“Anyway, since that day, our Peach Blossom Isle hasn't received any outside guests for a very long time. It's because we're afraid of encountering this kind of thing again.”

The receiving disciple's cultivation wasn't deep, and he wasn't old. When Wu Xingxue was running rampant, he was likely too young to remember. Yet, his face still turned deathly pale as he spoke of these things. It showed how deep the shadow of this past event was, passed down by word of mouth.

“The ones who were hit the hardest at that time were Mister Yi Wusheng and our Family Head. After all, those who met a tragic end were their closest relatives,” the receiving disciple said. “Mister Yi Wusheng was overwhelmed with grief, nearly suffering from cultivation deviation. After that, his health deteriorated greatly. I suppose it's true that a healer cannot heal himself. He needs to enter seclusion for a period every year to recuperate and rest, to avoid perishing on this path of cultivation.”

“As for the Family Head, he himself said that he was practically possessed during that time.”

In those years, Hua Zhaoting was deeply suspicious. He felt there was something wrong with everyone around him—of the thousand or so people on Peach Blossom Isle, any one of them could be possessed by an Evil Demon. They would pretend to be ordinary and harmless, then wait for an opportunity to devour the people on the isle.

The courtyard where Hua Zhaoting lived was called Jianhua Hall.

In the past, Jianhua Hall housed twelve sword-wielding disciples personally led by the Family Head, as well as numerous other disciples for cleaning and miscellaneous tasks. After the incident with Wu Xingxue, the entire Jianhua Hall was completely emptied.

All the disciples moved back to the Disciple Hall. No one was allowed to stay.

Hua Zhaoting, the dignified Family Head, developed the habit of living alone. Whatever needed to be done in Jianhua Hall, he did it all himself.

This habit has continued to this day.

“After that day, the three halls of our Peach Blossom Isle became four. A Punishment Hall was added,” said the receiving disciple.

“Punishment Hall? What does it do?” Wu Xingxue asked.

“It inspects for Evil Demons,” the receiving disciple explained. “Every morning when we disciples wake up, the first thing we do is report to the Punishment Hall to have our souls checked by the Punishment Hall Elder. A Soul-Probing Talisman is placed on the wrist, and it can tell if one is an Evil Demon or has been possessed.”

“Every day?” Wu Xingxue asked, astonished.

“Yes, every day.” The receiving disciple added, “Once in the morning and once at night. After finishing our evening studies, we also have to go to the Punishment Hall. This is especially true for the disciples on patrol duty within the isle for the day, as they are in the most danger.”

“…”

This shadow was indeed a large one.

Wu Xingxue said, “Your Punishment Hall Elder doesn’t have it easy, doing the same motion from morning till night every day. In storybooks, people like that either raise the banner of rebellion or suffer from cultivation deviation.”

The receiving disciple: “…”

Wu Xingxue: “He’d better check his own soul too.”

The receiving disciple: “…He does.”

Wu Xingxue thought for a moment, then hummed. “So, after saying all that, was it to make it easier to bring this up?”

The receiving disciple: “?”

Wu Xingxue very calmly pulled up his sleeve, revealing a section of his wrist.

The receiving disciple looked at his wrist, silent for a moment, before awkwardly taking out a golden-patterned paper talisman with the character for "Hua" on it from his sleeve pocket.

He had recounted such a long story and laid so much groundwork, all for these two Soul-Probing Talismans.

There was no other way. An Immortal Sect as renowned as the Hua Family valued its reputation and etiquette; they couldn't possibly neglect the proper courtesy for guests. If a guest seeking medical treatment was dragged off to the Punishment Hall for an inspection the moment they arrived, it would sound bad if word got out.

They could only use this method to gently guide the guest, making them feel that being checked was not unreasonable, and was perhaps even extremely necessary.

The receiving disciple unfurled the Soul-Probing Talisman and bowed to Wu Xingxue. “My apologies for the offense. The Family Head said this is truly a last resort, and we hope you can be understanding.”

