Yu Yang smiled shyly and stood up, saying, “I’m going to look for Chongtai Root.”
She went into the woods.
Not paying attention to what Xie Chi and Sikong Shi were discussing.
She found a snake den.
And located Chongtai Root nearby.
After gathering some, she also picked wild flowers. When she emerged from the woods, she saw Xie Chi putting away his fire starter while Sikong Shi leaned against a tree, looking half-dead.
Yu Yang walked to Su Yingqian’s side and placed the flowers before the tombstone.
Then she approached Sikong Shi, applying crushed Chongtai Root wrapped in cloth to his burned wound.
Seeing that Yu Yang had genuinely saved him, Sikong Shi said, “Young Lin, my thanks.”
Yu Yang stored the remaining Chongtai Root and replied, “You’re too polite, Young Master Sikong.”
She added, “I have conditions for saving you.”
Sikong Shi curled his lip, “Speak.”
Yu Yang looked toward Xie Chi.
Xie Chi smiled, “You saved him. State your conditions as you wish.”
Yu Yang nodded, “Regarding the ghosts Young Master Sikong finds next…”
“Impossible to give you all of them,” Sikong Shi interrupted. “I’m not bargaining with you. You did save my life, but had I died here today, Xie Chi would certainly face consequences, and your good brother kneeling at the tomb wouldn’t escape unscathed either. So consider your terms carefully.”
Yu Yang nodded.
“Then five. The first five belong to us.”
Sikong Shi: “Three. I rarely encounter even one.”
Yu Yang: “Seven.”
Sikong Shi said angrily, “Xie Chi, can’t you control your person? This is getting out of hand…”
“You’ll aggravate the snake venom if you keep getting angry,” Xie Chi said gently.
Sikong Shi immediately lowered his voice.
He looked at Yu Yang, pursed his lips, “Five.”
Yu Yang: “Six.”
Sikong Shi clenched his fist, took a deep breath, “Six, deal!”
Yu Yang stood up, “Deal.”
She added, “By the way, regarding your subordinate from yesterday – I saved his life too… Let’s discuss that when we return.”
Sikong Shi’s face flushed bright red. Already somewhat deranged from the snake venom, now further provoked by Yu Yang, his blood surged and he fainted, eyes rolling back.
Yu Yang checked his pulse, lifted his eyelids, and told Xie Chi, “He’ll be fine. A few days’ rest and he’ll recover.”
Xie Chi asked, “Do you dislike him?”
Yu Yang shook her head.
“Not exactly dislike. He’s just noisy.”
She summoned the shadow guard and placed the stored Chongtai Root on Sikong Shi.
“Take him back. Have someone brew this and give him a bowl.”
“Yes.”
Finally, peace returned to the gravesite.
Yu Yang stood under a tree, gazing toward Su Yingqian’s direction with a sigh.
She wasn’t good at comforting people.
Seeing her friend like this.
She felt somewhat at a loss.
Xie Chi said, “May I speak with him?”
Yu Yang looked at Xie Chi and nodded slightly, “Please feel free, Senior Brother.”
Xie Chi approached Su Yingqian.
Yu Yang didn’t know what Xie Chi and Su Yingqian discussed.
But after a while, Su Yingqian suddenly stood up and bowed to Xie Chi, then touched the tombstone before walking toward Yu Yang.
Su Yingqian smiled at Yu Yang, “A Yan, I’ve made you worry.”
Yu Yang said, “I don’t know how to comfort you, Brother Yingqian…”
Su Yingqian walked to Yu Yang’s side, gazing at the tomb bathed in sunlight, and said, “If not for the suicide note you delivered, I would have remained trapped in the abyss for the rest of my life.”
The autumn breeze brushed past, the autumn sun gentle, and all things in the world seemed tender and serene.
“I realized early on that it wasn’t A Yin. It was just me deceiving myself—unwilling to believe, afraid to believe. But after reading the suicide note, I understood that wanting to treat that ghost as A Yin was truly a disservice to my wife…”
Su Yingqian pressed his thin lips lightly together, looking toward the tombstone, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s go back. I owe you and the Shizi a meal—I must make it up to you.”
