Chapter 19

Xie Wen felt completely enveloped by Chu Xianyue's aura, so intense that she could hardly breathe. He was so close; her breath, the fine hairs on his skin, even his body temperature were so clear. Xie Wen was pressed down and dared not move an inch. Her head was spinning, and for a moment she thought of just closing her eyes and playing dead.

Chu Xianyue held Xie Wen for a few seconds before putting her down. Then he calmly straightened up, casually tossed his hair back, and sat upright to look at Yun Yan, who had suddenly barged in.

Yun Yan coughed awkwardly twice, unsure where to look. His eyes darted around 359 degrees, but he didn't dare to look at Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen, who were disheveled on the bed. He comforted himself, telling himself that his master was just putting on an act, that it was all a sacrifice for the mission.

Yun Yan took another deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, and turned his back to Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen. It was unclear what he was doing.

Chu Xianyue really wanted to throw him out. Since he knew he shouldn't be here, why was he still wandering around? Did he think he wouldn't exist just because he turned his back?

Chu Xianyue felt incredibly heartbroken. Then, seeing Xie Wen still lying obediently on the bed, seemingly about to do something, Chu Xianyue felt even more nauseous. He reached out and pulled Xie Wen up. "Haven't you finished acting yet?"

Xie Wen: "..."

She just needs some time to calm down.

She just needs a little courage to face it.

Xie Wen scoffed and shook off Chu Xianyue's hand. Who wanted to put on this kind of act with him? Did he think it was her idea?

Xie Wen scoffed inwardly, thinking, "Maybe you haven't acted enough yet." After all, his mission was to eagerly seduce Xie Wen.

Everyone knows who hasn't had enough of their performance.

Thinking of this, Xie Wen suddenly covered her body with her hands. He, Chu Xianyue, was more likely to be taken advantage of. But she, Xie Wen, couldn't. Could he compare to her?

She couldn't let him lust after her body.

Chu Xianyue saw Xie Wen looking at him like he was a pervert. He felt like vomiting blood. What had he done wrong this time? Did she think he wanted this?

There are countless women in this world, so why does Xie Wen think that Chu Xianyue would be interested in her? If it's for the sake of the mission... Chu Xianyue sneered inwardly.

The two sat on either side of the bed, arms crossed, glanced at each other, snorted coldly, and turned their heads away, looking utterly disgusted.

With his back to the person, Yun Yan, who was completely oblivious to what was happening, saw Chu Xian stride over and say, "Yun Yan, let's go!"

Confused, Yun Yan looked back at Xie Wen, only to be glared at and look away. Yun Yan assumed that Chu Xianyue had been greatly humiliated because of his acting with Xie Wen, which made much sense. No wonder the two of them looked so angry.

Chu Xianyue used a cloud-shaped ornament to hold the flower demon's unconscious soul, hanging it on his waist, ready to use it to interrogate her when needed.

The three of them walked out of the room and saw a large mansion outside.

Everywhere there were ruins and darkness, all traces of fire from years past. It seemed that many years had passed. New vegetation had grown from many broken pieces of wood to the height of an adult, and moss spread mercilessly. Everywhere one looked was a scene of desolation.

"Where is this?" Xie Wen couldn't help but look around. The dark, deep corridors, the collapsed walls, the ruins in the corners, and the half-closed doors that were charred black and creaking in the wind made Xie Wen feel a chill rise from the bottom of her heart and spread to her limbs.

This place doesn't look like a proper place at all. In broad daylight, just looking at it makes you feel a deep sense of resentment.

Did the flower fairy bring them here for their wedding night?

Could it be that it shares some kind of penchant for poverty and stinginess with the original owner?

Xie Wen couldn't understand it. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or if there was some other "deeper meaning" to it.

The three of them walked around the mansion, which was in ruins after the fire, and confirmed that it was just a house that had been abandoned for decades after the fire.

They then left the mansion and stood at the entrance to observe it.

The scene outside the house was the same as what they had seen in the Green Lantern Forest, indicating that they had never actually left the Green Lantern Forest. This abandoned mansion had always been located in the Green Lantern Forest, but the Green Lantern Forest was ever-changing, and they had never been able to reach the edge of this mansion before.

There is only one possibility: the flower fairy has been deliberately hiding this house.

Perhaps the core of this entire Green Lantern Forest isn't the flower fairy's true form, but rather this house? And the flower fairy is merely a guard protecting this house?

After all that, they finally opened the door to the real instance?

Xie Wen stood in front of the mansion gate and looked up. Although one side of the plaque in the center of the mansion had been burned and the rest was pitch black, the raised texture of the characters still made it roughly clear that the plaque read "Mei Mansion".

The Mei family mansion? Chu Xianyue frowned. He had heard of the Mei family before. He wondered if this Mei mansion was the same Mei family residence from back then.

At first, I only heard that the Mei family's house caught fire unexpectedly, and that over a hundred members of the family perished overnight. After that, the matter quickly faded away and was left unresolved.

