What happened after entering the Blessed Land.
It was what convinced He Qiong that he was truly a child of destiny.
The sudden, terrifying crisis melted away the two sisters' grudges, and they were willing to be with He Qiong simultaneously. Faced with the threat of the malevolent spirits, He Qiong miraculously obtained several items useful against these evil forces.
Though they encountered terrifying evil spirits, these spirits were like minor monsters in a game — defeating them granted greater power.
What moved He Qiong even more was that every time they prayed to the gods, it was the Su sisters who performed the rituals. This meant any side effects from the prayers wouldn't fall on him, and afterward, the sisters would hand over the resulting items to him.
Only those who truly loved him would do such a thing.
Su Huijun knelt with the incense, and from the statue, a small straw doll appeared, hopping over to He Qiong.
But before He Qiong could make out what it was, the red candle in front of the statue suddenly went out.
Without candlelight, the basement was plunged into darkness. Only the faint light from outside the door revealed blurred shadows.
Their hearts tightened as the three hurried toward the exit — but after only a few steps, their faces turned pale.
The ground was soft!
When had the solid concrete floor turned into a quagmire?
Splash!
A mud-caked hand suddenly emerged from the mire.
Wide-eyed, the three watched as a woman, covered head to toe in mud, crawled out from the floor — if Lu Yuzhu and Fang Zhi were still alive, they would have recognized her immediately.
It was none other than Yu Yinghua, the woman who knocked on the door of the Ping'an Hostel every day.
Her eyes were sealed shut with cement, tears streaming down her face, carving streaks through the hardened paste. As she crawled, her voice was full of bitterness and sorrow.
"Zhiwu… is that you? I won't betray you. Why won't you believe me?"
"Why!?"
Yu Yinghua's emotions flared wildly as she lunged forward, grabbing Su Huilan's arm with one hand, while the other reached for her head, intent on dragging her into the mud.
He Qiong shouted fiercely, "Let go of Huilan!"
He pulled a marble from his pocket and threw it. Mid-air, it transformed into a bolt of lightning that exploded on Yu Yinghua's hand.
Seizing the moment, Su Huilan broke free, pulling her sister behind her as they fled from the basement.
The female ghost Yu Yinghua tried to pursue them but was blocked by a shining silver spear.
He Qiong stood firm, one hand gripping the spear, the other holding another marble, facing down the evil spirit with a confident smile — a true picture of fearless resolve.
Outside the basement, the Su sisters exchanged a glance, fear and shock shining in their eyes.
"Did you notice? That little lightning charm only injured her hand."
"This isn't an ordinary wandering spirit. It's probably the strongest type aside from the Great Calamity. That fool hasn't realized it yet."
"Even if He Qiong can fight her, our hard-earned items will be completely used up!"
"Then… so be it."
Suddenly, a terrifying scream echoed from the basement.
...
The hallway was dark.
Only two months had passed since the evil spirit disaster began, but people were already gradually adjusting to life with fading civilization.
An old woman in a coarse hemp robe carried an oil lamp, moving slowly forward.
Yue Mei followed behind, her expression tense.
Along the way, she passed several others dressed in the same rough cloth—men, women, young, and old—all staring at her with strange eyes, filled with envy, jealousy, and an unmistakable possessiveness.
These gazes unsettled Yue Mei even more.
Following the directions in the letter, she sought help from surviving natives of the Blessed Land.
To gain their trust, she used the scarce medicine she had found to stabilize the old woman's condition.
Only then did the old woman agree to share how to avoid the "Knocking Spirit" and the "Breaking Door Spirit."
After some walking, they arrived at a room.
The room was on the top floor, empty and spacious, with no furniture.
There was a hole in the ceiling, and sunlight streamed through, falling directly on a grotesque statue.
The statue depicted a woman.
Her clothes were tattered, her body misshapen, and her face twisted with an overwhelming hatred and madness.
At her feet lay a worn, black eye patch.
"Praise to the Ghost Mother, I offer you…"
The old woman knelt before the statue, reciting a prayer Yue Mei had heard before.
When she finished, she stood and smiled at Yue Mei.
"We've survived until now because of her. Kiss the sacred relic before you — she will protect you from evil spirits."
Yue Mei hesitated.
Her reason warned her that worshipping the Ghost Mother was dangerous, but she had no other choice.
Under the old woman's eerie gaze, Yue Mei gently lifted the black eye patch.
...
Mr. Wang's Residence.
The incense smoke from the sacrificial incense filled the air.
Wu Xian reached into the misty haze and pulled out a talisman called the "Double Activation Method," signaling the end of this round of worship.
This statue of the Heavenly Official — Kui Xing, the deity of rank and fortune — had granted Wu Xian three talisman options: the Spirit Restoration Method, the Talisman Crafting Method, and the Double Activation Method.
The Spirit Restoration Method replenished the spiritual energy of overused magical tools.
The Talisman Crafting Method allowed the creation of two random talismans.
Wu Xian had seen the Double Activation Method before — it doubled the effect of the next talisman used.
Since Wu Xian didn't have any tools in need of spiritual restoration, and the Talisman Crafting Method, though offering the highest potential, was too random (what if it gave two useless talismans?), he chose the Double Activation Method.
After multiple rounds of worship, Wu Xian had begun to grasp some of the nuances.
All Heavenly Official statues granted talismans after worship.
The Fortune Official granted "talismans" that bestowed special blessings on objects.
The Kui Xing Official granted "methods," which didn't have immediate effects but could enhance other worshipped items.
As for the other statues, Wu Xian lacked enough information to draw conclusions.
Time was precious, and there was no room for overthinking. Wu Xian wrapped the Double Activation Method talisman around his index finger to complete the imprinting.
He glanced at the sky — there was still some time left. He had one last place he wanted to visit.
...
First Floor Lobby of the Inn.
A warm fire crackled beneath an iron pot simmering with scallion-braised pork intestines.
A group of people sat around the fire, sharing the day's dinner.
Because time flowed strangely in the Blessed Land, they only had one chance to eat per day, and everyone was famished.
Yet despite their hunger, no one reached for their chopsticks first.
Yesterday, nine had dined together. Tonight, only six remained. Everyone knew in their hearts that aside from Fang Zhi, the two who hadn't returned were likely lost.
The Su sisters clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces like raindrops on blossoming pear flowers.
"It's—it's our fault that Qiong is gone."
"It's all our fault. We deserve to die. Without Qiong, how can we go on?"