There was no escaping.
Xue Han flicked his fingers, and Tao Mian-who had painstakingly wriggled his way to the doorway-fell just short of freedom. With a pitiful “Aiya!” he toppled to the ground.
This Immortal-Binding Rope was truly formidable. Who knew where Xue Han had gotten his hands on such a High Grade treasure.
Tao Mian wasn’t incapable of undoing it, but he needed time.
And Shopkeeper Xue clearly had no intention of giving him any.
He lay squirming on the floor. Xue Han rose from his chair, strolled over, and crouched before him. A pair of ink-dark eyes met his, the pupils narrowing into vertical slits-eerie and inhuman.
The last words Tao Mian heard before losing consciousness were: “Too restless. Be good and sleep for a while.”
When awareness found him again, his surroundings had changed entirely.
Tao Mian guessed this was probably Xue Han’s residence. The place was lavishly appointed-thick wool carpeting covered the floor, and every piece of furniture was carved from heavy, dignified sandalwood. Antiques and potted plants were scattered throughout, yet nothing felt cluttered. The owner’s taste was evident in every detail.
The Immortal-Binding Rope had been removed at some point.
Tao Mian stood, rolled his wrists, and surveyed the room.
He plucked the fruits from the fruit plate on the table one by one, then cupped the half-palm-deep glazed dish in both hands and-
Wa-
Vomited right into it.
…
What in the world was burning in this room?!
Tao Mian was engulfed by a strange, overpowering fragrance that left him dizzy and disoriented. His legs wouldn’t hold steady. He staggered about, searching for the source of the scent.
At last, he spotted it-a gilt three-legged bronze incense burner half-hidden behind a coral bonsai, wisps of smoke curling lazily from its mouth.
Swallowing back wave after wave of nausea, Tao Mian pressed his sleeve over his nose and reached to snuff out the incense.
Someone pushed the door open and stopped him.
“Put out that incense, and you can forget about saving your disciple.”
“Xue Han?”
The familiar voice came from behind. Tao Mian turned-it was Shopkeeper Xue, now changed into fresh robes, with a manservant in tow.
Xue Han raised a hand. The servant carried away the fruit plate and pulled the door shut behind him, leaving the two of them alone.
The door closed without a sound.
Tao Mian asked about the incense. Xue Han walked over, drew a paper packet from his sleeve, and unfolded it to reveal a brownish powder inside. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He curved the paper with his fingers and tipped the powder into the burner. The moment it met the heat, the fragrance bloomed outward, thickening the air until the room was saturated. Tao Mian’s stomach lurched. He doubled over, one hand braced against a nearby curio shelf, the other clamped over his mouth, brows knotted tight.
“If you… urgh… have a grudge against me… just say so. Don’t… urgh… play these tricks.”
Tao Mian’s voice had gone thin and weak, but unlike their earlier sparring at the money house, Xue Han didn’t fire back. He only sighed and told him to bear with it.
“This incense comes from the Demon Realm. It’s called Soul-Returning Incense. Burn it for three consecutive days, and it suppresses the aura of the living. If you don’t scrub that ‘immortal scent’ off yourself before entering the Demon Realm, you’ll be torn apart and devoured on the spot. I’m doing this for your sake.”
“The Demon Realm?” Tao Mian managed two words before the urge to retch seized him again. His face twisted. He waited until it passed before continuing. “You want to take me there?”
Xue Han personally fetched a round stool with a soft cushion and set it before him. After Tao Mian sat down, the nausea eased somewhat, though his head still swam.
“That sudden drowsiness plaguing your little disciple-it’s a condition that appears in certain demons before they come of age. It can be trivial or grave. At its mildest, it’s nothing more than sleeping a few extra hours each night. But from what you described in your letter, he’s also fainting and losing consciousness during the day. That points to something serious. Are his sleeping techniques growing longer? If nothing is done, he won’t survive past maturity. He’ll simply… never wake up.”
Xue Han’s words held no exaggeration. Chu Suiyan’s illness was genuinely troublesome. Tao Mian turned it over in his mind. Both siblings were demons, yet Chu Liuxue showed no such symptoms-proof that this wasn’t a common affliction.
