Chapter 15

In a song hall in Taiping City.

Last night, a group of fashionable young men had a banquet and casual conversation, finishing only by the hour of Chen (around 7 AM).

The incense in the Boshan furnace had long since cooled, and the sun had risen above the curtain hooks. The drunken aristocratic young masters were sprawled across the couches, completely unconscious. Next to a white porcelain vase with a few hibiscus flowers, a pipa player, with delicate features, was still plucking the strings and softly humming.

In the soft, melodious tune, a pair of blue and red paired birds circled for a while before landing in the arms of the young man leaning against the railing, with a lingering scent of alcohol.

“This pair of birds sent from Jilan Peak is not bad.”

The paired birds had sharp claws, and one of them caught on the young man’s dark red silk robe, pulling a thread, but he didn’t seem to mind. Lazily, he asked, “What did the person who sent the birds last night say?”

The servant standing beside him, head lowered, replied, “It was their third young master. He opened his Qi Sea at the age of twelve and has been practicing Confucian Dao, skilled in refining Qi. Now, at sixteen, he’s reached the fourth stage. He believes he has decent talent and wants to take a chance, so he came to ask Third Master for help.”

The young man, referred to as Third Master, pressed his fingers against his forehead, as if he had heard something amusing. While teasing the birds, he smiled slightly.

“Sixteen and only at the fourth stage? Is that considered decent talent? Our young lady, at this age, is already a leading figure at Lingyong Academy.”

The servant laughed, “With the young lady’s talent, there are hardly a few in Yujing who can compare. Third Master, you are being too harsh. These people are breaking their necks to get their children into our Immortal Path Academy, hoping for a name card to enter Lingyong. It’s truly the plight of all parents.”

The paired birds, one blue and one red, with one eye and one wing each, had brightly colored feathers under the sunlight.

Such rare birds were even uncommon in the Immortal Capital of Yujing, let alone in the rural area of Taiping City.

Yin Shanqi stroked the feathers of his new pets with his fingers, casually saying, “The household registration is the same as usual. Have the Yan family prepare it within five days and pass the message to Jilan Peak. We can pack up and leave now. Same as before, the most important thing is to keep a low profile. If my second sister-in-law finds out, not even the King of Heaven will be able to help.”

“Of course. We always act with caution. We won’t let Third Master be caught by Madam Jing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Yin Shanqi raised his eyelids and, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, stared at the servant.

“Do you think I’m afraid of her?”

The smile froze on the servant’s face, and cold sweat immediately soaked his back.

“O-of course not, Third Master would never be afraid…”

“Today, the lion hasn’t been out for a walk yet. You go and take it for a stroll. When the lion gets tired of playing, you stop.”

The lion was enormous, and only a practitioner at the fifth stage could control it. What difference was there between walking the lion and being dragged around by it?

“Third Master—”

Yin Shanqi waved his hand impatiently, and soon, someone took the servant away.

He then stood up, walked to the railing, and gazed off in the direction of the Immortal Capital of Yujing.

Was he afraid of Nangong Jing?

What a joke.

After dispersing the alcohol’s effects, Yin Shanqi adjusted his robe and was about to return to the mansion in the city when suddenly a servant rushed in, panting.

“Third Master, something’s wrong!”

“I’m fine,” Yin Shanqi replied irritably, “If there’s something to say, then say it. Don’t just shout. You’re wasting all your luck by yelling like that.”

“No, it’s serious!”

The servant swallowed hard and spoke rapidly:

“Just now, three demons from Nine Hells arrived, holding the Jade Token of the Great Wall and a spider silk knot. They said that Lord Yuantian of the Jade-faced Spider had something urgent to discuss with you, and they handed over five thousand gold, asking us to gather everyone. But as soon as our people summoned the communication array, they were subdued. To our surprise, the leader removed the curtain, and it was none other than the young miss!”

Yin Shanqu glanced back suddenly while putting on his jade crown, almost poking his eye with the jade pin.

“Stop blabbering! Why didn’t you just say that brat has come!”

Wasn’t she in Nine Hells?

How could that demon Mo Lin let her roam around freely!?

Yin Shanqu hastily put on his shoes, moving faster than usual.

The servant delivering the message took a breath before continuing:

“As soon as the young miss arrived, she had the two demons she brought lock everyone in the room. She also ordered Butler Yin to bring in the ledgers from all the strongholds to match with the ones she brought. The young miss caught us off guard. The ledgers were not familiar to us; half of them contained real accounts, and—she opened the communication array and was about to inform Lady Jing about this!”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Yin Shanqu tripped over his own feet and nearly fell down the stairs.

He turned around and tossed two gold coins at the feet of the pipa-playing woman, who looked up in confusion, meeting his furious expression.

“Take your pipa and slap him twice for me!”

What a waste of time!

When Yin Shanqu returned to the residence, Liuyu was sitting in the hall, eating lunch.

