"Not a chance, buddy."
A lazy, infuriating voice drifted from the bronze platform. "You didn’t see that giant spider? Why not go fight it instead of hurting yourself?"
Yue Wugou’s grief-stricken expression stiffened slightly.
He glanced down and saw a fair-faced young man tilting his chin up, eyebrows raised in mocking defiance.
Yue Wugou nodded. "Understood."
With a swift leap, he descended, carefully laying Yue Ranchen’s body aside before turning back to the battle.
The Spider Demon Enchantress, surrounded and battered, let out earth-shaking shrieks as the entire Yin Mansion trembled on the verge of collapse.
Black blood cascaded from above, splattering the dim structures below in thick, viscous stains.
Cultivators were flung back one after another, coughing blood as they crashed through corridors and pavilions.
Luo Luo, unable to contribute to such a high-level fight, rushed to the side chamber. She gathered her little junior sister’s cold body and fled through the shattered formation.
Luo Luo handed the girl over to her two senior brothers.
The eldest brother’s fingers trembled as he checked her pulse, then shut his eyes in anguish.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Luo, for bringing her back."
He had finally understood his junior sister’s feelings—but now, she would never hear his answer.
The second brother wiped his face roughly with his palm.
"Move aside, move aside."
A figure suddenly vaulted over the railing—a boy of thirteen or fourteen, fair-skinned and red-lipped, with a vaguely familiar air.
Luo Luo glanced at him, then at the girl in the eldest brother’s arms.
The resemblance was uncanny.
"Feng Baiyan," the boy introduced himself. "I’m Jiang Ling’s brother."
He crouched beside her, his eyes swirling with flecks of starlight as he scanned her chest.
"Whew," he muttered in relief. "Her life-star was almost snuffed out!"
The two brothers exchanged bewildered looks.
Feng Baiyan swiftly pulled out a translucent, star-glowing pill from his qiankun pouch and slipped it into her mouth, channeling energy to dissolve it.
"Done. Whether she wakes up is up to fate. If she dies, I’ll lose half my life when I go back anyway." He sighed dramatically at the sky.
The eldest brother hesitated. "Our junior sister never mentioned having an older brother."
And the age difference didn’t add up.
Feng Baiyan waved a hand. "My mother ran away while pregnant with her. No word for years—drove the old man bald with worry. Finally got a lead, so he sent me to check."
He studied Luo Luo, blinking in surprise.
"You’re an interesting one."
Luo Luo: "?"
"Seeing her beyond saving, no relation to you, yet you stuffed her full of pills and poured your own spiritual energy into her." He tilted his head. "You must be broke."
Luo Luo scowled. "Why insult me out of nowhere?"
Feng Baiyan shrugged. "With habits like yours, no wonder you’re poor!"
Luo Luo: "..."
"But starting today, you’ll never be poor again." He sighed. "If not for you, my sister would’ve died. Whether she pulls through or not, the old man owes you. Name anything in this world—he’ll get it for you."
The second brother ventured cautiously, "May I ask… who your father is?"
"Feng Guanhai."
Luo Luo showed no recognition, but the brothers gasped in unison.
Feng Baiyan clearly practiced the Stellar Rebirth Sect’s techniques—and within that sect, who else would dare bear that name?
The second brother pointed hesitantly skyward. "You mean… that Guanhai?"
Feng Baiyan smirked. "Mhm."
Observer of Mortal Seas, Stellar Seas, Heavenly Seas—the Stellar Rebirth Sect’s Dao Lord, Patriarch Guanhai, Feng Guanhai.
The eldest brother’s reddened eyes blazed with sudden hope. "Then she’ll live?"
Feng Baiyan waved dismissively. "No guarantees. The pill’s in her. If she wakes, she wakes. If not, even immortals can’t help."
Yin Mansion.
The Spider Demon Enchantress, critically wounded, spewed a fog of venomous mist, shrouding the entire structure.
Illusions flooded everyone’s vision—swarms of crimson spiders, endless and suffocating.
Under this cover, the Enchantress shed her massive form, shrinking to fist-size as she fled down a silken thread into the depths.
By the time the cultivators dispelled the illusions, she was gone.
