I dominated the game from the start with cards.

The night wind rustled, making the tent flaps rustle.

Li Xuan awoke with a start from a restless sleep, the sleeping bag beside him cold and empty. An ominous premonition enveloped him, and he sat bolt upright in the empty tent. Bai Yao was gone. This wasn't the first time. In recent days, Li Xuan had vaguely sensed something was off about Bai Yao. She often left the camp alone late at night, returning exhausted yet evasive, refusing to divulge any information. Li Xuan had tried to subtly inquire, but Bai Yao had only smiled and brushed it off, saying she was just taking a walk nearby to enjoy the night view. But tonight, Li Xuan could no longer suppress his suspicions. He quickly dressed and silently left the tent. In the dim moonlight, he saw a slender figure disappearing into the darkness in the distance—it was Bai Yao. Li Xuan's heart sank, and he immediately followed. He tried to walk as quietly as possible, following Bai Yao's footprints through the overgrown ruins, until he arrived at a dilapidated building. Most of the building had collapsed, leaving only a few crumbling walls that creaked ominously in the night wind. Bai Yao's figure finally stopped before a rusty iron door. She gently pushed it open, slipped inside, and then the door closed silently behind her. Li Xuan held his breath, slowly approaching, his heart pounding in his chest. Through the crack in the door, he saw a dim oil lamp burning in the room, casting long shadows in its yellowish light. A tall man stood in the center of the room with his back to him, his face obscured. And Bai Yao was walking towards him step by step. "You've come," the man's deep voice echoed in the room, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tenderness. A thunderclap exploded in Li Xuan's mind. He felt a chill run from his feet to his head, as if the blood in his body had frozen. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, nor could he understand Bai Yao's actions. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh, yet he felt no pain. He felt like a fool, manipulated by Bai Yao. Were all those gentle gazes and sweet words just a lie? Li Xuan's breathing quickened, a suffocating pain shooting through his chest. He abruptly turned and staggered away from the dilapidated building, without looking back or making a sound. Bai Yao, still engrossed in her conversation with the man, remained oblivious to Li Xuan's arrival and departure. Back at the camp, Li Xuan slumped outside his tent, gazing at the dark night sky. The stars twinkled, but they couldn't illuminate his gloomy mood. He felt an unprecedented sense of confusion and pain. He didn't know what to do, or who he could still trust. Footsteps approached in the distance. It was Mu Yang. He saw Li Xuan sitting alone in the darkness, his face filled with worry. "Li Xuan, what's wrong? What happened?" Li Xuan slowly shook his head, remaining silent. He didn't want to tell anyone about his pain, nor did he want anyone to see his vulnerability. "Li Xuan..." Mu Yang tried to say something more, but Li Xuan interrupted him. “I’m fine,” Li Xuan’s voice was hoarse and low. “I’m just… a little tired.” He stood up and went into the tent, leaving Mu Yang standing alone, watching his retreating figure with a puzzled look. Inside the tent, Li Xuan lay in his sleeping bag, but couldn’t fall asleep. He closed his eyes, and images of Bai Yao and that man together kept flashing through his mind. His heart felt like it had been pierced by a sharp knife, bleeding profusely. The sky gradually brightened, and a new day began. However, for Li Xuan, this was the beginning of a day filled with pain and confusion. He didn’t know how to face Bai Yao, nor how to face the challenges ahead. “Bai Yao…” Li Xuan murmured to himself, his voice filled with pain and helplessness. The faint light of dawn shone through the gaps in the tent. Li Xuan, who hadn’t slept all night, had bloodshot eyes. He got up, deliberately avoiding Bai Yao’s sleeping bag, and quietly went out. Bai Yao woke up and found that Li Xuan was no longer beside her. She could hear him talking quietly to Mu Yang outside the tent. Feeling uneasy, she got up and went outside. "Good morning, Li Xuan." Bai Yao tried to act nonchalant as she walked to Li Xuan's side. Li Xuan merely nodded coldly, his gaze fixed on the distance, not glancing at her. "Good morning." Bai Yao sensed his unusual behavior and reached out to touch his arm, but Li Xuan subtly avoided her. "Li Xuan, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Li Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions within him. "No, you're overthinking it." "Impossible!" Bai Yao's voice rose several decibels. "Your attitude last night was strange, and now you're treating me like this. What happened?" Li Xuan suddenly turned around, his eyes icy. "Do you really want to know?" Bai Yao was startled by his sudden anger, but she still nodded firmly. "I saw where you went last night and who you met." Li Xuan said each word clearly, each word piercing Bai Yao's heart like an ice pick. Bai Yao's face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but found any explanation futile. "You...you were following me?" "I just happened to be passing by." Li Xuan's tone was full of sarcasm. "I didn't expect you to be having a secret rendezvous with another man behind our backs." "It's not what you think!" Bai Yao almost shouted. "He and I just..." "Just what?" Li Xuan pressed on. "Just having a heart-to-heart talk under the moon? Or pouring out our hearts to each other?" Bai Yao's eyes reddened, tears welling up. "You don't believe me at all!" "Why should I believe a woman who's full of lies?" Li Xuan's tone was icy cold, as if he wanted to freeze Bai Yao into ice. The argument between the two became increasingly heated, attracting the attention of others in the camp. Lin Yu and Ling Feng came over, wanting to mediate, but were angrily pushed away by Li Xuan. Just then, Lin Yu suddenly spoke up: "Wait, Li Xuan, I think I know what's going on!" He pulled out a piece of dusty cloth from his pocket. "I found this near that building. It looks like a fragment of some kind of control device." Li Xuan and Bai Yao were both stunned, following Lin Yu's gaze to the piece of cloth. “I suspect that man might be being controlled, and Bai Yao might be investigating the truth,” Lin Yu continued, his tone becoming serious. Li Xuan’s expression changed slightly. He recalled Bai Yao’s recent unusual behavior and her evasive explanations. Could it all be true? A silence fell over the camp, the atmosphere heavy and suffocating.

