The words that followed from Zhuoma Yangjin firmly extinguished any improper notions I might have harbored. She said, "Luo Lian, I fear an evil being resides within your body. Fortunately, the entity inside Tang Minghao turned out to be a good person; otherwise, Tang Minghao would not be who he is now. If someone resides in you, and it turns out to be wicked, even the Grand Priest might not be able to help you. I need to make all this clear to you first; you must consider it carefully. If... if you are unwilling, I won't force you."

Naturally, she didn't have to force me. But under the current circumstances, if I were truly as important as she claimed, would the Eighty-Seven faction show mercy and let me go just like that, allowing me to return home safe and sound after merely taking a detour? Impossible. If that were the case, they wouldn't be part of National Security's Ninth Branch.

So, I had no choice.

Seeing that I agreed, Zhuoma Yangjin looked worried rather than pleased, murmuring to herself, "Take the secret passage. It will take the Grand Priest at least a day to reach Linzhi..."

I didn't catch what she said next; my mind was a chaotic jumble, dwelling on her words: "What if an evil person is residing in your body?" I tried to reason that unlike Tang Minghao, who fluctuated between confusion and clarity, I had been conscious the entire time, and I hadn't physically touched Doctor Ciren, so how could I have been invaded by those things? How? Could they enter my body through the air?

Zhuoma Yangjin’s expression was withered, her face ashen. She began taking items out of her bag one by one, then told me to sit down. She meticulously examined my scalp, parting the already sparse hair for a long time, then, with a hint of surprise, she exclaimed, "How could this be? Why would Tang Minghao say there is someone else in your body? You don't have a single scratch on your head..."

At that moment, I suddenly recalled the dark red scab on Tang Minghao's head when we were with Doctor Ciren—it was from that time that his abnormal behavior began. Relief washed over me instantly. "Then I must be fine."

Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly sighed deeply again, "What good does that do? You still fell into the Blood Spring water twice. Moreover, your left hand was injured beneath Fuxian Lake, and the Blood Spring water seeped into your body..."

My mind went blank, losing the ability to process anything. If that was true, then there must definitely be other "people" inside me! I stood there instantly, stunned into inaction.

Zhuoma Yangjin came over and patted my shoulder, speaking softly, "Luo Lian, don't be afraid. It's alright. I will always be by your side."

I looked at her; pity and worry filled her eyes. On the coffee table behind her lay a pile of bottles, jars, and herbs.

"Tang Minghao insisted we bring you along, saying you carry the aura of one of their kind. That's why..." Zhuoma Yangjin’s voice sounded as if it came from another world, utterly unreal.

I remained frozen, unmoving. It felt as if countless tiny bugs were crawling from my left wrist, surging along my arm toward my heart.

Zhuoma Yangjin was frightened by my stillness. She frantically slapped my cheek, shouting my name loudly, "Luo Lian, what's wrong? What is it? Your complexion is terrifying... Don't scare me, Luo Lian, you're fine, you don't have other people inside you like Tang Minghao did..." She stammered, speaking incoherently.

I felt those dense insects spreading past my heart and attacking my brain, bit by bit gnawing away at my marrow...

"Ah—" I could no longer bear it, letting out a wild yell, and instinctively punched the nightstand beside me. The sharp pain instantly brought clarity: It’s nothing, nothing... I just scared myself. It’s fine. I squeezed my left hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, chest. Everything felt normal; there were no bugs underneath.

"It's fine..." Zhuoma Yangjin was also pale with fright. I forced a smile for her. "Really, it's fine. I was just startled."

Her lip trembled, looking like she might cry but unable to release it. After a long pause, she finally burst into loud sobs, throwing her arms around me. "Luo Lian, I was so scared something would actually happen to you!"

I held her tightly. This was the only tangible reality I could grasp at that moment.

"Yangjin! Yangjin!" Wangmu's voice suddenly appeared at the door, knocking forcefully, thump thump thump. "Yangjin, what's wrong?"

Zhuoma Yangjin quickly pulled away, straightened up, wiped her tears, adjusted her hair, and said sternly, "Nothing. Why are you here?"

Wangmu paused, then replied softly, "Time is running short, Princess, you..."

Zhuoma Yangjin immediately cut her off: "I know, right away. While you're at it, notify the Grand Priest and Tang Minghao’s group to prepare... And especially Tang Minghao: if anything unexpected happens here, bring him back immediately to wait for me to deal with him upon my return. Even if Eighty-Seven tries to intervene, you must get him away. If all else fails, execute him on the spot for funerary sacrifice."

Wangmu responded with an "Yes" and withdrew.