“—The food’s good, though a bit bland. How’s your cook’s roasted mutton?”

As soon as he entered the door, Yin Shanqu saw the golden, shimmering communication array beside him. Seeing no one in the array, he relaxed slightly.

Taiping City was far from the capital, and to contact the immortal capital of Yujing, they would have to wait a while. It seemed he had returned just in time.

“Been a few days, and now your taste has changed so much? You’re craving roasted mutton now? If you really want it, I’ll send someone to the biggest tavern in Taiping City to bring in the head chef. Don’t say just roasted mutton, you can order a whole menu if you like.”

His voice was clear and forceful.

Liuyu looked up, seeing the young man in a red-black robe walking in. It was her third uncle, Yin Shanqu, who had watched her grow up.

The Yin family was known for their deceivingly attractive appearances, and her third uncle, who often enjoyed hawking and romantic affairs, was no exception.

He had mastered the art of maintaining youth and appeared to be only in his late twenties. With his black hair adorned with a jade crown, his eyes were striking, slanted at the corners, and glowing with a natural charm even when he wasn’t smiling.

He stepped in with ease, showing none of the panic from earlier in the music hall, exuding the air of a noble family scion that made both Lian Zhu and the ghost girl glance at him with respect.

Liuyu smiled faintly:

“I thought my third uncle didn’t welcome me.”

“That’s not what I said,” he glanced at Lian Zhu and the ghost girl sitting across from Liuyu, who had not bothered to hide their demon identities. He furrowed his brow, “We’re family, you’re my niece, and you’re going so far away to marry. Of course, I’ll take more care of you for your parents.”

He then turned his gaze back to Liuyu, giving her a smile.

“In return, don’t you think you should give me a hand? Don’t make it difficult for your third uncle.”

Liuyu blinked, pretending to be innocent:

“I don’t quite understand what my third uncle means.”

“Don’t play dumb,” Yin Shanqu’s face darkened, and he leaned in closer. “You’re so grown now, why do you still run to your mother for everything? Let me tell you, your mother probably knows about all this. She just turns a blind eye, so don’t meddle in things that don’t concern you.”

“My mother knows? I don’t believe that.”

Liuyu threw her chopsticks down, her smile fading as she spoke slowly and heavily:

“If my mother knew you were betraying our own people and digging pits for your family, I don’t believe she wouldn’t skin you alive!”

Yin Shanqu’s eyes widened in shock.

“—What betrayal? You’re just making things up! Don’t try to scare me. I’m an honest man. Your mother sent me to this godforsaken place, and I’ve come here. What more do you want? Digging pits? What slander!”

Although he said this, Yin Shanqu felt uneasy inside.

He had explicitly warned them to keep low about forging household registers to sell enrollment slots in the Immortal Dao Academy. How could they have been found out!

And it was this damned brat who discovered it.

When Liuyu was ten, that was when he and Nangong Jing had the biggest falling out.

He was the youngest in his family, favored by the elders, and didn’t think much of Nangong Jing’s management, feeling that with her unimpressive appearance and cultivation, she should be handling household matters, not making decisions on family affairs.

So, he tried to sabotage her at every turn, making her position as head of the household difficult.

At that time, young Liuyu had already shown great potential for cultivation, and was favored by the elders who were grooming her with full support.

But no matter how much she was nurtured, she was still just a child, and Yin Shanqu didn’t think much of her.

—Until that winter night, when young Liuyu, after getting him drunk at a tavern and sending his guards away, personally stuffed him in a sack and beat him up.

His ten-year-old niece!

Stuffed him in a sack and beat him!

Yin Shanqu, who was notorious for his debauchery in Yujing, had always been the one to beat others. He had never endured such humiliation before.

He had always found Liuyu annoying, and she had always felt the same about him.

Her third uncle, a playboy who had never achieved anything, was always causing trouble and never succeeded in anything legitimate. He had been scolded countless times by the family elders.

But Liuyu never expected he would betray the family.

In her past life, there were rumors before the Yin family’s downfall that it was Yin Shanqu’s covert assistance that allowed the demon Mo Lin to tear open the gap in Wuse City, leading the demons and ghosts to escape from Dazhao.

There were also rumors saying that the Yinshan clan secretly transported large amounts of gold and silver to Jiuyou, supported demons and ghosts, and had ambitions of unifying Dazhao and declaring themselves emperor.

After the major families investigated the Yinshan clan, they found clear evidence of these rumors.

In Taiping City, they uncovered evidence of the Yinshan clan forging the Great Wall Jade Order to secretly allow demons and ghosts to pass through the Demon Ghost Great Wall, as well as providing funds to Jiuyou.

And her third uncle, after the destruction of the Yinshan clan in her past life, vanished without a trace.

These clues, when pieced together, led Liuyu to one conclusion: Yinshan Qi had been bought and betrayed the Yinshan clan. She couldn’t think of any other explanation.

