Though this ghost appeared in the form of a three-year-old child, it had likely cultivated for nearly a century, having already entered the path of malevolent spirits.

The talisman Qin Yao had thrown could slow its advance but couldn’t strike at its core. Its mouth split open all the way back to its ears, rows of sharp teeth gleaming with an eerie chill, and it lunged straight for Qin Yao’s throat.

Brimming with malevolent resentment, it assumed Qin Yao was just another one of those frauds masquerading as Daoists it had encountered before—though her talisman was formidable, it surely couldn’t be a match for a malevolent spirit like itself. It sneered inwardly, brimming with confidence, certain that once it latched onto Qin Yao, it would cling to her like a parasite until it had drained every last bit of her vital energy.

But before it had crossed even half the distance, a sudden blaze of light erupted before it—three fire dragons appeared out of nowhere, and the flames searing off their bodies scorched it terribly. Unable to dodge in time, it was swallowed whole without so much as a yelp, not even a scrap of its spirit remaining.

Qin Yao recalled the fire dragons and sneered at the malevolent spirit now trapped within her bell. “How dare you overestimate yourself.”

Madam Liu watched, dumbstruck. Though she couldn’t see the malevolent spirit, she had clearly witnessed Qin Yao summoning and recalling the fire dragons. In that brief moment, the cold, oppressive energy in the room had suddenly dissipated. She looked up at her daughter and saw that the ashen-gray tint in her face had eased considerably.

She couldn’t quite believe her eyes. In two quick steps, she reached the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms, examining her closely, then turned back to Qin Yao in bewilderment. “Young Lady Consort, what… what exactly happened here?”

Qin Yao stepped closer, drew a pill of Pure Yang from her sleeve, and had Liu Bingyu take it, then said gently to Madam Liu, “A’Yu had been bedridden because she was possessed by an evil spirit. The malevolent presence has just been removed—within half a month, A’Yu should be fully recovered.”

Madam Liu was stunned for a moment, then flushed with both shame and gratitude. “These past two days, A’Yu kept insisting I send for you, saying she’d been possessed and that you knew Daoist arts and could exorcise it. I thought she was just delirious from the fever and talking nonsense. I never imagined it was actually true. Young Lady Consort, thank you so much.”

She couldn’t help but study Qin Yao more closely, never expecting that such a lovely young lady would actually be a practitioner of the Dao.

Qin Yao pretended not to notice the curiosity in Madam Liu’s eyes, only smiling. “There’s no need for such formality, Madam Liu. I’m just curious why this evil spirit would suddenly attach itself to A’Yu of all people. Has she been to any unusual or remote places recently?”

Madam Liu turned to Liu Bingyu and asked, “You, little troublemaker, you’re always out and about all over the city. Speak up yourself—have you been somewhere you shouldn’t have lately?”

Liu Bingyu, feeling the heavy weight on her shoulders had vanished and some of her strength returning, shook her head earnestly upon hearing her mother’s question. “I’ve just been staying at the academy lately. I haven’t gone anywhere—ask Sister Wang and A’Min if you don’t believe me.”

Wang Yingning and Pei Min backed her up. “It’s true, she hasn’t gone anywhere.”

Madam Liu fell silent at this, then rose and went to the outer room to have the maids prepare some tea and refreshments.

Qin Yao mused to herself—having already surveyed most of the Liu residence on her way in, aside from that one malevolent spirit, she hadn’t noticed anything else amiss. So the problem was most likely connected to the academy.

But the academy had always been such a clean place—why had it suddenly started attracting all these wandering, vengeful spirits? First it was Zhou Heng, who’d lost half his head; now this night-wailing ghost. Something had clearly gone wrong somewhere.

After mulling it over, she looked up and noticed that Wang Yingning and Pei Min also appeared to be carrying a touch of ill fortune about them. Qin Yao no longer hesitated, rising to her feet. “I need to go to the academy right away to take a look. If there’s a problem there, I might need to ask Master and my senior disciple brother for help.”

Hearing this, Liu Bingyu’s ears perked up immediately, and she hurriedly threw off her blanket, trying to get out of bed. “I’m coming back to the academy with you!”

Madam Liu, who had just returned to the room, heard this and stopped her, scolding, “Absolutely not. You’re still sick—lie back down right now.”

Liu Bingyu did in fact feel a bit dizzy with even the slightest movement, but not wanting her mother to notice, she forced a cheeky grin. “Mother, I’m not sick—I was possessed by an evil spirit, and now it’s already gone. Rather than sit at home drinking those useless prescriptions from the imperial physicians, wouldn’t it be better to let A’Yao give me a few more pills? She’s the most capable—I’ll be fine in no time.”

She got out of bed, swayed a little, but quickly steadied herself, even deliberately walking a couple of laps in front of Madam Liu to show she had recovered, smiling and pleading for permission.

Madam Liu, unable to resist her pestering, could only look helplessly to Qin Yao. “Young Lady Consort, is A’Yu really fit to go back to the academy in this state?”

