Before Qi Wuyang could answer, a mosquito landed right on the back of his hand, forcing him to swat it away.
“Great, you’re awake!” Xu Songhe exclaimed, leaning closer.
Her voice was laced with excitement. “Do you know if there are any towns nearby? If so, why don’t we go check it out? We might find some work and earn some money. If we save up, we could finally have a little place of our own.”
“Why work?” Qi Wuyang asked, his eyes opening. The confusion in his gaze seemed genuine. “Isn’t it easier to just rob people?”
“…”
Xu Songhe choked on her words. She tilted her head, studying him, and felt a fresh wave of pity.
He looks normal enough on the outside, she thought, but living in a place like this has clearly twisted his mind.
“How could you rob someone for something like that?” Xu Songhe moved even closer, counting on her fingers as she tried to explain. “Think about it. If you had five apples and someone stole them…”
“Your hypothetical is flawed,” he said with a faint smile. His dark eyes seemed to swallow all light. “No one takes anything from me. Unless they kowtow until their forehead bleeds, I might consider tossing them a few apple peels.”
“…”
Is this how all the big shots in cultivation novels talk? Xu Songhe wondered.
“Alright, alright. Your demon-slaying moves were definitely cool, but we still need a place to stay. Besides, how are you going to buy food without any money?”
Xu Songhe thought for a moment and came up with what she considered a perfect compromise. “How about this? I’ll head down the mountain and look around. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind. Once I find a way to earn some silver, I’ll come right back for you.”
“Deal,” he agreed instantly. His quick response was a far cry from his earlier, lazy refusal to work.
Xu Songhe stood up. By the moonlight, she prepared to retrace her steps along the footprints. Suddenly, her gaze shifted, and she found herself staring directly at a ball of blue flame.
Her foot slipped, and she stumbled, grabbing a nearby tree for support.
She turned back to the man, desperate for help. “H-Husband… I saw another demon…”
“There aren’t that many demons,” the young man said, his eyes sweeping idly across the area before returning to his original posture. “That’s just a will-o’-the-wisp.”
A will-o’-the-wisp?
Xu Songhe’s pupils dilated. “Does that mean…” she stammered, “this whole place is a graveyard?”
“Yes.”
“So, are there ghosts?”
“Perhaps,” he replied casually.
He suddenly pushed himself up from the ground and looked at her with renewed interest. “Are you afraid of ghosts?”
Xu Songhe nodded honestly, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Come with me,” she said, stepping back a few paces before half-kneeling to face him.
Her tone was earnest. “Look, if this place is haunted, it’s not safe for you to stay here alone. You’d be much better off with me…”
“I think sleeping is better,” he said, deliberately ignoring her. He leaned back against the tree trunk, letting fallen leaves settle on him without a care.
Rejected so flatly?
Xu Songhe gently nudged the young man, who was now resting with his eyes closed.
Some dirt from her hands accidentally smeared onto him, and her voice dropped. “I won’t make you go for nothing. I’ll find a way for us to have a proper place to live.”
But the young man merely glanced at her, remaining unmoved.
Her spirits sank a little. Lowering her hand, she felt something hard and pulled it out. It was the three bamboo whistles.
Xu Songhe’s eyes lit up. She quickly took one out and pushed it toward him across the ground, her gaze fixed on him. “You gave me these, so I’m using the first one now.”
“I want you to come down the mountain with me to a safe place. But I don’t know any magic, so you have to protect me.”
“I suggest you think things through before making a demand,” he said.
He leaned lazily against the tree, hands clasped behind his head, and idly brushed a fallen leaf off his clothes. “After all, no one can guarantee where is truly safe. Besides…”
He paused. “Protecting people isn’t my strong suit.”
Xu Songhe blinked. Following his train of thought, she asked, “Then what are you good at?”
“Killing people.”
The young man offered a slight smile, his eyes as gentle as a spring pool, just as they had been when she first saw him.
“…”
Xu Songhe stared at him, then suddenly nodded with extreme earnestness, her eyes shining. “That’s perfect. That’s exactly what I need—someone who can kill. Because if we’re ever chased by demons, I’d rather not just huddle together and tremble.”
The gentle pool in Qi Wuyang’s eyes froze for a moment, as if he had just heard an unexpected answer.
But before he could speak, Xu Songhe stood up. She shielded her forehead with her hands against the cool breeze and gazed down at the path below.
Moonlight spilled across the landscape, and the dew on the grass sparkled like countless diamonds embedded in the earth.
“Let’s go, let’s go, while there are no demons around,” Xu Songhe turned to him, her eyes full of anticipation at the thought of finally leaving this ghost of a place. “You’re so skilled, we can probably make it there before dawn, right?”
He didn’t answer. It was unclear if he had even heard her. Finally, seeing the disappointment slowly clouding her gaze, he rose and brushed past her.
Xu Songhe paused for a moment before hurrying to catch up. A sliver of moonlight danced in her eyes, mirroring the stars in the sky.
“Husband, wait for me!”
They followed the footprints in the dirt—the path they had taken to get here—until the sky began to lighten.
Xu Songhe stood on a high point, gazing into the distance. One by one, the lights of a town flickered to life, dancing into view.