That’s why today, she had to hide her identity and trick him. She had worked with the Jade-faced Spider before and knew that his token was a thread knot. It wasn’t hard to impersonate the Jade-faced Spider, and in the end, she really did trick Yinshan Qi out.

“…You really don’t shed a tear until you see the coffin.”

Liuyu clapped her hands.

Beside her, Lan Zhu and the ghost woman were both watching the spectacle with great interest. Seeing Liuyu clap, Lan Zhu casually handed her a new pair of chopsticks after she had just tossed the old ones aside.

Liuyu slowly turned to look at him.

Their eyes met, and Lan Zhu belatedly realized.

“Oh, oh, oh, you want me to bring someone up, right!”

Lan Zhu then waved his hand, calling up several subordinates they had tricked into revealing everything earlier.

Yinshan Qi and the subordinates stared at each other, finally coming to their senses.

“—You weren’t talking about selling the academy’s entrance spots, were you?”

Liuyu tilted her head and looked at him, laughing in anger.

Her third uncle was truly more suspicious the more she investigated.

Yinshan Qi realized he had misspoken, quickly masking his excess emotions, and sat down with authority.

“You don’t need to thank me for this; this is something my third uncle should do.”

Liuyu really smiled this time. “Should I thank you?”

“You still have more to thank me for,” Yinshan Qi adjusted his sleeve, raising an eyebrow.

“Your demon ghost husband from Jiuyou often sends people here to buy supplies. I took a glance and saw that most of what he bought were things you liked. I thought, it’s like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, right? So, when he buys, I sell it to him for three times the price!”

“The money I earned from him, I sent straight to that Jade-faced Spider, even brought in the Jiufang and Zhongli families to collaborate with me. When the Jade-faced Spider and your husband fight, Jiuyou will decline, and you can escape home early—how’s that? Isn’t my third uncle being good to you? A few times, I almost got noticed by that demon ghost Mo Li, but I think I’ve managed to cover it well. If he really knew, I’d probably be the first one dead…”

Liuyu looked at Yinshan Qi, who was waiting for compliments, and felt a heavy weight in her chest.

No.

He knew.

No wonder in her past life, Mo Li had spent a hundred years dealing with the Jade-faced Spider. At that time, she had thought her demon ghost husband was foolish for not investigating who was supporting the Jade-faced Spider behind the scenes and severing his power earlier.

But what if he had already investigated and knew it was her third uncle?

Would he think this was her instruction?

Let alone, in her past life, she had indeed worked with the Jade-faced Spider to safely retreat from Jiuyou.

…She couldn’t make sense of it.

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

If there were so many misunderstandings, why, in the end, did he still go to Yujing alone to retrieve her body and set up a memorial stone for her?

But one thing Liuyu could understand now.

Crack.

She snapped the chopsticks in half with a single motion.

She slowly raised her eyes to meet Yinshan Qi’s gaze.

Yinshan Qi, who was waiting to be thanked, suddenly had an unpleasant premonition.

—-

Returning to the Extreme Night Palace, it was already late at night.

The palace, bathed in the cold moonlight, was quieter than usual. Mo Li entered and remembered that the twin siblings and Liuyu’s close maid had gone to the Ghost Dao Academy with Bai Pingting and would probably stay there for the night.

With no one around, no one was watching him as he entered the building to clean up and change clothes, so he did everything comfortably.

But in the end, he still found himself bathing, changing into the nightclothes prepared by Liuyu, and heading back to the inner chambers.

The room was quiet, with only a faint fragrance lingering in the air, a scent that hadn’t quite dissipated yet.

At this moment, it seemed as if he had the time to observe the room.

On the table were scattered the writing tools Liuyu often used, and beside them, her vanity case was left untidy with some hairpins, bracelets, and the gardenia-scented ointment she had used earlier.

Mo Li, noticing the faint scent of the gardenia ointment, touched the clothes she had left hanging on the rack.

For some inexplicable reason, his index and thumb pinched the corner of the robe, bringing it close to his nose, and he inhaled deeply, sensing the unique fragrance that belonged to her, mingling with the gardenia and incense.

She was far away in Taiping City tonight.

Whatever he did, she wouldn’t know.

Mo Li looked down at the nightclothes in his hand, his eyes glinting with a dark light in the moonlit room.

At this moment, the jade slip hanging at his waist suddenly flickered.

The jade slip was used for communication over short distances.

He took it down, and when it lit up, Liuyu’s name appeared, with four words appearing underneath.

【What are you doing?】

The timing of those words was too perfect.

It felt like an electric shock, and the Demon Ghost Lord quickly withdrew his hand from the nightclothes. He pinched his slightly heated earlobe, clicking his tongue softly.

Soon, he casually wrote back, feigning calm.

【Sleeping.】

After a pause, he added:

【What about you?】

On the other side, Liuyu leisurely replied:

【Very free.】

【So, I’m just messing with my third uncle.】