His eyes were open?

That meant he died with grievances unresolved.

Yan Sanhe couldn’t help but furrow her brow, asking in a low voice: “Why did you bring me here?”

No one answered her.

Yan Sanhe crouched down, looking directly into those eyes, using the gentlest voice to coax persuasively: “Come, tell me—what can’t you let go of in your heart?”

Yan Sanhe reached out her hand and once again placed it over Master Zhu’s eyes.

“Caw—”

The crow in the tree let out a shriek without warning. Yan Sanhe’s eyelid jumped heavily, and she instinctively looked up.

With just one glance, her expression changed dramatically.

…

In the ice cellar, the silence was so complete that not even a breath could be heard.

Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on that mass of black mist.

Time passed bit by bit.

Gradually, Li Buyan’s expression grew more and more grave.

Too long.

Why hadn’t Yan Sanhe come out yet?

This wasn’t right!

She instinctively looked toward Third Master Xie, only to find his gaze also shifting toward her.

Their eyes met.

Xie Zhifei’s sword brows pressed down: What’s the situation?

Li Buyan shook her head, her hand reaching to her waist to grasp the soft sword coiled there.

Yan Sanhe’s prolonged absence from that black mist already had Xie Zhifei worried to the extreme. Seeing Li Buyan draw her soft sword was like a bolt from the blue.

He quickly pulled a dagger from behind his waist, his gaze fixed on Li Buyan: What do we do?

Li Buyan had no idea what to do!

She’d never seen this situation before!

She bit her lip and silently mouthed four words: Wait a bit more.

Wait a bit more. If Yan Sanhe still didn’t emerge, the two of them would charge straight in.

Xie Zhifei clearly understood, his face tense as he gave a slight nod.

The gazes of the two Zhu brothers and Xie Erliu remained on that black mist, not noticing the abnormality beside them.

Only Young Master Pei, his face white as a ghost, reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of black donkey hoof, shrinking his entire body behind Li Buyan.

My God, fortunately I secretly kept this trick up my sleeve. If the corpse really rises, I’ll just throw this thing at Master Zhu.

Still not safe enough.

What if the black donkey hoof doesn’t work?

I should just retreat first, go upstairs and call Zhu Qing and Huang Qi to help.

Decision made, Young Master Pei quietly took a step back.

Just as he was about to turn around, something caught his attention. His eyes slowly widened, wider, and wider still…

Eh?

What was he seeing?

What was on the ice?

Young Master Pei, trembling with fear, shifted two small steps to the side.

Trembling with fear, he extended one finger.

Trembling with fear, he touched the ice with his finger, then brought it before his eyes to look.

His soul flew away in terror!

“…Blood!”

Almost at the same instant, Xie Zhifei, waiting with frayed nerves, suddenly drew his dagger and lunged forward.

Almost at the same instant, Li Buyan’s soft sword thrust toward the black mist.

Almost at the same instant, the black mist that had been enveloping Yan Sanhe suddenly dispersed.

“Ai ya—”

Li Buyan twisted her wrist to the side, forcibly stopping the sword’s momentum.

She thought about how she’d almost accidentally injured Yan Sanhe and felt furious in her heart, shouting at the person behind her without turning:

“What are you howling about like a ghost? Shut up.”

Xie Zhifei had lunged too forcefully and charged right up to Yan Sanhe’s side.

He quickly scanned her—she had all her arms and legs. Aside from her deathly pale face, his heart finally settled back into place.

Damn, she’d scared him to death.

“What is Master Zhu’s heart demon?”

Yan Sanhe slowly turned her neck. When her eyes met the man’s worried gaze, she said softly:

“Master Zhu’s heart demon is…”

“Blood… blood… the ice blocks are bleeding, so much blood…”

Young Master Pei shrieked “Ah!” and leaped up, landing squarely on Li Buyan’s back, who was closest to him.

How could ice blocks bleed?

Everyone turned to look—dumbfounded.

All the ice blocks in the cellar had turned red, melting bit by bit, looking exactly like flowing blood.

Xie Erliu was so frightened he fell backward onto the ground.

Xie Zhifei, fearing something might happen, didn’t think twice before reaching out to pull Yan Sanhe into his arms.

One Zhu brother pulled out a compass while the other pulled out talismans.

Only Li Buyan couldn’t move.

Young Master Pei clung to her like an octopus, his face buried in her neck.

She couldn’t move, but her eyes could still see.

She saw the black color on Master Zhu’s face and hands on the door plank had also turned red—red as if blood were inside, about to burst through the skin at any moment.

“Yan, Yan Sanhe, is this really haunted?”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Yan Sanhe struggled free from Xie Zhifei’s arms and emerged from his embrace, using the fastest speed to walk before First Master Zhu.

“Master Zhu’s heart demon is a blood moon.”

As her words fell, everyone felt a flash of intense white light before their eyes, forcing them to close them.

Cautiously opening them again—

The ice was still ice, with no blood.

Master Zhu’s face remained black, with nothing about to burst through the skin.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

First Master Zhu’s voice trembled like one who’d survived a disaster: “Miss Yan, say that again—my father’s heart demon…”

Yan Sanhe could no longer hear his voice. A wave of enormous exhaustion washed over her. Her legs weakened and she swayed to the side.

Around her waist, a pair of strong hands encircled her.

In the instant her consciousness faded, a thought flashed through Yan Sanhe’s mind like lightning: These hands seemed to have held her just now.

First Master Zhu was panic-stricken: “What’s wrong with Miss Yan?”

“She’s tired.”

Xie Zhifei scooped her up horizontally: “We need to leave here first before discussing anything else.”

“Alright.”

First Master Zhu bent down to help Xie Erliu up from the ground: “Erliu, you take them up first. My second brother and I need to…”

“Don’t set up formations.”

Xie Zhifei turned back, his voice stern: “Yan Sanhe can’t handle it.”

“We’re not setting up formations—we’re offering three incense sticks and kowtowing three times to Father.”

First Master Zhu’s face grew even paler: “As sons, we disturbed our father’s rest. Our hearts are full of guilt.”

Hearing this, Li Buyan thought to herself that these three Zhu brothers were truly filial—their own father had caused deaths, yet they bore no resentment at all.

“Young Master Pei, even a tree needs to breathe, you know.”

Still clinging tightly!

Young Master Pei jumped down, head lowered, face burning with embarrassment as he turned to leave.

Damn, utterly humiliated!

The group ascended to ground level.

Xie Erliu, suppressing his shock, said: “Third Brother, your sister-in-law and I have a courtyard here. Put Miss Yan…”

“No need. I’ll take her to the side courtyard. She’ll come early tomorrow morning.”

Xie Zhifei felt the Zhu residence wasn’t any auspicious place.

“Tomorrow morning, have Brother Zhu gather all the Zhu family members. Yan Sanhe will question them one by one.”

“Alright!”

“Wait.”

A weak voice came from his back. Xie Zhifei’s heart leaped with joy: “Yan Sanhe, you’re awake?”

“Mm.”

Yan Sanhe couldn’t even open her eyes, her voice so weak it was barely a whisper: “Tomorrow morning, have First Master Zhu come see me first.”