Chapter 5: The Hamster Demon (5)

Shen Jibai’s thin eyelids twitched slightly.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that the doubts piling up in his heart far outweighed his disgust.

He had known Chaonanyi for a long time. He knew very well that beneath that ethereal, jade-like beauty was a cold and ruthless heart.

Someone who was usually so proud she looked down on everyone; someone who disdained associating with fellow disciples of lower cultivation; someone who never cared about other people’s feelings, much less the reasons behind a demon’s rampage—

Why had she acted so strangely again and again today?

Especially those light-brown eyes of hers. The arrogant superiority in them was gone, replaced by a clever, mischievous spark.

He did not believe that nonsense about amnesia for a second.

Withdrawing his gaze, Shen Jibai said coldly, “No need to see me any farther.”

“Great!”

Zhou Xin turned and slipped away as though a great burden had been lifted.

Shen Jibai stood where he was for a while. Only after the girl’s figure had completely disappeared from sight did he turn around and head back the way he had come.

The door to the quiet room was open. When Immortal Linghe saw him return, he did not seem surprised at all, as if he had expected it.

Shen Jibai knelt on the cushion beside him and asked in a low voice, “Immortal, have you noticed that Lady Lingyun is very different from before?”

“If Vice Minister Shen has something to say, you may speak freely.”

Shen Jibai was silent for a moment before asking, “Would sealing the Fox King cause a backlash?”

“Sealing any demon can cause backlash. It is only that the Fox King has cultivated for a thousand years and is exceedingly dangerous, so the possibility of backlash is greater.”

“Could backlash cause a drastic change in personality?”

“That is difficult to say.” Immortal Linghe stroked his beard. “It could, or it could not.”

“Is there such a thing as a flawless face-changing illusion?”

Immortal Linghe looked at him lightly, as if he had seen through what Shen Jibai was thinking.

“No. All techniques leave traces.”

“Has Lady Lingyun mentioned her memory loss to you?”

“No,” Immortal Linghe said. “But there are signs.”

“Immortal, you believe that explanation?”

Immortal Linghe smiled and asked in return, “Why should I not?”

Shen Jibai gave a slight nod.

“I understand.”

Taiqing Temple, from the old to the young, was lying. He had asked for half a day and gotten nothing useful.

Unwilling to stay any longer, he rose and bowed, about to take his leave, when Immortal Linghe suddenly said,

“Vice Minister Shen is wondering why I did not stop my disciple from touching you just now, aren’t you?”

Shen Jibai turned back to look at him, as though waiting for an answer.

“Even if I told you, Vice Minister Shen would not believe me.”

Immortal Linghe slowly continued, “Today, the moment I entered the quiet room, I noticed that the fate-knot on the ring finger of Vice Minister Shen’s left hand had appeared.”

He only said half of what he meant, but Shen Jibai understood the implication.

“You mean the other end of the red thread is tied to Lady Lingyun?”

The moment he said it, he rejected the possibility himself.

“That is impossible.”

Immortal Linghe said meaningfully, “This is a marriage fate ordained by heaven. Others cannot interfere. This is all I can say.”

“There is one thing I do not understand,” Shen Jibai said. “If the other end of the fate-knot really is tied to Lady Lingyun, why has it only appeared now?”

“When fate has not arrived, the knot does not appear,” Immortal Linghe said. “With matters of marriage and destiny, one step too early or one step too late can change everything.”

Shen Jibai gave a cold laugh. His black-and-white eyes were filled with disdain. Though he did not say a word, his attitude was already perfectly clear.

This marriage fate could go to hell.

*

Zhou Xin wandered around for a while. When she reached the Pavilion of Welcoming Immortals, she saw several worshippers waiting in line for Changsheng to interpret their fortune slips, so she leaned against a pillar and waited.

Once all the worshippers had left, she grabbed Changsheng by the back of his collar, narrowed her eyes, and smiled.

“Junior Brother, come back to my room with me. I have something to ask you.”

Changsheng looked up at her, seeming not very willing.

“Senior Sister, can’t you ask me here?”

“No.”

“…Will I be punished if I can’t answer?”

“No.”

Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief and walked ahead to lead the way.

“That’s good.”

Zhou Xin followed behind him and asked casually, “There are still worshippers this late?”

As soon as she said this, Changsheng stopped and turned back to look at her, confusion in his eyes.

