Watching the white-haired old man walk a short distance away, the two turned back toward the ancestral hall.At first, they worried about startling him, but the old man seemed completely unaware of Yun Miao and Xie Jue’s presence, continuing on his own toward the ancestral hall.Realizing this, Yun Miao and Xie Jue quickened their pace to keep up.Soon, the white-haired old man reached the entrance of the ancestral hall. Suddenly, he fluently recited an incantation and, with great ceremony, pressed a tattered and hastily drawn talisman paper onto the black wooden door outside the hall.But clearly, it was a futile effort. The poorly made talisman fluttered down the moment he withdrew his hand, landing on the ground and gathering a layer of dust, looking even more disheveled than before.Yun Miao’s gaze followed the talisman as it fell. She carefully examined the crumpled, dull yellow paper, struggling to make out the crimson symbols drawn on it.It seemed to be an unfinished talisman, and nothing more could be discerned.However, the incantation the old man had recited moments earlier was unmistakable to Yun Miao.It was a relatively basic incantation commonly used by Cultivators to suppress Evil Spirits. Many cultivation sects taught this incantation to their disciples after they reached the Foundation Establishment stage.Though basic, the power of this incantation depended entirely on the Cultivator’s cultivation base. In other words, the higher the Cultivator’s cultivation base, the greater the incantation’s power; conversely, the lower the cultivation base, the weaker its effect. In such cases, some Cultivators would supplement it with talismans to amplify its power and better suppress demons.And now, it seemed the white-haired old man fell into the latter category.Seeing his talisman suddenly fall to the ground, the old man hurriedly crouched to pick it up, stubbornly pressing it against the wooden door of the ancestral hall again and again.Strangely, throughout all this, he still seemed completely unaware of Yun Miao and Xie Jue standing nearby, not even sparing them a glance.Yun Miao watched the white-haired old man, who appeared to be a clue but only raised more questions, and lightly pressed her fingers to her temples.The events of this night had already exceeded her expectations.Now, it seemed the situation in Peach Blossom Village was even more troublesome and complicated than she had initially anticipated.As Yun Miao pondered this, Xie Jue, who had been quiet beside her, suddenly reached out and tapped her shoulder.Interrupted, Yun Miao turned her gaze to Xie Jue with a questioning look, only to see him tilt his head, gesturing for her to look at the white-haired old man.There, the old man’s body gradually dissipated under the rising sun in the distance, fading into nothingness.Only then did Yun Miao realize the white-haired old man was a Spirit Body. No wonder he had seemed unable to see her and Xie Jue earlier.A Spirit Body was a form left behind by the deceased due to some lingering obsession after death. It could not see others and would only repeat the actions tied to its obsession in a fixed location, appearing with the first light of dawn and vanishing completely once the sun fully rose.This cycle would repeat until the obsession dissipated, allowing the Spirit Body to return to the cycle of reincarnation.But what was the "evil thing" the Spirit Body had mentioned earlier?There must be something else in Peach Blossom Village that they had yet to uncover."Xie Jue, let's go to the village chief's place again."Yun Miao made a decisive decision and turned her head to look toward Xie Jue.Meeting Yun Miao's gaze, Xie Jue cooperatively nodded.However, Yun Miao suddenly seemed to remember something. She withdrew the step she had been about to take and instead walked a few paces closer to Xie Jue.Yun Miao then reached out one hand to touch the other's forehead while placing her other hand on her own. The warmth belonging to the two of them quickly converged from different palms as Yun Miao compared the differences in temperature between herself and the other.The other's body temperature was still slightly elevated, but it was much better than before.Yun Miao felt relieved and looked up at Xie Jue. "Are you feeling better now?"But before she could finish speaking, she unexpectedly met the other's deep yet somewhat distant gaze, fixed intently upon her.The feeling was somewhat unfamiliar, yet inexplicably familiar. Yun Miao didn't know how to describe it.The sun, which had just risen, refracted bright and warm light, falling upon the two of them and blurring the distance between them.The distance between them was already close, and now it silently fostered an atmosphere that seemed vaguely "ambiguous."But clearly, Yun Miao at this moment did not yet know this atmosphere was called "ambiguity." She only felt somewhat uneasy. She stepped back to create some distance between them and simultaneously spoke to break the silence that had settled between them."Xie Jue, what's wrong?"Hearing her voice, Xie Jue seemed to snap back to attention, withdrawing his gaze. The previously distant look gradually refocused."I'm fine. Didn't you just say we still need to go to the village chief's house? Let's not delay.""Without further ado, let's go."After walking for a short while, the two saw from a distance the houses that had been crushed by the Azure-Tusked Beast the previous night. About a dozen younger villagers were helping with the cleanup, while the older ones, along with the women, sat with the children not far from the houses.The older villager who had led Yun Miao and Xie Jue into the