Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

"Stand on... Brother Shen's side..."

Tian Yi'er was somewhat stunned. He felt that Shen You was too confident, and he envied that confidence. But when it came to standing beside Shen You, he wondered, what difference would that make?

Even if he becomes a martial artist, enters Huangfeng Academy, and learns superior martial arts, nothing will change. Will following Brother Shen change anything?

After hesitating for a long time, Tian Yi'er ultimately chose to remain silent.

Seeing this, Shen You could only snort coldly and say nothing more.

After walking a short distance further, the two arrived at a lotus pond at the deepest part of the East Garden.

As night fell, the lotus flowers in the pond had closed into buds, each one undulating like a spindle of varying sizes. The moonlight overhead was bright, but here it was shrouded in a hazy glow. The moonlight couldn't penetrate the darkness deep within the pond, making that shadowy place seem to harbor a monster.

"This place... is so scary..." Tian Yi'er looked around in bewilderment.

"This is quite interesting!" Shen You, lying on Tian Yi'er's back, raised her eyebrows.

He came here to find some special beings.

Ordinary women, even if one were to form a bond with them, would at most improve one's physical constitution to some extent. But now he wants to find some powerful women, trigger a bond quest, and gain some formidable talents.

Similar to the "successor of the pig slaughtering family," only extraordinary talent can bring about a qualitative change in him.

Only talent could enable him to master the Golden Snake Skill overnight.

So this place really did look extraordinary, which actually made him very satisfied.

"Oda, let's go deeper!"

"Yes... Brother Shen..."

Tian Yi'er's voice trembled. Shen You glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. If you encounter anything strange, just leave me there and come back yourself. Besides, I'll definitely remember your help this time and will help you again next time!"

"No... I'm not afraid..." Despite Shen You's words of comfort, Tian Yi'er gritted her teeth and shook her head.

"What I fear are people..." he whispered, "not these hiding demons..."

"Really?" Shen You couldn't help but glance at Tian Yi'er again. "That was a pretty cool line."

Tian Yi'er took a deep breath, carried Shen You on her back, and continued walking forward.

Ahead was a secluded corridor leading to a small pavilion in the middle of the pond. Under the cover of night, there was not a single ray of light in the pavilion, only complete darkness.

The two walked along the corridor, their feet on vermilion wooden planks, flanked by silent lotus ponds. A cold wind blew across the ponds, rustling and sending chills down their spines. The occasional hooting of owls added to their unease.

Even Shen You wasn't so composed once he arrived. Although he had come to find ghosts, being in this eerie environment still made his palms sweat involuntarily.

Suddenly, Tian Yi'er trembled: "Brother Shen...did you hear anything?"

"What did you hear?" Shen You was taken aback, then shook her head. "It's very quiet here. Besides the wind and birdsong, what other sounds are there?"

"No...it really is..." Tian Yi'er's teeth started chattering. "I heard...a woman's voice..."

"A woman?" Shen You's heart skipped a beat.

"That woman seems to be calling a name..." Tian Yi'er murmured to herself, her expression somewhat lost in thought. "That name sounds familiar... she's calling it..."

"Oh right... she's calling... Tian Yi'er... Tian Yi'er..." Tian Yi'er's voice rang out faintly. Even though he was right under Shen You, his voice sounded somewhat distorted to Shen You's ears.

"Tian Yi'er... Tian Yi'er..." Tian Yi'er murmured slowly, and at that moment, the voice seemed to come from some dark corner.

"Hey, don't scare me!" Shen You's heart tightened involuntarily. She tentatively peeked out and saw that Tian Yi'er's eyes were rolled back, and only the whites of her eyes were visible.

"Damn it, he's been tricked!" Shen You felt a chill rise from his heart.

The demon lurking here is indeed ferocious; it does call out people's names, and once someone's name is called, it seems they will never wake up again.

"I underestimated her..." Shen You gritted her teeth, then suddenly paused, "Wait, why am I alright?"

Shen You suddenly realized that although Tian Yi'er was distraught and kept repeating his own name, he was still perfectly fine. He could only hear Tian Yi'er's voice and not the woman's voice.

"Why is it that only he can hear it?"

Shen You frowned. "Does a female ghost also know how to be picky? But I clearly have more delicate skin and am prettier!"

Was that female ghost blind?

"Tian Yi'er... Tian Yi'er..."

At this moment, Tian Yi'er continued to mutter the name, then took another step and slowly walked forward. Shen You, clinging to his back, looked around but still couldn't see anything unusual.

It was as if the female ghost's power only affected Tian Yi'er.

"This won't do!" Shen You gritted her teeth. "I have no problem with a female ghost seeking me out, but how can she seek out this stupid, cowardly boy? Wouldn't that... make me the one who harms him?"

Shen You originally intended to take the risk himself, and if he encountered danger, he would send Tian Yi'er back, while he could crawl forward on his own. But who would have thought that the female ghost would directly approach Tian Yi'er, completely disrupting his plans.

"What's the difference between me and Tian Yi'er? Why was Tian Yi'er bewitched, but I'm unharmed?"

Shen You's mind raced, and suddenly a possibility came to mind.

"By the way, the biggest difference between me and Xiaotian is that I'm a cheat code! I'm a transmigrator, and I have the 'Fate Jade'! Could it be that the jade is secretly protecting me?"

"If I take out the 'Fate Jade' right now, will I be able to discover any clues through it?"

Shen You acted on her thought immediately, secretly summoning the "Fate Jade" and holding it tightly in her palm before focusing her attention on looking around again.

This time, he quickly saw the wonder in it.

On the dark lotus pond, amidst all the lotus buds that had closed up in the night, a shimmering white lotus stood out, its beauty still vibrant and full of life in the dim light.

If it weren't for the "Fate Jade" helping him, Shen You wouldn't have been able to witness such a beautiful scene. The surrounding darkness, oppression, and silence all accentuated the beauty of the white lotus, making that blooming delicate flower seem like an unforgettable image etched in his heart.

"So beautiful..." Shen You murmured.

At that moment, the white lotus trembled, and the light shining on it suddenly condensed, as if a gaze had swept over Shen You.

Tian Yi'er, who had been walking forward in a daze, suddenly stopped.

And then, a soft, alluring voice finally rang faintly in Shen You's ears—

"Chen You...Shen You..."