Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

It was getting dark, and there was no one around. After the horse ran off, there was nowhere to land.

Fearing attacks from wild animals in the mountains at night, Tao Xi climbed up a tree, intending to wait until dawn.

Around midnight, she leaned against the tree trunk, feeling drowsy, but inexplicably felt the whole tree shaking.

At first I thought it was my imagination, but when I opened my eyes, I was almost scared out of my wits.

Hanging from the thickest branch beside him was a woman dressed in wedding attire, her tongue lolling out, staring at him menacingly…

Tao Xi was so frightened that she fell off the tree on the spot. Ignoring the pain, she ran away.

The female ghost let out a sinister laugh and chased after them.

It perched on her shoulder, gripping her neck, its face contorted in a ferocious grimace.

Tao Xi immediately thought of the folk tale—the hanged ghost looking for a substitute.

This scene made her, who never believed in ghosts or gods, wish she could immediately run to Yunhe Mountain and kowtow a few times.

Just as she was about to be choked to death by the female ghost, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

Upon seeing this figure, the female ghost immediately released her grip.

She tried to run, but found she had nowhere to hide.

The figure barely needed to lift a finger; with just a single talisman, the female ghost was completely subdued.

After Tao Xi scrambled to her feet, she finally got a good look at her "savior."

He was a Taoist priest who looked slightly older than himself, but was handsome and had an extraordinary demeanor.

That night, after exorcising the ghost, he only asked her one question: "Are you injured?"

Upon hearing his question, Tao Xi was startled to realize the pain in her feet.

"I just fell from a tree, and I think I sprained my ankle a bit..."

The Taoist priest glanced down and said, "Sit down and let me take a look."

Then, he bent down and carefully examined her injuries.

"The bone is fine, applying some medicine will make it better."

Tao Xi's family owns a medicinal herb shop, so of course she knows how to treat such a minor injury.

But considering her current situation, she still felt scared, so she cautiously asked, "Are you a Taoist priest from Yunhe Mountain? I happen to be going to Yunhe Mountain too."

"But my horse got spooked and can't travel at night. I'm afraid of encountering ghosts again. Could we... travel together?"

The Taoist priest replied calmly, "I am not returning to Yunhe Mountain. I am on a mission to capture a ghost. We are not on the same path."

Tao Xi, however, is very adaptable.

"I went to Yunhe Mountain to ask you to exorcise evil spirits. My old house is haunted, and my mother has been ill for some time. If you, Taoist priest, are willing to make the trip..."

"I'm willing to pay double!"

She held up two fingers, her smile innocent.

The Taoist priest glanced at her, and whether moved by the promise of double the reward or not, asked, "Where is the old house?"

"It's in Kaiming County."

The Taoist priest nodded. "Sure, I'm going that way anyway."

Tao Xi was overjoyed.

The Taoist priest then reached out and carefully helped her up from the ground.

To this day, Tao Xi still feels that what happened that night was like a beautiful dream.

But for a young girl who had just turned sixteen, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

On the way, she chatted with him for a long time, making small talk.

I learned his name was Bai Qingyan.

He doesn't sound like a Taoist priest; he sounds more like a young master from a noble family.

But he was able to drive away the evil spirits from the old house without lifting a finger, and before leaving he only accepted his share of the payment and refused to ask for more.

Afterwards, her mother recovered quickly, but then it was Taoxi's turn to fall ill.

After catching a cold, she started having vivid dreams.

Whether I take a short nap during the day or sleep for a long time at night, I always dream of that Taoist priest surnamed Bai.

Even when getting medicine, she would occasionally drift off and think of him.

Seeing that she was always absent-minded, her mother and father discussed it and decided to arrange a marriage for her.

But when the matchmaker arrived, Tao Xi went crazy and resisted so much that she wanted to run away.

And once this thought arises, it can never be shaken off.

Then, on a quiet night, she left a letter and left Kaiming County alone for Yunxia Town.

This action gave her a feeling of exhilaration she had never experienced before.

Although a voice inside her firmly told her that she had only met the Taoist priest once and there was absolutely no possibility of a relationship between them.

But what's done is done, and Tao Xi won't allow herself to regret it.

She went up Yunhe Mountain and mingled with other people who came up the mountain to seek talismans.

Upon arriving at the mountain gate, a young Taoist priest came to introduce her, but she only requested to see "Master Bai".

The young Taoist priest claimed that her senior brother was not on the mountain, and she looked disappointed, but said she would come another day.

For three to five days in a row, she used the same words, and the young Taoist priests became familiar with her.

With unwavering determination, she went up the mountain again on the sixth day. It was raining that day, and there was only a young Taoist priest guarding the mountain gate.

Upon seeing her, he took the initiative to ask, "Are you still looking for Senior Brother Bai?"

Tao Xi nodded hesitantly, "Master Bai, is he not here today either?"

The young Taoist priest smiled, as if he had already seen through everything.

"You're looking for Senior Brother Bai, surely not to exorcise ghosts or evil spirits, are you?"

"..."

Tao Xi was taken aback by the question, and only after realizing what it meant did she think of defending herself: "I'm looking for him... naturally, it's something important."

The young Taoist priest, though seemingly young, was rather old-fashioned. He said, "Brother Bai is devoted to the Tao and has no interest in worldly affairs. You'd better not be too insistent on it."

These words made Tao Xi's heart skip a beat.

She thought she had hidden it well enough, but she never expected that her secret would be seen through so easily.

"Young Taoist priest, you misunderstand. Master Bai is a recluse; how could I possibly have such feelings for him?"

Her voice trailed off...

The young Taoist priest smiled slightly: "No need to explain, you understand in your heart. My senior brother has been cultivating in seclusion at Yunxi Rock recently and will not be back for a while. You don't need to come again tomorrow."

Tao Xi stood there stunned. When she saw the young Taoist priest turn to leave, she immediately called him back.

"Young Taoist priest, could you tell me... where is Yunxi Rock? I just want to see Master Bai, and I'll leave once I've seen him."

The young Taoist priest paused, pondered for a moment, then turned back and pointed her in a direction.

Tao Xi turned and left almost without thinking.

The young Taoist priest was left standing there, watching her retreating figure, and shook his head helplessly.

When he heard this part of the story, Ren Yao's expression became complicated.

On that day, as an outsider, he only wanted to give Tao Xi some pointers, but he seriously underestimated his senior brother's abilities.

He looked at Tianji Daoist again and said, "Senior brother, if I'm not mistaken, you had already set your sights on Miss Taoxi back then."

"You cast a curse on her, actually intending to use her life to improve your own techniques, didn't you?"

The Taoist Master Tianji remained silent.

The three people standing nearby, including the female ghost Tao Xi, all changed their expressions at the same time.

Ren Yao sighed softly again: "You really are the same to everyone..."

"You will never be grateful to those who respect, love, and protect you; you will only exploit their kindness and trust for your own gain."

The Taoist Master Tianji snorted coldly, still showing no remorse, and even looked completely at ease.

"Seeking the Dao and becoming an immortal requires paying a price. If it can be used for my purposes, it is also a kind of merit."