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

"Get your dirty hands off me."

A clear, cool female voice pierced the night.

Ren Fengjue and the shadowy figure looked in the direction of the sound almost simultaneously.

In the misty mountains and forests, a woman in red, barefoot, appeared. Backlit by the moonlight, her long hair flowed freely, obscuring her face. The chilling aura emanating from her seemed to possess an overwhelming power to destroy everything in its path.

As she drew closer, the shadowy figure's first reaction was to try to escape.

Unexpectedly, the woman instantly floated in front of it and precisely restrained it with her hand.

"Let me see what you really are!"

She suddenly increased the pressure on her hand, and the dark figure, struggling, was forced to reveal its true form: three monks.

To be precise, it was three heads sharing one body.

At that moment, the three mouths shouted almost in unison, "Let me go!"

The woman sneered and released her grip, a murderous intent rising in her heart. A faint red mark appeared between her brows and the corner of her eye, a sign of demonic possession.

The evil creature remained suspended in mid-air, unable to move, and only then did he realize that he was already in their grasp.

They stared at the woman with utter terror, as if they were seeing some horrifying demon.

Why can't I move?

"What are you doing to me?"

"Let me go!"

The woman said indifferently, "You invited me to this illusion; otherwise, with this useless mortal body, I really wouldn't be able to do anything to you."

"There are far too many rules between the underworld and the human world. Your illusion is just what I need."

As she spoke, a hint of bloodlust flashed in her eyes. She raised her hands and slowly spread out her ten slender fingers.

Under the moonlight, that hand was so white it was almost bloodless, and the moonlight shone through it.

Yet, with just these two hands, a little "bone manipulation" is all it takes to control "all the bones and nine orifices".

First point to the "hand", second point to the "foot", third point to the "body", fourth point to the "skull", and fifth point to the "heart".

The ten fingers determine life and death, whether you are human, ghost, demon, or monster.

The "three-headed monk" stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him, his limbs and torso gradually stiffening, as if his whole body was covered by an impenetrable net.

Just as the net was about to tighten and capture them all, a golden light pierced the night sky, forcibly shattering the illusion.

In the dilapidated temple, Ren Fengjue suddenly woke up with a start, his legs went weak, and he was helped up by someone.

He looked up and was startled again. "You?"

Yan Zhengchu smiled and said, "I said we would meet again if we were destined to."

"..."

I saw him three times in one day, but I said those words twice.

Ren Fengjue didn't want to pay attention to him. He turned around and saw Xia Ximo lying on the ground, and was immediately surprised.

"Miss Xia."

He stepped forward and called out, but no one answered. When he touched her hand, it was frighteningly cold, and he realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Didn't I already break the illusion? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Yan Zhengchu followed and checked Xia Ximo's breath. Suddenly, he frowned and said, "It seems he's completely dead."

Ren Fengjue's face darkened, he pushed him away, bent down and picked up the person on the ground.

"She's dead, where are you going to take her?"

He shouted loudly, ignoring the people behind him.

He carried Xia Ximo and ran all the way out of the dilapidated temple. His first thought was to go back to the capital to find Physician Zhang from the Marquis's residence.

He thought to himself that perhaps the "Nine Needles for Rejuvenation" could save her.

Ren Fengjue carried the person onto the carriage, hurriedly grabbed a blanket from inside the carriage and draped it over her, then prepared to drive off.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.

"Miss Xia?"

She seemed to have barely managed to regain some breath.

Ren Fengjue froze, "Hold on a little longer, I'll take you back to the Marquis's residence to find Physician Zhang now."

"Don't…"

Xia Ximo let out a sound from his throat, and the next second, as if he had used up all his strength, he said, "You... can save me."

"I?"

Ren Fengjue was shocked and wanted to ask more questions, but the other person fainted again.

He began to recall the scene in the guest room of Jinxiu Yizhuang Villa.

She asked him to... hug her?

Could this possibly save her?

Although Ren Fengjue found the idea absurd, he couldn't care less about worldly etiquette in the current situation. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he dared not hesitate.

Without saying a word, he quickly pulled her into his arms and pressed his body tightly against hers.

At this moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Yan Zhengchu glanced inside. Seeing the two of them so intimate, he awkwardly lowered the curtain again.

Ren Fengjue didn't want to explain and quickly called out to him, "Master Yan!"

"Saving lives is the priority. Please drive us back to the Marquis of Renxuan's residence immediately."

Yan Zhengchu had no idea he was so persistent. He sighed and said, "Her soul might be trapped in that evil creature's illusion. Even if Hua Tuo were reborn..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a sharp gaze, like a knife scraping his face.

"Catch the train!"

"Okay, okay..."

Yan Zhengchu was somewhat intimidated by his shout and immediately cracked his whip, turning the carriage around.

Only when he heard the rumbling of the cart did Ren Fengjue feel a little at ease.

In his arms, Xia Ximo's body was still shockingly cold.

The chill was so intense that it could penetrate even through several layers of clothing, giving him the illusion that he was holding a ball of snow in his arms.

He dared not relax for even a moment, with only one thought in his mind—even if it was snow, he had to "warm it up".

Inside the cramped carriage, a moment felt like an eternity.

Ren Fengjue's thoughts were in disarray.

He began to think about the illusion he had just been in.

That was when he was fifteen years old, when he followed a military officer to the army camp for training. It was also the only time he came closest to death.

Everything truly happened, except for the appearance of that dark figure and the woman in red.

Looking back now, the woman's face is unfamiliar and blurry, but her tone of voice sounds very familiar.

It seems... to resemble Xia Ximo somewhat.

However, he was certain that the person was not Xia Ximo.

Who is she?

And why would it appear in an illusion?

Thinking of this, he remembered to ask Yan Zhengchu.

"Why is Master Yan at the temple? Are you following us?"

As Yan Zhengchu drove the carriage, he turned back to explain, "I sensed that evil spirit was nearby, and fearing it might be afraid of me, I pretended to walk away."

"Later, I heard 'it' talking to you from afar. I knew that 'it' must have an ambush when it led you to this outskirts, so I timed my move and came to capture it."

Ren Fengjue didn't seem too surprised by this, and only asked him, "The 'evil thing' you mentioned, is it Simeng from Hongxiu Tower?"

"To be precise, she is the real 'Hornet'."

Ren Fengjue frowned: "What do you mean? What about Ruyan, who is dead?"

"What's used to 'nourish the soul' is like fertilizer for watering flowers. Do you understand now?"

Yan Zhengchu continued, "Young Marquis, you should have heard of the temple's predecessor, right? Because the Buddha hall collapsed, three young novices were buried in the ruins."

"They died suddenly, filled with resentment, and became earthbound spirits. But for some reason, they absorbed a lot of evil energy and became evil spirits."

"Anyone who passes through here and enters their illusion may have their soul stolen."

"Evil spirits entrust their souls to the 'Soul-Nourishing Pearl' and nourish them with the malevolent energy of the living. Over time, the evil spirits become malevolent ghosts. By consuming them, one can take over their malevolent energy for one's own use."

"The so-called 'Soul Vessel' refers to someone who willingly offers up their soul along with their body so that they can be used by evil spirits."