And what wasn’t common was difficult to cure.
“There is a way to save him, though.” Xue Han poured Tao Mian a cup of mind-clearing tea to soothe the restless heat the incense had stirred in him. “A special prescription must be prepared. I have the formula, and most of the ingredients are already stocked here at the residence. But there’s one ingredient-the most crucial one-that requires you and me to go to the Demon Realm in person.”
“What is it?”
“Hengong Fish Fat.”
The Hengong Fish. Born in Stone Lake, a lake of eternal ice. Seven or eight chi in length, shaped like a carp but crimson.
This was precisely the rare ingredient Xue Han needed to bring Tao Mian into the Demon Realm for.
Tao Mian gripped the teacup with both hands to keep his trembling fingers from shattering it. He sipped the tea, tilting his head in thought.
“So we have to go down into the lake and fish? Forget fishing-I can hook anything except actual fish… Let’s just scoop them up!”
“…” Xue Han paused. “Has it occurred to you that we could simply buy one?”
“Oh.” Tao Mian’s eyes lit with sudden understanding. “Then let’s buy one. Isn’t there plenty of money in the accounts?”
“Money isn’t the problem. The problem is that money alone might not be enough.” Xue Han’s eyes narrowed, a sly smile playing at his lips. “This time, we’re going to bid for one.”
…
It was the evening of the second day after Tao Mian’s departure when Chu Suiyan finally woke.
He seemed to have no memory whatsoever of his conversation with his sister that night, nor could he recall why Tao Mian had left the mountain.
When Chu Suiyan asked where his master had gone, Chu Liuxue stiffened slightly.
“Mm…”
The boy’s face was a frightening shade of white. His vitality was slowly draining from his body, and even his speech and movements had turned sluggish.
Even a short sentence from Chu Liuxue took him a long moment to process before he could slowly respond.
Chu Liuxue told him that Tao Mian had gone down the mountain to find medicine for him and would likely be away for some days. Guilt crept across Chu Suiyan’s face, and his hands unconsciously tightened on the edge of the blanket.
“I’ve caused trouble for Master again.”
“…”
Chu Liuxue couldn’t stand watching him wallow. She took the clean, sun-dried change of clothes from her arms and lobbed them at her brother. The garments scattered, draping over his head and face, burying the boy entirely.
She listened to his muffled yelps, watched him flail to pull the clothes off his head-only to tangle himself further in his panic.
Chu Liuxue stood with her hands on her hips.
“Silver Ticket said: don’t overthink things. Just rest and get better. If he comes back to the mountain and finds you thin and weak, he won’t spare you another glance.”
“Huh? I… Did Master really say that?”
Chu Suiyan feared nothing in this world more than being ignored by the immortal. He scrambled to free his head from the pile of clothes and made his sister a solemn promise.
“I’ll eat properly. And I’ll sleep properly too.”
“You’d better sleep a little less.”
Speaking of eating-Chu Liuxue stepped out of the bedroom. Before long, she returned carrying dinner for the two of them.
She ate quickly. Once she’d finished her own portion, she fixed her gaze on Chu Suiyan and watched him like a hawk until he cleared his plate.
Chu Suiyan managed to eat normally at first, but halfway through, his eyelids began sticking together and his energy flagged.
Chu Liuxue reached over and gripped his wrist through his sleeve. The boy’s body jolted. He forced his eyes open and managed a few more bites.
Seeing that he’d eaten enough, Chu Liuxue finally let him rinse his mouth and wipe his hands before clearing away the bowls and chopsticks.
After dinner came the chicken walk. With Tao Mian away and Chu Suiyan asleep, the duty fell to Chu Liuxue alone.
She held a handful of feed, scattering it as she walked. The two roosters trailed behind her, pecking at the ground.
When she reached the southwest corner of the courtyard, a crabapple tree stood in full bloom. Beneath its flowers waited a dark figure.
Chu Liuxue showed no alarm, no wariness-as though she saw nothing at all. She led the two chickens onward without breaking stride.
As she passed the crabapple tree, she lowered her eyes and spoke to the shadow beneath it.
“Don’t come again. I won’t go back with you.”