"You want me to activate the Living Puppet Curse now? Are you in a hurry to die?"

Chen Qianfan shut down Sect Leader Shi's crazy talk with one sentence. He stood up from the wooden platform and stretched his muscles for a while. Time waits for no one, and even he couldn't handle the six or seven hours of concentration required to break the prohibition.

The protective formations outside seemed to be malfunctioning. It was supposed to last for two or three days, but it had deteriorated much faster than he had imagined.

Fortunately, these people were desperate and willing to do anything. They provided enough corpses for the plan to break the prohibition, and what was supposed to take three days was completed in half a day.

Old Man Chen had suffered a lot, so he was unusually polite to Shi Jingzhi: "Anyway, let's eat something first. You look so weak that you could hang in the sky as a flag. If something happens later, and something happens to you, that disciple of yours will tear me apart."

Granny Wei noticed that the light in the front hall had dimmed, so she returned to the front hall.

As usual, she brewed a pot of hot tea and served it to Chen Qianfan. Then she twisted a hot towel and sighed as she wiped the dirt off Shi Jingzhi's neck and face.

Chen Qianfan leisurely sipped his tea and looked at the exhausted young man on the wooden table.

After Yin Ci left, Shi Jingzhi could no longer pretend that he was fine. He vomited a few mouthfuls of blood, collapsed, and struggled to breathe for a long time before finally recovering.

No wonder he was in such a hurry to chase him away. This master and disciple were so intimate that it made his eyes ache.

After being scolded by Chen Qianfan, Sect Leader Shi didn't say another word and obediently rinsed his mouth and drank the sweet porridge. He held the bowl with both hands, looking calm as if he was about to ascend while holding it.

Chen Qianfan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Based on the clingy attitude before, he thought Sect Leader Shi was planning to put on a tragic show and forcefully go outside to help his disciple. Who would have thought that this person would be so pragmatic to the point of being unbelievable, calmly sipping his porridge.

This person had only recovered his memories from when he was three years old, not cured of his illness, and it was unclear where his peace of mind came from.

After finishing his porridge, Shi Jingzhi adjusted his posture on the wooden platform and closed his eyes to rest.

Chen Qianfan couldn't hold back his habit of saying whatever he thought and said, "They say that caring leads to chaos, but your mentality seems to be quite good, young man."

Before, he was too afraid to step onto the wooden platform, and Sect Leader Shi was practically clawing at the ground in resistance. But now, facing the risk of death in order to obtain the Secret Book, this person remained calm and collected.

How creepy.

This young man didn't have the appearance of a great villain, but his demonic energy was too heavy to be considered a pure-hearted individual. Although Chen Qianfan knew that this person wouldn't betray them, he didn't hold back: "Are you planning to run away as soon as you leave, in cahoots with your disciple?"

Shi Jingzhi smiled and replied, "Wouldn't that be going against your kind intentions?"

"Kind intentions? Once the Living Puppet Curse is placed on your head, you won't be able to control yourself."

"Under the Living Puppet Curse, would I have no control over my actions?"

"What are you thinking? Do you want to tire me to death? I'm just temporarily imparting my experience to you and giving you a target to attack - let me make it clear now. Even if it's just a temporary curse, the feeling will be enough to make you suffer. And once you've mastered this technique, you and that Secret Book will be inseparable, unable to escape even if you wanted to."

Shi Jingzhi replied, "I see."

He didn't show any fear, but instead looked eager to try it out.

They're done for, this prohibition's release might have had some problems. Did it damage his brain? Even if it didn't make him a fool, it might have made him crazy in a different way.

He then asked Shi Jingzhi with a heavy heart, "Are you really not afraid of death?"

Shi Jingzhi replied, "I am afraid, but I'm even more afraid of living aimlessly. I want to live with purpose."

Chen Qianfan clicked his tongue and said, "You're even starting to talk so tough. Did you grow up in a temple before the age of three?"

Shi Jingzhi narrowed his eyes and said, "Not really, I just have the power to fight back against the odds and a trustworthy companion by my side. It's a bit ridiculous to be afraid and retreat in the face of fate."

Unfortunately, Old Man Chen couldn't figure out where a three-year-old child got such courage, so he could only attribute it to the side effects of lifting the prohibition. He ignored Shi Jingzhi and poured himself a cup of hot tea, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to cast the curse.

After half an incense stick's worth of time, Chen Qianfan rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a wrinkled dead person's head, which he hung in front of Shi Jingzhi's nose.

The head was shriveled and deformed, resembling a crooked gourd. Its neck was sewn shut with hair braided into a small body, and its strange, pungent odor assaulted the nose, making it both comical and terrifying to look at.

Sect Leader Shi's grandeur froze in an instant, and he swallowed hard, visibly shrinking.

Despite his strong desires and emotions, he couldn't help but feel a little afraid.

Seeing him trembling again, Chen Qianfan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Enough already, don't close your eyes and watch carefully, I'm about to begin."

