Chapter Forty-Five: Breaking the Seal

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Back in the room, Ye Pei described in detail to Zi Qingrong everything he had seen and heard. After listening, Zi Qingrong didn’t offer any constructive opinions; she was also quite puzzled by the matter concerning the Shi and You families. This didn’t surprise Ye Pei. He estimated that, as a daughter raised in privilege, Zi Qingrong had little experience with such matters. Speaking aloud was more for Ye Pei to organize his own thoughts, but after thinking it over, he realized the clues he held were too few to form even the roughest framework in his mind.

After a while, Zi Qingrong put the matter aside and asked, “Yezi, about that demon…” The scene from the previous night was still vivid in her memory, yet curiously, she felt little fear toward the creature itself; her worry was mainly for Ye Pei.

Ye Pei thought for a moment and said, “It’s nothing to worry about. After crossing swords with it last night, I’ve gained a rough understanding. What’s certain is that when it’s unrestrained, its strength and speed surpass mine. But its attacks are chaotic and unskilled; its intelligence isn’t high. Light can indeed restrict it, but it seems that once it senses the light’s suppression reaches a certain point, it retreats.”

He paused before continuing, “So, we can boldly surmise that sunlight during the day does more than just weaken it. Perhaps, in daylight, it has no fighting ability at all. Moreover, I wounded it badly yesterday—even if it didn’t die, it must have been seriously weakened by so much blood loss. I might as well take advantage of the day to search the town for it.”

Zi Qingrong was taken aback. “Actually, what I meant was… should we just leave? The pursuers haven’t found us, so we could take this chance to head for Mount Sacrifice.”

Ye Pei rose and said, “They’re unfamiliar with the terrain of the riverlands. That puts us on the same footing for now, so there’s no need to worry. I’ll go search right away.”

“Be careful!” Zi Qingrong had noticed by now that Ye Pei was intent on confronting the demon. She decided not to press the matter further.

Ye Pei acknowledged her, then turned at the door to say, “Don’t go out—just stay here. I don’t think the You family has any reason to harm you. This time, listen to me and don’t wander off.”

Seeing Zi Qingrong smile and readily agree, Ye Pei set out with peace of mind, intending to search for clues in the small town.

The You residence was located near the town’s edge, so after some thought, Ye Pei began his search from the outskirts. What he didn’t expect was that no sooner had he left than Zi Qingrong’s head peered slyly out the door. After confirming Ye Pei was nowhere in sight, she slipped out and strolled into town.

Fearless since childhood, and recalling Ye Pei’s words that the creature posed little threat in daylight, Zi Qingrong felt even bolder about going out. This temperament of hers had brought Ye Pei plenty of trouble before, though that is a story for another time.

In recent days, news of the You family’s encounter with the monster had spread throughout the town. There were usually few people out and about, so Zi Qingrong’s excursion was uneventful.

That day, Ye Pei found nothing. The demon’s black blood had left no obvious trace—he guessed the sunlight had dissolved it away. On the way back, Ye Pei marveled at the strangeness of the world; after years traveling the Wangmai, he’d never heard of such malevolent entities, yet here in Yan lands, he’d stumbled into one so soon.

Upon returning to the You residence, he found Zi Qingrong quietly reading in her room, a faint smile on her lips. He thought to himself that at least she hadn’t wandered off—this riverland was nothing if not chaotic.

That night, Ye Pei again sat in the courtyard, regulating his inner energy and waiting for the creature’s return. But midnight passed without any disturbance.

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Ye Pei’s heart settled; he was now almost certain the beast had been seriously injured. After another hour, as he prepared to sleep, he realized that in two days, the You family hadn’t arranged any guest room for him. The previous day he’d rested in Zi Qingrong’s chamber, but that was during daylight; it seemed improper to share a room with her at night.

So, after telling Zi Qingrong to go to sleep, he leaped onto the rooftop, sitting in meditation to tend to his internal injuries, treating it as rest.

For the next three days, this routine repeated: Ye Pei wandered the town searching halfheartedly for the demon, while Zi Qingrong would sneak out after he left, returning when she guessed he was about to come back. Nothing of note happened.

However, the You family’s attitude toward the two of them grew colder. With no monster troubles for days, You Siwan began to suspect Ye Pei had slain the demon on the first night and was now pretending otherwise to freeload.

When Ye Pei heard of this suspicion, he showed little reaction, only replying coldly to You Siwan, “If you believe that, then pay me the reward for slaying the demon, and we’ll leave at once.”

You Siwan retorted, “Young hero, could you show us the corpse of the beast?”

A scornful smile appeared on Ye Pei’s face. “I already told you I didn’t kill it. I’ve spent the past few days searching for its trace. Now you suspect I’m here to scam food and lodging from your family? Tell me, with my skills and the chaos of the bandit lands, if I wanted your whole family dead, who could stop me or give you justice?”

