The cloth dolls hanging from the beams suddenly let out eerie laughter, like the cries of infant spirits.
The paintings on the wall also changed. The ghost heads bled, and the snake depictions showed writhing black serpents. In the bone painting, a woman with an obscured face, holding an umbrella, appeared. She wore a crimson robe made of fabric strikingly similar to Gu Qianying's attire. The last painting revealed a shadowy figure with bared, sharp teeth and bloodthirsty eyes, as if it had come to life.
A dense, eerie atmosphere permeated the room. Tianji Wu Chang, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly cried out in pain. Unseen, several Yin spirits flew towards him, tearing at his body. The room was thick with a chilling energy.
"Ah, it hurts so much! Ah, go away, don't touch me, it hurts, it hurts..." His features contorted, veins bulging on his cheeks, indicating his immense suffering.
Seeing this, Gu Qianying moved to help, but Lu Zhu stopped her. "Miss, quickly, leave this place. He cannot be saved." Lu Zhu pulled Gu Qianying away. However, the door to the room had somehow closed.
"Go!" Nangong Mo said, putting his arm around Gu Qianying. He unleashed his spiritual energy and, with a flick of his sleeve, struck the door. The heavy wooden door was split apart by the powerful spiritual force. In doing so, Nangong Mo exposed his own spiritual energy.
Hidden in a corner, the clan leader of the Wu clan, whose eyes had held a friendly gaze moments before, now turned cold. He stared at Nangong Mo, his hand clenched within his sleeve, gathering demonic energy. But as Nangong Mo glanced his way, he quickly relaxed his hand, returning to his usual demeanor.
"Everyone, do not be afraid. This is our Wu clan's Spirit Control technique." The clan leader emerged from the corner. As he approached Gu Qianying, Nangong Mo tightened his grip on her. At the same moment, Lu Zhu tugged at Gu Qianying's sleeve, signaling her not to get too close to the clan leader.
Sensing Lu Zhu's rejection, the clan leader felt a flicker of annoyance, but he smiled and said, "Saintess, it has been years since your return. Have you forgotten our Wu clan's techniques?"
"Clan leader, our Spirit Control technique is meant for dealing with enemies. Yet, you use it against your own brother. Clan leader, are you not afraid that I, your Saintess, will reveal your cruel heart to the rest of our people?"
"Spirit Control can also help imprison souls, preventing them from dissipating. Saintess, you must have heard of this method, haven't you?" the clan leader offered a casual excuse.
Lu Zhu scoffed. "Clan leader, do you really think I would believe such a flimsy reason?" Lu Zhu positioned herself in front of Gu Qianying and Nangong Mo. She knew the power of Wu techniques all too well, and her knowledge only increased her worry for her young lady and her husband's safety.
*Miss, husband, please don't believe Second Uncle. He's lying. Five years ago, when I left, Tianji Wu Chang was not like this at all. Furthermore, Spirit Control is a Wu technique that controls souls, summons Yin spirits, and imprisons the physical body. The clan leader using this technique on his own brother clearly indicates that Tianji Wu Chang's current state is his doing!*
Tianji Wu Chang continued to cry out in pain, his withered limbs unresponsive. Gu Qianying couldn't bear to watch. She took out silver needles and, from a short distance, flicked them. Two needles pierced Tianji Wu Chang's temples. As his cries gradually subsided, Tianji Wu Chang finally fell silent.
"Since you have all witnessed this, I cannot let you leave. Wu Meng, you should not have returned. However... even though you have returned, you cannot change anything. Wu Meng, do not blame your second uncle for being heartless!" The clan leader's eyes were filled with malice. With a raised palm, demonic energy erupted. The crying cloth dolls in the room, as if possessed, leaped down and attacked the three of them. The strange beings in the paintings on the wall began to grow and writhe wildly.
"Miss, husband, quickly, go!" Lu Zhu drew her sword and severed the head of a flying cloth doll. Green liquid splattered onto her sword. Nangong Mo shielded Gu Qianying in his arms. Powerful spiritual energy shot from his palm, sending over a dozen cloth dolls crashing to the ground. Green liquid flowed everywhere.
