Xiao Fuxuan’s eyes started to darken.

He seemed to want to say "Wu Xingxue,” but because A Yao was by his side, he ultimately didn’t utter a word.

Wu Xingxue, who was standing beside the red column, looked at him. Then, after a moment, his face revealed some confusion: "?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Wu Xingxue.

Xiao Fuxuan raised his chin, pointed to the blood pool, then at A-Yao, and asked sternly, "What is going on?"

"Are you asking me?" Wu Xingxue looked down at Yi Wusheng on the ground and was silent for a moment.

He was still extremely energized and full of spirit when they were leading the devils up and down Peach Blossom Island. Now he seemed inexplicably feeble as he stood next to a pool of blood, his voice low and set against his slightly pallid skin.

Seeing this type of expression, Xiao Fuxuan frowned slightly, then blinked and slowly looked away.

Before Wu Xingxue could reply, he had already said solemnly, "Forget it."

He reached out the unsheathed sword in his hand, then gently knocked it on A-Yao’s back.

A-Yao suddenly jerked his hand back, dropping the sword from his hand to the ground with a "clang", rolling over. The silver tassel and pink jade pendant on the handle of the sword were soaked with blood, yet the word “Wusheng” in the middle of the jade pendant seemed to become clearer beneath the winding, bloody trails.

A-Yao stared blankly at the jade pendant, then fell onto the ground as if all his energy had suddenly been drained from him.

Xiao Fuxuan swept his robe up and half-squatted in front of Yi Wusheng. Then, he pressed the back of his finger against the center of his forehead. He was about to check his spirit when he saw the person beside the red column move.

The light cast that person into a gray silhouette. That silhouette moved over from the red column, stopped beside him, then condensed into a lump.

Xiao Fuxuan’s movements were halted. He shot a glance towards his side, only to find Wu Xingxue innocently squatting beside him. He first looked at A-Yao, who was dazed and slumped over, and then turned his head to say softly, “Xiao Fuxuan, did you notice something wrong with that lunatic just now?”

Xiao Fuxuan didn’t say a word.

‘Think’? Isn’t it obvious?"

His expression started to become indescribable.

But he didn’t say anything and only stared at Wu Xingxue, waiting for him to continue.

It turned out that the other party was also looking at him. He seemed to be waiting for a response and not planning to continue. He looked so calm as to be considered "obedient".

"……"

Xiao Fuxuan was not moved by this.

After a moment, he moved his lips, "So what happened during the period I went to look for Yi Wuxi?"

Wu Xingxue thought for a bit, then replied, "He was originally slumped on the ground, but then he suddenly jumped up, like something shocked him awake. Then he suddenly drew Yi Wusheng’s sword and charged over here."

Xiao Fuxuan: "Then?"

Wu Xingxue: "Then things got even weirder. In one stab, he killed Yi Wusheng."

Sure enough, there appeared to be a single sword wound on Yi Wusheng’s body, right in the center of his heart. It seemed that one stab had ended everything, without any additional movements.

Wu Xingxue: "Have you seen lunatics like this before?"

Xiao Fuxuan: "…Yes."

Wu Xingxue nodded, "Then it’s easy to explain. If you’ve seen them before, then you must know what I mean. When a lunatic goes into its frenzied state, not only do they become freakishly strong, but they would also be very unsteady. The more excited they are, the harder they will shake. But this lunatic is different. His hands didn’t tremble in the slightest. In addition, his face was also completely expressionless. I believe that…"

He looked at A-Yao silently, as if he had almost spaced out for a bit. Then he looked back towards Xiao Fuxuan and said, "His body might have been borrowed by someone else for use."

"……"

"Who do you think borrowed him?"

"……"

Xiao Fuxuan looked at him expressionlessly.After a long moment, he sneered coldly, "I don’t know, perhaps I did."

After that, he stopped looking at Wu Xingxue, who also seemed to be stunned by his answer and didn’t ask anything more.

After a long time, he heard an "oh" from Wu Xingxue.

……

That’s right, he dared to say"oh".

Xiao Fuxuan knocked Yi Wusheng’s head expressionlessly. Sure enough, his body sounded hollow, just like the countless other people who had died before him. But beneath this hollow sound, there also seemed to be an extremely light sigh.

Xiao Fuxuan was stunned for a moment. He almost immediately grabbed Yi Wusheng’s left hand, then pushed his thumb into the center of his wrist.

A slight ridge bulged up beneath Yi Wusheng’s skin; in the next second, the bulging area squirmed up like a slithering snake, passing through his arms and neck, continuing upward.

Yi Wusheng’s hazy pupils suddenly focused again. Immediately afterward, his pupils moved, reflecting a slight smearing of light beneath the lantern flames.

As if… he came back to life!

“Xiao Fuxuan.” Wu Xingxue’s voice suddenly sounded. He had already forgotten that A-Yao, an outsider, was still present. His gaze was originally downcast, but now he had lifted his head, staring at Yi Wusheng without blinking. After a second, he then stared unblinkingly at Xiao Fuxuan.

Xiao Fuxuan could see him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t turn around. He just replied with an "mm.”

His hands didn’t stop. Just as Yi Wusheng was about to open his mouth to speak, he quickly pulled out two long strips of black cloth from thin air and covered his mouth and nose.

"What is he…?" Wu Xingxue asked.

Xiao Fuxuan explained, "That stab simply dissipated the fumes of the devil inside him. Now, what’s in his mouth is the final vestige of soul left over after being devoured by a devil."

