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She wondered if Xiao Ba would be jealous. But the little guy was so cute and all fluffy, Xiao Ba would probably like it too, she thought to herself.
[How about I give you a new name, Haki Mi? You can relieve others' worries, but don't you also hope someone can help you solve your problems? Haki Mi means honey, wishing you sweetness, happiness, and peace forever.]
The little guy seemed touched by Ye Zhenzhen's words. First, he stared at her with his big, watery eyes, then he excitedly wagged his tail. "Okay, master, from now on I'll be called Haki Mi."
[Haki Mi, please take us to find our senior sister! She's been kidnapped by bad guys!] Ye Zhenzhen took out a handkerchief from Ye Qingyao and let Haki Mi smell her scent.
Soon, Haki Mi, with his short legs, started running to lead the way for them.
Haki Mi ran ahead, while Ye Qinghui and the others used the Red Lotus Flower-Burial Needles to drive away the reptiles and poisonous creatures nearby. Soon, they had cleared a safe path for themselves.
Seeing this, Shen Xingyan, Jiang Kui, Jiang Wan, and the others followed closely behind.
Looking at Haki Mi leading the way, Shen Xingyan didn't know why, but the thought "that little guy should have been my contracted beast" popped into her mind, and this thought was very strong and wouldn't go away.
At this moment, Ye Qingyao had already been taken to the King Yama's Hall by the Ghost Guard.
The King Yama's Hall was majestic yet sinister, with a fierce and menacing stone statue of a demon standing at each of its four corners, making it impossible to look directly at. Eerie music, a mixture of weeping, groaning, and screaming, echoed within the palace, sending chills down one's spine.
"Young lady, please sit here and wait a moment. Our leader has just gone out to attend to some business and will be back in a little while." Although the Ghost Guard had green faces and fangs, they had been very polite to her along the way. Now they were even more respectful, treating her like an honored guest. They brought her a rare beauty couch from the Netherworld and took out the picture books that the little ghosts usually loved to look at so she could pass the time.
"Why did you bring me here?" Ye Qingyao couldn't help but ask. She had never done anything wrong, and her cultivation level was only average, so there was no reason why she was chosen from among a group of people.
"Because we smelled the scent our boss is looking for on you," the Long Nose Ghost Guard replied solicitously. "He needs your help with a small favor."
What's that smell? How can I help?
"The scent is on your hand," the Long Nose said with a smile, pointing to her right hand.
"My hands?" Ye Qingyao looked puzzled. Why would her hands have the scent they wanted? Could it be that she had encountered some kind of Spirit Plant, and they wanted that Spirit Plant to help cure their illness?
Ye Qingyao knew she didn't possess any magical artifacts or treasures, only some Spirit Plant she had collected over the years that could help treat various ailments. She took out a few Spirit Plant from her Heaven-and-Earth Ring and handed them to the Long Nose, "Smell them, do these Spirit Plant have the scent you're looking for?"
The Long Nose stretched out its nose, took the items one by one, sniffed them, and shook its head, "Nothing."
Not a single one?
That's strange.
Ye Qingyao cast a Clean-Hand Spell to remove the scent from her hands. "Smell again. Do you still have the scent you're looking for?"
Its Long Nose sniffed, then it leaned closer to smell it again, its face turning red and green with fright as it screamed, "Oh no! The scent is gone!"
"When the boss comes back later, how are we going to explain ourselves?"
The other Ghost Guard screamed in terror, their grotesque faces looking even more ferocious. "The boss will kill us!"
"How terrifying!" The Ghost Guard trembled with fear.
"Hey, Ghost Master, since I don't have the scent you're looking for, does that mean you've got the wrong person? Can you let me go now?" The girl mustered her courage, poked her Long Nose, and gave him a sweet smile.
"Let you go? No way!" The Long Nose blew on his beard, glaring at her angrily. "What tricks did you use? Quickly conjure up that scent again, or I'll feed you to the Wicked Spirits of the River of Forgetfulness."
"That's right, change back quickly!" "Change back quickly!" The other Ghost Guard echoed.
"I don't even know what it tastes like! How does it change?" The girl looked helpless and shrugged.
Seeing that Ye Qingyao was slow to change back to the previous flavor, Long Nose became anxious, "We must make her change back to the previous flavor before the boss comes back, otherwise our lives will definitely be in danger."
With that, he ordered the other Ghost Guard to tie her up and then jogged to the River of Forgetfulness.
When Haki Mi led Ye Qinghui and the others to the vicinity of the River of Forgetfulness, Ye Qingyao was being suspended upside down by several Ghost Guards, hanging over the River of Forgetfulness.
After death, the souls of all living beings fall into the River of Forgetfulness. The virtuous will go ashore and be reborn, while the wicked will remain in the River of River of Forgetfulness to cleanse themselves until their sins are washed away before they can re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Like cats that have smelled blood, the Wicked Spirits rushed out of the River of Forgetfulness, trying to grab Ye Qingyao, tear her apart, and devour her.
"Quick! Change your scent back to normal, or we'll put you down here and let these evil spirits eat you!" the Long Nose threatened menacingly.
The rope slid down a little, Ye Qingyao's hand almost touched the River of Forgetfulness. Just as she was about to hang upside down, a Wicked Spirits in the river swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with all its might.
The Wicked Spirits revealed a sinister smile, opening its blood-red mouth, which terrified her into screaming.
"Senior Sister!" Ye Qingchuan's eyes widened in horror. He disregarded everything and braved the wind to cross the river, scooping up Ye Qingyao and bringing her to the riverbank. Having just been terrified by the Wicked Spirits, Ye Qingyao immediately fainted.
"Give him back to me right now!" The Long Nose cried out in alarm, signaling all the nearby Ghost Guard to come and help snatch the person back.
"Run, everyone!" Ye Qinghui grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's hand, and Ye Qingchuan supported Ye Qingyao. They tried their best to escape as fast as possible, but soon Shen Xingyan, Jiang Kui, and others overtook them and were overtaken by the Ghost Guard.