“Senior Sister, you…”

Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhou Xin gave a dignified little cough and began lying with a straight face.

“The Fox King’s demonic power was extremely strong. I forcibly sealed it and suffered a backlash. Now I have lost all my memories…”

Changsheng suddenly understood and let out an “Oh.”

“Does Immortal Linghe know?”

Zhou Xin shook her head. “I haven’t had time to tell him yet.”

“This is no small matter. It would be best to report it to Immortal Linghe as soon as possible.”

After saying this, Changsheng turned around and continued leading the way.

At the thought of Immortal Linghe, Zhou Xin felt faintly uneasy.

That man was sharp, perceptive, and his cultivation was unfathomable. He probably would not be easy to fool.

She gave a low “Mm,” then turned the topic back to the worshippers.

Changsheng explained, “Immortal Linghe prefers quiet. The temple is only open to outsiders during the morning and evening lessons each day.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Zhou Xin nodded and continued asking, “Then do you know why Taiqing Temple assists the Court of Judicial Review in capturing demons?”

“Every abbot of Taiqing Temple has also served as an assistant official in the Court of Judicial Review, overseeing the Demon and Evil Affairs Division. Emperor Gaozu traced his ancestry back to Laozi and established Daoism as the state religion. As the foremost royal Daoist temple, Taiqing Temple’s abbot was granted the fifth-rank title of Immortal and placed in charge of spreading Daoist teachings and holding lectures. The heavy responsibility of eliminating demons and evil spirits fell to the Daoist students.”

If the abbot also held a post in the Court of Judicial Review, didn’t that make Shen Jibai technically her superior?

Thinking of how the two of them were like fire and water, Zhou Xin secretly sighed and continued asking, “Then there should be many Daoist students, right? Why are there so few now?”

“There used to be many Daoist students. So many that the temple could barely house them all. But there were always impatient people who went out to capture demons before mastering their skills. At best, they were injured. At worst, they died. So over time, there were fewer and fewer. Now, the only people from Taiqing Temple holding posts in the Court of Judicial Review are you and Senior Brother Zhan.”

No wonder Shen Jibai had still sent someone to ask for her help, even though their relationship was this terrible.

Daoist Zhan was traveling elsewhere, and she was the only person left in Taiqing Temple who knew demon-catching arts. Shen Jibai had no other choice.

Changsheng passed through a moon gate and led her into a courtyard with a grape trellis.

“Capturing demons is dangerous. Even Daoist students have died doing it, so the yamen runners of the Court of Judicial Review are even less willing to get involved. Immortal Linghe said Taiqing Temple lacked manpower, so His Majesty issued an edict ordering the Golden Guards and the Court of Judicial Review to fully assist. The three parties capture demons together, and rewards are given according to merit.”

After speaking, he pointed to a plaque hanging under the eaves. On it were the three characters Water Cloud Retreat.

“Senior Sister, this is your room. You wrote that plaque yourself.”

Her heart outside the mortal world, her body among water and clouds.

Chaonanyi really had devoted herself completely to the Dao.

“Where is your room?” Zhou Xin asked.

“I live with the senior brothers in the back mountain.”

Understood. As the only Daoist priestess in Taiqing Temple, Chaonanyi lived alone in her own courtyard.

Zhou Xin pushed open the door and swept her eyes around the room. She could not help being shocked.

“The room is this big, but there’s only one mat and one bed?”

Changsheng pointed to the low table on the mat.

“Senior Sister, there is also a table.”

Zhou Xin lowered her eyes to look at him.

“Is your room this empty too?”

“Senior Sister, you said those things were useless and hindered cultivation, so you threw them away yourself.”

Zhou Xin: “…”

After a brief pause, she asked again, “A posted official should have a salary, right? Besides, I was granted the title Lady Lingyun and appointed to the Bureau of Astronomy. Shouldn’t I be receiving three salaries?”

“Money is a worldly possession. Senior Sister has never valued it and has never gone to collect her salary.”

“What the…” Zhou Xin was a little stunned. “How is that possible? If I don’t collect it, what do I eat, wear, and drink?”

“There is food in the dining hall and water from the well. As for clothing… aside from your official uniform, Senior Sister only wears this Daoist robe. You have never worn anything else.”

“…”

No wonder Chaonanyi had such profound Daoist energy at such a young age. So this was the kind of pure, desireless, single-minded cultivation life she had been living.

Zhou Xin turned and walked out.

