âI really have no idea,â Ye Shaoyang scratched his head.
âTan Xiaohuiâ let out a sigh and muttered, âYouâll find out sooner or later.â
Iâll find out sooner or later? Why did she say that?
Before Ye Shaoyang could question her further, âTan Xiaohuiâ asked, âI have something to ask you. Since you knew my identity; why didnât you catch me right when you walked in?â
âWhy would I do that?â Ye Shaoyang asked, bewildered, âI just didnât understand why you hid your identity; I never thought you were hiding it to harm me.â
Zhou Jingru grabbed her hand and said, âThatâs right, youâve saved Brother Shaoyang countless times. No matter what you are, youâll always be our friend, our Xiaohui.â
âTan Xiaohuiâ looked at her then at everyone around; they all nodded in agreement. Then she looked at Ye Shaoyang, âThank you all. But, youâll still have to catch me, right?â
Ye Shaoyang lowered his head and let out a gentle sigh. Ye Shaoyang did not really want to pursue the issue. Since she had been around for so long, she had already become a friend. However, because of his responsibilities as a Daoist, he felt conflicted. There was no reason for him to just leave a demon alone and not catch it.
âBrother Shaoyang, donât worry. Since you know where Madam Chee is, weâll look for her and⊠battle with her. Iâll help you in battle until everything is over; then Iâll voluntarily go back to the Underworld.â
Ye Shaoyang was slightly relieved when he heard her proposal. However, he became worried when he thought about the Blood Pagoda Tree, so he frowned and asked, âDo you know if the Blood Pagoda Tree was also brought up by that Spirit Commissioner from the Underworld?â
âIâm not sure, but no one else could have done it. At least, Jing Shuai couldnât have.â
Ye Shaoyang nodded. When he thought about the illusions he saw, the countless heads on the tree, he said, âThis Blood Pagoda Tree is extraordinary; the number of people that it killed from ancient times must have been in the hundredsâŠ.â
These words shocked everyone. Xiao Ma muttered, âThatâs a lot of people ...is it also some thousand-year-old demon?â
Ye Shaoyang shook his head, âI noticed something when I was down there. The Blood Pagoda Tree had a part of its essence taken away, turning it into some sort of puppet or weapon. As such, even if it has a lot of cultivation, it will not attack without its master controlling it.â
Xie Yuqing asked, âSo its master is Madam Chee?â
âProbably not, this Blood Pagoda Tree has existed for thousands of years already, so its master must have died already. The Spirit Commissioner must have brought it here so that it can accumulate hateful Qi. Even though the tree cannot actively attack, it still has immense demon Qi. With my current capabilities, I can only try to use the Dark Gold Ink Talismans to open it up, but that would also mean I wonât have enough energy to face Madam CheeâŠ.â
âTan Xiaohuiâ immediately suggested, âThereâs no need to do that; have you forgotten that Jing Shuai used his blood to help form the new lair of Madam Chee? Thatâs why, when I made your antidote, I saved some of Jing Shuaiâs blood. With his blood, I can find and open Madam Cheeâs lair.â
Ye Shaoyang joyfully smiled at her and said, âYouâre such a meticulous person.â
âTan Xiaohuiâ looked at him.
Ye Shaoyang added, âYouâll always be Xiaohui to me.â
âTan Xiaohuiâ lightly nodded her head joyfully.
âWell, Iâll go get ready and also⊠bury Xiaohui. Just let me know before you guys want to move out.â After she said this, she picked up the real Tan Xiaohui and walked out of the room.
Everyone else in the room looked at each other; they did not know what to say.
Finally, Xie Yuqing broke the silence, âI still donât quite understand how a demon like her was used in the Five Spirit Moving Mountain Formation; I thought you said only spirits from the Underworld can be used?â
âActually, anything from the Underworld can be used, which includes demons and specters. Like that river spirit we encountered before; sheâs actually a specter.â
âSo how does she know Miaojiang Arts then?â
âThatâs easy.â Ye Shaoyang said, âSince sheâs able to turn into a human form, she was able to learn it while she was with Tan Xiaohui.â
âSo it was because she had been with her for so long that sheâs able to mimic her perfectly.â
Zhou Jingru frowned and said, âI never thought something like this could happen. Big Brother Shaoyang, when everything is over, could you just let her stay with us?â
Ye Shaoyang shook his head, âSheâs from the Underworld, so she has to go back. Furthermore, her master has already died, so there is no reason at all for her stay. These are the rules of the heavens. I didnât set them, so I canât change them.â
Zhou Jingru still wanted to argue with him, but Ye Shaoyang protested and said, âLetâs not talk about this for now. We still need to prepare for our fight with Madam Chee.â
After saying that, he sat down and went into deep thought.
Zhou Jingru did not want to disturb him, so she kindly poured a cup of tea and passed it to Ye Shaoyang.
Ye Shaoyang looked at the cup of tea and suddenly thought of something, âThatâs right! The Water of Forgetfulness!â he turned to Old Guo and asked, âCould you go to the Underworld and fetch me four liters of that water? And maybe a kilogram or so of Life and Death Grass? I need it for a formation.â
Old Guo frowned and asked, âWhy donât you go down yourself?â
âI have to go to the sakura garden to set up a formation. I want to turn the Formation of Nine Divineâs Moon into the Nine Stars Killing Formation. I am afraid I wonât be powerful enough to face her.â
âThe Nine Stars Killing Formation⊠yes, using the power from the Sakura against Madam Chee.â Old Guo nodded but he was still reluctant, âBut with my level⊠I donât think the people in the Underworld would let me take anythingâŠ.â
Ye Shaoyang thought the matter for a moment. Then, he took out a piece of talisman paper and wrote a few lines on it. After that, he passed it to Old Guo. Old Guo happily accepted it and said, âNow this is better; with your good name, Iâll be able to get the ingredients you want.â
Xie Yuqing asked out of curiosity, âWhatâs this Water of Forgetfulness?â
âThatâs the water from the River of the Past, which is under the Helpless Bridge.â
âOh, I thought it was able to let you forget about love. Hehe, I thought I could have some.â
Xiao Ma placed his arm around Old Guo and said, âWell, good luck to you. Never thought with your level of cultivation youâll be able to go to the Underworld.â