Yusang hurriedly left the courtyard to look for Yan Qige. Upon exiting the courtyard, she saw the horse carriage they had arrived in parked outside the gate. The carriage curtain was lifted, and Yan Qige was leaning back inside with his eyes closed, obviously under a sleeping spell.

“You brought an outsider to Dajing City. How much do you know about him?” Zi Feng followed her out, having changed into new clothes, but his expression was still very unpleasant.

“He’s a demon hunter.”

“A demon hunter? Hmph! He fought with me all night without falling behind. How could an ordinary mortal possess such cultivation and magical arts? Had I known this earlier, I absolutely wouldn’t have saved him yesterday. Tell me honestly—what exactly is his background?”

Seeing that she couldn’t hide it anymore, Yusang could only say quietly, “The Soul Collector lantern is in his hands. He’s indeed not an ordinary mortal.”

Upon hearing this, Zi Feng’s expression changed slightly, showing surprise and anger. “Soul Collector lantern? You’re still thinking about those matters? What about Bai Zhi—doesn’t he stop you? Even if you want the Soul Collector lantern, just seize it directly. If you can’t manage it, I can help you take it. This person is not good-natured. Staying by his side will bring you great misfortune sooner or later.”

“My mind is made up. Bai Zhi doesn’t stop me, and you shouldn’t interfere with me either, okay?” Yusang pleaded.

“If I don’t interfere, should I just let you destroy your future like this? Back then, I let Bai Zhi take you away, hoping he could protect you for eternal peace and happiness. Looking at the situation now, it would have been better if I had fought him to the death to bring you back,” Zi Feng appeared somewhat agitated.

“I understand that you want to protect me, but I’m no longer that little girl who could only hide behind others. I have my thoughts now. I’ve always been unwilling to return precisely because I didn’t want to argue with you. Zi Feng, don’t you understand?”

Silence. Because there was no wind, the surroundings were quiet to an eerie degree. Zi Feng frowned at Yusang, and Yusang also frowned helplessly at him. Neither would give in to the other.

…

…

“Yu Wensang, your father, the king, and my father arranged our marriage when we were still in the womb. If not for that genocidal disaster, I would be your husband now. Don’t forget this point—I have responsibility for you.”

“Zi Feng, you know you can’t force me, and you won’t use this to force me,” Yusang said with some sighing, looking at Zi Feng helplessly.

Another long silence followed. Yusang stared at Zi Feng without yielding. Finally, Zi Feng turned his head aside and left with a fierce wave of his sleeve, saying, “I understand. I knew it would be like this long ago. You wouldn’t stay by my side back then, and naturally, you won’t now either. Go then. Leave immediately.”

Yusang opened her lips as if wanting to explain something to Zi Feng, but seeing him turn and leave quickly without looking back, she swallowed her words. She took out her writing brush and drew open a tear in front of her, turned to jump onto the nearby horse carriage, pulled the reins, and entered the tear, disappearing.

Landing again, the horse carriage had stopped by the Red Pearl River. The great fire in the reed marshes by the riverside had been extinguished, leaving only many blackened, charred remnants. Red dawn clouds had risen over the river and sky—it seemed dawn was approaching. One day and night on Taiyi Island had been merely a few hours here.

Yusang entered the carriage compartment to check on Yan Qige. Seeing he was still asleep, she crouched in front of the carriage and stared blankly at the horizon, watching the sun gradually rise from below the horizon as if coming from another world.

“How long did I sleep?” Yan Qige woke up, supporting his forehead as he spoke, seeming somewhat dizzy.

“Just a few hours,” Yusang turned her head to look at him and answer. After a pause, she asked, “Do you remember what happened?”

Yan Qige frowned in recollection. After a long while, he shook his head, saying, “I remember pulling a soul from the fire, then… then…”

“Then you were ambushed, and Ling Mingran escaped.”

