Me? I was transported into a book? And I became a vicious villain?

As the sun sets, the bloody afterglow shines through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the floor, adding a bit of weirdness to the originally warm little house. Chu Mengmeng tightly holds Ling'er's cold little hand, trying to warm her with her body temperature, but it seems like a futile attempt to warm up a piece of ice.

"Ling'er, look at mother, I am mother!" Chu Mengmeng's voice was tinged with tears. The empty look in Ling'er's eyes was like a sharp knife, piercing her heart fiercely.

"Mother?" Ling'er tilted her head, the smile on her lips widening. It was indescribably weird, like a child's innocent imitation, but also horrifying and eerie. "Mother is dead. You killed her!"

Ling'er's words were like thunder, exploding in Chu Mengmeng's ears. She staggered back, her face as pale as paper. Xiao Yichen was quick to support her shaky body and hugged her in his arms with heartache.

"Mengmeng, don't listen to her nonsense. Ling'er was controlled by the dark forces. This was not her intention." Xiao Yichen comforted her softly, but his voice trembled a little.

The home that was once full of laughter was now filled with dead silence and suffocating oppression. They handed over the artifact as requested by the Dark Lord, thinking that they could get Ling'er back in peace, but they didn't expect that what they got in return was even deeper despair.

Without the protection of the artifact, Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen felt weaker than ever before. The power of darkness was like an invisible giant net, binding them tightly and making them breathless.

"Xiao Yichen..." Chu Mengmeng's voice was as weak as a leaf drifting in the wind. "Is there really nothing we can do?"

Xiao Yichen held her hand tightly, his knuckles turning white. His eyes swept across Ling'er's strange yet familiar little face, and his heart was filled with powerlessness.

"No, there must be a way!" Xiao Yichen forced himself to cheer up. He couldn't fall down. He was Chu Mengmeng's only support and Ling'er's last hope.

As night fell, there was no light in the house, and darkness came like a tide, swallowing them up. Chu Mengmeng looked at Ling'er, her eyes gradually becoming firm.

"I'm going to find her. I'm going to find a way to save Ling'er, even if it costs me anything..."

Her voice was very soft, but full of unshakable determination, like a spark in the darkness, weak but persistent. Xiao Yichen looked at her, a complicated look flashed in his eyes, he opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a sigh.

"I'll accompany you..."

The endless darkness was like an invisible beast, opening its bloody mouth to devour Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen. After handing over the artifact, Ling'er's condition did not improve, but became worse. Her eyes, which used to be lively, were now empty and numb, and the occasional flash of light was chilling.

"There must be another way, there must be another way..." Chu Mengmeng flipped through all the ancient books she brought back from the temple, trying to find a glimmer of hope for salvation from those obscure texts. However, disappointment after disappointment, like a basin of cold water, extinguished the last glimmer of hope in her heart.

Xiao Yichen's situation was not much better than Chu Mengmeng's. He traveled to nearby towns and cities, looking for those hidden masters, but all he got was cold eyes and ridicule. "How can you mortals contend with the power of the Dark Lord?" The words of a white-haired old man were like a curse, deeply engraved in his heart.

Ling'er's condition was getting worse. She often woke up in the middle of the night, screaming and mumbling something that no one could understand. Sometimes, she would suddenly become extremely powerful, smashing the furniture to pieces, and attacking Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen, shouting "You bad guys, stay away from me!"

"Ling'er, I'm your mother, look at me!" Chu Mengmeng hugged Ling'er tightly, letting her punch and kick, tears like beads that had broken off the string, kept falling. Xiao Yichen stood aside, watching this scene, his heart was broken, but he was powerless.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't believed the dark lord's words, how could Ling'er have become like this!" Chu Mengmeng's emotions finally collapsed. She pushed Xiao Yichen away and roared hysterically.

Xiao Yichen was hurt by Chu Mengmeng's accusation. With red eyes, he said in a hoarse voice: "Don't I want Ling'er to be well? Everything I did was to save her!"

"To save her? You're harming her!"

"Enough!" Xiao Yichen stood up suddenly and overturned the table. The sound of the dishes breaking was particularly harsh in the silent night. "What's the point of saying this now? We are all responsible for Ling'er's condition!"

Chu Mengmeng collapsed on the ground, tears blurring her eyes. She looked at the man she once loved deeply, her heart filled with disappointment and... resentment. Xiao Yichen looked at Chu Mengmeng with a complicated look in his eyes. Finally, he dropped his shoulders helplessly, turned around and left the room, leaving Chu Mengmeng alone, crying silently in the dark... The room was a mess, with tables and chairs overturned, dishes broken, and food residue all over the floor, just like Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen's mood at the moment, in a mess. Ling'er had fallen into a deep sleep since her outburst that night. Her face was as pale as paper, and her breath was weak, as if she would disappear at any time.

Chu Mengmeng sat by the bed, holding Ling'er's cold little hand, tears streaming down her face. She kept blaming herself, thinking that if she had not listened to the Dark Lord, Ling'er would not have become like this.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault..." she murmured to herself, her voice full of despair and regret.

Xiao Yichen stood by the window, looking at the dark night sky outside, his heart also filled with powerlessness and pain. He knew that it was his willful behavior that harmed Ling'er, but what was the use of regretting it now?

