It was still that dim room. Little Zhang’s boyfriend had already woken up, and the two of them were huddled together.
Liu Changsheng pushed open the door and was greeted by this very scene.
Little Zhang jumped to her feet when she saw the door open. She let out a sigh of relief upon spotting Liu Changsheng. “Senior.”
Liu Changsheng nodded, then helped carry Wu Yizhi’s corpse inside.
“Lin Qing, move that bed out of the way.”
“Got it.”
Lin Qing propped the still-unconscious Jiang Yi against the wall in the corner before shifting the small wooden bed.
With the bed moved aside, Liu Changsheng lit all the candles protruding from its surface. The little flames licked harmlessly at the air, far from reaching the talisman papers on the walls—Wu Yizhi had arranged everything meticulously.
A faint glow now filled the room, revealing the state beneath the bedboards.
A layer of dark brown stains coated the floorboards underneath, mingled with dried blood and charred remnants of talisman paper. The whole mess gave off a putrid, decaying stench.
“Put him on it.”
“Huh?”
Lin Qing hesitated, at a loss. Put who on that? Could anyone even lie down there?
Song Qian glanced sideways and prompted him. “Wu Yizhi.”
“Oh, right.”
Wu Yizhi was tall but skinny, and thus not too heavy. As Lin Qing bent to slip his arms beneath the body, Yun Chu lifted its legs from the other side.
Lin Qing froze for a moment but ultimately said nothing.
Yun Chu had ended up like this—they’d probably need to ask Senior Liu about it.
“This is the Ghost Refining Array he prepared for himself. Everyone out.”
No one dared linger in the room after Liu Changsheng’s command. She locked the door and slapped a sealing talisman across it.
“Seven days from now, it’ll be done.”
“Master, didn’t you destroy the array…?” Song Qian frowned in confusion. She’d heard it clearly—Master had wrecked the formation in this room, sending Wu Yizhi into a furious rage.
“I tricked him.” Liu Changsheng lowered her gaze to the prayer beads coiled around her wrist. She unwound them silently and began turning them over in her hand.
“He hasn’t seen your eyes yet… Hmm?” Her attention shifted to Song Qian’s face. She paused, startled by those dark, glistening eyes.
Liu Changsheng reached out and pinched Song Qian’s pointed chin, drawing her close with narrowed eyes.
These eyes… when had they healed?
Ji Wuxin scurried over with eager steps, her gaze locked on Liu Changsheng’s hand. “What’s up?”
Liu Changsheng shot her a glance before letting go. “Didn’t you notice her eyes?”
Ji Wuxin whipped her head toward Song Qian. The rabbit-red eyes were nowhere to be seen.
“Eh?”
“You’ve been with her this whole time and didn’t notice?”
Ji Wuxin racked her brain, replaying recent events. The black eyes had first appeared…
After Song Sensen was taken away!
“I remember now!”
Everyone turned to Ji Wuxin, waiting for her to elaborate.
Once she shared her theory, a heavy silence fell over the group.
“Maybe someone kidnapped Song Sensen to purge the ghost qi from her eyes.”
That didn’t add up, even with a bit of logic! Did good deeds require leaving someone covered in wounds?
Liu Changsheng got no answers. She glanced around idly, only to halt abruptly on one figure.
Qi Buyu had been quiet as a mouse since they returned, head bowed in thought.
Her expression seemed colder now, tinged with irritation.
What was she upset about?
Amid the silence, the neglected Jiang Yi groaned from the floor. He lifted his head and rubbed it groggily.
Lin Qing was right there. Seeing him stir, he crouched down and laid a hand on his forehead.
Then gave it a shake.
“Scram—”
Jiang Yi was too weak to land a proper hit; his swat at Lin Qing’s hand was limp and feeble.
Lin Qing sighed and hauled him to his feet.
“Spill it. Why’d you show up alone all of a sudden? And where’d you run off to just now?”
Jiang Yi scowled. He could hear Lin Qing’s words, but they jumbled in his foggy mind.
“What?”
Ji Wuxin stood beside Song Qian. She let out a light chuckle and remarked without mercy, “Another dimwit.”
“Another?” Song Qian latched onto the word.
Ji Wuxin opened her mouth, then averted her eyes.
She said nothing more.
“It’s getting late. Everyone rest up. Rooms are short, so make do.”
“The rest can wait until tomorrow.”
Liu Changsheng pressed a fingertip to her throbbing temple.
Yun Chu clutched the Liuli Lantern and peered at the stone table in the courtyard, pointing to it. “I’ll take that spot.”
Little Zhang needed to tend to her boyfriend, so they shared a room. Of the remaining two, Lin Qing and Jiang Yi took one. Song Qian, Liu Changsheng, and the other two squeezed into the last.
Four to a room was cramped. Liu Changsheng settled at the table inside, sitting primly with her eyes closed to meditate. She had no intention of vying for the bed.
Qi Buyu remained lost in her own head. Spotting Liu Changsheng at the table, she scooted over and plopped down beside her out of habit.