"This, this junior understands."

Outside the door, the gloom covered the moon. Shi Zhongyu held her injured arm, speechless.

She and Yan Qing had tried their best to stop the attack of the Secret Book and had also took down many corpse pieces. They were afraid of disturbing the formation inside, so they just threw the corpse pieces into the house through the window.

It wasn't because their skills had suddenly improved, but because the Secret Book had a different purpose.

It seemed to have gained intelligence and was extremely cunning. It didn't directly target the two of them, but instead attacked the protective formation whenever it had the chance, trying to break it down piece by piece.

With every strike, the brilliance of the protective formation would dim for a moment, causing the onlookers to tremble in fear.

The Secret Book was even willing to sacrifice some of its body for this purpose.

As the night grew deeper, the demonic energy of the Secret Book grew stronger. However, the two of them were running out of energy and gradually became unable to fight.

Shi Zhongyu's arm and ribs were injured, losing most of her combat power. Yan Qing was also exhausted, with a deep wound on his leg. His hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and he was anxious.

The Secret Book clearly intended to reap the benefits.

Once the protective formation could no longer hold, the demonic horde would immediately transform into hungry locusts, sweeping through everything living inside the formation. They could no longer retreat to rest inside the formation and were bound to be defeated.

They had done their best, made no mistakes, and even fought harder than the previous two days, but they could only watch as the situation worsened.

The feeling was one of utter despair. Despite their efforts to wear down the enemy, they had only managed to gather a few scraps of the Secret Book, while the other side seemed to brush it off with ease.

The demonic energy was thick, almost tangible.

No wonder the Mi Mountain Sect had not come to their aid - even without the restriction of "not destroying the Secret Book," this thing in front of them was not something mere mortals could handle. It was better to sacrifice a couple of sect members than to be targeted by the Secret Book themselves.

As if sensing her despondency, the Secret Book narrowed its countless eyes and tilted its head, mocking her with every gaze.

Yan Qing's ghost eyes were bloodshot and terrifying. He had been subconsciously protected by Shi Zhongyu, and still had some strength left. Young people always had a competitive spirit, and his Compassion Stone Sword waved at the countless demons before them, but the scene in front of them was like hell, utterly disgracing the name of Kongshi.

The demons on the ground smelled the blood on Yan Qing's leg and their eyes widened in strange shapes, making ear-piercing noises. The Secret Book calmly guarded outside the formation, waiting for this ignorant young man to seek death.

A hand pressed down on Yan Qing's shoulder.

"The prohibition has been lifted, everything went smoothly, and taking care of the sect leader took some time. There are even spare corpse pieces, enough for us to use in battle... Thank you both for your hard work," said Yin Ci in a deep voice.

"It's time to dismantle these ignorant demons."

Shi Zhongyu's tired heart skipped a beat, but it didn't settle down - there were plenty of corpse pieces, at least there was no need to worry about the disaster-blocking talisman. But now, only Yin Ci came out, and he had no internal strength, so the situation wouldn't change much.

Yin Ci didn't say anything more, he just carried the Hanging Shadow Sword and walked towards the screaming and crowded group of demons outside the formation.

He didn't conceal his true strength, and there was no caution or hesitation in his steps. The demons seemed to be like flying willow catkins, being hit by the chillingly ice-like aura, the demon energy and killing intent instantly faded significantly.

Under the moonlight, the black sword swept past.

This time, even Yan Qing could see the difference in the situation - Yin Ci stepped over the heads of the demons and went straight at the Secret Book. His sword moves were complicated, and each sword pointed directly at the vital points, seemingly the same as before. However, this time the sword tip pierced the Secret Book, leaving a real wound.

For some reason, there was something different.

The Sweeping Bone Sword was unpredictable and mysterious. Its most famous characteristic was its name - every sword move was filled with a heavy aura of death, as if it came from the underworld. Each move was connected to the next, making it difficult to change tactics.

This sword technique was as powerful as it was oppressive. Besides the intention to kill the enemy, there was no other emotion involved.

Shi Zhongyu suspected that she was seeing things, but she could sense a glimmer of vitality in the Sweeping Bone Sword.

It was like a ray of warm sunshine in the midst of a cold winter.

Wasn't it Shi Jingzhi who was resolving his prohibition, why did this person's state of mind also change so drastically?

Yin Ci was not any calmer than Shi Zhongyu. The screams of countless demons and the eyes of a thousand dead people were glued to him. But he had never felt so alive, his blood that had been cold for years gradually warming up, bringing a freezing sensation that was almost pleasurable.

Just a few days ago, this would have been just another "must-fight" battle. But now, something inside him seemed to be burning hotter and hotter, a mix of emotions bursting forth from the tip of his sword.

Yin Ci had suspected the truth about Shi Jingzhi being the little mute for some time, and he had thought that recognising Shi Jingzhi wouldn't change him too much.

But he had never expected that it would turn his world upside down.