Qin Yao glanced at Liu Bingyu, who was behind Madam Liu, glaring and gesturing wildly at her, and feigned hesitation. “Well—”

Seeing Qin Yao playing tricks on her, Liu Bingyu desperately widened her eyes and mimed strangling herself at Qin Yao, clearly having been cooped up at home for days and eager to get back to school.

Qin Yao watched this, secretly amused, and deliberately stalled for a while longer before saying, slowly and calmly, “It should be fine for her to go back now. The pill I just gave her will help stabilize her vital energy—she just needs some rest, and she’ll be fine.”

In truth, it would take at least ten days to two weeks for her to fully recover, but seeing how anxious Liu Bingyu was, like an ant on a hot pan, Qin Yao could only go along with the white lie to help her along.

Liu Bingyu added, “Mother, I’ve already fallen behind on so many lessons these past few days. If I don’t go back soon, I won’t be able to follow what the teacher is saying anymore.”

This finally struck at Madam Liu’s soft spot, and she said quickly, “Then if you feel like you can’t manage once you’re back, send word home right away, and have your brothers come fetch you.”

The group came outside. Liu Bingyu squeezed in together with Wang Yingning and Pei Min, while Qin Yao climbed into Prince Lan’s carriage.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao left his horse behind and climbed into the carriage after Qin Yao.

Once they were both seated, Qin Yao caught the smell of wine on Lin Xiao—even though the banquet had ended quite a while ago, the scent of alcohol still lingered, evidence that he’d had quite a bit to drink earlier. Concerned, she reached up to massage his brow. “Maybe I shouldn’t go to the academy after all—let me just send my classmates over and we’ll head home.”

Lin Xiao smiled. “It’s just a few extra cups. It’s nothing.”

His eyes were bright, but his speech was clear, with no trace of drunkenness at all.

Qin Yao studied him for a moment and slowly let her worry go. Recalling some rumors she’d heard at the banquet earlier, she asked, “I heard quite a few people in the palace have come down with coughs lately, and Consort Yi is quite worried about it. Do you know anything about this?”

Lin Xiao made a low sound of acknowledgment, saying flatly, “No rush. Slowly does it.”

The remark seemed to come out of nowhere, but Qin Yao understood instantly. Sensing the killing intent radiating faintly from Lin Xiao, she felt a vague nervousness and took his hand. “You’ve found out what’s going on?”

Lin Xiao glanced at her, then suddenly said, “Wait a moment.”

He lifted the curtain and had the carriage stop, calling Wei Bo over and giving him an instruction.

Wei Bo was momentarily taken aback, not expecting the young lord to bring this matter up right now, so abruptly. Looking at the young lord’s demeanor, that one round of wine he’d shared with the Crown Prince and the others earlier must have hit harder than it seemed—though clearly, the young lord wasn’t actually drunk.

Even so, he didn’t dare ask questions and went off to carry out the order.

After a good while, he returned, now carrying a small bundle, hurried up to the carriage, and handed it to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao passed it to Qin Yao instead, leaning back against the carriage wall, gesturing for her to open it.

Qin Yao had a feeling she knew what it might be, her heart pounding as she slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a pair of lake-blue, upturned-toe slippers embroidered with hibiscus flowers—the fabric and embroidery exquisite in every detail, though now caked with mud, like a pearl buried in dust, stripped of all its original brilliance.

“Where did you find this?” she asked after a moment’s silence, looking up at Lin Xiao.

“On the road between Mount Shouhuai and Chang’an,” Lin Xiao said calmly. “It seems that on the way back to Chang’an, someone tossed it out of a carriage window. It rolled into the bushes, hidden quite well—if I hadn’t deliberately gone searching for it, I never would have found it, especially since Mount Shouhuai has now been sealed off.”

Qin Yao stared at the shoe, lost in thought. This person really did calculate everything down to the last detail—though she doubted this person could have imagined that someone else might be even more cautious and meticulous than herself.

Still, even with the evidence in hand now, if they were to openly confront her with this shoe, given how deep this person’s cunning ran, she wouldn’t admit guilt—she might even turn the accusation back on them. And there were several other factions tangled up in this matter besides, which left Lin Xiao no choice but to proceed carefully. No wonder he’d resorted to this method instead.

But still—would someone so calculating really let her own carefully laid plans fall through so easily?

She wanted to ask Lin Xiao a few more questions, but he had always been a man of action rather than words, and he clearly looked rather tired, so she decided not to press further. She simply resolved to drop off Pei Min and the others at the academy without lingering, and head straight back to Prince Lan’s manor so Lin Xiao could rest sooner.

But just as they reached the academy gates, before she could even step down from the carriage to bid farewell to Pei Min and the others, the Chixiao sword at Lin Xiao’s waist suddenly rang out.

Lin Xiao’s wine-induced haze cleared entirely at once. Without waiting for Qin Yao to say anything, he pulled her down from the carriage. “Let’s go take a look.”

Most of the students at the academy had already retired for the night; aside from the servants who came to answer the door, not even the night-patrolling female officials were anywhere to be seen.

They walked all the way to the inner courtyard housing the dormitories. The malevolent energy was thick, though no ghostly shadows were yet visible.