village the day before turned around and called out loudly to them, "Little Immortal Lord Yun, Little Immortal Lord Xie!"His voice was quite loud. Several villagers who hadn't noticed them before stopped their work and looked toward Yun Miao and Xie Jue, some even greeting them together.Perhaps because there had been no casualties last night, the expressions on everyone's faces were not too grim.Yun Miao approached and looked at the damaged houses. Fortunately, most had only collapsed windows and partially damaged walls—the destruction wasn't too severe."Little Immortal Lord Yun, we really owe you thanks for last night!"A villager who had been clearing the debris turned around and happened to see Yun Miao behind him, smiling gratefully."No need for thanks. It was simply my duty," Yun Miao waved her hand, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, do you know which deity is enshrined in your village's ancestral hall?""The ancestral hall?" The villager paused for a moment but quickly provided an answer. "That's the Fox Deity of our Peach Blossom Village. The prosperity and peace our village originally enjoyed were all thanks to its protection."As he spoke, an unconscious reverence even colored the villager's expression.Yun Miao frowned slightly, almost reflexively asking in return."Fox Deity?"She had never heard of this Fox Deity before. She turned to look at Xie Jue, who met her puzzled gaze and shook his head.He had never heard of this so-called Fox Deity.Although demon cultivators could also attain divinity, those in this world who truly transformed from demonic forms into deities were exceedingly rare.Among the few he knew, none had a fox as their original form. This so-called Fox Deity enshrined in the Peach Blossom Village ancestral hall was likely some malevolent entity.Yun Miao looked at the villager again and continued asking, "Since when have you started worshiping that Fox Deity?""Ever since I can remember, the statue of the Fox Deity has been enshrined in the ancestral hall." The villager shook his head, indicating he didn't know, but offered a suggestion, "Young Immortal Lord Yun, you could ask the village chief. He has the village records of Peach Blossom Village."This aligned with Yun Miao's original thoughts. Yun Miao thanked the person again before continuing forward with Xie Jue."Xie Jue, what do you think of that 'Fox Deity' he mentioned just now?"As soon as the two stepped away from the crowd, Yun Miao turned to ask Xie Jue for his opinion. Since Xie Jue was a half-demon, Yun Miao thought he might know more about demons than she did.Xie Jue shared his earlier thoughts honestly, giving his answer: "I suspect it's not a proper deity, most likely some evil spirit pretending to be one."Yun Miao nodded; it was similar to what she had thought. Still, she planned to visit the village chief to ask how the "Fox Deity" was recorded in the village records and what connection Peach Blossom Village had with this Fox Deity.Before long, the two arrived again at the village chief's residence and explained their purpose.After speaking with the village chief, they found his answers were no different from those of the previous villager. So, they also asked to look through the Peach Blossom Village records.However, it seemed these records hadn't been compiled for long. Although the entries were slightly more detailed than what the two had provided earlier, they weren't much different and didn't offer any additional useful information.Yun Miao absentmindedly flipped through the village records before her.Had the trail gone cold just like that?"Let's return to the inn first."Yun Miao's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Xie Jue's voice. The man's usual tone carried a hint of restraint."What's wrong with you?"Almost as soon as Yun Miao asked, Xie Jue's hand reached out to hold hers—it was burning hot."It's nothing, just a bit tired."As if trying to hide his unusual state, Xie Jue shook his head and spoke in his normal tone. Yet, Yun Miao noticed his hand holding hers was trembling faintly."This young immortal lord was still feverish yesterday and has been traveling all night. He should return quickly to rest."The village chief's words suddenly struck Yun Miao—this person was probably running a fever again.Indeed, Doctor Xiao Lin had said yesterday that the medicine needed to be taken three times in a row for the person to recover fully.Perhaps fearing he might faint, Yun Miao tightened her grip on his hand and subtly supported his slightly leaning body.Yun Miao bid farewell to the village chief and took him back to the inn.But as soon as they reached the bedroom door, Xie Jue stepped inside first, closed the door, and left Yun Miao outside.Almost the moment the door closed, a fluffy tail sprouted from behind Xie Jue, and soon a pair of grayish-white wolf ears emerged on his head.Yesterday, he had forcibly suppressed his estrus cycle with spells before nightfall out of concern for Yun Miao, but precisely because of this, today it rebounded with exceptional intensity, causing his tail and wolf ears to uncontrollably emerge.Xie Jue leaned against the door, Yun Miao's voice and the knocking sound entering the room together."Xie Jue, what's wrong with you? Open the door first."Yun Miao's voice pulled Xie Jue's thoughts from a chaotic mix of desire and unbearable memories. Xie Jue lowered his gaze, looking at the gray-white wolf tail that had grown.Should he open the door?But now, would she also despise him in this state, just like the others?After all, she didn't even remember him anymore.
Chapter 8
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script