Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

After looking left and right, Zhu Wuyao finally managed to utter a sentence:

"Brother Zhang, aren't you supplementing your studies with military strategy?"

“That’s true, which is why I’m good at deduction and troop deployment, but now—” Zhang Zhihan pointed at Shen Anzhi and said:

"A wounded soldier."

He then looked at Zhu Wuyao and said, "A weakling."

He spread his hands, looking rather helpless: "Even if I wanted to be a general, I would need soldiers at my disposal."

Zhu Wuyao rubbed his temples and asked, "Why doesn't your Star-Picking Tower send someone skilled in combat to provide support?"

Shen Anzhi sighed softly and explained, "Among our peers, the one most skilled in combat has already come down the mountain with me."

"Ye Xiaozhou?"

"Exactly."

Zhu Wuyao slammed his hand on the table and said, "It's feasible!"

Ye Xiaozhou estimated that they would be providing support from the surrounding area. If they encountered danger, the three of them could shout "Help!" together and probably summon someone out.

Furthermore, we may not necessarily take action tonight; we'll just go and scout ahead first.

After explaining this principle to the two, they both agreed. Shen Anzhi was eager to save the people, while Zhang Zhihan was excited to arrest Ye Xiaozhou.

As for Zhu Wuyao, she always felt that this matter was somewhat related to her, and only wanted to eradicate the scourge as soon as possible and preserve her life to survive in the world.

Everyone has their own lofty ideals.

After feeding the radish some radish, Zhu Wuyao solemnly locked the gate. Under the cover of darkness, the three of them stealthily crept to the vicinity of the Longevity Inn.

Zhang Zhihan took the lead, looking over from the base of the wall while simultaneously releasing his divine sense to probe for demonic energy.

The night was quiet, with only a few lights shining.

The Longevity Inn was pitch black, standing in front of them like a demon's den. Zhu Wuyao moved even more quietly, following behind Shen Anzhi and shrinking into himself so that he was inconspicuous.

In the eerie silence, Zhang Zhihan suddenly shouted:

"not good!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he suddenly leaped out and kicked open the inn door like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Shen Anzhi reacted quickly and hurriedly followed, but he had only run halfway when he saw a figure fly backward—

It was Zhang Zhihan.

"Senior brother, that demon has gone mad! There are other people in the inn!"

Zhu Wuyao saw that the inn was pitch black inside, and near the threshold, there were several streams of black, mud-like liquid slowly flowing and wriggling.

Upon hearing this, Shen Anzhi paused slightly, then suddenly looked up at the Longevity Inn.

"A ghost?"

Ignoring his own injuries, he forcefully circulated his spiritual power, and white mist filled the inn. A mournful cry pierced Ning Ye's heart—

"Mother! Wake up, it's me, Dong'er!"

Zhu Wuyao had a bad feeling. Could it be that this "ghost" had already killed someone?

Shen Anzhi, who was suppressing the Yin ghost with all his might, sighed slightly. He had already seen the scene inside the inn.

Where is the murdered old woman?

It was the innkeeper, who was holding up the stool leg to protect himself, who was calling out to the ghost.

Zhang Zhihan had recovered. He knew that his senior brother's injuries had not healed and he could not suppress the Yin ghost for long. He condensed white flames and was about to burn it away.

The white flames flickered in the wind, seemingly about to go out at any moment, but the instant they touched the ghost, the fire raged fiercely.

The ghost had lost her mind; the burning pain from the white flames drove her even more mad.

The owner, holding up the stool leg, had tears in his eyes. He looked at the agonizing ghost, gritted his teeth, picked up the wooden stick in his hand, and threw it hard at Shen Anzhi.

This sudden turn of events shattered the delicate balance of the battle.

The white mist began to fluctuate violently, about to dissipate, and the ghost seized this critical opportunity, its body suddenly swelling up, while the white flames gradually subsided.

Upon seeing Shen An, Zhu Wuyao took two steps back. Due to the backlash from his injuries, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, the Yin ghost had broken free and was about to pounce on Zhang Zhihan.