Whether it was making use of him initially, or protecting him recently. Whether it was the previous jokes, or the current promises. He didn't need Shi Jingzhi to understand, nor did he need Shi Jingzhi to reciprocate.

His indestructibility was like an icy glass cover, and he was only able to overlook the world distantly. But in the moment when Shi Jingzhi embraced him tightly, after a hundred years, he finally became completely reconnected with the mortal world.

Was the feeling of having an "attachment" really so good?

His sword moves reflected the heart, and he watched as they faintly revealed vitality. When the Secret Book attacked with its spells, he even unconsciously tried his best to dodge--

In an instant, Yin Ci forgot his longing for death. He only remembered that there was a place he had to go back to behind him.

The hundred-year-old snow on the mountaintop cracked, and the stagnant water stirred up towering waves. Yin Ci turned into a bloody wind full of fighting spirit, continuously stabbing towards the Secret Book, each time bringing down a significant amount of corpse pieces. The sword energy and evil energy tangled endlessly, producing sharp explosions.

The Secret Book was unable to touch the protective formation again.

Yin Ci seemed to have forgotten the meaning of exhaustion, as his movements became even more free and unrestrained, with no thought of defense or evasion. Even though he had no internal strength, the Secret Book began to show signs of caution and alertness, his eyes widening in surprise.

Yan Qing watched with rapt attention, fully absorbed in the intense battle before him.

He forgot all about the pain in his leg and held his breath, afraid to miss a single moment of the fight.

If only Yin Ci had some internal strength, Yan Qing thought to himself. Despite his incredible skill, Yin Ci was still just a mortal, and was still equally matched with the Secret Book. Compared to Yan Qing and Shi Zhongyu's battle, which were like water dripping on a stone, Yin Ci was like a raging wave crashing against a cliff. But even the strongest wave could not destroy the rock in an instant.

As midnight approached, the balance between yin and yang shifted. The air grew thick with the power of darkness, and the light of day began to fade away.

The Secret Book retreated several dozen zhang, an uncommon sight. It hid among the tumultuous horde of demons, lifting its terrifying head to gaze at the sky. Its two corpse arms crossed over its chest, forming a praying posture.

Countless cursed incantations slid rapidly over its body, emitting a dazzling blood-red light.

In the next moment, it was no longer in the form of a human kneeling on the ground. Countless deformed arms and legs emerged from the pile of corpses, wrapped in spiraling incantations, stretching to abnormal lengths.

Just two days ago, the Secret Book's speed was not much faster than crawling. But now, countless long limbs propped up its body, and its movements were accompanied by a nauseating twitching sensation, like a deformed centipede, moving faster than even the smallest demon.

On the head of the Secret Book, countless dead heads surged again. The seam used for feeding opened, emitting a burst of shattered and piercing laughter.

Yin Ci stopped his attack.

He had been fighting with the Secret Book for nearly two hours, and a mountain of corpses had accumulated from the demon corpse pieces he had sliced off. He stood on the top of the mountain of corpses, looking at the Secret Book warily - something was not right.

Even if the prohibition was lifted, the Secret Book was just a tool without thoughts. In any case, its primary task was self-preservation, not to burn down with its enemy. In the desolate North, who knew how long it had taken to accumulate this quantity of ancient corpses for its energy supply.

During the previous battle, its self-preservation instinct was not inferior to its instinct to attack. As its opponent, Yin Ci was more aware of this than anyone else.

However, at this moment, it seemed like a crazy dog that had smelled the scent of blood, recklessly overdrawing its power.

In the dim light of the bloody-coloured cursed incantations, the Secret Book flowed with corpse water all over its body. It charged towards the fragile protective formation, causing it to emit a creaking sound, and the entire earth trembled three times.

The cursed incantations even temporarily separated from the body of the Secret Book, wriggling around it. With just a slight graze, Yin Ci's arm became mostly rotten.

It was clearly trying to lead the charge, rather than sit back and reap the benefits.

Although he didn't know the reason for the anomaly, the battle had to continue. The situation was dire, and he had no time to think about himself. Fortunately, the darkness and the demon horde provided cover. As long as he "died" discreetly, Yan Qing and Shi Zhongyu should not notice any clues.

Yin Ci adjusted his breathing, and just as he was about to raise his sword, his face was brushed by something, and the night was split in two by golden flames.

Dressed in a long robe from the Mi Mountain Sect, Shi Jingzhi dashed out of the formation and the golden flames on the "Cure All With Medicine" flag blazed high.

"Ah Ci, you're allowed to set the fire, practically burning down the entire Nine Provinces, yet you won't even let me light a candle*. That's really unreasonable," Shi Jingzhi said with a smile in his voice, teasingly pretending not to notice the strange changes in the Secret Book.

*T/N: The original idiom is 'a local official sets a fire, but the common people are not allowed to light their lamps.' This refers to hypocritical behaviour where someone disallows another from doing something that they have done.

Unlike twenty years ago, Shi Jingzhi didn't hide behind him and cry for his father. The man leapt lightly onto the mountain of corpses and stood beside him.

