Chu Qingze was rendered speechless, a newfound wariness in her gaze towards Xiao Jianli.
"If you don't answer my question, I cannot answer yours," Xiao Jianli stated, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the room with unwavering focus.
Chu Qingze's lips parted and closed several times before she swallowed her words. It wasn't just that she had already severed ties with her master; revealing her affiliation with the Medicine King Valley now would likely bring endless trouble. What was her identity? And why did these two seemingly skilled individuals care so much for her?
The night was long. Over a hundred candles illuminated the entire courtyard, making it as bright as day. Through the paper windows, Cheng Yichen's figure could be seen swaying within, as if engaged in some sacred ritual.
Around the latter half of the night, a fierce knocking suddenly erupted from outside.
"Open the door! What are you doing?"
Xiao Jianli's ears twitched. He turned to Chu Qingze and said, "Go open the door. Tell them everyone's asleep and they can search as they please." With a flicker of his body, he vanished from sight.
Chu Qingze was bewildered. The place was ablaze with light, dozens of candles burning – it was anything but normal. Even if she claimed everyone was asleep, would those outside believe it? The commotion sounded like the city patrol, and if they discovered any arcane arts within, they'd be in deep trouble.
Trembling, she opened the door. The man in the lead squinted.
"What are you doing?"
"Everyone in the house is asleep. Is there something you need?" Chu Qingze asked, her voice laced with guilt.
"We've received a report that witchcraft is being practiced in the imperial city. We must conduct a search."
Chu Qingze stepped aside to let them in. Seeing them head directly towards the room, she clenched her fists. If they couldn't conceal it, a fierce battle would be inevitable.
However, as they approached the room, they didn't enter. Instead, they began to circle around the spot, making two rounds before returning the way they came.
"There's nothing here."
Both teams of guards filed out of the courtyard, their expressions stern, as if they had thoroughly searched every corner. But they hadn't even entered the room.
As she wondered about this strange turn of events, Xiao Jianli, who had vanished earlier, suddenly reappeared beside her.
"Why did they act so strangely?"
"Ghostly illusion," Xiao Jianli explained with a single sentence, offering no further details.
Chu Qingze surmised it was some form of arcane art and didn't press further. It seemed the legends were false; it was said that all sorcerers had vanished from the world, yet recent events had consistently defied this notion.
Rong Zhi felt as though she were dreaming. She seemed to be in a void, her body floating weightlessly, with only a single point of light before her. She reached out to touch it, only to feel a searing heat. It was a candle.
Suddenly, the surroundings burst into light. There were countless candles, arranged in a circular pattern on the floor of a vast, secret chamber. The pattern resembled a Bagua, but was far more complex.
The door creaked open, and a girl, covered in blood, stumbled in. She appeared to be four or five years old, barefoot and emaciated, as if she hadn't eaten in a long time. Her eyes were vacant, and despite the blood covering her, she seemed to feel no pain as she walked directly towards the center of the candles.
The little girl sat down cross-legged on the ground. The flames around her flared intensely, and the bloodstains on her body seemed to come alive, crawling across her skin. The blood traced intricate patterns on her small frame. As the patterns formed, the girl's face grew paler, her eyes more distant, like a dying person.
Rong Zhi floated towards the girl – yes, floated. Perhaps she was a ghost now. Examining the girl's features, Rong Zhi suddenly understood. She looked exactly like her. This was likely the place that held the truth of her rebirth.
Rong Zhi tried to touch the girl, but her hand passed right through her. She attempted to pick up a candle from the floor, but the result was the same. After several failed attempts, she accepted that she could do nothing here and settled in to watch what unfolded.
The girl's complexion grew increasingly weak, her face turning ashen. Finally, her body slumped, and she collapsed.
"Ah!" Rong Zhi instinctively moved to support her, only to remember she was now a spirit. She couldn't even make a sound.
A guard entered and wrapped the little girl in a piece of black cloth. The wrapping was done with a peculiar technique, concealing her entirely save for half her face. Rong Zhi frowned. In the mass grave, countless bodies were wrapped in the same manner. Looking at the patterns on the guard's uniform, she confirmed her suspicion: it was the Qianji Pavilion. This was within the Qianji Pavilion, the place where she had been resurrected. Everything she was witnessing was merely past memories.
More girls entered, one after another, just like the first. They were listless, devoid of consciousness, mechanically sitting on the ground, enduring pain, and then collapsing. Dozens of them entered in this way. Rong Zhi felt a heavy stone in her chest. To resurrect her, so many innocent lives had been lost here. The guards, treating them like dead dogs, wrapped them up and carried them away.
Rong Zhi saw the gap in the half-open door and the many people bustling outside. Driven by curiosity, she drifted over and discovered numerous individuals wearing the same Qianji Pavilion guard uniforms, but wielding cinnabar brushes and drawing on the wrapped corpses. Rong Zhi recognized them as runes of passage, meant to help wandering spirits depart peacefully. She scoffed inwardly. If such things were truly effective, how could the great zombie horde have ever appeared?