Mu Yang suddenly broke the silence. He took out an ancient notebook from his backpack, turned to a page, pointed to the drawing, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this is an ancient control technique, and here..."

He pointed to a symbol on the drawing, "That's the method to break the control." Li Xuan's gaze fell on the notebook in Mu Yang's hand, his heart struggling. Should he trust Mu Yang's judgment? Should he trust Bai Yao? "I...I'll go find her." Li Xuan finally made his decision. He snatched the notebook from Mu Yang's hand and turned to run towards the dilapidated building. Li Xuan grabbed the notebook, his eyes quickly scanning the yellowed pages. It contained a control technique called "Puppet Curse" written in ancient script, along with the method to break it. His heart pounded, and a feeling of hope spread through his chest. He had to find Bai Yao immediately, he had to! He sprinted towards the dilapidated building, the wind whistling in his ears, the notebook rustling in his hands, as if urging him to quicken his pace. However, the road to the building was not smooth.

The once withered trees along the roadside now twisted their branches, resembling menacing monsters, emitting a chilling rustling sound.

Cracks appeared in the ground, from which thick black mist surged, emitting a nauseating stench. Several distorted monsters with grayish-white skin and glowing red eyes slowly emerged from the black mist, blocking Li Xuan's path.

"Damn it!" Li Xuan cursed under his breath, gripping his dagger tightly. He knew these monsters were puppets controlled by some kind of force. Almost at the same time, Mu Yang, Lin Yu, and Ling Feng arrived.

Lin Yu, wielding a massive battle axe, charged forward first, delivering a powerful, heavy blow to the nearest monster. The axe blade sliced ​​through the air with a sharp whistling sound, striking the monster's body with deadly force. However, the monster seemed to feel no pain, pausing only slightly before continuing its charge.

"These monsters feel no pain, attack their heads!" Mu Yang calmly analyzed, his longsword dancing like a serpent, precisely piercing the eye of one of the monsters. The monster let out a shrill roar, collapsed to the ground, its body rapidly decaying into a pool of black liquid. Li Xuan also joined the battle, relying on his agility and premonition of danger to navigate the monsters' attacks with ease. The dagger in his hand moved like a viper's tongue, each strike aimed straight for the monster's vitals. Just then, Bai Yao appeared.

