Within the Wei Rui Secret Realm, all the corpse puppets stopped. Mu Cangwu's fingertips held the countless puppet strings as he looked down at Lou Yunqi, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Explain with emotion and reason.

There was nothing he could do; he couldn't beat this brute in a head-on fight. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better for him to just hire hundreds of assassins?

The atmosphere was silent and stagnant. Finally, the killing intent that had been gathering around Lou Yunqi dissipated little by little. He glanced at Mu Cangwu, and the hem of his dark robe with gold trim fluttered as it landed gracefully.

Before Mu Cangwu could speak, Lou Yunqi raised his hand and picked up Ruan Qing'an, who was standing to the side like a puppet on strings. He then walked into the waterside pavilion and casually said, "Take care of these corpse puppets in this underworld place. I don't like them."

Mu Cangwu, who was both expected to provide manpower and yet met with disdain: ...

A gentle smile appeared on his refined face: "Okay."

Only after Lou Yunqi's figure carrying Ruan Qing'an disappeared did Mu Cangwu's gentle smile gradually turn cold—it's alright, just bear with it.

Once Lou Yunqi died, all grudges and resentments vanished.

Meanwhile, Lou Yunqi had already carried Ruan Qing'an back to the previous room. With the surge of spiritual energy, the gauze curtains fluttered automatically without wind, and he carefully placed her on the soft couch.

Because she was forcibly controlled by the puppet strings, even though Mu Cangwu said that he used the jade bracelet as a compromise to prevent the puppet strings from damaging her soul, Ruan Qing'an's pretty face still turned a little pale and she looked quite weak.

"Ha...do you think I'm stupid?"

Lou Yunqi's eyes darkened slightly. His slender fingertips caressed Ruan Qing'an's eyebrows and eyes. With a slight movement of spiritual power, the invisible puppet strings were pulled away as if peeling away silk, and then burned away completely.

Even in her unconscious state, her features were excessively beautiful, even more so than when she first met him. She was as serene and aloof as the bright moon, and any gaze upon her seemed almost sacrilegious, making one want to kiss her fingertips.

Lou Yunqi's eyes held an inscrutable emotion. He held Ruan Qing'an's fingertips and kissed them before straightening up after a long while.

"No rush, wait for me."

"I will deal with him when I find an opportunity later."

After saying this, he turned and left the room, seemingly to continue discussing things with Mu Cangwu, since the wedding was approaching.

After Lou Yunqi left, Ruan Qing'an, who was lying on the soft couch, remained motionless until she felt the divine sense that had been resting on her disappear. Only then did her fingertips twitch slightly.

037: [They're gone, they're gone, ancestors!]

Finally, Ruan Qingan opened his eyes. His leaden eyes were clear and bright, without even a trace of emotion.

She sat up, stretched lazily, and said in a deep voice, "It's fortunate that Mu Cangwu connected the puppet strings to the jade bracelet, otherwise it would probably still be difficult to escape its control."

037: [The system can guarantee that your sanity won't be affected, but as for things like falling into a coma, there's nothing I can do.]

"I understand. The small system is useful, but not very useful."

037：?·°(?????)°·?

To prevent this ancestor from saying something that would alarm the system again, 037 decisively changed the subject: "Ancestor, shouldn't we be careful of Lou Yunqi? He really did try to kill you before!"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an lowered her eyes, but instead chuckled lightly: "Haven't you heard the saying, little system?"

"The dog that bites doesn't bark..."

037: [Eh, is it... is it Mu Cangwu?]

Ruan Qing'an said meaningfully, "Now I know exactly what they want to do, and whether they will comply depends entirely on how deep their resentment is."

"As for Lou Yunqi, he has laid everything out in the open, but it was indeed he who handled the Yang family's troubles; it was Mu Cangwu who did the real problem—"

"Did he do anything to help me from beginning to end?"

She spoke softly, her tone tinged with disdain, before adding, "But that's normal. He harbors resentment and has no obligation to help me. It's just... he's the one who should be careful in the future."

After hearing Ruan Qingan's words, 037 suddenly realized what was going on.

After explaining things to 037, Ruan Qingan sat up and moved his stiff body a little. After all, he had been controlled as a puppet, so it was inevitable that he felt a little uncomfortable.

Just as she was slowly stretching, she suddenly felt a pain in her wrist. Ruan Qing'an lifted the jade bracelet up.

On her slender, fair wrist, there were delicate, subtle lines.

Judging from its appearance, it looks very much like the Xiangjianhuan from the far north.

037: [Hey, what's this again?]

Ruan Qing'an subconsciously rubbed his wrist, and the pattern quickly disappeared. But even though it disappeared, he could still feel a slightly raised, barely perceptible texture.

She paused, then said, "Unless it's a technique that directly affects the soul, it won't cause such a change."

"But in the Wei Rui Secret Realm, there are only three living people: myself, Lou Yunqi, and Mu Cangwu. Mu Cangwu is skilled in the way of the soul, but he has already planted the jade bracelet and will not make a move."

037 thought for a moment: "Could it be... that the original owner's body underwent changes, and then, over time, these changes affected your soul, ancestor? After all, I feel this doesn't seem to be harmful; on the contrary, it makes you more resistant to the puppet strings."

The function of Xiangjianhuan is to purify the mind and prevent one from going astray in cultivation; in essence, it also works on the soul.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an's expression changed slightly.

Is it the original owner's body?

...

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Sanyue City.

Inside the inn, numerous restrictions were placed, and Wan Dao Sect disciples were even stationed outside the door. Lying on the bed behind the door was Ruan Qing'an, who had been in a coma.

Although Nguyen Thanh An's soul had drifted to another place, the people guarding this place did not know that what lay inside was just an empty shell. However, even if it was just an empty shell, it could not be damaged.

Meanwhile, "Ruan Qing'an" lay quietly on the bed, wearing a light blue "Xiang Jian Huan" bracelet on her wrist.

At this moment, it was faintly emitting a light.

Even Shen Changlin, who personally put the bracelet on her wrist, never expected that this item, which Duobaoge considered to have more aesthetic value than practical significance, could actually connect to her soul.

Shen Changlin was unaware of the changes that had been discovered inside the inn.

At this moment, the Hidden Dragon Competition has begun in full swing in Hidden Dragon Abyss, and in the center of Sanyue City, there is a water mirror connected to the secret realm inside Hidden Dragon Abyss, broadcasting the scene in real time.

Almost every sect can occupy a position with the best viewing angle to keep a close eye on the situation inside the secret realm.

What is taking place at this moment is a competition among those at the Nascent Soul stage.

Shen Changlin was prominently present among them.