These words left You Siwan’s face flushed and pale by turns. Unable to refute him, he could only bow and say, “Please, young hero, don’t take offense. I was out of line.”

Truth be told, Ye Pei himself was getting anxious. The bandit lands were mostly wilderness; the demon should have to hide in darkness during the day, but there were no caves or similar shelters out there, so it was likely still hiding somewhere in Canglong Town—yet he couldn’t find it no matter how hard he searched. If it recovered, he had no confidence in facing it again.

Early each morning, Ye Pei would have breakfast and go searching in town, with Zi Qingrong sneaking out as well. Her favorite haunts were the small shops and snack stalls, buying trinkets not found in the Zi clan’s territory and sampling local delicacies. The streets were sparsely populated, so nothing untoward happened. One day, bored with food and play, Zi Qingrong wandered past the shops and stalls, reaching the town center, where she saw a tall hall.

“What is this place…” she wondered, looking up at the plaque above the doors, which read: “Hall of Star Worship.” The Star was a deity venerated by both the Wangmai and Yan clans, so Zi Qingrong felt no danger and entered at leisure.

The hall was empty, contrary to her expectations—she had assumed it would be staffed by attendants from Mount Sacrifice. In the center stood a statue of the illustrious first Star Emperor. Ordinarily, seeing the statue would prompt her to bow, but for some reason, she recalled Ye Pei’s expression of distaste upon hearing of the Star Envoy instigating the Yan tribe to wage war against the Wangmai. Sticking out her tongue, she clasped her hands behind her back and walked around the statue, heading for the rear.

The back chamber appeared unremarkable, furnished with items for clerics’ use, but nobody was present. As she was about to leave, she caught sight of another statue just inside the doorway—a blind spot she hadn’t noticed before.

Approaching, she realized this was no ordinary statue. It depicted a middle-aged man in brocade, but closer inspection revealed his left face was lifelike, while the right seemed molded from clay. Most unsettling, a black slip of paper bearing strange blue symbols was stuck to his left cheek.

“Is this an unfinished statue? The left half is so realistic…” she mused, reaching out to peel off the black paper and inspect it closely.

Absorbed in studying the slip, she failed to notice a chill wind sweeping through the hall as she removed it. The statue’s eyes slowly opened.

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A sound like clods of earth hitting the floor snapped Zi Qingrong’s attention upward. She saw the right half of the statue’s body crumbling away, the fallen clay piling at its feet. The brocade robe on the right slumped and clung to the left side, and the left eye—entirely black and pupil-less—stared fixedly at her.

Zi Qingrong’s face went deathly pale. The black paper slipped from her trembling hand. She opened her mouth, but no sound emerged…

Suddenly, a roar thundered from beneath the floor. A dark blue figure burst through, sword in hand, landing in a defensive stance, as if facing a great enemy.

This sudden turn of events jolted Zi Qingrong from her shock. Her shriek shattered the oppressive silence of the hall.

The figure in blue now also saw Zi Qingrong and the half-demolished statue in the corner, cursing angrily, “Which wretch ruined my plans? No wonder it suddenly went berserk!”

Before he finished, the black demon leaped from the hole in the floor, half its body still shedding as it lunged for the remains of the statue.

Zi Qingrong screamed again, her mind barely functioning, but she recognized the demon as the very creature Ye Pei had fought. Forcing her trembling legs to move, she ran for the exit, shouting, “Yezi! Ye Pei, help me!”

Ye Pei, who had just finished searching the town and was heading toward the center, caught the faint cry of Zi Qingrong. His heart leaped in alarm.

“It’s not my imagination!” Ye Pei sprang into action, drawing his demon-steel spear and bounding across rooftops toward the sound.

He arrived just in time to see the blue-robed figure crash through the hall’s signboard and fly backward. Twisting midair, the blue-robed man caught sight of the fleeing Zi Qingrong. Using his momentum, he spun and, with a vicious glare, thrust his sword at her.

“Die!” Ye Pei’s eyes reddened with fury as he shouted.

Realizing he could not intercept in time, Ye Pei shifted his grip, channeling his full strength and anger as he hurled his spear.

The spear struck the blue-robed man’s chest mid-air, pinning his still-twitching body to the top of the hall’s entrance.

In three quick strides, Ye Pei reached Zi Qingrong, gathering her into his arms and gently patting her back. “It’s all right. I’m here now,” he soothed.

Still shaken, Zi Qingrong pointed with a trembling hand at the hall. “It’s not him… there’s another…”

Puzzled, Ye Pei looked toward the hall, just in time to see the black demon emerge, its flesh writhing as it strode forward, transforming in moments into the likeness of a man in his forties.