Half a minute later, Tang Chao returned with Chen Hao to where Ye Yuqiao was.

Seeing the smile still lingering at the corner of Xie Xiaofeng's eyes, Tang Chao gave an awkward laugh as he scratched his head and explained, "I ate too much just now and couldn't hold it in, so I farted. But I didn't expect it to have this unexpected effect. Hehe!"

Xie Xiaofeng couldn't help but give Tang Chao a thumbs up and chuckle with pursed lips.

Ye Yuqiao took Chen Hao from Tang Chao's hand, wrapped an arm around Chen Hao's waist, and asked softly, "How are you doing?"

"If you're not going to punish me, then I'm fine," Chen Hao muttered softly. By this time, he had already recovered his vitality, but he pretended to be weak to gain some sympathy because he feared that Ye Yuqiao would dwell on what had happened just now.

Ye Yuqiao hummed, stretched out her hand to pinch Chen Hao's face, and coldly said, "I'll settle the score with you when we get home."

"What should we do next?" Tang Jing asked, looking down at the Soul Devouring Beast passed out on the pavement.

Ye Yuqiao squinted her eyes, deep in thought. After a short while, her eyes sparkled, and she said, "When we came back from Dao County last time, didn't we bring back many strange and curious things? Let's go back now and have a look to see if there is anything I want."

"What do you want?" Chen Hao asked.

"Yin Soul worms?"

Then, Tang Chao led Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao back home, while Tang Jing and Xie Xiaofeng hid inside the building, keeping a close watch on the Soul Devouring Beast's every move.

Ten minutes later, Tang Chao landed with Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao on the balcony of Chen Hao's house.

"Wait a moment!" Ye Yuqiao suddenly froze, startling Chen Hao and Tang Chao beside her so that neither dared to make a sound.

"What's wrong?" Chen Hao whispered into Ye Yuqiao's ear, his voice extremely soft.

Ye Yuqiao's brows furrowed, and she spoke with an extremely cold and yet somewhat authoritative tone, "Since you're here, why not show yourself?"

Suddenly, the wind picked up. After the sound of the wind died down, a woman, all in white, appeared before Ye Yuqiao—long hair reaching her waist, fair skin as white as snow, all draped in a flowing white silk dress.

"Are you the Wind Girl?" Ye Yuqiao inquired.

The woman whom Ye Yuqiao called the Wind Girl snorted coldly but did not answer Ye Yuqiao's question. Instead, she shifted her fierce gaze between Chen Hao and Tang Chao and asked, "Which one of you two is Chen Hao?"

Her voice was as light as a breeze, like the sound of nature.

"Uh," Chen Hao pointed to himself in a daze, "I am!"

With a "whoosh", a gust of wind howled. In the blink of an eye, the Wind Girl turned into a breeze and then reappeared, but when she materialized this time, her hand was already on Chen Hao's neck. The strength in her palm was as light as a wind's kiss but as cold as the north wind in winter, as tight as a howling gale, making Chen Hao feel suffocated!

"Was it you who killed the Shadow Demon?" the Wind Girl asked Chen Hao harshly.

Chen Hao couldn't speak, only managing to let out two hoarse choking sounds. He struggled to lift his hand in front of the Wind Girl and shook his hand.

"If it wasn't you, then who could it be?" the Wind Girl rebuked.

At that moment, Tang Chao's fist was already swinging towards the Wind Girl.

The Wind Girl didn't dodge.

However, when Tang Chao's fist hit the face of the Wind Girl, her head turned into a gust of wind; after Tang Chao's fist flew through empty space and the Wind Girl's head restored itself.

"Huh?" Tang Chao's eyes went wide with shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Wind Girl flicked her hair and glanced toward Tang Chao, giving him a stern look. Suddenly, a fierce wind rose beneath his feet, hissing as it enveloped him.

