Xue Chenjing hadn't expected her to suddenly bring this up. He paused for a moment before saying, "Aren't you clear-headed now? As long as you're clear-headed, you won't be deceived anymore."
Unless he implanted new cognition in her again, but he couldn't do that now. He had made a vow, and doing so again would only tear apart his spiritual core.
Yu Yi looked at him and said, "I don't want those fabricated things to remain in my mind."
Xue Chenjing pursed his lips, feeling displeased by the obvious disdain in her eyes. But this time, he hid his emotions well, putting on a troubled expression as he said, "I can't erase it. I don't know how to erase it. I can only implant another cognition to cover the previous one, but I'm bound by an oath now."
Yu Yi didn't believe his words and asked, "What about those people whose cognition you've altered before?"
"Either kill them, or kill the 'me' in their cognition."
That's how he used to resolve it in the past. For example, with the group of disciples guarding the back mountain of the Lishan Sword Sect, when he wanted to shed his identity as a "Lishan disciple," he just had to kill everyone he had implanted with that cognition.
Of course, he could also choose to overwrite the previously implanted cognition, changing his identity to that of an insignificant person, but most of the time, killing them was simpler.
Xue Chenjing "observed" Yu Yi's expression and said ingratiatingly, "The name 'Aqiu' is real. It's the courtesy name my father had prepared for me. It's not made up."
However, he had left home before that and never returned, so he never had the formal coming-of-age ceremony.
"You can call me Aqiu. I like hearing you call me that."
What a beautiful dream, Yu Yi thought. She had no intention of calling him that. They weren't close enough for that. Or rather, she didn't want to actively step into the sweet trap Xue Chenjing had fabricated and play into his hands.
The casual way Xue Chenjing spoke about killing people was so nonchalant, as if he was simply plucking a blade of grass from the roadside. Human life was so cheap in his heart, it was terrifying. How could he possibly understand how to cherish anything else?
Yu Yi still remembered that blood-stained shallow beach, and the scene of him unhesitatingly piercing the heart of his senior brother who was protecting him. Just recalling it, no matter how he pretended or acted now, she could remain indifferent.
Before she could speak, Li Su, full of jealousy, shouted from the side, "No way! You can't call him that. Huai Li, I've known you for a hundred years, and you've never called me 'A Su.' Why should you call him that? Unless you call me that first."
That was the little bird spirit's cat. Yu Yi naturally wouldn't call him that.
Xue Chenjing truly didn't care how she addressed him. After all, whether she called him or not wouldn't increase his points. He just wanted to find a chance for Yu Yi to touch him again voluntarily, just once would be enough.
He said understandingly, "It's alright. If you don't want to call me that, then don't. I won't force you like others might. You can address me however you like. I'll do whatever you say."
The other "person" was angered into meowing.
Before leaving the confinement room, Xue Chenjing took off his eye-catching bridal clothes and reluctantly put on the spare clothes of the cat spirit.
Although Li Su had lived for over a hundred years, he still looked like a young man, while Ji Hanyi had the build and physique of an adult man.
The clothes were a bit tight on him, stretching tightly across his shoulders.
Xue Chenjing was constantly striving for his mission points, so he pleaded, "Master, could you help me adjust my clothes?"
The troublemaking cat spirit once again stepped forward first, cracking his knuckles with a forced smile, "Immortal Lord is quite delicate, needing someone to help him dress. Let me help you instead, after all, these are my clothes. I'm more familiar with how to wear them than Huai Li."
Xue Chenjing forcefully pulled the clothes up to his shoulders, causing the fabric to tear with a ripping sound. He said in a low voice, "Get lost."
Li Su immediately turned to tattle, "Huai Li, did you see that? He changes face faster than turning a page. This kind of man is the most unreliable!"
The little bird spirit's soul was made very nervous by their occasional confrontations, yet Yu Yi still wanted to add fuel to the fire, saying, "The Mountain Lord has several wolf spirit guards with keen noses. Li Su, you should hug the Immortal Lord or rub against him to transfer more of your scent onto him, to cover up the human cultivator's scent."
After she said this, both men showed disgusted expressions and said in unison, "Impossible."
