Chapter 49

Chapter 49

“Take your filthy hands off him.”

A cool female voice cut through the night.

Ren Fengjue and the dark shadow turned toward the sound almost at the same time.

There, amid the mist-shrouded mountain forest, a woman in red came walking barefoot. With the moonlight behind her, her long hair streaming loose, her face was impossible to see clearly. A murderous aura surrounded her, fierce enough to sweep away everything in its path.

As she drew closer step by step, the dark shadow’s first instinct was to flee.

But the woman drifted in front of it in an instant and reached out, seizing it with perfect precision.

“Let me see what you really are.”

The strength in her hand abruptly increased. In its struggle, the dark shadow had no choice but to reveal its true form: three monks.

More precisely, three heads sharing a single body.

At that moment, all three mouths shouted almost in unison, “Let go of me!”

The woman gave a cold laugh and released her grip. Killing intent rose in her heart, and faint red marks appeared at the center of her brow and the corners of her eyes, like signs of demonic corruption.

The Evil Entity still floated in midair, unable to move. Only then did it realize it had already fallen into her grasp.

Their faces were filled with terror as they stared at the woman before them, as if they had seen some terrifying Vengeful Ghost.

“Why can’t I move?”

“What did you do to me?”

“Let me go, now!”

The woman’s tone was indifferent. “You were the one who invited me into this Illusionary Realm. Otherwise, with this useless mortal body, I really wouldn’t have been able to do anything to you.”

“The rules of the Underworld Administration and the mortal world are far too restrictive. This Illusionary Realm of yours suits me perfectly.”

As she spoke, a trace of blood-red light flashed in the depths of her eyes. She raised both hands and slowly spread her ten slender fingers.

Under the moon, those hands were so pale they seemed almost bloodless, as if moonlight could shine straight through them.

Yet with just the slightest use of Bone Art, those hands could restrain the hundred bones and nine orifices.

One finger fixed the hands, two fixed the feet, three fixed the body, four fixed the skull, five fixed the heart.

With ten fingers, she could decide life and death, whether one was human or ghost, demon or devil.

The Three-Headed Monk stared wide-eyed at the person before them. Their limbs and torso gradually stiffened, as though an airtight net had been cast over their entire body.

Just as the net was about to tighten and capture them all at once, a streak of golden light tore through the night sky and forcibly ripped apart the Illusionary Realm.

Inside the ruined temple, Ren Fengjue jolted awake. His legs went weak, and someone caught him by the arm.

He looked up and was startled again. “You?”

Yan Zhengchu smiled. “I told you, if fate allows, we will meet again.”

“…”

They had met three times in a single day, and he had said that twice.

Ren Fengjue had no desire to deal with him. He turned back and saw Xia Ximo collapsed on the ground, which shocked him all over again.

“Miss Xia.”

He went forward and called out, but there was no response. The moment he touched her hand, it was frighteningly cold, and only then did he realize how grave the situation was.

“Didn’t I already break the Illusionary Realm? Why hasn’t she woken up?”

Yan Zhengchu came over as well and checked Xia Ximo’s breathing. His brows suddenly furrowed. “It seems she’s already completely dead.”

Ren Fengjue’s expression darkened. He shoved him aside, bent down, and lifted the person on the floor into his arms.

“She’s already dead. Where are you taking her?”

Ignoring the shout from behind him, he carried Xia Ximo and sprinted out of the ruined temple. His first thought was to return to the capital and find Physician Zhang at the Marquis Mansion.

Perhaps the Nine Needles of Yang Revival could save her.

Ren Fengjue carried her into the carriage, hurriedly picked up a blanket inside, and draped it over her. Then he was just about to drive off.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and gently tugged at the corner of his robe.

“Miss Xia?”

It was as if she had only just managed to recover the faintest trace of breath.

Ren Fengjue instantly froze, not daring to move. “Hold on a little longer. I’ll take you back to the Marquis Mansion and find Physician Zhang right now.”

“Don’t…”

A sound spilled from Xia Ximo’s throat. In the next second, as if she had exhausted all her strength, she said one sentence:

“You… can save me.”
“Me?”

