Xie Lian yelled on the spot, startling Feng Xin. “What’s wrong?! What’s wrong?”

Xie Lian pointed at the mirror with a pale face and said, "He! I... I, I..."

Feng Xin followed his hand and looked into the mirror. After a long moment, he turned away bewilderedly and asked, "...What's wrong with you?"

Xie Lian was terrified, clinging to him tightly, struggling to utter a few more words: "Me! Me! My face! Can't you see? There's something on my face?!"

Feng Xin stared at his face and sighed. Xie Lian was still wondering why he didn't react, but then he heard Feng Xin say, "Your Highness, have you just realized you have a facial injury?"

Xie Lian felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

Why? How could this happen? Why did Feng Xin say that?

Could it be that Feng Xin couldn't see the mask on his face in the mirror?!

Xie Lian blurted out, “Can’t you see? There’s something on my face!”

Feng Xin asked doubtfully, "What? What exactly do you mean? I didn't see it?"

Xie Lian looked in the mirror again: "Impossible! I..."

However, when he looked again, the mask on his face in the mirror disappeared, and his panic-stricken face was still reflected.

His face was crisscrossed with dark bruises, and he looked distraught and utterly miserable, like a farmhand brutally beaten by a wealthy man. Xie Lian couldn't help but freeze in shock. He tentatively touched the edge of his cheek, thinking, "...is this me?"

At this time, Feng Xin could only be heard saying, "Your Highness, are you... too tired? Or are you mad at that brat? Listen to me, don't go out recently. You should get more rest."

Xie Lian finally came to his senses and saw Feng Xin carrying his bow and a stool and about to leave. He hurriedly said, "No! I..."

Feng Xin pushed the door open and turned back: "Anything else?"

The words came to his lips, but he swallowed them back because a strange thought suddenly popped up in his mind:

Life is already difficult now. If Feng Xin is told that Bai Wuxiang might come back to haunt them again, what will he do?

Feng Xin's feelings for Bai Wuxiang are also quite strong. What will he do? Will he consider quitting and leaving like Mu Qing?

While he was lost in thought, Feng Xin had already left. Xie Lian was startled awake by the sound of a door slamming shut, so he retreated back into bed, pulled himself up under the covers, and attempted to sleep some more.

Suddenly, he smelled a strange smell.

Xie Lian got up and initially thought that the queen was cooking again or that a mouse or something had died in the corner. He stood up to check and searched everywhere, only to discover that the source of the strange smell was actually himself.

Xie Lian then remembered that he hadn’t changed his clothes or washed for dozens of days, so of course there would be a smell.

Xie Lian held his breath, a wave of self-loathing suddenly welling up in his heart. Thinking that his parents and Feng Xin must have noticed but hadn't told him, he felt a wave of shame again. He stealthily opened the door and looked outside. Seeing no one outside, he found some new clothes and decided to boil some water for a bath.

After a lot of trouble, he finally got into the tub. He sank himself to the bottom of the water, suffocating until he almost fainted. Then he emerged and washed his face vigorously several times.

After scrubbing his entire body, Xie Lian reached out for his clothes, absentmindedly shaking them out and about to put them on when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

This wasn't his clothes at all, but Bai Wuxiang's pale, wide-sleeved mourning robe!!!

Xie Lian felt as if the hot water he was soaking in had instantly turned into a pool of ice. His hair stood on end, and he cried out in a choked voice, “Who! Who did this?!”

Who secretly changed his clothes when he wasn't paying attention? !

He jumped out dripping wet, knocking over the tub. With a loud crash, the entire room was flooded, startling the king and queen in the next room. The queen helped the king in and saw Xie Lian lying naked on the ground, soaked in water. Terrified, she rushed over and hugged him, saying, "My prince, what's wrong with you?"

Xie Lian, his hair dripping wet and tangled, raised his face, hugged her with his backhand, and said, "Mom, there's a ghost, there's a ghost haunting me! It's been following me!"

He looked like he had gone mad. The Queen could no longer bear it and burst into tears, hugging her son. The King also stared at Xie Lian in a daze. He was in his forties, but now he looked over sixty. The winter chill froze Xie Lian, and he pointed, "Clothes! Look at those clothes!"

However, when he looked at the clothes again, it was not a white mourning dress at all. Wasn't it still his white Taoist robe?

Xie Lian suddenly became furious. He pounded his fist on the wooden barrel and roared, "What the hell do you want? Are you kidding me?!"

The queen held back her tears, hugged him and said, "Don't be angry, my son. Put on your clothes first, don't catch a cold..."

That day, Feng Xin came back very late, and his face looked more tired than usual.

Xie Lian had been waiting for him for a long time and said impatiently, "Feng Xin, I have something very important to tell you."

