As the sun rose, the ghosts covering the ground evaporated like dew on grass blades, vanishing into dust.
Yun Xiaoyang scooped a handful from the decaying ashes with two fingers, picking out a twisted, lingering Rune. He quickly formed hand seals, intending to trace the mastermind behind this using the Rune, but before the tracking seal could take shape, the Rune had already completely dissipated.
With the tracking attempt yielding no results, Yun Xiaoyang had no choice but to give up. He turned and walked back under the tree, asking, "Is General Ye feeling better now?"
Ye Lizhi hurriedly stood up and bowed solemnly to him, expressing her gratitude, "Thank you for the elixir, Immortal. After taking the medicine, the corpse poison and Ghost Qi on the general have dissipated significantly, and his wounds are no longer rotting."
Yun Xiaoyang gently raised her with a wave of his hand, using Sword Qi from his palm to create a gust of wind that lifted her bent knees, not accepting her kneeling bow. He said gently, "Slaying demons, exorcising evil, and suppressing ghosts are my duties. There is no need for such a grand gesture, miss."
He had already noticed the bloodstained sleeve of Ye Lizhi and took out a bottle of wound medicine from his robe. "You are also seriously injured, miss. I have some powder here that promotes muscle regeneration and relieves pain. Please make do with it for now."
Ye Lizhi had been solely focused on taking care of her father earlier; the wounds on her shoulder and palm had long since gone numb from the pain. Only now, reminded by him, did she belatedly feel the pain again.
She cupped her hands to receive the medicine, immensely grateful. "If not for you, Immortal, tonight we would likely have perished here. I have no way to repay your great kindness now, but I hope to have the chance to repay it in the future."
Yun Xiaoyang glanced back at the soldiers digging holes and burying their fallen comrades in the forest, saying regretfully, "I still arrived a bit too late."
He had been out on a mission, resting in a nearby town, when he was awakened in the middle of the night by the hum of his life sword. Sensing the overwhelming Ghost Qi in this direction, he immediately rode his sword to rush over, but he was still a step too late.
Of the more than twenty soldiers Ye Rong had brought out, nearly half had perished at the hands of those ghosts, and their deaths were gruesome, their bodies corroded by corpse poison. They had to be buried quickly to prevent the Ghost Qi from spreading.
Once the burials were properly completed, Yun Xiaoyang drew barrier seals around their graves to prevent other living beings from accidentally entering and being contaminated by the corpse poison, waiting only for time to wear away the Ghost Qi on their corpses.
After finishing these tasks, Yun Xiaoyang examined Ye Rong's wounds once more and said, "Although the corpse poison on General Ye has been neutralized, the rotting flesh remaining on his wounds needs to be excised as soon as possible, sutured, and medicated. Otherwise, if the wound becomes infected, his life will still be in danger. Thirty li to the east is Linfang Town, which has a Medical Hall."
The personal guards repeatedly expressed their thanks and hurriedly fashioned a simple stretcher from available materials to place the unconscious Ye Rong on, planning to head to Linfang Town.
After daybreak, with ghosts lying low, Yun Xiaoyang still intended to continue investigating the origins of these ghost bandits, to uncover the mastermind behind them and eradicate them completely. Therefore, he did not accompany them to Linfang Town, but instead separated a strand of Sword Qi to form a palm-sized blue small sword, which he gave to Ye Lizhi for their protection.
Unexpectedly, as they were about to set off, a dispute suddenly erupted over there.
Ye Lizhi was surrounded by a group of soldiers. The small sword Yun Xiaoyang had given her earlier, she had handed over to Ye Rong's personal guard.
The personal guard said awkwardly, "If I let you leave privately, the general will surely punish us when he wakes up. Please come with us."
Though his words were polite, his actions were firm and unyielding; there was no possibility of disobeying the general's orders.
Ye Lizhi warily glanced at the soldiers on either side. "The general is injured and cannot return to the post station to see His Highness off. Someone must still go and report to the Holy Maiden."
The personal guard replied, "The one responsible for escorting the Holy Maiden to Tiandao Palace is a spirit servant from the Sacred Hall. The general was only ordered by His Majesty to see the Holy Maiden out of Li'an Capital. I will also send another messenger separately; there is no need to trouble you with this journey."
