Chapter 107: Suspicion

Before setting off, Xianyu Shi made another trip to Qingshan City. Besides collecting mushrooms from Xiao Man, she also wanted to consult Shen Xiao about how to deal with ghosts.

Although she had drawn a bunch of talismans, she didn’t expect a novice like herself to command the underworld. For now, she set a small goal: to learn how to protect herself.

Shen Xiao’s advice was much like that of the Spirit Attendant. He believed that only some lingering souls remained in the world—souls formed from unresolved grudges and lingering resentment from their lives. They had little consciousness, so it was best to avoid them. If avoidance was impossible, as long as one held onto their true heart and remained unaffected, they could escape safely.

Of course, encountering powerful ghosts was another matter entirely. One might be possessed before even realizing it.

Shen Xiao said, “I’ll give you a protective talisman. If any ghost tries to possess you or devour your soul, this talisman should keep you safe.”

Xianyu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully said, “Brother Shen, you truly make one feel secure.”

Shen Xiao handed her the talisman with a smile. “You have innate spiritual power, so this talisman’s effect will be strong for you. For ordinary people, its power is quite limited.”

Xianyu Shi treasured it carefully, thinking that ordinary people usually wouldn’t encounter ghosts—unlike her, always venturing into strange places. Sigh.

She packed away the talisman and carefully sealed the mushrooms Xiao Man had collected into bags, placing them neatly into her backpack.

Watching her pack, Shen Xiao hesitated before finally speaking, “Xiaoyu, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hm?” Xianyu Shi looked up, puzzled. “What is it?”

Shen Xiao considered his words carefully before saying slowly, “Recently… we found someone. It might be Lin Yuan.”

Xianyu Shi was stunned.

If it had been a normal discovery, Shen Xiao wouldn’t have reacted this way. She watched him silently, waiting for more.

Shen Xiao said, “It’s a decayed corpse of a demon beast. Some things don’t add up. If it’s truly Lin Yuan, the bones shouldn’t be so badly rotten.”

“How did you confirm it was him?” Xianyu Shi asked.

“Remember the fox hair Madam Xu left us?” Shen Xiao looked at her. “That corpse was found by Madam Xu. The nine-tailed fox’s mark can’t be mistaken.”

“Then… how did he die?” She opened her mouth, her expression growing more bewildered. “How could he have died…”

---

“This is strange,” Shen Xiao frowned as he spoke slowly. “Madam Xu and I examined the corpse and suspect that Lin Yuan might not actually be Lin Yuan.”

“We believe that the original Lin Yuan was just a wisp of spirit that took over the body of a dead demon beast, making us mistakenly think he was the beast itself. Once the spirit leaves, the corpse naturally shows the decay it should have.”

Xianyu Shi was confused. “Brother Shen, you mean… Lin Yuan actually isn’t dead?”

Shen Xiao nodded. “To possess a demon beast’s body without anyone noticing and deceive both Madam Xu and me, his cultivation must be far beyond ours. We just don’t know what his purpose is. Since you were close to him before, you must be very careful going forward.”

Xianyu Shi murmured, “If he’s not dead, why hasn’t he come to find me…”

Shen Xiao warned, “He might still come for you, but no longer in his original form. Without knowing his true intentions, Xiaoyu, you need to stay vigilant.”

Xianyu Shi was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I’ll remember, Brother Shen.”

...

Back at the Celestial Palace, Xianyu Shi remained deep in thought, silent.

The Spirit Attendant observed her troubled expression and, mistaking it for worry about her next world assignment, spoke to comfort her: “If your Majesty is truly concerned, restoring the Celestial Palace need not be rushed. With the Dragon God Village and Qingshan City’s offerings, the palace will one day be restored, though it may take thousands of years.”

Xianyu Shi was taken aback before grasping his meaning. “You mean thousands or even tens of thousands of years? I won’t live that long.”

The Spirit Attendant said, “As long as your Majesty’s body is healthy, even if your lifespan is limited, your descendants will continue your lineage forever.”

Xianyu Shi’s expression stiffened. Once he mentioned descendants, she thought of marriage, then her ex-boyfriend, then Shen Xiao’s revelation that Lin Yuan might still be alive...

Seeing her growing distress, the Spirit Attendant asked suspiciously, “Does your Majesty have worries?”

Xianyu Shi told him, “I just went to Qingshan City. Brother Shen said Lin Yuan might not be dead.”

The Spirit Attendant was silent.

“Not only alive, but possibly a fragment of someone’s spirit occupying a demon beast’s corpse, using it to return to life. We just don’t know why,” Xianyu Shi pondered carefully. “It’s strange… Lin Yuan only came with us to search for Spirit Mountain. What purpose would he have?”

The Spirit Attendant was silent for a moment, then replied softly, “Since the past is gone, your Majesty needn’t worry so much.”

“How can I not?” Xianyu Shi frowned seriously. “Brother Shen said Lin Yuan was close to me and might come looking for me again. Now that I think about it, the Lin Yuan I met in the desert world was suspicious.”

The Spirit Attendant was silent.

Xianyu Shi grew more uneasy and turned to him. “Open a portal for me. I want to go back to the desert world. If Lin Yuan there is also a corpse, it means they are the same person.”

The Spirit Attendant’s expression tensed as he lowered his gaze. “...There is no statue of your Majesty in the desert world, no one to pay homage. It will be inconvenient.”

“But you said with more spiritual energy, I could go,” Xianyu Shi asked doubtfully. “Is the energy in the Celestial Palace not enough now?”

The Spirit Attendant raised his hands in a gesture, half concealing his unpleasant expression. “The alchemy pavilion was only recently restored. The spiritual furnace currently lacks energy. Also... spending large amounts of spiritual energy to open a portal for such a doubtful matter seems... excessive.”

Xianyu Shi felt a pang of disappointment but nodded slowly, murmuring, “You’re right. You should save the energy for connecting to the ghost realm. At times like this, I shouldn’t waste it. Maybe I’m overthinking. Even if he comes looking for me, he’d probably come to Qingshan City, not another world.”

The Spirit Attendant remained silent.

Xianyu Shi sighed deeply. “Enough thinking. Let’s go to the next world.”

The Spirit Attendant asked, “Is your Majesty ready?”

“Yes.” She nodded, patting herself. “I’ve placed protective talismans all over my front, back, arms, and legs—completely secure.”

The Spirit Attendant nodded. The air rippled like water as the scene on the other side of the prayer pool’s arched bridge grew hazy and indistinct. Two worlds, like two different colors of water, swirled together. When the waters cleared, the landscape had changed entirely.

Xianyu Shi rubbed her arms and murmured, “The air is truly oppressive with yin energy.”

She stepped onto the arched bridge—

The Spirit Attendant frowned slightly, troubled.

In the past, he could find a fresh corpse to use, but in this world... there were only the living and ghosts.