Bai Ru looked at Kuang Feifan, raised a hand to wipe the corner of her eye, and began checking his physical condition. Kuang Feifan suddenly frowned, his voice hoarse as he asked, "What about Xu Hui?"

As he spoke, he painfully twisted his head for a look, only to see Xu Hui also collapsed beside him, his face ashen white, gasping deeply for breath. By the looks of it, Xu Hui seemed much better off than he was.

"I... I'm fine..." Xu Hui managed to raise a hand with difficulty and wave it away.

Only then did Kuang Feifan realize that he and Xu Hui had fallen in a most undignified heap at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor, and he was still gripping Xu Hui's hand.

Instinctively releasing his grip, Kuang Feifan glanced at Bai Ru, who was busy attending to them, and whispered, "No need to check, just a bit of exhaustion."

Bai Ru pushed back a stray lock of hair and nodded, her own complexion not much better than theirs, and said softly, "Lie still, both of you, and rest a bit before moving..."

Just as she spoke, Kuang Feifan suddenly noticed a shadow slowly emerging behind Bai Ru, who was crouched beside Xu Hui. It extended both hands; though the figure’s features were obscured, the long, black fingernails on its ten fingers were clearly visible, nearing Bai Ru's back. At that moment, because Bai Ru was examining Xu Hui, her Demon Subduing Staff was tucked at her waist.

Kuang Feifan opened his mouth to warn Bai Ru, but found he couldn't utter a sound. When he tried to move, his body wouldn't obey. Looking at Xu Hui, he saw his eyes were closed, seemingly concentrating on circulating his qi.

Helpless, Kuang Feifan strained his eyes, focusing on Bai Ru, who was completely absorbed in taking Xu Hui's pulse, hoping she would notice his distress.

The pitch-black, long nails, like ten scythes, were just about to brush Bai Ru's neck when, abruptly, Bai Ru’s body straightened slightly. Without turning her head, she raised both hands, formed a mudra, and softly recited a few words in a voice barely audible.

Instantly, across the ground floor hall, centered on the three of them—Bai Ru, Kuang Feifan, and Xu Hui—purple light emanated from the surrounding floor. Eight trigrams formed by purple light flared simultaneously in all eight directions. As the violet luminescence burst forth, the shadowy figure with the long black nails burst into flame starting from the tips of its fingers. In the blink of an eye, the fire climbed along the nails and engulfed the entire figure. Within the raging flames, Kuang Feifan finally saw the figure clearly: it was a paper effigy burned for the dead.

The paper figure instantly became a human torch, showing no struggle, no wail, simply remaining motionless in its posture until, moments later, it was consumed into a pile of ash scattered on the ground.

Bai Ru looked up at Kuang Feifan and smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I've already laid down a Five Elements Bagua Formation across the entire hall. Ordinary malevolent spirits can't harm us."

Kuang Feifan finally relaxed upon hearing this, letting out a quiet breath and employing his practiced breathing techniques to restore his strength. He certainly didn't wish to linger here, even with Bai Ru present.

The benefit of their superior constitutions and rigorous training now became apparent for Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui. After a while, they both noticed their strength slowly returning, and their limbs regaining some vigor. They managed to drag themselves up from the floor, staggering to stand upright. Though their bodies still felt somewhat sore, walking was no longer a major issue.

Bai Ru drew her Demon Subduing Staff, vigilantly watching the movements around the building, slowly accompanying them to the main door of the small building. She reached out and pulled the door open, motioning for them to exit first.

After Bai Ru followed them out, she quickly shut the door again and affixed two talismans onto it. Just as Kuang Feifan was about to say something, Bai Ru waved a hand at them. "We can talk once we are outside the main gate."

With that, she had Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui support each other, while she kept her Demon Subduing Staff ready beside them just in case. The three of them rushed out of the courtyard gate of the small building as quickly as possible.

Once outside the building, they noticed it was already night. The heavy rain had long since stopped, and the sky was like a dark, starless and moonless curtain. Walking along the bluestone path, Kuang Feifan then observed that the rain-soaked ground was littered with countless pieces of white joss paper. As their footsteps passed over them, the paper behind them inexplicably dissolved into wisps of fine powder, a sight that struck them as deeply unsettling.

