An extremely terrifying thought burrowed its way out from the depths of his mind, causing goosebumps to break out all over Shen Fu's body in an instant.
Ji Yanzhi blinked twice, and the icy, venom-laced gaze from just a moment ago vanished without a trace, replaced by a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
"Master, it really wasn't me." Ji Yanzhi tried his best to squeeze out two tears to appear wronged, but Shen Fu's gaze didn't linger on him at all.
Seeing Shen Fu mercilessly turn his head away, Ji Yanzhi forced the tears he'd squeezed out back in.
Shen Fu's lashes drooped low, his thoughts in a tangle. It seemed he had no choice but to make a trip to Li Family Village no matter what—either to catch the true culprit, or… to sooner see exactly what Ji Yanzhi was really up to.
"Fengyuan, have you lost your mind?! The number of wronged spirits in there is massive, and they all died violently in a single night. Their resentment is so heavy that even the Alliance Leader can't suppress it. Not to mention that two of those three people are innocent—even if you threw the real culprit in there, the Alliance Leader would hardly agree."
Another elder piped up with this remark, and the rest immediately chimed in with agreement.
Yin Congyue and Jiang Lin were so infuriated by his proposal that they rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight him over it.
Even Xie Jiuzhang couldn't help but want to call him deranged, but just as Xie Jiuzhang was about to open his mouth to reject his fanciful idea, Shen Fu suddenly spoke: "I'll go."
His voice wasn't loud—it should have been inaudible in the noisy Hall of Miraculous Prescriptions—yet somehow, the moment he spoke, the entire hall fell into an inexplicable silence. Not a single sound remained.
Fengyuan seemed not to have expected Shen Fu to agree so quickly either, and raised an eyebrow, speaking seriously: "Are you certain?"
"I have only one request," Shen Fu said, lifting his eyes to meet Fengyuan's gaze calmly. "Sect Leader Xie and I will enter separately."
This proposal played right into Fengyuan's hands. He'd been worried that having Xie Jiuzhang accompany them would make it difficult to make his move, and had assumed he'd need to maneuver around a few times to separate them before sending them in. He never expected Shen Fu to bring it up himself. Without a second thought, he agreed: "Of course."
"Also, I want to go in together with Ji Yanzhi."
Ji Yanzhi, who had been singled out, furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze landing on that slender figure up ahead, a profoundly complicated emotion churning in his heart.
As if afraid Fengyuan might refuse, Shen Fu added: "He is my furnace cauldron. I am gravely poisoned—if I leave him, I might die from the toxin before I even reach Li Family Village. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to come and verify."
Fengyuan's target wasn't Shen Fu, this mortal who couldn't even truss a chicken, but rather Ji Yanzhi hiding behind him. As long as he could trick them into Li Family Village, he could then secretly manipulate the wronged spirits. All it would take was stirring up a bit of resentment, and without Fengyuan lifting a finger, the vengeful souls inside would tear both of them to shreds.
So as long as the most powerful one, Xie Jiuzhang, didn't go in, killing the other two was as easy as turning his palm over for Fengyuan.
How could he possibly disagree? He immediately made the call to let them go.
Xie Jiuzhang was the first to object, but before he could even speak, he saw Shen Fu give him a slight shake of the head.
Seeing Shen Fu's resolute attitude, Xie Jiuzhang, though puzzled, said nothing more. Jiang Lin also understood Shen Fu's temperament—worried, but not stopping him.
Only Yin Congyue argued with Fengyuan until his face was red and his neck was thick, and it was only when Xie Jiuzhang stepped in that he was finally calmed down.
Xuanji Mountain was still covered by a sealing magic array, and the one who had laid it was none other than Fengyuan. To leave, they had to wait for him to release the barrier.
But he clearly couldn't wait a single moment longer. The moment Xie Jiuzhang had barely managed to soothe Yin Congyue, Fengyuan was already eager to grab Shen Fu and Ji Yanzhi and toss them into Li Family Village.
Before leaving, Shen Fu used the excuse of needing to bring some dried rations and weapons for self-defense, and pulled Xie Jiuzhang aside to his sleeping quarters.
