The original owner of the hidden bones who had cultivated the way of death had been practically a god. Never mind Zhi Xiu, even if the Southern Sage appeared, he wouldn’t have been able to break the hidden bones’ connection to reincarnation wood. 

Therefore, what Zhi Xiu had put in place on Xi Ping’s spirit was a mind-clearing spell, so he wouldn’t lose his mind from irritation before learning to control his consciousness. 

Mind-clearing spells were given to young disciples of unsteady temperament for the purpose of helping them ignore external things and concentrate on cultivation. Apart from A-Xiang and the evil cultivators who had been arrested in Jinping, Xi Ping hadn’t had contact with any other “followers of Tai Sui.” From his point of view, the “Tai Sui” they were calling on was Liang Chen, so they were “irrelevant voices” that would be filtered out by the mind-clearing spell on his spirit. 

The only one who could get around the mind-clearing spell at present was Wei Chengxiang. 

As Xi Ping concentrated on the center of his brow, he thought, Why hasn’t she burned that reincarnation wood amulet yet? 

In fact, A-Xiang hadn’t listened to his advice. She was still carrying the reincarnation wood amulet. 

Far from the evil cultivators and the hidden undercurrents, her life had returned to normal. The shrine was broken, but she still couldn’t burn the amulet. 

A girl of fifteen or sixteen, dressed as a boy, making her living alone under the noise and the smoke—she instinctively wanted to grab on to something constant. For example, the eternally unwinnable Golden Tray lottery tickets, the eternally foul-mouthed Auntie Chunying, and the wooden amulet that could occasionally contact another person. 

She knew there was no god on the other end of the reincarnation wood. 

It was all right if it was a person. She wasn’t afraid of a person looking at her. After all, there were too few people who could “see” her. 

Elderly people all said that evil objects were plagues, calamities, not to be touched. If you picked something up from them, it would never leave you. At first, A-Xiang had thought nothing of it—the doctor at the factory had said that plagues were brought by dirty air and water. 

Now she knew at last that the old people’s words experience of experience weren’t as absurd as they sounded. 

As she inwardly called for Tai Sui, she feigned ignorance. “What?” 

The man looked at her with a false smile. 

“You must be talking about the Southern Sage’s shrine, right? It’s easy to find. You go along the Sage’s Road—the one around the mountain, flashing green. Keep going and you’ll get there.” A-Xiang pointed and avoided the man’s eyes by lowering her head to eat the porridge. She turned and walked towards a crowded spot, vaguely saying, “Don’t go today, the third prince from the palace is going to pray for the Imperial Consort’s good fortune, this end of the Sage’s Road is sealed…” 

Her speech was choked off. The white-faced man wrapped in bandages had somehow appeared blocking her way in the blink of an eye. 

The hairs rose on the back of A-Xiang’s neck: this man was an evil cultivator! 

She called “Tai Sui” over and over in her mind, but the reincarnation wood seemed to be dead. There was no answer. 

“Don’t be nervous…little ‘brother’? Or is it little lady? I’m a friend of your teacher. We’ve lost many brothers and sisters this time. Alas, he must have known then that he wasn’t long for this world and went out of his way to send word to ask me to look after you before the end.” 

A-Xiang backed up a step and said warily, “Who are you? What do you want? I have no teacher, and I don’t know you. If you keep pestering me, I’ll call for help!” 

“Call who? Your grandpa?” the man said, smiling. His mouth split into a grin, but his eyes were open as wide as they could go. There seemed to be ripples spreading in his light brown eyes, pulling in the tensed A-Xiang. 

In a daze, she seemed to return to that long night, her grandfather without a piece of healthy flesh on him, his breath stopping right in front of her, not closing his eyes even after he was dead. 

Next, the images in front of her eyes were like time running backwards scene by scene. 

She saw her grandfather suddenly appearing at the door, carried in by fellow workers. It was unclear whether he recognized A-Xiang. He stared fixedly at his little granddaughter, struggling for breath, wanting to live. 

Before that, it was A-Xiang watching the city guard soldiers taking her grandpa away, herself and Chunying with nowhere to turn. 