"Senior Chen lent me his experience in spell formations, and I have a brilliant idea - come closer, I'll tell you," he said with a wink.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, they were done.

Unlike in the forbidden area, Shi Jingzhi used the demon corpse as a guide and formed a formation out of thin air. The Yang flames did not spread like before, but instead floated in the air as fist-sized fireballs, gracefully rotating around the Hanging Shadow Sword.

Shi Jingzhi stood still on the demon corpse mountain, meditating on the spot. Even though the Secret Book was coming very close, he had no intention of avoiding it - Shi Jingzhi was multitasking. His left hand controlled the fireballs while his right hand continuously made complex formations.

The formation was not yet complete, but its power was already astonishing. The demon corpses' spiritual energy around Shi Jingzhi turned into a vortex, creating a sense of overwhelming pressure.

The Secret Book seemed to sense the threat and gave up on attacking the defensive formation, instead charging at an extremely fast speed, only wanting to stop this unfinished spell.

But it couldn't touch Shi Jingzhi.

Yin Ci switched from attacking to defending, standing just a few steps away from Shi Jingzhi. Over a dozen golden fireballs spun around him, igniting along the edge of his sword with perfect precision, perfectly compensating for the shortcomings of the Sweeping Bone Sword.

Anytime the Secret Book approached, its protective curse incantations were instantly burned away by the golden flames. In the blink of an eye, several ancient corpses fell to the ground, becoming more materials for Shi Jingzhi's spells.

If the Secret Book were to attack Yin Ci instead, those fireballs would automatically swarm and turn the formation into a gust of hot wind.

It was like a living suit of armor.

The naturally dark clouds rolled up, forming a black vortex above Shi Jingzhi's head. The ice shards and flesh on the ground were lifted up by the wind and fell upwards from the earth to the sky.

Standing still on the pile of corpses, Shi Jingzhi remained calm. Dressed in the robes of the Mi Mountain Sect, he stood on the muddy ground with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. With both hands controlling the formation, he looked graceful and efficient. One after another, golden formations unfolded behind him, making him look like a statue of an evil god.

In front of this "god statue", Yin Ci held his long sword horizontally. The golden and fiery spheres around him grew more and more, flying faster and faster like living creatures. His sword became more and more elusive, pure and ethereal, unlike anything in this world.

"They are casting a large-scale battle formation," Shi Zhongyu murmured. "Two people holding up a large-scale battle formation... Sect Leader Shi is simply..."

Simply insane.

She was certain that Chen Qianfan's temporary loan of his storage of formations was not meant for him to behave so audaciously. Large-scale battle formations usually take several days to complete, with no room for any mistakes, let alone multitasking.

The formation cannot be too far from the target, and any abnormality during the process will surely be detected by the enemy, requiring even more people to guard the formation.

Now, one dared to cast spells, and one dared to guard the formation. She couldn't tell which one was crazier for a moment.

The evil aura of the Secret Book rolled towards them like waves, but it was all blocked five steps away by the lonely sword in front of Shi Jingzhi, unable to take a step further.

Suddenly, the Secret Book stopped moving.

The golden light of the formation was reflected in its thousands of murky eyes, and it hugged its long arms and legs, no longer attacking recklessly.

The corpses' head making up its head trembled incessantly. Each mouth opened wide, revealing a dark tongue, as if about to vomit. However, after a moment of chaos, what came out of those mouths was not corpse water, but a strange melody that gradually became clear and drifted through the night.

It began to sing.

Thousands of dead heads moved their lips, their singing rough and chilling. The lyrics sounded like an ancient dialect, with a strange melody and rhythm.

Those who listened had their hair standing on end and their hearts trembling with fear.

"Cover your ears!" Shi Zhongyu immediately roared at Yan Qing, who was still in a daze, and missed the best opportunity. Her internal energy was stirred up by the singing, and she spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot, almost going crazy.

Yan Qing was slow to react and couldn't stand steady, curling up in pain on the ground. Shi Jingzhi also frowned and his hands trembled.

But Yin Ci laughed.

He quickly sheathed his sword and stepped back behind Shi Jingzhi. The Hanging Shadow Sword was stabbed into the pile of corpses. Yin Ci gently covered Shi Jingzhi's ears with his hands. Immediately, the pained expression on Shi Jingzhi's face disappeared, and his hands steadied themselves once again.

Yin Ci listened to the ominous ghost song from the underworld with an expressionless face.

He had already experienced a more desperate state of being possessed by evil and descending into madness. This exotic elegy was not enough to push him into the abyss.

"...You can't hurt him," Yin Ci silently mouthed to the Secret Book.

In an instant, golden light burst forth.

It was not a raging wildfire of golden flames, but rather, thousands of thick chains of fire. They flashed in an instant, piercing through the massive body of the Secret Book and firmly locking it between heaven and earth.

