“System, about the fragment just now… can I ask you a few questions?”
Xu Songhe sat on the edge of the bed. Candlelight filled the small room, creating a stark contrast to the howling wind outside. In the sudden silence, the System’s voice rang out, calm and unhurried.
[Introducing the contents of the memory fragment for the Host…]
Then, the audio burst into a chaotic mess of static and electrical noise, as if it were about to explode.
[Qi Wuyang. True form: nine-tailed fox.
Thousands of years ago, the Fox Clan guarded the spirit vein, a duty that also drew the envy and greed of countless outsiders. Later, the major sects joined forces to massacre the clan.
Qi Wuyang’s parents, Elders of the Fox Clan, hid him and the spirit vein at the bottom of a well. They fought to the death with the rest of their kin, eventually meeting their end in the underworld.]
As the figure of the young man was swallowed by darkness, his tear-streaked face twisted into a tragic smile.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the walls, causing the candle flame on the table to flicker, lengthening the shadows dancing against the wall.
When the playback ended, the electronic voice vanished. The silence returned, leaving only the sound of her own quickened heartbeat.
After a long pause, she asked softly, “Was the Flowing Cloud Sect… one of the ones who slaughtered the Fox Clan?”
“Not the only one.”
Xu Songhe’s breath hitched. The Flowing Cloud Sect alone was enough to kill her several times over. How desperate must he have felt, facing so many enemies alone after his clan had been slaughtered?
“Was the spirit vein stolen?” she asked.
“The spirit vein is within Qi Wuyang himself,” the System replied. “Whoever possesses it will gain immortality and boundless spiritual power.”
*Could the person who stole his true body have been after the spirit vein?* The System said it was still with him, but they had been traveling together for so long—how had she never noticed anything?
Xu Songhe swallowed hard and decided to ask the big question: “Who stole Qi Wuyang’s true body? And where is it now?”
The same explosive static from before crackled again.
After what seemed like a mental storm, the System answered, [Host, please do not ask questions beyond the scope of the memory fragments. The System has its limits.]
“…Alright. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
The System added a warning: [Host, you must be careful from now on. Qi Wuyang is not like normal people. He is… ruthless and holds grudges. You are here to win him over, but do not provoke him, or you’ll risk your life!]
Xu Songhe frowned, displeased. “His behavior is a bit strange, yes, but he has never harmed innocent people. Those others always provoked him first. How can you use such harsh words to describe him?”
Seeing it couldn’t persuade her, the System went silent.
Xu Songhe lay down with her clothes still on, but she couldn’t fall asleep.
She used to think he was omnipotent, effortlessly handling everything with grace. She never imagined her target would have such a pitiful past.
So… did the Flowing Cloud Sect hunt him down just to take his spirit vein?
Is that why he refuses to show his true face? Is he trying to escape this endless flight?
After all, when people are constantly coveting what you have and wanting your life, even the strongest person would get tired and afraid, wouldn’t they?
She thought for a while longer, but her heavy eyelids finally gave way, and she soon drifted off to sleep.
…..
The next morning, before dawn had broken, a series of shouts echoed from outside. Xu Songhe rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawned, and fumbled to light a candle.
The urgent footsteps were mingled with the sound of sobbing. She cautiously cracked the door open to peek outside.
The moment the door opened a sliver, a sudden burst of wailing drowned out all other sounds.
“Shopkeeper Yu, please save my child… He’s fading! If anything happens to him, I can’t go on living!”
The woman was covered in snow, but the child in her arms was clean. His cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes were shut tight as if he had passed out.
The woman’s sobbing was so heart-wrenching that Xu Songhe felt a pang of sympathy. Standing nearby, she worried the woman might collapse from grief and was about to rush over to help her up when the pharmacy door creaked open.
Shopkeeper Yu emerged, his hands clasped behind his back and his face etched with worry. He helped the woman to her feet. “Come inside quickly—what happened to the child?”
The woman stumbled into the shop, her voice trembling. “I… I don’t know. Everything was fine yesterday, but when I woke up, both my child and my husband were completely drained, like this.”
Yu Baisui frowned and glanced past her. “Where is the child’s father?”
The woman shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “He couldn’t even walk. He’s confined to his bed. I… I had no choice but to bring our son to you.”
“Don’t panic. Let me take a look.”
Yu Baisui gently took the child’s small wrist. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed. “It’s nothing serious. Take these medicines. A-Fu’s portion is included.”
The woman’s face flooded with gratitude, and she looked as if she might fall to her knees and kowtow to him in thanks.
“Shopkeeper, the wind is strong outside. Why don’t I escort the lady home?”
The voice startled them both, and they only then realized a third person was in the room.
Xu Songhe waited quietly for Shopkeeper Yu to finish his diagnosis. Only after the woman announced she would carry her child home did Xu Songhe speak.
Yu Baisui nodded, his expression weary. “Very well. Since you are going, take this basket of medicine. If you encounter other villagers who are also feeling unwell, give them some.”
“I will,” the woman replied. As she took the basket, Xu Songhe lowered her head for a quick glance inside.
It contained only ordinary pills—large, black, and unremarkable.
