That feeling was simply indescribable. Meng Qianzi cried out in pain as her left eye instantly went blind. Tears immediately gushed out, blurring her right eye as well. From her nasal cavity down to her respiratory tract, it felt like raging flames burning through her. The assailant seized the opportunity to knock her over, reaching forcefully at her waist with one swift tug, snatching away the glass jar. Without the slightest hesitation, he sprinted at full speed toward the woods on one side.
The area was densely forested with unpredictable mountain terrain. Once he entered the woods, he would likely never be found. Meng Qianzi, suffering this humiliating assault and uncertain whether her eye was permanently damaged, felt a surge of ruthless determination rise within her, nearly grinding her teeth to pieces, even willing to perish together with her attacker. She covered her left eye with one hand so her right eye could barely see, while swiftly grabbing a bamboo pole from the wet mud with her other hand. With an angry shout, she thrust the pole like a dragon exploring the sea, whipping it directly toward the person’s side.
A crisp glass-breaking sound rang out. The person had only managed to grasp the glass lid, while the bottle itself shattered, with fragments scattering in all directions.
Meng Qianzi staggered to her feet and coldly sneered, “Just a worthless pearl. It doesn’t matter if it’s destroyed. Trying to steal from me? Dream on!”
The assailant’s hand had been struck, leaving it numb. Then, hearing shouts from the slope below, he knew people were coming to Meng Qianzi’s rescue after hearing her cry of pain. Staying any longer would surely put him at a disadvantage, so he made a swift decision, taking several leaps and quickly vanishing into the forest.
Meng Jinsong had just jumped up to the spot when he saw Meng Qianzi coughing and barely able to stand. Seeing the dark figure disappear into the woods, he knew pursuit was futile. Feeling frustrated, he fired a random shot, then rushed to Meng Qianzi’s side, anxiously asking, “How are you?”
Meng Qianzi could no longer see through either eye. Her throat felt scorched, intensely spicy, making even breathing difficult. After a while, she finally said, “I’m afraid my left eyeball can’t be saved.”
—
At the Cloud Dream Peak Inn, third floor.
The room’s arrangement remained the same as before their departure. The burned-out backflow incense had been replaced with a new one, but the atmosphere was entirely different.
Meng Qianzi sat on the arhat couch, having only roughly washed her face, water droplets still dripping from her hair. Her left eye was a swollen mass of red—to be blunt, the eye itself was barely visible. Her right eye was somewhat better, though still covered with bloodshot streaks.
Xin Ci bent over, brows furrowed as he examined her eyes closely. Meng Jinsong couldn’t contain himself and pressed for an answer: “What do you think?”
Xin Ci concluded: “Pepper spray.”
Meng Jinsong was skeptical: “Not some kind of poisonous gas?”
As a special assistant, any issue involving Meng Qianzi, no matter how small, was never minor to him. If superiors held someone accountable, he would be the first to take the blame, so he didn’t dare take chances. Although the container found at the scene looked like pepper spray, out of caution, it was better to confirm.
Xin Ci was confident: “Two of my buddies have been sprayed before, and I accompanied both of them to the hospital. I could even treat it myself. Fortunately, Qianzi turned her head away and closed her eyes quickly. We’ve already rinsed with salt water, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, she needs eye medication and a certain eye gel called bovine serum to promote corneal epithelial growth. Have Liu Guangguo arrange for it immediately.”
Speaking so professionally, he had experience. Meng Jinsong felt somewhat relieved: “Will it affect Qianzi’s vision?”
“If it doesn’t leave scars, then it won’t… it definitely won’t. One of my buddies had swelling worse than Qianzi’s, and he ended up fine. If you’re worried, get a slit lamp examination in a few days. There’s no need to call in a doctor; they’d follow the same procedure, and it won’t heal for three to five days anyway.”
Meng Qianzi snorted coldly: “Two buddies got sprayed—what kind of friends do you keep?”
Xin Ci explained: “In my former social circle, there were many attractive men and women, a high-risk group. They often carried pepper spray and stun guns, frequented bars, and when drunk, they’d get rowdy, occasionally causing accidental injuries… Ouch.”
The dull pain at the back of his head returned, causing Xin Ci to furrow his brows and reach back to massage it.
With his mind at ease, Meng Jinsong’s thoughts cleared: “I suspect there’s no serious problem. If that person had truly evil intentions, they could have easily slit Xin Ci’s throat down on the slope. The fact that they merely knocked him unconscious shows some restraint, so they probably wouldn’t use an especially toxic agent…”
Xin Ci became agitated: “Merely knocked unconscious?”
Wasn’t that serious enough? He was psychologically traumatized: in his twenty-six years of life, he had at most been beaten to tears, but being knocked unconscious—something this severe—was a first.
Meng Jinsong ignored him: “…so this spray is probably just pepper spray. If it were something more problematic, your face would be rotting by now.”
