Chapter 6

As the gray mist continuously seeped into Zhan Yi's body, it emitted faint cries, as if in great joy. After a long time, the mist finally dissipated, and the paper talismans under the lamps suddenly glowed red, turning into flames that shot straight into Zhan Yi's body.

In a daze, Zhan Yi felt a sharp pain in his body and couldn't help but slap the large incense burner with both hands. This slap caused his hands to bleed, leaving two bloody handprints on the incense burner.

The large incense burner then emitted a golden light, followed by a loud boom, shattering into pieces. Golden lightning bolts shot out from the fragments, piercing directly into Zhan Yi's forehead until they were all absorbed, and the room finally fell silent.

Under the light, Zhan Yi's body began to change color, reflecting the various lights around him—now golden yellow, now light green, now pale blue... until it turned half black and half white, emitting a continuous glow.

At this point, Zhan Yi felt the pain gradually fade, but something in his mind seemed to be trying to burst out. Many scenes he couldn't understand flashed before his eyes, all of them different versions of himself—some in monk's robes, some in Taoist robes, and some even holding a wooden fish, each with a different expression.

He didn't know why he was seeing these scenes, but he felt that each one seemed to be a story from his own life. He wanted to know what had happened in those stories, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.

As these images flashed through his mind, the blood in his body began to flow rapidly, as if infused with strange energies that were constantly circulating and being refined by his body.

Soon, the images in his mind disappeared, replaced by various monster-like figures—some like dragons, some like tigers, some like wolves, and even some like trees or tombstones, and some he couldn't identify.

He felt familiar with these figures but couldn't remember where he had seen them. His mind felt as if it were about to burst, but it seemed to lack the strength.

As the energy he had absorbed slowly gathered in his brain, forming a large vortex that spun rapidly, more and more energy from his body and the top of his head was drawn into it.

Time passed, and the vortex continued to act like a black hole, absorbing all the energy near it. Zhan Yi's thoughts gradually became clear.

He felt a powerful and mysterious energy surging through his body, as if it came from his blood and soul. He felt as if he were floating in space, an ethereal sensation that was incredibly comfortable, making him reluctant to open his eyes.

"Master, are you... alright, ah..." Just as Zhan Yi was enjoying this floating sensation, he heard Xiaojiao's worried voice, followed by a pained cry.

This startled him, and the vortex in his mind emitted a bright light and disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw Xiaojiao clinging to him, looking very weak and in pain. The lights around them were all out, and the only light came from the passage, revealing a chaotic scene on the ground.

"Xiaojiao, what's wrong?" Zhan Yi was surprised to see Xiaojiao appear and seemed to be injured, so he asked in concern.

Xiaojiao slowly opened her eyes, a sad smile on her lips, and said weakly, "Master, I'm fine. Why did you come here alone? Do you know how dangerous it is? If anything happens to you, how will Xiaojiao face herself?"

Seeing the sad expression on Xiaojiao's face, Zhan Yi was moved. Despite her weakness, she was still worried about his safety. This, combined with his growing certainty of Xuan Ming's evil, made him doubt her more. Could he have misunderstood her before? This thought made him feel guilty, and he asked worriedly, "Xiaojiao, I'm fine. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I felt like I was being sucked into your body, and the light of the five elements made me very weak. Fortunately, you opened your eyes in time, or the light of the five elements might have made me disappear forever." Xiaojiao shook her head and spoke with effort.

"Xiaojiao, you must be okay. I have the 'Hundred Souls Treasure Bottle' right here in my arms. You'll be fine soon." Zhan Yi felt increasingly guilty as he looked at Xiaojiao and couldn't help but reveal the truth.

"Master, you shouldn't have done this. Xiaojiao isn't worth it. Do you know that if anything happened to you, Xiaojiao would rather dissipate her soul than stay in this world alone?" Xiaojiao looked at Zhan Yi's anxious face, smiled bitterly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Zhan Yi's heart felt like it was being pierced by a needle. He knew that ghosts and spirits valued their vows the most, and they would never make such a promise lightly, as it would surely come true.