The blood-red cursed incantations tightly entangled the fire chain, as if intending to strangle it. Unfortunately, Yang fire naturally overcomes Yin evil, and Shi Jingzhi's Yang fire is extremely pure, resisting the cursed incantations. They emitted a burnt smell and melting away like snowflakes.

The Secret Book has reached a dead end, and its demonic arm once again distorts and extends, reaching towards him. Various spells exploded recklessly, illuminating the cloudy night sky.

The singing was unending, and the cursed formations continued their attempts.

Sect Leader Shi's face was pale. Even with the ancient corpses and demonic corpses as materials, the battle formation had completely drained him. Countless corpse hands from the Secret Book reached out in front of him, almost touching Shi Jingzhi's body, but he didn't even waste energy trembling.

Shi Jingzhi just slightly tilted his head and felt the warmth of Yin Ci's palm.

Then he exerted his last bit of strength, and with two fingers of his right hand, he flicked upwards.

The chains of Yang fire twisted gently, like a fine saw, cutting through the body of the Secret Book. The thousands of chains moved in perfect unison, not a single one out of place. The intact ancient corpses were stripped one by one from the tome, like leaves falling from a tree in autumn.

Although he was only borrowing Chen Qianfan's experience, Shi Jingzhi had taken it to the extreme.

In just a moment, the blood-red incantations were extinguished. The "Empress" fell, and the demons that had been running around in chaos were stunned for a moment.

The ancient corpses lay scattered on the ground, stiff but intact. The Secret Book still stood in its original place, but it looked...less like a Secret Book.

Xu Luo, the Mi Lan Empress, with her icy skin and jade-like bone structure, with a beauty that could rival that of the heavens.

Her corpse still stood, like an immortal born in the snow-capped mountains of the north. The Empress's cloudy eyes stared directly at Shi Jingzhi, her stiff face expressionless.

The clothes on her chest were rotten and tattered, revealing half of her breasts, with a dark spider mole lying quietly on her snow-white skin.

The empress stood there dumbfounded for a moment, opening her arms to the two people in front of her.

"Smile for me..."

She spoke with a stiff and decayed voice, a voice that was unpleasant but carried a different kind of clarity and confusion.

"....smile a little for me."

Yin Ci showed no mercy and casually pulled out the Hanging Shadow Sword - the Mi Lan Empress was already dead, and what lay before them was just a pure corpse, the core of a murderous weapon.

However, Shi Jingzhi seemed to sense something and grabbed Yin Ci's wrist, shaking his head gently.

The closer she got to Shi Jingzhi, the clearer her voice became and the more vivid her expression - on the face of the corpse, a faint hatred was revealed.

"...My...fellow...able to defeat me...very good..."

The empress's corpse emitted a faint halo, but the blood-red light was too weak, more mournful than fierce. Gradually, the light gathered into a single point.

It condensed into a half-dead spell, lying limp in the empress's palm.

The empress's body stiffened as she handed it over to Shi Jingzhi, her face returning to its lifeless state.

"Smile...smile for me..."

"Ah Ci, being under the Living Puppet Curse, I happen to recognise this technique. What the Mi Lan Empress left behind was not a murder weapon, but a message, a message for her 'kind'... Only when the prohibition from Mi Mountain Sect is lifted, will the weapon recognize me."

Shi Jingzhi sighed lightly and closed his eyes. He slowly reached out and touched the spell that was about to dissipate.

"I will be fine, trust me."

Yin Ci lowered his sword.

As soon as the spell touched the tip of Shi Jingzhi's finger, it dissipated in an instant. Yin Ci remained silent and caught Shi Jingzhi's falling body - warm and breathing evenly, as if in a deep sleep.

At almost the same time, the Mi Lan Empress's body fell to the ground.

She landed on the snowy ground that was soaked in blood, and turned to ashes in an instant. The demon horde had not yet dispersed, and the protective formation was already as thin as a cicada's wings, but still flickering steadily.

Not long ago, inside the house.

The younger juniors was fighting for their lives outside. Chen Qianfan had already prepared his tool for escape. Bored out of his mind, he picked up some corpse pieces from under the window and made two pairs of disaster-blocing talismans.

As for Granny Wei, she used the thread dyed with demon flowers to sew two exquisite peace sachets. She didn't care whether Yin Ci was seriously asking for her help or just casually brushing her off. She just wrapped the sachets, thumped on her stiff back, and had a calm and peaceful expression on her face.

"It's already night, are those kids still outside?"

"Yeah." Chen Qianfan put away the disaster-blocking talismans and tidied up his research tools on the table. "Xiao Chun, pack some clothes and food. We have to run later."

"Why?"

"They won, but it will only delay for some time. There are many demons outside, and the protective formation won't hold for long. We need to escape far away and find a new place to live."

Granny Wei stared at him blankly for a moment before asking again, "It's already night, are those kids still outside?"

Chen Qianfan paused his actions and, unusually, didn't get angry. He simply repeated, "Yeah...this place is going to become a demon's den. Remember to pack your things and follow me."

