It had rained the night before, leaving the road muddy and scattered puddles reflecting the figure of Yun Jinghe as she walked by, carrying a wooden bucket.
She wasn’t walking fast. Having been unable to see for days, this was her first time getting a full view of the place she now lived.
There weren’t many households here, and the walls indeed bore the notices the old woman had mentioned, warning passersby not to linger for long.
She gave them only a brief glance before moving on, eventually stopping by a clear stream to crouch and fetch water.
This stream ran along the edge of the village and served as their daily water source.
The water gurgled softly, not too deep, with the occasional fish darting through.
Just as Yun Jinghe finished filling her bucket and was about to stand, she suddenly glanced to her left. A faint blue spiritual energy shimmered in her palm as she reached out and grabbed.
Splash!
A translucent water demon was hauled out by her bare hands.
This water demon had already taken shape, suggesting some level of cultivation, yet its demonic energy was faint, nearly undetectable beneath the water.
Moreover, it had form but no strength, a demon that had taken shape shouldn’t be this weak.
But it was precisely because of this weakness that she, in her current state, had been able to catch it.
“Already save, save gone.” The water demon’s intelligence seemed lacking, its words disjointed.
Yun Jinghe scanned it from head to toe and noticed something odd, this demon had no demon core.
Even the weakest demons possessed their own cores, yet this one had none. Without its core, a demon’s cultivation would regress drastically, and its intelligence would diminish greatly.
She couldn’t help but recall the rumors about this village. Perhaps this water demon was the source of the hauntings. But if that were true, how had it ended up like this?
Still, these were just her speculations, impossible to verify now.
Though Taicang Mountain stood for slaying demons and vanquishing evil, its doctrine wasn’t to kill every demon on sight only those guilty of crimes deserved execution.
After some thought, Yun Jinghe chose to seal this weak water demon here for now. Once her injuries healed further, she would return to investigate.
Before Yun Jinghe returned, the little frog had already sensed her approach and was scrambling to leave.
Shi Ying stopped it just in time, pulling out a brocade pouch from her robes.
“I forgot to give you this demon core last time. Take it to Wu Feng first,” she said, holding the item up to the frog’s mouth.
The frog obediently opened its mouth now several times larger and swallowed the pouch. After a little shake of its head, it hopped away.
Yun Jinghe returned with the water just then. Entering the room, she saw Shi Ying looking somewhat listless. Wetting a towel, she sat by the bed and began gently wiping Shi Ying’s face.
Shi Ying hadn’t expected such attentiveness. Feeling lazy herself, she simply let Yun Jinghe do as she pleased, eyes closed in contentment.
“Yingying,” Yun Jinghe called.
“Hmm?” Shi Ying responded with a hum, one eye cracking open playfully.
A faint smile tugged at Yun Jinghe’s lips. “Time is too tight now, so we might have to skip a lot of things.” She paused. “Once we leave this place, I’ll take you back and make it up to you properly.”
The latter part of her words jolted Shi Ying slightly awake. “No need. I don’t like things too complicated.”
Yun Jinghe remained silent, but in her heart, she had already decided not to heed her advice on this matter.
Once the two had composed themselves, they set off toward the city.
Before leaving, Yun Jinghe had taken her spirit sword with her, and her ethereal, otherworldly demeanor became even more pronounced as she stood tall.
“Why did you bring that?” Shi Ying eyed the long sword in her hand, reluctant to get too close.
Yun Jinghe glanced at the sword in her hand, assuming she was afraid of sharp weapons. “We might need it later.”
She gripped the sword in her left hand, tucking it slightly behind her, then reached out to take Shi Ying’s hand. “Let’s go.”
The streets were bustling with people, and though the brightly dressed crowd brushed past the two women, many couldn’t help but turn back for a second glance.
The taller of the two wore simple, elegant robes in light hues, her expression calm and detached, her cool gaze carrying a hint of aloofness. The way she carried herself with the sword in hand was as untouchable as the autumn moon.
Yet, she held firmly onto the hand of a young girl beside her. The girl had a strikingly beautiful and delicate face, her fair skin accentuated by the crimson collar of her dress, making her look like a delicate hibiscus flower under the sunlight.
Suddenly, the girl wrapped her arms around the woman’s, tilting her head up to whisper something that made the latter blush faintly before leading her to a candy stall.
“I want this one, and this one, and this one too!” Shi Ying pointed excitedly at the sugar paintings on the straw rack.
