it runs away after it's done."

Song Xiaona's gaze sharpened slightly, while Li Yufei's eyes darted around. She was not good at lying, so there must be something she was hiding in her words.

It's obvious that she deliberately concealed information that was detrimental to Cheng Yuzhou.

"Is it really as you say, that Cheng Yuzhou was forced into Yanzi's conspiracy?" she asked.

“Yeah, right.” Li Yufei crossed her arms. “He’s just an ordinary dead man. If he really had such amazing powers, he would have come looking for me long ago. Why would he be hiding here?”

The information provided by Li Yufei matched Song Xiaona's previous speculation.

The various contradictions within the manor all indicate that Cheng Yuzhou was not the mastermind, but rather a manager who took advantage of the chaos.

"That's ridiculous," the boy scoffed. "What swallow? You might as well make up a dark god."

"Believe it or not." No wonder he's Song Xiaona's dog; he's just as deserving of a beating as Song Xiaona.

Li Yufei lost her patience. "I'm leaving. I don't know anything else if you ask me."

"Wait a minute," Song Xiaona gestured to the others, "Li Yufei, I have something to tell you."

"hold head high?"

"Then let's go out first." Dean led the others away and closed the door. "You guys talk."

Li Yufei glanced at Song Xiaona, "What do you want to say?"

Song Xiaona opened the drawer and placed a stack of cards on the table.

Li Yufei opened her eyes, "This isn't..."

“God cards,” Song Xiaona said, “11 cards.”

Where did you buy your wholesale goods?

“Of course, we searched for them one by one.” Song Xiaona picked up the first one. “This is Athena from the square that day. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the first one left behind by the one who was executed.”

"The bodies and belongings of the dead will disappear within a day, but their cards will not."

She handed the card to Li Yufei, saying, "Try kissing it."

Li Yufei recoiled in disgust, saying, "Why would I kiss something that's dead!"

"Strictly speaking, is this considered a 'sacred relic'?" Song Xiaona held up the card and shoved it at Li Yufei's lips. "Just kiss it when I tell you to."

After the card was used to contact Li Yufei, Song Xiaona asked, "How did it go?"

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?" Li Yufei frantically wiped her mouth. "Nothing at all. Did the cards die along with the person?"

Song Xiaona didn't say much, and pressed the card to her lips.

The familiar golden-red light emanates from the cards, a sign that the card skill is in effect.

Li Yufei was stunned: "Why!" Why can't she?

“Because I’ve already used it.” Song Xiaona put the card back. “A living person’s card can only be used by themselves, while a dead person’s card is bound to the first user.”

"Then this is what I found!" Li Yufei stomped her foot angrily. Being taken advantage of by Song Xiaona was ten times more frustrating than being scammed by a stranger. "I found it! You used my card! Give it back!"

"Shut up! Listen to me!"

Song Xiaona laid out the 11 cards. "These three cards, including Athena's, were used by Dean and me for a binding experiment. We haven't touched the remaining nine cards yet."

Li Yufei reached out to reclaim her share, but Song Xiaona slapped her hand away, saying, "If I give it to you, Cheng Yuzhou will immediately know I have these cards."

"So what?"

“You know how much he targets me.”

"You were the one who bullied him first," Li Yufei said. "When has he ever deliberately caused you trouble?"

"Kidding me?! I... never mind." Song Xiaona sighed, "I don't want to explain anymore. Anyway, you admit that Cheng Yuzhou and I have a conflict, and you're biased towards Cheng Yuzhou, right?"

There was little controversy about this premise, and Li Yufei nodded.

“You’re Cheng Yuzhou’s man…” “Cheng Yuzhou is my man,” Li Yufei interrupted her, correcting her.

The sensitive young master was crying in her arms just two days ago.

“Fine, fine.” Song Xiaona didn’t care. “Anyway, I could have kept these cards from you. Since I took the risk of showing them to you, you should keep them a secret for me. That way, I can continue to share our intelligence information with you, right?”

"Right...?" Li Yufei asked suspiciously. Why should she help Song Xiaona keep it a secret from Cheng Yuzhou?