Fengyuan wanted to stop him, but Shen Fu had agreed so readily, and he'd previously said himself that Shen Fu had no spiritual root—it wouldn't be reasonable to refuse him weapons and rations. So he let him be.
By the time Shen Fu emerged from Xie Jiuzhang's sleeping quarters carrying a large bundle, it was already afternoon.
Jiang Lin had gotten Ji Yanzhi a change of clothes and applied some high-quality medicine to his wounds. After all, going to a place like that, who knew what they might encounter. Shen Fu's frail constitution clearly had no ability to protect himself, so bringing Ji Yanzhi along at least gave them a sliver of hope for survival.
Yin Congyue was still fuming, sitting beside Jiang Lin as he watched him apply medicine to Ji Yanzhi, still utterly baffled. "Why did you let him go to Li Family Village? If I had insisted on refusing just now, no one would have dared to force him."
Jiang Lin let out a slight sigh at his words. "Senior Uncle Shen must have his reasons for doing this. Since Master didn't object, I'm just a junior—it's not my place to say anything."
"That useless senior uncle of yours, plus this one—it's useless piled on useless. What if they die in there? How am I supposed to explain that to my uncle when I get back?"
The "useless one" who had been called out lifted his eyelids and cast a faint, indifferent glance at Yin Congyue. "Who are you calling useless?"
Yin Congyue crossed his arms and said bluntly, "I'm talking about you, the loser. You got beaten to a pulp by me at the disciple gathering—if you're not trash, then who is?"
Ji Yanzhi let out a cold snort and said disdainfully, "Guess why I won every match, but lost only to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
"Say that again if you dare!"
Yin Congyue had never been talked back to like this in his entire life, and his temper flared up instantly. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down with Ji Yanzhi, but just as he leaped up, Jiang Lin caught him around the waist.
"Why are you bothering with him?" Jiang Lin said, patting Yin Congyue's back to help calm him down.
Ji Yanzhi raised an eyebrow at Jiang Lin but said nothing more.
When the door was pushed open, Shen Fu walked in carrying a large bundle. Seeing Yin Congyue's little face flushed red, Shen Fu kindly asked what was wrong.
"None of your business." Yin Congyue scoffed, grabbed his sword, and dashed off.
"Hey, this kid's got quite the temper."
Before they set out, to prevent Shen Fu from secretly bringing anything he shouldn't, Fengyuan inspected the large bundle he'd carried out in front of everyone. It turned out to contain nothing but roast chicken, steamed buns, dried fruit, and pastries—a full ten-plus pounds of food.
You'd think Shen Fu was heading out for a picnic.
When Fengyuan and a few elders brought Shen Fu near Li Family Village, Yin Congyue placed a Tracking Spell on Shen Fu to ensure those outside could know what was happening inside.
Only after that was done were the two of them thrown into a barrier.
The moment they landed, Yin Congyue transmitted a message to Shen Fu through the Tracking Spell: "Since you all claim you're not the culprit, the real killer must have appeared in Li Family Village. If you can catch the real culprit and prove your innocence, the Immortal Alliance will surely reward you well."
"But if you bring disaster upon yourself and get Backlash from the vengeful spirits, you can use this spell to call for help. I'll send someone to get you out before you die. Got it?"
Shen Fu listened seriously, but his mind kept drifting back to the image of Yin Congyue's face flushed red with anger earlier. He was clearly still a child with a hint of immaturity, yet he always tried to act so deep and mysterious. It was… rather endearing.
"This place is still over ten li from the gathering point of vengeful spirits in Li Family Village. Sword Kinesis isn't allowed within the formation, so we can only send you this far. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself."
After saying this, Yin Congyue brought his faintly glowing fingertip to Jiang Lin's lips. "Do you have anything else you want to say to him?"
Jiang Lin was caught off guard by the touch on his lips, and his ears instantly turned red. "S-Shen Shishu, please stay safe."
With that, he pushed Yin Congyue's finger away. Yin Congyue had wanted to let Xie Jiuzhang say a few words too, but when he turned around, he found Fengyuan standing behind him instead. As a suspect, Xie Jiuzhang wasn't allowed to leave Xuanji Mountain for now.