Meng Qianzi glanced sideways at Meng Jinsong. Her left eye couldn’t open or move, leaving only her right eye to express emotions—perhaps contrasted by her left eye, her freely moving single eye appeared particularly spirited, and especially eerie.
“With my appearance like this, how will we handle tomorrow’s gathering?”
It was already midnight, and postponing at the last minute was impossible. Moreover, each guest had significant connections and wasn’t someone who could be summoned or dismissed at will. Meng Jinsong hesitated: “Maybe you could wear sunglasses tomorrow?”
Meng Qianzi laughed: “Am I hosting an outdoor gathering? Wearing sunglasses indoors while eating?”
The mental image was too absurd: others would surely think she was being pretentious. Besides, sunglasses merely sat on the bridge of her nose; from a different angle, people could still see her injured left eye, leading to all sorts of unpleasant speculation.
Meng Jinsong fell silent. He was strict in handling affairs but never excelled at these clever improvisations.
Xin Ci had a sudden inspiration: “How about an eye patch? The kind that covers just one eye. I can make you a leather one, then give you a matching, cool makeup look tomorrow—cold tones, very imposing.”
Upon hearing the words “very imposing,” Meng Jinsong knew this approach had potential. Meng Qianzi was a person with a strong sense of dignity about her position.
She disliked making mistakes, disliked others suspecting her of inexperience or inadequate ability, and cared whether her actions were appropriate and whether she commanded presence in important situations. Of course, this wasn’t wrong—her aunts had raised her this way since childhood. Just like her excellent fighting skills, which weren’t merely for self-defense, the senior family members’ reasoning was: “You hold the highest position. If your martial arts are mediocre and you can’t even defeat some outsider riffraff, where would our Mountain Ghost Clan put its face?”
Xin Ci continued enthusiastically: “We’ll also have Liu Guangguo spread the word that tonight there was a mountain mirage. You went into the mountains to observe it, which strained your eyes, especially the left one. It needs a few days to heal and shouldn’t be exposed to light, so you’re covering it. This way, those people won’t gossip unnecessarily.”
Meng Jinsong had to admit that Xin Ci possessed some clever wit.
Sure enough, Meng Qianzi’s expression softened considerably. After a pause, she instructed Meng Jinsong: “Give me the mirage pearl.”
Meng Jinsong quickly handed her the glass jar from the table.
Meng Qianzi held the jar up, examining it carefully against the light. Inside, a spider with its legs spread out clung to something, its shape slightly distorted through the glass, its body coated in a coppery-yellow light.
Meng Qianzi murmured: “This pearl is quite ordinary in quality.”
Meng Jinsong couldn’t judge such things: “Second-rate quality?”
Meng Qianzi placed the jar on the low table: “Third-rate plus a bit.”
As she spoke, a mocking smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
That person had tried to steal the Mirage Pearl but didn’t understand the Embrace Spider.
Once an embrace spider obtained a mirage pearl, it would hold it in a death grip, never letting go unless feeding. Even if starved to death, it would remain a natural display stand for the mirage pearl. That’s why these spiders were also called “mirage pearl pedestals.” Breaking the glass jar didn’t matter; as long as the embrace spider remained, the mirage pearl was secure. She had deliberately used the bamboo pole to shatter the glass jar and then said harsh words to trick the thief into thinking she’d “rather destroy the mirage pearl than let someone take it,” and it had indeed fooled him.
“What’s the plan for tonight’s incident?”
Getting to the main point, Meng Jinsong tensed up. After a slight hesitation, he still answered as he had planned: “There’s not much we can do for now.”
He didn’t look at Meng Qianzi’s expression, instead stating his view: “Our Mountain Ghost Clan has never had enemies. Tonight’s incident is an especially peculiar exception. Without a definite direction or scope, unless that person strikes again, there’s truly no way to investigate.”
Meng Qianzi pondered.
She shared this thought.
For many years, the Mountain Ghost Clan had no rivals and had offended no one. Since childhood, she had often slipped away to wander freely without ever being kidnapped, so she never considered hiring bodyguards. After all, she had her martial skills, and Meng Jinsong frequently accompanied her. Regarding attacks, this was genuinely the first time. Moreover, entering the mountain late at night was an unplanned occurrence, completely outside their itinerary, making the possibility of a deliberate ambush quite low.
Xin Ci interjected: “Could tonight’s incident be a setup? Did someone lure us into the mountains?”
Meng Jinsong shook his head: “I asked Liu Guangguo. His friend coincidentally saw the insects and snakes retreating to the shadowy areas, and the additional mountain peak was Liu Guangguo’s discovery. The decision to collect the mirage pearl was something we discussed together. If we had walked more slowly, the mirage pearl would have dissipated. If this were a setup, it would be far too haphazard. Besides, to deal with us, wouldn’t they at least have deployed more people in an ambush?”
Just one person—wasn’t that underestimating them?
Meng Qianzi frowned: “So we just wait passively?”