"Okay." Granny Wei's face turned yellow, and she nervously twisted her hands. "If I leave without permission, the master will beat me again."

Chen Qianfan straightened up and took Granny Wei's pulse. His eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Granny Wei suddenly came to her senses and saw Chen Qianfan's expression, a hint of sadness appearing on her face. She stood there stunned, like a child who had done something wrong.

Chen Qianfan remained calm and asked, "...Is the dementia acting up again?"

Granny Wei lowered her eyes and smiled, "Just occasionally forgetting things, I'm getting old and easily confused. It's been happening more frequently lately. It's nothing, I'll go pack my things."

Chen Qianfan didn't say anything and continued to pack his luggage. But in less than an hour, there was a muffled thud. Chen Qianfan turned around and saw Granny Wei had fallen to the ground - she struggled for a while but seemed to have forgotten how to get up.

Chen Qianfan walked over to her side, and in less than ten steps, she couldn't even remember how to struggle. Granny Wei lay there in a daze, unconsciously humming that tune. The air around them seemed to have cooled down a few degrees, and there was a faint smell of urine in the air.

A hoarse voice echoed through the cold hall, carrying a hint of sadness.

Chen Qianfan picked up a demon corpse, carefully supporting Granny Wei's head, and several blood-red lines wrapped around her forehead. Then, he quickly cast some spell formations. But he had been breaking the prohibition, and casting the Living Puppet Curse all the long, and his strength was at its limits, with a look of defeat on his face.

Only then did Granny Wei regain consciousness, opening her mouth in confusion, "It's already night, are those kids still outside?"

After asking the question, she seemed to realize something and slowly shed two lines of turbid tears. Immediately, she raised her hand and wiped away the tears on her face.

"Master, is this what you call that 'Heaven's Wrath'?"

Chen Qianfan's tone was calm. "Yes."

There is a limit to every illness. If caught early, it can be treated with half the effort. If left too long, even medicine cannot cure it. Unfortunately, everyone is born different, and no one knows the exact location of that limit.

"I just haven't thought of a solution for dementia yet." Chen Qianfan handed her a new pair of pants, his tone still flat. "Let's go first, there will always be a way."

If her intestines were rotten, he would give her a new set of intestines. If she had a tumor in her stomach, he would make her a new one. By repeating this process, even mortals could become immortal.

But what if her mind became confused?

After much contemplation, Chen Qianfan still didn't know what he could change it with. This illness was difficult and he needed more time.

However, time waits for no one.

Granny Wei stood up unsteadily, as if there was an invisible hole in her body, and her vitality was uncontrollably draining away. She tried to grab the pants that Chen Qianfan handed to her three or four times, but failed. Finally, she managed to hold onto them, but was confused as to why she was holding onto such a strange object.

Luckily, there were still plenty of corpse pieces left left. Chen Qianfan decided to use ancient corpses this time, and used up four or five pieces in one go. Granny Wei's face was mostly covered by the spell formations.

When she regained consciousness again and felt the uneven scars on her face, she didn't say a word.

Chen Qianfan breathed a sigh of relief and continued packing his bags. Beside him, Granny Wei changed into clean clothes and quietly organized daily necessities, then touched the embroidered peach blossom on her own clothes.

"Master, do you remember the first day we met?"

"I don't remember."

"Do you remember why I call you 'Master'?"

"I don't remember."

"Not remembering is fine." The wrinkles on her face gathered and dispersed, whether it was sadness or contentment was unclear.

Granny Wei carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes and stood still for a while in a daze. Soon, she seemed to have recovered and spoke softly, "It's midnight, I'll go make tea."

The small pot sat on the fire, and the fragrance of tea filled the air.

Not long after, the four of them stumbled in - Shi Zhongyu was seriously injured, both externally and internally. Yan Qing supported her, his legs covered in blood, and his once healthy complexion now pale and sickly.

Yin Ci held the unconscious Shi Jingzhi in a dignified manner and said, "Senior, we have completely dismantled the Secret Book. The core of the artifact is damaged, but the other ancient corpse incantations are intact."

Chen Qianfan nodded and replied, "Well done. You have thoroughly dismantled the artifact, and this place can now become lively. Even if the core is shattered, it can be considered a balance of gains and losses, and there won't be any major issues."

Yin Ci then asked, "What about the protective formation?"

Chen Qianfan stroked his beard and replied calmly, "The protective formation won't last long. The demonic energy from the Secret Book hasn't dissipated, and the demon horde won't retreat so easily."

Chen Qianfan looked as if nothing had happened, and said, "Just hold on a little longer. We'll use an artifact for escaping and run for a day and night. Those things won't be able to catch up with us."

Yan Qing's expression changed and he said anxiously, "Su Si hasn't come back yet. What if...?"

"We're in a bad situation now and there's no way to find him," Yin Ci shook his head. "Su Si is guarded by that goose demon and knows how to protect himself well. We can look for him when we reach a safe place."

