He didn’t need to guess who it was. Before he could finish speaking, an icy burst of sword-qi shot straight towards him. More accurately, straight towards Ye Lang.
Realising he’d been exposed, Ye Lang didn’t linger. His figure vanished on the spot, leaving only a drifting voice behind.
“If you regret it, come find me in Wuhui City anytime.”
The sword-qi skimmed past Ye Lang with a sharp thud, slamming into a nearby pillar. A crack split straight down the middle, and the entire pillar was cleaved clean in half.
Lin Shijin dodged at once. Though the falling rubble didn’t hit him, he was still badly startled. The pillar toppled over with a heavy crash, and the clash of blades could be heard from outside.
The golden seal on his wrist faded. It seemed the intruder had fled far away.
Sheng Rufei’s figure materialised. Meeting his shixiong’s gaze, Lin Shijin felt a small rush of relief.
“Shixiong, when did you get here? How did he manage to slip into the manor so silently…?” Lin Shijin said anxiously. “How did he get in so easily? I knew he wasn’t an ordinary disciple.”
He wondered whether the scourge-slayers he’d sent out could catch up.
“He even said this city was about to fall…”
He had said quite a lot before realising Sheng Rufei hadn’t responded at all. Following his gaze, he saw Sheng Rufei looking down slightly, lost in thought.
“Shixiong?” he called again.
Sheng Rufei had returned late. The moment he entered, he had sensed something amiss. The scourge-slayers within the manor seemed dazed and vacant. They were originally people from within the boundary, yet control lay somewhere outside it.
There was only one explanation: someone inside the realm had seized control of the secret realm’s mechanisms.
Aside from that, what lingered in his mind were the youth’s earlier words.
“So many scourge-slayers here. If you’re caught, you’re finished… Are you worried about me? If you are, why not come away with me?”
Sheng Rufei drew back from his thoughts. He heard Lin Shijin’s question and, after a brief pause, said, “Wuhui City belongs to the demonic path… Among all the disciples of Fuguang, the only one currently in Wuhui City is Xue Ning, the one who escaped the Forbidden Mountain.”
Lin Shijin didn’t react at first. After a moment of blankness, understanding struck him belatedly, and a faintly horrified guess surfaced.
“Ye Lang… Ye Lang is Xue Ning?”
Sheng Rufei didn’t give a direct answer. He was only suspicious, but he said coolly, “Xue Ning was once the sect leader’s chief disciple. He and Su Lian grew up together from childhood.”
“When we return, I will report everything to the sect leader.”
If it really was Xue Ning, Su Lian would certainly be punished. Expulsion from the sect wouldn’t be unlikely.
The thought of Xue Ning’s face replacing Ye Lang’s made Lin Shijin’s scalp tingle. He had spent so many days with him… if he really was Xue Ning…
A cold sweat crept up his back. But it did explain things. Xue Ning, as Fuguang’s chief disciple, was no weakling. His strength far surpassed ordinary disciples.
No wonder the sect leader nearly spat blood when he heard Xue Ning had defected to Wuhui City.
“He even told you… to go with him?” Sheng Rufei paused mid-sentence, his voice turning distinctly colder. “Your relationship isn’t quite what I imagined.”
His gaze shifted to the table beside them. It held various snacks Xue Ning had brought: sugar figurines, candied walnuts, and even a red rattle drum.
Lin Shijin’s eyelid twitched. Snacks were one thing… but why bring a rattle drum? Xue Ning truly wasn’t right in the head.
Hearing Sheng Rufei’s tone, he remembered Sheng Rufei had been standing outside earlier. Who knew how much he’d overheard? Perhaps there was a misunderstanding.
Surely it wasn’t that bad?
“I said that on purpose. There’s nothing between us. He was threatening me earlier.”
What mattered to Lin Shijin more was that Xue Ning had defected again.
“Shixiong, if he really is Xue Ning, then we can’t hand him over to the sect leader, right?”
Sheng Rufei gave a soft hum. “He won’t be let off so easily.”
While Lin Shijin was still puzzling over what that meant, Sheng Rufei stepped forward and clasped his wrist. The golden seal dispersed, reformed briefly, then faded completely.
“Shixiong, you dispelled the golden curse?”
“It’s the chain being returned to Xue Ning.”
…
Outside the city.
Several scourge-slayers pursued Xue Ning. Cloaked in a black hooded robe, he used teleportation to evade them.
Suddenly a flash of golden light streaked towards him. His footsteps faltered. An instant later, a solid black collar appeared around his neck, densely inscribed with binding runes.
The moment it tightened, the runes contracted. Xue Ning’s expression flickered, the markings crawled across his skin, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
…
“Shixiong, what’s the situation at the city lord’s manor?” Lin Shijin felt reassured but still uneasy. It was too easy for things to go wrong.
