Chapter 8

"Cock-a-doodle-doo——"

Ying Taipo's rooster fluffed its feathers and let out a piercing crow that woke the entire Qihetai village.

The yin soldiers in the jar were shaken, their blood-red pupils dimming as they strained to shrink deeper into the shadow at the bottom of the jar, avoiding the growing yang energy filling heaven and earth.

The maid left the yin soldier outside—of course, there was a price.

The rooster's crow had already damaged the yin soldier's cultivation.

Some noise stirred in the courtyard; the maid forced the yin soldier to peek half its head out—and instantly saw Xu Yuan—the maid's fury flared up in an instant!

That bastard Xu Yuan was just crawling out of the Holy Maiden's palanquin!

This scoundrel slept inside the palanquin last night!

What filth are you, to dare defile the Holy Maiden's palanquin!

The maid had searched the place several times last night, yet never once considered the palanquin. Normally, creatures as lowly as him would revere and fear every detail of a noble guest's belongings, keeping as far away as possible, terrified of accidentally touching or damaging something they couldn't afford to replace.

How could this boy be so audacious?

But after her rage, the maid felt a new doubt: Did this boy sleep in the Holy Maiden's palanquin merely to desecrate it—or did he… see something?

After much hesitation, the maid dared not tell the Holy Maiden that due to her negligence, that boy had slept in her palanquin last night.

I'll check the palanquin first. If that boy did something filthy or left behind something dirty… I'll clean it up myself, so it doesn't disgust my Holy Maiden.

…

Xu Yuan returned to his room before Erliang woke up, pretending he'd just gotten up, washed his face, and prepared to get to work.

This night's time was crucial.

Because of the mysterious Fa Xiu and Dan Xiu who appeared yesterday, Xu Yuan suspected he'd been watched.

But who was watching him? And how much did they know?

Xu Yuan didn't care.

Xu Yuan had already planned to leave Qihetai village today and return home!

My stepmother said I could go home as soon as I ate the June insect. Why should I waste my time playing mind games with you people in this dump?

But a ninth-rate Ming Xiu like me wouldn't help my family much, so Xu Yuan didn't leave directly yesterday.

Once he gained the Dan Xiu's ability, Xu Yuan could go home.

But after eating the last gold ingot yesterday, Xu Yuan was bloated—the gold ingot weighed heavily and uncomfortably in his belly, and he spent the entire night refining it completely, merging it into his previous dan pill.

After washing his face, Xu Yuan casually poured out the water.

The water splashed onto the ground with a "splash"—Rong Kui uncle immediately bellowed: "Wasting water like this? Fine! You're in charge of fetching water today—go now! There's not even enough for morning cooking!"

The kitchen's water vat was still half-full.

But Rong Kui uncle had this habit—he couldn't stand waste.

Xu Yuan grumbled as he picked up the two buckets, muttering complaints. Behind him, Rong Kui uncle roared: "What did you say? Louder!"

"Nothing, nothing!" Xu Yuan hurriedly grabbed the buckets and bolted out the door.

Once he left, he had no intention of returning.

Say goodbye to Qiao Lao Ye? Qiao Lao Ye and the accountant Liu were already suspicious of him—leaving now would be like hanging a sign that says "I did it!"

Qiao Lao Ye would never let you go.

As for whether Qiao Lao Ye might someday go to the county town and ask about the June insect at my home—deal with that later.

First, get past this immediate crisis.

That basin of water spilled, and more than half of it soaked into a broken jar in the corner.

The maid's yin soldier was hidden at the bottom of the jar.

The maid was monitoring the back courtyard through the yin soldier, her senses linked—she felt as if water had been dumped over her head and face.

She cursed silently, thinking her luck had been terrible lately.

She didn't even consider whether Xu Yuan had done it by accident or on purpose.

Last night, before midnight, Xu Yuan, too bloated to sleep, crouched in the palanquin and watched outside:

Two strange creatures flew past in the air—human heads with eagle bodies, yet only one face had flesh! From the back of the skull to the entire body, nothing remained but white bone!

The flesh on the face kept wriggling backward, trying to regrow over the body, but as soon as a bit grew, it was absorbed by the bone.

The creature looked like… a strange bird's white skeleton, with a human face ripped from someone else and pasted onto its own!

Five more evil spirits crouched on the wall, peering into the courtyard—their true forms were giant turtle shells over a zhang long, having killed countless people and sucked their souls inside; their limbs, head, and neck were all piled heaps of these souls.

And one towering entity walked past the village road—Xu Yuan could see its upper body from the courtyard: it was a ruined divine statue, battered by wind and rain for countless years.

Most of its paint had peeled off; its body was broken and incomplete, revealing straw and wooden frames inside.

These strange creatures all had "ming."

The fiercer the "ming," the redder the blood.

And their "ming" were bizarrely shaped, as if hiding some pattern—Xu Yuan hadn't figured it out yet.

Then he saw a yin soldier sneak into the back courtyard.

The yin soldier had long been dead, yet it still had a "ming."

A thin, gray-black line, with a nearly invisible thread extending upward, stretching all the way to a room in the front courtyard—the yin soldier's master was in the front courtyard.

Thus, the one watching him was most likely the new noble guest in the front courtyard.

By morning, after the gold ingot was fully digested, Xu Yuan was hungry again!

He was hungry for the yin soldier, swallowing saliva several times in secret.

The Dan Xiu's "abdominal fire" suppressed yin soldiers.

But Xu Yuan silently suppressed his hunger.

…

At the southern corner of the town stood an old well; Xu Yuan drew water, hoisted the yoke, and headed back, observing all the way.

Turning into a narrow alley with no one ahead or behind, Xu Yuan set the water buckets and carrying pole at Grandma Ying's doorway, then swiftly made for the southwest.

A short while later, Grandma Ying slowly opened the door, saw the buckets and pole at her threshold, and regretfully muttered to herself, "That boy won't be back; who will help this old woman carry water from now on?"

Grandma Ying had trouble with her legs, so Xu Yuan drew water for her every day.

She called out into the courtyard, "Huahua, come here."

The Fu Dagong strutted out with great pomp, skillfully picked up a bucket with its beak, and carried it to the kitchen.

The county seat of Shanhe County lies forty li to the southwest of the town; following the official road, one arrives in four or five double-hours.

Xu Yuan's heart raced as if drawn by an arrow.

Uncle Rong Kui certainly would not wait for Xu Yuan to return with the water before cooking.

As soon as he finished, Er Liang stepped in with the tray, volunteering, "Uncle, I'll take it."

This was Er Liang's third time delivering the meal; the Holy Maiden glanced at him and gently removed her veil.

Er Liang's breath hitched!

He had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life; before, he had only seen her figure, and Er Liang had already imagined in his mind how her face must be as lovely as a fairy.

But seeing her in person, he realized his imagination was truly too meager.

The Holy Maiden ate her breakfast with refinement and grace while Er Liang stared straight at her—Er Liang should have left after delivering the meal, yet his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and the Holy Maiden did not drive him away.

"Do you live in the same room as that Xu Yuan?" the Holy Maiden suddenly asked.

(End of this chapter)