“Young lady, making so many might be more than you can eat,” the stall owner kindly reminded her.
“Just do as she says, please,” Yun Jinghe replied.
The stall owner glanced at Yun Jinghe and immediately agreed with a smile. As she crafted the sugar paintings, she explained the meanings behind each design to the two of them.
“These lovebirds represent a lifetime together, a pair united as one, it also symbolizes unwavering devotion,” the stall owner said as she handed the sugar painting to Shi Ying.
Shi Ying happily accepted the treat, barely paying attention to the explanation, even urging the owner to hurry up with the next one.
Meanwhile, Yun Jinghe’s gaze lingered on the intricate sugar paintings in Shi Ying’s hands, and when it came time to pay, she silently added a little extra.
The stall owner grinned from ear to ear as she accepted the payment. “May the two of you enjoy a lifetime of happiness together!”
Shi Ying, absorbed in savoring the candy, merely blinked her bright, sparkling eyes.
Yun Jinghe smiled faintly in thanks before leading Shi Ying further down the street.
They soon arrived at the entrance of a shop called “Wanbao Pavilion,” right next to the clothing store where Yun Jinghe had taken Shi Ying the other day.
The moment they stepped inside, someone set down their ledger and hurried over to greet them.
“Welcome, ladies! What might you be looking for today?”
The shop was lined with two large shelves on either side, filled to the brim with dazzling treasures.
Without waiting for guidance, Shi Ying wandered off on her own, drawn to whatever caught her fancy.
“Are you the manager here?” Yun Jinghe asked, tearing her gaze away from Shi Ying.
The manager nodded.
Yun Jinghe raised her sword, showing the tassel pendant hanging from it.
The jade ornament on the tassel had been given to her by her family. Though her family had once held official positions, they also dabbled in business, establishing shops and branches across the land. After Yun Jinghe achieved some renown in her studies at Taicang Mountain, her family had specially crafted this token for her, stating that it could be used to procure necessities from any of their affiliated stores.
This served two purposes: first, to let the world know of her family’s connection to her, and second, to ensure she had some support in the mortal realm.
Her master believed that worldly matters were a cycle of give and take, and that it was better to avoid unnecessary entanglements such things only led to karmic complications.
But the Grandmaster had her keep it, saying it was always wise to be prepared for all eventualities. In the end, Yun Jinghe decided to hold onto it.
Over the years, though she had accepted the items, she had never once used them.
That day, when she brought Shi Ying to buy clothes, she happened to overhear people discussing the shops in the area and only then learned that the Yun family had properties here.
Yet time had flown by, and she wasn’t entirely sure if the token would still be of any use now.
The shopkeeper was startled at first when the sword was presented to him, but realizing there was no ill intent, he leaned in to examine the details closely and the more he looked, the more astonished he became.
“May I ask the young lady’s esteemed name?”
“Yun Jinghe.”
“Y-you are from Taicang Mountain?” The shopkeeper stammered.
Before taking their positions, all Yun family shopkeepers were required to memorize a set of patterns from a diagram and instructed that if anyone bearing such a token appeared, they must treat them with the utmost respect, without the slightest negligence.
No one had ever seen it before until now. She was the first.
Seeing that the shopkeeper recognized it, Yun Jinghe relaxed slightly. “No need to make a fuss.”
“What do you require?” the shopkeeper asked.
“I’d like to borrow a residence in the city nothing too large, just something modest.” Yun Jinghe figured that even if she had nothing else, she at least needed a place to live for the wedding.
The shopkeeper readily agreed and invited Yun Jinghe and Shi Ying to wait in the second-floor lounge.
Shi Ying had been reluctant at first, but upon hearing there were even better treasures upstairs, she finally agreed to go.
Along the way, Yun Jinghe explained her purpose for this trip. She hadn’t mentioned it earlier because she wasn’t sure, afraid it might turn out to be empty words and raise false hopes.
Shi Ying didn’t mind any of it, saying she would follow Yun Jinghe’s lead in everything.
The shopkeeper had someone bring over some snacks and tea, but Shi Ying showed no interest, nor did Yun Jinghe.
Shi Ying noticed her staring at the candy she was eating. “Want to try some?”
Yun Jinghe seemed to be considering something. “May I?”
Shi Ying thought, Why not? and directly held the candy to her lips, but Yun Jinghe turned her head away.
