Though it was a fierce ghost and should have been utterly vicious, the child merely struggled lightly. When she was dragged before the three of them, she even seemed a bit at a loss, unsure what to do.
Her appearance could no longer be called human. Her entire face was covered in red bloodshot veins, while her skin was deathly pale. Her eyes were pitch black voids, devoid of whites or visible pupils—just endless abyssal darkness.
Moreover, there were two layers of chains wrapped around her body. One layer had been created by Xun Ruosu to track her down; it was extremely fragile, dispersing and reforming with the slightest struggle. The other layer bound the child tightly, resembling a birdcage from a distance, with her imprisoned inside as punishment.
This look made it impossible to tell if she was a boy or a girl. The child’s external features were ambiguous—her hair only reached below her ears—and she had a somewhat foolish expression. She tilted her head, cautiously eyeing the three adults. She couldn’t even speak properly.
“If I remember correctly, you’re Huang Xiaoran, a little girl who just turned eight this year.” Xun Ruosu had dealt with her before. Back then, the girl hadn’t been this wretched and had managed to convey her basic information.
Huang Xiaoran nodded slowly.
During their first encounter, Huang Xiaoran had been a fairly clever child, nothing like the dullness she displayed now. Her reactions were always a beat behind. No matter what Xun Ruosu said, she had to ponder for a moment before nodding or shaking her head.
Xun Ruosu asked again, “I gave you a business card once, dotted with cinnabar. It was supposed to lead you to someone who could solve your problem. Did you follow it?”
It took her another long pause. Huang Xiaoran stared wide-eyed for a good while before finally nodding.
Xun Ruosu pressed on. “So, were you caught by someone along the way?”
This time, Huang Xiaoran reacted differently. She was terrified—clinging to Xun Ruosu’s leg and hiding behind her, trembling for a long moment before managing to squeeze out two halting words. “No… it wasn’t.”
Even those two words came out disconnected, with long gaps between them, sounding like heavy gasps.
Xun Ruosu and Xue Tong exchanged a glance.
The business card in Huang Xiaoran’s hand had belonged to the Zhong Family Head—Xun Ruosu’s great-uncle Zhong Cangyun. Once dotted with cinnabar by Xun Ruosu, it acted like a guiding talisman, leading the child straight to the Zhong Family compound. Even if she ran into minor demons or spirits along the way, the card would keep her safe.
Since she hadn’t been intercepted midway, that meant she’d arrived safely at the Zhong Family… Ghosts could drift swiftly, passing through obstacles without detours and traveling in straight lines. Though Zhong Cangyun lived in the neighboring city, Huang Xiaoran should have reached him in half a day after parting from Xun Ruosu.
She’d entered the Zhong Family—found Zhong Cangyun—but the Earth Binding Spell remained unbroken. Instead, she’d turned into a fierce ghost?
“Does the Zhong Family have some issue?” Xue Tong asked Jiang Changting.
“In theory, no,” Jiang Changting shook his head. “Over these years, the entire Zhong Clan, including the branch families, has been diligent and proper, with no violations. Zhong Cangyun is a good family head—compassionate, if anything—but he’s not soft-eared. Any mercy he shows stays within the rules.”
“For you to praise him like that, he must have his merits. So how do you explain this child?” Xue Tong’s voice was icy. “She went to the Zhong Family, saw the world, and decided to turn herself into a vessel so she could become a fierce ghost who does no real harm?”
“…”
That would indeed be deranged.
Dawn was breaking, but the raging fire and billowing smoke blocked every ray of sunlight. The world remained shrouded in gray haze. Still, the blaze seemed under control now; though it still burned, a few more hours should extinguish it completely.
“I’ll leave things here to you all. I just want the mastermind behind this and the child to face fair judgment.” Jiang Changting was mouthing words of washing his hands of it when Xue Tong suddenly grabbed him by the throat, nearly toppling him. “Xue Tong!”
Even with his impeccable composure, Jiang Changting was ready to get up and fight back.
“Forgive me.” Xue Tong stared at him expressionlessly.
Half-seated amid the ashes, Jiang Changting sighed. “Fine, I forgive you… The rules the Heavenly Dao imposed on you are numerous and troublesome. Also, next time you want to make a move, warn me first. You’re stuck with just this one big brother—no replacements if you kill me.”
Driving Xue Tong here had been a favor. Repaying evil with kindness was another. Now, Jiang Changting had asked her to handle two tasks, accruing two favors from her… Back at Soaring Firmament Temple, Yuan Jie had guarded her meditation hall for years to earn the chance to exorcise Xiao Yue. It worked the same way.
Before this, Xun Ruosu had known Xue Tong couldn’t accept favors from others. If unavoidable, she had to repay them proactively. As her half-body, Xun Ruosu could stand in for her, but since Xun Ruosu existed outside the rules, any favors owed to her didn’t count toward Xue Tong. Repaying them was purely a matter of personal conscience.
Only now did Xun Ruosu realize how stringent this rule was—practically like a marked-price transaction.