"Funerary sacrifice?"

"Yes. He was the one who strongly advocated for awakening the intruder in your body. Although the Grand Priest also thought it feasible, if something happened to you, and you ceased to be yourself, he would have to be sacrificed with you."

A whirlwind of emotions churned within me. I sighed. "Since there is no other choice, let's begin quickly, or delaying will cause major trouble."

Zhuoma Yangjin stopped crying, composed herself, and calmly instructed me to sit cross-legged on the bed, close my eyes, and just relax. She began ceaselessly burning various medicinal incense in a small censer nearby. Before long, the room was filled with an aroma of herbs that defied description.

As for me, my entire being felt extraordinarily clear. I could sense Zhuoma Yangjin moving about, smell the strange scents, and hear various sounds, yet my mind felt like concrete—utterly unable to move or function.

Zhuoma Yangjin offered timely reassurance, "Luo Lian, your thoughts might be slow for a moment, don't worry, it will get better soon." She added, "In a little while, you might feel something like small insects crawling in your blood vessels; don't be afraid, that's just an illusion..." She continued, "Later, memories that don't belong to you might appear in your head..." Here, she sounded doubtful, muttering quietly, "Hopefully not, it’s best if they don't."

However, unfortunately for me, everything she predicted came true. Soon, I felt countless little bugs erupting in my arms, especially my left one, spreading rapidly across every part of my body. That itch was deep, rooted in the bone and blood, impossible to scratch or touch, making me wish I could slice myself into a thousand pieces just to resolve it.

Unable to sit still, I reached out and clawed frantically at myself. Zhuoma Yangjin shrieked and swiftly smeared something under my nose. A cool, medicinal fragrance instantly pierced my sinuses and shot straight to my heart, and the unbearable itching vanished in that instant.

Even in that brief moment, my face and body were slick with cold sweat. Zhuoma Yangjin wiped the sweat from my face, instructed me to resume meditating, and went back to tending the incense.

Next, the memories that shouldn't belong to me were due to appear in my mind. I was mentally prepared for this moment; perhaps it would even be a miraculous experience, like someone suddenly unlocking your subconscious and telling you how brilliant you are, only you hadn't realized it.

Perhaps what Zhuoma Yangjin and the others were seeking was merely my subconscious? Maybe I hadn't actually been invaded by any strange "people"?

But... to my disappointment, after a long wait, no memories alien to me appeared in my head. Instead, things that I had deliberately forgotten surfaced one by one, coming alive and playing back like a movie on an endless loop in my mind!

Enough, enough! What is this? My head is going to explode! I abruptly threw my limbs out, trying to stand up, but my body felt like soft dough, devoid of strength, and I collapsed back onto the bed.

Zhuoma Yangjin shrieked, thinking something had happened to me, pushing me frantically with a tearful voice, "Luo Lian, Luo Lian, what's wrong! Are you okay? What is it..."

I had zero strength in my body; it felt like she was pushing soft putty.

Or perhaps not; it felt more like she was pushing a set of shells, completely unrelated to me.

But quickly, I felt the body was mine again—the entire body, inside and out, suddenly felt as if everything was trying to rush out of my skin. Bugs crawling from my heart, bugs in my bones, bugs in my blood vessels, bugs beneath my skin, even my tongue felt covered in them...

"Ah!" I shoved Zhuoma Yangjin away, clawing wildly at my arms, face, neck—every exposed part. The itch was still bone-deep. "Get me a knife, a knife! Quickly!"

Zhuoma Yangjin threw herself at me, sobbing, pinning my hands and feet. "Luo Lian, Luo Lian, what’s wrong... Don't scare me..."

The itch persisted; the entire surface seemed filled with restless bugs. "Get me a knife, a knife!" A few cuts on my body, only the pain could relieve this itching. "Quickly... Yangjin, I beg you, get a knife and cut me... I beg you... It’s unbearable... unbearable..." If possible, I wanted to cut open my chest and scratch or slash my heart a few times.

"Luo Lian..." Zhuoma Yangjin cried, scrambling to grab at me. "I'll call the Grand Priest..." she sobbed while speaking.

But the itching was killing me, especially as it felt like countless bugs were scratching my internal organs—unbearable, unbearable! Yet Zhuoma Yangjin was pressing down on me, preventing me from scratching at all. "Yangjin... please, get a knife and kill me..."

Zhuoma Yangjin wept while saying she was fetching the Grand Priest, while desperately pinching my hands. This brought slight relief, but soon the overwhelming, pervasive itching overpowered the minor pain. I wanted to throw myself against the wall, but my body was limp and powerless; I couldn't even move a finger...