“Yes, yes! She comes from a family of doctors—a medical genius, no less!” Cui Mingcan eagerly introduced Cen Ying, not at all upset about the slap she had given him earlier.
Cen Ying rolled her eyes at him and knelt down to examine Granny Yang’s leg.
“Ah, my lady, you shouldn’t—”
“It’s alright, Granny.” Cen Ying smiled gently as she checked her leg.
“Thank you, thank you, young lady…” Granny Yang said, overwhelmed. “Heavens bless me, to meet such kind souls like you!”
He Huilan had a chair brought for the old woman to sit on.
After a while, Cen Ying stood up and asked, “Granny, your leg—was it injured before?”
“Yes, yes,” Granny Yang said, nodding. “I broke it when I was young.”
“You didn’t see a doctor?”
She sighed. “Who could afford that? My old man treated it with some home remedies. It healed, but I can’t do heavy work, and I can’t stand too long.”
He Huilan frowned, her heart tightening. “Then for you to walk all the way from Luoshui Village to Furong Town…”
Her throat choked up with sympathy, and she couldn’t continue.
“Don’t cry, good girl,” Granny Yang chuckled. “It’s alright—I walk a bit, rest a bit. With Dogdan and Maomao keeping me company, it’s not so bad.”
At the mention of Maomao, the boy Dogdan suddenly gasped and tugged at Granny Yang’s hand. “Eh? Maomao? Where’s my Maomao?”
“Maomao?”
“My kitten! She was just following us. Where’d she go?” Dogdan looked around anxiously, trying to keep his manners in front of so many adults.
“It’s alright. Maomao’s clever—she’ll come back soon.” Granny Yang patted his head reassuringly.
He nodded, though his wide eyes still searched around worriedly.
“This is a Bone-Mending Pill,” Cen Ying said, summoning a small bottle from her empty hand. “Your injury is old—it’ll take time. This medicine will help repair it slowly. But to fully recover, you’ll need bone realignment and proper therapy.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Granny Yang’s eyes welled up. She fumbled in her patched purse, pulling out a few silver coins. “This medicine must be precious. An old woman like me doesn’t need such fine treatment. Please take this instead, as payment for your help.”
“Oh, no, no!” Cen Ying quickly refused, pushing the coins back into her hands and handing her the bottle.
“I have plenty of this medicine. Please accept it—it’s also an apology for bumping into you earlier.”
“How could I possibly—” Granny Yang frowned, hesitant.
“Please take it, or I’ll feel guilty!” Cui Mingcan chimed in.
He Huilan then tucked another pouch into Granny Yang’s arms.
“Miss Hui, what’s this?”
“It’s payment for your embroidery.”
Tears filled Granny Yang’s eyes, and she bowed repeatedly. “You’re all such good people—such kind people!”
“Big Sister, were you doing magic just now?” Dogdan finally spoke up, staring straight at Cen Ying with wide eyes.
“That’s called a spell,” Cen Ying said, smiling.
“Wow! Then you’re a fairy, right?” Dogdan’s gaze darted between them, awed.
Cui Mingcan crouched down, grinning. “I’m no fairy, kiddo.”
“Then what are you?” Dogdan asked innocently.
Cui Mingcan puffed up proudly—only for the boy to add, “Oh, I get it! You two are the fairy sister’s servants!”
“…” Cui Mingcan gritted his teeth and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You ever seen a servant this handsome and dashing before?”
Dogdan pouted, then darted behind Granny Yang and stuck out his tongue. “You’re not as good-looking as the other brother!”
“Hey! You little brat—!”
“Enough, stop teasing him.” Bai Yuhen pulled Cui Mingcan back, amused.
“Fairy sister, can you teach me magic?” Dogdan asked shyly. “I want to learn powerful spells too!”
Bai Yuhen laughed. “And what kind of magic do you want to learn?”
“The kind that’s really strong! So I can beat up bad guys!” Dogdan punched the air twice, trying to look fierce.
“Hey! Fighting isn’t a game,” Cui Mingcan scolded seriously.
“But if I knew how to fight, A-Cai and the others wouldn’t bully me anymore,” Dogdan mumbled.
“I can teach you.”
The quiet Li Tiankuo finally spoke, his tone steady. “I’ll teach you one move.”
“Hey, don’t corrupt the kid!” Cui Mingcan protested.
Li Tiankuo ignored him and led Dogdan aside. Cui Mingcan trailed after them nervously.
Meanwhile, Cen Ying continued massaging Granny Yang’s foot, while Bai Yuhen turned to He Huilan.
“Miss Hui,” Bai Yuhen asked gently, “do you know Fang Wuyan?”
“…” He Huilan hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Oh? You’ve met her?”
“Not really,” she said quickly. “Just heard of her. She was well-known in Furong Town for her wine. I also heard she was kind and often helped beggars.”
Bai Yuhen could see from her nervous eyes and fidgeting hands that she was lying.
She clearly did know Fang Wuyan.
But Bai Yuhen only smiled. “It seems I was mistaken. Forgive my impertinence, Miss Hui.”
He Huilan forced a stiff smile.
By then, Li Tiankuo had finished teaching Dogdan. He crouched to the boy’s level and said seriously, “Practice well when you get home. Never use this to bully others—only to protect yourself.”
Dogdan nodded earnestly. “I understand, Master!”
Li Tiankuo froze for a moment, then said dryly, “Don’t call me ‘Master.’ I won’t take you as a disciple.”
Dogdan giggled. “Yes, Master!”
