Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Hostile Youth

In the dead of night, the Yunqing Sect was ablaze with light. Even the outer disciples had been mobilized to search for suspicious individuals, yet they found nothing.

"The spirit stones in the storage chest are gone. We are due to distribute the monthly allowances in two days..." Inside the Treasury Pavilion, Yuan Lingqing’s face was grim. "I checked the stones the day before you all left for the trial grounds; the quantity was correct then."

"Master, today, when Junior Sister was injured, we all went to the Apricot Grove Hall. Could the thief have stolen the spirit stones during that time?" Zhou Yan stared at the empty chest, his expression grave.

"The Treasury Pavilion is covered in arrays. Even for us, entering would require Master or Mistress’s jade token! If someone had forced their way in, Master or Mistress would certainly have sensed it!"

Fu Ming rubbed his earlobe, then his eyes lit up. "Master, is your jade token still with you?"

Yuan Lingqing nodded and produced the token.

"Then it must be Mistress’s token that was stolen!"

"Zhou Yan, go and bring your mistress here." Yuan Lingqing’s brows furrowed with a hint of impatience. "She is likely still throwing a tantrum. With such a commotion in the sect, she remains unperturbed and is nowhere to be seen."

Fu Ming hesitated. "Mistress... she is not in the sect..."

"Not here?! With such a major incident, where has she gone?"

Perhaps it was the terrifying look on Yuan Lingqing’s face that made Fu Ming swallow hard before speaking truthfully.

"Heh... she went to the black market to buy a Galaxy Flower?" Yuan Lingqing’s expression turned dark and unreadable.

Lin Caibing observed Yuan Lingqing’s face, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she spoke timidly. "But wasn't that Galaxy Flower of mine... taken by Mistress? Why would she need to buy another?"

Fu Ming did not respond to this, instead looking at Lin Caibing with a complex expression. Indeed, if Mistress had truly taken the Junior Sister’s flower, why go and buy one? Was it a ruse staged for his benefit to prove she hadn't taken the original? If she bought one in front of him at the black market, could she cover up the evidence of the theft? Yet, Mistress’s words didn't sound like lies, and since the matter was already past, was there any need for such a charade? Perhaps... the Junior Sister really had been mistaken...

There was a liar between the two of them. At this thought, Fu Ming wavered.

"Junior Sister, are you truly certain that what you saw at the trial grounds that day was a Galaxy Flower?"

Lin Caibing, caught off guard by the abrupt question, froze. Seeing the intense, inquisitive look in his eyes, she felt a sudden panic. What was he suspecting?

However, the flower was destroyed, and there was no evidence. Lin Caibing instantly adjusted her expression to one of innocence. "Of course, the calyx was perfectly smooth; it was undoubtedly a Galaxy Flower."

Fu Ming stared at her for a moment, unable to discern anything further. He rubbed his earlobe and fell silent.

"Enough. Call her back. Perhaps she took them to buy that Galaxy Flower." Yuan Lingqing’s expression was cold and hard.

Whoever could enter silently and take so many spirit stones without a sound had to be her. To take the sect's spirit stones without a word—and worse, to use them to buy things for that brat from the Demon Clan... This woman...

His hands moved quickly to form a seal, and a paper crane materialized, flying swiftly toward the horizon. As time passed, the people in the Treasury Pavilion remained silent, and Yuan Lingqing’s face grew increasingly dark.

"Bang!" Yuan Lingqing slammed his fist onto his chair, shattering the armrest. "Very well. Zhou Yan, you are in charge of sect affairs for now. I am going out."

No sooner had he spoken than he was on his sword, chasing the direction of the paper crane. The others looked at one another, completely unaware of what had transpired.

...

In the depths of a cavern, candles flickered. A youth leaned against a stone bed, reading a scroll with intense focus. His nearly pale face was cast in a soft glow by the warm candlelight. A large, fluffy black tail wrapped around him, and his pointed ears twitched occasionally, adding to his spirited appearance. His features were delicate and sharp, with a naturally fierce aura. His pale lips did not diminish his beauty, and a tear mole beneath his left eye lent a touch of softness to his piercing gaze.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows. The youth’s ears twitched, and he asked without looking up, "What hour is it?"

"Replying to Your Highness, it is already the Hour of the Rat. You should rest; staying up too late is detrimental to your health."

"I know. You may leave."

"Yes. Also, your ears and tail... if the Demon Queen were to find out, you would be punished again."

"There is no one else here. If you don't say anything, how would Mother know?" The youth pouted. "Enough, stop nagging. Go."

"Yes."

The youth sighed, set the scroll aside, and reached to extinguish the candle, but his hand stopped in mid-air. His fluffy ears twitched again, and he looked toward a specific direction with a vigilant gaze.

After a strange distortion in the air, a graceful figure landed not far away, her voice filled with a smile.

"Jiu Ze, sorry, I am late."

"Bai Zhi?"

Upon seeing her, the sharpness in the youth’s eyes diminished, replaced by a cold, detached expression. "It is so late; are you not asleep yet?"

Bai Zhi smiled and walked into the candlelight, her soft, beautiful face reflecting the warm glow. "I came this time to bring you good news."

"Coming so late—has the antidote been found?" Jiu Ze’s dark pupils were cold, keeping others at a distance.

"So clever." Bai Zhi, seemingly accustomed to his indifference, simply smiled and let out a long breath. "I have found the final ingredient, the Galaxy Flower. I have come to brew the antidote for you."

She sat naturally on the stool by the bed, took the youth’s hand, and placed her fingers on his pulse, slowly probing with her spiritual energy. The youth’s body stiffened, but he did not pull away, merely speaking coldly.

"Come back when it is brewed. Anything else is just nonsense."

Jiu Ze turned his face away with an indifferent expression. Seeing the tail still draped over him, he shuddered, immediately retracted his ears and tail, and instantly took on the appearance of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old human youth.

Watching the strange, faint flush on his cold face, Bai Zhi chuckled. "Shy? You were actually quite cute like that."

"Stop your chatter! Go brew the medicine, and you had best pray there are no mistakes!"

To his rudeness, Bai Zhi only smiled, her voice growing gentler, as if coaxing a child. "Alright, I know. It is late; you should rest early. Within three days, you will be fully recovered."

"Get out quickly. Don't come see me unless the antidote is ready." His words were even colder.

Watching Jiu Ze’s profile, Bai Zhi’s eyes suddenly stung. In six lifetimes of rebirth, every time it reached the end, only this youth had stood firmly by her side, telling her, "Sister, I will protect you." Six times, she had watched him sacrifice his life to shield her; six times, she had seen him die before her eyes in various ways. In this life, she would surely protect this child; she would never let him walk the same path again.

Watching him turn his back to her, Bai Zhi smiled and turned to leave.

Just as she found a secluded spot and pulled out her alchemy furnace to prepare, a golden talisman crane landed before her. Her previously soft gaze turned icy in an instant.