All that met his eyes was pitch blackness.

No sound, no image.

Ling Shu couldn't even tell if he was in a dream or reality.

His consciousness was a chaotic mess, like cotton floating softly in the darkness, unable to find a foothold for a long time.

Could this be an out-of-body experience?

Ling Shu thought drowsily, letting his body sway lightly with his half-awake consciousness.

Suddenly, he remembered playing by the stream when he was a child, barefoot on the pebbles under the shallow water, the gentle ripples of the stream and the touch of the stones gradually relaxing him, making him want to immerse himself in this beautiful sensation forever.

Ling Shu's breathing gradually slowed down, and his body gradually relaxed. He was feeling a bit tired and no longer obsessed with finding his own existence. He had forgotten about the influence of everything around him.

The tide of fatigue began to wash over him, slowly engulfing his head.

A hand reached up and touched his cheek.

It was soft and warm.

He couldn't tell if it was a man's or a woman's hand, but it didn't matter.

Ling Shu felt comfortable and instinctively leaned into it. His body responded to the movement of the hand, like a cat being scratched under the chin, causing his body to sway slightly with pleasure.

"What's your name?" a voice asked.

"Ling Shu," he lazily replied, piecing together fragments from his memory.

"No, you're not Ling Shu. You're a cat."

"Hmm...I'm a cat," Ling Shu chuckled.

Being a cat wasn't so bad after all.

"Where is your home?" the voice asked.

"My home..." Ling Shu smelled the fragrance of flowers and felt his limbs go weak, not wanting to move at all.

"I can't remember."

"Your home is here," a mysterious voice said.

"Yes, my home is here."

He didn't want to argue, so he let the other person lead him by the nose.

"Who is your best friend?" the mysterious voice asked again.

Ling Shu murmured, "It's someone named Yue Dingtang."

As for which Yue and which two characters were Dingtang, he couldn't remember for a moment, so he answered based on his subconscious memory.

"No, you have no friends. After your parents died, you came here. We are all your relatives. Yue Dingtang is the person you hate the most."

Is that so?

A question mark slowly rose in his heart, and Ling Shu squinted, seeing nothing but boundless darkness.

The darkness can bring uncertain fear, but it can also make people indulge in it, relax their guard, and completely lose themselves.

"Well, he's the person I hate the most."

"So, you want to kill him. Just kill anyone named Yue Dingtang."

Kill him.

Kill.

Yue Dingtang.

His nails pierced into his palms, bringing a sharp pain.

Ling Shu was no stranger to the word "kill."

He himself was a person with hands stained with blood.

On the battlefield, from trembling hands holding a gun to not blinking while continuously shooting enemies with a machine gun, he had survived in trenches while carrying his comrades and witnessed their bodies becoming fragmented and bloody in front of him.

His heart had become as cold and hard as a stone in some ways.

Ling Shu sneered inwardly.

The kind of hypnotism that bewitches the mind may work easily on others, but for someone like Ling Shu who has experienced the baptism of iron and blood, it is like scratching an itch through a boot.

Perhaps at first, he would be half-persuaded, allowing his body to immerse in this beautiful illusion, but deep down in his soul, there is always a trace of sobriety, like a split soul, one half experiencing the play, the other half watching coldly.

At this moment, the opponent's attack has touched his bottom line, and the side of him that was a "cold-eyed observer" has been awakened, taking control of the body.

Although Ling Shu has not moved, his state of mind is no longer the same as before.

That mysterious and elusive voice simply sounds like a fool to him now.

Especially since the other party does not know that he is sober-minded and still tries to lure and mislead him time and time again.

"Kill the most important person to you, kill Yue Dingtang, do you understand?"

"I understand." Kill this damn devil!

"Kill him, then cut open his chest and take out his heart. This is your greatest loyalty to this family."

"Okay." Go to hell, if anyone's heart is going to be dug out, it should be yours!

"Can you do it?"

"I can." I'll fry and braise your liver and heart.

"Very good. After this is done, you will be the great protector of Azure Dragon Mountain Villa."

"I am the great protector."

Ling Shu seemed to be repeating the other person's words, deeply immersed in them and unable to extricate himself.

In fact, his mind became clearer and clearer, and he even felt like laughing at the title of "great protector."

In this day and age, even those who want to be emperor have been overthrown.

Where does the title of "great protector" come from?

The winds were howling and the waves were crashing, as powerful figures emerged one after another. Chaos and confusion were nothing new, as there were always those who reveled in it.

The Yiguan Dao Sect, however, saw this as an opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the people in these troubled times.

Although he didn't yet know how Miss Feng and the Fifth Young Master Wu had been lured in, Ling Shu believed that these sheltered young ladies and gentlemen were easy targets with their lack of worldly experience. Their vulnerabilities were numerous, and ripe for the taking.

But he didn't laugh.

The connection between Azure Dragon Villa and the Yiguan Dao Sect seemed to confirm Yue Dingtang's earlier words.

This was indeed a branch of the Yiguan Dao, a cult with malicious intentions that lured the three of them in to divide and conquer.