"Mengmeng, this is not your fault. We all tried our best." He walked to Chu Mengmeng, gently put his arm around her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort.

"We tried our best? You said we tried our best?" Chu Mengmeng raised her head abruptly, her eyes bloodshot, and asked sharply, "If you had listened to me and not gone to find that dark lord, Ling'er wouldn't have become like this!"

"You also know the situation at that time. Apart from trusting him, what else can we do?" Xiao Yichen couldn't help but raise his voice, "Do you want to watch Ling'er being devoured by the dark power in her body?"

"Even if I get devoured, it's better than being half-human and half-ghost like I am now!" Chu Mengmeng's emotions completely collapsed. She pushed Xiao Yichen away and cried hysterically, "It's all your fault. You're the one who killed Ling'er!"

Xiao Yichen was deeply hurt by Chu Mengmeng's accusation. He opened his mouth and wanted to explain, but found that any words were pale and powerless. Yes, it was he who pushed Ling'er into the abyss, and it was he who harmed her!

"boom!"

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and an old man in a tattered Taoist robe walked in. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was full of traces of time, but his eyes were bright and seemed to be able to see through everything.

"Have you had enough of arguing?" The old man glanced coldly at Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen were stunned. They recognized that this old man was the one they met in the temple before.

"You... why are you here?" Chu Mengmeng asked in surprise.

The old man ignored Chu Mengmeng and walked straight to Ling'er's bed. He observed her condition carefully and frowned slightly.

"Her condition is worse than I thought." The old man said in a deep voice, "The dark power has corroded her mind. If it is not removed quickly, she will be lost in the darkness forever."

"Then...what should we do?" Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen asked in unison, with a glimmer of hope rekindled in their eyes.

The old man pondered for a moment and said slowly: "If you want to save her, you must find a mysterious item called 'Light of the Heart'."

"The light of the soul?" Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen looked at each other. They had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes, the light of the soul has the purest and most yang power, which can purify all darkness." The old man explained, "Legend has it that it is hidden in..."

The old man suddenly stopped, looked at Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen with deep eyes, and said slowly: "Are you really willing to pay any price to save her?"

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen nodded without hesitation, their eyes full of determination.

"Okay!" The old man nodded, "I've been waiting for you to say this for a long time." He took out an ancient sheepskin map from his arms and handed it to Chu Mengmeng, "The place marked on the map is where the light of the soul may exist..." He paused, "Remember, this road is full of dangers, you must be extremely careful..."

Before Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen could react, the old man suddenly turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared in the room. Only the sheepskin map was left, lying quietly in Chu Mengmeng's hands, foreshadowing the unknown journey that was about to begin... Chu Mengmeng tightly grasped the sheepskin map, her fingertips pale. On the map, the mountains and rivers were marked with strange symbols, she didn't recognize any of them, but she felt an ancient and mysterious power, as if silently calling her.

"Let's go!" Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath and looked at Xiao Yichen with a firm gaze.

Xiao Yichen nodded. He knew that this was their only hope. For Ling'er, he would pay any price. He gently picked up Ling'er, put her on the bed, and wrapped her tightly with a quilt, as if this could isolate her from all darkness and danger.

"Ling'er, wait for us, we will definitely find the 'light of the soul' and heal you." Chu Mengmeng leaned over and gently kissed Ling'er on her cold forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but with a glimmer of hope.

In the room, the dim light illuminated the figures of a family of three, making it seem particularly warm, yet revealing a hint of lingering sadness.

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen did not delay. They simply packed up some necessities and left the shop, embarking on an adventurous journey to find the "light of the soul".

They followed the sheepskin map and traveled through mountains and rivers, sleeping in the open air. Most of the places marked on the map were remote and dangerous places full of unknown dangers. They encountered ferocious beasts, dangerous swamps, and even pursuit from dark forces.

"Meng Meng, be careful!"

Once, they strayed into a misty forest, lost their way, and were attacked by a giant spider. In order to protect Chu Mengmeng, Xiao Yichen was hit by the venom sprayed by the spider and fell to the ground, his face pale and his breathing rapid.

"Xiao Yichen, how are you?" Chu Mengmeng shouted anxiously, tears streaming down her face. She had never been so scared as she was at that moment, scared of losing him, scared of never seeing his warm smile again.

"I'm fine..." Xiao Yichen endured the severe pain, but a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, "Don't worry, I'll be fine..."

"Hold on, we'll leave here soon..." Chu Mengmeng tried her best to help Xiao Yichen up and staggered forward.

The misty forest was filled with the breath of death, which was suffocating. Chu Mengmeng didn't know how long she had been walking, nor where she was. She only knew that she couldn't give up. She had to take Xiao Yichen away from here, find the "light of the soul", and save Ling'er.

Finally, they walked out of the misty forest and the view before them suddenly opened up.

"Look, what is that?" Chu Mengmeng pointed to the distance and shouted in surprise.

Between the towering mountains, there is an ancient forest, lush and full of life. Above the forest, clouds and mist are lingering, as if it is a fairyland.

On the sheepskin map, the clue about the "light of the soul" points to here...