But the cat spirit's eyes rolled, and he quickly changed his tune, "Well, it's not entirely impossible, but the Immortal Lord's immortal aura is too strong. Just hugging or rubbing won't be enough to suppress it. I'm afraid only a splash of urine would do the trick."
Xue Chenjing was so disgusted he stepped back, his tentacles forming a barrier in front of him. Golden snake scales crawled up to the tips, armoring them into sharp spears that glinted golden in the light of the shark oil lamp. "You dare!"
He turned his head towards Yu Yi and said through gritted teeth, "Master, please rest assured. I won't let anyone detect my aura."
As Xue Chenjing said this, the aura around him indeed began to fade.
Whether it was the lingering bloody smell, the powder fragrance that Ji Hanyi had been forced to wear, or even the cat spirit's scent left on his clothes, everything was thoroughly cleansed.
Even the wind would carry different scents from its surroundings, but he could achieve a state of having no scent at all.
Li Su sniffed towards him a couple of times, asking in surprise, "How did you do that?"
Xue Chenjing replied impatiently, "It's none of your business."
Yu Yi remembered that the book had mentioned something about the villain indeed having some methods to conceal his aura, which was how he could frequently infiltrate the righteous immortal sects to cause trouble.
She explained to Xue Chenjing in advance, "Alright, but if we're discovered by the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord after we leave, I'll hand you over to her directly."
Only this way would Huai Li not immediately turn into a roasted little bird.
Hearing this, Li Su felt a surge of joy in his heart, but then sensed something odd. This wasn't like something Huai Li would do. From what he knew of her, she would never sacrifice others for her own safety.
But before he could think it through, he saw that cunning human cultivator nodding obediently, lowering his head to try and get close to Huai Li. He deliberately lowered his voice, saying softly, "I'll do whatever Master says."
Li Su no longer had the mind to think about anything else, focusing only on guarding against this human cultivator who was trying to seduce Huai Li at every opportunity.
Besides the entrance on the altar, this confinement room had another door located on the mountainside, which was a security door for patrol personnel to enter and exit.
When they came out from the mountainside, it was the middle of the night. Dark Cinnabar Mountain was still brightly lit, as the Mountain Lord hadn't given up on searching for Ji Hanyi. The spirits were gathered at the top of the altar, trying to break open that damned confinement room from the outside.
Xue Chenjing secretly sent an order to the Xuan Dan Mountain Lord, commanding her to remove all the spirits from their original positions at the foot of the mountain.
The three of them returned to the palace complex at the foot of the mountain almost unimpeded. Yu Yi, holding the complete Soul Settling Formation diagram, deduced the location of the formation gate and headed there.
The gate of the Soul Settling Formation happened to be under the large locust tree in the central area, where there was a shrine called Huai'an Hall, the ancestral shrine of this branch of the Ji family.
The location was gloomy, with the locust tree's leafy canopy covering the entire shrine. When the Ji Clan was still around, this locust tree had developed a tree spirit that had been guarding the shrine ever since.
When Xuan Dan originally occupied this place, she led a group of spirits to destroy the shrine out of anger. She had initially wanted to kill the Pagoda Tree Spirit that had been used by humans, but then thought that someone should witness the state of the Ji family shrine, so she left it alive until now.
The gate of the Soul Settling Formation was set there, so the Pagoda Tree Spirit must know the inside story.
Yu Yi told Li Su to support Xue Chenjing, half-carrying him as they walked forward. The three stumbled into Huai'an Hall.
The shrine still maintained the appearance it had when it was destroyed. The plaque was shattered into pieces lying under the porch, with stains penetrating the nanmu wood, making the inscriptions illegible.
The beams and pillars had also collapsed for the most part, with broken tiles scattered all over the ground. Especially the tablets inside, it was almost impossible to find a clean and intact piece. Every remaining fragment bore some cursing and insulting characters, with traces of fire burning visible on every inch of land here.
The ancestral hall reeked to high heaven. According to Li Su, it had been doused with feces and urine for forty-nine days straight. Back then, these demons had specifically stolen nightsoil from the villages at the foot of the mountain to offer as tribute to the deceased ancestors of the Ji Clan.
