Mystic Master.
That was what the people of Earthstone City called him.
He looked to be in his thirties or forties, neither fat nor thin. Most of the time, he wore a plain robe, indistinguishable from any wandering martial artist drifting through the jianghu.
He helped people out but rarely charged for his services. He seemed quite well-off already, doing these things purely out of interest.
A man like that was bound to be popular.
“There are better pottery-making techniques…”
Earthstone City’s ceramics weren’t exactly gathering dust unsold. Still, compared to those from central Great Zhou Kingdom or the Imperial City, they were only middling at best.
Who wouldn’t want their hometown to gain fame far and wide? Who wouldn’t dream of their goods selling like hotcakes overseas?
Once Mystic Master brought it up, more and more people started paying attention.
But he never spilled everything at once. Instead, he drew them in slowly, bit by bit…
“He hypnotized the entire city,” Yin Luan said, “to make the pottery jars he needs?”
“And they’re not ordinary jars, either,” Du Xuan added.
No wonder the pieces they’d seen in the square differed from the samples brought back from Huai City. The key lay in that final step.
A living sacrifice.
Shoving people alive into the kiln and refining their dying resentment into the pottery.
Jars made this way, reinforced with talisman seals, could contain even rather powerful “evil entities.”
“That’s just too wicked!” Yin Luan said, a flash of anger in her voice.
The starved ghosts of Azure Mountain Village hadn’t truly meant to harm anyone, so she hadn’t been this upset. The living corpses of Huai City and the mountain bandits had it coming in a way, so she hadn’t been overly furious there either.
But the people of Earthstone City? They hadn’t committed any great wrongs.
To mesmerize them into committing such heaven-defying atrocities—what would they do when they woke and had to face what their own hands had wrought?
“I don’t know when I lost control of my body,” the old woman said in a low voice. “All I remember is… that feeling was worse than death itself…”
Thump, thump, thump.
Outside the inn, the once pitch-black Earthstone City lit up with countless torches.
The hypnotized townsfolk began scouring every corner of the city, hunting for “fuel.”
There were still so many things they didn’t understand—like just how strong Mystic Master truly was, or how they could even find her.
But right now, they needed to shatter this nightmare gripping the hearts of Earthstone City’s people.
Du Xuan couldn’t come up with any good ideas.
Waking an entire city would require a large-scale spell or some kind of ritual sacrifice—both far beyond her current abilities.
The ideal scenario was to slip out of Earthstone City for now and seek help from the authorities.
But who knew what the hypnotized masses might do in response?
What if that Mystic Master had planted a suggestion like “destroy all evidence if traces are exposed”?
Were they just supposed to abandon the city’s innocent folk?
“Mmm…”
Yin Luan stood and began pacing the room.
After a moment.
“I might be able to try something… with a song.”
“A song?” The Demon Subduing Division Lord sounded surprised.
“Songs have the power to guide emotions,” Yin Luan replied after a moment’s thought. “If I can lull them into true sleep, into actual dreams, won’t that break the hypnosis?”
Little Snake had given this a lot of careful thought before speaking.
These past few days, she’d stuck close to Du Xuan’s side, handing over the lead to the Demon Subduing Division Lord. Even during the Huai City living corpse incident, she’d only stepped up after her companion had fallen unconscious.
But this time, there was no hiding it anymore.
If she didn’t take back control, she’d either have to watch Earthstone City’s people suffer… or let the Division Lord fumble around blindly.
Neither option would solve the problem.
“You…” Du Xuan’s expression turned pensive. “You’re not from some ordinary family, are you?”
“Wow, you figured it out…”
Had she ever stopped to think how an ordinary girl could end up sharing a bed with her in the wilderness—or boldly tag along “sightseeing” the whole way?
“I wasn’t trying to hide it from you on purpose. My parents always told me: when you’re out in the world, only tell your true background to a man you can truly rely on…”
“Never mind. I’m not one to pry,” Du Xuan said, waving a hand at the aggrieved look on Little Snake Demon’s face. “I just have one question… You haven’t done anything truly wicked yourself, have you?”
“I’m a good girl from a respectable family! I’ve obeyed the rules since I was little! I swear to heaven!”
“Don’t get so worked up. I was just asking… Besides, what did that last line even mean? Am I not trustworthy enough?”
“Pffft, pffft, pffft——”
The Little Snake Demon puffed out her cheeks and looked away.
No, because you’re not a man!
~~~
Since Yin Luan had a plan, the Little Snake Demon took charge of the next steps.
To soothe the people of Earthstone City with her song, they first had to gather them—and Du Xuan was just the person for that job.
The meeting place was set for Pottery Plaza.
“There might be some chaos soon,” Yin Luan said to the Inn Proprietress as she wrapped herself in a thick cloak. “Make sure to lock the doors tight. If everything goes smoothly, the city should be back to normal by tomorrow.”
“Yes,” the old woman murmured, keeping her head bowed and stealing glances at the Snake Demon only from the corner of her eye. “My lady, I believe in you.”
“Oh?” Yin Luan smiled. “Why’s that?”
“Because…” The woman hesitated. “You don’t seem nervous in the slightest. You give off a completely different vibe from the other lord. It’s like… the statue we used to worship as children, brimming with inconceivable power.”
The old woman had lived through the events of thirty years ago, back when demons in the Great Zhou Kingdom had not yet faded into obscurity.
Yin Luan merely smiled in response, saying nothing.
She left the inn and wandered the streets alone under the veil of night.
The night sky in this world was truly beautiful—the moon shone brightly overhead, stars sparkled vividly, unfolding like a crystal-clear painting.
Of course, no place was without its flaws. The bizarre incidents plaguing the land lent an otherworldly tint to the scene.
The Little Snake Demon let her mind drift, lost in a daydream, as the jade pendant nestled against her chest glowed faintly.
She reached the plaza without running into any of those lost in nightmares along the way.
A short while later.
Clop clop, clop clop clop.
Du Xuan hurried over from another direction, a noisy clamor of footsteps echoing behind her.
“Your plan better work!” she panted, dodging this way and that, sweat pouring down her face. “Or you’re in for it from me!”
She had drawn the crowd.
The Little Snake Demon drew in a long breath, straightened her posture, then slowly let it out.
“La la la~”
Meaningless melodies began to spill from her lips.
“La la la la la la~”
Clear, bright, and gentle.
Like moonlight cascading from the heavens.
Her voice rippled outward like a drop of white ink falling into a pool of black water, circle after soothing circle, mending the wounds etched deep in everyone’s hearts…
