After being comforted by Ling Feng, Pei Yu calmed down and continued, "After I was captured by that person, I was knocked out not long after. When I woke up again, I realized they were a gang, and the nickname of the person who captured me was 'Yin Hu' (Licentious Tiger), which I learned from them."
"Later, I found out he was a complete devil, a real devil. He kept torturing me... until finally, after he defiled me, he buried me alive in the desolate mountains."
Even with Ling Feng's comfort, Pei Yu was still trembling slightly, showing how deep the psychological damage inflicted by this Yin Hu was.
"After I died... I wanted to go back to find my grandmother, but halfway there, I encountered the remnant consciousness of that evil spirit. It possessed my soul, wanting to erase my spirit and consciousness, replace me, and become a vengeful ghost."
"But, Grandma is still waiting for me at home. I can't, I can't give up like this. So, can you take me back to see Grandma? To see who is taking care of Grandma, so I can return to the border with peace of mind, please."
As Pei Yu spoke, tears streamed down her face. Ling Feng didn't know ghosts could cry, but seeing Pei Yu like this, he couldn't help but reach out a finger to wipe her tears.
"Senior Sister." Having understood Pei Yu's story, Ling Feng's heart ached. He turned to Shenhe, wanting to plead for Pei Yu. Even if the system hadn't assigned this task, he would have completed it now.
"If a soul remains in the living world for too long, even without an evil spirit, it will be infected by the remnants of the fallen gods on Liyue's land and lose its sanity, becoming a vengeful ghost that plagues the world."
"Especially in this Guili Plains area. According to Master, countless gods have died here. Let alone souls, even humans with heavy Yin energy can be infected by the remnants and lose themselves. For a soul, this is a forbidden zone, and Qingxin talismans won't be very effective."
"In short, she is very likely to lose her sanity and become a vengeful ghost plaguing the world before she even reaches her destination."
Shenhe neither nodded nor shook her head but explained the seriousness of the situation.
"Then, is there no way?" Ling Feng asked.
"Unless there is a Serenitea Pot, allowing her to enter it, she can avoid being infected by the remnants of the gods," Shenhe replied.
"Serenitea Pot... Senior Sister, is this one okay?" Speaking of the Serenitea Pot, Ling Feng took out his only magic treasure at the moment, the Lingyun Pot.
"What is this pot?" Shenhe knew Ling Feng had this wine gourd but didn't know its specific effects. She only saw that Ling Feng's "Lion's Roar" seemed to be stored inside.
"Lingyun Pot. It has a three-cubic-meter space inside," Ling Feng introduced.
"As long as it can store living beings, it's fine."
"Then it's okay." Ling Feng shook the gourd. Compared to the system's space, the Lingyun Pot's function was also good. Although the space was small and time was flowing, each had its own advantages.
"Where do you live?" Ling Feng looked at Pei Yu. Since there was a solution, only the last question remained: where Pei Yu's home was.
"My home is in Feiyun Village, north of Guili Plains. Oh, my name is Pei Yu." Hearing that she could go home, Pei Yu became exceptionally happy.
"Pei Yu, hmm, a very nice name. I am Ling Feng, and my Senior Sister is Shenhe."
"Brother Ling Feng, Sister Shenhe, thank you so much." Pei Yu bowed to express her gratitude.
"No need. But remember, after you see your blood relatives, you must return to the border," Shenhe said indifferently.
"Yes." Pei Yu quickly nodded, then hid behind Ling Feng. In her eyes, Shenhe, this elder sister, was quite scary.
"It's okay. You go into the pot first. When we arrive at Feiyun Village, I'll let you out."
"Okay. Oh, Brother Ling Feng, can you be quick? I've been away from home for two days. If Grandma isn't being looked after..."
"Don't worry."
Ling Feng activated the Lingyun Pot to take Pei Yu in, then took out the "Lion's Roar."
"Senior Sister, how about experiencing sword flight?" Ling Feng said, shaking the long sword in his hand.
"As you wish."
"Then let's go." Ling Feng performed the Giant Sword technique from the Carefree Sword Riding Art, making the "Lion's Roar" several times larger. He then stepped onto it, with Shenhe following closely.
"Yosh! It's dark, they can't see clearly, let's go."
"Wait."
Just as Ling Feng was about to fly, he suddenly noticed the campfire hadn't been extinguished. He quickly braked, jumped off the "Lion's Roar," and stomped out the fire. He felt it wasn't safe enough, worried that there might be embers that could reignite after they left. So, he directly used immortal magic to pour water on it before feeling at ease to stand back on the "Lion's Roar."
Carrying Ling Feng and Shenhe, the "Lion's Roar" turned into a streak of sword light and disappeared into the sky.
Amidst the clouds, Ling Feng controlled the sword's direction and speed while scanning below, searching for the village Pei Yu had mentioned.
Shenhe, on the other hand, closed her eyes, seemingly enjoying the feeling of flying.
As Pei Yu had said, coming by carriage during the day meant the village wasn't far from Wangshu Inn, and it should be easy to spot from a high vantage point.
In less than a moment, on the dark land below, flashes of light appeared. This light seemed to say, "I am here." Ling Feng stared in that direction, lowering his flight altitude slightly and heading towards it.
In less than a moment, when the "Lion's Roar" stopped about two kilometers directly above the village, Ling Feng had a thought. The Lingyun Pot flew out from his dantian, and Pei Yu was released by him, appearing beside him.
"We're already here? Whoa! Brother Ling Feng, where is this? It's so high, so high, I feel like I'm going to fall!" Pei Yu was happy when she came out, but the next second she squatted down, grabbed the edge of the sword, and trembled.
"Uh, you have acrophobia? You're a ghost! What are you afraid of! (⇀‸↼‶)" Ling Feng hadn't expected Pei Yu to have a fear of heights.
"Who says ghosts can't be afraid of heights? It's innate, woohoo x﹏x It's so high, I'm so dizzy."
Ling Feng: "……(ー△ー；)，"
"Alright, quickly take a look and see if that village is the Feiyun Village you mentioned." Ling Feng patted Pei Yu's shoulder.
After Ling Feng's words, coupled with her eagerness to see her grandmother, Pei Yu mustered a little courage. She braced herself against her fear, poked her head out from the sword's edge, and looked down.
After carefully observing for a while, Pei Yu excitedly said, "Yes, this is Feiyun Village! My home is the small house on the easternmost side."
Ling Feng followed Pei Yu's finger and indeed saw a wooden house on the easternmost side. However, the wooden house was completely dark at the moment, with no lights on. The outline of the house was illuminated by the light from the neighboring houses.
Seeing the dark house, Pei Yu became anxious: "Why isn't Grandma turning on the lights?"
Ling Feng also sensed something was wrong. He said, "Hold on tight," and then flew at full speed towards the house. In less than ten seconds, Ling Feng had landed.