The moment the jiangshi moved, all those inside the barrier felt a small measure of relief. But who could have known that the moment they had entered this forest, they would come face to face with the jiangshi itself? In the span of only a few breaths, four of their number had already fallen. They had been forced to retreat into the white-boned marsh, where they erected a barrier through the art of formations to hold it at bay.

What truly chilled them was that the jiangshi seemed to think with the mind of a living person. It knew to wait at the edge of the marsh, patient and still, watching for them to exhaust themselves and stumble out.

A jiangshi of this age, with killing energy as dark and dense as ink pouring off it, long fangs bared, and a speed like a howling wind — it had long since grown into something extraordinary. And now it possessed a living person’s awareness. It would only be harder to deal with.

So even when it turned and left, they did not dare lift the barrier, fearing it was setting a trap and waiting for them to step into it.

Kong Xu Zi’s complexion had gone ashen. His spiritual energy was beginning to strain under the burden of maintaining the barrier.

Gong Si’s heart burned with urgency.

Then a slender shadow flashed past at speed — he blinked, startled. That silhouette was somehow familiar. Could it be Lang Jiu—?

He wasn’t wrong. It was indeed Lang Jiuchuan.

Lang Jiuchuan had sensed the jiangshi stir and moved to intercept — but its trail was already gone. Only the long-lingering killing energy remained, thick with a metallic stench that roiled the stomach.

“Ninth Young Lady?” Gong Si called out.

Lang Jiuchuan turned around. She saw Gong Si and the others stranded in the middle of the marsh, half submerged, a formless barrier shielding the area above them.

She looked toward the immortal-looking Kong Xu Zi. So there is someone capable here after all.

“Jiangche — go find the jiangshi. Be careful. No matter what you see, do not act rashly. Especially if you run into the impostor Cong Jinnian.” Lang Jiuchuan instructed, glancing at a thread of invisible blood energy drifting westward. “It’s gone west.”

“Understood.” Jiangche shot forward and vanished.

By then, the barrier had already been lifted.

But the marsh was sinking. Gong Si and the others did not dare move.

Lang Jiuchuan drew a sheet of paper from her sleeve, rolled it up, twisted it into a rope-like cord, then formed a quick hand seal over it — and the paper transformed into an actual rope. It seemed to take on a life of its own, shooting toward Gong Si. “Grab hold.”

Kong Xu Zi’s gaze sharpened with interest.

Gong Si seized the rope. Lang Jiuchuan gave a slight pull. He gathered his energy, pushed off lightly several times across the marsh surface, and vaulted to the bank. He immediately took the rope from Lang Jiuchuan and threw it back toward Kong Xu Zi.

He was pulling people out. Gong Qi and the others had followed Lang Jiuchuan here at a run — seeing the scene before them, they called out: “Over here!”

Voices and movement surged through the area.

Before long, people crowded the bank on all sides.

But everyone could see that only six of Gong Si’s group remained, and that they had emerged from the marsh in a sorry state. The colour drained from many faces. Where were the others?

“Senior Brother Linquan?” Someone cried out in horror, their voice trembling.

Everyone looked in the direction being pointed — not far off, a desiccated corpse lay curled on the ground. The crowd moved forward. When they made out whose face it was, horror and revulsion swept through them — some recoiling in shock, some retching where they stood.

“Junior Disciple Shanfa.”

“Senior Daoist Chen.”

“Senior Brother Qingfeng.”

Near the corpse of that first man lay several more desiccated bodies. Every single one had been drained of their blood essence and killed.

They… had encountered the jiangshi?

A wave of Yin wind swept in from nowhere, carrying a stench beyond description. Some people shuddered, overcome by a dread that had been slow to arrive — and began instinctively backing away.

Lang Jiuchuan had already retreated back into the shadows. She listened as Gong Si gave a quiet, methodical account of what had befallen them. And so it became clear — they had indeed walked directly into the jiangshi when they went to scout ahead.

The creature’s speed and reflexes were extraordinary. It was bloodthirsty, capable of devouring souls and stealing essence — and it was not easy to put down.

Most critically: it had the awareness of a living person.

The awareness of a living person. How terrifying that was. It meant this was not a jiangshi that had only its body. Its soul had awakened. Once the soul was awake, it would be immeasurably harder to fight.