"Consider it an exchange: I'll keep your secret that Zheng Jianbin is Cheng Yuzhou, and you'll keep my secret that I got these cards."

"Okay." No problem.

"Does Cheng Yuzhou know you're here to see me?" Song Xiaona asked.

"I don't know, I'll just say I'm going out for a walk."

"Then I can't give you the cards today."

"Why!"

“These lost cards were mainly left behind by the people who drove away on the first night. It takes forty minutes one way from the castle to where they died. You can’t just ‘go out for a stroll’ and walk straight to the border and find the cards, there’s not enough time.” Song Xiaona pondered, “I’ll keep the cards for now, and you can come and pick them up tomorrow, alone. That way it will be more reasonable to tell Cheng Yuzhou that you found the cards.”

"You've thought of everything very carefully." You even considered the position of the cards and the distance to the castle.

"Is it possible that you're just not careful enough?" Song Xiaona sighed wearily. "Alright, you should go now, lest Cheng Yuzhou comes looking for me later."

“It’s settled then. I’ll keep it a secret from you. You and those guys are absolutely not allowed to tell anyone about Cheng Yuzhou.” Li Yufei emphasized again and again. “Also, you must give me the cards tomorrow. I want to choose them myself.”

Song Xiaona waved her hand, telling her to hurry up and leave.

The door opened, and the other seven members of Thunder had already returned to their rooms. Dean, who was left outside, saw Li Yufei and greeted her with a smile, "Gone?"

Li Yufei walked past him, and he watched her leave before closing the door.

As they turned around, Dean and Song Xiaona's eyes met.

After a moment, he smiled, feigning ease.

Song Xiaona lowered her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly, concealing a complex emotion.

The nearly two-week period of peace is about to end, and the holy war has begun again, bringing considerable pressure to everyone.

The time without studying or working, and without the internet, felt incredibly long. These fourteen days were much longer than the fast-paced days we usually experience. The leisurely pace of life allowed people to adapt to this place, and the brain's protective mechanisms helped them forget their previous fears.

It wasn't until the holy war arrived that people felt a sense of urgency.

It's not particularly urgent.

Sitting in her wheelchair, looking at rows of wheelchair users ready to go, Li Yufei found it hard to feel fear.

At 10:30 p.m., an hour and a half before the start of the holy war, everyone had gathered in the open space in front of the castle.

Sixty-four electric wheelchairs were arranged in a neat square formation. With Song Xiaona's command, "Go! All groups, take your positions!", dozens of wheelchairs sped off to their respective battlefields at an average speed of 6 miles per hour.

Li Yufei and Cheng Yuzhou followed behind a group.

This is a group of five: two aunties, an uncle, and two young and strong men.

The wheelchair moved slowly for twenty minutes. Along the way, two aunties said, "Little Lu, Little Lü, are you hungry? Auntie has some biscuits and water." "No, don't be shy." "You young people will have to do a lot of work later, so eat more. Do you want an apple?" "How about some eight-treasure porridge?"

"Oh my, so shy! Why are all boys these days so timid? How are they going to find girlfriends in the future?" "Okay, young people don't like talking about this kind of thing. Do you want to talk about it?" "Would you like some pancakes? Auntie will make them for lunch."

When steps appeared, the wheelchairs in front had to be carried down one by one, and the wheelchairs behind gradually became blocked.

Trapped in a large group of wheelchairs, listening to the buzzing chatter and occasional sounds of eating around her, Li Yufei really couldn't understand what that swallow was up to.

Is this the scenario it envisioned? There are all sorts of birds in a big forest.

Getting stuck in traffic on the way to the battlefield is so annoying.

The pancakes that Xiao Lu and Xiao Lü didn't want ended up in Li Yufei's hands. She wasn't shy at all; she chewed and ate them.

It took them more than an hour to reach the boundary at a speed of 6 miles per hour, and they were in position for only a short time before midnight.

The weather changed rapidly, and the sky suddenly became as unpredictable as an abyss.