Li Su gripped the immortal lord's arm tightly, supporting half his weight on his shoulder, and said maliciously, "Anyway, every tablet here has been drenched in excrement and trampled by countless demons."
"Shut up," Xue Chenjing reprimanded in a low voice. Feeling the turbulent emotions of the other soul within him, he rubbed his brow and suppressed Ji Hanyi's resistance once again.
Yu Yi turned her head to scan the four walls of the ancestral hall, then looked up at the large pagoda tree overhead.
She had naturally investigated this ancestral hall before, but hadn't discovered anything unusual. She had even been inexplicably cursed at by the tree spirit of this lush pagoda tree that shaded the entire hall.
At that time, the scolding had made Huai Li cry.
Now, that pagoda tree spirit was lying back on its branches, its semi-transparent spiritual form emitting a faint glow. Hearing the commotion of intruders, it immediately started cursing: "You bunch of savage ruffians, there's nothing left here for you to vent your anger on. What are you doing here?"
The pagoda tree began to shake violently, its trunk bending down as its massive seed pods swung like hammers towards the intruders. Branches lashed out, sending bricks and stones flying as it roared, "Get out! Get out now!"
A shower of pagoda tree flowers scattered through the air like stars, creating a surprisingly beautiful scene for just a moment.
"Huai Li, be careful," Li Su flashed in front of Yu Yi, shielding her behind him. At the same time, he pushed Xue Chenjing out with one hand, saying, "Look carefully, you old tree. If you kill your immortal lord, you'll be the one crying."
Xue Chenjing coughed up a mouthful of blood at the push. He was half-conscious and weakly falling towards the filthy ground. Fortunately, the tree spirit reacted quickly, extending a branch to catch the immortal lord in its lush foliage.
The pagoda tree spirit suddenly sat up on its branch. With its white beard and hair, it was only half the height of a person. It flew lightly onto a leaf, which shook to turn the immortal lord over so it could examine him closely.
After a long while, it finally recognized this immortal lord of the Ji Family and reached out to support him, saying, "It really is the immortal lord. My lord, you..."
The tree spirit choked up. Seeing the blood-stained gauze over his eyes, it wiped the corners of its own eyes with its sleeve and wept, "This old one was useless, unable to protect the ancestral hall or save the immortal lord. I could only watch as a group of evil spirits bullied you."
Xue Chenjing shook his head gently. "It's not your fault. My own abilities were lacking, which is why I ended up in this state."
Li Su interrupted their master-servant exchange: "Old tree, you should thank us properly. If it weren't for Huai Li and me rescuing your immortal lord, he would have died long ago in the Mountain Lord's bed."
At this point, Li Su's cat eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something. He turned his head to wink at Yu Yi, not missing any chance to slander that human cultivator. He leaned in close and whispered, "That's right, it took him so long to escape from the bridal chamber, he must have been defiled long ago."
Xue Chenjing was still lying on the pagoda tree branch, pretending to be severely injured. The system chattered in his ear: "He's slandering you! I suggest you must find a chance to explain clearly to the female lead that the snake demon never touched you."
Xue Chenjing was completely unconcerned. "He's slandering Ji Hanyi. What does that have to do with me, Xue Chenjing?"
The system said helplessly, "But you and Ji Hanyi are one and the same now. The female lead doesn't know when you entered the Ghost Realm. What if she misunderstands you?"
Hearing this, Xue Chenjing observed Yu Yi and saw that she clearly didn't care at all.
Meanwhile, Li Su was looking smug. He raised his tail to Yu Yi's hand, curling it around her fingers. The tips of his ears turned red as he said, "Huai Li, stay away from him in the future. Don't let him touch you again. If you want to touch someone, touch me. I'll only let you touch me."
The little bird demon's soul squeezed past Yu Yi and raised a hand to cover his cat mouth, saying urgently, "Don't talk nonsense. If the immortal lord hears you, he'll be upset."
Is that the point? Is there nothing in her head except concern for that despicable human cultivator?
Li Su's expression instantly darkened, the blush disappearing from his face. He turned away and glared fiercely at the despicable human cultivator, then said nothing more.
Huai Li timidly lowered his hand, gripping the lingering sensation of Li Su in his palm, and asked in confusion, "Yu Yi, did I do something wrong? Why is Li Su angry again?"