“Mm, understood.” Yan Qige nodded, came out from the carriage, jumped to the ground, and summoned the Soul Collector lantern to hold and examine. “Let’s go. We’ll return to town and settle matters here today.”

Yan Qige walked straight ahead, his expression as cold as before. Yusang watched him from behind, feeling he was that Yan Qige again—cold, indifferent, even somewhat heartless, completely different from the person who had spoken those words to her in Dajing City.

Returning to Red Pearl Village, standing under the old locust tree, Yan Qige took out the purple compass and began seeking direction. Arriving at the door Yusang had visited before, Yan Qige leaped up and tore down the horizontal scroll from the door lintel. Turning it over, he indeed found a black talisman painted on the back. Like the yellow talismans of demon hunters, black talismans were one of the magical implements used by demon and devil practitioners to enhance their power. There was an unusual demon creature inside.

“Just stay behind me later,” Yan Qige reminded without turning his head, gathering magical power in his hands defensively as he pushed open the wooden door.

This was a small farmhouse courtyard with three earthen-walled houses built in the center. The main door was wide open, as if waiting for someone to enter. Yan Qige put away the purple compass and entered the house, with Yusang following closely behind. Upon entering, they discovered a man and woman sitting opposite each other inside—Hu Ziyue and Ling Mingran.

Looking more carefully, Hu Ziyue had a greenish complexion and rigid body—clearly just a corpse. Ling Mingran was nearly transparent with no shadow on the ground, also just a soul without physical form.

“This gentleman must be the one who broke the soul sacrifice. This humble woman, Ling Mingran, greets you, sir.” The soul Ling Mingran stood up and gracefully bowed to Yan Qige. Compared to the demonized Ling Mingran, she was much purer and beautiful.

Yan Qige paid her no attention, only walking forward slowly with his hands behind his back. He glanced at the corpse sitting in the chair and said, “Hu Ziyue has been dead for at least several decades, yet his corpse hasn’t decayed. This requires tremendous magical power to maintain and needs human qi to nourish it. You must have spent great effort on this.”

Initially, I was only unwilling to be separated from Ziyue by death. I didn’t expect that once I took that step, there would be no turning back. Harming the people of Red Pearl Village was my fault. I’m willing to submit to justice.”

“Could you tell me exactly what happened?”

“The day before my father forced me to marry, I had arranged with Ziyue to elope under the old locust tree. But for some unknown reason, I fell seriously ill that day and missed the appointed time. When I awoke, I heard he had already died under the locust tree. In my despair, I went to the riverside intending to throw myself into the river to follow Ziyue. But unexpectedly, I met an old woman there gathering seafood. She told me she wasn’t mortal and could help me meet with Ziyue again, requiring only that I jump into the sea on my wedding day, giving my physical body and soul to her as conditions. Afterward, I was trapped in the octagonal Soul Sacrifice Plate, controlled by her to continuously collect suitable souls to strengthen her power, until you brought Ziyue’s soul before me. Only then did I remember who I was and desperately escape from that thing’s control.”

“Your body was possessed by a demon creature after the soul exchange. Do you know its origins?”

“It’s a fish spirit. She single-mindedly wanted supreme magical arts so she could transform into human form at will through her power. That octagonal Soul Sacrifice Plate was something she found on the sea. She also had a deal with that Soul Sacrifice Plate—as long as she gathered eighty-one souls for it, she could achieve her wish.”

“So everything was caused by that Soul Sacrifice Plate. It seems I need to have a proper meeting with it.” Yan Qige sneered coldly and turned his head, his gaze falling on Yusang, who stood by the door. Yusang felt uncomfortable under his stare and couldn’t help but retreat two steps, feeling uneasy and uncertain whether she should confess that she had taken the Soul Sacrifice Plate.

“Still wanting to harm people? Show yourself!” Yan Qige said, suddenly transformed his finger into a sword and struck directly toward Yusang’s waist. Yusang was so frightened she retreated several steps, raising her sleeve to cover her face, not daring to look.