The demon, absent for half a month, reappeared outside the barrier. Poppies climbed into the air, scallops crashed into the barrier, and birds swooped down from the sky.

With the experience from the previous round and the skill of playing the best cards, the first half of the night went smoothly and peacefully.

It's relatively safe before the barrier is broken, so Li Yufei doesn't need to leave any card skills for emergencies.

She sat in her wheelchair, kissing Cheng Yuzhou every fifteen minutes. Golden arrows shot out of the barrier in quick succession, and the demons couldn't even keep up with the barrage. Often, there was a blank space in front of the two of them.

With the battle going smoothly, Li Yufei started thinking about other things.

Before leaving, she saw Song Xiaona's eyes, indicating that she should find an opportunity to get the card from her.

The Psyche card in Li Yufei's hand was purely supportive and very passive. She was thinking about getting another card and was eager to get there as soon as possible.

After assessing the combat strength of the demon and Cheng Yuzhou, she felt that leaving Cheng Yuzhou alone for a while wouldn't be a problem, so she said to him, "My back is aching from sitting. I'll find a place to lie down for a bit. Can you hold on for a while?"

Cheng Yuzhou, unsuspecting, said, "Take my wheelchair back; it'll be faster."

"Never mind, I can walk faster myself. I'll be back in an hour." Li Yufei instructed, "Don't wander off, or if there's any danger, run away immediately. I'll definitely be back within an hour."

Cheng Yuzhou smiled and said, "Okay, be careful on the road too."

Each group's assigned area was publicly displayed. Li Yufei remembered that Song Xiaona's location was not far from them; she saw her and Dean after walking for twenty minutes.

Upon seeing her, Song Xiaona chuckled, "He actually let you act alone."

"There are no demons in the manor now."

"And you actually dared to let him guard the barrier alone?"

“With such high faith, what demon could possibly get close to him?” Li Yufei said, still a little worried. “But let’s hurry, I promised him I’d be back in an hour.”

Song Xiaona nodded and said to Dean, "She's here now, why don't you go help out in the next area and come back when you're done?"

Dean hummed in agreement and nodded to Li Yufei, "There's a problem with the wheelchair next door. I'll go check it out and be back in half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Li Yufei urged impatiently, "Hurry up, I need to get back quickly too, he's waiting for me."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Dean turned around, and his peripheral vision caught Song Xiaona's eye.

After that glance, Dean quickly headed in the direction Li Yufei had come from.

"Li Yufei." After he left, Song Xiaona suddenly spoke up, "Before coming here, did you encounter any supernatural events?"

"How could that be? Do you think I have some kind of psychic ability? I don't."

"Didn't you ever feel Cheng Yuzhou was by your side even once?"

“He’s not with me,” Li Yufei blurted out. “He’s been in this manor the whole time.”

"All the time? Doesn't he want to come see you?"

"He said he can only stay here. Is it some kind of earthbound spirit?"

Song Xiaona narrowed her eyes.

Just as I expected.

Cheng Yuzhou can trap dozens of people and transform into other people's appearances. He is so powerful, yet he doesn't go out to find Li Yufei.

Song Xiaona could only think of one possibility—

Cheng Yuzhou couldn't leave this manor; he had no choice but to stay here.

People die after leaving the barrier, so what about Cheng Yuzhou?

He promised Li Yufei that there would be no irreparable sacrifice.

If even Zheng Jianbin survived and returned home unharmed, then the other innocent people deserve even less to die.

Assuming no one dies, the one who will die after leaving the barrier is not a human, but him!

He couldn't leave, which is why he dragged the others to stay.

During the holy war, it is the time when everyone is closest to the barrier.

If he's lucky enough, Cheng Yuzhou might still be in a wheelchair.

...

With Li Yufei gone, Cheng Yuzhou, who was guarding the barrier alone, sat listlessly in his wheelchair.

Eros's divine tablet pressed down on his finger, and a layer of black mist, invisible to the naked eye, covered the barrier like a protective film, ensuring that the demons could not break through.

