Chapter 14: Blazing Fire Burns the Melody (Part 3): She Beats and Scolds Me Every Day! Part 2

That was the item that would help the Female Protagonist open her Wu Gan qi apertures.

So Mu Qian Tan would follow the normal plot until the demon was slain. But at the critical moment of taking the demon core, she could make some small maneuvers to ensure the item meant for the Female Protagonist ended up in her hands.

To pull that off, her eyes would need to “go blind” strategically at the key moment, blocking Li Biyuan’s view.

Simply closing her eyes definitely wouldn’t work. No one was a fool; if she subconsciously opened them, she’d be exposed immediately. And during that special plot time that wasn’t nighttime or bath time, no other excuses would hold up either. So using medicine was the most suitable option.

Amid the great fire, with thick black smoke billowing, even an immortal getting accidentally bumped and temporarily blinded was perfectly normal. Who could imagine she had deliberately taken medicine to blind herself?

She silently memorized the names of those few apothecaries in her mind. She found a piece of blue gauze to cover the lower half of her face and ran to three shops in a row before finally finding what she wanted in an apothecary hidden deep in an alley.

“It’s a snake venom. It takes effect in three seconds, the toxicity isn’t strong, and it does no harm to the body. You’ll recover quickly even without the antidote. Still, I recommend buying it together—it’s on discount.”

She paid the shopkeeper and took a small porcelain bottle inlaid with a copper snake.

As she put it away, she noticed a bag of unopened sweet pastries on the counter and bought that too.

When she came out of the apothecary, she looked around and turned into a filthy, sewage-filled alley.

She found a clean spot and stood there. She opened the sweet pastry wrapping, broke off half, and scattered it on the ground along with the fine crumbs, then patiently waited.

After about half a tea’s worth of time, there were rustling sounds from the base of the wall. A long-tailed black rat twitched its whiskers, its beady black eyes gleaming as it crawled out from the darkness.

Its nose twitched as it followed the enticing aroma forward, its steps light and movements cautious.

Mu Qian Tan lifted her skirt with one hand. As the black rat passed in front of her, she expressionlessly raised her foot and stomped down right on its fat, wriggling tail.

Caught in the sudden change, the rat struggled and shrieked violently, trying to escape, but an invisible blue force pinned it to the ground, rendering it immobile.

Mu Qian Tan still held her skirt. With her other hand, she used her thumb knuckle to pop open the snake venom bottle’s stopper, dripped some solution into the rat’s mouth, then silently counted to three before lifting her toe.

The rat rolled a few times and fled in panic, but it seemed to have lost its sense of direction. It slammed into the walls several times, knocking over odds and ends with a clatter. This made it even more frantic. As it circled around, it even ran right back in front of Mu Qian Tan.

She stomped on it again. This time, she dripped some antidote into it. Three seconds later, she let it go. The rat turned its head to look around before swiftly vanishing into the shadows like spilled oil.

It seemed this medicine had no issues.

Mu Qian Tan put the medicine away and glanced at where the rat had disappeared, standing silently for a moment.

Actually, the original host’s body already had its qi apertures nearly opened. She was far from needing some crappy demon core for anything. But if this succeeded, it would prove the plan was feasible, and the female protagonist’s fate could be replicated this way.

She could feel the warmth of the snake venom bottle through her pocket. Amid the ashen ruins, sparks gradually rose with the wild wind. Mu Qian Tan let out a long sigh and glanced at the sky.

It was still early, so she decided to make another trip to the Prosperous Joy Workshop to familiarize herself with the layout.

Meanwhile, Shang Shan followed the address from earlier that day, asked for Qin He’s exact room, and knocked on the door. Soon, it opened, revealing the very girl who had treated her to mung bean cake.

“Qin He!”

The first thing that caught her eye was the demon ghost mask. Seeing it in the dead of night would startle anyone. But Qin He already knew who was underneath, so she wasn’t alarmed or surprised. She opened the door wider. “Come in.”

Shang Shan entered. It was a single room, small enough to take in at a glance, and the other two weren’t there. She turned around. “Do you each get your own room?”

