In the darkness, a pair of vertical pupils lit up. The sealed bag was opened, and the wrapped Yellow Talisman was unwrapped, revealing the Jade Talisman inside.

An intangible force fluctuated. The next moment, a shadowy figure, barely discernible as human, surged out from the Jade Talisman, instantly dissipating in all directions.

The owner of those vertical pupils was slightly shaken. Sensing carefully, he detected a distinctive ripple unique to the dissipation of a Ghost.

It dissipated just like that?! Damn it! I've been completely fooled!

At that moment, a Water Ghost floated over, holding a cellphone wrapped in a sealed bag, joyfully shouting, "My lord, Yu State has sent a message, offering a deal! They said as long as we return that thing, they'll erect a temple for you, record your history, and hold a festival once a year. My lord, your Dragon King Temple is finally going to be established!"

But then, the Water Ghost realized something was amiss. In those vertical pupils, there was nothing but cold, icy killing intent.

There was a soft tearing sound, like something being pierced. The Water Ghost, still holding the cellphone, wore an incredulous expression.

The next moment, its ghostly body exploded into fragments, vanishing without a trace.

A harsh and oppressive aura spread out.

The owner of the vertical pupils couldn't fail to understand now: he had been tricked, betrayed by his own subordinates.

All that talk about how nowadays everything could be done with a cellphone, how even bounties could be issued on it, and how with money, anything was achievable! No wonder it had been so easy to acquire. It turned out He Changfeng's divinity was long gone, on the verge of dissipating completely. Such a hot potato! Others were probably wondering how to deal with it, and they had willingly taken it off their hands. Now they were really in trouble. That madwoman knew they had taken He Changfeng and had even offered such generous terms. Once that whole temple establishment process was completed, He Changfeng would have been able to immediately stabilize his footing and rapidly recover in this era. But times have changed. It's not like the past when one could simply erect a temple; without the Imperial Court's approval, no one could establish it. The more generous the terms, the more insane that woman's revenge would be once she found out He Changfeng had dissipated while in *his* custody. I've been completely fooled!

「...」

In a private club, Wu Tingsheng had been invited by an old friend for a private chat. However, when he arrived, he found Liu Qiying sitting there alone.

Expressionless, Wu Tingsheng turned to leave, but Liu Qiying stood up.

"President Wu, since you're here, let's talk. I have something you'll definitely be interested in—an artifact that can nourish and repair the soul."

Wu Tingsheng's step faltered, and his gaze sharpened.

He turned back to Liu Qiying. "What do you want to say?"

"Please, have a seat, President Wu."

Once Wu Tingsheng was seated, Liu Qiying took out a small box. Opening it, she revealed an irregularly shaped, fingernail-sized item that resembled natural gold.

Liu Qiying pushed the item towards Wu Tingsheng. "This is a genuine Buddha's Light Relic. I acquired it overseas at a high price. It was one of the items I prepared for my husband, capable of nourishing the soul and repairing soul damage. Consider it a meeting gift."

Wu Tingsheng's expression didn't change, nor did he reach for the item. He simply looked at Liu Qiying.

Liu Qiying's demeanor was sincere. "President Wu, let's cut to the chase. I invited you here today because there are some matters I believe we should discuss frankly and openly."

"There's nothing to talk about," Wu Tingsheng stated flatly.

"Mr. Wu," Liu Qiying began, her tone earnest, "to tell you the truth, your son's soul damage has nothing to do with me. I only found out about it later.

"I admit I exploited your son.

"He was the only person I could find whose soul had sustained damage to what one might call its 'head,' yet hadn't dissipated and was still alive.

"And though I exploited your son, I can also say this:

"I am just as terrified as you are that something might happen to your son.

"I don't know how many items you've found over the years to help your son, but three of them—items with soul-repairing effects—came from me, specifically for you."

At these words, a slight change finally flickered in Wu Tingsheng's eyes.

Liu Qiying maintained her sincere demeanor, a hint of helplessness now visible on her face.

"I knew, actually, that those items wouldn't bring about a qualitative change. They could only maintain his condition, prevent it from worsening, or provide slight repair at best.

"If I'd had any other choice, I certainly wouldn't have resorted to this.

"Just like you want your son to recover, I desperately want my husband's soul to be restored.

"But I wouldn't take things to an irreparable extreme. I genuinely hope your son can recover too.

"That would mean my husband might also have a chance.

"I can give you all the information I have on soul repair.

"I apologize for my past actions. Now, I hope we can shake hands and make peace.

"After all, we share the same ultimate goal."

As she spoke, Liu Qiying produced a hard drive and pushed it toward Wu Tingsheng.

"This contains all the relevant information I've gathered so far, both domestic and international, including records of some experiments I've personally tried. You can have it all."

Wu Tingsheng remained silent for a long while. Liu Qiying's candidness had indeed taken him aback; he truly hadn't expected her to admit everything so readily.

Although Wen Yan hadn't allowed him to see it at the time and hadn't explained things clearly, Wu Tingsheng had his own networks. Through various clues, he had easily zeroed in on her as the likely culprit. He hadn't been certain, but he'd had his suspicions.

He had believed Liu Qiying was capable of such a thing. But he hadn't expected her to admit it so outright today.

"Why are you doing this?" Wu Tingsheng finally asked.

Liu Qiying understood he wasn't asking about her past actions, but about why she was doing all this today.

"A part of my husband's soul has detached, hasn't it?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Wu Tingsheng nodded.

Liu Qiying closed her eyes. The worst-case scenario... it actually happened.

"He—that part of him—has been stolen. I need to focus all my energy on dealing with this.

"I don't want to fight you to a standstill, where we both lose and someone else reaps the benefits.

"Moreover, such a conflict would be detrimental to our shared goal.

"I can understand you're doing all this for your son. I believe you can also understand that I'm doing all this for my husband.

"I still have some other items that might help restore a soul. I can give you half of them.

"Combined with this information, it should be enough to prevent his condition from deteriorating further.

"And if there's any chance for his recovery, I'm sure you'd rather focus your energy on that than on anything else."

Wu Tingsheng's anger had been worn down considerably over the years.

He really wanted to slap Liu Qiying.

But Liu Qiying was right about one thing.

He, too, would rather devote all his energy to helping his son recover than waste it venting his anger elsewhere or engaging in life-or-death struggles.

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