His eyes were vacant as he watched the poppies grow and the scallops crash against the wall to pass the time, pondering when the next phase of the plan should begin—he should be thinking about this, but his thoughts were like boiling water, never-ending.

In just a few hours since the battle began, Cheng Yuzhou had lost count of how many times Li Yufei had kissed him.

At first, she obediently kissed his cheek every fifteen minutes, but as time went on, Li Yufei, who had nothing to do, became increasingly bored and turned her attention to Cheng Yuzhou.

Curious, she planted kisses on his ear tips, earlobes, cheeks, and Adam's apple, wanting to see just how red he could get.

Cheng Yuzhou tried to push her away, but the more shy and resistant he became, the more Li Yufei wanted him.

She got him, then left him aside, leaving Cheng Yuzhou alone, his face flushed, trying to calm his surging emotions.

She was truly domineering and tyrannical, like a rose, thorns that draw blood, yet people were expected to be grateful for even touching her beauty.

Cheng Yuzhou was indeed extremely grateful and secretly delighted about this.

He touched his right ear, where Li Yufei had lightly bitten him an hour ago. There were no teeth marks, but he still couldn't calm down.

Light footsteps came from behind him. Just as Cheng Yuzhou was about to turn around, his wheelchair was suddenly pushed forward by a strong force!

The range at which faith points affect demons is extremely short. Cheng Yuzhou was less than two meters from the barrier, and this push sent the wheelchair flying.

The solidified black mist surged out instantly, fixing the wheels in place and stopping them before the barrier.

The person behind seemed to be stunned for a moment, then immediately pushed the wheelchair again, but no matter how much force he used, the wheelchair, which weighed only twenty or thirty kilograms, seemed to be welded to the spot and did not move an inch.

The young man in the wheelchair, with black hair and black eyes, turned around and looked at him.

Dean was startled, and the moment he met those eyes, a nameless fear rose up from behind him.

The silence of death filled the air; there was not a glimmer of light, only boundless stillness.

These are definitely not the eyes of a living person.

Faced with the evil spirit, Dean couldn't help but take a half step back.

Cheng Yuzhou got up from his wheelchair, faced him, and slowly walked forward.

"Are you alone? Isn't this plan a bit too hasty and reckless?"

Dean swallowed hard, suppressing the fear in his heart. "You are not innocent after all."

"Where is Song Xiaona?" Cheng Yuzhou asked.

Dean sneered, "It has nothing to do with her."

“I believe you recognized that I am not Zheng Jianbin, but I don’t think you are intelligent enough to have endured this long and found such a suitable opportunity to launch a sneak attack from behind.”

There are many ways to kill someone, and Dean just happened to choose the only one that could kill him.

Swords and blades have no effect on him, but if he leaves the ghost story, he will disappear from Li Yufei's sight and become an invisible ghost again.

This is no coincidence; it must have been orchestrated by Song Xiaona.

"So this is your true colors?" Dean chuckled. "You've really gone to great lengths to pretend to be so approachable these past few days. Tsk tsk, did you not have a single friend when you were alive, so you resorted to this extreme method to keep us by your side after you died? We're all grown men, this forced love is a bit disgusting, isn't it?"

"At least I won't be used as a pawn to be thrown to my death by the woman I love," Cheng Yuzhou said indifferently. "She's only encouraging you to come because she's not confident but wants to try. If you succeed, everyone's happy; if you fail, it'll test my abilities..."

He paused, and Cheng Yuzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

No—this isn't outside. With a limited number of people here, every piece is extremely important to Song Xiaona. She won't suffer heavy losses as easily as before.

Where is Song Xiaona?!

In a flash, Dean only saw a wisp of black smoke before being grabbed by the collar.

A familiar face loomed before him. Zheng Jianbin's features, skin, and underlying bone structure appeared wrinkled and distorted, like an ill-fitting quilt cover or insert, eerie and terrifying.

Those dark eyes stared at him angrily and anxiously, "What have you done to Yufei!"

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Author's note: One second ago, she was calm and composed: Is this your plan?

The next second, she was on the verge of tears: What have you done to Yufei!