The leader of the cultivation alliance has a crush on me.

Rong Ling sat at the palace gate, and Song Ke thought the child was quite cute.

Feng Xun said, "That's Rong Ling."

Song Ke looked surprised, then smiled and said, "He was quite cute when he was little."

Feng Xun frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

Song Ke watched as he sat alone on the threshold, throwing pebbles one by one. Several palace maids passing by were hit by his stones, but when they saw it was Rong Ling, they hurriedly left without daring to reprimand him.

Song Ke thought, "What a naughty child."

What do we do now?

Feng Xun thought for a moment: "This world is obviously a figment of imagination. The entire Western Kingdom no longer exists; it's just a pile of bones."

"A person caught in the middle will definitely want to protect everything that is happening now, or prevent everything from happening, but that is simply impossible. If this continues, he will inevitably be trapped inside forever."

After listening, Song Ke thought for a moment and said, "So, if we want Rong Xiu to come to his senses, we have to make him accept reality?"

"Or should we let everything happen sooner?"

Song Ke felt that this was a bit cruel. Living, breathing people, relatives, friends, and his own subjects were dying before his eyes. Those who were not strong enough to bear it would be crushed or fall into demonic ways.

What a dilemma.

"The living will not die, and the dead will not come back to life." As he spoke, Feng Xun examined the illusion again, feeling that something was amiss.

"However, nothing is absolute. Let's wait and see."

A few days later, Song Ke noticed something was wrong. A group of unidentified people had entered the city, and strangely, they all had a black mist surrounding their brows.

After seeing this situation again, Song Ke tugged at Feng Xun's sleeve, and Feng Xun stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

Song Ke: "Don't you find it strange?"

Feng Xun glanced at the people on the street and then nodded: "Just ask around."

The two men stopped a man who had just returned from outside the city and asked, "Excuse me, I've seen a lot of people returning from outside the city today. What's going on outside the city?"

The man smiled broadly and said in a warm tone, "Young lady, you don't know, but today is the birthday of the Goddess at the foot of Tianqiong Mountain outside the city, and everyone has gone to pray for her."

"The birthday of the goddess?"

The elder brother smiled broadly, as if he had received some kind of blessing, and looked at the goddess with great awe: "Yes, today is the goddess's birthday. Prince Jing even held a charity feast there, and many people from other places also went."

"If you want to go, you probably won't make it today. However, the Goddess's birthday celebration lasts for three days, so you can go two days later when there won't be as many people."

After listening, Song Ke smiled and thanked her, "Thank you."

She returned to Feng Xun's side, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

Feng Xun raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by looking at me like that?"

Song Ke glanced at the crowd of people coming and going: "Didn't you say that the goddess is your friend? Don't you want to go and meet her soon?"

Feng Xun: "The Temple of the Goddess is just a statue, not her real body, so seeing it is of no use."

Feng Xun looked at the people coming and going, and noticed that more and more of them had black mist swirling under their brows. He frowned and said, "I'm afraid something has happened at the Goddess Temple."

"Ok?"

Feng Xun explained, "Look at those people, they're clearly possessed by evil spirits." Then, Feng Xun concluded with certainty, "It can't be her."

Song Ke asked curiously, "Just how familiar are you with that goddess?"

Feng Xun listened, his gaze lingering on Song Ke for a moment, before he said casually, "Let's just wander around for a bit. Didn't you just say you were hungry? Let's see what you want to eat and buy some."

Song Ke, standing beside Feng Xun, asked, "Aren't we going?"

Feng Xun corrected him, saying, "We're not going now."

Looking at the bustling streets and the people coming and going, full of life, Song Ke found it hard to imagine what this place would be like as a ghost town piled with bones.

Looking at the hawkers' calls around them, Song Ke's eyes lit up with anticipation, and her words were filled with joy: "Let's take a look."

After taking a couple of steps, she stopped and asked, "Can we eat the food here?"

Feng Xun said calmly, "Okay."

Upon hearing this, Song Ke's face lit up at first, but then her expression fell. Feng Xun, seeing her change in demeanor, asked with a puzzled look, "What now?"

Song Ke said somewhat embarrassedly, "I have no money."

Feng Xun was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Song Ke looked on in surprise: "You can laugh?"

"I thought you were incapable of having feelings and could only have a blank expression."

As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Xun frowned, turned her face away from Song Ke's gaze, and pointed to the pastries in front of her: "Go buy some."

"I'll give you money."

Just as Song Ke was about to say, "You're quite generous," Feng Xun added, "Consider it a loan from me. Your Yuxiao Mountain shouldn't be short of this."

Song Ke: “…”

"Okay... then."

The two strolled until sunset, and Song Ke looked at the afterglow on the city gate: "Won't things get a little unsafe tonight?"

Feng Xun glanced at the city. The once bustling streets seemed to have become deserted in an instant. The increasingly dim light of the sky added a touch of coldness and gloom. A gentle breeze blew, and fallen leaves danced all over the ground, blurring people's vision.

Feng Xun lifted his foot and walked into an alley: "Let's go, let's find a place to stay first."

Song Ke looked in the direction he walked, then glanced at the inns along the street whose lanterns were already lighting up one after another. She followed him and asked, "Not staying at an inn?"

Feng Xun didn't stop walking, his hands still carrying a lot of packaged food: "Didn't you just say that things wouldn't be peaceful tonight?"

"Most of the guests staying at the inn are people from outside."

Song Ke immediately realized that most of the people who came from outside were the same as those she had seen today, shrouded in black mist. They were probably under some kind of curse, or corrupted by evil spirits or demons.

These creatures thrive best when the moonlight is at its brightest at night.

Staying at a guesthouse is like offering yourself up for them to eat.

But even if Feng Xun's old injuries haven't healed, with his cultivation level, how could he be afraid of these petty villains?

Song Ke didn't ask, afraid of hurting the Grand Alliance Leader's pride.

The two walked through two alleys and finally stopped in front of an abandoned courtyard.

Looking at the courtyard, Song Ke felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Feng Xun pushed open the courtyard gate with a relaxed expression, as if he were returning to his own home, without the slightest hint of sneakiness.

Song Ke blinked and followed them inside. The place was just as desolate, overgrown with weeds, covered in dust, and shrouded in darkness.

Feng Xun raised his right hand, and a flickering flame ignited at his fingertips, illuminating the small space.

Song Ke followed behind him, cautiously looking around with the curiosity of someone exploring someone else's territory.

Feng Xun turned to look at her and reminded her, "You don't need to be so careful."

Song Ke looked up at him: "?"

Feng Xun said calmly, "There's no one here, and no ghosts."

Song Ke paused for a moment after hearing this, then straightened up: "Then what are we here for?"