Having said this, he had no intention of delaying further. He ordered those around him, "Keep an eye on her. Let's set off now; we must not delay the general's treatment."
Unable to reason with these soldiers, Ye Lizhi seized the moment they were given the order. She abruptly shoved one of them aside and broke into a run.
The personal guard shouted, "Catch her!"
Hearing the commotion, Yun Xiaoyang hesitated in his steps as he was about to leave.
That young woman was alone and vulnerable, surrounded by a group of soldiers. Earlier, in her moment of urgency, he had heard her call General Ye "father," so she was likely the general's daughter. Yet the general's personal guard did not seem to show her much respect.
Considering her injuries—the claw marks on her shoulder from a beast, and the cuts on her palms from a sharp blade, which were not tainted with corpse poison and thus not inflicted by ghost bandits—along with the obvious strangulation marks on her neck, it was clear her situation might not be favorable.
Seeing Ye Lizhi being seized by the arm and dragged away, he moved to step forward and intervene.
Just then, Ye Rong, lying on the stretcher, regained consciousness. He let out a low, heavy groan, causing everyone to pause. The personal guard immediately approached and called out, "General?"
Ye Rong struggled to open his eyes and, with the support of the guard, sat up. After the corpse poison was cleared, his vision had also recovered. He looked up at Ye Lizhi.
He had always looked down on this daughter—not only because Ye Lizhi's mother was a low-born singing girl, but also because despite her humble status and life, she had never truly submitted to him, the general. Even when her body yielded, her eyes never showed genuine surrender.
Especially Ye Lizhi's eyes, which closely resembled her mother's. Every time Ye Rong saw them, he was reminded of the disgust and contempt in that woman's gaze when she looked at him.
How dare a lowly slave look at him that way.
Ye Rong stared at her intently and asked, "Don't you hate me? Why did you come back to save me?"
Ye Lizhi's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip. "No matter what, you are my father. You are my only family left."
This answer was not entirely unexpected. Ye Rong studied Ye Lizhi carefully and, in her tear-filled eyes, glimpsed a hint of ambition and desire hidden deep within—a longing to rise above her station.
At that moment, he finally saw a reflection of his own bloodline in her.
For the first time, Ye Rong felt a flicker of satisfaction toward this daughter. Her earlier life-risking rescue had moved him after all. He said, "Release her. From now on, she is the rightful Second Young Miss of the Ye Manor."
The grip on her arm loosened. Ye Lizhi looked up in surprise, somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
The soldiers surrounding her stepped back to either side, their attitudes toward her shifting significantly. Their expressions turned respectful as they knelt and bowed in unison, declaring, "We pay our respects to the Second Young Miss."
Yun Xiaoyang gradually came to a halt. Seeing Ye Rong dismiss his personal guards, keeping only Ye Lizhi by his side, he assumed the father and daughter had some private matters to discuss. Adhering to the virtue of not eavesdropping on others' conversations, he stepped back to a distance.
However, he remained watching from afar, not leaving immediately.
Ye Lizhi approached Ye Rong, and the two spoke for a while. Their expressions appeared relatively calm. Afterward, Ye Lizhi took two steps back, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to him three times.
Ye Rong nodded, the clarity he had barely maintained nearly exhausted. He slumped back onto the stretcher, quickly slipping back into a state of blurred consciousness.
The personal guards crowded forward, escorting Ye Rong as they hurried toward Linfang Town. After seeing them off, Ye Lizhi turned back and noticed Yun Xiaoyang standing in the distance. A smile bloomed at the corner of her lips as she quickly ran toward him.
"Father entrusted me to thank the immortal for saving his life. This is his personal jade pendant, which can serve as a token. If the immortal ever has any needs in the future, the Nanrong Ye Clan will spare no effort."
Yun Xiaoyang waved his hand. "As I said before, vanquishing demons and monsters is my duty. I dare not accept such a promise."
Seeing his firm refusal, Ye Lizhi had no choice but to put the jade pendant away. Gratitude did not lie in a token; even without it, she would remember this kindness.
Ye Lizhi glanced at the traces of ashes on the ground and added, "Father also instructed me to tell you that if you wish to investigate the origins of these ghost bandits, you might look into the Pingyang Futuo Mountain area. Four years ago, Father eradicated a den of bandits there. The remnants and weapons of today's ghost bandits bear some resemblance to those from back then."