It wasn't until they passed through the main courtyard gate that the two rusty iron fence gates unexpectedly began to slowly swing shut on their own. From somewhere high above, sheets of white joss paper of varying sizes began to drift down, twirling as they fell to the ground, some even brushing past their bodies as they descended.

"What is going on?"

Now that they were out of the compound and on the main road, Kuang Feifan finally couldn't help but ask.

Bai Ru frowned as she glanced around, her expression suddenly darkening. She signaled for the two to follow and quickly walked toward a small side road to the right of the courtyard.

About fifty meters ahead, across the road at the mouth of an alley, stood a small storefront with a sign next to it: Jin Ji Sundries.

On the stand outside this sundry shop, stacks of paper ingots and money were displayed, but the stand was only half-filled; the other half was completely bare.

Bai Ru frowned, scrutinizing the shop from side to side. Eventually, she told Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui to wait outside while she put away her Demon Subduing Staff and went in alone.

Before entering, she gave Kuang Feifan a reassuring look. Kuang Feifan nodded, and he and Xu Hui simply sat down on the roadside, leaning against a utility pole, resting one on each side.

After waiting for quite a while, Kuang Feifan was growing anxious, staring intently at the shop entrance, ready to get up and go inside to check, when Bai Ru finally emerged as if nothing had happened.

She walked over to the two men and sat down next to Kuang Feifan. Before he could ask, she spoke first: "When it rained at noon, the owner of this shop closed up. Besides selling sundries, he also sells joss paper, candles, and paper effigies and horses. Some of the paper figures he made in the backyard, along with a portion of the joss paper, suddenly vanished shortly after he closed. Since he couldn't believe anyone would steal such things, he didn't report it to the police."

Kuang Feifan hesitated before asking, "Could it be from the small building..."

Bai Ru nodded. "Most likely. It seems the sphere of influence from the malevolent spirits inside the small building has begun to spread. That joss paper outside just now was the final trick the spirits used. It carried resentment, but because of the talismans I placed on the door, it sealed the leaking vengeful souls, so the effect wasn't obvious. However, those talismans can only seal it temporarily; their main purpose was to prevent the spirits from exiting the building."

Kuang Feifan worried, "But, He Shaoqing should still be inside."

Bai Ru’s face fell. "When I went in to find you, I thought I saw a figure that strongly resembled him, but I was too focused on finding you then and didn't pursue. It looks like we'll have to go back in, but the resentment inside is too strong. You two were caught in the 'Stream of Vengeance' just now. If you hadn't unleashed a Five Elements Thunder Talisman, I wouldn't have been able to sense your location."

Saying this, anger flashed across her face as she glared at Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui. "Didn't I tell you not to go in again? Why don't you ever listen?"

Hearing Bai Ru start to scold them, Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui immediately lowered their heads obediently, looking exactly like culprits admitting their guilt. They repeatedly mumbled their apologies in low voices.

Kuang Feifan knew Bai Ru well. After offering a few apologies, he lowered his head and cautiously interjected, "He Shaoqing won't be in any danger, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hui also looked up at Bai Ru with a tense expression.

Annoyed, Bai Ru pinched them both but couldn't continue her reprimand. She could only reply, "If things go smoothly tomorrow, Gu Yi should be able to get here. We’ll go back into the small building then and try to rescue He Shaoqing. My talismans should hold out until tomorrow evening without issue. If not, I’ll go in by myself."

Having said this, Bai Ru preempted any objections they might have had and insisted on finding a place to rest.

Since Kuang Feifan’s home was out of the question and they didn't want to stay in a hotel, the three of them went directly to Xu Hui's house. It was then that Kuang Feifan learned Xu Hui actually lived in a villa.

However, no one was paying attention to how large the villa was at that moment; the priority was taking a proper shower.

Kuang Feifan, using the excuse that he had bravely saved Xu Hui, rushed into the bathroom first.

In truth, Xu Hui's house had more than one bathroom, but Bai Ru had occupied the other one. He had no choice but to slump onto the sofa and watch television. Soon after, Kuang Feifan walked out, wrapped in a large bath towel around his waist, looking thoroughly refreshed. He said to Xu Hui, "Go ahead and wash up."

As Xu Hui got up to leave, he happened to catch a glimpse of Kuang Feifan’s back in his peripheral vision, and suddenly asked in surprise, "Kuang Feifan, that birthmark on your back... why does it look like a small hand?"