With that, he took the lead and headed down the path.
Yu Yang turned to Xie Chi and asked curiously, “What did you say to him, Senior Brother?”
Xie Chi replied, “I only told him that I could let him stay with his wife in Fuyang County for a lifetime. I also offered to give him this mountain, so that future generations would remember the love between him and his wife.”
Yu Yang frowned.
“That’s all?”
Xie Chi raised an eyebrow slightly, staring at Yu Yang as he said, “I also performed a divination for him, confirming that he would reunite with his wife in the next life. But he must cultivate virtue and perform good deeds so that in the next life, he and his wife can grow old together.”
Yu Yang: “…How did you perform the divination?”
Xie Chi pulled out a copper coin.
Yu Yang: “…Did he believe it?”
Xie Chi looked thoughtful.
“I suppose he did.”
Yu Yang felt as if all her words were stuck in her throat.
After a moment, she finally managed to say,
“Who taught you divination, Senior Brother?”
Xie Chi said, “I taught myself. Would you like me to teach you?”
Yu Yang silently turned and walked away.
Xie Chi followed behind, watching her retreating figure with a leisurely and relaxed look in his eyes.
It wasn’t that Yu Yang hadn’t noticed something odd about Xie Chi.
Xie Chi always appeared unhurried and refined, smiling at everyone he met—calm and casual.
For a master to be like this was naturally a good thing.
But she also felt that Xie Chi was like a solitary moon in a clear galaxy, gentle yet distant.
She shook her head indifferently.
Releasing over two hundred Transcendents into the country was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
According to the National Preceptor, following the Celestial Guard would lead to encounters with Transcendents. According to Sikong Shi, following Xie Chi made it even easier. Considering how Xie Chi randomly encountered Pei Chiye and how Xu Jiatong happened to appear right where Xie Chi was, she felt that Xie Chi indeed had the potential to “find a needle in a haystack.”
Thus, to her, Xie Chi was like a compass pointing toward Transcendents—not only beneficial but harmless—and she could even insert an “all things auspicious” reward into her Revolving Lantern.
Thinking this, Yu Yang stopped pondering over Xie Chi.
When the two returned home, Yu Yang went to catch up on sleep.
When she woke up again, she heard a clamor outside.
She stepped out of her room to look.
Sikong Shi was limping into the room, a smug smile on his face.
When he saw her,
Sikong Shi said, “Young Lin, I suppose we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”
Yu Yang frowned.
She walked over to Xie Chi, who was standing quietly under the corridor.
Xie Chi said gently, “Just now, news came from the palace: the ghost-hunting strategy has been revised. The four guards will now hunt ghosts together.”
He explained further, and Yu Yang understood.
Previously, the four Celestial Guards were assigned specific regions to search for ghosts.
However, Sikong Shi kept running toward Xie Chi’s direction, Lu Huaice also insisted on staying in the area where Xie Chi was, and it was said that the Nan Wei commander, Princess Huan Panyan, had also come to the southwest.
All four were members of the imperial family.
The emperor had no choice.
They changed their approach. The Li Dynasty was divided into four regions, each guarded by the Four Guards.
Yu Yang: “…So we’ll have to compete with them from now on?”
Xie Chi sighed and said, “It should mean more trouble.”
Though he said this, his expression remained calm. He even looked somewhat indifferent as he gazed at the flowers in the corner of the courtyard.
Yu Yang said, “This ghost-catching feels like child’s play.”
Xie Chi’s guard Xiang Ming angrily remarked, “If you ask me, Huangshang just doesn’t trust the Shizi to remain alone in the southwest. He’s afraid the Shizi will inspect various places and connect with officials everywhere. He’s guarding against the Shizi! Our Shizi is utterly loyal and would never entertain such thoughts!”
Xie Chi gave an “mm” of acknowledgment and looked at Xiang Ming.
“Occasionally, I do have such thoughts.”