Li Tiankuo sighed.
Cen Ying stood up and whispered to Bai Yuhen, “It’s rare to see him like this.”
“True,” Bai Yuhen chuckled. “Almost looks… human.”
After saying their goodbyes to Granny Yang and Dogdan, they prepared to continue their search for the demon.
Bai Yuhen said, “Miss Hui, we must take our leave now.”
“Why not stay at the He residence?” He Huilan urged. “Wouldn’t that make it easier to catch the demon? Since it failed to kill my cousin, it might come back.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Hui. We’ll capture it before it harms him again.”
He Huilan blushed slightly and nodded.
As they left, Cen Ying asked quietly, “Yuer, did you notice anything?” She’d overheard part of their conversation earlier.
Bai Yuhen pondered. “That Miss Hui knows Fang Wuyan—and she likely knows what happened between her and Gu Feng.”
The night before, after leaving Yichun House, they had questioned locals about the recent deaths. The victims—Wei Lai, Gou Ting, Yuan Zheng, Gu Feng, and Chen Quanhai—had all been close friends. Wei Lai had fallen from a building, Gou Ting had hanged himself, and Chen Quanhai had drowned.
Only Yuan Zheng and Gu Feng remained. The team split up to check on them, but when Li Tiankuo and Cui Mingcan reached Yuan Zheng’s home, they found it empty. So they headed to the He residence, where Gu Feng was staying.
When Bai Yuhen and Cen Ying arrived, they caught Yuan Zheng trying to strangle Gu Feng with white silk.
The demon had used illusion magic—manipulating people’s greatest fears to control them. Bai Yuhen knew that kind of sorcery well.
When the demon sensed their arrival, it withdrew the spell, leaving behind a faint floral scent.
Both men fainted instantly.
But before the spell’s energy dissipated, Bai Yuhen had already released her golden serpent to track it.
Now, the snake tattoo on her wrist glowed faintly gold.
They had found it.
“We’ll investigate the He family later,” Bai Yuhen said. “Right now, the demon’s trail is fresh. Let’s capture it.”
“So fast!?” Cui Mingcan gawked. “When did you do that? We’ve been together the whole time!”
“You’re amazing, Yuer!” Cen Ying exclaimed.
“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go.”
“Right!”
“Uncle Pei.”
Pei Yuan entered the Xuan Shen Hall, bowing slightly.
The air was thick with the scent of herbs.
He frowned subtly, watching the man working over the medicine table. “Emperor Yuan Guang, to what do I owe this visit?”
Without looking up, Yuan Guangdi replied in his gentle voice, “Ah, Immortal Pei, you’re here. Sit wherever you like.”
Pei Yuan remained standing. “If you’re busy, I won’t disturb you further.”
“Wait.” Yuan Guangdi set down the herbs, sighing. “You’re still as impatient as ever.”
Pei Yuan stayed silent. It wasn’t impatience—he simply had no patience for him.
“I once told Heng Luan you lacked patience. Do you know what she said?” Yuan Guangdi asked with a wistful smile, standing behind a cauldron of swirling steam.
“What did she say?”
“She defended you immediately. Said you were just ‘focused.’ She was so protective of you—it was quite the sight.”
Pei Yuan pressed his lips together. He hated how casually the man spoke of her, as if Pei had no place in their memories.
“Enough of the past,” Yuan Guangdi said, sensing Pei’s restrained irritation. “Let’s get to the point. Do you know about the golden light that appeared the night the Four Directions Mirror was stolen?”
Pei Yuan nodded silently.
“Then let me ask—did you take Heng Luan’s Spirit of Artistry?”
Pei Yuan’s eyes turned sharp.
“I know it was you,” Yuan Guangdi said softly. “Back then, the four of us condensed her spirit together, hoping to one day awaken her again.”
A Spirit of Artistry was a manifestation of power that cultivators produced upon reaching a certain realm—a second body born from pure essence. Even if the physical body died, the spirit could survive and take a new vessel. But if both body and soul perished, it would eventually fade away. The four of them had spent years using their life force to preserve hers—a defiance of heaven itself. All of them had paid a price.
But even then, they hadn’t found a way to restore her. To the world, she had already ceased to exist.
Yuan Guangdi looked at him and sighed. “We all believed, as you do, that she never truly left us. But we saw her spirit dissolve with our own eyes…”
Without its soul, her spirit had become a lifeless shell—like a dead stone.
Pei Yuan’s throat tightened, his hand trembling beneath his sleeve.
“She… she’ll return.”
“That’s what I wanted to discuss,” Yuan Guangdi said gravely. “That golden light—I believe it was her spirit resisting the thief that night.”
Pei Yuan’s eyes snapped to his. Understanding dawned in an instant. “You mean—”
Yuan Guangdi nodded. “You still have her spirit, don’t you?”
“…” For once, Pei Yuan fell silent.
“If she’s truly returned,” Yuan Guangdi continued, “her spirit would react. If that golden light came from her, then perhaps… the theft of the Four Directions Mirror wasn’t all bad.”
He didn’t notice how Pei Yuan’s expression changed—how his eyes burned with barely contained madness.
“It’s there… and yet it’s not,” Pei Yuan finally said.
“What do you mean?”
Excitement and obsession gleamed in Pei Yuan’s eyes.
“Before I can be sure,” he whispered, “I need to verify something.”
“What is it you want to verify?” Yuan Guangdi asked, confused.
Pei Yuan only smiled faintly.
Whether Bai Yuhen… is truly her.