Drenched in sweat, Chi Wei soaked in her medicinal bath, her mind swirling with confusion. Ever since they had spoken about Xiao Yanyi’s family the previous night, the other woman had become cold and distant toward her.
Usually, Xiao Yanyi would stay by her side during these baths, but last night, she had returned to her room without so much as a glance. By the time Chi Wei had washed away the scent of the herbs and returned to the bedroom, she found that Xiao Yanyi had already fallen asleep.
Even upon waking this morning, Xiao Yanyi was nowhere to be found. She had only left word with Xiao Tan, claiming she was going to help deliver a letter to Cha Shiyu and had already prepared the medicinal bath for her.
Chi Wei picked up a nearby cloth to wipe the sweat from her face and called out loudly to Xiao Tan outside the door, “Does A-Yan have a bad relationship with her family? I think I said the wrong thing yesterday. She has been brooding ever since.”
The sound of cracking melon seeds outside paused for a moment before resuming. “What did you say?”
“Nothing much. I just thought it was not right for A-Yan to stay away from home forever after eloping with me, so I asked how her family felt about me. Then she just.”
“Does her family have a huge problem with me? I mean, from before we eloped.” Chi Wei thought to herself that she might even be a wanted person out there for all she knew.
After all, Xiao Yanyi’s calm, haughty aura and her habit of showing her displeasure at the drop of a hat all suggested the temperament of a legitimate daughter from a great clan.
“That, actually, it was alright, I suppose.”
Xiao Tan’s answer was vague, and Chi Wei guessed that the family likely did not like her very much.
Chi Wei let out a long sigh and wiped her forehead. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a dark shadow flickering past. She snapped her head around to look, but saw only the empty floor.
Xiao Tan advised her from the outer room, “Xiao Yanyi’s temper is simply foul, but she is soft-hearted. If you make her a delicious meal tonight as an apology, she surely will not be angry anymore.”
“Fine. What do you want to eat tonight?” Chi Wei smiled. Xiao Yanyi was not that greedy; it was mostly Xiao Tan who had the cravings.
“Lion’s Head meatballs! Braised Lion’s Head! But regarding those medicinal baths you have been taking lately, does your body still hurt?” Xiao Tan suddenly showed concern.
“It does not hurt as much anymore, and my appetite is better.” There was one thing Chi Wei did not mention: she felt that the longer she took these baths, the more she wanted to cling to Xiao Yanyi.
This change was too embarrassing, and she was not certain it was caused by the bath, so she was too shy to tell anyone.
“Otherwise, why do you two not consider having a baby?” Xiao Tan had not quite transitioned out of her role as the fake younger sister.
Xiao Tan felt that in the end, someone was bound to get hurt. It would be better to just let the rice be cooked; perhaps Xiao Yanyi would soften her heart and just settle down with Chi Wei for good.
“That is not quite right. I still want to meet A-Yan’s family before considering other things.” Chi Wei did not want to discuss this with Xiao Tan, feeling she was still a child and that it was too strange. “I heard you found a housekeeper? How is the person?”
“Beautiful, smart, gentle, and has a great figure.”
The more Chi Wei listened, the more she felt something was off. Who looks for a housekeeper based on being smart, gentle, and having a great figure?
“Does A-Yan know about this?” Chi Wei sat up, gripping the edge of the tub with both hands.
A rustling sound came from behind her, like a tattered cloth bag being dragged across the floor. She turned her head, but again, she saw nothing.
“She knows. Xiao Yanyi is very satisfied. She even praised her for being a well-mannered girl.” Outside, Xiao Tan hid a giggle behind her hand while basking in the sun. This new housekeeper was someone she had handpicked from dozens of villages for her excellent looks and character.
Her goal was to stimulate the two of them into speeding up their progress instead of dragging their feet.
The world said that a couple’s quarrel at the head of the bed is settled at the foot of the bed. Once they were truly together, would the old conflicts not be resolved?
Although she had not been human for long, she had spent a lot of time lately squatting at the village entrance chatting and cracking seeds with the old ladies. Regarding matters of the heart, she had learned many essentials.
For example: “A girl who marries far away will almost certainly be mistreated.”
“Looking handsome is not enough; you have to see if they have a heart for the work.”
“You cannot tie someone down without a child, but once you have one, you are tied together for life.”
Having Chi Wei and Xiao Yanyi tied together for life, with her tied in as well, sounded quite good. Little did she know her understanding was entirely flawed.
As Xiao Tan was giggling to herself on the doorstep, the sound of a wooden tub shattering suddenly came from the room.
Immediately after, the wooden door was slammed open. Chi Wei, draped in a loose outer robe and barefoot, came rushing out. As she ran, she frantically tied her belt. Passing by Xiao Tan, she leaned down, tucked the girl under her arm, and bolted, shouting at the top of her lungs, “There is a monster! Help!”
