"Old Dao, are you alright? Are you still conscious?" I picked up the chicken and shouted.

Old Dao struggled in my arms, then jumped to the ground and began nodding repeatedly.

It seems that even after turning into a chicken, Lao Dao still retains consciousness.

What happened? How did it suddenly turn into a chicken?

Is it because of snake soup?

I looked at the casserole dish next to me.

You should know that Lao Dao didn't drink a single drop of the snake soup; I drank it all.

Therefore, it is very likely that this snake soup is an antidote; if you don't drink it, you will turn into a chicken.

Of course, it's also possible that anyone could turn into a chicken, but I didn't because of the protection of the Owl God.

"Old Dao, I'll go with you to find the landlady and see if she has any ideas."

I picked up Lao Dao, left the room, and walked down the corridor until I met the landlady.

"What's wrong, little brother? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

The proprietress saw me without surprise, as if she knew I was coming.

"My friend turned into a chicken, is there any way to turn him back?"

I pulled the old knife from my arms.

Old Dao can't afford to have any problems right now.

"He didn't drink the snake soup in that casserole, did he?"

The proprietress walked up to me, looked at the old knife in her arms, and stated her conclusion directly.

Old Dao nodded vigorously, this time it really turned into a chicken pecking at rice.

The landlady's words confirmed my earlier guess; I was right after all.

Snake soup is a kind of antidote.

Old Dao didn't drink it, and this is what happened to him.

"Sister, is there any solution?"

I looked at the proprietress, hoping she had a solution.

"You actually care about him?"

The proprietress was clearly a little surprised by my reaction.

She was referring to the fact that I don't have a soul, yet I still care about people.

"He is useful to me, so he can't be allowed to get into trouble."

I didn't hide anything; this was the reason I helped Lao Dao.

"The process might be a little dangerous, are you willing to go through that?"

The proprietress gave a half-smile.

My gaze was firm, and although I didn't answer, that was a statement in itself.

Old Dao was so moved in my arms that he almost cried. He kept rubbing against me, getting covered in feathers and chicken droppings.

I looked disgusted. How come Lao Dao still looks like this even after turning into a chicken?

The proprietress put away her playful expression and nodded seriously: "Okay, I understand. You two come with me."

After saying that, the proprietress swayed her hips and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

I gritted my teeth and followed, but the road turned out to be unexpectedly long.

Finally, the proprietress stopped. In front of her was a small room, and she unlocked the door.

It's not quite what I expected.

The room was filled with yang energy; even standing at the doorway, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Let's try it and soak up some yang energy inside. I'm not sure if it will work, but let's give it a try."

The proprietress told me to put the old knife inside.

I tossed the old knife in and then asked the proprietress if I should use it. The proprietress shook her head.

"Doesn't that mean the process is a bit dangerous?"

I was a little confused. If I didn't need to go in, why did the landlady say it was dangerous?

The proprietress rolled her eyes: "I was talking to your friend!"

I was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say. This proprietress was treating Lao Dao like a Japanese man.

Inside the room, Lao Dao lunged to the very center, and simultaneously, a stream of air was generated from the four directions—east, west, south, and north—enveloping Lao Dao.

I wanted to go up and help, but the proprietress stopped me.

"Your friend has something inside him that needs to be forced out. If you go and help, all your efforts will be wasted!"

The proprietress reminded me not to act rashly.

I was taken aback, because the landlady was right; there was indeed something inside Lao Dao's body.

Besides the fox fur, some of his memories were also sealed away.

Even Liu Sandao couldn't do anything about these things.

The proprietress seemed to be saying that she could help force the item out with a knife.

The proprietress closed the door, which had a small glass window through which one could roughly see what was inside.

"It all depends on your friend's fate!" The proprietress looked at me and sighed slightly.

"Sis, why can he turn into a chicken?"

I'm very confused.

And those chickens we ate before, could they have been transformed from humans?

"Didn't I already tell you to wait in the room? You insisted on leaving!"

The proprietress said something rather irritating.

"Anyone who tries to enter Haopo Village will end up like this; it must be because evil spirits have entered their bodies."

Therefore, one must stay in the room for a certain amount of time.

"You didn't bring enough, so I made you some snake soup. Who knows why your friend didn't drink it!"

The proprietress patiently explained.

Old Knife inside the room also heard our conversation and kept flapping his wings.

I can understand Lao Dao. He's experienced too many strange things since he came to this guesthouse. He's hungry too, but he doesn't dare to eat a single bite.

Didn't Hua Hua remind you?

The proprietress suddenly remembered.

I shook my head, thinking to myself, "What kind of reminder is this? The old Taoist priest almost skinned him alive just now. Even if he wanted to remind me, he probably wouldn't have the heart to do so."

Moreover, I still had some doubts in my mind: wasn't Hua Hua trying to harm us?

"Who exactly is Hua Hua? Why does she bother to harm us and save us at the same time?"

I asked the question directly.

"No one ever wanted to harm you. Huahua is a kind child; she just didn't want you to be in danger!"

The proprietress was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on my arm.

"I never expected that you would be carrying the Owl God on your back. You should have been prepared for that, right?"

"A man who carries the weight of the gods can never return to being a mortal! Sister, is that right?"

That's what the old master craftsman said; I'm just repeating it.

Is there any way to remove it?

I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but having a tattoo on my arm is still quite uncomfortable.

Although this thing doesn't pose any threat to me right now.

"There are ways to get to the Eagle Owl Temple, but the most urgent thing right now is to solve your friend's problem."

The proprietress waited quietly.

I had no other choice but to stand outside and watch, silently praying for Lao Dao.

Old Dao stood in the very center, his body twisting and contorting as if he were being roasted.

Time passed slowly, and black mist emanated from Lao Dao's back, condensing into a black bead.

Then came more white vapor.

After about half an hour, Lao Dao had already urinated all over the place, and I could see that Lao Dao's body was gradually recovering.

"It worked?" I was a little delighted.

The landlady nodded and then opened the door.

Old Dao returned to his original state and transformed into human form at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Brother Chen! I remember now! I remember everything, it's Brother Luo!"