Her pupils contracted slightly, she took two steps back, completely concealing herself in the darkness, and shouted:

"Ye Xiaozhou, if you don't come out soon, you can expect to collect the corpses of your two senior brothers!"

After shouting this, she ran from the corner towards Shen Anzhi, intending to pull him out of the fray first.

Zhang Zhihan should be able to hold on for a little longer.

She had just arrived beside Shen Anzhi when she heard a voice coming from afar—

"A bunch of useless trash, here I come!"

The red figure flashed and approached the battlefield at an extremely fast speed; before the person arrived, the blade struck first!

A whirling scimitar came from afar, bursting into the battle through the inn's window.

Just a second before the ghost raised its arms to strike Zhang Zhihan, it slashed at her left shoulder.

A shrill sound rang out. Ye Xiaozhou grabbed the swirling curved blade, leaped through the window, and prepared to engage in a fierce battle.

Zhang Zhihan released white flames in coordination, taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and ignite the flames.

The ghost gradually crumbled from a muddy humanoid shape, eventually revealing the vague face of an old woman.

The innkeeper looked at the familiar face, his eyes revealing intense pain.

Just as the curved blade was about to slash at the ghost from behind, he shouted, closed his eyes, and stood behind the ghost.

"Ye Xiaozhou, stop!" Shen Anzhi shouted urgently to stop him.

The downward momentum of the curved blade slowed down, and Ye Xiaozhou cursed under his breath, "What bad luck!" before stopping.

Despite this little incident, the outcome is already decided.

Just as Zhang Zhihan used white flames to force the Yin Ghost into a corner and Ye Xiaozhou was about to deliver the final blow, the innkeeper desperately stood in front of the Yin Ghost.

The ghost was on its last breath, gradually losing its demonic form, and seemed to be regaining its senses.

The innkeeper knelt on the ground, facing the crowd, repeatedly kowtowing and pleading:

“My mother has never hurt anyone. Each time she absorbs the life essence of a living person, she only needs a tiny bit, and it doesn’t even make them sick!”

Ye Xiaozhou grew impatient and was about to grab the person away when Zhu Wuyao stepped forward to stop him.

She still had some questions.

"You say she has never hurt anyone, so what about the person who died a couple of days ago?"

"That...that was an accident! Miss Zhu, no, Daoist Wuyan, my mother once tried to absorb your life essence and was injured by you. You know that she never wanted to harm anyone!"

Zhu Wuyao was even more puzzled. When did this happen? Could it be that Brother Shen came to help?

The landlord continued, "After you left, my mother only took a small amount from each room because she didn't want to hurt anyone. But when she came to the room where you had stayed, someone was lying in ambush there to kill her."

"My mother was injured and lost control of herself, which led to her accidentally killing someone else!"

Just as Zhu Wuyao was about to ask further questions, the old woman, who had shed her ghostly form, spoke weakly:

"Dong'er..."

"Oh, Mother, I'm here. Your Dong'er is here." The innkeeper's hands trembled as he grasped the old woman's hands, his face streaked with tears.

"I killed someone and almost harmed you. I've lived long enough..."

The old woman's skin was loose and bluish-black, but after shedding her ghostly appearance, her face was exceptionally kind.

Shen Anzhi sighed softly, seemingly reluctant.

The innkeeper shook his head, unwilling to listen to this, and said, his voice choked with emotion:

"No, I beg you immortals, let's leave Beixuan City and go to the mountains to never see you again. I still have to take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days..."

Zhang Zhihan shook his head helplessly and asked, "The world is vast, why did you come to Beixuan City? This place is full of cultivators, how can it be an easy place to go?"

The landlord's lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he lowered his head.

The frail old woman smiled and said:

“I’m afraid I might harm someone. I’ve heard that immortals from the Star-Picking Tower often patrol Beixuan City, so I was thinking… if I ever go mad, at least someone can kill me…”

Before the host could say anything more, the old woman spoke first:

"You must be disciples of the Star-Picking Tower. Before you make a move, could you please tell my fortune? I just want to know if I can be reborn into a good family in my next life."

"Dong'er, I've had enough of living like this, neither human nor ghost..."