“Right,” Jiang Changting said as he brushed the ash from his pants and stood. “I have something to give you.”
He was addressing Xun Ruosu, though he hadn’t settled on how to refer to her yet, leaving it vague.
Before Xun Ruosu could respond, he pulled out an item and pressed it into her palm. She looked down and saw it was a golden lotus lantern, similar to the Soul-Guiding Lamp but much smaller—about the size of a fingernail—and strung on a red rope, perfect as a pendant.
Jiang Changting smiled. “But technically, it’s already yours. I’m just returning it, not really giving… I’m off for real now. If you need help with anything, Xue Tong knows how to reach me.”
“I’ll go say hello and make sure you get investigation rights.”
Jiang Changting’s hurried arrival seemed aimed at fleshing out Xue Tong’s tasks: deal with the fierce ghost girl before them, uncover the mastermind, and deliver this pendant.
Xun Ruosu dangled the pendant by its red string, watching it sway. She saw nothing special about it and even asked Xue Tong, “Is this made of glass? Want me to test by dropping it?”
“Since it’s yours now, you have full rights to do whatever,” Xue Tong replied, arms crossed, watching the show.
Deep down, she felt an indescribable emotion—not quite jealousy or sourness, more like a subtle loss, though not exactly that either.
There were secrets between Jiang Changting and Xun Ruosu, ones that surely involved her, yet both were deliberately hiding them. With Xun Ruosu still in the cycle of reincarnation, even if she was recovering memories, they would be fragmented. Asking her wouldn’t yield answers. As for Jiang Changting…
If Xue Tong could pry even a scrap of info from him, she wouldn’t have needed the Xun Family ancestors’ efforts just to muster the courage to spend time with Xun Ruosu day and night.
Xue Tong had never been timid before, but Xun Ruosu was her kryptonite. Advancing felt daunting, retreating felt cowardly too. She’d even grown used to playing the turtle, hiding in her shell.
“Let’s find a spot to protect this child first,” Xun Ruosu said, pocketing the pendant and interrupting Xue Tong’s brooding on her “turtledom.” “As a fierce ghost, she could draw heavenly lightning at any moment. She’s our only lead right now, and you promised Jiang Changting you’d send her into reincarnation…”
Xun Ruosu hesitated, then added, “But can a fierce ghost even enter reincarnation?”
“In theory, no. Fierce ghosts harm too many; soul dissipation is the least they deserve. But this child’s case is different—she hasn’t truly hurt anyone, just shouldered the crimes. As long as the First Hall doesn’t convict her on that count during judgment, she can reincarnate.” Xue Tong held up two fingers. “Right now, I need to exorcise her sins. After the verdict, I exorcise her soul. Two steps.”
“That’s pretty involved.”
As Xun Ruosu spoke, she scanned the distance.
Dawn had barely lightened the sky, but because of the massive fire, every occupied house had its lights on. From the car crash onward, the neighbors probably hadn’t slept soundly all night. Only one dilapidated old house stood pitch-black in the morning light. Xun Ruosu eyed it through the smoke, thinking, “Xue Tong might complain, but this place is perfect for safeguarding Xiao Ran.”
Xue Tong read the intent on her face and glanced over too. Before she could finish appraising it, Xun Ruosu had already acted, dragging the little girl toward the old house.
“…”
Xue Tong had no choice but to follow.
Old houses by the farmland were typically single-story brick builds, modest in size. In Clear Canal County, even self-built homes resembled small villas, complete with courtyards and stylish designs. This one was clearly abandoned: weeds stood half a meter tall before the door, moss and spiderwebs creeping between the bricks.
The door itself was a sham. Its metal hinges had rusted halfway off, creaking ominously with the lightest push. Inside, an ancient wooden latch remained, softened by the south’s humid rains—riddled with bugs, mushrooms, and wood ear fungus.
Still, the house had walls and a roof undisturbed by anyone. Its small space was easy to secure. Even better, there was a discarded stool and a long table inside, upon which sat a dust-caked statue of Lord Guan.
Xue Tong strode over first and draped a tissue over Lord Guan’s head. “Different businesses—mutual respect.”
“…” How has this woman not been struck by retribution yet? Xun Ruosu was full of question marks.
Huang Xiaoran was actually quite brave, just painfully shy—unlike Yan Qing, whose courage couldn’t squeeze past a kidney stone. So as Xun Ruosu and Xue Tong led her along the field edge, with wandering ghosts eyeing her hungrily the whole way, she never asked a thing, just clutched Xun Ruosu’s clothes tightly.
Now, she was placed in the center of the room. Xun Ruosu gathered some discarded bricks from outside—half-buried in weeds, mossy and cracked into halves or thirds.
She arranged them into a circular enclosure. Xiao Ran stood inside with just enough room to move slightly, but not much. Even so, she showed complete dependence and trust in Xun Ruosu, obeying every instruction without question.
Xun Ruosu sprinkled cinnabar over the ring of bricks and mixed in blood. As for Xue Tong—she’d been tinkering outside the whole time, returning with a cut fingertip.