Yun Xiaoyang, who had been troubled by the lack of clues, was delighted. "That's excellent." He glanced in the direction Ye Rong had left and asked, "Miss Ye, you didn't accompany your father. Are you heading somewhere else?"
Ye Lizhi replied somewhat sheepishly, "To be honest, I also need to hurry to the Pingyang Posthouse. I wonder if I could travel with the immortal?"
Yun Xiaoyang waved his hand, summoning his life sword to hover in the air. He extended a hand to her and said with a hearty laugh, "Since we're heading the same way, why not give you a ride?"
…
Pingyang Posthouse.
Mu Zhaoran gently stroked the string of jade beads on her wrist. There were twelve beads in total, with every other bead engraved with communication runes. At that moment, the spiritual light on one of the beads had just faded, and Yao Gu's words still echoed in her mind.
It turned out they were not unaware of Ye Rong's ambitions. However, General Ye's influence in Nanrong had already taken root, deep and extensive. Her father could not only do nothing about him but also had to rely on him to fend off the restless noble families in the Southern Realm. The situation in the Southern Realm now hung in a delicate balance. Killing Ye Rong would not change the current state of affairs; instead, it would only make things worse.
In her past life, when did Ye Rong begin allying with the noble families?
Was it after Ye Lizhi became the Spirit Venerable's personal disciple in the Tiandao Palace? It seemed that from that moment on, those arrogant noble families completely abandoned the Mu clan, turned to the Ye clan, and eventually joined forces with Ye Rong to storm the royal palace, forcing her father and mother to their deaths.
And now, compelled by the System's mission, she had no choice but to send Ye Lizhi to the Heavenly Capital, right under the Spirit Venerable's nose!
Mu Zhaoran sat by the bed for a long time. Only when the morning light enveloped the land did she call for hot water to bathe and change. As she sat before the dressing table to groom herself, the turmoil in her heart finally began to cool.
She gazed into the silver mirror, studying the face that still held traces of youthful innocence. Lifting a hand, she pinched her own plump, rounded cheek, then fixed her eyes on the reflection in the mirror, repeating the self-reassurance in her mind: "It's alright, Mu Zhaoran. Everything has just begun. You'll have many more chances to make changes later—there's no need to rush now."
A maid approached, holding a box of floral ornaments, and asked, "Would Your Highness like to apply a floral adornment today?"
Mu Zhaoran exhaled the pent-up frustration in her heart, turned around, and carefully selected a flame-shaped floral ornament.
The maid carefully removed the ornament, dipped a silver spoon in a little water, and applied it to the center of her forehead.
Mu Zhaoran half-closed her eyes, feeling the cool touch settle on her brow. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she drifted into a daze.
Once the maid had finished applying the ornament, she took half a step back and asked, "Your Highness, is this acceptable?" Seeing the Holy Maiden sitting motionless without responding for a long while, the maid leaned closer and called out again, "Your Highness?"
Only then did Mu Zhaoran snap back to reality. She turned to the silver mirror and thoughtfully touched the floral ornament on her forehead.
Earlier, when her consciousness had been attached to the ghost bandit and Yun Xiaoyang’s sword had pointed directly at her forehead, it felt as though a wisp of power had first brushed across her brow, pricking her consciousness, allowing her to detach from the ghost bandit in time and avoid being slain alongside it under Yun Xiaoyang’s blade.
Yet the sensation had been dreamlike and unreal.
Upon seeing Yun Xiaoyang for the first time since her rebirth, her heart still raced uncontrollably, just as it had in her previous life, and her consciousness remained in a floating, detached state. Her senses could hardly be trusted.
Thinking this, Mu Zhaoran pushed the matter aside and descended to the main hall of the posthouse.
The posthouse official had already arranged breakfast, and everyone was waiting for the Holy Maiden to take her seat.
Ye Lingyan was burdened with worries, having barely slept the previous night. Early in the morning, she had stationed herself by the door, anxiously watching outside, fearing that her father might indeed bring Ye Lizhi back.
Now, as the departure time drew nearer, her anxious heart gradually settled.