Song Qian hovered awkwardly by the table. “Master, you’re worn out too. Take the bed—I’m young, I can handle dozing at the table.”
Liu Changsheng opened her eyes slowly. Bloodshot veins marred that stark black-and-white gaze. She gave Song Qian a wry half-smile. “Calling me old, are you?”
She’d only just turned thirty. Old?
“No, no, that’s not it at all!” Song Qian itched to slap her own mouth.
“Enough. Get some sleep. And don’t bump that wrist.”
Ji Wuxin fussed over Song Qian, nodding vigorously. “Right, right. Your hand only just stopped bleeding—keep it safe.”
Blushing, Song Qian half-protested as she climbed into bed. Truth be told, she felt awkward taking it, figuring sleep would evade her for hours. But her head had barely touched the pillow before oblivion claimed her. Ji Wuxin’s trailing words echoed faintly in her ears.
“Be careful sleeping… don’t thrash around…”
Ji Wuxin stared at the lightly snoring figure on the bed, blinking in surprise. That quick?
She glanced back at Liu Changsheng, who fixed her with probing eyes.
“What’re you staring at?”
Liu Changsheng tapped the table rhythmically with one hand.
“Yun Chu’s ghost qi is pretty potent. So you’ve been playacting frailty the whole time?”
She could handle evil ghosts but not a hack celestial master like Lin Changhe?
Ji Wuxin bristled and glared. “You daoists are all alike—never jumping into the fray yourselves. Always hiding behind talismans and gadgets I’ve never even laid eyes on!”
Liu Changsheng drawled an “Oh,” stretching the syllable long.
Lack of education, then. In short, Ji Wuxin had her ghost-busting tricks, but against a celestial master with artifacts? Useless.
She’d have to teach the little disciple some basics later—and tutor Ji Wuxin too, for good measure. Just in case.
“Got a question for you.” Liu Changsheng propped her head on one arm, eyeing her with keen interest.
“Shoot.”
“Where were you before linking up with the little disciple? Who kept you company?” Liu Changsheng had picked up a few things during their time together. Jade spirits weren’t supposed to stray from their spirit nurturers like this—it was a first for her.
Ji Wuxin’s heart lurched. Why ask that?
If she found out about the pack of big ghosts and little ones she’d run with, would this maniac try to bag them all?
Pervert!
Ji Wuxin shot her a furious glare before burrowing into the jade, leaving Liu Changsheng baffled as to her offense.
What was with that look, like she’d spotted a mortal enemy?
Liu Changsheng shook her head and let it go. She massaged her brow, about to rest her head on the table, when she caught Qi Buyu staring fixedly.
“Something wrong?”
Qi Buyu cocked her head, then lunged forward and planted a kiss on her lips.
“!!!”
Liu Changsheng’s eyes flew wide. She shot to her feet, toppling the stool with a clatter. A quick glance confirmed Song Qian still slept soundly. Whirling back, fury blazed in her eyes.
“What the hell was that!?”
She yanked up her sleeve and scrubbed her mouth furiously.
Qi Buyu’s gaze dropped, her hand clutching her chest in evident heartbreak. Actual tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at Liu Changsheng.
“You hate me that much?”
Liu Changsheng faltered. She was the one who’d been kissed—why the waterworks?
“Liu Changsheng, we’re both girls. What’s the big deal with a kiss?”
Liu Changsheng wasn’t a stranger to women loving women. Hell, she had two right here, flaunting their clueless affection daily. But after the Wu Yizhi mess, she recoiled even more from matters of the heart.
Liking someone was a liability. She couldn’t dictate others’ folly, but she’d be damned if she indulged in it herself.
Qi Buyu had always finagled ways to get close before. Liu Changsheng had chalked it up to timidity. Now it looked like…
She’d been lusting after her body.
“Girls… we shouldn’t be so intimate.” With those words, Liu Changsheng opened the door and walked out.
Qi Buyu watched the door shut once more, the corner of her mouth twitching. This woman really was dense as a brick. No wonder Ming Wenjun’s hints—blatant and subtle alike—had fallen on deaf ears all these years.
She raised a hand to touch her lower lip, a sly glint flashing in her eyes.
Pulling out her phone, Qi Buyu found the familiar black avatar.
Her fingers flew across the screen: Your junior sister’s lips are so sweet.
Unsure if that was enough, she added: Have you ever kissed her?
The signal here was abysmal. Qi Buyu stared at the spinning loading circle for several long minutes before the message finally sent. Sure enough, a question mark popped up from the other side the next instant, followed by a barrage of incoming calls.
Qi Buyu turned off her phone with smug satisfaction. She eyed the stools in the room, lined them up in a row, and stretched out atop them.
Bliss.
Meanwhile, Ming Wenjun lay on the bed, her body covered in wounds. Staring at those two messages in the chat window, she was so furious she nearly spat up blood.
Damn that Qi Buyu!