Before that, her grandpa fell ill but wouldn’t spend his hard-earned wages on medicine, instead buying Golden Tray lottery tickets. When he came up empty, he said sheepishly to his furious granddaughter, “god can’t bully a person forever,” “where there’s a will there’s a way; I’ll win one day,” and other such nonsense. The girl turned and went out the door, determined to go find a way to make her own money, taking that lawsuit form demanding that “corrupt officials return our land.” 

Before that, a slightly younger A-Xiang and her grandpa buried her mother. Her grandpa, stroking her little head, said, “Don’t cry, A-Xiang, grandpa will take you all over the world. The finch flies through the sky, the flood dragon swims through the sea. I can earn my good little grandchild an inheritance anywhere.” 

Before that…

A-Xiang clearly saw her own destiny, like an ant whose nest had been toppled by a flood, sliding into a bottomless abyss. She couldn’t resist clutching at the malicious thread of spider silk, greedily but vainly crawling upwards in defiance of time. 

Until a voice burst out in her mind: “Wake up! Wei Chengxiang!” 

A-Xiang’s pupils contracted almost to the size of pinpoints. The false spider silk tore, and she rolled back to the bottom of the pit. For a moment, she almost hated that voice that had once again smashed her false consolation. 

The next moment, her intellect recovered, and she saw a Moon Plated Gold carriage speeding towards her! 

Xi Ping hadn’t meant to say anything—as long as he played dead convincingly enough, as a mortal with no exceptional talents, there would be nothing about A-Xiang that others would conspire for. 

Even if that glazed White Face had taken a liking to her young body and wanted to kidnap her to sell her off or keep for his own unlawful purposes, he would still have to get her to a concealed location first. Xi Ping was keeping an eye on her location from the shadows and could have Heaven’s Design Pavilion get her back. 

But White Face’s plot exceeded expectations. He used a soul-muddling spell to lead A-Xiang onto the canal road behind the factories. 

Some obviously drunk wastrels were driving a Moon Plated Gold carriage there. The metal monster was racing at the speed of lightning, and A-Xiang, controlled by the soul-muddling spell, had suddenly run into the middle of the road! 

Xi Ping had no choice but to say something. 

In a flash, A-Xiang threw herself forward and felt a keen wind scrape past her back. Loud laughter and cursing floated out of the carriage. A-Xiang’s legs folded, and she went to her knees. 

Weathered boots stopped in front of her. A hand as pale as death raised her head. 

“As I thought.” The white-faced man stared at A-Xiang and stuck his hand right into her clothes, turning up the reincarnation wood amulet. “I knew you were here, Grand Duke Tai Sui. With an old friend here, how can you turn away?” 

Xi Ping: “…” 

That didn’t sound like the tone of an old friend. 

Next, the white-faced man pulled the reincarnation wood from A-Xiang’s neck and put it into a little box covered in inscriptions. Xi Ping’s vision went black. He could no longer see what was happening to A-Xiang. 

Xi Ping abruptly opened his eyes. 

Zhi Xiu twisted his fingers, and a note fragmented into light at his fingertips, flying in the direction of Jinping. “I’ve notified your Pang-shixiong—is this a remaining evil cultivator?” 

“Doesn’t seem like it. He’s come with ill intent. He seems like a creditor to me.” Xi Ping clutched his hair in irritation. His hair was full of fragments of ice. “Shifu, do a divination for me, is it my fate to repay people’s debts? One by one they die, and each of them leaves me their debts. I have to repay the lady’s debt, and I have to repay the rotten old man’s debt. What for?!”

“Indeed.” General Zhi sighed meaningfully and patted Xi Ping on the head. “Who made you the reincarnation of a spendthrift?” 

Xi Ping: “…” 

Zhi Xiu wrote the name “Wei Chengxiang” in the snow in flowing script and tapped it with Zhaoting. Next to it, small writing appeared in the snow: southeast…

Before the rest of the writing appeared, an inscription character suddenly appeared in the snow, scattering the writing! 

Zhi Xiu frowned slowly. “I am unable to glimpse her… This is a second-class inscription.” 

The highest grade inscriptions that the immortal sects were permitted to let loose in the mortal world were third-class, more than enough to protect important places and people. There was no need to go higher. 

Second-class inscriptions were too dangerous. Never mind that they were hard to design; once designed, laying down a small segment would nearly drain an ordinary established foundation master dry; it took an ascended spirit cultivator to carve them. 