A faint smile touched her lips, and her entire posture seemed to lighten.
Where there are lights, there are people, she thought. And with city gates that tall, they must have guards. Surely those demons wouldn’t dare come here to eat people.
The ache in her feet only truly set in now, after they’d walked so far. Xu Songhe stumbled, instinctively grabbing the young man’s arm for support.
She looked up at him, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Husband, you’re just too amazing.”
Qi Wuyang’s smile vanished. “Let go,” he said, his voice flat.
Xu Songhe considered not letting go. But the memory of accidentally pulling his arm out of its socket the day before flashed vividly in her mind.
She recoiled, her hands trembling as she stumbled back a few steps.
“H-husband,” she stammered, “where are you going?”
He paused for a moment without looking back. “What? I’ve brought you back. Can’t I go now?”
The girl closed the distance between them, but this time she grabbed the hem of his robe instead of his hand. “You’re already here. Why not come with me?”
This place looks safe, she thought. If I let him wander around out there alone, what if another demon catches him? I can’t fight, so I won’t be able to save him.
Xu Songhe blinked, the words trickling out one by one. “Please, I’m begging you—”
“That place is crawling with demons, it’s far too dangerous. You’re my husband! How could I hide out here by myself and let you face them alone?”
Qi Wuyang closed his eyes, fighting the urge to throw her out. Then, miraculously, he actually gave in.
The massive iron gates of the city stood open, guarded by two armored sentries.
Xu Songhe looked down at the sharp blade pointed at her chest, rubbed her hands together, and put on her most pitiful expression.
“Um, Mr. Guard,” she said softly. “It’s freezing out here in the wind. Could you just let us inside for a bit?”
The guards clearly didn’t care whether they froze to death or not. They crossed their arms, blocking the way. “Get lost! Your cold doesn’t concern us. This city is for residents only. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now.”
“But please,”
Xu Songhe took a step forward and grasped the long hilt of the blade, sighing. “Just look at this poor sword, it’s freezing! You two must be cold after standing here so long. How about I go inside and bring you out some warm clothes?”
Before her words had even finished, before she could even register the guards’ expressions, the two men collapsed. Their eyes rolled back into their heads, and they fell without a sound.
Xu Songhe jumped back, startled. After a long moment, she crouched down to check for breath, but her hands shook too much to get close.
“Are they… dead?” she managed to choke out, struggling to steady her breathing.
She had seen him slaughter demons before, but people weren’t the same as man-eating monsters. This was the first time in her entire life she had watched two living human beings drop dead silently in front of her—and she hadn’t even seen the attack happen. The shock was overwhelming.
“Not dead,” Qi Wuyang replied.
His pupils reflected her terrified, confused face as his lips curled into a smirk. “A shame, though. They won’t be wearing those warm clothes you mentioned.”
“…”
Xu Songhe decided she couldn’t really communicate with this man. She didn’t ask why he’d attacked without warning, but she worried the poor guards would freeze to death in their unconscious state.
After a moment’s thought, she gathered some straw and piled it around them, creating a crude windbreak.
After finishing, Xu Songhe patted her hands and stood up, meeting the young man’s gaze—a mix of disdain and confusion.
She gave him a crinkly-eyed smile. “Let’s go.”
The sky had finally shed its dark hues, and the first light of dawn was painting the city. Everything seemed to awaken.
Vendors’ calls rose and fell, soon joined by the rhythmic beat of drums and gongs.
Through the white steam of tea stalls, she could see a storyteller gesturing with a folding fan, his booming voice competing with the clink-clink-clink of the silversmith’s shop next door.
Xu Songhe watched, mesmerized by the bustling scene, momentarily forgetting why they were even there.
A sudden, firm nudge to her arm snapped her back to reality. She realized Qi Wuyang had already walked ahead.
His face wore an expression of blatant boredom, as if the vibrant world around them had nothing to do with him.
“Hey, husband, wait for me!” she called out, jogging to catch up. Only then did the hunger finally hit her. Feeling her empty pockets, she let out a deep sigh.
Life is hard, she thought.
I transmigrated into a book, and I’m starting from scratch with nothing. I’ll have to earn every penny myself.
She began counting on her fingers. “According to my original plan, we should find a job first, then use the money we earn to fill our stomachs…”
Qi Wuyang shot her a glance but didn’t reply or make a move. Clearly, he had zero interest in the phrase “find a job.”
He’s obviously never been humbled by the harsh realities of life, she thought. It’s time he learned the importance of money.
Xu Songhe ignored his sour expression and took hold of his sleeve, leading him along the street. They wandered until the sun climbed fully above the horizon, finally stopping in front of an impressive-looking restaurant.
She approached the counter, summoned her courage, and asked, “Shopkeeper, we haven’t eaten all day. Could you spare some food? Anything edible will do. Thank you.”
Xu Songhe glanced at the young man beside her. At least she’d been fed before transmigrating, so skipping a day of meals wouldn’t hurt her much. But he was different—he was so thin. It would be terrible if he collapsed from hunger.
I’ll try my luck first, she decided generously. If we actually get some food, I’ll give it all to him.
As she turned away with this thought, she ran right into his faint, steady gaze.