When this sank in, the crowd grew even more unsettled. Thoughts of fleeing surfaced in many hearts.

They couldn’t possibly win.

Lang Jiuchuan took in the reactions of those around her and shook her head inwardly. The saying was true — the quality of practitioners within the Mystic Clan was uneven at best.

But there were capable ones.

She looked toward Kong Xu Zi. He was already looking back at her, and gave a slight, measured nod.

“Senior Kong Xu Zi, what should we do now? Should we not send word back to our respective clans and ask for more capable reinforcements?” Daoist Zhang frowned as he addressed Kong Xu Zi.

Gong Shiliu’s expression turned openly contemptuous — even he could see this group wasn’t built for a real fight.

Kong Xu Zi said: “Word must be sent to the clan alliance — that is certain. But the jiangshi, for whatever reason — whether it was called or something else — chose to leave decisively. This old Daoist suspects that something has changed. We cannot simply wait. We must turn the situation from passive to active.”

Gong Si nodded in full agreement. “This jiangshi must not be underestimated. We must find a way to sap its power — ideally confine it to one place and prevent it from crossing out of the Yin realm and into the world.”

Gong Qi slipped quietly to Lang Jiuchuan’s side and murmured: “What’s your read on this?”

Gong Shiliu caught sight of him and, on the tips of his toes, crept over as well.

He was eavesdropping in plain sight.

Lang Jiuchuan had just received Jiangche’s message. Reaching through its consciousness to see what it saw, she said: “Princess Zhao’an may be going into labor.”

That little room — it must have been where she had once lain. The bamboo bed and the floor around it were in complete disarray, streaked with blood. It looked as though the waters had broken and bleeding had begun.

What?

Gong Qi’s voice shot up in alarm. “It’s barely past the Upper Prime. The night of the blood moon is still a long way off!”

His words had barely left his mouth when the forest ahead was suddenly flooded with light. Everyone startled and looked up. The canopy was not so thick here — and through the gaps in the trees, they could see that the overcast sky had cleared. Clouds had parted, and the moon had emerged.

A full, luminous moon.

Lang Jiuchuan looked at that moon, and heard the voices of the Mystic Clan members talking about waiting for reinforcements before making a move — the cautious approach, they called it. Irritation welled up inside her.

“Nothing stays fixed forever. The moment we uncovered Cong Bian’s century-long scheme, the trajectory of fate shifted. Even without the full advantage of timing, forcing the issue is not out of the question — it just means things won’t be quite as ideal.” Lang Jiuchuan said with a furrowed brow. “Once Princess Zhao’an reaches a point where the birth cannot be held off any longer, they will have no choice but to act regardless, and take their chances.”

If it came to that, the only other outcome would be suppressing the birth entirely — leaving the infant to suffocate in the womb. And then everything would come to nothing.

But if they attempted the investiture during the birth — however imperfectly — there was still a chance of a fight, even if it fell short of the ideal conditions they had wanted.

Lang Jiuchuan said: “Man proposes and Heaven disposes. We cannot wait any longer.”

She had originally planned to alter the birth hour at noon when Yang energy was at its peak. Whether that would still be possible now, she did not know.

She stepped forward without a single word to anyone, moving fast. Gong Qi and Gong Shiliu scrambled to keep up.

Kong Xu Zi, seeing this, raised his voice sharply: “If any among you have no wish to stand together as one, you are welcome to leave on your own. Slaying evil and upholding the Way must come from the heart — without heart, it amounts to nothing. Gong Si — no arguments. Send word to your young master immediately, leave a soul-mark for guidance, and have him come through the Yin path. Quickly.”

“Yes.”

Kong Xu Zi fell into step after Lang Jiuchuan. A good number of others fell in behind him. Only a handful hesitated, remaining where they stood.

Gong Si laughed coldly, sent the message, and then followed Lang Jiuchuan as well.

Following Jiangche’s consciousness as a guide, Lang Jiuchuan located the simple little room. She took in the filth, the unbearable stench of blood, and her brow pulled tight.

“Lang Jiu — come quickly.” Jiangche’s voice, shot through with urgency, came from somewhere inside her mind.