This made him even more convinced of Xiaojiao's inherent kindness. Her previous contradictions must have been due to some hidden reasons.

Thinking of all the doubts he had about her, a strong sense of guilt tightened his heart. Xiaojiao looked particularly weak, as if she might disappear at any moment, so he quickly shook his head and comforted her, "Don't say that, Xiaojiao. I promised I wouldn't let you dissipate your soul. You promised to be my 'third' wife. Tell me how to make you better."

"Master, you're so worried. I'm just weak, nothing serious. I feel something in your pocket nurturing my soul. I'll be fine soon." Xiaojiao's expression improved when she saw Zhan Yi's concern.

"In your pocket, do you mean this?" Zhan Yi was slightly stunned, then took out the Spirit Cultivation Jade and showed it to Xiaojiao.

"Ah, the Spirit Cultivation Jade! How did you get this?" Xiaojiao's eyes lit up with surprise, a mix of joy and desire.

"Ha ha, I took it from that dead old Taoist. I saw it under the 'Hundred Souls Treasure Bottle' and thought it might be useful for you, so I brought it. Is it very precious?" Zhan Yi smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed about taking something from someone else.

"Yes, the Spirit Cultivation Jade is a supreme treasure for soul cultivation. It can help you recover quickly from any injury as long as your soul isn't destroyed." Xiaojiao nodded slightly.

"Great, Xiaojiao, take it. Let's not stay here any longer; I don't like this place." Zhan Yi was immediately delighted.

"Master, this is too precious, I... " Xiaojiao looked hesitant but couldn't take her eyes off the jade.

"Xiaojiao, don't hesitate. How can you be my 'third' wife if you don't recover?" Zhan Yi placed the jade in Xiaojiao's hand and joked.

"Master, you're so naughty. I'll take it. When we go back and I recover, I'll be your... 'third' wife." Xiaojiao blushed and finally took the jade.

As soon as she held the jade, a green light flashed, and the jade disappeared into her body. Her body emitted a soft white glow, enhancing her beauty to an extreme.

After a while, Xiaojiao finally stood up, her spirit restored. She looked at the stunned Zhan Yi and smiled, "Master, your mouth is almost drooling."

"Uh... sorry, Xiaojiao. You're just too beautiful." Zhan Yi blushed and said awkwardly.

"Ha ha, Master, get up quickly. Let's look for anything useful here and then leave." Xiaojiao smiled and winked at him.

Zhan Yi nodded and didn't say anything more, but he felt a bit uncomfortable with the sudden change in their relationship.

The two of them searched the basement for a while, cursing Xuan Ming's cruelty and gathering useful items.

With Xiaojiao's help, Zhan Yi finally understood the uses of some items. After collecting everything, they packed it into a bag and started to leave. However, when they reached a corner, Xiaojiao suddenly stopped and turned to Zhan Yi, "Master, you go up first. I'll take care of some things here."

"What do you need to take care of?" Zhan Yi asked, puzzled.

"Master, those bottles and jars are all the results of Xuan Ming's evil deeds. We can't leave them for him to use. I must destroy them." Xiaojiao said solemnly.

"Then I'll set them on fire. It will also be a way to honor the souls of those who died unjustly." Zhan Yi thought it was a reasonable compromise.

"Master, you mustn't do that. These are the souls of the unjustly dead. If you touch them, you'll be tainted by evil and will fall seriously ill in the future. Go up quickly, and let Xiaojiao handle this." Xiaojiao shook her head quickly.

Zhan Yi didn't argue and quickly went up the passage. Standing above, he heard a series of crashes and saw black smoke rising from the passage.

"Xiaojiao, are you okay? What's happening?" Zhan Yi was worried and called out anxiously.

"Master, I'm fine. Don't come in. The evil here is too strong. I'll be up soon." Xiaojiao's voice came from inside, sounding very concerned.

Zhan Yi, reassured that Xiaojiao was fine, sat at the entrance and waited. However, as he watched the black smoke rise and thought about the bottles and jars inside, he felt a bit uneasy. The good feelings he had just developed for Xiaojiao seemed to diminish.