Leaving the pharmacy, Xu Songhe looked back. The candles inside had been extinguished, and the shop had fallen silent. Shopkeeper Yu must have gone back to sleep.
Suddenly, a beam of red light erupted from the distant mountains, spreading like a spilled bottle of red ink and swiftly staining the entire sky.
The snow was tapering off. Xu Songhe tilted her umbrella, her gaze drifting sideways to ensure the mother and child stayed dry.
“Thank you so much, miss,” the woman said, opening the door to a house. “It’s so kind of you to walk us home in this snow.”
Xu Songhe glanced inside and saw a dark, still figure lying on a bed.
“You’re welcome,” she smiled, lifting the basket. “I’ll help you carry it in and then I’ll be on my way.”
The woman quickly stepped aside to let her in, then called out to the bed, “The medicine from Shopkeeper Yu is here! The child is saved, and you’re saved too!”
The man lying on the bed was A-Fu, the woman’s husband. Xu Songhe had no intention of prying into their family affairs. She set a portion of the medicine from the basket on the table.
As she turned to leave, her gaze happened to sweep over the man on the bed.
This man… why does he look familiar?
She paused, unable to resist a closer look.
I remember now. Isn’t this the middle-aged man I met at the temple yesterday?
It was strange. He had been boasting then, claiming that his health improved every time he offered incense to Shopkeeper Yu’s statue. How could he have collapsed just the next day?
“Miss, is there something else?”
The woman’s hesitant question snapped her back to reality. Xu Songhe realized she had been staring at the man in someone else’s home for far too long.
“My apologies. I hope your husband and son recover quickly,” she said with a faint, awkward smile.
She then lifted the medicine basket and hurried out without looking back.
“Oh—”
A blur passed before her eyes—she’d run into something. Before she could even process what had happened, the sound of a pained cry made her rush to apologize.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to… Are you all right?”
When no answer came after a long moment, Xu Songhe looked up, rubbing her head where it still throbbed from the impact.
She realized the two people she’d collided with seemed completely oblivious to her.
They were an elderly couple. The old man wasn’t just leaning on the woman for support—he was practically draped over her, his head lolling lifelessly on her shoulder.
“Old man, you have to hold on,” the old woman cried, her voice choked with tears. “Shopkeeper Yu’s pharmacy is just ahead. He’ll know how to save you…”
Xu Songhe stood frozen, staring at their retreating backs. The mention of “Shopkeeper Yu” snapped her back to attention, and she hurried to catch up.
“Are you looking for Shopkeeper Yu?”
The old woman glanced back at her but didn’t stop walking.
“I’m Shopkeeper Yu’s… apprentice,” Xu Songhe explained, quickening her pace to keep up. “He’s sent me to distribute this medicine to townsfolk in need. What’s wrong with the gentleman?”
Upon hearing that Xu Songhe was Shopkeeper Yu’s apprentice, the old woman’s voice grew urgent.
“My husband was perfectly fine a few days ago,” she cried. “But yesterday—I don’t know what happened—he came back from the temple in a stupor, babbling nonsense. I’m just an old woman; how would I know what to do? I thought he had just caught a chill and would be fine after a few bowls of hot soup, but he lost consciousness in the middle of the night and I can’t wake him up. I had no choice but to… I just don’t know if Shopkeeper Yu can save him.”
As she spoke, her expression shifted from regret to fear, her fingers constantly wiping away tears.
He went to the temple too?
Xu Songhe found this strange, but she kept her voice calm. “Please, don’t worry. Let me explain. Shopkeeper Yu sent me to distribute this medicine to everyone; it is very effective against this particular ailment. You should take your husband home, and he will wake up on his own after taking the medicine.”
The old woman’s eyes filled with tears. Before she could even offer her thanks, Xu Songhe struck while the iron was hot.
“You said your husband went to the temple yesterday?”
The old woman nodded. “He only left the house once—to go to the temple to burn incense for Shopkeeper Yu. I knew his health was poor. I should have gone instead…”
After the two figures faded into the distance, Xu Songhe remained where she was, her brow furrowed in thought.
Two people in a row had gone to the temple to burn incense. Could it be a coincidence?
She looked down and rummaged through the medicine basket. The black pills glistened in the sunlight, their polished surfaces reflecting the face of another person.
Startled, Xu Songhe spun around. A young man in a red robe was walking toward her, his hands clasped behind his back, his gait slow and unhurried.
“You’re quite the clever one,” he said, coming to a halt before her. His gaze fell on the snow clinging to her face, and he smiled faintly. “Do you know what you look like right now?”
Xu Songhe stared at him, bewildered. “Like what?”
The young man casually brushed a snowflake off his sleeve, a playful glint in his eyes. “Like a little thief who just got caught after trying to steal something and has nowhere left to run.”
He’d originally wanted to call her an idiot, but after a moment’s thought, he’d settled on a gentler word.
“…”
Does this guy even know how to talk? Shopkeeper Yu personally handed this basket to me—how could I be stealing?
Xu Songhe looked down at the medicine basket in her hands. When she looked up, her own disheveled reflection stared back at her from the young man’s dark eyes.
Okay, maybe… he wasn’t entirely wrong.