Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

Xiao Bao struggled a few times as his wrist was grabbed, his small body twisting and turning, but Shen Jing Shu's hand was like an iron clamp, unmoving and impossible to break free from.

He was so enticed by the rich aroma of the roasted meat that he secretly appeared, his mind only on the food, and he carelessly fell into the trap.

Xiao Bao's round face tightened, the childlike innocence in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a faint dark mist, and his tone became cold and stubborn: "I don't want to answer questions, I just want to eat chicken."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch." Shen Jingshu tightened her grip slightly, preventing him from touching the roast chicken. "Either answer the question, or you can just watch."

The firewood crackled and popped, grease dripped down, and wisps of smoke rose from the embers, while an enticing aroma wafted towards the nose.

Xiao Bao's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. His gaze was fixed on the golden-brown, glistening roast chicken. After struggling for a moment, he finally succumbed to the temptation and groaned, "Then... then ask away. But you can't lie to Xiao Bao. After you answer, you have to give me the chicken."

"I keep my word." Shen Jingshu loosened her grip slightly, but still didn't completely let go of his arm. "Is the Locked Yin Illusion Realm in this village under your control?"

Xiao Bao rolled his eyes, lowered his eyelids, and muttered softly, "I don't know, I just live here."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Feng frowned, took a half step forward, and was about to speak to exert pressure.

Shen Jingshu gently raised her hand to stop him, then continued looking at Xiaobao: "Those outsiders who broke in, like the hikers, the sketching students, and Lin Feng and Ye Shuang from the Special Management Bureau, were they all trapped in the illusion, forced to do the same work day after day?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bao shook his head rapidly, a hint of fear flashing in his dark eyes: "It wasn't Xiao Bao who did it, it was that adult. He made me do it. He said that as long as I behaved well, he would give me lots and lots of sweet candy."

"My lord? Who is it?" Shen Jingshu's eyes narrowed.

"I can't see his face clearly. He always hides in the old ancestral hall at the very back." Xiao Bao pointed to the deepest part of the village, where the houses were layered upon each other, shrouded in thick black mist, and could not be seen clearly. "He taught me to play games. Those who didn't play well had to stay here forever and play house with Xiao Bao."

Lin Yueru felt a chill run down her spine. It turned out that the child was just a pawn being manipulated, and the real mastermind was hiding in the ancestral hall in the center of the village.

"Is the core of the formation inside that ancestral hall?" Shen Jingshu pressed.

Xiao Bao suddenly trembled, shaking his head violently, clutching it with both hands, his expression turning to pain, and black energy surged wildly around him: "I can't say it! I can't say it anymore! If I do, he'll punish me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Bao's figure began to become illusory, as if he was about to disappear and escape.

Shen Jingshu was prepared. With her other hand, she quickly conjured a talisman, and with a flash of light at her fingertips, she placed it on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about running away."

The talisman landed on Xiao Bao, emitting a faint golden light, instantly halting its dissipation. Xiao Bao let out a sharp cry; in the firelight, his small figure was half that of an innocent child, and half that of a ghostly figure filled with ashen death energy.

A golden talisman was affixed to Xiao Bao's shoulder, and he trembled with pain, his shrill cries echoing through the quiet village lanes. Half of his face still resembled that of a child, while the other half had transformed into a hazy, almost transparent, ghostly phantom, its body surrounded by billowing black energy that was constantly being scorched by the golden light, sizzling and crackling.

"Let me go! You're bad! You're a bad person!" Xiao Bao struggled and twisted his body, his little fists pounding on Shen Jingshu's arm, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.

"I won't hurt you," Shen Jingshu said calmly, her grip on the talisman preventing it from dissipating. "You're just being manipulated; you're not the one truly committing evil. Tell me, what exactly is hidden inside the ancestral hall?"

Xiao Bao trembled all over, his eyes filled with fear of the person behind the scenes, his teeth chattering: "Underneath the ancestral hall... there's a black stone tablet buried, and that adult guards it. The souls of everyone who enters are all sealed inside the tablet. He said the tablet needs the souls of living people to nourish it so that Xiao Bao can stay here forever, and always have friends to play with."

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng shuddered and turned to look at Ye Shuang beside him. The two of them had just been trapped here, and their souls had almost been absorbed by the stone tablet; the thought of it still sent a chill down their spines.

Xuanfeng gripped the compass tightly in his hand, and the compass needle trembled and swerved wildly toward the ancestral hall deep in the village.

"The Yin-Locking Stele." Xuanfeng exclaimed in a low voice, "So that's how it is. The Yin-Locking Maze is set up with the stele as the foundation, absorbing the souls of the living to nourish evil spirits. No wonder the evil spirits of the entire earth vein have spread here."

Lin Yueru's heart sank: "Were the souls of those who were captured all sealed beneath the stone tablet? And what about those missing hikers and young sketchers...?"

"Most of the souls are trapped inside the monument, their physical bodies dissolved by the baleful energy," Shen Jingshu said calmly, her gaze still fixed on Xiaobao. "That man, what is his background? What does he look like?"

Xiao Bao shook his head frantically, his eyes unfocused. It was as if the restriction imposed by the person behind the scenes still lingered in his mind. Whenever he tried to recall the other person's appearance, a tearing pain would come from his head.

"I can't remember... I can't remember his face. Every time I see him, all I see is a black mist. He only gives me candy and orders me to lure outsiders to stay and play games with me. I don't want to hurt people, but if I don't listen, he will burn me with black mist."

At this point, Xiao Bao's eyes reddened, no longer showing the same unruly and violent nature as before, but instead revealing a trace of loneliness and pitifulness. He himself was the soul of a child who died in the calamity of Xiao Wang Village, captured by the person who set up the formation and used as a puppet to control the illusion.

Just then, a low, cold laugh suddenly came from the direction of the ancestral hall in the distance. The sound drifted and lingered, penetrating through the layers of houses and reaching the ears of the group.

"A meddlesome brat, how dare he interrogate my pawn."

A sudden gust of wind swept up the scene, scattering withered leaves across the sky. The flames in the bonfire flickered and swayed under the pressure of the wind, and the shadows of the surrounding houses twisted and trembled. The entire illusionary realm began to shake violently, and all the movements of the surrounding villagers and NPCs froze, completely still.

Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Bao trembled with fright, tears instantly streaming down his face: "It's him... he heard us talking!"

Shen Jingshu raised her hand to shield Xiaobao behind her, the talisman in her hand gleaming brightly. She turned to the other four and said, "The master of the formation has already noticed us. Xuanfeng and Yueru, you two protect Xiaobao and prevent him from having his soul taken back by the other party. Linfeng and Yeshuang, you two come with me to the ancestral hall to destroy the Yin-Locking Stele and break this illusion."

"Understood!" the group replied in unison, their expressions solemn, and each took out their personal magical artifacts.

In the distance, a faint, eerie green will-o'-the-wisp flickered in the thick black fog surrounding the old ancestral hall, its light illuminating the darkness. A decisive battle was imminent.