In the underground chamber, a beam of light shone on the side of Xu Feng’s face.

It was just possible to make out what looked like the smiling face of a little girl in the light and shadow.

Xu Feng opened the Jade Box in his hand, which contained the Dragon Blood, halfway, then walked in small steps to the side of the Blood Pool.

He mumbled to himself, muttering, "It’s fine that I don’t have a Storage Pouch. Isn’t this Jade Box prettier than a Storage Pouch? Compared to a Storage Pouch, this is a perfect match for me."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a perfectly sweet smile.

The curve of his lips was identical to the smile of the little girl in the light and shadow!

Xu Feng remained completely oblivious. He craned his neck, trying to stick his enormous head into the tiny Jade Box that was no bigger than two palms. As he struggled, he said, "If I live directly in this Jade Box, I’ll be able to constantly bathe in Dragon Blood and achieve Enlightenment quickly—the Thirty-Six Acupoints, seventy-two acupoints, one hundred and eight acupoints!"

His tone grew more and more excited. "I’ll even make it onto the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, speak directly with the most illustrious Celestial Prides of every race, and be the light of an era!"

"And it won’t stop at one hundred and eight acupoints! I can even open two hundred, three hundred, three hundred and sixty-five acupoints!"

"I will become a peerless Martial Saint! Hahaha..."

He let out a sharp laugh, and as the sound echoed, his head finally squeezed into the small Jade Box.

The palm-sized Jade Box, however, seemed to contain a bizarre space that defied its outer appearance. Xu Feng’s head squeezed in, followed by his shoulders. His intact left hand and the stump of his right arm gripped the edge of the box as he plunged headfirst, his body straining to cram itself inside.

At some point, the Jade Box fell beside the Blood Pool. The row of human-skin clothes hanging on the side of the chamber all turned in unison, their gazes haunting.

A moment later, Xu Feng’s entire body had squeezed into the tiny Jade Box. At some unknown point, the lid of the box had closed, and a hole had suddenly appeared on one of its sides.

With a POP, Xu Feng’s head shot out of the hole.

The small hole clamped tightly around Xu Feng’s neck. His head was enormous, especially in comparison to the small Jade Box.

At a glance, it looked as if Xu Feng’s entire body had vanished, leaving only a bare head existing in the world. It was both comical and terrifying.

The human-skin clothes on the side of the chamber all began to laugh. "Hee hee, hee hee hee..."

The laughter jolted Xu Feng to his senses. He blinked, suddenly realizing his current predicament, and a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the chamber.

"AHHH—!"

"Hee!"

Xu Feng’s screams were agonizing, but the human-skin clothes laughed with glee.

The laughter and screams vibrated through the chamber together—wavering, overlapping, and utterly bizarre.

The chamber was also extremely well-sealed. The sounds were trapped within the enclosed space, unable to escape in the slightest. Only the echoes reverberated again and again, as if without end.

Finally, the human-skin clothes spoke in unison, their voices crisp and clear. "Young Master Xu, do you know what the ’box punishment’ is? Yes, you must know. You were the one who told us about it, after all!"

"A living person is locked in a sealed box, with only their head sticking out through a hole that clamps their neck."

"They don’t die right away, but their limbs and body are forced to remain curled up inside the box, completely unable to move."

"Over time, their breathing becomes labored and their circulation is cut off. The person is ruined."

"But they’re still alive. Someone feeds them from the outside, and after eating, they must excrete."

"Their waste will slowly accumulate. At first, it only covers their ankles. Then it will pile up to their knees, their waist, and eventually submerge their entire body."

"So smelly, so smelly..."

The human-skin clothes extended their snow-white arms—nothing but skin, no muscle or bone—and fanned them in front of their noses in unison.

"Hee hee hee, being smelly is one thing, but when that filth sits for a long time, it starts to breed worms."

"I wonder how long Young Master Xu can last. But you’re an Innate Expert, Young Master, so you can probably hold on for a very long time!"

"Hee hee, hee hee hee..."

...

The laughter faded away in the chamber. No one came to save Xu Feng, just as no one had come to save the young women he had cruelly humiliated and tortured. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

His wives and concubines were too busy trying to save themselves. The Guests and servants he kept had either died or fled.

The Xu Mansion was about to be overrun by the plague of insects. No matter how powerful the deterrent of an Innate Expert was, he wasn’t showing up. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, people would naturally prioritize their own survival.

At this moment, the Zhi Garden, which had been cleared out by Song Ciwan’s Five Poison Jar, had become a rare sanctuary within the Xu Mansion.

The Five Poison Jar displayed its divine might, flying about and sucking everything in. After some time, there were no strange insects left in the Zhi Garden.

The Mouse Demon who had fought the insects alongside her exhausted its Demonic Power. After spitting out one last mouthful of fine sand, its legs finally gave out, and it collapsed onto the ground, spent.

Song Ciwan put away the Five Poison Jar and looked at the heavily wounded Mouse Demon before her.

The Mouse Demon clutched its Mourning Stick, squeaking weakly and nervously.

In the strange atmosphere, a young woman’s gentle voice sounded from the bamboo house again. "Ah Gua, are you alright?"

With the insects all gone, the Mouse Demon before her no longer seemed like a threat. Song Ciwan walked toward the bamboo house, saying, "Is Lady Zhen in the house? I know Aunt Zhou. She entrusted me with finding her daughter. The insect plague here is dealt with. If you are Lady Zhen, please open the door and come out. I will wait for you at the entrance."

With that, Song Ciwan stood still before the tightly shut door of the bamboo house.

The Mouse Demon remained seated, but it turned its head to stare unblinkingly at Song Ciwan, still letting out squeaks.

The young woman in the house was silent for a moment, then she asked in a surprised and slightly anxious voice, "Y-You were sent by my mother? My mother, my mother... how is she?"

As she spoke, the sound of footsteps was heard. A moment later, the door to the bamboo house was opened from the inside, and a slender, pretty young woman rushed out.

This was Lady Zhen!

The Tracking Paper Crane in Song Ciwan’s sleeve grew scorching hot. Song Ciwan sized up Lady Zhen.

She was about sixteen and quite beautiful. Though she had a few freckles on her face, her complexion could be called fair. Her lively eyes, full of a young girl’s shyness and innocence, were especially striking.

She was wearing what appeared to be the standard attire for maids in the Xu Mansion—a moon-white blouse and a sandalwood-colored skirt. Her hair was neatly and smoothly done up in a bun. She didn’t look like she had suffered any abuse.

This was far better than Song Ciwan had expected, and a look of relief appeared on her face.

Just as she was about to speak, she remembered she was currently wearing Yu Shu’s face, which made things a bit awkward.

So, Song Ciwan took the old hair ribbon that Aunt Zhou often used from her sleeve. Lady Zhen exclaimed, "That’s my mother’s hair ribbon!"

She shifted her feet, unable to resist taking another step forward.

Song Ciwan put the hair ribbon away and said, "We shouldn’t stay here long. Come with me, I’ll take you to your mother. This Mouse..."

She didn’t know how to address the Mouse Demon, so she paused.

But unexpectedly, Lady Zhen spoke up. "It was Ah Gua who saved me, and he’s been protecting me these past two days. Sir, I beg you, please take me to my mother, and please bring Ah Gua with us!"