"I wonder if Miss Wenshuang has ever heard of the three things that ghosts and demons fear most?"

If he said it directly, Wen Shuang would probably just stab him with her sword. After thinking it over, Tu Hongye decided that it was better to be more tactful.

What ghosts fear most are nothing more than lightning strikes, black dog blood, and riding cloth.

Firstly, there's definitely nothing like that in this grand formation. Even if there were, whether you could hit it accurately is another matter.

Secondly, black dog blood is even less likely. Let alone whether there are dogs in these mountains, even if there are, and especially if they are black, how could they possibly get into this haunted mountain?

As for the third item, Wen Shuang's face immediately turned as red as if it could drip blood upon hearing it.

If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have participated in the competition. Although Tu Hongye put it mildly, he clearly had already figured it out. For him to say it so bluntly, it would be a wonder Wen Shuang, a young woman in her prime, wasn't ashamed.

As for what "riding cloth" is, most people might not understand, but those who exorcise ghosts generally know it's the cloth stained with a woman's menstrual blood. Women's blood is second best, and blood stained with a virgin's blood is the most desirable. But if there were other options, who would bother collecting this? Because it's difficult to preserve, and when exorcising ghosts, who would carry a disabled person around just for a piece of cloth?

But now they're trapped in this ghost mountain, and the longer it drags on, the worse it will be for them. Shen Beiming is hiding in the thick fog, and to find him, they'd have to strike him deadly during his attack.

But he had the fog as cover and seemed to be stalling for time. Given enough time, Tu Hongye and his men would eventually be eroded by this yin energy and become helpless, like fish on a chopping board, at his mercy.

After her initial embarrassment, Wen Shuang calmed down and asked in a deep voice, "What do you plan to do?"

Compared to life, that little bit of embarrassment is really nothing.

Tu Hongye couldn't help but look at her with new respect, thinking that Wen Shuang would be like other women, either getting angry and slashing him with her sword or cursing and scolding him for being a lecher.

"Don't worry, it's top-notch."

As the blush gradually subsided, Wen Shuang told Tu Hongye the truth.

If the horse-riding cloth doesn't work, their plan will fail, and with Shen Beiming on guard, it will be difficult for him to escape.

"Senior Sister Wenshuang is magnanimous, which I admire." Before the cooperation even began, after introducing himself, Tu Hongye quickly shared his strategies.

The two were extremely close and speaking in hushed tones, so that even Wen Shuang's junior sister couldn't hear them, let alone Shen Beiming, who was hiding his presence.

After the discussion, Wen Shuang led her junior sister to one side, while Tu Hongye walked to the other side, dripping blood onto the ground as he went.

Stimulated by the blood, the thick fog above their heads churned more and more violently, and the wailing and howling of ghosts were mournful and tragic, as if it were a living hell.

Some of those trapped under the jade pendant had already succumbed and fainted. The remaining people desperately covered their eyes and ears, trying to escape. But they were already caught in the illusion created by the ghost; how could the images formed directly in their minds be easily blocked? Even when they fainted, they continued to experience the illusion.

Xiang Wan stood to the side, occasionally channeling her spiritual energy into the jade pendant. As for herself, thanks to the peach wood sword and compass, no ghosts dared to approach for the time being.

The thick fog surged towards Tu Hongye's direction. Wen Shuang and her junior sister walked beside him and vaguely noticed that the yin energy swept away by the swirling fog seemed to originate from one place.

Tu Hongye continued to lure the ghosts in the thick fog. Wen Shuang slowly approached the source of the fog, then suddenly reached into her waist and pulled out something. Without saying a word, she directly covered the area where the fog was overflowing.

As soon as the new riding cloth was pulled out, the ghosts around him scattered and fled to the side.

Wen Shuang's movements weren't fast enough; she was still half a foot away from the actual overflow point. Just as she was about to push forward again to block the exit of Ghost Mountain, Shen Beiming appeared, his Mo Xie sword glowing eerily, about to pierce Wen Shuang's back. Her junior sister suddenly jumped out and slashed at Shen Beiming. Shen Beiming had no choice but to turn his sword around, and with a flick of his wrist, he slit the girl's throat, killing her instantly.

The large gusts of blood immediately attracted the ghosts. A series of whistling sounds rushed towards the blood.

Wen Shuang had no time to grieve; she quickly used a riding cloth to completely block the black porcelain bottle that had fallen to the ground.

From within the thick fog, piercing screams echoed. Shen Beiming was frantic, disregarding everything else, his only thought was to retrieve the black porcelain bottle; he couldn't let Wen Shuang destroy Ghost Mountain.

However, Tu Hongye had already reached his side, and the Demon-Slaying Sword made its timely move, engaging Shen Beiming in battle.

At this point, there was no need to hide anything anymore. In terms of assassination and combat, although Shen Beiming was a few years older than Tu Hongye, he was ultimately less agile and adaptable. Furthermore, under Xiang Wan's tutelage over the years, Tu Hongye had honed Shen Beiming's techniques and counter-strategies to perfection. In a one-on-one fight, without magical weapons, Shen Beiming was no match for Tu Hongye.

The thick fog gradually dissipated, and the ghostly cries grew weaker and weaker. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the bright moon and stars could be seen overhead in the area shrouded by Ghost Mountain.

Ghost Mountain was something Shen Guang had secretly taken out to save his life, and now it had been destroyed by Wen Shuang and Tu Hongye. How could Shen Beiming not be furious? He began to attack recklessly, even if he was seriously injured, he was determined to take the enemy's life!

Tu Hongye initially found it a bit troublesome to deal with, but later he was able to handle it easily.

Wen Shuang knelt beside her deceased junior sister, her eyes red-rimmed.

As Shen Beiming suffered repeated defeats, Wen Shuang, after her grief subsided, picked up the Xiu Nu Sword, stood up, and stood aside, her eyes fixed on Shen Beiming.

As Tu Hongye fought, he pretended to be exhausted and accidentally let Shen Beiming tear his clothes. As he dodged to the side, he ended up next to Wen Shuang.

With another fierce swing of his sword, Shen Beiming's eyes were bloodshot. Whether it was Tu Hongye or Wen Shuang, as long as someone was standing in front of him, he would cut them to death.

Tu Hongye feinted, drawing Shen Beiming away and exposing his weakness to Wen Shuang.

Wen Shuang's Xiu Nu Sword had already been charged up. In the blink of an eye, while Shen Beiming's Mo Xie was still in mid-air, she thrust the sword into his ribs and then pushed forward with force, piercing through his entire chest.

As Shen Beiming watched the sword tip emerge from his body, he turned back to look at Wen Shuang with malice, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "Wen Shuang, even if I die, I will haunt you as a ghost."

"Then let's see if you can still kill me now that you're a ghost!"

Shen Beiming fell to the ground. Wen Shuang drew her Xiu Nu sword and stabbed it again. Then, she took out the bottomless bottle and cast a spell on Shen Beiming's corpse.

"Senior Sister Wenshuang, this..."

Wen Shuang carefully put away the bottomless bottle and smiled faintly at Tu Hongye. "Brother Hongye, there's no need to panic. I've already taken his ghost away, and it will dissipate in less than half an hour. Don't worry, it won't cause you or me any trouble. As for his body and this sword, you and your master can handle them. I'll find a quiet place for my junior sister. Farewell."

Wen Shuang left cleanly and decisively, leaving Tu Hongye standing there, staring blankly at her retreating figure, lost in thought.

When he came to his senses, he saw Xiang Wan looking at him with an ambiguous expression. Tu Hongye was speechless, closed his eyes, and fell into her arms.