Correspondingly, the impact of second-class inscriptions was also of the ascended spirit grade. Had Zhi Xiu been in Jinping now, he could have broken through by force using a sword cultivator’s unparalleled keenness. But now his reach wasn’t long enough. 

Meanwhile, Pang Jian received Zhi Xiu’s message and took people to the southern outskirts. He found a Moon Plated Gold chariot that had crashed into a tree lying upside down. The released karma beasts sniffed around everywhere, then chased their own tails in bewilderment. 

When A-Xiang opened her eyes again, there was pitch-black darkness in front of her. Before her eyes could adjust to the dark, she smelled a powerful fragrance. 

“Old Mud,” the white-faced man’s voice sounded in her ear, “I’ve brought her.” 

A-Xiang gave a start. Next, something hit her. She scrambled to catch it and felt that it was the reincarnation wood amulet. 

On Flying Jade Peak, Xi Ping suddenly sat up straight. 

The white-faced man took out a luminous pearl. By the faint light, A-Xiang saw him talking to a shadow in the corner. 

Before she could find the owner of the shadow, the shadow suddenly moved on its own! 

It fell to the ground like mud, flowing all the way to A-Xiang’s feet. 

A-Xiang froze in terror, letting the black shadow make a circle around her. Next, a dry voice sounded in her ear: “A mortal.” 

A-Xiang suddenly turned, clutching the reincarnation wood, forcing Xi Ping to see the person behind her along with her. “What the hell!” 

This man was stooped. He seemed about the same height as A-Xiang. The skin of his face was like an ill-fitting piece of clothing, pulled tight, unable to cover his teeth and pulling his nostrils wide. Two eyes that wouldn’t close protruded. The irises and whites of the eyes were like beaten eggs, so it was impossible to tell where his gaze was aimed. 

No wonder he hid in a shadow. With this dear friend’s charms, if he went out into the streets of Jinping, it would be enough to scare a whole crowd of delicate marquises to death! 

“Tai…um…” A-Xiang’s ragged cotton-padded jacket was soaked with cold sweat. Her nails nearly dug into the reincarnation wood. Inwardly, she asked Xi Ping, “Who are they?” 

“Bad news, anyway. Your rescuers are on their way, stay alert and tell me anything you notice.” At this time, the wicked Xi Ping casually took advantage: “You can call me whatever you like, any kind of uncle will do.” 

While A-Xiang thought that his voice was a little young, it wasn’t that uncommon for a thirty- or forty-year-old to have a young voice, so her suspicions weren’t aroused. “Uncle, this place is a little damp, and there’s a strong scent.” 

Damp and scented? 

The place his shifu had divined was the southeast. To the southeast was the grand canal. Had she been taken onto a cargo ship? 

Transporting perfume? 

Before he could think about it carefully, “Old Mud” smiled at A-Xiang…though it looked like he was only baring his teeth. “Your Excellency Tai Sui, at last you’ve learned caution. I cautioned you before not to be hasty. Well, wasn’t I right? The blue dogs have put you in a tight spot lately, haven’t they? Even Crow Two is in prison. A pity.” 

Xi Ping asked A-Xiang, “Was Crow Two your worthless shifu?” 

A-Xiang struggled to stand firm and not let herself tremble. “He must have been. I heard others call him Brother Two.” 

Right, Jiangli and the others had all used numbers as code names.

This Brother Two’s code name had a “crow” in front of it along with the “two.” He must have had a high position among the evil cultivators. 

These people obviously didn’t know that “Tai Sui” was dead. Their information ended with Jiangli and the others planning to plunder the Dragon Vein during the fourth month. They had likely come in search of the evil cultivator called Crow Two, not expecting that Crow Two had been arrested and now might be dead or alive. That was why they had followed the traces and gotten their eyes on A-Xiang, who had been the last person to have contact with him. 

A-Xiang said, “Uncle, what do I do?” 

Xi Ping said, “Tell him it’s none of his business. Tell him to state his business and cut the crap—describe the scent to me. Is it flowers? Or what?” 

As A-Xiang kept her cool and conveyed his words, she carefully considered the strong fragrance around her. “Not flowers. It’s very sweet…” 

She swallowed automatically, and only then realized how she had been salivating. “Like tasty fruit.” 

Fruit? 

