In the Eighth District of Qingzhou, Xing Shuishui returned to the inn when it was already late.
She felt uneasy, carefully checking her body for bloodstains before going upstairs.
Killing Elder Baicang shouldn’t raise suspicions about her yet. Pretending to be human was useful precisely because it made her seem harmless. Besides, Huayu Tower had made many enemies lately – there were plenty of suspects. She just worried that master might notice something.
He even suspected she might have possessed someone to be reborn. Had they met in a past life? Was there some deep grudge?
After thinking for a long time, her mind became muddled. She decided to stop thinking about it. She would deal with his master after resolving her sister’s situation.
At He Liansheng’s door, Xing Shuishui knocked but received no response for a while.
She hesitated, “I’m coming in.”
When she pushed open the door, the young man was sitting on the bed with the Taoyuan sword beside him. His expression was cold – he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
“So you finally came back?”
His moods seemed to swing wildly lately.
Xing Shuishui explained, “There were so many people outside, it was really lively. I almost got lost and had to ask around before finding my way back. That’s why I’m a bit late…”
“Weren’t you going to look for your grandfather?”
Oh right, that was the excuse.
Xing Shuishui nodded like a pecking chick, “But I couldn’t find him…”
He Liansheng saw right through her feigned dejection, his eyes mocking. Xing Shuishui immediately tensed up.
The young man asked casually, “If you did find him, what would you do? Didn’t you say you had nowhere to go?”
“People who want to live can find a way, even without a home. Look at me now – aren’t I living just fine?”
Xing Shuishui looked at him earnestly, “If I really found him, I wouldn’t stick around you all anymore. You don’t like me and don’t want me following you anyway. It would be just what you want.”
He Liansheng narrowed his eyes, his expression suggesting otherwise.
Why that look? Was there something wrong with what she said? Xing Shuishui secretly studied him before looking away. The atmosphere grew strangely silent.
Seeing the window wasn’t properly closed, she ran over to it. He Liansheng stood up and walked toward her step by step. When Xing Shuishui looked up, He Liansheng was blocking her path.
She stepped to the side, but he put his hand on the windowsill, effectively trapping her.
Xing Shuishui lowered her eyes.
His arm had smooth, clean lines, and his distinctly-jointed hand rested on the wooden window. Because of his pale skin, dark purple veins were visible.
She looked up again, fingers clutching her sleeves.
The young man leaned down with a slight smirk, “Why are you so nervous?”
Since she first came in, her hands had been fidgeting with her sleeves whether talking or not. She seemed tense, like a shy bride.
He Liansheng reached out to hook her sleeve, returning the folded cuff to its original position. His knuckles inadvertently brushed against the skin of her wrist – a very subtle touch. Xing Shuishui sensitively pulled her hand back, which to others would seem like guilty behavior.
He Liansheng finished his thought, eyes mocking, “Someone who didn’t know better might think you were lying again.”
Nervous? Was she nervous?
Xing Shuishui felt she wasn’t nervous at all!
She took a deep breath, “I don’t lie, everything I say is true! Demons are the ones who lie. Demons are the best at lying. I’m not a demon. You have to believe me!”
She thought He Liansheng would pick apart her words again, but unexpectedly, he touched his chin and laughed like a madman.
Xing Shuishui: ?
Was it really that funny? Where was the joke?
She stared at him in confusion. Fortunately, the gentle big sister Li Guanyu came by just then, knocking on the door: “He Lian, is Shuishui back?”
Before He Liansheng could respond, Xing Shuishui raised her hand, “I’m back!”
Li Guanyu came to give Xing Shuishui advance warning: “The situation in Qingzhou is complicated. We just discussed with the mountain master and others – my master’s aunt will come to oversee things. If we handle it alone, Shangguan Houyue might not cooperate. But with my master’s aunt here, Shangguan Houyue will show some restraint.”
Master’s aunt? Xing Shuishui was startled – who was her master again? Who was it? She’d met them before, but her memory was like a goldfish.
Li Guanyu said worriedly, “My master’s aunt is good in every way… except… she’s rather proud. If she offends you, Shuishui, please be understanding. My master’s aunt means well.”
Though Xing Shuishui couldn’t quite follow, she thought about Lingshan – the higher one’s status there, the more superior their attitude. They looked down on outsiders, especially mortals. She suddenly understood the intention behind these words.
She smiled, “It’s fine. Maybe I’ll find my grandfather soon, then I won’t have to trouble Sister Guanyu anymore.”
Before she finished speaking, He Liansheng coldly interjected, “I already said, tell your master’s aunt to stay far away. I can handle Qingzhou’s matters alone.”
Li Guanyu awkwardly waved her hand, “You heard just now, the mountain master has decided. It’s not something we can change.”
She continued earnestly, “I know you don’t get along with my master’s aunt, but right now the most important thing is to take Shangguan Houyue back to Lingshan. He Lian, you need to learn to consider the bigger picture.”
The young man’s hand left the windowsill. Though the Taoyuan sword remained sheathed, it was pointed in her direction. A cold glint flashed, and Li Guanyu’s expression froze slightly.
He Liansheng lowered his eyes to stare at her coldly, “Li Guanyu. Who are you to lecture me?”
Sensing the sudden tension, Xing Shuishui blinked. No wonder He Liansheng had been cold-faced since she returned. He apparently had personal grievances with Li Guanyu’s master’s aunt.
Xing Shuishui stepped between them, “Don’t fight, don’t fight. Calm down, calm down.”
Li Guanyu left the room. Bang! — The door couldn’t withstand He Liansheng’s anger, and even the windows shook. Xing Shuishui covered her ears and hid beside He Liansheng.
He Liansheng looked down and started bothering her again, “Go upstairs and sleep.”
