Volume One, Chapter 75: Miss Bai (9)

“What thing? What is it?” Mu Ling was the first to ask, his curiosity gnawing inside him like an itch as he sensed matters spiraling in an unforeseen direction—both eager to know what would happen next and afraid it would be a knife’s edge.

Qingman said nothing, only followed after Su Yi’s departing figure.

Qin Yu lightly tapped Mu Ling on the forehead, her tone even. “Why not just follow and see for yourself?”

Mu Ling couldn’t shake the feeling that Qin Yu knew something, yet stubbornly refused to say.

Qingman chased after Su Yi along a path she had never taken before, only transforming into her human shape when she finally reached a village. As she arrived at the entrance, a man dressed as a scholar in white, his face twisted in terror, pointed at her and shouted, “Monster! The monster has returned!”

His shrill cry instantly drew a crowd. Some clutched bowls of realgar wine, others brandished torches, and some were covered from head to toe in yellow talisman papers.

Su Yi felt a sharp pain in her chest, but what hurt her most was the panic on the face of the man leading them.

“Xu Lang, do you truly fear me so?”

With Su Yi’s gaze fixed upon him, Xu Yishan’s expression changed colors like a painter’s palette in a matter of seconds.

“Bai Suyi, you and I are different—we walk separate paths as human and demon. Why can’t you let me go? I’m just a mortal, with only a few decades to live. Can’t you spare me?”

Xu Yishan dared not meet Su Yi’s eyes, his gaze instead guiltily locked on his own toes.

Bai Suyi threw her head back and laughed, her mournful laughter resonating through the village entrance. As she laughed, tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Spare you?” Bai Suyi echoed, her enchanting voice so soft it could melt bones. “I could—if you return the five-colored stone you stole from me.”

Mu Ling tugged Qin Yu’s sleeve, excitement barely contained. “Xiao Yu, did you hear that? The five-colored stone—does she mean the same five-colored stone I’m thinking of?”

Qin Yu couldn’t be sure. She shook her head and signaled for silence.

But Qingman, standing nearby, answered on her own. “Yes.”

“But wasn’t it said that Nuwa patched the sky herself because there weren’t enough five-colored stones? How could there be any left?”

Qingman’s eyes never left Bai Suyi, who drifted white-clad among the crowd, as if she alone existed in Qingman’s world.

Her lips parted softly. “Nuwa, ever cautious, feared humanity might face disaster again. She transformed the remnants of her body into five-colored stones, hiding them in Nuwa Temple, and left them in the care of the serpent clan.”

Mu Ling’s eyes widened, his face the perfect picture of a curious bystander stumbling upon a great secret.

Qin Yu pinched her earlobe, deep in thought.

On the other side, the crowd erupted as soon as the words “five-colored stone” were spoken. “Young Master Xu, why waste words with this demon? Everyone, let’s get rid of her together!”

“Burn the snake demon! Burn the snake demon! Burn the snake demon!” The shouts rang out as villagers hurled their flaming torches at Bai Suyi.

Qin Yu barely registered a sudden rush of wind beside her before the green snake had vanished. She was about to remind her that nothing here could sense her presence, only to see Qingman blocking Su Yi’s path, catching a torch barehanded.

Qin Yu: ?

She glanced up at the sky, catching a glimpse of a swiftly blinking eye within the blazing sun overhead.

It seemed someone intended to draw them into the game.

Before Mu Ling could puzzle out what was happening, Qin Yu clapped him on the shoulder. “Mu Ling, time to get to work—fight!”

He didn’t understand why, but Mu Ling was delighted; he’d long had enough of these bullies. At last, he could take action.

Su Yi stared in astonishment at the two women and one man who had dispatched the crowd with ease.

“Thank you, brave heroes, for your help!” she exclaimed.

Mu Ling patted his chest. “Don’t mention it—wait, what the—do I have hands?”

He reached up in disbelief—he had a real nose and eyes! Looking down, he saw a pair of size 43 men’s feet.

His eyes bulged as he turned to Qin Yu for answers.

Qin Yu wanted to pat his head, but he was now so tall she couldn’t reach. Mu Ling, ever obliging, bent down so she could.

She whispered in his ear, “Someone wants us involved, so they’ve given us new identities.”

Mu Ling immediately glanced at Qingman, only to see a face adorned with thick lips and a large black mole.

He clamped a hand over his mouth, struggling not to burst out laughing. He tried recalling every sorrow of his thousands of years, but it was no use.

“Hahaha…”

Laughter thundered through the air, Mu Ling rolling on the ground in glee.

Qin Yu: …

Bai Suyi looked on, thoroughly puzzled, at the six-foot man covered in dust, her expression awkward.

“Sir, are you all right?”

Qin Yu couldn’t bear to look, massaged her forehead, and pointed to her own head. “He had a bad fever as a child. It left him a little touched in the head, so now he has fits from time to time. But don’t worry, he won’t hurt anyone.”

Bai Suyi’s confusion shifted to pity.

Such a pity, she thought, for someone who looks almost human.

She shook her head regretfully, then turned to Qin Yu with a gentle reminder. “Thank you all for your help today, but I don’t wish to drag any of you into this. It’s best if you leave quickly.”

“No! What will you do if I go?”

Before Qin Yu could reply, Qingman spoke up.

Because Qingman had always stood in front of her, Su Yi had never seen her face until now. At the sight, her heart lurched—a strange mix of familiarity and fear, alarm bells ringing in her mind. She shoved Qingman away, her voice sharp and high, “Go! Leave this place!”

“Leave? Go where? Now that you’ve returned to Xu Family Village, none of you will leave!”

The villagers who had moments ago been groaning on the ground now changed their expressions at the sound of a powerful voice.

“It’s the master! The master is here! Master, kill this demon! She’s after the village’s five-colored stone!”

They crawled fearfully to the feet of a bald monk draped in robes.

At this moment, they were like dogs relying on their master, having forgotten the pain of their recent beating, and shouted at the four, “Demon girl, surrender and face death!”

Xu Yishan took the lead among them.

Bai Suyi heard the sound of her own heart breaking. Her eyes turned a terrifying shade of red, her gaze sharp and filled with murderous intent.

“Monk Wule, you’ve already gotten what you wanted. I only wish to take back the five-colored stone. If you stand in my way today, I will kill you.”

Monk Wule grinned, his voice pitched so only Bai Suyi could hear. “Look at these people you wish to protect—ignorant and foolish. With just a small trick, I’ve turned them all against you. Why not join me? With my skills and what you possess, there’s nothing in this world you couldn’t have.”

“In your dreams!” Bai Suyi spat coldly, her eyes now blazing with determination. “I was afraid once, but I will not be afraid forever!”