Xi Ping was all at sea. Fresh fruits from the south were in fact transported to Jinping in the winter, but they usually had to be kept on ice. 

What kind of fruit could still smell so delicious it made a person’s mouth water after being put in cold storage? 

“Old Mud” didn’t get angry at A-Xiang’s rude answer. Slowly as before, he said, “When ‘Piglet Number Five’ suddenly fell out of contact, we didn’t know whether he’d had an accident or was deliberately avoiding us. Without him, we couldn’t contact you, Tai Sui. We were truly concerned for your well-being. That’s why we acted on impulse. I hope you can forgive us.” 

Xi Ping’s thoughts moved quickly—this “Old Mud” knew about Tai Sui’s plot to plunder the Dragon Vein and must have found out through some indications that he had failed. He thought that Tai Sui was still hiding out near Jinping, keeping out of sight. 

This so-called “Piglet Number Five” must have been one of Tai Sui’s followers who had made long-term contact with these people. He had likely been affected when Tai Sui had sapped his believers’ energy. He had either died or been caught by Heaven’s Design Pavilion. 

So…why would the evil cultivator Liang let these repulsive people who obviously weren’t believers know about his plan to plunder the Dragon Vein? 

Xi Ping raised his head and asked Zhi Xiu, “Shifu, are ‘sleep paralysis imps’ rare? How rare?” 

Zhi Xiu said, “Before it was all right, but now they’ve been extinct for many years. As far as I know, not even Xuanyin Mountain has any living ones.” 

Xi Ping slapped his thigh. “I’ve got it.” 

“What have you got now?” 

“The black market seller who sold the old demon the bugs is here. The old demon must have bought them on credit and not paid! Wow, shameless.” 

Zhi Xiu sent a note reading “canal cargo ship, people suspected to be from the south,” then saw Xi Ping rolling up his sleeves and readying himself for battle. “I bet they weren’t using money for their transaction. Let me talk them around.” 

Saying so, he muttered instructions to A-Xiang. 

Zhi Xiu: “…” 

No wonder Pang Jian had wanted to get this brat into Heaven’s Design Pavilion from the start. A shit-stirring genius like this was truly wasted on snowy and unpeopled Flying Jade Peak. No wonder all he could do was pull down houses and blow up mountains. 

A-Xiang had perhaps imprinted like a fledgling. She had a kind of unreasoning trust in the “uncle” who had told her the truth through the reincarnation wood. As soon as she heard his voice, she felt she was no longer alone and helpless. She became bolder. As Xi Ping instructed, she said to “Old Mud,” “Friends, my Grand Duke Tai Sui says that he’s indebted to you for your help last time, but he really hadn’t thought that Xuanyin Mountain would send out that peak master. Even my shifu… I’m afraid everything currently points to disaster for Mr. Five. There’s too much commotion. Can you grant us some more patience?” 

“Old Mud” bared his teeth again. “Little sister, don’t you know the price of living? We’ve spent over half a year being patient, waited from spring until the dead of winter, and that shipment of spiritual stones still hasn’t arrived. Are we really supposed to go pilfer heaven’s order? What crime have the common people committed?” 

A-Xiang, who had nearly been run over by a Moon Plated Gold carriage, was choked by him saying “what crime have the common people committed?” 

“Little girl.” Just then, the white-faced man who had been standing there without speaking opened his mouth. “Tell your Tai Sui that we know the difficulty of your position. Wuchang One has been beside Zhao for so long without daring to take him down. That must be because he’s worried you won’t have enough people, right?” 

Zhao?

This was one of Xuanyin’s great surnames, Xi Ping thought. Who were they talking about? 

“Let’s do this. We’ll help you out for free again,” the white-faced man said. “Have Wuchang One cooperate with us. Before the cargo ship leaves the Land of Turmoil, we’ll raid it and split the spiritual stones, ninety percent to us, ten percent to you. What do you say?” 

Xi Ping ordered A-Xiang to haggle: “Tell him that’s no good. A fifty-fifty split, or negotiations are over.” 

Meanwhile, he quickly recounted these words to Zhi Xiu. “Shifu, what are they talking about?” 

After Zhi Xiu heard this, his expression became slightly grave. “At the beginning of each year, the southern mines send a spiritual stone shipment convoy north. Going by the date, the shipment must be going out soon. Do they really want to steal spiritual stones?”