The snake demon was tormented by the lamplight but couldn’t move her body to avoid it. Her face only grew increasingly twisted and fierce. When she heard Yan Qige’s question, she didn’t answer. Instead, she laughed, closed her eyes, and said self-mockingly: “I only wanted to find a demon-catching Daoist priest to subdue her, but I never expected to attract the owner of the Soul Collector itself. This is my ill fortune, this calamity of mine. Just kill me then.”

Hearing this, Yan Qige’s brow furrowed even more deeply, but he didn’t actually strike at the snake demon. Instead, he moved the lantern in his hand away.

“There are no objects in your room or on your person that can support soul exchange.”

Ran Qing opened her eyes, seemingly puzzled as to why he wouldn’t kill her. She frowned in confusion as she scrutinized Yan Qige. Suddenly, as if she had an epiphany, her eyes widened slightly. After her surprise, she revealed a meaningful smile and said: “I understand now. So you didn’t come to capture demons. You also came for…”

“You talk too much.” Yan Qige coldly interrupted Ran Qing and tore the yellow talisman from her shoulder.

The snake demon immediately stepped back two paces after regaining her mobility, eyeing Yan Qige and the lantern in his hand with vigilant wariness. Only after confirming that Yan Qige had no intention of attacking again did she slowly speak: “Lu Ran Qing was originally a girl that Old Madam Wang had picked up and raised since she was young. She and Master Wang grew up together and was supposed to marry into the Wang family as a wife, but Master Wang didn’t like her. Ten years ago, the Wang family fell on hard times. Master Wang was preparing to go to the capital for the imperial examinations. Lu Ran Qing happened to meet me, and upon learning I was a demon, she begged me to help Master Wang achieve high success in the examinations. She also said the Wang family possessed a soul artifact treasure, and if I could help her fulfill her wish, she would give it to me as repayment.”

“Then on the journey, you pretended to encounter County Magistrate Wang by chance, and later helped him achieve top honors on the examination rolls. But unexpectedly during this process, you and Master Wang fell in love with each other, so you naturally married into the Wang family. In this way, the real Ran Qing would certainly harbor resentment toward you, and naturally wouldn’t hand over the soul artifact as agreed.” Yusang guessed as she continued the story.

“Correct. But she also couldn’t reveal that Master Wang’s success was due to my magical assistance. Until the Wang family was raided, seeing the Wang family about to fall, I took advantage of the chaos to steal that treasure from the Wang family. But unexpectedly she caught me. She fought desperately to protect the soul artifact and wouldn’t let go. In the confusion, she and I exchanged bodies. Old Madam Wang, who came rushing at the sound, saw this and flew into a rage. She immediately set up a Bagua formation to subjugate me…”

“You said it was Old Madam Wang?” Yan Qige suddenly interrupted.

The snake demon looked somewhat fearfully at Yan Qige’s strange expression and lightly nodded her head.

“This is bad.” Yan Qige uttered these words, then without even looking at Yusang and Ran Qing, he had already quickly turned and headed toward the county yamen. Ran Qing closely followed after him.

Yusang had been standing in place all along, covering her wound. From beginning to end, Yan Qige had only bothered to question Ran Qing without even sparing her an extra glance. Now Yan Qige had run off again without caring about her. Watching Yan Qige’s back disappear between the streets and alleys, she looked down at her blood-stained hands and clothing. Her heart felt as if a large stone was blocking it.

“Yusang, why do this? He was never someone you should care about in the first place.” At some unknown moment, Huayi had already appeared on the street. In the blink of an eye, she had used magic to teleport to Yusang’s side, feeling somewhat distressed and sympathetic seeing the blood on her arms and hands.

Yusang coughed lightly, condensed magical power in her palm and passed it over her wound. The originally bleeding wound immediately healed completely, and even the bloodstains on her clothing all disappeared without a trace.

“You just love to make wild guesses.” Yusang smiled and turned to leave.

“Yusang, if you want the Soul Collector, just seize it. Why bother with so much trouble?”