Master Lingxue frowned, darting toward the bronze platform.
Flecks of ghostly blue light were rising from Yue Ranchen’s corpse.
His meridians had always been leaky, and in death, the traces of spiritual energy clinging to them dissipated entirely.
The others gathered around the body.
"True Breath," murmured the Stellar Rebirth Sect’s leader. "The True Breath of the ancient Three Sovereigns’ Tianyin Sovereign. So this is why the Sealed God Hall collapsed."
With the True Breath stolen, the hall’s fall was inevitable.
True Lord Pangyue sucked in a sharp breath. "This is huge. Surely he couldn’t have done it alone? His cultivation was weaker than a Foundation Builder’s..."
He trailed off, realization dawning.
His brows twitched as he turned to his eldest son.
Yue Wugou landed unsteadily on the platform, clutching his wounded chest.
"You transferred spiritual energy to your brother?" True Lord Pangyue demanded angrily.
Yue Wugou steadied himself, frowning slightly. "Not for a long time. After Chunhong’s death, he stopped asking."
His jaw tightened. "I thought he was sparing me grief. Now I see it was guilt."
"You—" True Lord Pangyue seethed. "Are you naive or just stupid?"
Yue Wugou looked startled. "Father?"
"He didn’t need your energy because he was sustaining himself!"
He seized Yue Wugou’s wrist, sending a furious pulse of energy to probe his meridians.
A moment later, he released him, muttering in disbelief, "It’s true. My own son… killed his sister-in-law, drove his stepmother to despair, stole ancient True Breath, betrayed his brother—is there any evil he wouldn’t dare?"
Yue Wugou’s lips parted soundlessly.
True Lord Pangyue roared, "He used your body to siphon the True Breath, refined it, and fed it to himself! Your meridians are nearly ruined!"
The crowd stared at Yue Ranchen’s corpse.
To squander such a treasure patching his own worthless meridians—what waste!
Master Lingxue’s voice was icy. "The culprit is dead, but the Heavenly Dao Sect bears responsibility. You will make full reparations—any objections?"
True Lord Pangyue sighed. "None. None."
If only he could resurrect his youngest son just to kill him ten times over.
Yue Wugou bowed. "I will exhaust every means to set this right. If I fail, I offer my life in atonement."
The elders sighed—but beneath their solemnity flickered faint relief.
Without the immense burden of Yue Ranchen, the young sect leader’s path forward would surely be much smoother now.
Luo Luo bid farewell to Feng Baiyan and the others, pondering where to wait for Li Zhaoye, when suddenly he leaped down from the rooftop beside the covered walkway.
"Come on, come on! I’ve got something good to show you!" He pulled her mysteriously into a secluded spot.
With a flick of his sleeve, he gestured for her to peer inside.
Luo Luo, completely unsuspecting, leaned in close.
"Ah—!"
The fine hairs on her head stood on end as she instinctively summoned her sword, Qiu Shui, aiming to stab his sleeve.
"Hey, hey!" He caught her wrist swiftly. "What are you doing?!"
Luo Luo shuddered. "A spider!"
Even though she knew it was an illusion, the memory of those spiders burrowing into her junior sister’s body had left a deep scar on her mind.
Now, seeing a spider crawling in his sleeve, she couldn’t help but panic.
"Keep it down!" He pressed a hand to her head and raised an eyebrow. "Look closer. It’s the Phantom Maiden."
Luo Luo blinked. "Huh?"
Smugly, he explained that while everyone else had been fooled by the illusions, he alone had kept his eyes on the Phantom Maiden’s true form as it shed its shell. He’d chased it to the base of a tree and successfully claimed it.
After a moment of astonishment, Luo Luo cautiously leaned in again for another look.
Sure enough, the creature was tightly bound by sealing threads, hidden within his sleeve.
Having shed its monstrous form, it now lay weak and vulnerable, like a newborn.
Luo Luo asked, "Aren’t we killing it?"
"Not yet," he said. "Its abilities could be useful."
Luo Luo nodded. "Right!"
He tucked his sleeve away and held out a hand. "Give me some healing pills."
Luo Luo froze. "..."