He then remembered that in the original novel, Xue Ning had also appeared in Yixiu City… and had even drugged Sheng Rufei.
Even though the plot had drifted off course, Xue Ning had still appeared here. As for the drugging… Lin Shijin recalled the tea Xue Ning had given him.
Could that have been the infamous strongest drug? A digestive-aid sleep tonic?
Lin Shijin couldn’t quite figure it out and tossed the thought aside. “Shixiong, if you ever run into Xue Ning again, stay far away from him.”
Xue Ning had always been obsessed with Sheng Rufei. Even if Sheng Rufei retaliated, Xue Ning would only retaliate worse.
In the original novel, he was described with one word: sturdy. Meaning hard to kill.
“We’re not allowed into the city lord’s manor. The city lord refuses to see anyone,” Sheng Rufei said, giving him a brief glance but ignoring his warning.
“The immortal sect disciples are all under house arrest. They’ll be leaving soon. You still have one chance to choose.”
Then he added, “It isn’t too late to send your letter to the sect.”
“My identity’s already exposed. Doesn’t that mean the mission failed?”
“Whether it failed or not, the elders will judge that once we’re out,” said Sheng Rufei. “In your team, Xue Ning disguised himself and fled, Su Lian is missing, and only you remain.”
“If you don’t hand the letter to the immortal sect before they leave, the chance will be gone.”
Lin Shijin still hadn’t read the letter. He felt torn. Everything in Yixiu City stank of hidden agendas.
The letter was meant for the side of justice, but which side was just? The city lord? The Scourge-Slayer Envoys? The immortal sect? The demons?
“I don’t know who I should give it to…”
He nodded, then hesitated before asking, “Shixiong, can I give it to you instead?”
“Or… can you tell me whether you’re on the righteous side?”
Sheng Rufei lowered his eyes slightly. His cool gaze held a faint, unreadable emotion. He had already taken out the letter.
The wax seal remained untouched.
Even without opening it, he roughly knew what it contained.
He pushed the letter back. His fingers brushed Lin Shijin’s and it was warm to the touch.
“Whether it’s the side of justice or not… you have to sense it for yourself.”
“Shixiong treats me so well, so of course I think you’re the righteous one,” Lin Shijin muttered. Since Sheng Rufei refused it, he stuffed the letter away again, planning to open it later if he really couldn’t decide.
But Sheng Rufei, as if reading his mind, said, “It’ll be a blank sheet to you. Only when it’s given to the right person will the words appear.”
Lin Shijin quietly abandoned the idea. “Oh… Shixiong, are you still going to the altar tonight?”
Tonight was the last day of the Ghost Exorcism Festival… the most important day. The city would offer sacrifices to the Ghost King to pray for a peaceful new year.
Normally, the appearance of the demon race at the altar should have cancelled the event. But over seventy per cent of retainers opposed, and the city lord insisted on proceeding. Thus the nightly procession would continue as usual.
“I’m going,” Sheng Rufei said. “You may come along.”
“After what happened yesterday…” Lin Shijin still felt something was off, though he couldn’t say what.
“Will people really come out?”
“The city lord’s word is law. No one will disobey.”
“Will you stay here, or come with me?”
Lin Shijin liked lively places. “I’ll go with Shixiong.”
Sheng Rufei gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement, looked at him for a long moment, then left.
Someone would come to fetch him in the evening. Lin Shijin felt oddly excited. Leaning against the table, he continued to inspect his reflection…until he belatedly noticed…
All the snacks, sugar figurines, and the rattle drum were gone. He hadn’t touched them. So Sheng Rufei had taken them?
He felt a twinge of regret. Sheng Rufei didn’t seem pleased earlier. Which was more important… snacks or Shixiong?
Obviously the snacks!
But since Xue Ning had bought them, he wasn’t too bothered. If Sheng Rufei had taken them, so be it. He could always pester Shixiong to buy more later.
Swinging his legs, Lin Shijin peered into the mirror. He’d seen this face all his life; nothing new there.
He propped his head on his hand. The reflection mirrored him. People said that if he were just a bit smarter, his face would be stunning.
Could someone really look better simply by becoming cleverer?
He tugged at his cheeks. His rabbit ears perked up. As he stared…
The reflection… changed.
The same features, but the eyes slanted slightly upwards, the profile sharp and elegant, the expression cool, the gaze distant and icy. A moon-white robe with gold-edged sleeves. Ink-dark lashes. A cold, aloof air that made him seem utterly untouchable.
Lin Shijin froze. His rabbit ears shot upright.
The person in the mirror looked like him… but was not him.
He stumbled back in fright. The chair screeched against the floor. Behind him, the fallen pillar was hauled away by two scourge-slayers.
When he looked again, the reflection had returned to normal.
He exhaled in relief, rabbit ears drooping… just as a cold voice brushed his ear.
“Idiot.”
