Qin Yao and Lin Xiao hurried to the location where Qing Xuzi had sent up his warning signal. From a distance, they could already see a dark, dense crowd gathered — easily over a hundred people. Looking more closely, they could tell that each figure held a bronze bowl and wore the pale moon-white monastic robes distinctive to Dayin Temple, making it clear that all of them were Yuan Jue’s disciples.

The monks stood in perfect silence behind Abbot Yuan Jue and Qing Xuzi, every one of them composed and grave, radiating the air of those poised and ready to move.

Qin Yao thought to herself that Yuan Jue and her master had likely returned to the city not long ago, yet these monks had already assembled in answer to the summons — what remarkable swiftness. Truly worthy of the foremost monastery of the realm; the bearing of a celebrated institution was unmistakable.

By comparison, she and A’Han were practically a disgrace — lax and slow, dawdling about long after their master had called for them, dragging their feet without showing their faces. Her master had always been particular about appearances, and above all else, he could not bear to look inferior in front of Yuan Jue. Set against the monks’ prompt arrival, it was no wonder he had been unable to contain himself and had fired off one signal flare after another.

Qing Xuzi was pacing in agitation, and when his disciple still had not come even after repeated summons, he was on the verge of pulling out the signal stick for a fourth warning when he suddenly caught sight of Qin Yao and Lin Xiao. He immediately strode forward to meet them and asked Qin Yao, “Why have only you come — where is A’Han?”

Qin Yao had barely opened her mouth when Yuan Jue noticed Lin Xiao and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He approached and bowed. “Young Lord?”

Some time ago, in the matter of Princess Kangping and the others being attacked at Dayin Temple, Yuan Jue had narrowly escaped being convicted of a crime against the throne. It was thanks to Lin Xiao having been personally appointed by the Emperor to handle the case that the true culprit was swiftly identified, and Yuan Jue’s name was cleared.

Lin Xiao gave Yuan Jue a slight nod but offered no explanation for his presence, saying only to Qing Xuzi, “Senior Brother A’Han is currently at Nanyuan Lake.”

He swiftly relayed what had happened at Nanyuan Lake moments ago, explaining that A’Han had remained behind to watch over the soul-lost individuals.

Both Qing Xuzi and Yuan Jue were shaken at hearing this.

Qing Xuzi clapped his hands excitedly and turned to Yuan Jue. “Truly, these people must have been fated to live! I had thought that with the city of Chang’an being so vast, it would take considerable effort to locate the soul-lost individuals one by one in the teeming crowds. I never imagined my two disciples would stumble upon them by chance.”

As he said this, a quiet pride in being a master involuntarily surfaced on his face — it seemed he had finally gained a point over Yuan Jue.

Qin Yao and Lin Xiao exchanged a puzzled glance at his words. Could Qing Xuzi and Yuan Jue already know about the Jade Corpse stealing people’s souls?

Thinking of the senior disciple still standing guard, Qing Xuzi had no time to explain. He set off at once, saying, “There is no time to waste — let us speak on the way.”

Yuan Jue, rarely showing any hint of urgency, said nothing but led his disciples forward at a brisk pace toward Nanyuan Lake.

Lin Xiao watched this and found it quietly strange.

On the way, Qin Yao asked Qing Xuzi, “Master, how did you learn that people in Chang’an had lost their souls? Did you discover something today at Wuniu Mountain?”

Qing Xuzi nodded and pointed to a golden bowl that Yuan Jue was cradling in his hands. “Today this master and I were below the Cangheng River, collecting several of the ritual implements that the late Patriarch Zhida had used to subdue the Jade Corpse a century ago, so that we might use them to set up a formation. But then the old monk noticed something was amiss below in the underground burial chamber. He passed the location where we had previously discovered the Jade Corpse’s coffin, went deeper along the riverbed for a long while, and only then discovered another subterranean hall — inside which were hidden more than a hundred walking corpses.”

Qin Yao said in astonishment, “Just now at Nanyuan Lake there were no small number of walking corpses as well. I had no idea the Jade Corpse could gather so many in such a short time — truly deserving of her title as Queen of the Undead.”

“If gathering walking corpses were all she had done, that would be one thing.” Deep worry showed in Qing Xuzi’s eyes. “At the time, Yuan Jue and I saw that those walking corpses were clustered protectively around a great bronze cauldron in the center of the hall. Suspecting something immensely malevolent was concealed inside, we did not dare act rashly, and had no choice but to return to shore. We sent the young novice monk at the old monk’s side racing back to Chang’an with word. Once the old monk’s disciples had arrived in force, we submerged ourselves again, and together worked to clear away that horde of walking corpses. When we lifted the lid of the cauldron, we found it contained a considerable number of living souls and spirits.”