"None of you will leave! You will all die! Hahaha!" In an instant, the clan leader held a long spear and thrust it towards Gu Qianying. Nangong Mo's eyes narrowed. "You court death!" With lightning speed, he grabbed the other end of the spear and twisted it, snapping it in two. The clan leader's face showed surprise.
Gu Qianying tried to intervene, but as she unleashed her spiritual energy, she found no trace of true qi within her, and her spiritual power was unusable. Instead, demonic energy was growing rampant within her. Her eyes turned red. At this moment, the images from the paintings on the wall, the strange phenomena, flashed through Gu Qianying's mind. She was one of the figures in the paintings!
"Girl! Don't think about anything else. Leave this to me." Nangong Mo covered Gu Qianying's eyes. With a raised palm, the clan leader was immobilized by a powerful spiritual force. He tried to escape, but his feet felt as heavy as if they were anchored by immense cauldrons.
"Bang!" The remaining cloth dolls instantly self-destructed. The four eerie paintings on the wall also leaked green liquid under the force of the spiritual energy.
"Wife, let's go!" Nangong Mo embraced Gu Qianying and flew towards the door. Lu Zhu followed closely. But as she stepped outside, she glanced back at the dying Tianji Wu Chang on the bed. Biting her lip, she turned and went back inside.
The clan leader was still suppressed by the powerful spiritual force. When Lu Zhu returned, he saw a glimmer of hope for escape. He chanted Wu clan incantations. The Yin spirits, on the verge of destruction, seemed to awaken and turned towards Lu Zhu. Lu Zhu swung her sword, cutting down the spirits one by one. She reached the bedside, pulled Tianji Wu Chang up, and dragged him onto her back. She walked out with Tianji Wu Chang on her back. However, the awakened Yin spirits seemed to have grown stronger. They blocked Lu Zhu's path. Carrying Tianji Wu Chang made it difficult for Lu Zhu to fight the Yin spirits.
At this moment, with the aid of the Yin spirits, the clan leader broke free from the spiritual suppression. Unrestrained, the clan leader lunged at Lu Zhu. His large hand clamped around her neck, and he snapped her sword.
"Saintess, I told you that you shouldn't have returned, and you certainly shouldn't have saved this old man!" His fingers tightened, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty gleam. Just then, a red figure suddenly appeared. She stood behind the clan leader, picked up Lu Zhu's sword, and plunged it directly through his back.
"Ugh..." The clan leader looked down in horror at the bloody sword tip in his chest. He mechanically turned his head and saw Gu Qianying, dressed in red, with red hair and red eyes.
"You... you... are you a demon?" His words were left unfinished as he collapsed.
"Miss!" Lu Zhu cried out. *It's over! My lady's inner demon has resurfaced.*
"Go!" With a single cold word, Gu Qianying pushed Lu Zhu, who was carrying Tianji Wu Chang, out. Inside, the spirits were still flying chaotically, but upon seeing Gu Qianying's red eyes, they seemed to have found a "relative" and swarmed around her, attempting to invade her body. The images of her eating human flesh and drinking human blood reappeared in her mind. Thousands of Yin spirits and several demonic individuals bowed at her feet. She was the revered queen of many demons, the most feared demoness in the world.
*No... I don't want to be this way. I can't! I have a child. How can I be a bad mother?* Her head throbbed with pain. She clutched her head, her figure appearing helpless and panicked. Just as she was about to sever her own meridians, Nangong Mo appeared before her.
"Girl, no." Nangong Mo stopped her and held her tightly. His lips were stained with blood, and his face was pale. Moments ago, his wife had caught him off guard, severely injured him, and escaped his sight. He had been searching for her everywhere. When he pursued her, he encountered Lu Zhu carrying Tianji Wu Chang, learning that his wife had returned here and had rescued Lu Zhu by killing the clan leader.
Her red eyes met his. Gu Qianying seemed to recognize the person before her. "Nangong Mo, I'm so tired." With that, Gu Qianying collapsed into Nangong Mo's arms.
Two days later...