Inside lived only unmarried young female students, so it wasn’t proper for Lin Xiao to enter. He said to Qin Yao, “I’ll wait here. Call me if anything happens.”

Most of the students at Yunyin Academy were daughters of noble and ministerial families, and the academy had a special unit of Imperial Guards stationed outside to keep watch. Lin Xiao had even met Qin Yao there secretly on several occasions—but sneaking around unnoticed was one thing; openly entering was another matter entirely.

If word got out, Lin Xiao would certainly face accusations of improper conduct, even risking censure from the Imperial Censorate.

Qin Yao understood the stakes and quickly agreed, telling him not to worry, then led Wang Yingning and the others inside herself.

Just as they reached an octagonal pavilion in the middle of the garden, the malevolent energy suddenly intensified, and a red-clad figure burst out from among the withered peony bushes. As it drew closer, they saw it was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in vivid red, her features grotesquely ugly, made all the more unsettling by the thick layer of makeup caked on her face.

She wiped at the blood continually trickling from the corner of her mouth with one hand, while expressionlessly studying Qin Yao and the others, murmuring, “Such pretty faces, all of them. Hmm, whose should I use?” Her tone carried a strange undertone of delight, as if she couldn’t decide which to choose. Then, finishing her words, her gaze sharpened, and her hands curled into claws, lunging straight for Pei Min, who stood closest to her.

Qin Yao saw it clearly—though this creature looked terrifying, it was actually a vengeful spirit with rather weak spiritual power. Seeing it head for Pei Min, she didn’t waste words and moved at once to intercept.

Pei Min and Wang Yingning couldn’t see the spirit at all and had no idea what was happening. But Liu Bingyu, having lost so much of her vital energy, was now at the unluckiest possible moment—it was as if her spiritual sight had been forced wide open, and she could see the creature’s hideous form with perfect clarity, her teeth chattering with fright.

Just then, she caught movement in the corner of her eye and turned, startled, to see an old woman with a face like gilded paper, glaring at her balefully, closing in at the speed of an arrow.

“A’Yao! A’Yao!” she cried out in terror, frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle.

Hearing Liu Bingyu’s cry, Qin Yao didn’t even turn around—it was as if eyes had grown on the back of her head. She drew out a talisman and flung it backward, and the old woman let out a strange shriek before dissolving into nothing.

But in the blink of an eye, several more wandering spirits surged out of the darkness—some missing an arm, others an eye—as if, sensing that Liu Bingyu alone could see them, they ignored everyone else and converged on her.

Dealing with such minor spirits was effortless for Qin Yao, and she quickly flung talisman after talisman, scattering them one by one.

But Liu Bingyu, having been thoroughly frightened by ghosts these past few days, panicked at the mere sensation of something approaching from behind, even knowing full well Qin Yao would never let her come to harm, and fled in a blind terror, covering her head.

They happened to be near the courtyard wall at that moment. In her panic, she ran right up to the base of the wall, just as someone leapt over it from the other side, dropping down in one fluid motion.

By the time Liu Bingyu noticed, it was too late to dodge. With a startled cry, the two of them collided and tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Hearing the commotion, Qin Yao turned to look and exclaimed in surprise, “Senior Brother? What are you doing here?”

Liu Bingyu’s pretty face had nearly been crushed flat by the man’s arm, and she was thoroughly furious. Hearing this, she scrambled to push him off in a fluster, and sure enough, it was the handsome young Daoist who had rescued her once before.

A’Han was startled too, scrambling up in a tangle of limbs, looking at Liu Bingyu helplessly, stammering for a long moment before finally managing, “Miss, are—are you all right?”

Liu Bingyu, her pretty face nearly squashed and feeling utterly wronged and bedraggled, felt close to tears—she thought she’d hit rock bottom already, what with being possessed by spirits, and now, just when she finally got to see someone she wanted to see, she had to look this disheveled in front of him. She worked herself up, ready to burst into tears in front of A’Han out of sheer frustration.

But A’Han’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he pulled Liu Bingyu behind him, striking out with his palm at a hanged ghost closing in on them.

Liu Bingyu shrank behind A’Han’s broad shoulders, watching him strike with the speed of wind, every move sharp and impressive, and the grievance in her heart melted away considerably. Rather disloyally, she found herself thinking that this senior brother of Qin Yao’s seemed even more dependable than Qin Yao herself.

Just then, a low, apologetic voice came from outside the courtyard wall. “My lord, I beg your forgiveness—I failed to recognize Daoist Master Qing Xuzi and offended him. I hope my lord and the Daoist Master won’t hold it against me.”

Lin Xiao said nothing, but Qing Xuzi’s voice rang out next, laced with anger. “You let the real thieves go and instead arrest us upright citizens! My lord, is this how you train your subordinates?”

Lin Xiao’s voice remained as steady as ever. “Daoist Master, since both my senior brother-in-law and A’Yao are inside dealing with evil spirits, why don’t we go in and help as well?”

Listening closely, one could detect a faint note of helplessness hidden within his composed tone.