“It's to be expected. But your Family Head must have also told you that I am a living soul who accidentally ended up in someone else's body. I wonder if the Soul-Probing Talisman will mistake me for an Evil Demon possession?” Wu Xingxue paused, then added, “Also, I don't know if the original owner of this body was good or bad.”

The receiving disciple: “Rest assured. To put it bluntly, even if the original owner of this shell was wicked beyond redemption, as long as your living soul is not an Evil Demon, nothing will happen. Moreover, even if there are remnants of the wicked original owner's soul, the Soul-Probing Talisman will reveal it, and it won't be counted against you.”

“Oh, is that so.” Wu Xingxue nodded.

Having explained everything clearly, the receiving disciple was about to place the paper talisman on Wu Xingxue's wrist.

But just as it was about to touch him, Wu Xingxue suddenly raised two fingers—and blocked him.

The receiving disciple’s heart leaped in shock!

Even the sword-bearing puppet raised its eyes. The sword seemed to shift slightly, and the faint sound of rattling chains could be heard from somewhere.

“What is it?” The receiving disciple's paper talisman trembled as he snapped his gaze toward the guest.

This Young Master Cheng was passably handsome, but among the people of extraordinary bearing in an Immortal Sect, he could only be described as 'ordinary'. However, he had nice eyes. They were especially beautiful when they held the light from the window.

…

They almost didn't seem to match his face.

In an instant, the receiving disciple's scalp tingled, and a chill shot straight up his spine.

But then he saw Young Master Cheng smile. “You're quite amusing. What are you so flustered about?”

When he smiled, his eyes grew even brighter, like black amber washed in a cold spring.

…They really didn't match his face.

The receiving disciple didn't relax much because of his smile. The hair on his body stood on end, and he didn't dare to move at all.

Young Master Cheng saw this and gave a slightly mischievous smile. “That block just now, was it quite thrilling?”

The receiving disciple: “…”

'You son of a—'

If it weren't for the Hua Family's upbringing and reputation, he really would have cursed this guest out.

“I heard on my way here that the left hand connects to the heart, so it’s more accurate for probing spirits and souls. I don’t know if that’s true or not.” The young master switched to his left hand, rolling up his sleeve. “But this way is more reassuring, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Yes.” The receiving disciple cursed inwardly as he placed the Soul-Probing Talisman on his wrist.

The Soul-Probing Talismans personally used by the Hua Family's Punishment Hall were quite famous throughout the world. Some Immortal Sects would come to the Hua Family every year to purchase some. And the Hua Family often did good deeds, giving some away to the city's common people every month.

If it was a case of Evil Demon possession, this paper talisman would change color, from gold to red.

A light color meant it had only been a short time, and perhaps there was still a chance of being saved.

A deep color meant it had been a long time.

If it turned a blood-red color that was almost black, then the person was a complete Evil Demon, without a shred of their original nature left.

The receiving disciple stared intently at the paper talisman on Young Master Cheng's wrist. He stared for a good while, until his eyes started to ache. The paper talisman showed no sign of changing color.

Thank goodness…

That scared me to death.

He didn't say anything, but inwardly, he let out a long sigh of relief.

As he peeled off the talisman, he caught a glimpse of the sword-bearing puppet out of the corner of his eye.

Peach Blossom Isle also had puppets, used by the disciples for training or for doing heavy labor.

In his everyday understanding, puppets moved only on command. They wouldn't make a single superfluous movement besides what their master ordered. When they stood, they just stood, staring straight ahead, and they wouldn't speak.

But this Young Master Cheng's puppet had turned to watch him from the moment he applied the talisman until he removed it, its expression grim and emotionless.

It was as if the puppet's longsword would have been unsheathed had there been the slightest mishap.

The receiving disciple thought for a moment, then took out another Soul-Probing Talisman and, without a word, slapped it onto the puppet's wrist.