“Excuse me, you two, where is this place?”

“You don’t remember what just happened?” Yusang asked somewhat incredulously.

“Just now? What happened just now?” The man looked at Yusang in confusion.

Yusang was about to speak again when Yan Qige raised his hand to signal her to stop. He dispersed the spiritual power phantom sword that had been condensed between his fingers, held up the lantern, and stepped forward, saying, “May I ask how you are addressed, young sir?”

“My surname is Hu, courtesy name Ziyue.”

“Do you remember what you’ve done?”

“I… I remember that Ran’er was to be married, and I went to the riverside to pray to the River God for guidance, then… then…” Hu Ziyue’s expression gradually changed as he recalled, his brow furrowing tightly. He then clutched his forehead and crouched down in apparent great pain.

“Then did you agree to something with someone?” Yan Qige asked indifferently.

“He said he could help Ran’er and me never be separated, that we could never be apart, as long as I was willing to give up my soul, he could help me keep Ran’er,” Hu Ziyue answered in muffled pain.

“Where is he now?” Yan Qige stepped forward and questioned.

…

…

But before they could hear Hu Ziyue’s answer, Yan Qige suddenly let out a muffled grunt. His brow moved slightly, his eyes becoming deep and angry. He slowly turned to the side and discovered a fish bone dagger deeply embedded in his waist.

“You’ve ruined all my efforts. You deserve to die…” Ling Mingran’s eyes glowed with jade-green light as she spoke viciously, simultaneously thrusting the fish bone dagger in her grip several inches deeper.

Yan Qige frowned, but before he could speak, Hu Ziyue on the side slowly stood up, his eyes widening as he called out in a trembling voice.

“Ran’er… you are Ran’er…”

Hearing this, Ling Mingran turned her gaze and discovered that the man who had fallen from the firelight was looking at her with deep affection and surprise. However, she showed no reaction whatsoever, her jade-green glowing eyes cold and emotionless.

“I am Ziyue, I am Ziyue!” Hu Ziyue said excitedly, reaching out to grasp Ling Mingran’s wrist.

“Don’t,” Yan Qige called out to stop him, but it was too late. Ling Mingran turned her hand into a palm and struck viciously at Hu Ziyue’s forehead. His soul scattered in all directions amid his expression of disbelief, and then Ling Mingran leaped away, disappearing into the continuous reed marshes without a trace.

Before Ling Mingran fled, she gave Yusang a meaningful look that seemed somewhat puzzled, making Yusang’s heart tighten involuntarily. Because just moments ago, she had seen Ling Mingran’s sneak attack from behind, yet she hadn’t stopped it—clearly, Ling Mingran had discovered this.

Yan Qige couldn’t spare time to chase Ling Mingran. He quickly threw the Soul Collector lantern high up, curved his fingers to form incantations, and used his fingers as brushes to draw several soul-summoning talismans in the air. He trapped Hu Ziyue’s scattered soul in the middle to prevent it from dispersing, then used pulling techniques to draw the scattered soul into the lantern. When he withdrew his hands, his forehead was covered with fine sweat.

Seeing Yan Qige’s form swaying unsteadily, Yusang stepped forward to support him, discovering that his light-colored robe had been stained red with blood from the wound at his waist over a large area. Only then did Yusang remember that although Yan Qige was formidable, he was still mortal after all. This knife wound was truly severe—anyone would be unable to bear losing so much blood. She couldn’t help but worry, asking, “This wound is so deep. Can you still hold on?”

Yan Qige turned his head to look at Yusang, his complexion pale. He raised his hand and shook it as if wanting to deny it, but before he could speak, he slowly closed his eyes and his body softly collapsed against Yusang’s shoulder.

“Yan Qige, Yan Qige…” Yusang called his name twice. Seeing that he did not react at all, she realized he had truly fainted from blood loss.

Yusang supported Yan Qige, looking around in all directions before her gaze fell on the remaining stones after the great fire nearby. She reached out to probe, and an object flew up from behind the stones into Yusang’s grasp—it was the thing that had fallen from the firelight earlier, the octagonal Soul Sacrifice Plate she had seen before.

The corners of Yusang’s mouth revealed a smile as she put away the Soul Sacrifice Plate. She glanced sideways at Yan Qige on her shoulder, who had his eyes tightly closed, and felt somewhat sorry for him. But if she hadn’t done this and let Ling Mingran attack him, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take the Soul Sacrifice Plate under these circumstances.

“Yan Qige, don’t blame me,” Yusang murmured to herself as she helped him walk out of the firewall.

The horse carriage they had arrived in was still there. Yusang settled Yan Qige inside it. Looking at Yan Qige again, most of his clothing had been soaked with blood, and his complexion was as white as rice paper. If this continued, he would probably die. After thinking for a moment, Yusang took out the qiankun pouch she usually used to store demon beast inner cores from her bosom. She retrieved a completely lustrous white pill from inside and stuffed it into Yan Qige’s mouth, using her energy to help him swallow it before turning to get off the carriage.

“From this moment on, you will forget everything you’ve experienced when you next wake up.”

Standing beside the horse carriage, Yusang closed her eyes and listened to the wind, holding her fingers before her chest for a long time. Her entire body gradually began emitting silver-white light until that radiance surrounded and engulfed her. She took out her white jade writing brush and forcefully drew a line in front of her. Heaven and earth seemed to be suddenly torn open, and hurricane winds rushed out from the tear, blowing Yusang’s hair and dress backward. She flipped and leaped onto the horse carriage, grasped the reins, and gave the horse’s flank a hard slap. The horse neighed and charged directly toward that tear.

The horse carriage passed through the tear, and Yusang was blown over by the tremendous wind force, tumbling into the carriage compartment. Then the carriage shook violently and bounced forward until it crashed hard into something and stopped.

The earth-shaking turmoil returned to stillness. Yusang raised her head and listened—the surroundings were very quiet. She got up and helped the unconscious Yan Qige lean back against the carriage wall again. She lifted the carriage curtain and walked out, and a magnificent and imposing scene came into view.

Red high walls several dozen zhang tall extended left and right as far as the eye could see. A city tower with red tiles, white walls, and four-cornered flying eaves rose high before her, with carved railings and carved dragons, painted gold lacquer. Four mighty seated luan beasts faced the four directions, their curved beast mouths holding glazed lanterns, with golden bells hanging below. In the past, those four glazed lanterns burned eternally bright, and the golden bells below would play pleasant melodies on windy days. That music and lamplight symbolized and conveyed the soul purpose of the Fengjian clan: where there is wind, there is Fengjian movement; where there are lamps, souls are guided home. Wind passes through a thousand faces without ceasing, and lamps illuminate the four directions without extinguishing.

But now the lamps were extinguished, and the wind was still. The surroundings were so quiet that there was no sound at all, like a true vacuum. Yusang jumped down from the horse carriage, took the reins, and stepped forward to push open that great red city gate. With the creaking sound of door hinges turning, a palace city scene spread out before her eyes.

However, this place didn’t have the magnificent splendor seen from the outer city walls. Here, there were only broken wells and crumbling walls. The golden palace that had once soared into the clouds had lost its luster. The enormous plaza was full of wild grass and broken walls, with traces of great fires. Yusang jumped back onto the horse carriage and cracked the reins, proceeding along the straight road paved with marble, passing through the half-collapsed Meridian Gate, then crossing the ruined central great hall. Everywhere they passed, there were only the sounds of horse hooves and carriage wheels.