Yu Ruoyin was merely a bystander. Nan He’s memories flowed through her like starlight dissolving into the sea, leaving not the slightest trace.
That was not her story, after all, so she could not hold onto it no matter how she tried.
Strangely, even after Lian Zhen withdrew her demonic power, the scenes of the girl interacting with Jiang Huaining remained crystal clear. Yu Ruoyin remembered the golden embroidery on the girl’s fluttering skirt hem and the pampering, gentle look in Jiang Huaining’s eyes.
Lian Zhen’s demonic power awakened memories, and since this one did not belong to Nan He, it could only be hers.
Had she known Jiang Huaining a very, very long time ago?
That might explain why Jiang Huaining treated her so well and why she used lies to keep her by her side.
But if they had known each other long ago, why had not Jiang Huaining said anything?
Yu Ruoyin did not remember, but Jiang Huaining surely did.
Yu Ruoyin zoned out, and Zhuang Ciyue gently shook her shoulder. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I am fine.”
There was no point in voicing uncertainties without answers.
Yu Ruoyin was neither Lu Qingzhen nor Zhuang Ciyue; she could not blurt out whatever was on her mind.
She was afraid—afraid of the secrets unspoken people might hide, and even more afraid that speaking up would shatter the current peace.
Yu Ruoyin never denied that she was a coward.
Zhuang Ciyue saw her still sitting rigidly in the chair and grew worried. “Are you really okay?”
“Yes.” Yu Ruoyin suppressed her tangled thoughts. Her fingers curled slightly until her fingertips pressed into her palm, regaining a sense of security. She exhaled softly and turned her gaze to Lian Zhen. “Senior Lian Zhen, thank you.”
Lian Zhen’s condition looked poor; she seemed to have aged a decade in an instant, with fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes.
Yet her eyes were more spirited now, no longer weary as before. “You do not need to thank me. We each got what we wanted. As long as you do not forget what you promised me, I should be the one thanking you.”
Yu Ruoyin fell briefly silent. Her clenched fist trembled faintly—that was the stir of her heart.
After agonizing for a long while, she still asked Lian Zhen, “Is that person so important to you?”
“Very important.” Lian Zhen placed both palms on the table, pressing down palm-up with such force that she nearly crushed the surface. “I must find her. The Four Spirits Shop must help me find her. That is what you promised—do not go back on it, and do not slack off!”
“You fox…”
Zhuang Ciyue disliked Lian Zhen’s attitude and wanted to argue with her.
Yu Ruoyin grabbed her arm and shook her head at her.
Once Zhuang Ciyue stopped talking, Yu Ruoyin continued. “You two have been apart a long time, have you not? Have you considered that she might have forgotten you?”
Lian Zhen struggled to accept the realistic question. “I still must find her—alive, I want to see the person; dead, I want to see her soul! Even if she forgot, she must remember for me. I will not let her go. I will not—absolutely not!”
Her eyes turned peach-colored again, this time even deeper, thick like paint overflowing at any moment.
Her neat teeth suddenly pushed out two sharp animal fangs, long and menacing.
Yu Ruoyin’s heart skipped a beat. She stood from the chair and subtly increased the distance between them.
The quiet Nan He reacted too. “You… you scared her.”
Nan He stood and blocked in front of Yu Ruoyin.
“…” Lian Zhen flicked her sleeve, and all the oil lamps in the shop extinguished, leaving only the oldest one on her table flickering. The weak spark did not even fully illuminate her face; the darkness hid her mocking smile. “How could the Four Spirits Shop have someone like you?”
The oil lamp on the table swayed, and the last wisp of flame was swallowed by the darkness.
In the pitch-black shop, she could see nothing and could only hear Lian Zhen’s voice. “I have done what I promised you. You can leave now. In a few days, I will go to the Four Spirits Shop for my reward.”
It was too dark; she could not even tell which way to go.
Yu Ruoyin lost her bearings, and Nan He extended her hand. “I can see.”
She grabbed Nan He’s sleeve and let Nan He lead them out of Purple Phoenix Hall.
There was no light outside Purple Phoenix Hall either. The bustling Ghost Market had only a few lanterns still lit.
Sporadic firelight outlined the desolation, and a yin wind blew straight at them. Yu Ruoyin shivered from the cold.
She rubbed her arms and unconsciously gripped the red jade fruit.
The shops in the Ghost Market had long closed their doors, and the stalls had vanished.
Besides them, no one else was in sight.
“It is over!” Zhuang Ciyue removed her robe hood and frantically took off her mask. “We were so focused on helping Nan He recover her memories that we lost track of time. Has the Ghost Market closed?”
Zhuang Ciyue crushed the mask forcefully; it turned into a puff of black mist and vanished in her palm, but her body showed no change.
“Ah! It really closed!” Zhuang Ciyue panicked and grabbed Yu Ruoyin. “Xiao Yu, what do we do? We cannot get out!”
Yu Ruoyin also removed the hood from her black robe and touched the cold mask on her face. Unexpectedly calm in this mishap, she said, “Then… we wait for the Ghost Market to open again.”
Zhuang Ciyue pulled a long face. “Xiao Yu, the Ghost Market connects to the Netherworld. After it closes, the souls that cannot reincarnate will appear. Most are incomplete souls tainted with evil energy—very dangerous. We have to stay here a whole day. I do not have a bone brush, we…”
“I… I can protect you.”
Nan He stepped forward half a pace. Pink mist spread from her body, mixed with fine golden light forming Sanskrit characters that created a protective barrier around them. The profound chants even quieted Zhuang Ciyue. She looked at Nan He in surprise. “You really are like Xia Yu said… You would not actually have the power to disperse Lu the Yin Official, would you?”
