Back then, Yi Yezhi and Shui Zhinan were tormented by the poison afflicting their two children. Despite the efforts of the local lord to summon every physician, no cure could be found.
Someone well-traveled remarked that the poison undoubtedly originated from Miaojiang. The old lord immediately dispatched messengers to seek help from the Miaojiang people, but the journey was too long—the children had only days left to live.
As the children lay on the brink of death, an unknown sender delivered a wooden box containing a single pill, accompanied by a note:
"There is only one antidote. You may try splitting it between your two children, but its potency will be weakened, and neither may survive. Will you gamble? The choice is yours."
In the end, they gave the pill to their weaker, younger son.
Hope is human nature—they prayed their eldest could hold on a few more days, just long enough for the Miaojiang healers to arrive. But that very night, the eldest child stopped breathing.
Shui Zhinan was consumed by grief, kneeling beside the child’s body, blaming herself. Yi Yezhi stood silent, his own pain too deep to offer comfort.
They were revered as noble-hearted heroes, but in this moment, they were simply grieving parents, wishing they could trade places with their child.
After Shui Zhinan kept vigil over the body for a full day and night, teetering on the edge of collapse, Yi Yezhi steeled himself. He took the child’s body from her and buried it that same day in a fine coffin.
When Yi Moli regained enough strength to move, he tried pushing open the coffin lid—but it was sealed shut. Just as he thought he would suffocate, the lid lifted. Moonlight spilled in, revealing a black-clad figure standing motionless in the wind.
The man wore a Nuo mask, ghostly in the night. Watching the boy crawl from the grave, he chuckled. "Your parents cast you aside like trash. Do you resent them?"
Lifting eyes brimming with hatred, Yi Moli answered, "Yes."
So the masked man took him back to the Yi household.
With effortless ease, the stranger struck—Yi Yezhi and Shui Zhinan fell, heads severed. The infant in the cradle had already perished long before.
The man patted Yi Moli’s head and smiled. "Rare to have flesh and blood so close. This body can still be of use. Today, I’ll teach you the art of crafting a life-substitute puppet. Embed a part of yourself within it—as long as the bridge remains, and the puppet stands, you will not die."
"And so," Yi Moli said with a laugh, "he took me to the Eternal City of Yunhuang, taught me many things, and eventually let me replace him as the new lord."
Chu'he frowned, pulling Ninth aside. "The man he described sounds like the one Miss Zhao mentioned."
Ninth curled his lips. "Very much so."
Seeing Ninth’s smile, Chu'he felt an odd unease. He suspected something but chose not to voice it.
Shangguan Huanxi pressed, "Who is this man? Where is he?"
Yi Moli shook his head. "His whereabouts are a mystery. No one has seen his true face. I know nothing of his identity."
Shangguan Huanxi tried another approach. "Where is the Eternal City’s stronghold?"
"I’ve talked too much today, recalled too much. My head aches—I can’t remember." Yi Moli leaned against the wall, lazily smirking. "Why not ask me again tomorrow?"
Wenren Buxiao couldn’t hold back. "Huanxi, he’s clearly—"
Shangguan Huanxi raised a hand, silencing him. She met Yi Moli’s languid gaze. "Fine. I’ll return tomorrow."
Anyone could see Yi Moli was scheming—he wanted Shangguan Huanxi to visit him again. But as the only link to the mastermind, they had no choice but to indulge him.
As Shangguan Huanxi turned to leave, Yi Moli picked up a paper effigy. "Take this."
She glanced at it but made no move to accept.
Yi Moli added, "With this, you won’t have to worry about me escaping. Isn’t that better?"
Who in their right mind would willingly hand over such a lethal vulnerability?
Still, Shangguan Huanxi took the crude little doll. Then Yi Moli asked,
"If I truly repent… can I still have a second chance?"
Gone was his usual madness and venom—only fragile hope remained, like a child awaiting judgment.
Shangguan Huanxi answered slowly, "A second chance isn’t given. It’s earned. Repay every debt, atone for every sin. When that day comes, ask yourself if you deserve those words: ‘a new beginning.’"
She left without looking back.
