Zhang Yuqiu, seeing how pitifully she was crying, pulled her close again, patting her shoulder as she soothed, "It's alright, it's alright. What happened to Xiao Shu?" "Xiao Shu is being held hostage," Li Bingyu sobbed out. Having said that, she suddenly sat up straight, wiped her tears dry, and became serious, staring at Zhang Yuqiu for a long moment before pointing at her and saying sternly, "You shouldn't have come for Ming Xiaoyu; you should have come for Li Xiao Shu. Li Xiaohao sent you to find Li Xiao Shu, didn't he? You have reinforcements behind you; the main force hasn't arrived yet." Seeing her lie about to be exposed, Zhang Yuqiu hurriedly exchanged a glance with someone outside the cave, then gestured toward her heart, saying gently to Li Bingyu, "No matter who I came for, we are both women, and anyone can understand whose heart is in question. Even if I did come for Li Xiao Shu, you wouldn't stop me from saving him, right? Besides, I truly came with a sincere heart, worried about Xiaoyu, and brought his friend Wang Jue along to find you here."

Wang Jue, hearing his name called from inside the cave entrance, brushed the dust off his clothes and walked in lightly.

Li Bingyu did not know Wang Jue, but she had heard about him from Li Taiming; she knew he was the only one who had escaped the Life-and-Death Contract without having his body possessed by a vengeful spirit. At once, she stood up with deep respect and politely greeted him. Seeing the special regard she showed him, Wang Jue naturally felt a degree of warmth and did not perceive this living dead woman before him as particularly dangerous. He stepped forward and said softly, "We really did come looking for Xiaoyu, and we also came for Xiao Shu; I am their brother through thick and thin..."

"I know about you; Li Taiming mentioned you. Nine deaths and one life—you are certain to receive a gift from the Spring of Immortality. What is that gift?" Li Bingyu was not slow-witted. Seeing another man appear before her, she knew she had to probe the other party's background first before determining whether to cooperate. In this regard, she was much shrewder than Zhang Yuqiu and Hou Dayong. Those two only thought Wang Jue was Xiao Shu's friend and followed him out without a second thought, never considering questioning his origins or true nature. However, this was likely because Hou Dayong and Wang Jue had a prior acquaintance. People tend to hold onto old impressions of those they once knew, allowing the memory of the person they were to overlay the person standing before them, often making snap judgments without deliberation.

In reality, Wang Jue was far more powerful than before, a fact Hou Dayong had completely overlooked, treating him only as an old friend rediscovered after a long separation, viewing him always through the lens of the past. Hearing Li Bingyu’s question, Hou Dayong suddenly grasped the reality, remembering how he had heard crying from half an hour's distance away earlier. He couldn't help but muse silently: How did he find Xiao Shu? But now, asking that question was a moment too late. How Wang Jue and Xiao Shu had met was unimportant at this moment; what mattered was the question Li Bingyu had just posed.

"Yes, I can hear sounds from very far away," Wang Jue nodded and replied. "I heard your crying when I was still at the bottom of the well, so we followed the sound and indeed found you here weeping."

"Who else is with you?" Li Bingyu saw that Wang Jue was indeed different. Since they had come with the purpose of rescue, as one of the living dead standing against the specters, a part of her felt hesitant, yet she dared not let go. Drawing on a burst of courage, she questioned the two again, though her tone was no longer as harsh as before, softening by half unintentionally.

"There is also a monkey; you should have seen him," Zhang Yuqiu said, waving toward Hou Dayong outside the cave. Hou Dayong could only shrink his head and walk in, feigning a dumbstruck appearance.

But Li Bingyu was no fool. She had personally witnessed Hou Dayong transform into Li Xiaohao’s appearance and use the man-eating spectral worms to kill Yuan Qi. Seeing him saunter in, she suddenly shifted her allegiance, dropping her previous timid expression and stating with a trace of sharpness, "I understand now. You truly came for both of them, because Li Xiao Shu came for Ming Xiaoyu, and if you want to take Li Xiao Shu, you naturally must take his brother as well."

As soon as these words left her mouth, Zhang Yuqiu immediately flushed crimson, never expecting that her childish soothing words had been so swiftly dismantled.