Ban Xia stepped out and the first sight that greeted her was Chi Xue clinging to Xuan Ye like a koala, excitedly rubbing snot all over his clothes.
"Elegant Confinement! I've finally found you!!"
This incomprehensible phrase, he had no idea how many times he'd repeated it.
"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," Xuan Ye finally managed to pry his hands off.
"No mistake!" Chi Xue exclaimed loudly, pulling out a tattered book from his chest and flipping to the page with the knife: "Look, the curved knife at your waist is exactly like the one in my book. The knife... there are two characters on it—Moon Glow, right?"
Xuan Ye looked somewhat surprised, remaining silent as he stared at him.
"Did this knife start glowing when it met you, as if it recognized you?"
"Yes."
"Then there's no mistake!" Chi Xue jumped up and threw himself into his arms again: "Moon Glow has existed for millions of years in this world, and it only ever recognizes one master—the Elegant Confinement of our demigod clan. You must be the reincarnation of Elegant Confinement. Elegant Confinement, I've searched for you so desperately!"
Ban Xia approached at this moment, feeling inexplicably irritated. She stepped forward with a cold laugh: "Young man, where are you from? If you have something to say, come down first. Our Master Xuan is a straight man."
Chi Xue made an "oh" sound, climbed down from Xuan Ye, then turned dazedly to Ban Xia and asked: "Sister, what does 'straight man' mean?"
"Who's your sister?" Ban Xia snorted, ignoring him. She spread her palm to show Xuan Ye the copper coin: "In Miss Gu's room, I also found this copper coin."
Xuan Ye took the copper coin and examined it carefully, still finding nothing unusual.
Meanwhile, Chi Xue made a movement nearby, exclaiming "Huh?" quite loudly.
Ban Xia continued to ignore him: "Before her death, Miss Gu was also violated, and ultimately had her neck snapped by strangulation, exactly like the Marquess's wife."
Chi Xue, standing nearby, exclaimed "Huh?" again, even louder.
Ban Xia turned around abruptly and stared at him: "May I ask, young man, what are you 'huh'-ing about? If you have something to say, spit it out."
"I... I don't have anything to spit out right now," Chi Xue stammered. "I... I just found what you said rather peculiar."
"What's peculiar about it?"
Chi Xue lowered his eyes: "I... I've seen this kind of copper coin before, but it had a red rust mark. And what you mentioned about violation... and snapping necks, I've vaguely seen those before too."
Xuan Ye, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked up and urgently said: "Where have you seen it? Take us there quickly!"
At Phoenix Nest Brothel, Feng Yi slept until noon before waking up. After drinking a bowl of hangover soup, she combed her hair and dressed, putting on her cloak before going to speak with the madam: "Feng Yi is going out today and won't be back tonight. Please bear with me, Mother."
"Going out again?" The madam sighed. "My star performer, at least tell me where you're going so I can account to the boss."
"Feng Yi doesn't wish to say where, but I will definitely return tomorrow. Feng Yi has always kept her word."
The madam continued sighing, not wanting to offend her top performer. "Then go, but come back early. Remember, if you really elope with someone, the boss will surely take my old life."
Feng Yi acknowledged, stepped out of the courtyard gate, tightened her cloak, and looked up at the sky.
The autumn sun shone brightly overhead, and the air carried the scent of freedom.
Feng Yi squinted, took a deep breath, and had barely taken her first step when she stepped on a copper coin.An ordinary copper coin, its only peculiarity being a red mark in the center, lay in the palm and seemed to emit a wisp of crimson smoke when warmed by the sunlight.
Feng Yi found it amusing and tucked it into her pouch. Without further delay, she stepped into the bustling street ahead.
"It's been picked up…"
At the foot of Guanmao Mountain, a woman's voice echoed from a dark cave, its tone lilting with anticipation.
There was no reply. The cave's male occupant, Chi Lian, who dreaded the cold, was fully submerged in a hot spring, his eyes closed, revealing no emotion.
"Perhaps this time, you'll find someone to your liking and bring them back to replace me," the woman's voice continued.
"Are you truly so eager to leave? Have I treated you poorly in any way?"
"You haven't treated me poorly," the woman approached, trailing a hand through the spring water. "But I still wish to go."
Chi Lian remained silent, clenching his jaw as he seized her hand. "I won't let you leave. I'm no saint—I don't know how to selflessly fulfill!" With that, he dragged her into the water.
The woman's breathing grew rapid, her chest rising and falling dramatically. Unable to resist, Chi Lian reached out and cupped that soft fullness.
