As Nanli had anticipated, stepping through the archway felt like entering a cold, dark underworld. Dense black mist guarded the area, immediately attacking from all directions upon sensing their presence. The fire talisman extinguished in an instant, and the eerie howls of the black mist added to the terrifying atmosphere.
Nanli swiftly drew her Dark Moon Sword and swung it in a graceful arc. The sword’s blade glimmered with golden light, crackling and sparking as it cut through the mist. Despite her efforts, the black mist continued to swarm, attacking in relentless waves.
Realizing the futility of battling the mist head-on, Nanli used the Heaven Star Brush to draw symbols that cloaked her and Ye Siheng, concealing their presence. The black mist hesitated, unable to locate its targets, and soon dispersed.
Nanli sheathed her sword and brush, observing the vast underground chamber. At the center, a black lacquered coffin adorned with gold was suspended in mid-air by iron chains, with tattered talismans fluttering in the eerie wind.
Surveying the area, Nanli found the water ghost lurking in a nearby water channel. "You had a little plan, didn’t you?" she remarked, seeing through the ghost’s deceit.
The water ghost, guilty and nervous, stammered, "I didn’t mean to hide anything. The black mist never attacked me when I delivered the souls, so I forgot to mention it."
Ignoring the explanation, Nanli questioned, "Were these talismans intact when you were last here?"
"Yes," the ghost answered hastily.
Nanli deduced, "Chong Jiu must have destroyed them when he realized the water ghost was captured, to prevent us from uncovering anything."
With the talismans partially destroyed, their purpose was unclear. Ye Siheng speculated, "Is he trying to refine an evil corpse?"
Nanli shook her head, "No, refining an evil corpse requires vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts, which these water ghosts’ collected souls are not."
Despite Chong Jiu’s efforts to destroy evidence, the coffin itself remained. Perhaps opening it would provide some clues.
Ye Siheng stepped forward, sword in hand, and with a few powerful strikes, he severed the chains holding the coffin. It crashed to the ground with a loud thud, sparks flying.
The water ghost trembled in awe of Ye Siheng’s strength, realizing his sword could obliterate her in an instant. She then watched in disbelief as Nanli, using a protective talisman, effortlessly pushed open the heavy coffin lid, which weighed several tens of pounds.
To their surprise, the coffin was empty. No body, no burial items—nothing. Ye Siheng frowned, "What’s going on here?"
Nanli, equally puzzled, replied, "I don’t know, but having water ghosts gather souls and energy is certainly for no good purpose."
With the talismans destroyed and no clues left, their next step was to capture Chong Jiu to uncover his true intentions. Recalling the framing of her third brother, Nanli suspected Chong Jiu’s involvement.
Disrupting Chong Jiu’s plans wasn’t a complete failure, but they couldn’t linger in this sinister place. The water ghost, sensing their departure, cried out, "Wait! You promised to remove the ghost-extinguishing talisman if I helped!"
Nanli turned, her gaze cold, "You’re a water ghost. If I let you go, you’ll find a scapegoat and reincarnate, causing more deaths. I can’t allow that."
The water ghost, furious and desperate, retorted, "You little girl, how can you go back on your word? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?!"
As she raged, the water in the channel surged, only to stop abruptly at Nanli’s feet before retreating. Nanli’s expression remained icy, "For a malevolent ghost like you, keeping my word would be the real sin."
The souls of that father and son couldn’t be recovered, and countless others had likely suffered due to this ghost. The water ghost, seeing no hope in Nanli, turned to Ye Siheng for mercy.
But Ye Siheng, his eyes tender yet firm, supported Nanli, "A’Li is right. You did well."
In an instant, the ghost-extinguishing flames ignited, consuming the water ghost completely. Nanli, undeterred, used the Heaven Star Brush to draw symbols, gradually dispelling the malevolent black mist from the underground chamber to protect the townsfolk above.
Watching her tirelessly work, Ye Siheng felt a pang of concern. She had spent the day busy at the moat and now this task drained her further, both physically and spiritually.
He stepped forward, "A’Li, let me try."
Nanli paused, her eyes sparkling, "You want to play with the Heaven Star Brush? Without sufficient power, you can’t even lift it, let alone draw symbols."
"How would I know without trying?"
Nanli handed him the brush, "Give it a shot. If you can slay monsters with a sword, drawing symbols shouldn’t be too hard."
With confidence, Ye Siheng began drawing on the wall. To Nanli’s surprise, he quickly completed a functional symbol, albeit less potent than hers. His talent was undeniable—remarkable, considering even Zhi Mi struggled to draw a complete symbol with this brush.
"Impressive," Nanli teased, "With a few lessons, you’ll be great at exorcising demons and ghosts."
Ye Siheng gave her a playful glare, "There are countless symbols to learn. I can’t possibly remember them all accurately."
Balancing court and military duties was already challenging; learning Taoist arts might leave him no time to sleep.