Yan Qing looked at his injured companions and lowered his head, swallowing the words he couldn't say.

Yin Ci's judgment was extremely rational. If he caused trouble at this critical moment, it would only add to their problems. Not to mention others, he himself couldn't walk far with a wounded leg.

He remembered Shi Jingzhi's golden fire formation and Yin Ci's peculiar swordsmanship, knowing that there was a huge gap between them.

If he had that kind of power, would he no longer need to temporarily leave his companions behind?

Yin Ci didn't care about Yan Qing's troubled thoughts. He took the lead and placed Shi Jingzhi on the artifact.

It was shaped like a wooden boat, with no Arrow Horses or other demons or monsters pulling it. Only two boxes with intricate spell arrays were placed at the stern, surrounded by piles of demon corpses emitting a faint stench.

The boat floated in mid-air, and the spell arrays beneath it were already flickering, in the midst of activating.

Yin Ci placed Shi Jingzhi, who was sleeping, at the stern and covered him with a thick coat.

Chen Qianfan picked up a disaster-blocking talisman and handed it to Shi Zhongyu, who was on the verge of fainting. Then he quietly slipped a pair to Yin Ci and said, "The promise you made me when we were lifting the prohibition?""

"I know where to find the indestructible body and will get one for you to study." Yin Ci took the talisman with a slight smile. "Please remove the remaining Living Puppet Curse as soon as possible, senior."

Chen Qianfan's beard shook and he held the record book tightly in his arms. His eyes lit up: "Deal."

After about half an hour, the wooden boat finally started.

Chen Qianfan led it outside, while the demons outside the protective formation were grinding their teeth. As the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant. Without the Secret Book, the protective formation collapsed much more slowly. But it couldn't withstand the impact of the demons, and cracks still appeared slowly.

Chen Qianfan stepped into the wooden boat: "Xiao Chun, let's go."

Granny Wei arrived in response to his call, and she carefully leaned out to hand Yin Ci the peace silk sachets: "Child, these are the peace silk sachets you wanted. Take it and have a safe journey."

The embroidered sachet was exquisitely crafted with fine stitches, clearly showing the maker's careful attention. Yin Ci thanked the old woman.

He had originally only wanted to brush her off, and Granny Wei must have known. Yet she still worked diligently, like embroidering a tablecloth that no one would appreciate, or tying dry branches into small flowers.

Yin Ci looked at the kindly old woman's eyes, feeling that something was not quite right.

Granny Wei looked at him kindly for a while before continuing, "Master, this bag is for pots and pans, this bag is for the clothes, and this bag is for..."

There were already five people sitting on the wooden boat, with more than ten bags of luggage. But Granny Wei still didn't give up and pulled up a big bag, saying, "This bag is for your usual items, Master."

"Just spare me," the protective formation emitted a warning sound. Chen Qianfan was in a hurry to leave and spoke quickly. "If it's gone, we can buy it again. These are enough."

Granny Wei glanced at the nearby group of demons and nodded.

"Come up, we'll fly out from there later. Then..."

"I'm not going," Granny Wei smiled.

Chen Qianfan's words abruptly stopped, and he furrowed his brows as if he had heard something absurd. "Xiao Chun, what did you say?"

"Master used precious materials to cure me not long ago, but I became confused again... I can still talk like this now, but I'll start talking nonsense again later," she laughed even more gently.

"Thank you, Master, for letting me steal so many years from heaven and live peacefully for another thirty years... They say that fallen leaves return to their roots, and I also want to die at home."

"There must be a way," said Chen Qianfan.

"If there was a cure, you would have told me already," said Granny Wei, shaking her head. "It's okay, I'm not a big shot like a sect leader, and don't need to fight with the 'Heaven's Wrath'. Instead of suffering in life, it's better to leave with dignity."

Chen Qianfan fell silent for a moment before saying lightly, "Have you thought it through?"

"I have," Granny Wei replied calmly.

Meanwhile, Shi Jingzhi was still unconscious, Shi Zhongyu was sleeping soundly with the disaster-blocking talisman in her arms, Yan Qing was in a semi-comatose state due to excessive blood loss, and Yin Ci remained silent with a complicated expression.

No one tried to stop her, and Granny Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go on," she waved her hand and turned back into the house.

Chen Qianfan had underestimated her, Yin Ci thought. The old woman had seen many demons before, but her face, covered in formations, remained calm and fearless.

Chen Qianfan pulled down the lever with a stiff face. The heavily loaded wooden boat floated up with difficulty, swaying dangerously and looking like it couldn't bear the weight.

Not far away, the protective formation was on the brink of collapse. Chen Qianfan seemed to have forgotten about the matter with Granny Wei, and exclaimed, "It's too heavy to fly, we have to throw some things away."

The others had basically no luggage, so he was only saying this to himself. Old Man Chen rummaged expressionlessly through the luggage, digging through the pile of tools like a pile of broken knick-knacks, and found the package of pots and pans from earlier.