"…Don't die." Yin Congyue said, then hastily ended the transmission.
Hearing those final words, Shen Fu felt a warmth stir in his heart.
It was already evening, and the barrier was slightly darker than the outside. Though they hadn't yet reached Li Family Village, traces of scattered resentment were already lingering in the air.
Likely the spirits that had escaped from the village and been trapped here by the Immortal Alliance.
"Master," Ji Yanzhi reached out and grabbed Shen Fu's sleeve, "it's so dark. I'm scared."
Shen Fu lowered his gaze to the hand gripping his sleeve, and his brow furrowed. He intended to swat Ji Yanzhi's hand away, but the moment his palm covered it, Ji Yanzhi seized his hand in return.
"Master…"
Ji Yanzhi held on tightly, his hand trembling violently, and a faint trace of blood even seeped from his palm. His grip was so strong that Shen Fu couldn't break free no matter how he tried. After several attempts, he finally gave up.
The two had landed in a small forest, where the trees grew thick and lush. Once darkness fell, they looked like countless giant statues looming over the ground from above.
When the wind blew, the shadows of the trees shifted, and green glowing eyes emerged from beneath the leaves. Each eyeball rolled around greedily, staring at the two of them.
The sheer density of them was enough to make anyone's scalp crawl, but fortunately Shen Fu didn't have the bad habit of looking up at random times.
"Why do I keep feeling like someone's watching me?" Shen Fu tightened the strap on his dried rations and cautiously took a few steps forward.
As soon as he moved, those little eyes in the leaves began rustling and darting about, their faint sounds drowned out by the wind, completely inaudible.
One of them spotted the bandage around Ji Yanzhi's neck at a glance. Blood seemed to be seeping from beneath it, and the scent of blood was carried by the wind to its mouth. That little eye extended a long tongue from its socket, greedily licking the air tinged with the smell of blood.
"So fragrant… so fragrant, oh so fragrant… it's a living person… a living person…" That eerie green eye suddenly split open down the middle, and deep within the eyeball was a row of sharp teeth. The harsh, bizarre voice came from right there.
It tumbled down from the leaves with a rustle, burrowed into the grass, and shot toward the two of them at incredible speed.
Shen Fu sensed something amiss and whipped his head around, only to find nothing behind him but Ji Yanzhi.
"What's wrong, Master?" Ji Yanzhi said, his gaze sweeping coldly past Shen Fu to the menacing green eyes lurking behind him.
Those little creatures seemed startled by his look, turning to bury themselves beneath the leaves, vanishing for the moment.
"Nothing," Shen Fu said. "The resentment here is thick. We won't make it out before nightfall fully sets in."
Ji Yanzhi snapped his fingers, igniting a bright flame in his palm. "It's fine, Master. We'll rest wherever we end up. There's still a long way to Li Family Village."
Seeing him waste mana so carelessly, Shen Fu couldn't help but speak up. "No need to burn it so brightly. A little light is enough."
Ji Yanzhi, however, paid it no mind. "I'm worried you might step on something unclean, Master. Better keep it burning—this bit of light won't cost much."
Shen Fu pressed his lips together and said no more, shouldering his pack and walking ahead.
Ji Yanzhi followed at a leisurely pace, but his peripheral vision casually swept over the grass behind them.
The other green eyes might have been frightened off by the divine power faintly radiating from Ji Yanzhi, too wary to draw near—but not this one. It had already tasted sweetness moments ago, and now it was like a wolf that had starved too long, refusing to give up prey so close at hand.
It darted forward rapidly, its form hidden in the underbrush, moving so fast it left only a blur in its wake.
"Almost… almost! So fragrant, so fragrant!" It stared fixedly at the two figures ahead, its body springing onto a low shrub in a flash, coiling its strength before leaping into the air with sudden force!
"Something's wrong." Shen Fu paused, as if sensing something, and stopped dead in his tracks. "Something's following us."
The moment the words left his mouth, a thick, putrid stench wafted from behind. Shen Fu turned and came face to face with a pair of sickly green eyes, pus still dripping from their corners!