Yi Moli’s eyes brightened as he watched her go. Once she vanished, he lay back down, shut his eyes, and hummed a disjointed little tune, lips curled in a smile.
With nothing more to learn, Wenren Buxiao left in frustration. Chu'he and Ninth followed him out, just as a physician arrived under guard—Miss Lin.
She bowed. "Lord Wenren."
He nodded. "The prisoner is vital. Do your best."
"I understand. I’ll spare no effort."
Miss Lin recognized Chu'he and smiled as they passed.
Chu'he barely had time to return the gesture before Ninth tugged him away.
When the cell door creaked open again and light footsteps approached, Yi Moli opened his eyes—only for his renewed vigor to drain away at the sight of Miss Lin.
After a long night, sleep finally called.
Ninth clung to Chu'he, following him into a room. He darted ahead, flopping onto the bed, already loosening his robes with a playful grin.
"Chu'he, let’s get skin-to—"
He turned—only to find Chu'he facedown on the bed, fully dressed and fast asleep.
Ninth’s fingers trailed down his half-open collar, the robe slipping off one pale shoulder, revealing a glimpse of rosy peaks beneath silver hair.
Pouting, he nudged Chu'he’s ankle under the blanket, jingling the chain’s tiny bell.
Chu'he cracked an eye open, irritable. "What?!"
"Chu'he, play with me."
"Go play by yourself. I’m sleeping."
Ninth's eyes sparkled mischievously as he leaned slightly forward, his movements delicate. A strand of silver-white hair brushed against his faintly flushed skin, making his toned and alluring chest appear even paler and more striking under the contrast.
"Won’t you play with me?"
Chu'he was utterly entranced by the overwhelming display of temptation before her. The moment her gaze met his rosy, bewitching eyes, she felt as though her soul had been ensnared. Even if he were a seductive spirit who fed on vitality, she would gladly offer herself up to him without hesitation.
"Fine, if A'He doesn’t want to play with me, then we won’t." His voice carried a lazy, husky edge as he suddenly spoke.
He lifted a hand to adjust the slipping outer robe, deliberately leaving it loosely draped, allowing glimpses of his tantalizing figure to peek through once more. "Since no one cares to look, I won’t show it anymore."
In an instant, the girl who had been lying limp like a salted fish suddenly pounced. Their positions flipped, and he found himself pinned beneath her.
Chu'he swallowed hard, completely intoxicated by his beauty. Her heart raced as she cupped his face and pressed her lips to his. "Ninth, let’s make a baby together."
Ninth twirled a lock of her dark hair around his finger, his voice soft and teasing. "A'He, aren’t you going to sleep?"
"Sleeping is nowhere near as important as sleeping with you."
Ninth didn’t quite understand, but his heart skipped a beat regardless. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, yet his gaze kept drifting back. "S-sleep with me?"
Chu'he nipped lightly at his lower lip, emboldened by their earlier exchanges. "I’ll teach you the real way to make a baby—skin to skin."
Real skin-to-skin contact?
Had there ever been a fake version?
His robes were already loose, and Chu'he’s hand slipped effortlessly beneath the fabric.
Ninth shivered. "A'He, why… why are you touching me?"
"You can touch me too, you know."
Still confused, Ninth mimicked her actions, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he slowly slid his hand into her collar, fingers brushing against the smooth fabric of her clothing.
It was the embroidered green bodice she wore, adorned with magpies.
His ears flushed crimson. "A'He, my body… feels strange."
Chu'he’s hand grew bolder, venturing lower. Her cheeks burned just as brightly. "That feeling like you need to pee? It’s normal."
Ninth tensed slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Then… is the stomach pain normal too?"
"Stomach pain?" Chu'he lifted her head.
Ninth nodded. "Stomach pain."
Suddenly realizing something, Chu'he turned away and peeked inside her clothes. Her expression fell.
Ninth sat up, pressing close behind her. He grabbed her hand and guided it back under his robe, murmuring in a clingy tone, "A'He, I can endure it. Let’s keep going."
Chu'he coldly withdrew her hand, her face ashen. "No."
"Why not?"
"My period just started!"
The young man looked utterly bewildered.
What on earth was a "period"?
