Chapter 18-Part 8

Teng Yuyi turned her head and looked over. At the end of the empty corridor, she vaguely saw a familiar figure struggling with someone inside one of the rooms, seemingly trapped at the doorway.

Qi Zhi was clinging desperately to the doorframe, shouting at Teng Yuyi, “Lady Teng, you have the ‘Five Beauties Heavenly Immortal Talisman’ on you; that’s why you accidentally entered the barrier set by this demon. You can’t go back now. Quickly pull me out; only the Exorcising Wooden Tablet from our temple can break this illusion.”

Teng Yuyi didn’t dare to get closer, but there was no way for her to retreat. She walked to the top of the stairs and tried to go down but found herself unable to take a step.

“Lady Teng, don’t you believe me? I’m really Qi Zhi! I was the one who fired the signal arrow earlier. I know Jue Sheng and my senior brother are nearby, but I’m not sure if they can arrive in time. I can’t reach the Exorcising Wooden Tablet in my pocket; you need to help pull me out, or I’m done for.”

Teng Yuyi’s heart was nearly pounding out of her chest. “If you are truly Qi Zhi, you should know why I came here.”

“I know, I know!” Qi Zhi nodded frantically. “You want my senior brother to help you remove the Sha Ling Huan spell.”

“Where did we first meet?”

“Ziyun Tower. No, no, in the Lanxia Pavilion inside Ziyun Tower. You and my senior brother discussed eating the tree demon but complained that the demon’s skin and flesh were too tough.”

Teng Yuyi rushed over.

“What exactly happened? How did you get trapped here?”

Qi Zhi said anxiously, “I don’t have enough strength left. I’ll explain in detail later. Lady Teng, the demon is nearby. No matter what it says or does, pretend you didn’t see or hear anything. Just pull me out first.”

Only then did Teng Yuyi notice that behind Qi Zhi was not a room but a courtyard shrouded in mist.

The guests inside were long gone, and the courtyard was shrouded in mist and overgrown with grass. Through the mist, which was like light gauze, she could vaguely see a well in the middle of the courtyard.

She didn’t dare to look too closely. What kind of demon could transform the room into such a scene in an instant? She wrapped her arms around Qi Zhi’s waist, as thick as a bucket, and pulled back with all her might, but despite pulling for a long time, Qi Zhi didn’t budge an inch.

Teng Yuyi cursed in frustration, “Why are you, a vegetarian Taoist priest, so fat?”

Qi Zhi’s forehead was covered in sweat, and he cried out, “I—I didn’t mean to eat so much and get fat.”

Then he came to his senses. “No, no. Lady Teng, right now you’re up against the demon’s power; it has nothing to do with my weight. Maybe you should take out the Exorcising Wooden Tablet. It’s in my front pocket.”

Teng Yuyi, too anxious to wipe her sweat, reached out to feel for it. Suddenly, a cool breeze brushed past her back, and a man’s voice drifted over from afar, “Little lady, what are you doing?”

Teng Yuyi shivered all over and couldn’t help but turn her head to look. She saw a handsome man in his thirties walking over from a distance.

This man had a peony flower pinned to his hair, his gaze was tender, and he wore a faint smile. He was exactly the man she had seen earlier.

The man was holding a green plum blossom-colored woman’s silk scarf in his hand, bringing it up to his nose to smell as he walked, as if there was some fragrance on the scarf that he couldn’t get enough of.

Teng Yuyi found the scarf familiar and realized it belonged to Juan Erli, and she was greatly surprised.

When Qi Zhi saw the man, his face turned pale.

“Lady Teng, quickly close your eyes. Don’t look at it, don’t listen to it; just hurry up and take out the Exorcising Wooden Tablet; that’s the most important thing.”

Teng Yuyi closed her eyes tightly, her hands trembling as she felt around Qi Zhi’s front pocket.

However, Qi Zhi, to avoid being dragged inside, had his entire chest pressed against the doorframe, and the Exorcising Wooden Tablet had been pushed somewhere unknown. The more Teng Yuyi searched, the more anxious she became.

The man was getting closer, and he chuckled, “What are you looking for? Do you want me to help you?”