A single phrase — setting me up to fail — froze Daoist Mingqing in his tracks.

“What does Fellow Cultivator Lang mean by that? When have I ever—”

“There are so many senior practitioners here,” Lang Jiuchuan said evenly, “not one of whom has fewer years in the Dao than I, or shallower cultivation. And yet you deliberately single me out for praise — are you intentionally pushing me toward certain death? Or are you dismissing all these other seniors, using me as a stepping stone to put them down?”

Mingqing: “?”

Nearly every eye in the room fell upon him. The disapproval in those gazes could not have been more evident.

Mingqing’s face darkened. “I had no such intention whatsoever. Why must Fellow Cultivator Lang twist my words so? I have not wronged you.”

“Perhaps you and I simply lack the right Daoist affinity,” Lang Jiuchuan replied with a faint half-smile. “Which is why I always find the sight of you rather disagreeable.”

Everyone: “……”

Could you actually say that out loud?

Mingqing’s expression had darkened beyond all bearing. He gave a cold snort and refused to follow her lead. “Was it not you, Fellow Cultivator Lang, who identified the Ten Thousand Souls Malevolence? No one else here was able to detect the Water Imp’s intent to cultivate this technique — you detected it. Is it not natural that I should ask you?”

“You were not asking me. You were pushing me to go and confront the Water Imp. If my skills fell short, I would die conveniently — a tidy solution to one matter troubling your master’s heart. And then you would have your moment of credit, free to spread the word far and wide: so much for the woman beneath the Golden Lotus Proof of the Dao. Just like that.”

“You spew slander without a shred of evidence!”

“‘Your master?'” Gong Qi looked toward Mingqing. Was this not the man who had attended Daoist Zhishang’s side?

Lang Jiuchuan feigned surprise. “He is a disciple of the Rong Family. Did Fellow Cultivator Gong not know?”

Mingqing’s expression flickered slightly. He stared at Lang Jiuchuan, and meeting those dark eyes — deep as a still abyss — that seemed to see through everything, he felt an inexplicable chill crawl up his back. Forcing himself to look composed, he said, “We are all fellow cultivators here. Please do not change the subject, Fellow Cultivator Lang. Furthermore — lives are at stake. Is this the moment to argue over matters unrelated to the Water Imp?”

A Daoist from the Feng Family also stepped forward. “Precisely. The Water Imp is cultivating the Ten Thousand Souls Malevolence. We do not know how many living souls have already been claimed. The most pressing thing is to destroy it first and prevent further loss of life.”

“Correct. Fellow Cultivator Lang, no need for false modesty. You were able to identify the Ten Thousand Souls Malevolence, which speaks to a level of Daoist mastery that few can match. Regarding this evil entity — do you have any strategy in mind? Please, speak freely.”

Mingqing exhaled with quiet relief and retreated two steps, preparing to listen calmly as Lang Jiuchuan laid out her plan.

Lang Jiuchuan pointed directly at him. “I do have a plan — but I am unwilling to work alongside anyone from the Rong Family. This fellow cultivator, please excuse yourself.”

She was not going to let Mingqing off the hook.

Mingqing gave a cold laugh. “Fellow Cultivator Lang keeps calling me a Rong Family man — you seem to have strong feelings against the Rong Family.”

“They spread rumors about me, claiming I was a demonic spirit. Am I supposed to smile warmly and call them brother? I’m afraid I’m still too young to have cultivated the magnanimity that Daoist tradition preaches. I am a petty person by nature — anyone who crosses me, I keep a tally in my heart.”

Mingqing sneered. “So Fellow Cultivator Lang can fabricate accusations and slander others freely at such a young age?”

“Oh, so you also know that false accusations are wrong. Then how do you explain whispering suggestions to Daoist Zhishang that I was a demonic spirit? If that wasn’t your idea, then you were acting on your master’s orders. And now — I haven’t even said anything about the Rong Family yet, and here you are rushing to leap to their defense. Why so eager to protect your master, if you have nothing to hide?” Lang Jiuchuan’s gaze was ice-cold as it fixed on him.

“You—!” Mingqing’s face flooded with alarm and disbelief — not for any other reason, but for the implication in her words. How could she know?

