He shook his head and said, "The origin is unknown."
Lin Yanxi pouted and blinked at him, tugging his sleeve and pleading, "Your Highness, we're going the same way. Doing a good deed like this, a great benefactor like you will surely move the heavens to bless you and help you find the Twin Flowers sooner."
Shen Muzhou chuckled at her playful demeanor, essentially agreeing. However, he only allowed the child to board the carriage, telling the woman to wait there.
The woman stood up and nodded, "Alright, alright. It's good enough that the child can go. Thank you, noble sir, thank you, young lady."
After the child was lifted into the carriage, the curtain was dropped, and they continued their journey towards the western outskirts.
However, they didn't see the child's mother get up from the ground after the carriage had driven away. The worry vanished from her face, and she exchanged a knowing smile with the man squatting in the corner selling melons.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, a sound came from the child sitting in the corner of the carriage. Lin Yanxi, startled, instinctively moved to check on the boy.
Shen Muzhou grabbed her arm, signaling her not to go.
Lin Yanxi shot him a glare, as if he thought the entire world was filled with assassins plotting against him.
She twisted his hand away, lifted the little boy's head to rest in her arms, and gave him some water.
"Don't be afraid. Your mother entrusted you to us to take you to Quanjing Village. The mountain spring water there can cure your illness."
The boy weakly turned his eyes in response and drank several large gulps of water with a "gurgle, gurgle," then took a few breaths.
"Thank you, sister."
"My name is Heijin." After catching his breath, Heijin explained, "My father is the strongest blacksmith in the entire village, and Heijin is the strongest piece of iron in the shop."
His eyes brightened when he mentioned his father, but quickly dimmed again. Lin Yanxi noticed his sadness and comforted him, "That's a good name. Your father... he must be very worried if he knew you were sick, so you need to get better quickly and put his mind at ease."
"Sister, you don't need to feel sad for me. Mother said that as long as I'm obedient, I'll be able to see Father again." As Heijin said this, he glanced at Shen Muzhou before quickly lowering his gaze, a hint of something unusual flashing in his eyes.
Lin Yanxi understood that a mother might tell a white lie to comfort her child and give them hope to live.
Heijin's voice was weak as he asked again, "Sister, do you think I'll see Father again?"
She was momentarily at a loss for words. Rebirth was the most impossible thing, yet it had happened to her. But if it were possible, no one truly possessed the method.
Shen Muzhou pulled her back and glared at Heijin with icy eyes.
Heijin, startled by his gaze, cowered back into the corner, daring not to meet his eyes. Lin Yanxi nudged Shen Muzhou, "Don't scare the child with such a chilling stare."
Shen Muzhou said nothing, slowly retracting his gaze.
The carriage swayed and rocked, making one's head feel heavy. Lin Yanxi leaned against Shen Muzhou and, without realizing it, fell asleep.
Xiao Liu parked the carriage and called out into the interior, "Your Highness, we've arrived at Quanjing Village. I'll go down and scout ahead."
After tying up the horses, he went into the village. Shen Muzhou and Lin Yanxi waited in the carriage for a long time without Xiao Liu returning.
Shen Muzhou waited a bit longer, then lifted the curtain and peered towards the village entrance.
The village entrance was still some distance away. From afar, the village looked desolate, with a muddy and narrow road leading to it.
Lin Yanxi saw the village enveloped in a dark aura, as if malevolent spell energy was swirling around it. How could there be sorcery in such a remote village?
Seeing Shen Muzhou about to alight from the carriage, she quickly grabbed his sleeve, her brows furrowed. Her almond-shaped eyes looked at him, glistening.
He said to Lin Yanxi, "I'll go and take a look. You wait here for me."
"I'll go with you. Heijin, you wait in the carriage for us." She also jumped off the carriage and followed behind Shen Muzhou.
---
The village was nestled deep in the western outskirts, sitting alone amidst the mountains and forests. As soon as they entered, a wave of dark energy rushed towards them. Lin Yanxi pulled Shen Muzhou aside, and they avoided being harmed by the spell energy.
"This place has been set up with sorcery, forming black gas that circles above," Lin Yanxi said, her eyes fixed on the swirling, oppressive spell energy overhead. She nervously tightened her grip on Shen Muzhou's sleeve.
Shen Muzhou looked up but saw nothing. However, he could already sense the strangeness of the village. Yellow talismans were plastered on every house, the buildings were dilapidated, and the doors were all ajar.
There was no sign of life in the village, as if it had been abandoned for a long time, and a foul odor of decay hung in the air.
A gust of cold wind blew, rustling the leaves on the treetops. Listening closely, the sound of the swaying leaves seemed to be mixed with the low, mournful cries of a woman.
Lin Yanxi's heart pounded in her chest, and goosebumps prickled her skin. Her almond-shaped eyes vigilantly scanned their surroundings.
"Hahaha."
From the empty houses came the hollow, eerie laughter of children. A child's face appeared in a broken window, with two black holes where the eyes should be, and a mouth stretched into a distorted, upward grin.
"Ghosts, Shen Muzhou, there are ghosts! Did you see them?" Lin Yanxi's heart pounded, and she held her breath, too tense to even exhale.
Shen Muzhou nodded slightly and sternly asked, "Who is hiding there?"
"Ding ling ling~ Ding ling ling~"
The sound of a small bell approached. A little girl wearing a pink jacket, with rosy cheeks and a curved smile, her eyes always downcast, and two small pigtails, looked like a paper effigy used in sacrifices.
Holding a small bell, she circled around Shen Muzhou and Lin Yanxi, chanting in a childlike singsong voice, "The bell rings, ding-dong, the bride must wear flowered clothes; Quanjing Village, with its good spring water, will make you never want to leave~"
Shen Muzhou's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, watching the girl warily.
