Chapter 76

Lanruo Temple, deep into the night.

"Miss, what are you hesitating about? If you don't change out of your wet clothes, you'll catch a cold," Sun Ran urged again.

His face showed no signs of impatience, only concern, which made him seem nothing like a lecherous man.

Xiaoqian quickly noticed this. She looked into the man's eyes, which were clear and rational, devoid of any lust, unlike any man she had seen before.

This was different from what Grandma had said. Grandma had always told her that all men were lechers, especially scholars, who appeared upright and spoke of morality, but were actually despicable inside. Her past experiences had proven Grandma's words to be true, so Xiaoqian believed the world was like this.

Now, encountering such a strange person, Xiaoqian was at a loss for a moment. Should she harm him? But he showed no lust, only concern. Wouldn't harming him be repaying kindness with ingratitude?

She stood there, stunned.

She couldn't hide her thoughts; whatever she thought, her eyes would reveal. Sun Ran, a shrewd person, saw through her and quickly understood her thoughts, which made him appreciate her even more.

This female ghost had a good nature, worth the effort to save.

With this thought, Sun Ran got out of his bedding, took a few steps forward, and held Xiaoqian's hand, exclaiming, "Oh, Miss, your hands are so cold. If we don't get rid of the cold, it will be a big problem."

Xiaoqian smiled bitterly in her heart. As a ghost, she was naturally cold; how could her hands be warm? Seeing the concern on Sun Ran's face deepen, she felt guilty. He was a good person, perhaps a bit naive from reading too many books, but genuinely kind. How could she harm such a good person?

With this thought, Xiaoqian decided to leave. She pulled her hand away and said softly, "Sir, I must go."

"Go? What nonsense! It's so late, and we're in the middle of nowhere. Where would a weak woman like you go?" Sun Ran's face turned stern as he pulled the female ghost to his bedding and insisted on taking off her clothes.

"Sir..." Xiaoqian struggled but didn't use much force, afraid of hurting Sun Ran.

Sun Ran suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, I understand. You're shy, aren't you? Oh, how careless of me. Here, you warm up here, and I'll wait outside."

Without waiting for Xiaoqian to refuse, he stood up and walked to the temple entrance, turning his back to her and guarding the door.

Inside the temple, Xiaoqian was at a loss. After a while, she suddenly felt very warm. Looking down, she saw that she was sitting on the scholar's bedding, which was radiating warmth.

This warmth was special, intensely warm, and it comforted her cold body, making her reluctant to leave.

Actually, this was a Daoist technique released by Sun Ran.

The technique was called "Soul Stabilization," a first-level spell that eliminated all environmental disturbances, creating a peaceful and stable state to protect the delicate soul from harm.

But Xiaoqian didn't know this.

She was very curious and remembered what Grandma had said. Grandma had told her that truly sincere people carried pure yang energy, and such people should never be harmed. If they didn't have pure yang energy, they were impure and shouldn't exist in the world.

Xiaoqian had asked what pure yang energy felt like.

At such times, Grandma's wrinkled face would show a strange smile, saying, "When you get close to pure yang energy, you'll feel very comfortable and warm."

Now, she felt very warm and comfortable. Could this be the pure yang energy Grandma often talked about? So, this scholar was a truly good person?

Xiaoqian was amazed. Just sitting on the bedding was so comfortable. If she slept in it, it would be even better. As a ghost, she was deeply cold and lacked a sense of security, craving warmth ten times more than a normal person. However, she was soaked, and getting into the bedding would make it wet, which wouldn't be good.

Should she take off her clothes and get in to warm up? This thought finally came to her, but it was too embarrassing. How could she get into a man's bedding naked?

She turned to look at Sun Ran, who was always respectful, his back to her, not even glancing back. Her embarrassment lessened, and she realized he was indeed a good person.

She looked around the temple, seeing that everyone was asleep. After much hesitation, even though the pure yang energy was tempting, she couldn't bring herself to take off her clothes.

Grandma had said that even if she met a truly good person, a good woman shouldn't undress casually unless the good person agreed to marry her. Then she could leave Lanruo Temple and Grandma, and live a happy life away from the darkness and cold.

Xiaoqian was very hopeful when she heard this.

But Grandma also said that as a ghost, even if a good man agreed to marry her, they would be separated by the boundary between the living and the dead. Living together would shorten his life, and he wouldn't live past forty.

Thus, Xiaoqian's heart was shattered by this destroyer, and she no longer had any hope for her future.

Now, she had met a good person. If she asked, he might agree to marry her. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. If her happiness came at the cost of his shortened life, she would rather not have it.

At the temple entrance, Sun Ran watched Xiaoqian's changing expressions, his face calm, but his heart anxious.

In his mind, Chang'e's voice sounded, "Rose Tree, why are you trying to get her to take off her clothes? Be careful, she might accuse you of virtual rape when she comes to her senses!"

Sun Ran collected his thoughts and chuckled, "Isn't there the Ruji Company? I'm doing this for the mission. If I get sued, you'll have to back me up."

"For the mission?" Chang'e was puzzled.

Sun Ran nodded and explained, "I've figured it out. Xiaoqian is not only under a Soul Binding Spell but also a Soul Destruction Curse. If she escapes control, the destroyer will make her soul dissipate, which means brain death in reality."

Chang'e gasped, understanding, "You mean the white robe is the Soul Destruction Curse?"

Sun Ran nodded, "Yes. The white robe has two functions: one is to protect Xiaoqian's soul from being extinguished by the wind and rain. The other is the Soul Destruction Curse. It's not advanced, with low intelligence. As long as the cursed person doesn't resist and takes it off voluntarily, it won't trigger an alarm."

Xiaoqian was a low-level ghost. Without protection, she would be in danger in such a rainy night.

Chang'e understood but had a doubt, "If it's the manifestation of the Soul Destruction Curse, how can the robe be taken off?"

Sun Ran smiled, "It couldn't be taken off before, but now it can, because I've tampered with it."

Chang'e immediately turned the camera to Xiaoqian. Since this mission involved player brain safety, it was a company secret, and only she was responsible for it, with no other administrators knowing.

In the camera, Xiaoqian sat there, looking sad, as if she wanted to leave but couldn't bear to, showing her inner struggle.

Chang'e understood the power of the white robe and became anxious, asking, "Why isn't she taking it off?"

The white robe was the key to success or failure, and she couldn't help but be concerned.

Sun Ran sighed, "If I'm right, the destroyer is skilled at manipulating hearts. Besides the Soul Binding Spell, he has also implanted many mental chains in her through her personality. This is a problem."

"Personality? Mental chains?" Chang'e repeated Sun Ran's words, then asked, "If you know Xiaoqian's personality, can you break the chains?"

Sun Ran pondered and then said, "There's a high chance of success."

"Good, I have some footage of her luring men in Lanruo Temple. Analyze her personality from it."

Xiaoqian wouldn't manifest voluntarily at other times, so there was no footage.

Sun Ran nodded. He had to carefully grasp the female ghost's personality to reverse her mental chains.