Lang Jiuchuan turned to Gong Qi. “I won’t work with Rong Family people — because I fear for my life. Who knows if they’d try to stab me in the back at a critical moment?”

Mingqing’s face was cold as stone. “To vanquish evil and uphold the Dao is the sacred duty of all in our path. Fellow Cultivator Lang, you are judging the Xuan Clan’s sense of justice with the heart of a petty person.”

“Indeed, Fellow Cultivator Lang — this must all be a misunderstanding,” someone said, brow creasing. “The Rong Family also comes from an upright Daoist lineage. How could they do as you describe and stoop to such villainous behavior? Now is hardly the time to be throwing a childish temper.”

Lang Jiuchuan broke into a smile. She happened to glance toward the entrance of the mortuary, where a scrawny, stray dog was sniffing and gnawing at a pile of dung. She pointed.

Everyone turned in the direction of her finger. There was just a gaunt dog over there. What were they supposed to be looking at?

“Can a dog stop eating filth?” Lang Jiuchuan said, her smile cool and unhurried.

Everyone: !

You really can say the dirtiest things.

Gong Qi pressed a fist lightly to his lips and gave a soft cough. “If Daoist Mingqing truly wishes to help out of righteous intentions, perhaps he could assist by patrolling the riverbank to check whether anyone else has fallen into the water? That is well within the scope of our plans — we cannot allow further innocent deaths in the meantime. What do you say?”

Mingqing’s chest rose and fell with barely contained fury. He shot Lang Jiuchuan one final icy look, then turned and walked away.

Lang Jiuchuan knew when to ease off. She said, “As for the plan — there isn’t much of a plan, really. What we need to do, regardless of whether the Water Imp has completed its cultivation, is to break its path of practice, lead the souls of the departed into the River of Forgetfulness, and restore the waters of the Qiong River to their former purity — so that the people may live in peace without fearing they might be the next to die.”

Everyone nodded. That was precisely the right course of action.

Lang Jiuchuan flexed her fingers. “At the hour of Zi tonight — among those present, those whose zodiac signs are Tiger, Dragon, Horse, or Dog, come with me and form the Eight Trigrams Demon-Subduing Formation to destroy it. Shall we?”

“My sign is the Tiger. I am willing to fight side by side with Fellow Cultivator Lang.” Yice was the first to step forward.

“Count me in.”

“And me.”

One after another, people came forward.

Lang Jiuchuan gave a quiet nod of acknowledgment. Then she turned and gestured to Gong Qi, and the two stepped aside. She lowered her voice and said something in a murmur.

Gong Qi froze. “The Eight Trigrams Demon-Subduing Formation won’t be enough?”

“We still don’t know the true number of people this Water Imp has harmed. If things have already surpassed our expectations and it has truly been able to establish a ghost realm beneath the water, then it will be far harder to deal with. I’m doing this as a precaution.” Lang Jiuchuan let out a quiet sigh. She glanced toward the row of bodies inside the mortuary — among them a young boy, dead no more than two or three days. “In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are called for. When this is all over, I will personally conduct three days of water-and-land Daoist rites for him and see him properly into the cycle of reincarnation.”

Gong Qi nodded in agreement, then added, “Don’t worry. If anyone says anything about this matter in the future, I will say it was my suggestion — it has nothing to do with you.”

Lang Jiuchuan smiled faintly. “Also — keep an eye on the Rong Family’s people.”

“They would not dare try anything underhanded at a time like this,” Gong Qi said coldly. “If they do, they will have placed themselves in opposition to every righteous force in the world, and in opposition to the common people. Unless they intend to walk the path of evil.”

But Lang Jiuchuan was unmoved by this. “The Rong Family is filthier and more vicious than you imagine. They want me dead, and they will try every means possible — exploiting every loophole they can find. Just keep watch. Even if it’s only to serve as a witness for me, that will do.”

Gong Qi was somewhat curious. He asked, “What has the Rong Family done to you, that you speak of them without end and without mercy?”

Lang Jiuchuan said simply, “Put it this way — between me and the Rong Family, there is blood that cannot be forgiven.”