iage and scooped me up in his arms, whispering, "If we get separated later, stick close to Amy. She knows what to do.""I don't trust her, can I summon the seven gods and eight deities" I whispered.Jia...This time, Zhao Jie came to stir up trouble, she had also made some preparations. She found a team of professional troublemakers through some unrelated people to draw fire, while she snuck in with two junior sisters to find Xi Lingzhou.

Downstairs, the people causing a commotion were ordinary folks, the kind who work for money and don't even know who their boss is.

Sister Zhao ran into this building herself, while the other two junior sisters dispersed to other buildings.

I drove her straight into the car that the student council had brought, and after we left, we found a bus stop with few people.

Upon closer inspection of Zhao Jie's features, it was apparent that she was not young anymore.

There are fine lines between her brows, surely from often furrowing them.

"Come on, where's Xi Linzhou" she asked.

"...We've found her, it will take some work to get her out. She's in very bad shape, a bit erratic and timid, tortured into being afraid of people." I looked at Zhao Jie.

She frowned, crossing her arms and staring down the deserted street.

I don't know what your grievances are, but I feel sorry for her current state. What have you done to her I asked.

"Why should I tell you" Zhao Jie sneered.

"Oh, then I'll take Xi Lingzhou away. The Gu worms on her body can still be used even after she's dead." I snorted.

"You…" Zhao Jie gritted her teeth and said, "What are you, a little girl, doing with that thing!"

“My husband might be useful, even if he's not, I collected him to play with, right Xi Lingzhou is in my hands now. If you want her, show some sincerity and explain the whole story clearly. Otherwise, how would I know if the Dragon King didn't do something to her, making her harm me”

Sister Zhao narrowed her eyes: "Little girl, you're quite hard to handle... This is a family affair of our sect, an outsider like you shouldn't pry."

"You need to make things clear about household matters. I won't interfere in your affairs, but I need to understand what's going on. She already ran to our school! Wasn't she coming for me" I questioned.

Zhao Jie frowned deeply, without a word.

"Don't take advantage of me just because I'm young, or else I'll go find Master Yunfan and have a talk with you! You agreed to distract them, but things went wrong. Do you still have the face to haggle"

As soon as Yun Fan, the master of the sect, appeared, Zhao Jie's eyebrows twitched immediately, and her expression looked a bit anxious.

I don't know what happened to them before, but she seemed to be both afraid and headache whenever she heard the name "Master Yun Fan".

Xi Lingzhou used to be a rather selfish and rebellious woman.

From Zhao Jie, I didn't hear a single word of praise. It seems Xi Linzhou is very unsuccessful in his dealings with people.

But Xi Lingzhou had a high natural talent and, because of certain "special reasons," she was very suitable for spiritual communication and necromancy. Therefore, the head of Zhao Jie's school, Madam Ma, took a liking to her.

Later, Old Madam Ma had some issues, and Sister Zhao took control of the household. She was extremely wary of her younger apprentice, Xi Linzhou, who she always found annoying, troublesome, and who also knew the inside story.

Now that times have changed, of course we can't kill to silence someone.

And Zhao Jie couldn't seize absolute power and cruelly attack her own sect. She was very conflicted.

Xi Linzhou was also a fearless personality, Zhao Jie worried that she would say or do something detrimental to her.

Then Zhao Jie found a gu from many sources.

“We are very skilled in folk magic, but we are not very professional when it comes to gu. The gu we got was a Shougong gu. The person who sold me the Shougong gu said that it had the least toxicity, but since it was a domesticated insect, it would also be very aggressive and have an attacking nature. Therefore, we usually use small doses of sleeping pills or muscle relaxants to make Xi Linzhou obedient.”

"Hmph, Xi Lingzhou is quite a useful tool. When we commune with the spirits, we can use her body. So I wouldn't let her die just like that."

"Besides, this Shougonggu wasn't raised by me, but I did put it on her. The Shougonggu doesn't recognize me as its master, which unknowingly forms a kind of witchcraft contract relationship. If the Shougonggu is destroyed or taken away, I will suffer backlash to some extent."

The consequences of backlash are difficult to say, perhaps it is physical injury or bad luck...

After she finished speaking, I couldn't help but ask back, "Zhao Jie, since you know you will be retaliated against, why would you still put a curse on her You are a witch, you should know about cause and effect, karmic retribution, why would you still curse her"

Sister Zhao sneered: "Little girl, do I need you to teach me about great principles"

"In life, there are always some things that force you to do what you have to do, regardless of the consequences. If I don't control her, perhaps she will end up controlling me! Do you understand!"

"...Then why did she run away from your control"

Sister Zhao frowned deeply again: “When we transported her back to the mainland, she was stimulated halfway and escaped from a dead body inn. We tracked all the way and found that she had appeared here before. When we came to look for her once before, we didn't see any trace of her at all. Until two days ago, an informant saw her being sent to the hospital…”

"Is Xi Lingzhou…still, is she still conscious like a normal person" I asked softly.

Zhao Jie sneered, “There should be… Sometimes I don’t even know if she’s putting on an act or if her brain is actually damaged.”

“Why is she at our school Is she looking for me”

"I didn't send her to find you. She might just be wandering around—a crazy creature, we can't guess what she's thinking."

"Alright I've said everything there is to say! Just hand the person over to me." Zhao Jie waved her hand impatiently.

"One last question!" I blurted out. "Do you know a person named Ou Haichen"

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Zhao Jie was taken aback, shaking her head and saying, "Never heard of it. What does he do Someone in the industry"

“No, I haven’t heard of it.” I stared at her expression. She didn't seem to be lying.

Sister Zhao didn't want to stay here any longer, she kept urging me, so I had no choice but to let her meet me in the restricted area of the park behind my house after dark.

Under the bright blue sky, I saw Mu Wanchen walking towards me from afar, his fingers forming hand seals to break the boundary. Behind him followed a towering figure of Bai Ni.

Bai Ni was a translucent dharma body, enveloping Xi Linzhou entirely within her. Protected by Mu Wanchen's barrier, they slipped out along the edge of the door.

The net is extensive, who knows where hidden cameras might be. It's unwise to meet here. Zhao Jie nodded and agreed with my suggestion, getting out of the car and leaving on her own.

After I opened the back door, Bai Ni slid in from the right, her head popping out from the left—with a twist and a turn of this massive serpent's body on the backseat, she "tossed" Xi Linzhou onto the seat.

I imagine a mime actor, closes the car door, then opens the passenger side door, and closes it again.

Even if they were caught on camera, they'd probably think I was just checking the car.

I told Mu Wanchen the time and place for the handover. He nodded and said, "I'll go. I don't need to show my face. Just let her take care of Xi Lingzhou herself... The main suspect is your old master..."

I also think Mr. Ou is suspicious, but I can't figure out what he, a highly educated overseas returnee, has to do with this.

Probably because my expression of hesitation was too obvious, the next day right after class, I was called out by Ms. Ou and detained after school...le and avoid mingling with ordinary people.The house at the back of this village, that's the address the widow gave us.She was already standing on the mound of earth at the doorstep, waiting for us."....