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"I don't know," Wen Qiao replied bluntly. "We still need to study them further."

Uncle Qi nodded without another word, telling them to get some rest as there might be more attacks by the undead that night.

After they left, Ji Chengsi approached curiously and asked, "Uncle Qi, why did you ask Miss Wen if she could kill them? Aren’t the undead creatures unkillable?"

Uncle Qi was a man of few words: "We can’t. They can."

"What?" Ji Chengsi looked utterly confused.

Uncle Qi offered no further explanation and walked away. Ji Chengsi had no choice but to chase after him, pestering him for answers. But Uncle Qi, who rarely spoke even a word in ten years, only managed a few more words when pressed—leaving the rest for Ji Chengsi to figure out on his own.

Ji Chengsi was nearly desperate—he simply couldn’t piece it together himself.

——

Back in their cabin, Ning Jichen hurried over and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

His gaze swept over the group, noting their exhaustion but no visible injuries.

The fatigue was understandable. Since they were pretending to be Ghost Cultivators, they couldn’t openly replenish their spiritual energy in front of the real ones and had to sneak it. After a night of fighting, not only was their spiritual energy depleted, but they were mentally drained too.

Wen Qiao took out several bottles of Spirit Restoring Pills and tossed them their way, instructing everyone to return to their rooms and replenish their energy properly.

Since they had been called into this perilous situation, Ning Yuzhou had prepared plenty of supplies for them in advance, including numerous hidden array disks. By setting up concealment arrays while meditating, they could avoid detection from the Ghost Cultivators.

The Spirit Restoring Pills were top-grade Earth-tier elixirs, which thrilled Wu Xiongan and the others. Suddenly, they felt this dangerous trip might pay off—provided they made it back alive.

Upon returning to their cabin, they found Ning Yuzhou had already come out of his spatial realm.

Wen Qiao happily rushed toward him, only for him to suddenly grab her hand.

"What’s that smell on you?" Ning Yuzhou, a cleanliness freak, scrunched his nose at the smell clinging to his wife and immediately looked displeased.

Before Ning Jichen and the others could react, Ning Yuzhou dragged Wen Qiao back into the spatial realm, filled a tub with water, and insisted she clean herself thoroughly.

Wen Qiao sniffed herself. Having spent the night studying the undead creatures, she had inevitably picked up some of their stench. After prolonged combat with the slimy, stinking monsters, she had gotten used to the smell and hadn’t noticed anything amiss.

She obediently went to wash up while sharing her research findings from the previous night with Ning Yuzhou, who waited outside.

Once she had scrubbed herself clean and he confirmed she was free of any lingering odors, he finally brought her back out.

Their quick trip in and out of the spatial realm gave the giant fluffball inside no chance to greet Wen Qiao. It could only continue lounging among the Zhu Xianling blossoms, lazily licking up fairy nectar.

Back in the room, Ning Jichen and Wen Tuti took one look at Wen Qiao’s change of clothes and immediately understood.

Brother Ning’s cleanliness freak-out had happened again. Fortunately, while they were inside the spatial realm, Wen Tuti had quickly cast several dust-removal spells on herself to appear spotless—so Brother Ning wouldn't force her to bathe and have her beautiful fur scrubbed off.

Wen Tuti said casually, "Brother Ning, last night the undead attacked the ship, and Sister even captured some to study how to kill them."

Wen Qiao added, "I heard from the Ji Clan disciples that there are many types of undead creatures, some weak and some strong. The initial ones are the weaker ones, but they’ll grow increasingly powerful, and eventually, some will even be able to fly."

The ones they encountered last night couldn’t fly and had to climb aboard, making them relatively easy to handle. If they encountered flying ones in the future, it wouldn't be so easy.

After listening to Wen Qiao’s research on the undead, Ning Yuzhou said, "Tonight, I’ll join you to study them too."

Wen Qiao and Wen Tuti had no objections; they would just need to protect Brother Ning when the time came.

To be honest, if they wanted to figure out how to kill the undead creatures, Ning Yuzhou would have to take the lead. The others weren’t professionals—at best, they could only manage what Wen Qiao had researched.

The little qilin came running over. "Can I go too?"

Ning Yuzhou replied, "Sure. Stay by my father’s side when the time comes."

The little qilin immediately brightened and rubbed against Ning Jichen’s leg. "Don’t worry, Uncle Ning—I’ve got your back tonight."

Ning Jichen smiled faintly. Being protected by a qilin in his lifetime—of course he was thrilled. He bent down to pick the little qilin up, only to find that he couldn’t lift it.

"..."

Usually, he saw his daughter-in-law carrying it effortlessly, so he thought it would be easy. Who knew the qilin’s puppet body would be so heavy?

Ning Yuzhou and the others who witnessed this scene tactfully held back their laughter. After all, he was an elder—how could they mock him?

When night fell, the undead creatures attacked the ship again.

The ships of the Gui family, the Ji family, and Xuanyin City sailed side by side, close enough for each to clearly observe the others’ situations.

Last night had been the first undead assault since entering the Undead Sea, and the three ships had suffered little damage. As long as they defended the ship and prevented the Ghost Cultivators from being dragged into the sea, there wouldn’t be any real danger.

As Wen Qiao and the others emerged from the cabin, they heard a voice from the Gui family’s ship opposite them: "Watch out, Miss Shi! Don’t let them scratch you! When dawn comes, you should come to our ship!"

The Ji family’s Ghost Cultivators: "..." Why don’t the undead just drown this idiot already?

Shi Wuming cheerfully slung an arm over Ji Chengsi’s shoulder. "No need, we’re doing just fine—thanks to Young Master Ji’s brave company!"

Ji Chengsi immediately squared his shoulders defiantly. He absolutely couldn’t back down now—he had to endure.

Sure enough, Gui Wei’s eyes blazed with jealousy, which sent a rush of satisfaction through Ji Chengsi. Unable to resist, he sneered, "Gui Wei, wasn’t finding Miss An your whole reason for coming here? How can you face her like this?"

"It’s fine. Miss An will forgive me once she understands the circumstances," Gui Wei said tenderly, gazing at Shi Wuming. "My only concern right now is Miss Shi’s wellbeing."