There’s no helping it—prestigious sects like the Hua family, renowned far and wide, must maintain their reputation and manners; under no circumstances can they neglect the proper courtesies toward guests. If a guest seeking medical help were dragged off to the punishment hall for interrogation the moment they arrived, word would get out, and it would sound terrible.

So they could only use this kind of gentle guidance, letting the guest feel that being checked was understandable, even necessary.

The reception disciple unfurled the soul-probing talisman and bowed to Logan Barrett: “Forgive the offense. The head of the house said this is truly a last resort, and hopes you will understand.”

“It’s only right. But your head of house must have also told you—I’m a living soul who accidentally ended up in someone else’s body. I wonder if the soul-probing talisman might mistake me for a demon possessing a body?” Logan Barrett paused, then added, “Also, I don’t know whether the original owner of this body was good or bad.”

Reception disciple: “Please don’t worry. To put it bluntly, even if the original owner of this body was utterly wicked, as long as your soul isn’t demonic, there won’t be any trouble. And even if the original owner’s soul lingers, the talisman will reveal it—it won’t be counted against you.”

“Oh, I see.” Logan Barrett nodded.

After explaining, the reception disciple moved to press the talisman onto Logan Barrett’s wrist.

But just as it was about to touch, Logan Barrett suddenly raised two fingers—blocking him.

The reception disciple’s heart leapt in shock!

Even the sword-holding puppet lifted its gaze, the sword seeming to shift slightly, and somewhere a chain gave a faint, trembling jingle.

“What’s wrong?” The reception disciple’s hand trembled, and he looked sharply at the guest.

This Young Master Parker was fairly handsome, but in a sect famed for its extraordinary bearing, he could only be called “ordinary.” Still, his eyes were striking—when they caught the light from the window, they were especially attractive.

…

They almost didn’t match his face.

In an instant, the reception disciple felt a tingling at the crown of his head, a chill shooting straight up.

But Young Master Parker smiled: “You’re really interesting—why so nervous?”

When he smiled, his eyes grew even brighter, like black amber washed in a cold spring.

…Really didn’t match his face at all.

The reception disciple didn’t relax at his smile; his hair stood on end, and he didn’t dare move.

Young Master Parker noticed, and this time his smile was a bit sly: “Wasn’t that little block just now pretty exciting?”

Reception disciple: “……”

Damn it—

If not for the Hua family’s manners and reputation, he really would have given this guest a piece of his mind.

“When I arrived, I heard that the left hand connects to the heart, so probing the soul is more accurate that way. Don’t know if it’s true.” That Young Master switched to his left hand, rolling up his sleeve. “But it does feel a bit more reassuring, doesn’t it?”

“……”

“Yes.” The reception disciple grumbled inwardly, pressing the soul-probing talisman to his wrist.

The soul-probing talisman used by the Hua family’s punishment hall was famous throughout the land. Some sects came every year to buy a few. And the Hua family, known for their charity, would give some to the townsfolk every month.

If a demon possessed someone, the talisman would change color, from gold to red.

If the color was light, the possession was recent—there might still be hope.

If it was deep, the possession had lasted long.

If it turned blood-red, nearly black, then it was a complete demon—no trace of the original nature remained.

The reception disciple stared fixedly at the talisman on Young Master Parker’s wrist, glaring for quite a while, until his eyes ached. The talisman showed no sign of changing color.

Thank goodness…

Scared me to death.

He didn’t say it aloud, but in his heart he let out a long sigh of relief.

As he peeled off the talisman, he caught a glimpse of the sword-holding puppet out of the corner of his eye.

Peach Blossom Isle had puppets too, used for disciples’ training or heavy labor.

In his experience, puppets only moved on command; unless their master ordered it, they wouldn’t make a single unnecessary move. Standing meant standing—eyes straight ahead, never speaking out of turn.

But this Young Master Parker’s puppet had turned to watch from the moment the talisman was applied, and kept watching until it was removed, its expression cold and impassive.

It seemed that if anything went wrong, the puppet’s sword would be drawn in an instant.

The reception disciple thought for a moment, then pulled out another soul-probing talisman and, without a word, stuck it onto the puppet’s wrist.

He was young and of average build, but the puppet was extremely tall.

So when he finished and looked up, he felt the puppet’s half-lowered eyes on him, the pressure…

Was simply overwhelming.

And that talisman—not only did it not darken, it even… seemed to get a little lighter.

That was truly unheard of.

But the reception disciple didn’t have the mind to ponder it; he hurriedly peeled off the talisman and was about to leave.

Before going, he followed the head of house’s instructions and reminded them: “Peach Blossom Isle is in a dangerous location. Even though we check twice a day, there are always demons coming along the water, and nearly every month a few disciples lose their lives. So there are disciples patrolling every path, and you might hear some noises at night—please bear with it.”

“Oh, and whatever you do, absolutely do not go near the peach grove over there—not even a single step!”

“……”

Logan Barrett thought to himself, you might as well not have mentioned it. I’m not the type to court death, but there’s always someone who is. Now that you’ve said it, even those who weren’t curious will be.