Qiyun beside me. He didn't react, he must have long since gotten used to treating mortals like air."Yes," I nodded honestly.He grinned slyly, a merchant's expression: "I'm not trying to pry into your...I have no way of knowing what Ms. Xue is thinking now. She seems bold, daring to go into the Famen alone. Looking at her upbringing, I think she treats ghosts and spirits with indifference—everyone here, even ghosts and spirits, fears her.

"If there's any news of her, have her come back as quickly as possible... This barrier formation here is too much for an old woman like me to handle..."

The old woman didn't waste any time. After she finished speaking, she held a candle and led us to the guest room.

In the flickering candlelight, her face looked shrunken and eerie. I felt a chill run down my spine, as if something was amiss. I stole a glance at Mu Wanchen, who subtly shook his head, warning me not to ask.

Some "disguises" stem from powerful psychological factors, such as earthbound spirits. These ghosts often die violently and are unaware of their death before passing on. This leads them to linger in the place where they died. They only realize they are ghosts once someone points it out to them.

Of course, this old woman wasn't a ghost. She was just very old, but incredibly strong. When she fought, she didn't hold back at all.

I suspect she… might be a refined corpse, huh

At the thought of this, I got goosebumps. This old woman's natal gu was a giant centipede.

The centipede, even in death, does not stiffen. I wonder if she also possesses this “characteristic.”

Upon hearing my guess, Mu Wanchen chuckled and said, "Little Princess Consort, you've experienced so many dangers and still can't tell if there's corpse qi"

“It seems not,” I frowned. “But ordinary old women wouldn’t be like her.”

If an ordinary old lady was nearly a hundred years old, she would be a frail and feeble woman, speaking in whispers. How could there be such a seemingly old woman who is actually so fierce

“ … I remember you said before: Long Xia Ge once told you that he wouldn't die. He should have used a secret technique to cultivate his body to the extreme, so even if there was any accident, he could rely on his strong body to get through it. It's a pity that doing this also has a price… Long Xia Ge should have long since disregarded life and death, and this old woman is the same.”

To survive in such a tumultuous world and keep her family afloat, this old woman certainly wasn't weak. But now that she was older, her body began to suffer the consequences, becoming stiff and lifeless like a corpse.

"Yin and yang complement each other, fortune and misfortune are interdependent. To force things that don't belong to you will always have a price..."

I tilted my head and thought for a moment. When Brother Long cast the spell to summon the Corpse Kings back to their positions, he looked very much like the Grand Corpse King.

This room is much better than the shack I lived in before. It seems like the front and back yards are a dividing line; the front yard is basically abandoned and run-down, while the back yard is where people actually live.

The old woman put down the candle and took out a small embroidered pouch from her sleeve. "This was taken from you by your mother last time. She was worried that it might contain magic capable of breaking the barrier... I think this is just a childish love token, so I'm giving it back to you..."

I widened my eyes, "Quickly give it to me! There's still Si Huang's pearl inside!"

Although I don't know how to use the bead, I speculate it has something to do with their tombs. I'm not interested in digging up graves. Things entrusted to me need to be kept well. What if she asks for it back

I took the pouch from the old woman's hands and immediately opened it. Inside, there were paper figurines of Mu Wanchen folded by him, and a small bead that was unassuming and looked like a stone.

"Thank you." I controlled my expression, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. This rather eerie old lady had just earned a few points in my good graces.

Mu Wanchen saw that I was so tired that I kept rubbing my eyes. He said to me, "Rest here for a while first, tomorrow when we go back, you'll help me manage them in Miaowang City, and I'll go back to the Fa Men to check things out."

"Still saying you won't leave me behind Running off on your own again..."

"You stay there, the people will feel at ease. They rely on you, the little princess now more than ever." Mu Wanchen said with a smile.

I kept yawning non-stop. Was it because of the long car ride I was so tired that I didn't even have the energy to act cute with him, and I almost fell asleep as soon as I got on the bed.

After a short nap, I felt groggy and confused, as if someone had entered the room and spoken to Mu Wanchen.

Is this sleep paralysis I try hard to open my eyelids, but my limbs are completely unresponsive, frozen in bed unable to move.

I was so tired, I mumbled in my sleep and didn't even know what I was saying. I just fell back asleep.

When dawn broke, I opened my eyes to see a wall. After a long pause, I remembered that I had spent the night sleeping in this old house and immediately turned over to get up.

"...Slow down a bit." Mu Wanchen's tone was somewhat helpless.

I turned back to see him lying on his side next to me, propping his head up with one hand, as if he had been watching my sleeping face the whole time.

"What... what are you doing" I was a little dazed, not quite awake yet.

"I still want to ask you what's going on. You kept mumbling my name in your sleep last night. Did you have a nightmare" Mu Wanchen asked softly.

His voice was deep and mellow, especially with us so close. Listening to his gentle tone, I felt myself drifting off to sleep again.

"I really want to feel someone coming into the room... But I can't open my eyes, so I just call your name hoping you'll come see..."

"No one else comes here, only that old woman lives here, and there's a nest of yellow skins in the corner by the north wall," Mu Wanchen replied.

"It might be sleep paralysis, maybe I was just too tired yesterday, and sleeping in this old house makes me worry about ghosts or spirits getting in."

"You're more mischievous than any goblin I know. Do you plan to stay nestled in my arms forever" He chuckled softly, looking down at me.

I just tugged at his collar and nestled against him, he looked at me with a smile in his eyes, full of indulgence.

If the environment here wasn't "so terrible," I could stay in his arms all day.

Having to drive back again, I can't just leave the car up in the mountains. Just thinking about having to go over those hills and mountains again gives me a headache.

The kitchen here doesn't have many ingredients. The old woman said that most of these things were picked for her by the yellow-skinned people. She's an old bone buried up to her neck in yellow soil, and she only needs to eat a little something at random.

"All these people outside the courtyard are 'mental patients'. I'm afraid to go out, I really don't know how you guys live here!" I complained to her as I slurped my noodles.

The old woman said faintly, "So, little girl, you should thank your mother for leaving you in an environment where you have food and clothing, and are loved by everyone. Otherwise, you would grow up here too..."

I…

My hand holding the noodles froze.

To think of it, I really have to thank Ms. Xue for this.

If she really lived here with me and my sister in this old house, there would probably be two more eccentric little fortune tellers in the world.ulated in my mind and angrily said, "What do you mean small! It's not small anymore, okay! In a few more years, I'll be an adult!""You can't just find any woman to fill the void just because you have...