The seeds in Xiao Tan’s hand scattered all over the ground. She stared blankly as a massive black python burst through the doorframe of the bathhouse.
“Was it peeking at you while you bathed?”
“Crap! I think it wants to have me for lunch!”
As they spoke, Chi Wei had already reached the corner of the corridor. Xiao Tan was dizzy from being bounced around. The giant python moved with incredible speed; before they turned the corner, they were only inches away from the beast’s gaping, bloody maw.
Seeing the python about to catch up, Chi Wei suddenly raised her hand and threw Xiao Tan through an open window. She then rolled forward, narrowly dodging a strike that swept across the floor.
Only then did Chi Wei see clearly that the dark shadow in the bathhouse was the snake demon that Cha Shiyu had supposedly captured.
The demon had a wound on its belly that was still oozing blood, and its scales were covered in cracks and scratches.
Somehow it had escaped from Cha Shiyu. Knowing the demon was angry at her for interfering yesterday, it was surely here for her life. Chi Wei sprang up, dashed forward a few steps, rolled into a side room, and bolted the door.
The next second, the wooden door exploded, and the snake demon burst in, flickering its crimson tongue. Almost simultaneously, Chi Wei vaulted out of a side window, narrowly avoiding the attack and buying herself a few moments of breath.
She ran to the gate of the rear residence and pushed hard, but it did not budge.
She shouted for Xiao Tan to go find Xiao Yanyi for help while using her agility and knowledge of the terrain to dodge and hide throughout the courtyard.
The snake demon seemed to know Xiao Yanyi was not in the manor. It was in no hurry to take her life, occasionally whipping its tail at her or hurling debris from doors and windows, deliberately tormenting her like a cat with a mouse.
Before long, Chi Wei was exhausted and out of breath, collapsing at the end of the corridor, her body covered in injuries.
The black snake slithered closer unhurriedly, its crimson tongue flickering frequently in the air, its thick, long body taking up nearly the entire hallway.
Chi Wei no longer had the strength to stand. Just then, a clear shout came from a distance: “Chi Wei, catch the bow!”
She looked up and saw Xiao Tan holding a longbow nearly as tall as herself, throwing it toward her with all her might. Chi Wei, who had been drained of strength, suddenly found a burst of energy. She reached out to catch it, and the bow seemed to recognize its master, settling firmly into her palm.
She had the bow, but not a single arrow. Was this not a deliberate hardship?
Seeing the bow in her hand, the snake demon accelerated. A fierce light gleamed in its vertical pupils, as if it knew she was spent and intended to end this game.
Xiao Tan stamped her feet in anxiety. “Shoot it, Chi Wei!”
Chi Wei opened her mouth, about to say, “How can I shoot without arrows! Are you trying to kill me!” when she heard Xiao Tan scream at the top of her lungs, “Pull the empty string, fast!”
The black snake, as thick as a water vat, was already coiled on the corridor roof, lunging toward Chi Wei with its mouth wide open, intending to swallow her alive.
Chi Wei leaned back slightly and closed her eyes. Her left hand held the bow while her right pulled the string, drawing it into a full moon. She released it toward the snake’s gaping maw. With a “swoosh,” it sounded as if a sharp arrow had truly been fired.
The snake’s pupils contracted. It instinctively pulled its head back to dodge, but the corridor roof was behind it, leaving no room to retreat.
The sound of dripping water echoed.
Chi Wei felt a wetness on her face. She opened her eyes to see the black snake that had nearly killed her pinned to the roof of the corridor by a silver arrow.
The snake could not close its mouth. Its crimson tongue wrapped around the silver arrow as if trying to pull it out, but every movement only increased the agony. The intense pain caused the snake to coil even tighter. The wooden corridor soon buckled under the weight, letting out a sharp creak before teetering.
Using the last of her strength, Chi Wei rolled out from under the wooden railing with the longbow. Xiao Tan grabbed her under the arms and pulled her back forcefully.
A second later, the corridor collapsed with a thunderous crash. From beginning to end, the structure turned into ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust that made Xiao Tan and Chi Wei cough incessantly.
Chi Wei’s heart was still thumping wildly in her chest. She lowered her arm, which she had used to shield her face, and her gaze fell upon the bow.
The entire bow shimmered with a silver glow. Its texture was not that of ordinary silver; it felt warm and solid to the touch, fitting her hand perfectly as if it were born to be held by her. At both ends of the bow, the heads of mythical beasts resembling phoenixes were carved, their eyes glowing with a faint inner light.
As she wanted to examine it more closely, her hand became empty as Xiao Tan nervously snatched it back.
Chi Wei clenched her fist, her eyes following the bow with longing. She loved this bow; not only did it fire without arrows, but its power was immense.