After a few kneading strokes, her cheeks flushed pink, and she leaned against his shoulder. "I know your desires run particularly strong on this day every year. Why not take me? Then my soul would scatter, and I'd be free at last."
"Celibacy curse!" Chi Lian spat bitterly. "You asked me to teach you the celibacy curse, only to cast it upon yourself. My Lady Su Yun, when did you learn such cunning?"
Su Yun slowly unfurled a smile, evading the question. "The celibacy curse has no counter, as I recall you saying yourself." She pressed closer, extending a hand to tease his lower body.
Beneath the water, undercurrents stirred, wave after wave, kindling a fire in Chi Lian's chest that burned with growing intensity.
"Go find another woman. I've released another copper coin. Perhaps this one will suit you, and you'll realize I'm not indispensable in this world," Su Yun murmured by his ear.
Enraged, Chi Lian strode naked from the pool, his elongated eyes gleaming with emerald light in the darkness. Donning his russet robe, he swept away, leaving a trail of water behind.
"Feng Yi has gone out?!"
At the Phoenix Nest Brothel, Chi Xue wore a dazed expression, pausing before repeating, "She really went out? Where to?"
The madam recognized him and, aware of his poverty, responded indifferently, "I don't know. I don't pry into the affairs of our top courtesan, Feng Yi."
"Where she went is a matter of life and death. Please, it's urgent," Xuan Ye produced a piece of broken silver from his sleeve.
The madam's expression softened slightly, but she insisted, "I truly don't know. Feng Yi goes out every year around this time, and we're not allowed to ask where. She's strong-willed, and I dare not interfere."
This seemed to be the truth.
Ban Xia and the other two exchanged glances.
Chi Xue began scratching his head, lacking confidence. "I... I might be able to find her, but it's just a possibility. Two days ago, I dabbed a drop of her blood on my eyelid. Her aura should still be traceable."
"You haven't washed your face in two days?" Ban Xia rolled her eyes skyward.
Chi Xue, somewhat intimidated by her, fell silent and merely asked the madam to fetch a basin of water, insisting it must be clean.
The water arrived quickly but was filthy, the copper basin greasy and reeking of cosmetics.
Frowning, Chi Xue drew a drop of blood from his own forehead and mixed it with the residual fluid from Feng Yi on his eyelid into the basin. He stood beside it, performing incantations for a long while, his face turning crimson with effort, until finally, he let out a fart.Everyone in the room frowned. Ban Xia, who was naturally sharp-tongued, showed no mercy: "Ha, another charlatan Taoist priest! Just using a water basin to pretend to perform magic tricks. Who do you think you are? Teach me that so-called incantation of yours—I’ll surely act more convincingly than you."
Chi Xue, being rather simple-minded, took her words at face value and earnestly taught her the incantation, word by word.
Ban Xia then put on airs and learned it with equal seriousness, striking a pose reminiscent of the Elf Queen from The Lord of the Rings.
At that moment, the water surface rippled slightly, moving without any wind, forming a strange five-petaled flower-like pattern that quickly spread to the edge of the basin.
An eerie scene began to unfold.
An image gradually appeared in the water basin, vaguely recognizable as Feng Yi. She was holding a cloth, tenderly wiping a tombstone.
The tombstone bore only two words—Gu Qin—yet Feng Yi wiped it for a long, long time, lingering over every stroke.
"I’m not unhappy. Everyone’s life is like this—more disappointments than joys, with occasional happiness," she murmured. She had brought wine but did not offer it as a tribute. Instead, she unscrewed the cap and took large gulps.
Beneath the yellow earth, Gu Qin gave no response, long departed, his soul having passed on.
"I didn’t even care, so why did you?" In no time, Feng Yi was heavily drunk, her bleary eyes slanting toward the tomb. "I sold myself out to save you. With that reason, it doesn’t count as disgrace. Why don’t you understand?"
Still, there was no response. The nu’er hong wine in the flask was nearly finished.
Feng Yi gave up questioning and leaned her head against the gray stone tombstone. The cool breeze brushed her hair intermittently, soon lulling her to sleep.
After a while, the pouch at her waist began to stir strangely, alternating between hot and cold, faintly emitting a red glow.
Feng Yi, deeply intoxicated, half-opened her eyes as if between sleep and wakefulness, and was met with a pair of ghost fire-like green eyes.
"The one sleeping in this tomb... who is he to you?" the owner of the green eyes whispered softly. His russet-red robe fluttered in the wind as he slowly sat down beside her, his body cold as he leaned against her shoulder.
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