Qin Yao understood at once. Those must have been the souls drawn away from Pei Shao and the others.

“Neither of us knew the origin of these souls, and at first we did not dare act rashly. Later, Yuan Jue recalled a Buddhist formation from a century ago for summoning the souls of the dead, and it occurred to him that since the Jade Corpse had once belonged to the Buddhist faith, could she have stolen living people’s souls to use in a soul-summoning ritual? Yuan Jue then hastened to set up a soul-anchoring formation, carefully drawing the souls out of the cauldron one by one, and after close observation, found that some of them were dim and fading — clearly separated from their owners for too long. If they were not returned soon, there was a genuine danger that those souls would scatter and dissolve entirely. Not daring to delay, we hurried back to Chang’an through the night and sent for you all to come at once.”

No wonder her master had been so desperate earlier.

Qin Yao quickly asked, “What does the Jade Corpse want with these souls? She has been dead all these years, sealed beneath the Cangheng River by Master Zhida for a full century — surely she cannot be trying to summon the soul of the faithless emperor from back then?”

Lin Xiao quietly shook his head. If the Jade Corpse had wanted to summon that faithless emperor’s dead soul, she could have done so a hundred years ago when she was rampaging through the land — she would hardly have waited until a century later to think of setting up a formation.

Indeed, Qing Xuzi frowned and said, “Naturally not. When the Jade Corpse collected those souls, she took only one spiritual soul and one earthly soul from each person — the original hosts appeared perfectly normal outwardly, and only over time would signs begin to emerge. The fact that she was so painstakingly cautious tells us clearly that she feared someone would detect her formation-laying intentions. Furthermore, the number of souls was considerable, suggesting that gathering them required a fair amount of time. This means that shortly after she broke through Patriarch Zhida’s formation, she immediately set about collecting living souls.”

He thought of how, not long ago, Luo Cha had also used a similar method for soul-summoning, and an anxious unease gripped him. “Earlier we were guarding against her selecting a Golden Corpse, yet looking at it now, the Jade Corpse’s urgency in collecting souls makes it seem more as though she is rushing to fulfill some kind of mission at another’s bidding. There are likely deeper complications behind all of this. When we find the Jade Corpse later, we must get to the bottom of why she is collecting souls — otherwise, even if we manage to subdue her, Chang’an may not remain at peace for long.”

Qin Yao thought of Chun Qiao and quickly said to her master, “Earlier at the lakeside, we encountered that woman called Chun Qiao. The weapon in her hands looked like the Tianyin Claw used by the Tianyin Sect of the Miao borderlands. I recall that the Tianyin Sect has long been known for their ability to drive corpses — could that woman truly be one of them?”

Yuan Jue moved in the broadest of circles, and having been recently bestowed the title of National Preceptor by the Emperor, he had been surrounded in recent days by no shortage of those eager to flatter and curry his favor — giving him a very thorough grasp of movements among the world’s malevolent cults and heterodox sects. Hearing Qin Yao’s words, he looked back and said, “Several months ago, the Tianyin Sect was thrown into internal turmoil. Its Sect Master was driven out by several of the senior elders acting together, and fearing the Master would return, they sent people in pursuit all the way as the Master fled out of the Miao borderlands. Only after leaving Miao territory did they show some restraint, out of concern for the opinions of other factions. Going by what you have just said, that Chun Qiao woman is in all likelihood this former Tianyin Sect Master.”

Qin Yao was taken aback. No wonder Chun Qiao had commanded the undead with such effortless ease. She could not help but marvel, “I had heard long ago that the Tianyin Sect was skilled in driving corpses — able to seal the yin and baleful energies of walking corpses and make them move through soil and water without any restriction. I had always assumed it was merely exaggerated rumor. I never imagined it was actually true.”

Qing Xuzi let out a contemptuous sound. “And this woman was the Tianyin Sect Master on top of it — so even if her methods are a little more sinister, it is hardly surprising. This is even the first time this master of yours has ever seen walking corpses move so freely in water while their bodies remain undecomposed. Having this level of ability, how could Chun Qiao swallow such humiliation? Most likely she endured serving under the Jade Corpse’s command for the sake of returning to the Miao lands and wiping clean the stain on her honor.”

As members of the clergy, they had no way of knowing that Chun Qiao was in fact the celebrated courtesan who had been attracting the frenzied attention of Chang’an’s idle young men of pleasure — but Lin Xiao had unavoidably been in contact with those dissolute sons of noble families, and had already heard of this woman’s exploits on multiple occasions.