“Is this bow mine? It felt so natural to use.”
Xiao Tan quickly hid the bow behind her back and denied it. “Who said it is yours! This belongs to Xiao Yanyi. You absolutely must not tell her, or it will be over.”
Chi Wei was confused. She had used this bow to save her life and Xiao Tan’s; it was a good thing. Why could she not tell Xiao Yanyi?
Suddenly, a loose tile fell from the ruins and shattered, drawing their attention. Xiao Tan let out a long sigh. “With such a huge commotion, keeping it from her is going to be difficult.”
Chi Wei pushed herself up and walked toward Xiao Tan. She was curious about the bow and wanted another look.
As she took two steps forward, Xiao Tan took a step back, pointing at Chi Wei’s waist with trembling lips.
“What is it?” Chi Wei looked down in confusion. She saw that the light blue outer robe she had thrown on while escaping was soaked through with blood around her waist, and half a window frame was sticking out of her side.
Only now did Chi Wei feel the pain. No wonder the snake demon had played with her without dealing a finishing blow; she had already sustained a fatal wound without realizing it.
Suddenly relaxing, all the pain surged at once.
“It is nothing. Quick, call a doctor.” Dizziness washed over her. Chi Wei stumbled forward as Xiao Tan dropped the bow to catch her. Suddenly, everything went black, and she collapsed backward.
The commotion had brought the servants from the front yard, who finally broke through the obstacles to open the gates. Seeing the blood everywhere, the snake head in the ruins, and the blood-covered Chi Wei, several servants lost their nerve. They scrambled away, their screams piercing the silence of the manor: “A monster! There is a monster! Miss Chi has been bitten by a monster!”
The news spread like wildfire. By the time it reached the town, it had become: “A snake demon appeared at the Xiao Manor and killed the young mistress.”
Xiao Yanyi had gone out early to deliver the letter herself specifically to prevent Chi Wei from having too much contact with the people of the Xuandu Department. By now, most of those people had left the town, and Cha Shiyu was staying alone at an inn.
When Xiao Yanyi arrived at the inn, Cha Shiyu was not in her room. Not wanting to have come for nothing, she sat alone in a corner of the lobby to wait.
Her tea went from hot to cold. She did not see Cha Shiyu, but amidst the noisy chatter, she caught the words “Xiao Manor,” “snake demon,” and “the mistress is dead.”
The porcelain cup in her hand silently filled with fine cracks. She stood up abruptly, threw down the tea money, and rushed outside.
The gates of the Xiao Manor were already surrounded by onlookers. Xiao Yanyi pushed through the crowd and walked inside without a word.
She hurried toward the rear residence. When she saw the collapsed corridor and the large patches of blood on the grass, her footsteps halted, and a faint red glow instantly ignited in her eyes.
This blood had no demonic aura; it did not belong to the snake.
Hearing voices from the bedroom she shared with Chi Wei, she steadied herself and walked inside.
The courtyard was in chaos. Her bedroom door was wide open, the panels shattered. A maid looked up and saw her return; her hands shook with fright, splashing a basin of blood-red water all over the floor.
Since she had been missing, everyone had assumed Xiao Yanyi had been eaten by the snake before Chi Wei.
The new housekeeper, Wen Qingwu, knew she had gone out early. Seeing her return now, she hurried forward, but Xiao Yanyi grabbed her by the wrist.
“How is Chi Wei?”
“She is still alive,” came the answer from Xiao Tan. She stood inside the doorway, her hands and clothes covered in blood. “Daoist Xin Rong is saving her. Come in quickly!”
At the words “still alive,” the tight string in Xiao Yanyi’s heart snapped with relief. She stepped into the room.
Walking past the screen, Xiao Tan followed close behind: “That black snake came for revenge. I could not beat it, so I went to get Juexian. You hid that bow too deep; it took me nearly half a tea-break to break the array. Later, Chi Wei used the bow to kill the snake, but she was heavily injured herself. Luckily, Daoist Xin Rong was nearby. She is saving her now.”
Xiao Yanyi looked down at Xiao Tan’s hands. The skin on her fingertips was torn; she had clearly paid a significant price to take the bow.
“Find a doctor to look at your hands first.”
On the floor by the bed lay a piece of window frame soaked in blood. Seeing Xiao Yanyi enter, Xin Rong stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow.
Xiao Yanyi saw Chi Wei was bare-chested, her waist tightly wrapped in white gauze. Her lips were as pale as paper, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was weak.
Xiao Yanyi glanced at Xin Rong. The other woman explained, “The injury is too severe. I had to remove her clothing to treat it. Rest assured, I did not see anything I should not have.”
“I do not care about that,” Xiao Yanyi said with a deep frown. “How is her injury?”