Although Bai Wuxiang was so strange and powerful that even if he told Feng Xin, warning him in advance would probably be useless, he thought about it and decided that he shouldn't hide this from Feng Xin, so he decided to tell him the truth. Unexpectedly, Feng Xin didn't immediately ask what it was, but said, "It just so happens that I have something to tell you."

Xie Lian thought that the matter concerning Bai Wuxiang must be more important, so he decided to put the more pressing matters aside. He sat down at the table and asked, "Go ahead, what's the matter?"

Feng Xin hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please speak first."

Xie Lian had no intention of refusing, so he whispered, "Feng Xin, be careful! Bai Wuxiang is back."

“…”

Feng Xin's face suddenly changed: "Bai Wuxiang is back? Why do you say that? Did you see it?"

Xie Lian said, “Yes! I saw it.”

Feng Xin's face turned pale. He said, "But...but this isn't right. Why did you see me? Why are you still safe and sound even though you saw me???"

Xie Lian buried his face in his hands and said, “…I don’t know either! But not only did he not kill me, he also…”

She hugged him and touched his head like a loving elder, and said to him, "Come to me."

After listening to his story about the strange encounters of the past few days, the shock on Feng Xin's face gradually faded, replaced by confusion. He asked, "What on earth does he want to do?"

Xie Lian said, “He definitely has bad intentions, and he seems to be following me all the time. Anyway… be careful! Help me warn Father and Mother to be careful, but don’t scare them.”

Feng Xin said, "Okay. I won't go out these few days. The things that kid sent... should be able to last for a while."

It was really embarrassing. When Mu Qing left, he still left behind all the things he brought with him. Although Xie Lian lost control of his emotions at the time and threw his things and said he didn't need his help, after calming down, he still picked up all the things in shame. Xie Lian sighed, nodded, and said, "By the way, what did you want to tell me?"

Mentioning this, Feng Xin hesitated again. After a pause, he spoke, hesitantly, a rare occurrence. While scratching his hair, he said, "Actually... Your Highness, do you have any money? Or anything I can pawn?"

Xie Lian hadn't expected him to ask such a foolish question at a time like this. He was stunned and said, "Huh? Why are you asking that?"

Feng Xin said with a stiff face: "...It's nothing...but if you have it, can you... lend me some first?"

Xie Lian smiled bitterly and said, “…Do you think there will be more?”

Feng Xin also sighed and said, "I think so."

Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, “But didn’t I give you a gold belt before?”

Feng Xin murmured, "That's not enough, far from enough..."

Xie Lian was startled. "Feng Xin? What on earth did you do? How could a gold belt not even be enough? Did you beat someone up out there and need compensation? Tell me about it."

Feng Xin came back to his senses and said hurriedly, "No! Don't worry about it, I'll just ask!"

After repeated inquiries, Feng Xin assured him that everything was fine. Xie Lian said worriedly, "If there's anything wrong, please tell me. We can work together to find a solution."

Feng Xin said, "Don't worry about me. I can't think of a solution no matter how hard I try. Your Highness, you should deal with your own affairs first!"

When he mentioned this, Xie Lian’s heart sank again.

As he expected, that thing continued to haunt him for the next few days.

Xie Lian could always see that face, both sad and happy, or a vague white figure in many unexpected places. Sometimes it was at the head of the bed late at night, sometimes it was his reflection in the water, sometimes it was at a door that suddenly opened, and sometimes, even right behind Feng Xin.

Bai Wuxiang seemed to take pleasure in intimidating him, and he purposely kept him in the spotlight. Whenever Xie Lian couldn't stand it anymore, he would scream and point at him, and the others would rush over or turn around, and he would disappear. Xie Lian lived in constant fear, his heart filled with hatred, wanting to capture this thing and tear it into pieces, but he couldn't even step on its shadow. He inevitably tore through his days and nights, exhausted both physically and mentally.

One day, he woke in the middle of the night, feeling an unquenchable thirst. Remembering he hadn't had a proper drink of water all day, he got up and prepared to go out for a drink, but then he heard voices and the faint glow of a candle. Startled, Xie Lian immediately hid behind the door, his heart pounding. "Who is it? If it's Father, Mother, and Feng Xin, why are they so sneaky?"

Who knew that the sneaky ones were really his father, the emperor, the queen, and Feng Xin. Feng Xin lowered his voice very low: "Your Highness, have you rested?"

The queen also whispered, "Go to bed."

The King said, "It took a lot of effort for him to fall asleep. Don't wake him up too early tomorrow. Let him sleep a little longer."

This sentence made Xie Lian's heart ache. Then he heard the queen say, "Alas...if this continues, when will the prince be well again?"