Nan He waved her hands nervously. “I… I would not do that.”
“You…” Yu Ruoyin felt Nan He’s speech had changed a bit.
Nan He pinched her palm and said softly, “I just undid the spirit contract.”
Yu Ruoyin observed Nan He discreetly. Nan He was also an extremely powerful spirit, but she had no habit of looking down on others and always spoke gently.
Though many years had passed and her consciousness had been lost for much of that time in the long ages, her personality seemed unchanged—still shy, still passive.
Perhaps because three generations of the Gou family had raised Nan He like a child, her age was not young, but her mind had developed slowly, and her personality lacked independence.
Yu Ruoyin wanted to recall more details to analyze Nan He’s interactions with the Gou family members, but all she could muster were a few vague figures.
She was just a spectator; few memories stuck.
Yu Ruoyin circled back to her original goal. “Nan He, do you have any wishes now?”
“Nan Chun, find Nan Chun.”
“Which one?”
Nan He faltered at the question; her once-certain answer blurred.
She looked at Yu Ruoyin at a loss, as if expecting Yu Ruoyin to give her the answer.
Nan He’s dependence on others was too strong, so when her memories faded and consciousness blurred, she split off a ‘big sister’ shell to protect herself.
“I… find Nan Chun.”
As expected, after Yu Ruoyin’s long silence, Nan He could not come up with the right answer on her own.
“Nan Chun…” With Nan He’s protective barrier up, Yu Ruoyin was not as cold, but she still clutched the red jade fruit tightly.
She felt Nan He’s dependence was too heavy, but had she not grown dependent on others herself?
Holding the red jade fruit felt… just like its owner was by her side.
Yu Ruoyin’s thoughts grew chaotic. Eager to steer everything back on track, she asked, “Nan He, whose soul consciousness was accompanying you?”
“A’Chun.” Nan He’s expression turned bitter. She gestured randomly at her chest. “A’Chun said to be happy, but I… I am not happy at all.”
“Because you forgot them?”
“Yes.”
“Why did not you undo the spirit contract back then?”
Nan He’s expression grew even more dejected and helpless. “I could not bear to… If I undid the spirit contract, it felt like I would have no connection left to the Gou family—neither Nan Chun, nor A’Chun, nor… Sorry for causing you trouble.”
While they talked, Zhuang Ciyue had circled the barrier several times.
Zhuang Ciyue studied the Sanskrit on the barrier seriously, rubbing her chin with eyes full of admiration. “A spirit touched by Buddhist energy is strong. Otherwise, why not be my guardian spirit? Then I would…”
“Nan Chun, find Nan Chun.” Nan He took Zhuang Ciyue’s joking words seriously and shook her head like a rattle-drum. “I want to find Nan Chun.”
“Hey, I know!” Zhuang Ciyue grumbled. “I was just kidding. Did not that Lu Yin Official return to the Netherworld to help you find Gou Nanchun’s reincarnation? Wait for us to meet her, and we will know where to find Gou Nanchun. Do not worry too much. The one who should worry is me—I am trapped in the Ghost Market. If Great-Aunt wakes up, she will worry, and if it reaches my mom, she will nag me again. So annoying!”
After complaining, she suddenly asked, “Xiao Yu, are you not worried about Boss Jiang?”
“Auntie Ning, Ning…” Yu Ruoyin bit her lip hard, nearly drawing blood before forcing out, “She should still be sleeping. She said she needed to rest for a few days.”
“What if she wakes up midway? She will worry if she does not see you. Though you have not known each other long, your feelings probably are not that deep yet. Right! You still have not told me—how exactly did you two meet? How did you fall in love? How did she become your wife? How far have you gone? Kissed? Slept together? Who tops?”
Zhuang Ciyue’s barrage stunned not only Yu Ruoyin but also Nan He beside her, who fidgeted with her clothes hem helplessly. “You… you…”
Nan He struggled but could not chime in. Yu Ruoyin touched the red jade fruit and pulled out the bread she had put in before entering the Ghost Market, handing it to Zhuang Ciyue. “Yue-jie, are you hungry?”
“Ah! Starving!”
Zhuang Ciyue was a living person and could not easily ignore hunger. At Yu Ruoyin’s reminder, her stomach promptly growled.
She snatched the bread and stuffed it into her mouth, asking between bites, “Are you not hungry?”
Yu Ruoyin rarely felt intense hunger anymore; she was not. But to avoid Zhuang Ciyue noticing her oddity, she took out another piece, unwrapped it, and took a bite. “Hungry.”
“Xiao Yu has good taste in snacks. This bread is pretty good.”
Zhuang Ciyue’s praise rang in her ears, but Yu Ruoyin was a bit distracted.
She did not reply, and Zhuang Ciyue could not stand the silence. “Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu!”
Yu Ruoyin snapped back and realized she had not responded. Before Zhuang Ciyue could press her, she steered the conversation elsewhere. “Yue-jie, Senior Lian Zhen is half-human half-demon. Is her demon bloodline fox?”
“Yeah, did you not see her tail?” Zhuang Ciyue mumbled around her bread. “And once she uses demonic power, that foxy scent is impossible to hide.”
That was how she was—her attention scattered quickly.
Yu Ruoyin breathed a sigh of relief and followed up. “Why could not I smell it?”
Zhuang Ciyue fell unusually silent, but Yu Ruoyin realized it herself. “Yue-jie, sorry, that was a dumb question. It would be weird if I could smell it before even entering the path.”
Zhuang Ciyue swallowed her bread and circled Yu Ruoyin once, asking solemnly, “Xiao Yu, do you not think you overthink things too much?”
