Seeing the "Yanfei" who had fallen into an Eerie state, Aether and Paimon both realized a serious problem…
At least for now, "Yanfei" wasn't an Eerie-empowered ally here to help them—on the contrary, she might become an even greater threat!
After all, the condition that triggered Yanfei's Eerie state was that someone had broken the law but hadn't received proper punishment!
So at this point, Aether and Paimon's top priority was to find a way to lift Yanfei's Eerie state first!
As the Eerie Yanfei closed in step by step, Aether and Paimon quickly noticed a Millelith soldier patrolling not far away.
Without hesitation, they shouted toward him:
"Hey! Millelith officer over there—come quick! Someone's been attacked!"
Hearing that there'd been an assault, the Millelith soldier immediately rushed over, looking around nervously.
"Where? Who's hurt?"
He soon spotted Master Mao lying unconscious on the ground, then turned to Aether and asked:
"So it was Master Mao who was attacked? Traveler, did you see where the assailant went?"
Aether nodded seriously.
"Yes. I did. The assailant… is me. I'm turning myself in!"
"Huh??"
The Millelith soldier blinked in disbelief.
"Traveler, are you… joking with me right now?"
"I'm not joking! Don't give me any special treatment—just follow procedure! Arrest me immediately and take me to the Ministry of Civil Affairs!"
Aether's voice was anxious—because only by doing this might they be able to lift Yanfei's Eerie state.
Though still completely confused about what was going on, the Millelith soldier eventually complied under Aether and Paimon's repeated insistence, handcuffing Aether and escorting him to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Paimon, I'm counting on you for the rest!"
Those were Aether's last words before being taken away.
Meanwhile, Yanfei—now that Aether had been brought to justice—finally returned to normal, the Eerie corruption fading away.
She looked at Paimon in confusion and asked:
"Huh? Paimon? What just happened? I don't remember anything at all… Also, wasn't the Traveler with you? Where is he now?"
Seeing that Yanfei was back to normal, Paimon finally sighed in relief and explained everything that had just happened.
After listening to Paimon's account, Yanfei nodded in understanding.
"I see… Then let's take Master Mao to Bubu Pharmacy for treatment first. We can ask Qiqi for help, deal with Xiangling's Eerie state, and then figure out how to help the Traveler at the Ministry."
So, Yanfei and Paimon carried Master Mao to Bubu Pharmacy.
After checking Master Mao's condition, Baizhu spoke helplessly:
"The Traveler really doesn't know his own strength. If that hit had been just a little stronger—or landed slightly higher—it could've been a real disaster…"
"Anyway, Yanfei, Paimon—leave Master Mao here with me. Qiqi, you go with them to handle Xiangling's Eerie situation."
He sighed softly.
"Eerie force, huh… Even when one's body has perished and only the soul remains, it still won't allow true peace."
Paimon glanced at Yanfei and Qiqi—two Eerie-touched beings with formidable power—and thought that should be more than enough.
After all, Xiangling was now just a soul.
Even if her body still existed, it was still only a mortal vessel.
Against the half-adeptus Yanfei and the zombie Qiqi, she wouldn't stand a chance…
And so, Paimon led Yanfei and Qiqi back to Wanmin Restaurant.
The moment they stepped inside, Paimon caught a strange smell and saw on the table a bowl of pitch-black, indescribable food.
Paimon was speechless.
Had Xiangling really been overtaken by Eerie force?
For such a talented chef to create this kind of culinary abomination…
Just then, "Xiangling" appeared from the kitchen, clearly puzzled to see them.
"Why is it you guys? And… why are you looking at me like that?"
"Don't pretend anymore, corrupted Xiangling! We already know everything—you've been taken over by the Eerie state!"
Paimon hid behind Qiqi and Yanfei, shouting:
"Surrender quietly! With your current strength, there's no way you can defeat Qiqi and Yanfei!"
"It shouldn't be possible… Su Yuan clearly didn't have any chance to send a message—how did you know I'd already fallen into an Eerie state?"
"Xiangling" asked in confusion, but soon, her expression twisted into something vicious and deranged.
"But I suppose that doesn't matter anymore. Since you already know my secret, all I have to do is kill you all—and turn you into delicious ingredients. Then it'll be as if no one ever knew, right?"
The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Qiqi didn't hesitate for even a moment, immediately reciting an incantation to herself:
"Invoke Eerie power… suppress the Xiangling that's controlling Su Yuan's body…"
Yanfei, however, remained on guard, merely observing for the moment.
After all, "Xiangling" had only spoken so far and hadn't yet committed an actual crime.
The moment she acted unlawfully, Yanfei herself would enter an Eerie state and join the fight immediately.
"Xiangling! You could never hope to defeat Qiqi and Yanfei!"
Paimon shouted again:
"You're still just a mortal body—how much power could you possibly unleash?"
"A mortal body? Heh…"
Hearing Paimon's words, "Xiangling" let out a cold laugh.
"You're right—if this were still my original body, it wouldn't be all that powerful."
"But this body… this body isn't mine anymore."
"It's Su Yuan's body—a perfect, powerful body!"
Inside his own body, Su Yuan had been silently observing the situation unfold.
When he heard "Xiangling" say those words, a wave of dread surged through him.
His physical aptitude might not be among the absolute best, but it was a body with exceptionally high compatibility…
Could it be that "Xiangling," now inhabiting his body, was about to unleash a power beyond imagination?