Seeing Mu Zhaoran descend the stairs, Ye Lingyan immediately approached eagerly, striving to erase the unpleasantness of the previous day and resume her usual demeanor. She attempted to take Mu Zhaoran’s arm, smiling as she said, "Your Highness, I noticed you had little appetite last night, so this morning I specially had someone gather morning dew and added sour plums and snow pears to prepare a sweet soup to stimulate your appetite."
Having failed to kill Ye Rong the previous night, Mu Zhaoran’s bitterness was understandable. Her resentment extended to those associated with him, and the glance she cast at Ye Lingyan carried a barely concealed hint of killing intent.
Ye Lingyan was frightened by her gaze and timidly withdrew her hand.
Mu Zhaoran walked past her and took her seat, asking knowingly, "Has General Ye not yet found and brought her back?"
Ye Lingyan glanced at the sweet soup a servant was preparing to serve, her nails digging into her palms as she forced herself to maintain a flattering smile.
She walked over and replied, "My father personally led the search for her, and he hasn’t returned all night. That wretched servant must be deliberately hiding. Even at home, she was always cunning and lazy, often making people search for her. Now that she’s outside the general’s estate, if she intends to hide on purpose, it’ll be like searching for a needle in a haystack—nearly impossible to find."
Shuang Xu asked, "Your Highness, should we send a few more spirit servants to search for her?"
Cultivators, with their spiritual power, had more methods for finding people and would naturally have an easier time than General Ye leading soldiers in a widespread search. Shuang Xu had wanted to suggest this the previous night, but since the Holy Maiden hadn’t brought it up, she hesitated for a moment and remained silent.
However, with the departure time drawing near and the journey not to be delayed, and seeing how much Her Highness seemed to care about that Miss Ye, she felt compelled to volunteer.
Mu Zhaoran remained silent, not answering immediately. Although she had failed to kill Ye Rong last night, she had inflicted serious injuries on him, making it impossible for him to return and report to her.
As for Ye Lizhi, she was likely staying by her father's side, fulfilling her filial duties, perhaps even with Yun Xiaoyang.
She gritted her teeth in hatred for Ye Lizhi, but the damned System task prevented her from simply walking away. If she sent Sacred Hall spirit servants, she worried that, as in her previous life, something might go wrong, causing those dispatched to never return.
Seeing Mu Zhaoran hesitate, as if genuinely considering it, Ye Lingyan hurriedly advised, "Once my father finds someone to send word to me, whether to bring her before Your Highness for punishment or decide on another course of action, it will all be at Your Highness's discretion. But the hour is already late—why delay important matters for her sake? If we arrive late and show disrespect to the Immortal Venerable of Tiandao Palace, what if the Immortal Venerable punishes Nanrong as a result?"
Though Ye Lingyan had her own motives, her words were not without reason. Having experienced her previous life, Mu Zhaoran had already deeply understood the supreme authority of Tiandao Palace and was no longer as ignorant and arrogant as before.
After a moment of contemplation, she made a decision: "Everyone, prepare to depart on schedule. I will keep only one person by my side. Shuang Xu, take the remaining spirit servants and personally search for Ye Lizhi. You must bring her back to me unharmed."
Shuang Xu disagreed, "Your Highness, your safety is more important than anything else. How can you keep only one person by your side?"
Mu Zhaoran certainly did not wish for this but could only speak against her true feelings: "My imperial carriage was crafted by the elders of the Sacred Hall and is considered a superior magical artifact. What danger could possibly befall me? Go quickly. Protect her well, and protect yourselves too."
Unable to argue further, Shuang Xu had no choice but to obey. She turned and stepped out the door, ready to lead the search.
Just outside, she saw someone standing dazedly in the courtyard. Who else could it be but Ye Lizhi?
Shuang Xu was startled. How could such a living person have walked into the courtyard without her noticing? This was truly unacceptable. She cautiously observed Ye Lizhi for a moment before approaching and calling out, "Miss Ye, you've returned?"
Ye Lizhi had yet to recover from the words she had inadvertently overheard. Since birth, she had endured cold indifference. Her mother had passed away early, leaving only a wet nurse by her side. Beyond that, she had never received a shred of warmth from anyone else.
Unexpectedly, today, from the mouth of the Holy Maiden, who had no connection to her, she had heard the words "protect her well."