Granny Wei's bundle was neat and pretty, and easy to throw. When it hit the snowy ground, it made a series of shattering sounds. The wooden boat became a bit more stable, but still couldn't fly high enough.

Chen Qianfan grabbed the big bundle of laundry. The clothes were soft and gentle, and as soon as they hit the ground, there was only a dull thud.

The boat flew higher, but unfortunately, it still wasn't high enough.

Old Man Chen took a deep breath and opened his bag of "daily items". He looked inside the bag several times before finally opening it up and pouring out the miscellaneous items. For a moment, teapots, tea boxes, and other items scattered all over the ground, in a messy pile.

There were no valuable items inside, just some insignificant trinkets. Old Man Chen quickly calmed down, and the pouring speed increased significantly.

In the midst of a pile of clutter, a tea cup rolled out of a bag, looking dirty and worn, and headed towards the ground.

But Chen Qianfan instinctively caught it.

Yin Ci remembered that cup - every midnight, Granny Wei would unfailingly pour a cup of tea for Chen Qianfan, and that was the cup he used.

Chen Qianfan's hand trembled, as if the cup had burned his palm, but his fingers stubbornly refused to let go. He held onto the cup, frozen in thought.

In the next moment, Chen Qianfan mercilessly cast a spell.

"I need to clear my mind of some distractions, I don't have time to take notes. Little brother Yin, you'll have to fill me in later."

Chen Qianfan was undoubtedly a master of spell formations, his movements precise and perfect.

But the spell was interrupted midway and failed.

"Elder?"

"...It's too fragmented," said Old Man Chen, feeling a bit lost. "It's too fragmented, how can I delete it?"

There was never anything particularly thrilling between him and Wei Chun. The only thing that set their interactions apart was their initial meeting that he had long since forgotten about. After that, they only spent a few hours together each day, exchanging mundane words.

Plus a bowl of hot rice, a cup of warm tea, and nothing else.

Aside from treating her illness, Chen Qianfan would at most bring her a few demon flowers for her to dye and embroider on her own.

He thought and thought, but couldn't find anything special about their relationship. Yet for thirty years, he held onto these tiny fragments and couldn't remove them. He didn't know what would be left if he removed everything, piece by piece.

Chen Qianfan lowered his head and looked down at the dilapidated house he had lived in for thirty years. He remembered every corner inside, one side of the hall was messy while the other was warm and cozy, clearly demarcated.

Were they not supposed to be clearly demarcated? It made no sense.

Such was the nature of human illness. When there was nothing wrong, one felt nothing, but when injured, the pain was excruciating.

Chen Qianfan shook his head and suddenly laughed. He listened to the cracking sound of the protective formation breaking, his tone still calm and steady as usual, speaking to no one in particular.

"It's quite amusing, I can change a living person's heart, liver, spleen, and stomach, and can endure the ups and downs of this life, yet I cannot let go of a broken cup."

He looked at Yan Qing tightly holding the Compassion Stone Sword, suddenly remembering the moment many years ago when he was knocked away by the sword.

At that time, he thought he might not be suitable to be a monk.

Now he thinks that maybe he's not cut out to be an immortal after all.

Chen Qianfan pondered for the length of a cup of tea, then let out a long sigh.

"Little brother Yin, forget it," he stroked his beard and said with a sense of disappointment. "I suddenly don't want that indestructible body anymore."

"Your friends are in bad shape, you need to rest in a safe place as soon as possible. It's okay if you don't know spells, the array is powered by the corpse pieces, just choose a direction and it'll work... As for my record book, you can leave it to your master. It's a pity to waste that bit of talent that he has."

Chen Qianfan still had that infuriating tone.

Even Yin Ci, who had seen and experienced a lot, was stunned for a moment. "You..."

Chen Qianfan shook his head and tucked the teacup into his pocket. He carefully looked at Yin Ci for a moment, then smiled.

"Even if I obtain an indestructible body, I am not made of the stuff that can sever emotions and desires. It's just not in my nature, so why force it?" he said. "Let's just leave it at that."

"This is fine too."

Before Yin Ci could respond, Chen Qianfan leaned over the edge of the boat and jumped off. As soon as his weight was gone, the boat shook and shot up into the sky.

Chen Qianfan landed gracefully on the ground, his hands behind his back, and strolled into the door.

"It's still the middle of the night, let's have another cup of tea."

The protective barrier was broken, and a horde of demons with remnants of demonic energy rushed in. Under the starry sky, a spell was activated, sucking up all the demons and then blooming into a series of vibrant flowers.

A peach blossom stood tall in the icy north, quietly blooming for half an hour before ultimately disappearing without a trace.

The author has something to say:

I haven't forgotten Su Si! And I haven't forgotten Lord Bai!!! They will appear in the next chapter, humble.jpg.

Cherish the pure and sincere(?) feelings of these two male guests at this moment, once the favorability bar is full, they can transform each other √.