Xie Lian was just thinking there was something wrong with this when Feng Xin whispered, "He's just been so exhausted lately. So much has happened. Your Majesties, please keep a close eye on him. If anything seems amiss with His Highness, please let me know immediately. But don't let him notice, and don't say anything that might irritate him..."

Xie Lian hid behind the door and listened, his mind blank and blood rushing to his head.

What does this mean?

He roared in his heart, "I'm not crazy! I'm not lying! What I said is true!"

Xie Lian raised his hand and slammed the door open. The three people in the room were startled. Feng Xin stood up and said, "Your Highness? Why aren't you asleep?!"

Xie Lian said bluntly, “You don’t believe me?”

Feng Xin was stunned. He said, "Of course I believe you! You..." Xie Lian interrupted him, "Then what did you mean by what you just said? Are you saying that everything I saw was an illusion, my own delusion?"

The King and Queen tried to interrupt, but Xie Lian immediately said, "Stop talking! You don't understand!"

Feng Xin said: "No! I believe you, Your Highness, but it's also true that you've been too tired recently!"

Xie Lian looked at him without saying a word, but somewhere in his heart, a cold wind was blowing in.

He believed that Feng Xin generally believed in him, at least 80%.

Not completely trusting. After all, Xie Lian's recent life has been truly utterly morbid. Any outsider would undoubtedly judge him a lunatic. How could he be trusted completely?

But it shouldn't be like this. Feng Xin used to believe him without reservation! Even if there was only a little doubt, it was unbearable!

Xie Lian was filled with anger and resentment. He didn't know who he was directed at: Bai Wuxiang, Feng Xin, everyone, himself. Without a word, he turned and walked out. Feng Xin chased after him, asking, "Your Highness, where are you going?"

Xie Lian forced himself to remain calm and said, "Don't worry about it. Don't follow me. Go back."

Feng Xin said, "No, but where are you going? I'll go with you."

Xie Lian made up his mind and suddenly ran away. Feng Xin was not as fast as him and was soon left far behind. He could only shout from behind. The king and the queen also came out to call him, but Xie Lian turned a deaf ear to them and ran faster and faster.

He must take the initiative!

If Bai Wuxiang wanted to kill Xie Lian, Feng Xin, or his parents, it would be easy, but he chose not to kill them. Instead, he treated them like toys and made a joke of them!

As Xie Lian ran, he roared into the darkness, “Get out!!! You monster from the gutter!!! Get out!!!”

Bai Wuxiang had come solely for him, so he believed he would follow him out. However, after a barren flurry of curses, there was no usual sneer wafting from an unexpected, dark corner, or a figure slowly appearing behind him to suddenly place a hand on his head. After running furiously for miles, Xie Lian finally exhausted all his strength. He bent deeply, his hands supporting his knees, panting heavily, a smell of rust filling his chest and throat.

After a long moment, he suddenly stood up and continued walking forward, whispering, "...You want to keep fighting me, right? Fine, I'll take my time!"

He walked alone in the wild mountains and deep forests for an unknown amount of time, and the fog gradually became thicker.

The dark, old trees on all sides bared their fangs and claws, all leaning forward, oppressive and overwhelming, as if inviting him to step into a forbidden land from which there would be no return. Xie Lian knew that the situation ahead was hostile, but he could not avoid it. Moreover, he had to make an end of it; it would come sooner or later. So, with a sullen face, he continued on his way. As he walked, a line of glittering objects faintly emerged from the white mist ahead, like a luminous wall.

Xie Lian had never seen anything like it before. He frowned slightly and froze in his tracks. And that "wall" was actually slowly closing in on him!

Xie Lian, wary, broke off a branch and held it in his hand, bracing himself for battle. When the "wall" was within two feet of him, he realized with astonishment that it wasn't a wall at all, but countless ghostly flames. There were so many of them that, from afar, it looked like a wall of fire, or a vast net.

Although those will-o'-the-wisps were strange, they held no killing intent. They simply floated silently in front of Xie Lian, preventing him from moving forward. Xie Lian tried to bypass them, but the will-o'-the-wisps immediately changed direction, blocking his path. At the same time, he heard multiple voices saying:

"Don't go over there."

"Don't go over there."

"There's something bad ahead."

"Go back, don't go any further!"

These sounds were dull and dense, like a tide, sending chills down one's spine. Xie Lian, surrounded by them, noticed that among these will-o'-the-wisp flames, one flame stood out as both exceptionally bright and silent.

Although the will-o'-the-wisp had no eyes, when he looked at the will-o'-the-wisp, he seemed to feel a burning gaze coming towards him.

It seems that this ghost is the strongest among these will-o'-the-wisp. The others are just following it.