“…The South Market hasn’t closed yet, right? Is there still time to buy a desk?”

“Senior Sister, didn’t you have something to ask Changsheng?”

After taking two steps, Zhou Xin suddenly turned back, grabbed Changsheng by the collar, and dragged him out.

“I’ll ask on the way.”

A kid like Changsheng was the easiest to coax.

Zhou Xin treated him to a meal of roasted goose and duck, and by the end of it, she had pretty much gotten all the information she needed about the original owner.

Chaonanyi was extraordinarily talented and aloof by nature. She had always kept to herself. Her relationship with the other disciples of Taiqing Temple was poor, and she could not even be considered close to Immortal Linghe, who had raised her personally.

Because of this, although she had a beautiful reputation outside and held posts in both the Court of Judicial Review and the Bureau of Astronomy, she had not made friends with anyone. She had no confidants at all.

On top of that, she did not obey orders or assignments from her superiors. She would accept commands only when she chose to, and because she was highly valued by His Majesty, her relationships with officials in both departments were not very harmonious.

In short, she was a proud, untouchable beauty with terrible interpersonal relationships.

Zhou Xin felt troubled. This person’s personality was completely opposite from hers. The gap between them was enormous.

No wonder, after only a short time interacting with her, Shen Jibai had kept looking at her with suspicion.

He had probably noticed this.

What should she do?

Zhou Xin felt a faint lingering fear. That guy had already become suspicious, and given how much he hated Chaonanyi, there was no telling what he might do.

As she passed a wine shop, inspiration struck her.

People were softer after eating someone’s food and accepting someone’s gifts. If she could not beat him, she might as well join him. Why not try to repair this terrible relationship?

By now, it was deep into the night. The bell rang three times in succession, reminding everyone that it was time for the yamen runners on duty to change shifts.

As soon as Shen Jibai walked out of the case archive, he saw the yamen runner he had sent to investigate Chaonanyi’s whereabouts approaching with a cheerful smile, carrying a pot of wine.

“You’re smiling like that. Is there good news?”

The runner lifted the wine.

“Lady Lingyun had someone send this over. She said it was to apologize to you.”

Shen Jibai: “…”

He turned and walked toward the gate.

“I don’t want it. Send it back.”

The runner hurried after him.

“Vice Minister, this is pine-flower wine. They say it can prolong life!”

Shen Jibai thought to himself, With her around, even ghosts wouldn’t live long.

“Vice Minister, this is the first time Lady Lingyun has ever apologized to you…”

The runner’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

Shen Jibai paused, then turned to look at him.

“Did you notice anything strange about her?”

“A little… But Lady Lingyun’s memory is damaged, so it makes sense for her to act somewhat unusually.”

“If she had only lost her memory, why would her personality change so drastically?”

“This…” The runner scratched the back of his head. “This subordinate does not know.”

“Go investigate where Immortal Linghe found Lady Lingyun back then.”

Shen Jibai accepted the pine-flower wine.

“Do it in secret. Do not let a third person know.”

“Vice Minister suspects that the current Lady Lingyun is a fake?”

Shen Jibai did not answer. He merely glanced at him indifferently.

The runner hurriedly lowered his head and bowed.

“This subordinate spoke out of turn. I will go investigate at once.”

After the man left, Shen Jibai casually tossed the pine-flower wine aside. With a crisp sound, the clear wine splashed across the ground, and its fragrance spread through the air.

“Vice Minister, aren’t you especially fond of fine wine? What’s gotten into you today?”

Assistant Court Official Lu had just walked out of the case archive and happened to see this scene.

“My hand slipped,” Shen Jibai said. “I didn’t hold it steady.”

By the time he returned home by carriage, it was already past eleven at night.

The lamps in the main house had already gone out. He went straight back to his own room. Suddenly, he sensed that something had followed him inside.

The temperature in the room dropped at once. The air turned cold and eerie, sending a chill down his spine.

One hand gripping the hilt of his blade, he swept his wary gaze around the room and shouted,

“Playing tricks like a ghost — only a coward would do such a thing!”

The door opened inward from outside.

A blast of cold wind rushed in, extinguishing the candlelight in the room and scattering the pale moonlight. In an instant, everything around him sank into darkness so thick he could not see his own hand before his face.

A chill pressed straight against his heart. The hairs on his body stood on end.

Shen Jibai drew his blade from its sheath, fully on guard.

“Come out!”