Before Shi Ying could voice her confusion, Yun Jinghe leaned slightly closer. She lifted her gaze to meet Shi Ying’s eyes. “If you don’t want this, push me away.”
She inched forward slowly, as if giving Shi Ying time to think.
Shi Ying instinctively raised her hand and placed it on Yun Jinghe’s shoulder, causing the latter to pause immediately. But Shi Ying didn’t exert any force to push her away.
So Yun Jinghe tried again, her throat bobbing faintly.
Just as their lips were about to meet, she suddenly turned her face aside, letting her lips brush past Shi Ying’s cheek instead.
She pulled Shi Ying tightly into her arms, closing her eyes briefly. She knew she was being too impatient yet she couldn’t help but yearn to touch her.
The pressure around her waist snapped Shi Ying out of her daze, her expression momentarily blank. She licked her sugar-stained lips, lost in thought.
“If you didn’t want the candy, why hug me?” Shi Ying said. “Am I made of sugar?”
Only then did Yun Jinghe slowly release her, offering an apology. “Forgive me.”
Shi Ying turned away and sat properly, lowering her eyes to continue eating her candy. But somehow, it didn’t taste as sweet as before.
The shopkeeper worked quickly, securing a well-located residence for them and even presenting the deed to Yun Jinghe though she didn’t accept it.
Though she had obeyed her grandmaster’s order to leave something behind, she also remembered her master’s teaching about reciprocity, what was “borrowed” today would surely have to be repaid in the future. If the karmic debt could be lessened, so much the better.
With the most crucial matter resolved, everything else began to proceed smoothly.
Adhering to the principle of simplicity, the modest residence was adorned with plain red silks, and the crimson candles cast their unique glow into the night.
The simple-cut wedding robes worn by the two of them lost none of their elegance.
With no elders to bow to, they pledged their vows to heaven and earth.
“Disciple Yun Jinghe, today I appeal to the heavens above, inviting the True Lord of the Woman Star to bear witness. I hereby swear an oath to live in harmony with Shi Ying, to respect and cherish each other, and to grow old together.”
The True Lord of the Woman Star was the tenth of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, its ruling star being the Woman Star, which presided over matters of marriage.
Yun Jinghe tightly grasped Shi Ying’s hand, a faint blue light shimmering beneath her sleeve.
“Do I have to recite this too?” Shi Ying seemed somewhat troubled. “Can’t we skip this part? I want to move on to what comes next.”
Thinking there would be time later, Yun Jinghe didn’t press her.
Shi Ying eagerly pulled her up and headed straight for the bed.
Yun Jinghe wanted to say the order was wrong, but the words died on her lips. She didn’t want to constrain Shi Ying, nor did she wish to be the rigid, uninteresting one today.
Gazing at Shi Ying bathed in candlelight, her face tinged with an orange glow, Yun Jinghe cupped her cheek and leaned in closer.
Their lips met, awkward and unpracticed, yet tender. The tips of their noses brushed lightly as they lingered in the moment.
Yun Jinghe’s heart pounded as she kissed her, though a part of her still lingered on the unfinished vow. The wedding had been somewhat chaotic, but she had no mind to dwell on it now.
All her senses were focused on their joined lips.
“Can we take this off now?” Shi Ying’s voice had softened, her breath growing uneven.
Yun Jinghe followed her hand to her own neck and murmured an affirmative, eager to kiss her again.
When a cool sensation touched her chest, Yun Jinghe only felt a flicker of confusion before agony struck without warning, like a hammer’s brutal blow.
The icy dagger plunged into her heart, the pain lashing through her body like a whip, searing every nerve.
Warm, sticky blood seeped between her fingers as she clutched her chest.
Dazed, Yun Jinghe looked up, only for a mouthful of crimson blood to spill onto her scarlet wedding robes, indistinguishable from the fabric.
Shi Ying bit her lower lip as she watched, holding the necklace she had just removed from Yun Jinghe’s neck. “I think I got the wrong spot. So a human’s golden core isn’t in the same place as a demon’s.”
The spirit sword, which Shi Ying had insisted remain outside before the ceremony, now trembled violently, its blade humming as if sensing its master’s fury.
“I didn’t mean to make it hurt this much. Next time, I’ll aim better.” Shi Ying’s tone carried a hint of apologetic frustration, but her words were nakedly cruel.
“Why? why?” Each word Yun Jinghe spoke made the veins in her neck bulge.
The dull, throbbing pain in her chest wracked her entire body with tremors.
Just, why?