Yet Monk Leiyun was still alive, so how could he have become a mere thought, clinging to someone else? Had Monk Leiyun actually died?

"You two little beasts, the Emperor bestowed treasures of gold and silver, and you vanished somewhere to enjoy yourselves! It seems I must handle this myself!" Da Xiong's expression grew increasingly ferocious.

It was true that the Emperor had indeed bestowed treasures of gold and silver!

A wave of astonishment washed over me, and I muttered to myself, "Wasn't Monk Leiyun always considered a traitor plotting rebellion? Why would the Emperor reward them with treasure?"

While I was murmuring, Da Xiong also began speaking to himself, and his hands seemed to be performing strange, dance-like movements. After completing a series of gestures, Da Xiong finally pointed at Nie Chuan and shouted, "Wind, Fire, Thunder, Lightning!"

He extended his right palm, and as he shouted, a ball of electric light actually materialized in his hand.

However, the electric light vanished in a mere flash, having no impact on Nie Chuan.

Seeing that his attempt to discharge electricity had failed, Da Xiong looked puzzled, brought his hand back, and examined it before muttering, "What's going on? Where is my Divine Thunder of Heavenly Punishment?"

Glancing at his hand, Da Xiong tried again: "Wind, Fire, Thunder, Lightning!... Lightning!"

He shouted several times, but the result was the same, and the electric glow was actually shrinking.

Failing to electrocute Nie Chuan angered the spirit of Monk Leiyun possessing Da Xiong, who muttered incessantly, "Why... why no electricity!"

After a moment's thought, he slapped his thigh and declared, "Right, I'm wearing the Soul-Concealing Mask!"

Saying this, he reached up to remove the mask from his face, but his hand paused before his nose, and he hesitated, talking to himself, "No, if I take off the mask, I'll be caught by that fellow Takeda Shingen. Takeda Shingen, he must still be nearby!"

"You two, consider yourselves lucky!" Da Xiong said, backing away, seemingly deeply wary of Takeda Shingen.

Seeing that he intended to escape through the window, I rushed forward.

I feared that if Da Xiong was taken over entirely by the thought of Monk Leiyun, an even greater danger might arise, so I couldn't let him simply leave.

But after taking two steps in pursuit, I suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain in my eyes.

Upon closer inspection, the red mist filling the room was gradually enveloping our heads.

The stinging gas made it impossible to keep my eyes open.

Yet, I braved the danger of being blinded and forced my eyes open, pursuing Da Xiong.

At that moment, I saw Da Xiong bend over and begin coughing violently, a look of profound agony appearing on his bizarre face.

I knew that although Da Xiong was possessed, his body was still mortal; without the protection of wet clothing, he wouldn't survive this.

After coughing for a while, Da Xiong clutched his chest and gasped for air. Then, he seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness and reached up to claw at the mask on his face.

After a few attempts, Da Xiong finally ripped the mask, along with the large black robe draped over him, tearing them off and throwing them to the ground, before clutching his throat and panting heavily.

I wanted to rush over and help him, but my eyes truly couldn't take it anymore, and I could only close them.

Closing my eyes, I fumbled towards where Da Xiong was, only to step directly onto his body.

Da Xiong coughed a few times, seemingly wanting to curse me, but couldn't get the words out.

I crouched down and pressed my own damp clothing over his mouth, hoping to ease his discomfort.

But soon, I couldn't bear it myself; it felt as if a thousand insects had invaded my throat, the pain so intense it felt like it would split open.

We kept trading the clothing back and forth several times, bringing both of us to the brink of suffocation.

I don't know where Da Xiong found the strength, but in broken, hoarse gasps, he managed to say, "You... go! Or... we both die."

Hearing this, I panicked and retorted, "I... won't go, we die... together."

As I uttered the word 'die', I suddenly heard the main door burst open with a loud bang, as if someone had just entered.

I heard a set of heavy footsteps slowly approaching us.

Then, a pair of ice-cold hands clamped under my armpits and dragged me backward.

I knew this person intended to save me, so I didn't struggle, allowing myself to be slowly pulled out.

The air outside was suddenly fresh. I lowered the damp cloth I was holding and took several deep breaths of the clean air, feeling the explosive pressure in my chest ease slightly, and my consciousness slowly returning.

"Don't move erratically, hold this, and breathe deeply," a familiar voice sounded near my ear, but for a moment, I couldn't place who it was.

The person handed me a plant leaf. I brought it to my nose and realized it was a mint leaf.

Mint is the best among plants for counteracting burning sensations. As I inhaled its scent, I felt comfort spread throughout my limbs.

After a short rest, the person walked back out with heavy, labored footsteps and ragged breaths.

I knew the next person he dragged out must be Da Xiong, which accounted for the weight in his steps.

After placing Da Xiong next to me, the person went back in and dragged Nie Chuan out as well.

By this time, my physical condition had mostly recovered, but several attempts to open my eyes had failed.

The person who saved us seemed to notice my movements and said, "No need to rush. None of you are seriously hurt. The dosage of the chili fog was just right; there won't be any lasting damage."

"You controlled the chili fog? Why?" I asked, feeling a surge of anger.

The person paused for a moment before replying, "You were likely tracked by that mask from the beginning. Da Xiong being possessed was bound to happen sooner or later. Monk Leiyun's psychic power is formidable. If we hadn't done this, the one wearing the mask would have surely died in the end. Only chili powder could have saved you."

Hearing this, I finally realized who the other person was and tentatively asked, "Second Brother?"

Hearing my slightly questioning tone, the other person finally responded with a slight chuckle, "You came to rescue Boss Xie, didn't you? Thank you both. But you need to be careful; this place is more dangerous than you imagine."

"I thought you all were trapped. Quickly, tell us what you encountered," I asked eagerly, despite being unable to see.

But as soon as I spoke, there was silence from the other side.

Feeling strange, I called out again, "Second Brother? What's wrong?"

"Who are you talking to? Who saved us..." At this moment, Da Xiong's voice rang out.

"Didn't you hear? Second Brother was just talking to us," I told Da Xiong beside me.

After another silence, Nie Chuan's voice sounded from nearby: "*y, are you alright? We've been hearing you talking to yourself this whole time; it’s like you couldn't hear anything we said."

A chill swept through my heart, and I immediately rubbed my eyes, forcing my vision to return.

When I slowly opened my eyes, though tears streamed down, and everything around me was blurry, I was certain: there were only the three of us on the floor; there was no fourth person.

Thinking back to those icy hands just moments ago, a terrible premonition struck me.

Indeed, when I shone my light on the ground, I discovered a faint line of footprints.

I could swear those footprints were not there when we first entered this place.

Following the tracks, I stumbled into another room.

This room was pitch dark because the curtains were drawn, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

However, I noticed a long table, the kind used for dining, positioned toward the left side of the room. Behind this three-meter-long table, there was only a single chair.

I observed that a low-intensity flashlight was still on beneath this chair.

The flashlight's beam was directed toward the white wall, and its reflection illuminated the figure sitting in the chair.

This person was hunched over, head bowed, showing no signs of life.

Seeing that silhouette, my heart sank into an icy cavern, because in his hands, he held half a bag of red powder.

The faint, acrid smell permeating the air told me that this small portion of red powder was chili powder.

I slowly approached this person and circled around to face him. When I finally saw his face clearly, tears streamed down from the corners of my eyes.

Because the person who saved us was Second Brother, Yu Wenle. Although his body was riddled with bullet holes, although the blood at the corners of his mouth had dried, and although his wide-open eyes held deep reluctance...