“This Yan Qige was able to obtain the Soul Collector and possesses considerable cultivation. He’s different from ordinary mortals. Perhaps he can lead me to find the four soul artifacts.”

“If you truly know what you’re doing, that’s best. I’m worried that you’ll…”

“I know my responsibilities.” Yusang interrupted Huayi with a smile and replied.

Seeing that further persuasion was useless, Huayi could only sigh and say nothing more. Yusang smiled and patted the back of her hand before chasing after the direction Yan Qige had left.

By the time Yusang arrived at the county yamen, the place was already ablaze with firelight. Approaching closer, she discovered that a barrier had been set down here. Yusang watched as Ran Qing ran straight through the yamen gates, but she herself tried several times and couldn’t step into the barrier.

“Withdraw your protective magic.” Yan Qige beside her reminded in a deep voice, while simultaneously casting a spell to withdraw the firelight of the Soul Collector in his hand before stepping into the barrier.

“This barrier is set down so strangely and domineeringly. Is it demon or immortal?” Yusang walked into the barrier and turned to examine what was behind her as she asked.

“Neither. Even if immortals came here, they would have to abandon all magic to enter.” Yan Qige said unhurriedly as he walked and spoke.

“Could it be…” A name jumped into Yusang’s mind. She couldn’t help but be startled and turned to look at Yan Qige who was stepping through the main gate.

“So you do have some knowledge. It’s precisely a Spirit Medium Barrier.”

The Soul Keeper Elder, also known as the Spirit Medium, belonged to an ancient single-lineage clan, existing outside the Six Realms and Five Worlds. Neither righteous nor evil, they lived through exchanges, established contracts through desires, and made pacts with souls. They were existences beyond all Daoist boundaries, having neither age nor form, not even magic. But once a pact was established with them, if the pact-maker had one measure of power, they would have two measures. Meeting strength with greater strength, they manifested according to desires and opportunities, living through the power of desire. They were later subdued by Nüwa and Pangu.

Legend has it that after Pangu created heaven, the Six Realms gradually separated into the five races of humans, demons, immortals, devils, and ghosts. But due to racial conflicts, the five races frequently warred, and often the dead souls of various races could not return to their realms. Nüwa and Buddha gathered the leaders of all races to cultivate another race beyond the Six Realms called the Fengjian Clan, also known as the Soul-Guiding Clan. This clan had human reincarnation yet also possessed immortal magic. The clanspeople walked the Six Realms year-round carrying a Soul Collector lantern to gather departed souls. The lamp and person existed together; if the lamp was destroyed, the person would perish.

Buddha once personally planted a divine tree and designated it as the Fengjian Clan’s sacred tree. Nüwa sealed four Soul Keeper Elders inside the tree to become tree spirits, having them be responsible for opening the Gates of the Underworld Crossing before sunrise each day, allowing the clanspeople to send collected souls through the Gates of the Underworld Crossing to the nether realm.

Later, the Six Realms gradually became peaceful. The various deities returned to their positions. The demon and devil races were captured and sent to the Dark Lands, never to emerge again. The ghost race was governed under the gods. The Fengjian Clan gradually declined until only a few hundred people remained in the clan. Only the human race, being the most numerous, possessed the lands of the Central Continent and was able to multiply and thrive, developing their own culture, and subsequently producing various clan leaders. Two thousand years ago, the first emperor of the mortal realm unified the Central Continent and established a dynasty. The human race reached its most glorious era. But because the mortal realm experienced prolonged warfare, countless mortal souls died. The Fengjian Clan leader disagreed with the emperor over this. The emperor thus launched a surprise attack against the Fengjian Clan. The entire Fengjian Clan perished in this battle. All Soul Collector lanterns were burned, and the Fengjian Clan’s sacred tree also withered on that day. The four Soul Keeper Elders who were responsible for guarding the sacred tree left their posts, attached themselves to various objects, and scattered into the mortal realm. These came to be known as soul artifacts.

Legend has it that whoever can obtain any one of these soul artifacts scattered in the mortal realm, as long as they are willing to pay a price in exchange, can have any wish fulfilled. If they are cultivators, they can use them to greatly increase their cultivation.