Ling Shu didn't fall for it because he didn't believe in ghosts and gods from the bottom of his heart.

But if it were Shen Renjie, he couldn't guarantee that the other party wouldn't be hypnotized and fall into the trap that had been calculated for him step by step.

And then there was Yue Dingtang...

Thinking of this, Ling Shu couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

Fortunately, in the darkness, he couldn't see the enemy, and the enemy naturally couldn't see him.

The enemy thought they had manipulated Ling Shu in the palm of their hand, completing a series of hypnosis and brainwashing.

Seeing that he was completely at their mercy, their voice naturally stopped.

Ling Shu finally found some peace and quiet, allowing him a moment to think.

There was no doubt that he was now in Azure Dragon Villa.

But where exactly was this villa located?

How many enemies were there?

How many people like him were being held captive or lured here?

He had no idea.

His gun had surely been taken away, but since the other party was willing to spend energy hypnotizing him, it meant that he still had some value and was not in immediate danger.

Likewise, Yue Dingtang and Shen Renjie were probably in the same situation.

He could easily adapt to any situation and wait for the other party to make the first move before deciding on the next step.

With this in mind, Ling Shu closed his eyes with a clear conscience.

Before long, a soft snoring sound could be heard.

In this mysterious place where he knew nothing, he was able to sleep so peacefully and confidently.

If someone was watching him in the darkness, they would probably be rolling their eyes in frustration right now.

However, Ling Shu couldn't sleep peacefully.

He was woken up three or four times, each time with the same hypnotic brainwashing as before.

He knew that the other side was not at ease and was trying to strengthen the effect, but anyone who was repeatedly woken up would not have a good temper.

He didn't lose his cool and kept the bigger picture in mind.

In this way, Ling Shu felt that he was truly great for enduring humiliation and carrying the burden.

The enemy never thought about what kind of chaotic thoughts were going through his mind.

Otherwise, they would have given up on assimilating him and just shot him instead.

After being woken up again, he didn't know how long it had been, but finally, there was a candle in front of him instead of endless darkness.

Without thinking, Ling Shu stretched and yawned, grateful for finally being able to sleep comfortably. However, he quickly remembered where he was and stopped himself, taking a look around the source of the light.

It was a small room, perhaps originally a storage room or had some other function, but now it only served one purpose: a prison cell.

Ling Shu didn't dare touch the candle, feeling like he had been manipulated too many times into being a puppet without any free will.

Instead, he just turned slightly and stared at the candle, pondering where Yue Dingtang was and what he was doing.

Was he as clear-headed as Ling Shu or had he fallen under the spell?

Clang!

Suddenly, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the empty space from afar, reaching Ling Shu's ears in a flash and causing him to startle.

"Please come to the banquet, honored guest!"

The elongated tone was like the noose of a hanged prisoner at dusk, permeating with a heavy and eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down one's spine.

Ling Shu watched as a man holding a candlestick walked up to the outside of the cell.

"Come out."

The dim candlelight illuminated his pale face, and the voice still did not seem to come from his mouth.

Ling Shu didn't know what a person truly hypnotized looked like, but now he had to act like a heavily controlled puppet, slowly standing up and walking towards the man.

"Open the door and come out."

As instructed, Ling Shu reached out his hand and to his surprise, the iron door of the cell was not locked and opened with a push.

He followed closely behind the man, carefully observing his footsteps and keeping pace without disrupting the rhythm. The man seemed to have no suspicions and continued to lead the way, which made Ling Shu secretly breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that he had guessed correctly.

Soon, people from various cells emerged from the darkness and followed behind them, silently and almost eerily.

Ling Shu tried hard to suppress the urge to turn back and search for Yue Dingtang, and instead followed the man out of the cell, up the stairs, through a narrow corridor, and finally into a larger room.

It was more of a banquet hall than a room, with a few more candles and chandeliers providing some light. The table was covered in white cloth, but there was no food in sight, only utensils. In the center of the table was a white candle. In an ordinary household, only funerals would make everything look so white.

Especially when there was no sound around, Ling Shu felt like he was in the midst of a cemetery full of zombies. Even if he was brave, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

There were about ten to twenty people in the same situation as him.

Ling Shu took a quick glance under the candlelight and found that everyone around him looked dull and lifeless, as if they had no soul and only breathed through their nostrils like the walking dead.

He quickly adjusted his breathing frequency and facial expression so that he looked no different from them, in order to avoid standing out and being recognized.

Each table could seat four people. Following the guide's command, everyone found their nearest seat and sat down.

As luck would have it, Ling Shu saw an old acquaintance sitting opposite him.

Shen Renjie.

While sitting down, Ling Shucao gave several winks to the other person, almost shedding tears in the process.

Shen Renjie showed no reaction, not even blinking his eyes.

A normal person would blink their eyes, but this was clearly a sign that his mind and body were deeply under control.

Ling Shu felt uneasy and thought to himself, "Am I going to have to be a lone hero and brave this deadly mountain villa alone today?"