Ren Fengjue shuddered from head to toe. He wanted to ask more, but she had already lost consciousness again.

He began to recall what had happened in the guest room at Brocade Garment Manor’s mountain estate.

She wanted him to… hold her?

Could that really save her?

Ren Fengjue knew it sounded absurd, but in a situation like this, he could no longer afford to care about worldly propriety. As long as there was even the slightest hope, he did not dare hesitate.

Without another word, he hurriedly pulled her into his arms and pressed his body tightly against hers.

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted. Yan Zhengchu peered inside, saw the two of them in such an intimate position, and awkwardly lowered the curtain again.

Ren Fengjue had no intention of explaining. He immediately called out to him, “Daoist Yan!”

“Saving her comes first. Please drive the carriage. Return to Renxuan Marquis Manor at once.”

How could Yan Zhengchu have expected him to be this stubborn? He sighed softly and said, “Her soul may have been left behind in that Evil Entity’s Illusionary Realm. At this point, even if Hua Tuo himself returned to life…”

Before he could finish, he sensed a razor-sharp gaze scraping across his face like a blade.

“Drive.”

“All right, all right…”

After being barked at like that, Yan Zhengchu was actually somewhat cowed by his imposing manner. He immediately cracked the whip and turned the carriage around.

Only when Ren Fengjue heard the rumble of the wheels did a trace of calm return to him.

In his arms, Xia Ximo’s body was still frighteningly cold.

The chill seeped through several layers of clothing, so much so that he almost felt as if he were holding a bundle of snow.

He did not dare relax in the slightest. Only one thought remained in his mind-even if she was snow, he would warm her until she thawed.

Inside the narrow carriage, every moment felt like ten thousand years.

Ren Fengjue’s thoughts were in chaos.

He began to think of the Illusionary Realm he had just been trapped in.

It was an experience from when he was fifteen, when he had followed a military commander to train in the barracks. It was also the one time he had come closest to death.

Everything in it had truly happened-except for the appearance of that black shadow and the woman in red.

Looking back now, the woman’s face was unfamiliar and indistinct, but the cadence of her voice sounded very familiar.

It seemed… somewhat like Xia Ximo’s.

And yet he could be certain that person was not Xia Ximo.

Who was she?

And why had she appeared in the Illusionary Realm?

At that thought, he remembered to question Yan Zhengchu.

“Daoist Yan, why were you at the Temple? Were you following us?”

As Yan Zhengchu drove, he turned back and explained, “At the time, I sensed that Evil Entity nearby. I was afraid it would be wary of me, so I pretended to leave.”

“After that, I heard ‘it’ speaking with you from a distance. I knew that if ‘it’ lured you out here to the outskirts, there had to be an ambush, so I calculated the right moment to come and take it down.”

Ren Fengjue did not seem especially surprised by this. He only asked, “The ‘Evil Entity’ you mentioned-is it Simeng of Hongxiu Pavilion?”

“Strictly speaking, she is the true Soul Vessel.”

Ren Fengjue’s brows drew together. “What do you mean? What about the dead Ruyan?”

“She was used to ‘nurture the soul.’ Think of it like fertilizer for flowers. Put that way, do you understand?”

Yan Zhengchu continued, “The Young Marquis should have heard of this Temple’s past, yes? When the Buddhist hall collapsed, three Novice Monk disciples were buried in the ruins.”

“Their deaths were sudden, and their resentment kept them from moving on, so they became Bound Spirit entities. But for some unknown reason, they absorbed a great deal of Baleful Qi and became Evil Spirit entities.”

“Anyone who passed through this place and entered their Illusionary Realm could have their soul hooked away.”

“The Evil Spirit entities placed those souls inside the Soul-Nurturing Pearl, using the resentment of the living to nurture them. Over time, the Yin Soul entities became Vengeful Ghost entities. By devouring them, the Evil Spirit entities could seize their Baleful Qi for themselves.”

“As for a so-called ‘Soul Vessel,’ it refers to someone who willingly offers up both soul and body, allowing themselves to be driven by Evil Spirit entities.”