She brandished a long whip, which danced like a silver snake, ensnaring the monsters before ripping them apart with a sharp tug. "Bai Yao, be careful!" Li Xuan was overjoyed to see Bai Yao appear, but his heart was quickly filled with worry.

However, his warning came too late. Taking advantage of Bai Yao's momentary lapse in attention, a monster pounced, its sharp claws digging deep into Bai Yao's shoulder, instantly staining her clothes with blood. "Bai Yao!" Li Xuan's eyes widened in fury. He leaped forward and kicked the monster away.

Bai Yao was pale, clutching her injured shoulder, her body swaying precariously. Li Xuan supported her, his eyes filled with self-reproach and heartache. "How are you?" Bai Yao shook her head, enduring the pain, "I'm fine..." "Fine? You've lost so much blood!" Li Xuan tore off a piece of his clothing to bandage Bai Yao's wound. Bai Yao said weakly, "I went there to investigate matters related to the destruction of my sect..." Li Xuan paused, his eyes filled with self-reproach.

With everyone working together, they finally repelled all the monsters. Bai Yao's injuries were also promptly treated by Sister Wu. However, looking at Bai Yao's pale face, Li Xuan was filled with doubt. Who was manipulating all of this behind the scenes? What did they have to do with the destruction of their sect? "Li Xuan..." Mu Yang hesitated, looking at the darkening sky in the distance. After treating Bai Yao's wounds, Sister Wu sighed, "Fortunately, the wounds aren't deep; it's just excessive blood loss. She'll be fine after some rest."

Li Xuan's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. Looking at Bai Yao's pale face, he was filled with guilt. If he had discovered the monsters sooner, Bai Yao wouldn't have been injured. Night fell, and the dilapidated buildings appeared even more eerie in the dim light. The group sat around a campfire, the atmosphere somewhat somber. The flickering flames illuminated everyone's faces, but couldn't dispel the doubts in their hearts.

Li Xuan gently embraced Bai Yao, feeling her weakened body, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Bai Yao leaned weakly against him, whispering, "I went there to investigate things related to the destruction of my sect..." These words struck Li Xuan like a thunderbolt. He abruptly looked up, his eyes filled with self-reproach. "What? You... why did you go alone? Do you know how dangerous it was there?" His voice trembled slightly, carrying a barely perceptible hint of anger. Bai Yao bit her lip, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

“There are some things… I… I don’t want you to worry.” Li Xuan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart. He knew Bai Yao had her own secrets, but he couldn’t accept that she would risk her life to investigate her sect. Silence spread between the two, broken only by the crackling of the campfire.

Mu Yang, Lin Yu, and Ling Feng exchanged a glance and silently looked away, giving the two some private space. "Who exactly is manipulating all of this behind the scenes?" Lin Yu broke the silence, his voice low and heavy.

“Those monsters, and that strange notebook…” “The ‘Puppet Spell’ recorded in the notebook is an extremely evil control technique.”

Lingfeng spoke slowly, his voice as ethereal as the night wind, elusive and unfathomable. “The manipulator can use this spell to control any creature, turning them into their puppets.” “So, those monsters were all controlled?” Mu Yang frowned, a sense of unease rising within him. “Who are the manipulators? What is their purpose?” “We don’t know yet.” Lingfeng shook his head. “But what is certain is that this matter is absolutely related to the annihilation of our sect.”

Li Xuan clenched his fists tightly, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes. He would definitely find the mastermind behind this and avenge his sect! The moon in the sky was obscured by dark clouds, making the night even deeper. The light of the campfire gradually dimmed, and everything around was shrouded in darkness. Li Xuan carried the slightly better Bai Yao to his feet and walked towards a relatively intact room deep inside the building. He gently placed her on the simple bed, tucked her in, and then sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her sleeping face. "Why didn't you tell me?" Li Xuan's voice was soft, yet tinged with accusation. Bai Yao's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up. Li Xuan held his breath, waiting for her answer. Bai Yao slowly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion in them. "Li Xuan..." "Why did you keep it from me? What if something happened while you were investigating alone?"

Bai Yao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Some things... cannot be easily revealed..." Her voice was soft, yet like a pebble dropped into a puddle, it stirred up a thousand waves in Li Xuan's heart. He abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with suspicion... "You..."