Yu Yi laughed inwardly. "No, you did very well."
The pagoda tree spirit shook its branches, carefully sheltering the severely injured immortal lord under its leaves. It looked at the two small demons whispering to each other with hostility, wanting to confirm if its immortal lord was being coerced by them.
Xue Chenjing closed his eyes. Ji Hanyi's soul was resisting fiercely, so he had to focus on suppressing him to avoid being affected by his agitated emotions.
Feeling the tree spirit's gaze, he placed a hand on his chest and struggled to sit up. "I once had some friendly relations with that little bird demon. They did indeed save me. We have nowhere else to go now, so we can only come to the ancestral hall for temporary shelter."
Only then did the tree spirit withdraw its hostility, though its gaze towards Huai Li and Li Su still held wariness. It sighed, "The ancestral hall has already been destroyed to this state. Where is there left to hide?"
Li Su opened his mouth to curse, but was stopped by Yu Yi raising her hand. "Grandfather Tree Spirit, there are demon guards searching for the immortal lord everywhere. We could only bring him here to ask for your help. No matter what, we'll leave the immortal lord in your care. We'll go draw away the searching demon guards first."
She gave Xue Chenjing one last look, then grabbed the cat demon's sleeve and pulled him quickly out of the ancestral hall.
Xue Chenjing pretended to pass out. The tree spirit examined him carefully once more, saw the Ji Family emblem connected to the meridians on the inside of his elbow, and finally dispelled all doubts in its heart.
The pagoda tree's dense branches intertwined, lifting the immortal lord and carrying him into the half-collapsed ancestral hall.
The tree spirit grasped Xue Chenjing's hand, its fingers turning into sharp twigs. It cut open a wound on his palm, then reached into its own chest and dug out a green bud, placing it in the wound on his palm.
The bud entered with the blood, and a green light crawled up Xue Chenjing's arm along his meridians. All the spiritual power from the thousand-year-old pagoda tree flowed into his body with this green light.
As the broken meridians in this body began to repair along with the entering roots, Xue Chenjing woke up at the right moment. The veins on his neck bulged as he gritted his teeth and asked, "What are you doing?"
The spiritual form before him said shamefully, "When this old one was still a seedling, I received the careful cultivation of the Ji Family ancestors, which allowed me to grow and gain sentience. Now I have no other way to repay them except to offer all my spiritual power to reconnect the immortal lord's meridians, hoping to help you escape the demons' torment."
"No, I don't need you to do this," Xue Chenjing took a deep breath and reached out to try to dig out the bud that had burrowed into his palm.
"My lord, if you want to open the underground palace to hide, you must use spiritual power. There's no need to refuse, this is what this old one is willing to do." The tree spirit revealed a relieved smile. Having lost its core, its physical form began to wither and decay at a visible rate, with dry leaves and crushed flowers drifting down.
Its spiritual form also began to gradually dissipate. In its final moment, the tree spirit pushed the filthy altar inside the ancestral hall and said, "My lord, once you recover your spiritual power, please leave this place through the underground passage as soon as possible."
Half of Xue Chenjing's body was enveloped by the green light crawling along his blood vessels. The tree spirit's core was like a seed, taking root in his body and beginning to grow wildly.
Branches reconnected his broken bones, stems and leaves formed new meridians to replace the ruined ones. As sensation returned to this body, Xue Chenjing was wracked with pain, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He gripped a nearby pagoda tree branch tightly until it lost its vitality in his palm, becoming a withered branch that broke easily.
When the tree spirit's core had fully merged with his body and all his meridians were reconnected, Xue Chenjing was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
He threw away the dry branch in his hand and, still not satisfied, turned back to stamp on the withered pagoda tree trunk, cursing loudly, "Who the hell asked you to reconnect my meridians and mend my broken bones! It hurt like hell."
When Yu Yi and Li Su returned, alarmed by the rapidly withering pagoda tree, this was the scene they witnessed.
The cat demon immediately shouted, "Weren't you supposed to ask it about the Soul Settling Formation? Why did you kill it?"
Xue Chenjing turned his back, rubbing the soaked bandage over his eyes. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said coldly, "I didn't even get a chance to ask before it died."