One naturally couldn’t be resurrected after death. For living beings who were devoured by devils, only death could be considered liberation.

But legend said that the Immortal Capital had a method in which, by borrowing an immortal’s celestial energy, a bit of vestigial soul could be preserved. As long as that mouthful of celestial energy wasn’t expelled, one’s life could be extended for a period.

Although this method existed, it was seldom used.

This was because as an immortal, he or she could no longer intervene in the affairs of mortals at will.

Immortals had their own rules, whether it was punishment or remuneration, life or death, to save or not to save, all had to follow the Lingtai’s heavenly way. Or else, if you took care of this one but didn’t take care of that one today, if you helped that one but missed this one tomorrow, the realm of mortals would fall into complete chaos.

Yi Wusheng himself was also at a loss.

He freed himself from the diabolical possession and no longer had that disquieting smile. After being cast in warm light, his features could almost be considered gentle. Compared to his muddled appearance from before, he was a completely different person.

He had a deep frown on his face, and he wanted to speak, but his nose and mouth were bound tightly by black cloth.

"Oomph, oomph" Yi Wusheng let out two muffled cries towards Wu Xingxue.

Yi Wusheng reached out his hands to pull the black cloth down, but his hands were slapped away by Wu Xingxue.

After slapping his hand away, he then turned to ask Xiao Fuxuan, "We’re not supposed to take these down, right?"

Xiao Fuxuan: “…”

He said to Yi Wusheng, "You’ll die if you do so."

Yi Wusheng made a few more muffled noises. Although it was so tight that it was uncomfortable, he still put his hands back down.

Wu Xingxue suddenly asked, "Then, is he technically alive right now?”

Xiao Fuxuan shook his head.

It wasn’t the case. It was just some vestigial soul. Although he had the support of celestial energy, no one knew how much longer he would last. Because of how rarely this method was used, almost no one knew about the details.

"No?" Wu Xingxue asked again quietly.

Xiao Fuxuan was silent for a moment before replying, "Barely."

"Oh," Wu Xingxue nodded.

After this series of events, that wave of feebleness from him seemed to disappear.When Yi Wusheng got up from the ground, Wu Xingxue looked at his wrist, and the thumb hanging by his side seemed to move subconsciously. He didn’t even realize it himself.

He swept his robe and stood up.

Just as he was about to check the movements of the Hua Sect members outside, he heard Xiao Fuxuan’s low voice, "Want to learn?"

Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at him, "What?"

Xiao Fuxuan gave a glance towards Yi Wusheng, then looked back towards Wu Xingxue’s hand.

Only then did Wu Xingxue realize, "Are you talking about the method that can be used to save people?"

"I don’t have the slightest hint of celestial power and techniques on my body. “ He said after a brief laugh. “I’m not anyone special, I can’t learn something like that. Are you just trying to make fun of me? Haha."

"No."

"Besides," Wu Xingxue continued, "In the stories I’ve read, they all say–"

Stories again……

Xiao Fuxuan remained silent, waiting for his next words. But Wu Xingxue suddenly stopped.

"What did you say?"

"You said–”

Wu Xingxue took a glance at Yi Wusheng and A-Yao, then curled his fingers.

Xiao Fuxuan: "……"

He lowered his head slightly and got slower.

Wu Xingxue said in a low voice, "The stories all say that immortals are different. They are not allowed to freely save people from the mortal world. You saved Yi Wusheng just now and are also about to teach me, an unintelligent mortal, some celestial powers. Wouldn’t that be… against the rules of heaven?”

Towards the end, he smiled a bit, and looked up at Xiao Fuxuan.

Xiao Fuxuan was tall. His jawline was slim and sharp; as he looked down, that line became even more prominent, slightly moving as he talked.

Xiao Fuxuan, his appearance mild, only gave an "mm" after listening to his explanation.

A moment later, he said, "No. The Immortal Capital is already gone. I’m not some Celestial Immortal anymore either."

He glanced at Wu Xingxue, then continued, "I’m just some spiritual consciousness that entered this vessel. Haven’t I been turned into a puppet by you?"

Wu Xingxue’s eyes flickered.

"How can puppets break the Lingtai’s heavenly laws?"

After that, he grabbed a golden piece of paper from thin air and handed it to Yi Wusheng. "I have some important questions to ask you. When you reply, just hold onto this piece of paper. That way, I’ll be able to hear you.”

Yi Wusheng was stunned for a moment, then took the paper over.

The question he wanted to ask the most was, "Why save me?"

"There are still some things I must trouble you with," replied Xiao Fuxuan.

He pointed to Wu Xingxue, "Can you still practice your Dreaming Souls Technique in your current situation?"

Yi Wusheng nodded.

“Then when you get the chance, take a look at his condition for me.”

He then turned to talk to Wu Xingxue, "He’s adept at the Dreaming Souls Technique. You might not understand. In short, as long as he reaches out a hand to check, he can clearly determine where this soul of yours is from, and to where it should return.”

Wu Xingxue: "……"

Yi Wusheng nodded, "I… I will do my best."

Wu Xingxue: "……"

For an instant, he showed a wooden-like expression, but disappeared in the next second.

Xiao Fuxuan glanced at him, and then pushed open the door, saying to Yi Wusheng: “Right now, there’s another matter of urgency. That is, you need to explain the entire story clearly to the people from your sect—for instance, those rumors of the past.”

Unexpectedly, Yi Wusheng looked at the vast crowd of people outside, then said, "Sect Leader is here, I can’t."

Author’s notes: Sorry for the long wait~