Qin He poured her a cup of tea. “Yes, that’s the standard.”

Shang Shan took the tea and removed her mask, pouting. “Lucky.”

Seeing her like that, Qin He chuckled lightly. “Why haven’t you rested?”

Shang Shan mumbled without getting straight to the point. Instead, she was drawn to the stack of papers on the table. “What’s this?”

Qin He explained, “They’re drawings of the wounds on the victims. I want to compare them to figure out what kind of weapon caused them.”

If she hadn’t said so, it would have been impossible to tell they were wounds. They just looked like random, messy lines with no pattern, impossible to link to any weapon.

Shang Shan couldn’t make sense of them. She looked at the girl, who was neatly dressed just as she’d been when they parted. Shang Shan scratched her head and glanced back—the bedding on the bed was still neatly folded, untouched. She said, “This is tough. You’re still working on the case so late. Don’t you need rest?”

Qin He’s gaze shifted downward, and she gave a wry smile. “It’s not…”

She simply couldn’t sleep because of the agitation from facing off against Yao’e Immortal earlier. But she didn’t say it.

“Let me help. Consider it payback for the mung bean cake,” Shang Shan swung her legs and grinned. “I don’t know weapons or have spiritual power, but I’m good at fighting, and I have some little tricks. I can definitely help.”

Qin He was infected by her energy and chuckled lightly. “No need. It shouldn’t be any powerful demon. You don’t know weapons? Your master didn’t teach you?”

“It’s fine. The Cat Official is supposed to handle cases. If I say I’ll help, I will.” Shang Shan waved her hand grandly, then nodded emphatically in defiance. “Of course she didn’t teach me. She doesn’t teach anything.”

Thinking of Yao’e Immortal’s demeanor, not teaching or beating was already pretty good. Qin He’s expression grew complicated, but it melted like ice and snow when she looked at Shang Shan. “Then let me teach you how to identify them.”

“Sure!”

In another part of the same city, Mu Qian Tan was heading to the Prosperous Joy Workshop.

Long before Prosperous Joy City became a city, the Prosperous Joy Workshop had existed. Though the small troupe that traveled everywhere performing for money was poor, their song and dance shows were hugely popular with the common folk. The performers always gave their all, even for sparse crowds, undeterred by wind or rain.

Good fortune comes to those who prepare. One year, the emperor visited in disguise and saw their show. He praised them lavishly, saying they outshone even the imperial troupe. From then on, the Prosperous Joy Workshop soared, raking in wealth.

Itinerant performances weren’t sustainable long-term, so the troupe leader settled in a village, turning it into a fixed venue. After more than a decade of growth, it expanded greatly and even started the annual Prosperous Joy Banquet, drawing crowds of visitors. The village gradually became a city, prosperous as it was now.

She didn’t need directions to find the workshop. At the city’s heart, they’d dug out a small island, filled the surroundings with water, and planted elegant aquatic flora. On the island stood the Prosperous Joy Workshop’s towering five-story building, currently closed to visitors for Prosperous Joy Banquet preparations.

Moonlight only outlined the building’s intricate silhouette in black. Lanterns hung outside, but all were extinguished. From afar, the entire workshop resembled a massive beast crouching asleep in the darkness.

Armored guards stood watch before the gates—likely the city lord’s troops temporarily reassigned to protect the workshop. The official word was that rehearsals barred entry, but really, it was to guard against the recent scandal of a demon wreaking havoc inside. Protection, and a warning to the interior.

Mu Qian Tan stood in the tree shadows, peering across the river at the guards on the island. After a moment’s thought, she pressed two fingers to the back of her neck, retreated a few steps behind a tree.

In the stifling early morning air, mosquitoes swarmed the riverbank. One guard, irritated by his sweat-soaked undershirt chafing under his armor, suddenly spotted a flash of pure white approaching the river. Focusing, he saw it was an immortal crane twice the height of a man, elegantly descending.

In the Immortal Realm’s spirit beast world, cranes were absolute nobility. Spotting such an extraordinary one meant an immortal was nearby. He shouted loudly, calling others over. Two teams instantly clustered by the river, trying to locate the crane’s master.