He clicked his tongue impatiently. "What’s with the hesitation? Fat Zhao gave them to me—my relative’s funeral expenses!"
Luo Luo hesitated. "Well... there’s bad news and good news. Which do you want first?"
His grin faded. "Both."
Luo Luo winced. "The bad news is... we’re out of pills. The good news is... we might get more in the future."
He stared at her blankly for a long moment.
Then he turned away, muttering under his breath, "This is why you shouldn’t let women handle money. Not only is it gone, but they even dangle false hope in front of you."
Luo Luo: "..."
He had always been like this—grumbling every time, yet still tossing whatever treasures he found her way.
Luo Luo whispered, "What do we do now? We don’t have pills, but we’ve got spirit stones. We could buy some."
"By the time you fetch them, my wounds will have healed on their own." He tilted his head. "Come on, let’s go crack open a coffin."
Two hundred li southeast of the Jianmu tree.
A procession from the Qingjian Sect carried a coffin along the dusty road.
"That mother-in-law of his was just an ordinary cultivator. What would she know about demonic sacrifices?" The fair-faced youth adjusted his face covering. "Let’s move."
The junior disciples of Qingjian Sect were no match for him. In moments, they were all knocked unconscious and tossed to the roadside.
Luo Luo stepped forward, delivering an extra chop to each neck to ensure they stayed down.
The Phantom Maiden’s secret couldn’t risk getting out.
"Crreeeak—"
Working in perfect sync, the two pried open the coffin lid with practiced ease.
Inside lay a slab of cold jade, its icy mist preserving the corpse within.
Luo Luo looked down at the woman’s sickly face. On closer inspection, her features did resemble the spider-woman’s.
She nodded, signaling him to release the Phantom Maiden.
Holding the sealing threads like a fishing line, he lowered the creature into the coffin.
Forced into submission, the Phantom Maiden reluctantly spat out a black thread of silk, which wavered before piercing the corpse’s forehead.
Last time, it had been Yue Ranchen convulsing under its assault.
Now, the tables had turned.
A dead brain must not have been very appetizing—the Phantom Maiden’s eight legs spasmed violently as white foam bubbled from its mouth.
Moments later, it scrambled out of the coffin in a frenzy, spewing forth fragmented illusions of memory.
The mother-in-law’s name was Lin Qingshu. Frail and ill, she had come to Jianmu to see Yue Wugou.
The steward relayed her request, but instead of Yue Wugou, it was Yue Ranchen who arrived.
Luo Luo studied this "Yue Ranchen," an uncanny unease creeping over her.
He entered the chamber and sat across from Lin Qingshu, gesturing for her attendants to leave.
"I know why you’re here," Yue Ranchen said bluntly, eyes downcast. "With your strength, killing Yue Wugou is impossible."
Lin Qingshu clenched her fists. "How dare you accuse me?"
Yue Ranchen smiled faintly. "Let me be frank—the dagger and poison you’ve hidden were spotted by the enforcers the moment you arrived. You’ll never get close to him."
Lin Qingshu coughed violently.
"But if it’s answers you seek, I can give them to you now." His gaze grew distant, voice flat. "Ji Chunhong... Yue Wugou did kill her."
Lin Qingshu’s eyes widened, fixed unblinkingly on him.
She held her breath, afraid to miss a single word.
Her cheeks flushed with feverish intensity.
Yue Ranchen continued softly, "He suspected Ji Chunhong of being involved with that senior disciple who delivered gifts. In a rage, he killed her and framed him."
Lin Qingshu nearly choked. "I was the one who sent Yu to deliver those things! I killed Chunhong, I killed Yu—it’s my fault they’re both dead!"
Yue Ranchen consoled her. "You can’t blame yourself."
Lin Qingshu seized his hand. "If you know the truth, won’t you testify? Clear their names!"
Yue Ranchen shook his head regretfully. "You know I’m powerless here. My voice carries no more weight than yours."
Lin Qingshu slumped.
"But there is a way." Yue Ranchen’s temple twitched as he spoke, voice hoarse. "Offer what little life you have left to the Phantom Maiden. Beg it to reveal the truth to the world. If you’re unafraid of death... you could try."
