The commotion outside caught Shen Mingshu’s attention. She opened the door and stepped out. “What’s going on?”
Leng Feng jumped down from the courtyard wall and opened the gate, pointing his sword at the old woman on the ground. “This old hag was sneaking around outside, spying on us. She doesn’t seem like a good person!”
Upon seeing Shen Mingshu, the woman, Aunt Zhang, quickly spoke up. “Mingshu, dear, I came to see you. But when I noticed two strange men in the yard, I thought they might be troublemakers, so I didn’t dare make a sound.”
Recognizing Aunt Zhang’s face, Shen Mingshu walked over. “Oh, it’s you, Aunt Zhang. Shouldn’t you be home having dinner at this hour? What brings you here?”
Aunt Zhang glanced at Pei Jingheng and lowered her voice. “And who are these two?”
“They’re friends I met in town before. You can speak freely, Aunt Zhang.” Shen Mingshu smiled warmly, though her eyes were sharp with curiosity.
Aunt Zhang’s eyes widened nervously. “They’re not here to propose marriage, are they?”
Shen Mingshu ignored her question, seeing that the woman was avoiding the real reason for her visit. “Aunt Zhang, if you have nothing important to say, please go home. I need to start cooking.”
As she moved to close the gate, Aunt Zhang hastily pressed a hand against it. “Mingshu, dear, I noticed your clothes are too thin, so I sewed you a padded jacket. Try it on, see if it fits!”
She tried to drape the red jacket over Shen Mingshu, who pushed it away. “Mingshu, do you dislike my gift?”
Shen Mingshu forced a smile. “Aunt Zhang, the fabric is too fine. I can’t accept it. You should go home now.”
With that, she shut the gate firmly.
Aunt Zhang knocked on the door. “Mingshu! This is a token of my goodwill!”
Shen Mingshu gave Leng Feng a meaningful look, and he immediately snapped, “Stop knocking, or my sword won’t be so polite!”
Terrified, Aunt Zhang clutched the jacket and scurried home.
Good heavens! That young man in black was terrifying! Where on earth had Shen Mingshu met such people?
Shen Mingshu said softly, “Come inside. Dinner will be ready soon.”
As Leng Feng walked over to Pei Jingheng, he heard his master’s icy voice laced with amusement. “You’re quite good at reading her cues.”
“Master, I don’t know how it happened. The moment she looked at me, I just… understood.” Leng Feng scratched his head, puzzled by his own reaction.
The three entered the main hall, where Yun Niang quickly wiped her teary eyes and smiled. “Shen’er, what did Aunt Zhang want?”
“She brought me a red jacket. I refused it.” Shen Mingshu added firmly, “And you mustn’t accept anything from her either.”
“Of course not. Accepting favors always comes with strings attached.” Yun Niang gestured for Pei Jingheng and Leng Feng to sit. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. Dinner will be ready shortly, we were delayed a bit.”
Soon, four bowls of plain porridge and two plates of stir-fried greens with eggs were placed on the table.
Shen Mingshu ate with relish. “We actually have eggs today!”
Yun Niang served her more food, smiling gently. “You earned fifty taels today, we can afford something better. So I used four eggs for the four of us.”
Pei Jingheng ate quietly, showing no disdain for the simple meal.
To think this family couldn’t even afford eggs on ordinary days. They truly lived in hardship.
…
In the dead of night, Shen Mingshu watched as Yun Niang slept soundly beside her, then quietly rose and stepped into the courtyard.
She realized she was now capable of breaking the Yin Gathering Array.
Her gaze drifted toward the neighboring door, originally Yun Niang’s room, now occupied by Pei Jingheng and Leng Feng.
Could it be because she had grasped Pei Jingheng’s hand earlier, nourished by the purple dragon qi emanating from his body?
This was the only explanation Shen Mingshu could think of.
To dismantle the Yin Gathering Array, one had to act when the yin energy was at its peak within a day, the hour of Zi (midnight).
This was also the optimal time to set up the array in the first place.
Shen Mingshu paced the courtyard and soon located the array’s core.
She positioned herself at the entrance, directly facing the main hall, forming hand seals while murmuring incantations under her breath.
Inside the unlit room, Pei Jingheng and Leng Feng observed Shen Mingshu through the window.
“Master, what is she doing?” Leng Feng tightened his grip on his sword, his voice low and wary. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Pei Jingheng narrowed his eyes, his tone icy. “Let’s wait and see.”
As Shen Mingshu finished her chant, twin flames ignited in her palms.
She slowly merged the flames into one before slamming it forcefully onto the ground.
Upon impact, the fireball dispersed into thread-like tendrils, spreading outward like a spider’s web.
Leng Feng watched as the fiery threads slithered into the room and swiftly pulled Pei Jingheng aside. “Master, be careful! This fire is encircling us like a net!”
“I’ll go stop her!”
With that, he charged out the door, his blade glinting coldly under the moonlight. “What are you doing?!”
Shen Mingshu met his gaze calmly. “I’m breaking the array. Stay calm, I would never harm you.”
She had expected their vigilance but hadn’t anticipated they’d still be awake so late.
The fiery threads quickly spread across the entire Yin Gathering Array, and a faint tremor rippled through the courtyard.
For someone of her skill, dismantling the array should have been effortless. Yet, she hadn’t foreseen that the array was bound to her own Yin-heavy constitution!
If she died, the array would break. If she lived, the array would persist.
Whoever had set this up could monitor her life or death without ever showing themselves.
Leng Feng felt the tremors and immediately retreated to shield Pei Jingheng. “Master, the ground is shaking!”
But Pei Jingheng noticed the strain on Shen Mingshu’s face and pressed a hand on Leng Feng’s shoulder. “Earlier, she mentioned a Yin Gathering Array in the courtyard. She must be dismantling it now.”
Gritting her teeth, Shen Mingshu dropped to one knee, pressing both palms firmly against the earth. The blazing golden flames plunged underground before erupting into a wall of fire half a person’s height!
A mere heretical trick, did they really think she’d stake her life on this?
The tremors ceased abruptly, as though something in the courtyard had dissipated in an instant.
Pei Jingheng suddenly felt the surroundings grow warmer, the oppressive chill in the air vanishing.
Clutching her chest, Shen Mingshu lifted her gaze toward Pei Jingheng. “Help me… ugh-”
Before she could finish, a mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips.
Her vision darkened as she collapsed forward. Just before losing consciousness, she felt herself caught in a pair of warm, steady arms.
Pei Jingheng swept her up and carried her inside, his voice grave. “Fetch Yun Niang.”
Far away in the capital, Yin Zhuo abruptly awoke from his slumber.
“Ugh!” Before he could rise, blood gushed from his mouth.
The crimson droplets splattered across his face, twisting his already sinister expression into something even more terrifying.
“The Yin Gathering Array… has been broken!”
His connection with the Yin-extreme physique had also been severed.
Yin Zhuo quickly stood up, wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, and staggered over to the table to begin drawing talismans.
He had to notify Chen Yang immediately, to keep a close watch on that girl. Before the plan commenced, she absolutely must not be taken out of Huaihua Village by those who sought to break the formation!