Amidst the busy figures, one person stood out. Despite wearing a guard's uniform, he possessed an aura of authority that set him apart. As she drew closer, Rong Zhi's expression froze! It was none other than... Jin Yunfei! How could he be here?
No! This shouldn't be the memory from thirteen years ago? If it were thirteen years ago, Jin Yunfei would have only been a child of ten, yet his appearance was identical to the man she had seen at the mass grave that day. This wasn't thirteen years ago! This was her present time! Everything happening before her eyes was real! This meant she had just witnessed the deaths of dozens of girls and was utterly powerless to stop it!
An immense rage surged within Rong Zhi. "What are you doing? Stop it at once!" she screamed, charging towards Jin Yunfei, only to pass through him. "Stop it! How many more lives will you ruin?" "You'll go to hell for this! You'll be repaid!" She cried until her vision blurred, but no one heard her, not even herself. She felt utterly helpless, her eyes dry, unable to shed a single tear.
From not far away, the piteous screams of a little girl reached her ears. Rong Zhi floated over and saw another girl, aged four or five, bound tightly to a narrow bed. Beside her, a guard was carving her face with a stylus, bright red blood trickling from the wound. With each stroke, the little girl bore a closer resemblance to... her.
Rong Zhi clutched her head in agony. She had never hated her rebirth so much. Because of her rebirth, countless innocent girls had lost their lives. And it wasn't just in the past; this monstrous act had continued, for thirteen years, from then until now! Thirteen years! How many people had died? Were the imperial city's residents the only ones who ended up in the mass grave?
She dared not think. Her mind was in turmoil, and she suddenly felt as though she were surrounded by countless eyes, innumerable vengeful spirits coming to claim her soul. "Stop killing! Don't continue! It's enough!" she shrieked, her throat feeling as though it were clogged with a stone, utterly incapable of producing any sound. The pain was bone-deep, her joints feeling as though they were being torn apart. She felt an overwhelming rage, a fury with nowhere to vent, concentrating entirely in her right hand. With all her might, she swung her palm outwards.
"Slap!"
A crisp, loud sound echoed throughout the room.
"Ouch!" Cheng Yichen collided with the wall, his white hair bouncing wildly like dandelion fluff. "Such strength! You've ruined my handsome face!"
As soon as he spoke, two other figures darted forward, completely ignoring Cheng Yichen, who had been knocked to the ground.
"Are you awake?" Chu Qingze, his chin covered in stubble, looked on with a tense gaze.
Xiao Jianli checked Rong Zhi's breathing, his expression finally relaxing. "She's alright now."
On the bed, Rong Zhi's face was pale, and there were still traces of stitches on her throat. She slowly opened her eyes. After a brief moment of confusion, she saw Xiao Jianli, and her eyes suddenly welled up. She pulled him towards her and sobbed uncontrollably.
Strange, why could she not speak? Her throat felt like it was being sliced by a knife! This pain intensified her inner anguish, and she desperately wanted to release it. The room was filled with her low sobs. Chu Qingze, initially relieved, felt it inappropriate to linger and quietly withdrew, taking Cheng Yichen with him.
Rong Zhi clung to Xiao Jianli, as if trying to cry herself dry. Xiao Jianli, initially unsure of what had happened, simply held her back. Gradually, he seemed to recall something, and worry flashed in his eyes. It was said that people often recalled their lives in moments of near-death; she must have remembered some dreadful past.
After what felt like an eternity of weeping, Rong Zhi's tears had almost run dry. Exhausted, she lay down and realized something was wrong with her throat. She pointed to her throat. *Why can't I speak?*
"Your throat was sealed with silver needles, and poison was applied to them. That young man cut open your windpipe and then forced out the poison, saving you," Xiao Jianli said, a trace of lingering fear in his voice. Had he arrived any later, had he not remembered Rong Zhi's past method of using internal energy to detoxify, she might not have survived.
Rong Zhi recognized the young man Xiao Jianli spoke of as Chu Qingze and felt a slight sense of relief – worthy of being her grand-disciple. Then, she suddenly remembered the events she had witnessed in her dream. Excitedly, she sat up, pointing outside with her mouth agape, but no sound emerged.
"Do you want this young man to come in?"
Rong Zhi shook her head vigorously.
"Do you want the Imperial Preceptor to come in?"
Rong Zhi nodded.
Xiao Jianli calmed her, "Wait a moment." He then turned and went to fetch him. A short while later, Cheng Yichen entered, rubbing his head.
"You don't need to thank me so urgently. You can thank me when you've recovered... Ouch!" Before he could finish, a pillow struck him on the head. Rong Zhi, breathing heavily, her eyes red, was determined to kill this man!