Lin Qingshu, beyond questioning, clutched at him desperately. "I came here ready to die! Cough— Tell me! Tell me how!"
Yue Ranchen rose, producing a slip of paper from his sleeve. "It’s all written here. The choice is yours."
With that, he left gracefully.
Luo Luo’s furrowed brows suddenly relaxed in realization. "That wasn’t Yue Ranchen—it was Yue Wugou!"
Everything—his mannerisms, his tone—was Yue Wugou’s, not Yue Ranchen’s.
The fair-faced youth nodded leisurely. "Mhm."
Luo Luo pressed a hand to her forehead, holding up the other. "Wait, let me think this through."
The implications were horrifying.
Not only could Yue Ranchen possess Yue Wugou’s body—Yue Wugou could also take over Yue Ranchen’s, and he had kept it utterly secret. Yue Ranchen had never known.
If that was the case... while the younger brother used his elder’s powerful body to commit atrocities, what had the elder—trapped in that feeble shell—been thinking?
Luo Luo gasped. "So when Yue Ranchen killed Ji Chunhong... Yue Wugou saw everything!"
At that moment, Yue Ranchen’s body (with Yue Wugou’s soul inside) was sprawled over the top of the wall.
"Why didn’t he save her?" Luo Luo couldn’t understand.
"He’s afraid," the pretty-faced man said with disdain. "He’s afraid that if Yue Ranchen finds out this was an exchange, he’d go all out and destroy him inside this useless body."
Luo Luo suddenly realized, "Oh, right!"
Doing that might let him permanently take over her brother’s body.
Would Yue Ranchen take such a desperate risk?
He absolutely would!
A chill ran down Luo Luo’s spine. "So Yue Wugou watched his wife get hurt without making a sound."
The pretty-faced man scoffed, "If he made a sound, he’d die anyway."
The corner of his lips curled into a mocking smile. "He’s been scheming for years, deliberately spoiling Yue Ranchen into that kind of person, just so he could pin the blame on her at a critical moment."
Like stealing the Heavenly Yin essence.
He didn’t even need to defend himself—the blame was already firmly planted on Yue Ranchen.
Dead men tell no tales.
"Yue Wugou used his mother-in-law’s sacrifice to the demons to ‘reveal the truth to the world,’ gaining the essence while also getting rid of Yue Ranchen." Luo Luo gasped. "This man’s heart is filthy!"
If it were her and Li Zhaoye, they’d never think of such a sinister plan… Wait, Li Zhaoye had thought of it.
Because he had, he followed the clues in reverse, smoothly uncovering the truth.
Since when had he learned to assume the worst in people?
Probably from the last lesson his master taught him.
Luo Luo’s chest felt heavy.
By the roadside, a burly Qingjian Sect disciple groaned as he slowly regained consciousness.
"Retreat!"
The pretty-faced man grabbed Luo Luo, and they fled like a pair of startled hares.
Back in the courtyard, the pretty-faced man leisurely sat down across from Luo Luo.
"Why do you look like a wilted eggplant?" He frowned, displeased. "What, disappointed that Yue Wugou turned out to be such a scoundrel?"
Luo Luo shot back, "You already know what I’m thinking, don’t you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Tsk."
She really was becoming less and less afraid of him as her divine lord.
He asked, "What about the soul blood?"
Luo Luo murmured, "There’s a connection."
"Oh?" His interest piqued, and he beckoned her. "Come, give me some. Let me feel it too."
Luo Luo: "…"
Impatient, he grabbed her hand before she could react, biting down with sharp canine teeth to draw blood.
Luo Luo hissed in pain.
Holding her hand like a brush, he copied her earlier gesture, smearing the blood onto his left wrist.
After a long pause, he lifted his listless eyes to glare at her. "Liar. No connection."
Luo Luo: "…You don’t have a Heartbond Pact. How would you feel anything?"
She pulled up her sleeve, showing him the mark on her wrist.
"Oh." He nodded in understanding. "Go break yours with him, then make one with me. Then I’ll feel it."
Luo Luo: "…"
That sounded right, but also… not quite right.
