Chapter Seventy-Six: The Oath

Li Yue’s face turned pale with anxiety as she hurried over to steady me.

“Don’t die on me! I only grabbed your injured leg for a moment—it won’t kill you.”

Her support kept me from collapsing to the ground, though the dizziness still pressed heavily upon me. Faintly, I heard voices calling my name, and felt something tugging at me.

Suddenly, a sharp, icy pain shot through my ear, shocking me awake; the haze of vertigo vanished instantly.

I gasped for breath, struggling to steady myself.

Li Yue’s expression grew even more uneasy and frantic. She bent down to examine the wound on my leg.

A delicate fragrance wafted toward me. I’d never been so close to a woman before, and instinctively caught her shoulder, halting her movement. My voice came out hoarse: “I… I’m fine.”

At that moment, clarity returned—I realized Li Yue had no intention of killing me. If she had, I wouldn’t have been able to open my eyes now. Li Yue relaxed, then stared at me in surprise. “Are you lying to me?”

She bit her lower lip, puffing with frustration, and wrested herself free from my grip.

“My master was right. No man is good—they all want to deceive me!”

“Maybe I should just let you die, take your things, and it wouldn’t count as stealing.”

She stamped her foot as she spoke.

I was taken aback. After all this time running for my life, constantly confronting ghosts, Li Yue’s temperament made me feel, for the first time, truly alive.

Petulant, quick to joy and anger, yet inherently kind.

I took a breath and quietly murmured my thanks.

Touching behind my ear, I realized the Yin Monkey had grown much harder—almost vicious. I feared it might bite my fingers if I reached for it.

Li Yue’s expression shifted from indignant to astonished.

“The Yin Monkey behind your ear… When I treated your wound, I noticed it was hardening, its mouth opening. It’s almost awake.”

“And now… both its hands have appeared! You nearly fainted—was it because of the monkey?”

She covered her mouth in shock as she spoke.

Her gestures and personality were unlike anything I’d seen in Hundred House Village.

Li Yue’s face flushed crimson as she stomped her foot and exclaimed, “What are you staring at! The Yin Monkey on you is about to wake, yet you keep looking at me. Aren’t you afraid it’ll crawl out and take your life, or that the lady ghost beside you will choke you to death?”

Mentioning Chan Shu made my face go pale; I snapped back to alertness.

What unsettled me most was the thought that the Yin Monkey behind my ear had sprouted hands.

I stared toward the corridor.

The ancestral tablets blocked the entrance. The dizziness I felt earlier was triggered by the call emanating from within.

If not for the sudden reaction of the Yin Monkey, I dread to think what might have happened.

“Where are my clothes?” I croaked.

Li Yue bit her lip and pointed to a corner in the front room. Sure enough, my clothes were piled there.

I hurried over and dressed, checking that the skin paper for stealing longevity and my other belongings were all intact.

Li Yue had saved my life without taking anything—my opinion of her changed entirely.

She followed behind me, looking awkward. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? You never finish your words, just turn away and leave. Don’t you realize how badly you’re hurt? No matter how strong your will or your soul, after two days like this, you’ll be dead for sure. You’ll end up as a ghost!”

I forced a smile. “This place isn’t safe. We need to find somewhere else.”

Li Yue frowned deeply. “If it’s unsafe, why did you come back here? How could it not be safe?”

I stiffened, shaking my head. “There are things you wouldn’t understand. In any case, we can’t stay here. You saved my life, and I misjudged you earlier. I apologize. You didn’t take my things, so I know you’re not malicious. I’ll give your master what he wants, but you have to help me and a friend get out of here.”

Chan Shu’s soul had dissipated—I knew nothing, could do nothing.

Granny Li wouldn’t release Chan Shu, either.

The hidden threat of the Yin Monkey behind my ear and the corpse deep in the passage were both dangers. I had to leave as soon as possible, then find a way to come back and rescue Chan Shu.

Li Cangshui was a master—if he helped me, the troubles here could be resolved.

That was my only hope.

When I mentioned handing over the goods, Li Yue’s face lit up with a hint of delight. She looked at me intently. “You’d better not go back on your word! You promised my master before, then reneged and even hurt him.”

I managed a weak smile. “I won’t go back on it.”

“Swear it!” Li Yue’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

I was momentarily stunned, feeling both exasperated and amused.

Li Yue was guileless, genuinely like a young girl.

She’d even recognized the Soul Extraction Talisman—she knew a lot.

I wondered, could she comprehend the intricacies of the Integration Talisman and help awaken Lord Wang?

The thought stirred me. I moved closer to Li Yue.

Before I could speak, she darted backward in fright. “What are you doing? Are you trying to renege, afraid to swear, so you’re going to kill me to keep me quiet?”

“I’d rather die than submit!”

Li Yue bit her lip, eyes wide with panic.

I stopped, smiling bitterly, and raised two fingers. “I, Xie Yuan, swear to the heavens: after Li Yue leads me out of here, I will personally hand over what her master desires. If I fail, may I die a miserable death.”

Li Yue finally looked pleased.

“A vow is a vow, but you didn’t need to come so close. I thought you wanted to do me harm.”

She puffed indignantly.

I couldn’t help but feel amused, though urgency still pressed within me.

I kept my distance, taking out the Integration Talisman drawn by Lord Wang. My heart raced.

“Can you tell what this talisman is?” I asked.

Li Yue’s gaze immediately fell upon the talisman.

This time, she approached me instead.

“There’s a dispersed soul inside? This talisman… it seems like a Doppelganger Talisman. The soul within serves as a person’s double. How did you get such a talisman?”

She looked up at me in astonishment.

My heart soared.

Indeed, Li Yue recognized it. Though she didn’t name it exactly, her explanation matched the book’s description.

“This talisman seems single-use; when activated, it releases all the abilities of its creator. It’s rare—my master said it’s long lost…”

My pulse quickened. I suppressed my anxiety. “Can you release the soul inside?”

Li Yue bit her lip and shook her head. “Such a precious talisman—it’d be wasteful to release the soul. Besides… I don’t know how.”

My spirits plummeted.

Then Li Yue said, “In the room next door, there’s a corpse. The talisman’s aura is similar to his. You want to use it to wake him?”

I felt powerless, putting the talisman away. My voice was hoarse. “He’s a very important elder. He died saving me. This talisman is the last thing he left behind.”

Li Yue considered thoughtfully. “I can’t do it, but my master is well-traveled and knowledgeable. He should be able to, though I can’t guarantee he’d help you.”

Her expression shifted, her smile strained. “Earlier, your talisman actually injured my master’s soul…”

I stiffened, noticing a flicker of fear in her eyes.

She was still afraid of my Combat Talisman, unaware I couldn’t use it anymore.

I took a deep breath. “Let’s leave here first so I can rest. Take me to your master. I’ll hand over the goods, and if he helps me, I’ll do whatever he asks.”

Li Yue nodded. “Where’s the person you want to bring? I can only lead you out once—I have only one portion of the Bewildering Incense.”

She produced a tiny stick of incense, no longer than a thumb.

“The Yin Monkeys on you are like little evil spirits. The Bewildering Incense will make them lose consciousness; by the time they wake, we’ll be far away. Once we’re a certain distance from Hundred House Village, they won’t wake up.”

“I don’t know exactly how far we need to go, and with your injuries… I’m not sure you can hold out…”