Meng Jinsong said, “I had Liu Guangguo thoroughly search that area. The only strange thing was that fake corpse. At first, I thought it might be a minority ethnic custom, but later felt it wasn’t. It was too meticulously crafted. We also found an empty black backpack. Both have been brought back and are downstairs.”
Xin Ci grunted uncomfortably: The corpse was entirely fake, made from a human model skeleton stuffed with straw, dressed in clothes and shoes, and covered with a silicone face. After learning the truth, he had cursed loudly. Fortunately, it was fake; otherwise, the experience of tearing off and holding half a “human leg” while rolling down the slope would have given him nightmares for years.
“I can’t be certain whether that corpse is related to tonight’s incident, but without other clues, it’s our only lead. I asked Liu Guangguo, but he doesn’t know about this practice of hanging corpses either. However, fortunately, many of Zhu Youke’s people will attend tomorrow’s gathering, so I’ll inquire carefully then.”
Saying this, he looked at Meng Qianzi again: “What about you? Did you notice anything when you fought with him?”
Meng Qianzi recalled, speaking slowly: “A man, probably between twenty and thirty years old, with martial skills comparable to mine…”
When skilled fighters face off, they focus intensely on the opening moves and initial advantage. Reflecting on those few exchanges, Meng Qianzi felt that if she hadn’t had the advantage of striking him hard with the pole first, the outcome would have been uncertain.
She couldn’t think of anything more. Everything had happened too quickly, and it was too dark around them.
Meng Qianzi lowered her eyelids and noticed the mud and water still in her fingernail crevices. Her previously well-done nails were now a mess, causing her to feel irritated: “Let’s leave it at that. I need to wash up and sleep, or I won’t be in good spirits tomorrow.”
She stood up, clearly dismissing them.
Meng Jinsong nodded and turned to leave with Xin Ci, but after just two steps, his body suddenly froze.
This change in posture was so obvious that even Xin Ci noticed it and turned back to look at him quizzically.
When Meng Jinsong turned back around, his face had gone pale. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and his tone had changed: “Qianzi, where’s your golden bell?”
Meng Qianzi looked down at her waist.
There, where the Beast-Subduing Golden Bell should have been hanging, was now nothing but space.
After two or three seconds, Meng Qianzi finally looked up. Of course, she wouldn’t panic; that wasn’t her style.
She said: “It might have fallen off during the fight, or perhaps that person snatched it…”
Suddenly, she realized that since Meng Jinsong had already “thoroughly searched” that area with Liu Guangguo, the possibility of it having “fallen off there” didn’t exist. Moreover, the bell’s fastener was very tight, and it wouldn’t have come loose without significant external force.
“It was probably taken by that person.”
She spoke with indifference, but Meng Jinsong’s scalp was already sweating. He felt his hair steaming, almost ready to burst into flames. The mirage pearl was just an embellishment—obtaining it would certainly be impressive, but not having it wouldn’t necessarily matter. But the Beast-Subduing Golden Bell was reportedly passed down from their ancestors—a unique item, one of a kind since ancient times…
He felt his knee joints weakening, barely able to support the weight of his body above them.
Xin Ci stood with his mouth half-open. He couldn’t fully comprehend the severity of the situation, but infected by Meng Jinsong’s emotions, goosebumps rose on his arms.
After a pause, Meng Jinsong struggled to maintain composure, even trying to force a smile: “It’s alright. I’ll first inform Mountain Osmanthus House… The aunts will find a way. No matter how much it costs, we must get it back. We need to arrange people, and with more people, things will be easier to handle…”
By the end, his words became incoherent as he hurried toward the door. The situation was too severe; he dared not and could not handle it. Nor did he dare imagine what punishment he would face for this “major dereliction of duty.”
Meng Qianzi said, “Come back.”
Meng Jinsong placed his hand on the doorknob and looked back at her.
Meng Qianzi didn’t speak immediately. She picked up a small tasseled fan from the couch, casually covering her left eye. Her little finger flicked the tassel below, her eyelid slightly lowered, then raised again: “First, go make me a fake one.”
Meng Jinsong didn’t understand. This statement seemed particularly bizarre to him.
Meng Qianzi smiled: “What are you afraid of? No matter how big the issue, I’ll handle it. Who would come close to examining whether it’s real or fake? Besides, others having it serves no purpose—it’s just a chain that’s neither truly gold nor copper. Only when it hangs on me is it the Beast-Subduing Golden Bell, and only I can use it. If I say it is, no one will doubt it.”
Xin Ci stammered: “So… so the real golden bell is just lost like that? We’re not going to look for it?”
Meng Qianzi replied impatiently: “Who said we’re not looking? Publicly, we haven’t lost it. Privately, we’ll arrange for people to search for it. If we find it in a few days, then nothing happened, right? Why cause such a commotion?”
She sat back on the couch and somehow managed to put a positive spin on the situation: “Besides, the aunts are all elderly now. Out of filial piety, we shouldn’t trouble them with such matters.”