“Oh.” Xin Rong stepped aside. “It is very grave. She lost too much blood. That wooden stick went in nearly three inches deep. Miss Xiao, please accept my condolences.”
At this moment, Xiao Yanyi emanated a strange pressure. Xin Rong expected the woman to burst into tears, but Xiao Yanyi only said calmly, “Everyone, leave.”
Xin Rong understood. This was perhaps their last time together. She signaled for everyone to exit the room.
Xiao Tan retreated outside the door, filled with regret. She grabbed Xin Rong’s sleeve, “Chi Wei will not die, will she?”
Xin Rong shook her head and simply patted her shoulder. The injury was beyond what medicine could save.
With that pat, Xiao Tan’s strength drained away, and tears finally fell.
“But it is strange,” Xin Rong murmured to herself. “She is a common fisher girl, so why does she have so many old scars? Even the senior and junior sisters in my sect do not have as many as she does.”
“Also, I heard the creature had sealed off the rear residence. But when we rushed in, its neck bone was snapped by a falling roof beam. You two should not have such means; surely that stupid demon did not crush itself?”
Xiao Tan could not answer, and thinking that Chi Wei might really not make it, she wailed even louder.
Inside the room, Xiao Yanyi sat slowly by the bed as if afraid of waking Chi Wei.
She never imagined that the future Master of Hushi Valley would lose her life to a snake demon in this small town because of her.
She gently took Chi Wei’s hand, interlacing their fingers. A wave of regret rose in her heart. Yesterday, when she went to find the Great Yan government team to silence them, she found they were already dead. She should have realized the snake demon would seek revenge.
Yet, because of her own selfishness, she had not stayed by Chi Wei’s side to protect her.
She sat in a daze for a long time. She knew mortal lifespans were short and had planned to keep Chi Wei by her side for her entire life.
But she would never allow Chi Wei to leave her before she had grown tired of her. Chi Wei had done so many things to wrong her; how could she leave so easily without paying any price?
She had not yet let that person see Chi Wei lose all her spiritual power. She had not yet let Chi Wei be tainted by desire and fall from her pedestal.
A single clear tear slid from the corner of Xiao Yanyi’s eye and splashed onto the back of Chi Wei’s hand. She gently brushed it away.
How could she shed tears for this scoundrel, Chi Wei? She clearly hated her; she only viewed her as an interesting plaything.
Yes, Chi Wei was merely her toy. As long as she lived, it would be enough.
She stood up, her eyes turning clear and cold again. She walked out of the room and straight toward the black snake pinned under the ruins.
Along the way, everyone thought she was overwhelmed by grief and wanted to take revenge on the dead snake.
“Everyone, leave this place.” Fearing Xiao Yanyi might do something drastic, Xiao Tan quickly ordered everyone to leave.
Xin Rong was no exception. As she walked toward the outer residence, she suddenly felt a powerful surge of spiritual energy. This energy was exceptionally pure, more powerful than any force she had ever seen.
Could an immortal have descended? The thought made her heart burn with excitement. Ignoring the servants, she forced her way back.
Pushing open the door, what she saw made her breath hitch.
Xiao Yanyi stood in the center of the ruins. With a light flick of her sleeves, the broken beams and shattered tiles moved aside. She stepped forward, her porcelain-white fingers reaching into the black snake’s carcass. When she pulled them back, she was holding a pitch-black inner core that shimmered with a ghostly light.
A chill ran down Xin Rong’s spine. Taking a demon core for refinement was clearly a path of evil arts, yet the aura surrounding Xiao Yanyi was obviously a pure celestial energy.
“Miss Xiao, this is not right!”
She stepped forward to stop her. Before her voice died away, an invisible, massive force slammed into her, throwing her against a wall. Xin Rong felt a sweetness in her throat as blood spilled from her lips.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yanyi, her hands bloodstained, walked slowly toward the bedroom where Chi Wei lay, holding the black snake’s core.
Xin Rong’s heart tightened. She gritted her teeth and followed. Xiao Tan could not stop her and hurriedly followed as well.
When the two burst into the room, they were horrified to find that Chi Wei’s breath on the bed had stopped, and her face was as white as paper.
Xiao Yanyi leaned down, her cold fingertips gently tilting Chi Wei’s chin up to force her mouth open. The next moment, the pitch-black inner core, still smeared with blood, was slowly pushed into Chi Wei’s mouth.
As Xiao Yanyi let go, Chi Wei’s head fell limply onto the bed. Her face was pale, with a few streaks of red blood from Xiao Yanyi’s fingertips on her cheek. Her head was tilted slightly, and her half-open eyes looked blankly at Xin Rong.
The sun was high in the sky. Xin Rong felt her palms sweating. A bead of sweat dropped from her brow, stinging her eye. But her heart was cold, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.
Xiao Yanyi actually intended to use that black snake’s demon core to resurrect Chi Wei!