Inner Demons

"Junior Martial Sister Liu Ling is still inside the restriction." The Taoist priest's words carried noticeable emotion. "I'm only worried that her Spiritual Soul has been in the Soul-Suppressing Sound Bell for too long and has damaged her mind. Sect Master, what exactly did the Two Saints think about this matter?"

The True Realm Taoist priest wanted to ask why, since the intention to kill Young Master Nine was to provoke a war, Liu Ling was chosen to do it. Any True Realm Taoist priest could have easily completed the mission, and the situation around the Wei River would never have turned into what it is now.

In Weicheng these days, the sound of weeping shook the heavens. Tens of thousands of people died in the city that day. Afterward, many more died in the fight with the Emperor of Ye in the Abandoned Palace. Almost every family in the city was affected, with relatives disappearing from the world.

The Taoist priests didn't care much about the life and death of one or two, or even a hundred or two thousand mortals, but no one liked staying in a perpetually mournful city.

Not to mention, Lingkongzi and Yue Yunzi had already been lost.

"Let's not mention it," Kun Wuzi had no intention of commenting on the rights and wrongs of the Two Saints. "A Saint has their foresight, which is beyond what you or I can fathom. Perhaps we won't understand in a year, two years, ten years, or a hundred years, but eventually, someone will see it. The world is a chessboard; we don't know who is a piece."

"However, regarding this matter, you must put your heart into it. That martial artist rescued the Qiao Family girl. Do we know the martial artist's background?"

"Just a martial artist from the jianghu. The details are not very clear, but he seems to have ties with that Li Yunxin demon. We made several plans and considered various scenarios, hoping that Qiao Jiaxin would be rescued by Li Yunxin's people. In the end, he stumbled in on his own," the Taoist priest said. "This is even better. It leaves no trace; no one will see through it."

"Then you go and handle this matter well," Kun Wuzi said. "You need to pass the Heart-Losing Tribulation, so go and trick open that Dongting restriction. We don't have much time. The True Dragon has disappeared and might be rushing toward Dongting. You only have one chance. If you fail, we will have to use these formations. That will be a great catastrophe, and I cannot bear to see it happen."

"Yes."

Yu Meng had once escorted Li Yunxin and Qiao Jiaxin back to Weicheng, but the girl was unconscious then, or perhaps she had already died.

Ying Jueran had some connection with Qiao Jiaxin, but it was only as "the daughter of a friend he had met," and they were not close.

Therefore, neither of them knew if the current "Qiao Jiaxin" was the same Qiao Jiaxin from before.

Qiao Jiaxin was deep in the dense forest.

She was still a Faceless ghost, but her form was no longer the ethereal appearance Li Yunxin first saw. Her body now had "weight." When Ying Jueran pulled her, it felt like pulling a gust of wind. Although she was called Faceless, faint outlines occasionally appeared when she stood still.

For example, right now. This Qiao Jiaxin, dressed in a smoke-like white robe, stood still under a few colossal trees that several people couldn't link their arms around, only staring straight through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

When she moved, her face was like a blank slate. But when she stood for a long time, colors and shadows slowly seeped out from the "blank slate." Little by little, thread by thread, they outlined the girl's original features. Looking at it this way, her face did indeed look like it was gathered from incense smoke. If she shook slightly, the smoke would dissipate.

In reality, this was precisely the case. Li Yunxin allowed Qiao Jiaxin to enjoy the incense worship of the people along with his five demons; her form was gradually condensing. Her face was also slowly returning.

It was just that she was still a child when she died, and her mind was not as firm as an adult's. Moreover, the four demons and San Hua all had the foundation of a demon's spiritual intelligence, so their progress was much faster than hers.

At this moment, Qiao Jiaxin stood in the dense forest, staring blankly at the branches and leaves. It took a quarter of an hour for her facial features to condense on her face, and only then did Wusu and Lili finally dare to look closely at this girl, who was about the same age as them.

They should not have lingered here. They were indeed rushing before.

Qiao Jiaxin's ghost did not speak, but she had a mind. After helping Ying Jueran escape the danger earlier, she even nodded slightly to him to express thanks.

Whether it was Ying Jueran, Yu Meng, Wusu, Lili, or the dozens of jianghu martial artists, they were all astonished by her existence—this was a genuine ghost. They were not Li Yunxin. Ghosts and demons were in the category of "probably do exist" for secular people. People often claimed to have seen demons and ghosts, but ordinary people might never witness them in a lifetime.

Now, they had seen one with their own eyes. Despite the baptism of a series of strange events in Weicheng, the sense of astonishment was still strong.

Therefore, when Qiao Jiaxin suddenly stopped here, people didn't know what to do.

They couldn't pull her, either.

Earlier, Ying Jueran could lead her because she was willing to follow. Otherwise, his hand would pass through her body, and he would feel a bone-chilling coldness.

They had told her a few things along the way, saying they would take her to find Li Yunxin. They also mentioned Ying Jueran's friendship with her father. Since the ghost didn't speak, everyone assumed she understood. Unexpectedly, this accident happened at this time.

People whispered, fearing that the ghost would turn vicious and harm them.

Ying Jueran wasn't afraid—at least he didn't look afraid. He walked to her side and patiently asked what was going on.

No one knew she was remembering some things.

The mind of a Spiritual Soul that leaves the body to become a ghost is damaged. And for someone like her, who was immediately possessed after death, the damage was even more severe. As a ghost, she could only remember things based on instinct. For example, she was attached to the Qiao Family's manor and felt close to Li Yunxin.

Afterward, as she received the power of incense and vows, her spiritual intelligence gradually became clearer.

Then came today, reaching this place—

She finally remembered that night.

That kind of night, experiencing terrible despair. After the despair came surprise, fear, and then being killed—she didn't even have time to be afraid before dying. That night was also in the forest, with such towering trees. It was only now, three months after her death, that she realized—

All her former relatives were gone; they had died. Only she was left in this world as a lonely ghost.

Qiao Jiaxin stood like this for a quarter of an hour, and finally, more vivid expressions appeared on her face.

A moment later, she gently exhaled.

This breath was very, very soft.

But a green leafy branch slanting in front of her was moved by her breath.

The closest person to her was only Ying Jueran. Right after she exhaled, Black Saber suddenly felt that the ghost's body had undergone some kind of change. But he couldn't quite tell what had changed, only that—

She seemed "closer."

Looking at Qiao Jiaxin before was like looking at a mist, a rain, or a wind. She was separated from the world; even standing in front of him, she felt so far away—that was a ghost.

But looking at her now—

He felt that she had returned to this world. (To be continued.)

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