Chu Xianyue took off the cloud-shaped ornament from his waist, made a hand seal, and released the flower demon's soul. He grabbed it in his hand and shook it without any pity. "Wake up. Tell me, where is this place?"

Xie Wen hadn't expected such a small, unassuming cloud-shaped ornament to have this function. He subconsciously touched the cloud-shaped ornament at his waist, touching it several times. Empty, still empty.

Xie Wen: My Yundang is missing?

Look at what Chu Xianyue has in his hand! Damn, when did it end up in his hands?

Xie Wen was about to snatch Yundang away and shout, "Why did you steal my things?"

Chu Xianyue raised his hand to dodge, "After all, it was a gift from me, so I'll just borrow it for now."

Xie Wen crossed his arms and snorted, "I already said that if you give it to me, it's mine."

Yun Yan was displeased. "Master is just borrowing your things. If it were me, I would give Master whatever he wants."

Xie Wen understood Yun Yan very well. These words coming from Yun Yan were definitely not just idle chatter. Yun Yan wished that his were Chu Xianyue's.

While the group was joking around, the demonic soul in Chu Xianyue's palm awoke in a daze. It had been enchanted by Chu Xianyue and answered whatever Chu Xianyue asked, becoming incredibly obedient.

Chu Xianyue asked again, "Where is this place?"

A faint, almost imperceptible voice emanated from the demonic soul, a voice that was eerie and distant: "The Ghost Palace of the Green Lamp."

"Who is your master?"

"The Lord of the Ghost Palace".

Just as the flower fairy's faint voice faded, a gust of wind suddenly swept in from the gate of the mansion, heading straight for Chu Xianyue. It ruffled the hair on his forehead, and he opened his eyes wide. Looking through the direction of the strange wind, he saw that there was clearly nothing there, yet it gave him the illusion that something was there.

Chu Xianyue lowered his head again, and the wisp of demonic soul in his palm disappeared; it had been taken away by that eerie wind.

Its master. The Lord of the Ghost Palace.

"I told you to be careful, to be cautious. But you just wouldn't listen. Look, you've fallen into the hands of these people again. You never learn." A clear female voice came from all directions, its tone gentle yet carrying a sense of oppression and deep repression.

The wisp of demonic soul seemed to awaken, its voice trembling slightly, "Master."

"The Ghost Palace Master?"

Chu Xianyue stared at the long, dark corridor ahead, which was charred black by the fire. At the end of the corridor was only desolation, with weeds growing wildly. The weeds swayed in the breeze. There was clearly nothing there, but Chu Xianyue's gaze fell on a solid spot. Xie Wen was not so afraid at first, but seeing Chu Xianyue's solemn expression, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

In the depths of that dark corridor, sparse light shone from the other end, illuminating broken wood, scorched earth, and weeds. Through these, Xie Wen felt that the charred wall resembled a burned face.

She gasped. They waited patiently for a few seconds, but nothing happened. Nothing was there; it was as if it had vanished from them in an instant.

To ease the tense atmosphere, Xie Wen asked, "Master, what is the Ghost Palace Master?"

"The most yin and evil thing in the world."

"The Ghost Palace Master is a general term for a type of evil entity. They usually have two characteristics: they harbor immense resentment and deep obsession before death, and after death, they linger in a house for a long time, unwilling to leave. Because of the Ghost Palace Master's presence, such a house becomes a Ghost Palace. Once a Ghost Palace appears, the surrounding area of ​​more than ten miles will be affected by its evil aura. In this situation, if cultivators are not invited to eliminate the Ghost Palace Master in time, then the area around the house will become deserted for hundreds of miles." Chu Xianyue said calmly.

The resentment that could give birth to such an extremely yin and evil creature as the Ghost Palace Master must be incredibly heavy. As far as Chu Xianyue knew, only two or three Ghost Palace Masters had been born in the last hundred years. Although there is much resentment in the human world, it all boils down to separation from loved ones, encounters with those one hates, and unfulfilled desires. When a person dies, their body dissipates, and all the things of their life will vanish like smoke. Even the greatest resentment will pass away after death.

What grievance or hatred could have led to this?

Chu Xianyue only knew that the resentment caused by an accidental fire could not possibly give birth to such an evil creature as the Ghost Palace Master.

A breeze seemed to sweep by, darting from Xie Wen's side into the depths of the long corridor. The weeds bowed their heads repeatedly. In the blink of an eye, the sunlight dimmed, but the grass continued to sway, as if standing in the void.

The voice rang out again out of nowhere, a calm female voice that seemed to belong to an ordinary woman, nothing like the voice of a deeply resentful evil spirit. But to Xie Wen, it was even more terrifying than the deliberately created terrifying tone. The chill seemed not to have been transmitted to Xie Wen from the outside world, but rather it spread from the depths of Xie Wen's heart.

"Alright, since you're so persistent, how about we play a game?"

"A game?" Xie Wen's pupils dilated instinctively. This was too bizarre. Playing a game with this evil creature?

"As long as you find me, I will tell you how to break the Ten Directions Cauldron."