"Ah!" Tang Chao let out a heart-wrenching scream! When the wind subsided, his clothes had been shredded to tatters, and his face was covered in fine, bloody scratches.

"The Shadow Demon... The Shadow Demon really wasn't killed by me!" Chen Hao said in a hoarse voice, sounding as if he was on his last breath.

Ye Yuqiao was panicking beside him, powerless to help. She was very clear that although Wind Girl was formidable, she still couldn't kill Chen Hao.

Wind Girl stared at Chen Hao, pondered for a moment, and then released him. Suddenly, she transformed into a gust of wind, and when she materialized again, she was standing upside down on the balcony's ceiling.

After coughing twice, Chen Hao looked up at Wind Girl with a pained expression and explained, "Beauty! If I were really capable of killing the Shadow Demon, would I have been choked by you just now without any power to fight back?"

Wind Girl gave no response and kept her eyes wide, staring at Chen Hao. After a long time, she finally asked, "Then who killed it?"

"Uh," Chen Hao's mind raced, "it was... yes! It was the Soul Devouring Beast! Two days ago, I saw with my own eyes the Soul Devouring Beast swallow the Shadow Demon. It's in the city right now. If you fly up and look, you'll see a huge, round, greenish mass of gas—that's the Soul Devouring Beast!"

"The Soul Devouring Beast?" Wind Girl murmured thoughtfully, "The Soul Devouring Beast has vanished for over a thousand years, and now it has reappeared?"

After musing for a while, Wind Girl suddenly vanished from the balcony ceiling, leaving just a soft whisper carried by the wind, "If you dare lie to me, boy, I'll kill everyone in this city."

The gentle voice that reached Chen Hao and Tang Chao's ears sent shivers down their spines.

After Wind Girl left, Chen Hao walked over to Tang Chao and asked, "Brother Chao, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Just some superficial wounds!" Tang Chao shook his head and said.

"Did Wind Girl come to avenge the Shadow Demon?" Ye Yuqiao muttered with her head down.

Reminded by Ye Yuqiao, Chen Hao recalled the task that the Shadow Demon had entrusted to him before its death. He had an epiphany, his face showing surprise as he looked at Ye Yuqiao and sighed, "So Wind Girl is the woman whom the Shadow Demon loved!"

Ye Yuqiao's expression darkened, and in a sorrowful tone, she said, "A woman as free as the wind actually fell in love with a shadow!"

At that moment, Ye Yuqiao couldn't help but think of her relationship with Chen Hao, which was so much like Wind Girl's and Shadow Demon's encounter, destined to be a sad ending.

Noticing the sadness on Ye Yuqiao's face, Chen Hao stepped forward, took her hand, and asked softly, "Why the sudden sadness?"

Ye Yuqiao looked up at Chen Hao, her eyes glistening with tears. She then closed her eyes, shook her head, and said, "My eyes were irritated by the wind brought by Wind Girl."

Chen Hao frowned, and although he said nothing more, he was very worried inside. He knew Ye Yuqiao well enough to understand that she was feeling pessimistic.

"I'm really fine!" Ye Yuqiao forced a smile, then abruptly changed the subject, "Wind Girl has gone to find the Soul Devouring Beast. We should hurry and look for the Yin Soul Worm."

"Right!"

They went into the house, and Chen Hao pulled out a large wooden box from under the bed in his grandfather's room. Inside this box were various strange and rare treasures that they had acquired during their last commotion in Dao County's ghost market.

After rummaging for a while, Ye Yuqiao suddenly held a small wooden box with delight and exclaimed, "Found it, there really are Yin Soul Worms!"

"Quick, let me see," Chen Hao eagerly opened the small wooden box, and saw two transparent worms inside, emitting a purple glow. "What use are these worms?"

Ye Yuqiao carefully closed the box and then whispered a few words into the ears of both Chen Hao and Tang Chao.

After hearing her, Chen Hao and Tang Chao first showed surprised expressions, then burst into laughter.

..

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