The girl gradually stopped, her head bowed, and the bell fell silent.
"You... little sister, where are the adults in the village?" Lin Yanxi asked, gathering her courage from behind Shen Muzhou.
The girl's shoulders trembled twice, and she began to sob. Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes fixed on Lin Yanxi. Her pupils were a murky white, with extremely small black irises.
"They're all dead, and it's because of you. You're a jinx, a troublemaker!"
Lin Yanxi froze. In her past life, she had heard these words countless times.
Shen Muzhou stepped forward and pushed the little girl away with his sword hilt, pulling Lin Yanxi behind him. In the next second, his sword was at the girl's throat, "Stop playing tricks. Who sent you?"
The girl tilted her head and met Shen Muzhou's eyes. The black pupils in her eyes suddenly became very thin and elongated, like a cat's. She shook the bell in her hand.
A mist suddenly swirled before Shen Muzhou's eyes. Within the mist, he vaguely saw the veiled woman again.
This time, he didn't want to follow behind her. He wanted to call out to her, to see the face beneath her veil.
"Zhao... Ah..." When he opened his mouth, his voice was hoarse, producing only a harsh, choked sound.
He wanted to follow the woman, but from another direction in the mist, a black mass appeared. It was Lin Yanxi, trapped by the dark energy. Tears welled in her eyes, and she called his name,
"Shen Muzhou, Shen Muzhou! Wake up!"
After putting Shen Muzhou into the illusion with the bell, the little girl turned and ran towards the back of the village.
No matter how much Lin Yanxi shook Shen Muzhou, it was no use. His eyes had turned completely black, with no whites. His expression shifted between sadness and confusion, and he slowly moved his feet in the direction of the bell.
Shen Muzhou glanced at Lin Yanxi, who was trapped by the black mist, and then at the receding figure of the veiled woman. He softly murmured, "Zhao Zhao."
Lin Yanxi grabbed Shen Muzhou, trying to stop him from following the bell, but he was tall and strong, and she couldn't hold him back. He also called out, "Zhao Zhao."
For some reason, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She mumbled softly, "Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao? Still thinking of someone else? I shouldn't have bothered with you!"
Her heart ached, and her words unknowingly carried a hint of sourness. She suddenly wanted to know who this woman named 'Zhao Zhao' was, for whom even someone as gentle and approachable as Jing Xin couldn't enter his heart.
More importantly, she shared the same name, which was unlucky.
Seeing her strength waning and unable to stop Shen Muzhou, she thought,
Soul Ring, yes, get the Soul Ring and break the illusion.
She took the Soul Ring from his little finger and clutched it in her palm. A surge of spiritual energy instantly filled her body.
"Great!" she exclaimed, a hint of joy appearing on her face.
Hiss...
How do you break illusions?
She formed a five-element hand seal, drew a talisman in the air, and the Soul Ring emitted a pale purple light that swirled around her palm. She murmured, "Break!"
In the illusion, Shen Muzhou could finally make a sound. The woman seemed to hear his call. She turned slightly in the mist, about to lift her veil.
He still couldn't see what kind of woman was behind the veil. As she lifted the veil, Lin Yanxi was engulfed by layers of black mist, leaving only a slender, white arm. He thought of Lin Yanxi's usual demeanor and didn't hesitate, moving towards her.
He wanted to save her.
The moment he grabbed Lin Yanxi, the mist dissipated, and he returned to reality.
Lin Yanxi looked at the Soul Ring in her hand, its glow fading, in surprise. "No way."
In her past life, when she was foolish and on the run, she would often read books on talismans and hand seals. Her spiritual roots were too poor, and even after regaining her senses, she could only learn the immobilization talisman, and even then, it was intermittent.
Now, relying on her memory to form the hand seals and break the illusion, she had gotten it right on the first try!
Indeed, she was the most talented talisman master in all of Yueyou.
While she was dazed, Shen Muzhou reached out to take the Soul Ring from her hand. She raised an eyebrow, formed the formless hand seal, drew an immobilization talisman, and declared triumphantly, "Freeze!"
Now that the Soul Ring was in her possession, let's see how arrogant Shen Muzhou could be.
Shen Muzhou glanced at her, then looked down to confirm he was unharmed. The little girl's words earlier were truly strange. How could she know the prophecy from the Imperial Observatory?
The Soul Ring could not be returned to her for now. The prophecy from the Imperial Observatory stated that the Soul Ring would bring disaster to Nan Min through her.
He reached out and took the Soul Ring from her palm, saying, "It seems your talisman arts aren't very effective."
Lin Yanxi stood stunned. It was the same last night. Even though she had held the Soul Ring and cast a spell on him, it had no effect.
This was impossible. If he was naturally immune to talisman arts, why did the illusion-breaking spell work just now?
"Aren't you coming?" Shen Muzhou took a few steps and looked back at her, calling out.
She lowered her head and responded with a dejected "Oh," quickly following him.
She coughed a couple of times and asked casually, "By the way, what did you see in the illusion just now?"
Shen Muzhou looked at her sideways, his gaze complicated as he replied, "I saw you."
"Hmph, who would believe that."
Shen Muzhou chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, and continued walking forward, saying, "We must find that little girl. Her behavior is strange, and if we leave her here, she might harm many more people."
She rolled her eyes at him, feeling quite annoyed.
Earlier, he had been calling out "Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao." If she hadn't accidentally used the illusion-breaking spell correctly, he would have died long ago. And here he was, still thinking of another woman.
The next moment, she found it strange herself, thinking so negatively. Perhaps she had also been somewhat influenced by the bell, her mind becoming unclear.
It must be that.
She was momentarily lost in thought. When she looked up again, the person in front of her was gone.
Where was Shen Muzhou?!