Thinking back over Chun Qiao’s actions since her appearance in Chang’an, Lin Xiao’s mind gradually became clear as a mirror. This woman had, on one hand, been using the mouths of her patrons to spread word in Chang’an about the Golden Corpse, luring those harboring inner desires to walk into her trap; on the other hand, she had been helping the Jade Corpse collect souls, drive walking corpses, and even conditioning the soul-lost individuals, all to help the Jade Corpse accomplish her aims. What was more, her moves were ruthlessly decisive — the Jade Corpse must have found her remarkably useful.

Yet cooperating with a malevolent force like the Jade Corpse was no different from seeking the tiger’s hide in the tiger’s lair. He could only wonder whether Chun Qiao’s judgment had been clouded by the fury of her subordinates’ betrayal, or whether she was so confident in her own esoteric abilities that she believed she could hold her own against the Jade Corpse.

Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, Nanyuan Lake came into view ahead. From not far away came the sudden sound of hoofbeats. Lin Xiao and the others halted. The riders turned out to be Chang Rong and his companions, all wearing expressions of anxious urgency.

When Chang Rong spotted Lin Xiao, relief broke across his face, and he came galloping up immediately. The moment he dismounted, he said, “I have finally found you, Young Lord! Earlier, the men we sent to locate Tang Qingnian and Zeng Nanqin came back to report that both Tang Qingnian and Zeng Nanqin seem to have vanished into thin air — not a trace of either of them can be found anywhere in Chang’an, and no one knows where they have gone.”

Hearing that Tang Qingnian had disappeared, Qin Yao was not particularly surprised. This man’s younger stepbrother had died under exceedingly suspicious circumstances; he was very likely one of those who had presented himself to the Jade Corpse as proof of loyalty. But on hearing that the Military Commissioner’s senior adjutant — the man rumored to have a liaison with Cui Shi — had also gone missing, Qin Yao could not help but start. Could this man truly be a Golden Corpse candidate?

“Understood.” Lin Xiao looked at Chang Rong and the others. “What comes next is beyond the scope of what you can intervene in. There is no need to concern yourselves further — return to Prince Lan’s manor and await news.”

Chang Rong and his companions knew no sorcery, and their ability to protect themselves was already in doubt. Taking them along to confront the Jade Corpse would only add to the casualties.

Chang Rong and the others saw Lin Xiao turn to leave at once, and hastily followed, not daring to say much, only trailing after him step for step. “If Young Lord is truly determined not to let us follow, you might as well run us through with a sword and be done with it.”

Qin Yao glanced over at Lin Xiao, and seeing that though he said nothing more, he made no further move to stop them, she understood. Chang Rong and the others were utterly devoted to Lin Xiao, and there was simply no way they would allow their lord to face danger alone. Rather than waiting in agony back at Prince Lan’s manor, they would sooner follow Lin Xiao into fire and water.

The whole party pressed forward together into Nanyuan Lake, with Qin Yao running at the head, guiding her master and the others toward the grove by the lakeside.

They had gone about halfway when she suddenly sensed something was wrong. The area ahead was absolutely silent — even the sound of the lake’s rippling water could barely be heard. By rights, with Pei Shao and the dozens of others still breathing, plus A’Han, there should have been no such deathly stillness.

Her heart began to pound. Unable to help herself, she broke into a desperate run, calling out as she went, “Senior Brother!”

Her voice startled the birds roosting in the forest. In the darkness came the fluttering rush of wings — yet from ahead, A’Han’s response never came.

Qing Xuzi and Yuan Jue’s expressions changed at once. In unison, they hitched up their robes and quickened their pace to follow Qin Yao.

Reaching the lakeside, Qin Yao’s heart plummeted. The shore was completely empty — not a single figure in sight. Never mind Pei Shao and the others; even A’Han was nowhere to be found.

Qin Yao’s hands and feet went cold. She stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then turned around in a daze. “I gave Senior Brother the Soul-Devouring Bell. The Soul-Devouring Bell wards off all evil — Senior Brother will definitely be alright.” The words were barely out before her throat constricted, and her chest began to heave violently, as though she was already drowning in the most extreme remorse.

It was the first time Lin Xiao had ever seen Qin Yao cry. A pang shot through his chest, and he quickly stepped forward and drew her against him. He could think of nothing adequate to say by way of comfort — all he could do was lower his head and wipe away her tears. But Qin Yao’s tears fell like a broken string of pearls, impossible to stem. Though they landed on his fingers, they felt to him as if they had fallen upon his very heart.

The faces of Qing Xuzi and Yuan Jue drained of all color. They murmured, “This is the karmic debt — there is no escaping this karmic debt, no matter how we guard against it.”