At the same time, Mu Qian Tan casually formed a narrow sheet of solid ice on the river surface, crossed it, circled to the rear, scaled the wall, and entered the workshop.

She passed through the silent, empty rear courtyard and kitchen area. Amid a patch of unrelenting cold air, she finally heard some other activity.

Following the noise, she reached the stage area—likely just after rehearsal, with several old mammies cleaning the stage and seating.

To reach the song girls’ quarters, she’d have to pass through here.

Mu Qian Tan looked around. At the corner of the welcoming corridor, she spotted a clay statue holding a pipa. She took down the clay pipa, wrapped it in her outer robe, adjusted her face veil, and strode directly into the brightly lit stage area.

The old mammies scrubbing the floor on their knees looked up in confusion. Seeing what seemed to be a pipa in her arms, they exchanged glances and bowed to her. Only after she left did they mutter softly.

“Which song girl is that? Never seen her before.”

“No idea. Don’t ask, don’t pry. Careful not to anger her.”

“Got it, got it.”

After passing the stage hall, Mu Qian Tan tossed the clay pipa aside, shrugged her outer robe back on, and glanced back. The pipa demon that would set the Prosperous Joy Workshop ablaze during the banquet would perform here—and was probably resting now.

She memorized her route, then headed for the song girls’ quarters to see what that pipa looked like. But before she took a few steps, she heard familiar voices from around the corner ahead.

“Coming so late, will we disturb others?”

“The Prosperous Joy Banquet is in two days. We can’t let more people get hurt, so any lead needs immediate checking. Time is tight; every second counts.”

Mu Qian Tan looked up at the rafters, tapped the ground lightly with her foot, and floated up gracefully, hiding in a blind spot.

Two figures emerged side by side from the corner—Qin He and Shang Shan.

This brain-damaged dragon really went to find her. But Mu Qian Tan hadn’t expected Qin He to still be investigating late at night. The bed-crashing plan had fizzled; she’d dragged her out wandering instead.

Several guards trailed behind them. Shang Shan said, “I get it. You’re right.”

Seeing her frown, Qin He stopped and smiled. “Tired? You didn’t have to come. Go rest. I can handle this alone.”

Shang Shan stifled a yawn that hadn’t quite formed and halted too, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle. “Not tired. I’m worried about you going alone, and I said it was payback for the mung bean cake.”

Qin He said, “No need to keep such a trifle in mind.”

Shang Shan put her hands on her hips, blew her bangs out of her face, and huffed. “It’s exactly because it’s a trifle, a sesame-seed-sized nothing. That stinky flopping moth won’t even help me. So annoying.”

Mu Qian Tan: “…..” Her hands itched.

Qin He’s smile faded a bit. She lowered her gaze and only lifted it after a long moment. “If I may be so bold, why did you take her as your master?”

Even setting aside personal grudges, the woman had a notorious reputation. No normal person would choose her.

Shang Shan said, “I didn’t choose her. She forced me!”

Qin He asked dubiously, “That happened?”

“Yeah! She tied me up and forced me to take her as master!” Shang Shan spilled it all in a grumble. “She said she’d treat me well and teach me. I got dizzy in the moment and fell for it. Guess what? Now she beats and scolds me every day, starves me, deprives me of drink, won’t let me sleep properly. See? She kicked me out, that’s why I came to you.”

Knowing she was bad, but not this kind of bad. Qin He gripped her sword hilt, coldly furious. “Outrageous.”

Shang Shan sighed. “If I could run, I would have ages ago. Cultivation is cultivation, no matter with who. But I can’t beat her and can’t leave the sect, so I’m stuck like this for now.”

Obvious anger crept onto Qin He’s face, flushing her cheeks. She pondered briefly, then asked seriously, “Shan, I’ll ask you three things. Answer honestly.”

Shang Shan said, “Okay.”

Qin He asked, “First: Do you know why Yao’e wants you as a disciple? Second: Has she said anything strange to you? Third: Has she used you to do anything?”