Her voice was weak, “But I haven’t eaten…”
So, Xing Shuishui received another fasting pill, making her want to die. She tossed it aside with disgust, “Fasting pills taste terrible… let’s go eat outside.”
The young man spoke sarcastically, “Didn’t you just get back?”
“Just because I got back doesn’t mean I can’t go out again!”
Xing Shuishui pushed open the window to reveal a bustling scene, “Look, Qingzhou is especially lively at night! I haven’t had enough fun yet. Besides… when I’m in a bad mood, I like to go out for a walk.”
The girl said this while looking up at him.
He Liansheng was stunned for a moment, and somehow, as if he’d lost his mind, he actually went out with her.
They came down from the inn and turned down a street to reach the bustling market. The market was by the river, with a wooden bridge.
The bridge was full of vendors, with lanterns hanging overhead.
Xing Shuishui stood to one side, taking in the scene: the starry river reflected upside down, crowds of people everywhere, a peddler shaking his rattle drum walking from one end of the bridge to the other; servants from wealthy households looking around before emptying chamber pots; a two-wheeled cart rushing past with a large basket of spices, the bamboo cover bouncing along the way, spilling star anise and Sichuan peppercorns that caused fits of sneezing, an old lady twisting her handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth, cursing their ancestors for eighteen generations. Those who didn’t understand laughed at her misfortune, making the old lady’s eyebrows stand on end as she glared sideways and scolded, “Hey! You heartless beast.” Oh well, innocent bystanders getting caught up in it.
Xing Shuishui tugged at He Liansheng’s sleeve, smiling, “Don’t you feel better now?”
He Liansheng finally understood her other intention but didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked stiffly, “What do you want to eat?”
Xing Shuishui pouted, pointing at the xiaolongbao vendor. He Liansheng looked over, but her finger switched to point at the knife-cut noodles next door, “Do you want some? My treat.”
He Liansheng: “No.”
But Xing Shuishui had already run over, telling the noodle vendor, “Two bowls of knife-cut noodles, no cilantro in mine.”
Soon, steaming bowls of knife-cut noodles were served. He Liansheng tossed the vendor a gold ingot. The vendor was shocked and quickly said, “Sir, this is far too much.”
He Liansheng said coldly, “Take it if I’m giving it to you.”
Seeing the vendor’s difficulty, Xing Shuishui gave him ten copper coins instead, pushing the gold back to He Liansheng, “Your family must be really rich, using gold to buy noodles.”
Usually Li Guanhang was incredibly stingy, getting money from him was like taking his life, and his sister was the same – going out with barely any money and still getting scammed. It seemed the families of Lingshan were quite different from each other.
He Liansheng glanced at her mockingly, “Is this something worth being surprised about? If you haven’t heard of the He Lian family of Lingshan, go ask around.”
He played with the gold piece in his hand before tucking it into his sleeve.
Xing Shuishui propped her chin up, not touching her chopsticks, “I have heard about them, heard those cultivators say your family is very powerful. That’s nice.”
She tilted her head, “But my luck hasn’t been so good. My family was always poor when I was little. My mother wouldn’t let me eat whatever I wanted. Only my sister spoiled me, asking others to buy me candy, and only during festivals. You privileged young masters from wealthy families wouldn’t understand.”
He Liansheng’s gaze moved from the noodle soup to her eyes, speaking word by word, “Xing Shuishui, who told you I had it easy?”
Xing Shuishui was stunned – wasn’t that the case?
The young man crossed his arms, his figure looking particularly lonely in the night, “When I was born, the elders in the clan checked my fate. They said my destiny was strange – though I had extraordinary talent, the shadow of the cycle of reincarnation hadn’t dispersed, and I would bring harm to my relatives. Someone advised my mother to strangle me – that was Li Guanyu’s master’s aunt, my mother’s old friend – Guan Mulan.”
No wonder Li Guanyu said they didn’t get along.
He Liansheng continued, “Later when my parents died, she blamed everything on me, wanting me to die too to accompany my parents. Heh, unfortunately she was just dreaming. Including that time with Fan Xinya, she also advised my master to lock me up.”
Hearing this, Xing Shuishui lost her appetite for noodles, “How absurd, believing you killed your parents just because of some words!”
He Liansheng looked up in surprise. For so many years, everyone had avoided this topic, including his master. After all, in Lingshan, shamans held high status. No one would doubt them.
Only she said: How absurd.
“People growing old and dying is natural, there’s no such thing as bringing harm to others. She just couldn’t move past your parents’ death and needed someone to blame. How innocent you were, I would hate her too if I were you.”
She sat upright on the wooden stool, stirring her noodles with chopsticks. Her skirt fell naturally, and she looked up at him. An old man selling candied hawthorns passed by behind her. It was a very calm evening.
His heart suddenly felt like it had been struck.
All the noise instantly faded away. In the deep darkness, he could only hear her quietly stirring her noodles with chopsticks. Her fair fingers accidentally touched the soup, turning slightly red.
Her name was Xing Shuishui.
Same surname as Xing Tian, lacking water in her destiny. Afraid of water.
Shuishui. The young man leaned on the stool and lowered his eyes, “Guan Mulan has great prestige in Lingshan. If anyone heard what you just said, her disciples would poison you mute by tomorrow.”
Xing Shuishui said innocently, “That won’t do. I spoke up for you, so you have to protect me.”
Her cheeks were slightly flushed. The noodles had gone cold long ago and clumped together. He Liansheng ate a few bites casually and heard himself say, “Alright.”
Xing Shuishui tried to suppress her rising smile. She had finally found a way to get along peacefully with this stubborn He Liansheng: attack the people he disliked.
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