The first thing Nie Jiuluo did after activating her phone was to contact Xing Shen.
She couldn’t reach him—his phone was off.
But this wasn’t surprising. Xing Shen was a cautious person, and when they parted earlier, he had mentioned notifying the others to make preparations—”preparations” meaning relocating or changing phones and numbers.
This was troublesome. Among Ban Ya’s people, besides Jiang Baichuan and Xing Shen, she barely knew anyone else.
After some hesitation, Nie Jiuluo opened Weibo and posted:
—*Amidst the sound of barking dogs by water, peach blossoms hang heavy with dew.*
As an art blogger, her follower engagement was far below that of internet celebrities, but with several hundred thousand followers, even a lean camel is larger than a horse. Soon, the comments began piling up.
SmallOnionHatesGarlic: Ahhhhh, what did I just see? Peach blossoms! Is the master hinting at something?
FiftyPoundMoon: I suspect I’ve been fed dog food.
HorsehoofSugarcane_SZD: Those above, just look it up if you don’t know. This is Li Bai’s poem, “Visiting the Daoist of Mount Tian But Not Finding Him.”
…
She hadn’t expected the poem’s title to be identified so quickly. Nie Jiuluo felt a wave of melancholy.
It was indeed “Visiting the Daoist of Mount Tian But Not Finding Him.”
She was only seventeen then, on summer break of her second year in high school, when she went to Jiang Baichuan’s place for customized special training and met Xing Shen.
Young boy, young girl, both experiencing first love—it was love at first sight.
Looking back now, love at first sight relied too much on luck. To fall for just a face and hope that the personality, values, character, and interests wrapped within that exterior would all be compatible was truly a dream within a fantasy.
Facing her final year of high school, with mounting academic pressure and summer materials piled high, including various classical poems.
One day she came across this Li Bai poem, and as she read it, her heart pounded. She felt it was destiny—wasn’t this poem describing her and Xing Shen?
“Amidst the sound of barking dogs”—Xing Shen belonged to the Dog Clan.
“Peach blossoms hang heavy with dew”—wasn’t this hinting at their budding romance?
“Deep in the forest, glimpsing deer”—contained Xing Shen’s “shen” character.
“By the stream at noon, no bell is heard”—”stream” (xi) was a homophone related to her name.
Because of this, she felt especially close to Li Bai, and thereafter whenever the Li-Du debate arose in Tang poetry circles, she steadfastly supported the Poetry Immortal.
After her relationship with Xing Shen became official, she recited this poem to him, insisting he memorize it because it was “our poem,” thinking they might need to recite it at their wedding or funeral.
…
Now that they’d lost contact, she could only communicate through such subtle means. She hoped Xing Shen would see it soon and contact her.
Of course, she also hoped he wouldn’t read too much into it.
***
Over the next few days, Nie Jiuluo focused on recovery. Nothing could be done about her arm injury—a hundred days to heal tendons and bones was unavoidable. The gunshot wound was healing better; thanks to her youth and strong constitution, she could already take a few steps around the room while holding onto the wall.
Besides recovery, she did two things: reading and online shopping.
The reading material was naturally the books Yan Tuo had brought, while the shopping covered everything from beauty products and clothes to steamers and vacuum cleaners.
The former was for herself, the latter for Liu Changxi—she remembered Yan Tuo saying Liu Changxi was frugal and proud, so after staying here so many days, helping him upgrade some household items would serve as thanks.
Of course, she never said this directly, instead using excuses like “your steamer isn’t good, the steamed egg custard texture is off” or “the duster makes me cough, a vacuum cleaner is faster and doesn’t spread dust”—everything was supposedly bought for her use.
This caused Liu Changxi’s good impression of her to diminish somewhat, thinking this girl was too wasteful and couldn’t manage a household. If she ended up with Little Tuo, she definitely couldn’t be allowed to manage the finances.
…
That noon, the caretaker steamed a sea bass with olive vegetables, stir-fried asparagus with lily bulbs, and served a small bowl of nutritious five-grain rice.
The taste was perfect, with the right balance of tender and crisp textures. Eating made her feel refreshed both physically and mentally, and for the first time in many days, Nie Jiuluo’s appetite increased significantly.
Her mood was quite pleasant: everything she ate would strengthen her bones and muscles.
Just as her chopsticks were reaching for the dish, a very faint rustling sound came from the suitcase standing vertically beside the bed.
Nie Jiuluo’s chopsticks stopped mid-air.
After a moment, she put down her chopsticks, leaned toward the bed, and slowly pressed her right ear against the case.
Yes, there was something.
She turned on her phone and played some loud music. When the caretaker came to clear the dishes, she received an unexpected bonus: she could take the night off, no need for overnight care.
The caretaker confirmed with her: “Really? Will my pay… be deducted?”
Nie Jiuluo smiled sweetly: “No deduction.”
Tonight, how should she present herself? She needed a few key characteristics.
Hmm, she’d go with seductive, kind, and slightly psychotic.
***
Chen Fu had been sleeping for a long time, but as he slept on, his throat grew increasingly itchy with the sensation of new flesh growing—he instinctively wanted to scratch it, but his hands were nowhere to be found. He could only keep moving his body, rubbing against all sides.
Then, a huge crimson setting sun before his eyes gradually receded. Chen Fu was startled and desperately tried to chase it, but his limbs seemed pinned down, unable to exert any strength. He was sweating profusely as he watched the sun grow smaller and smaller until finally, it became as tiny as a candle flame.
Chen Fu grew extremely anxious, and in his anxiety, his eyes suddenly flew open. He was awake.
There was a crimson flame, floating in the bottomless darkness.
He widened his eyes, closed them, opened them again, and after several repetitions, his vision gradually adjusted until he could see clearly.
It was the middle of the night, in a room that, from its furnishings, appeared to be a private residence. That flame was real—a white candle burning on a table, set in a small bowl, with wax slowly dripping down.
The table was cluttered with various items, makeup products, and small plates and bowls. Beside it was a chair facing him, and in it sat a young woman.
It was too bizarre—this woman wore sleepwear underneath and had one leg crossed with a trembling cotton slipper dangling from her raised foot. The sleepwear and slippers were cute home-style, but over them she wore a well-tailored pure black women’s coat as if a layer of cold killing intent had been draped over top, making the cuteness beneath not cute at all, but rather approaching mockery.
She had very long hair with dense bangs pressed against her eyebrows, their shadow falling into her eyes. Her eyes were as deep as pools, with completely rimmed eyeliner drawn up in proud, fine tails. Her skin was pale, but her lips were painted bright red, appearing almost dark red in the candlelight, with a fine glossy sheen.
Nie Jiuluo spoke in a soft, delicate voice: “You’re awake? Do you recognize me?”
Chen Fu was bewildered, partly because he had just revived and felt disconnected from everything, and partly because he had only met Nie Jiuluo once. Her state was so different now, with such changed makeup that he truly couldn’t recognize her for a moment.
But she wasn’t friendly. Chen Fu realized his mouth was tightly stuffed with cloth, his tongue so compressed it couldn’t move. His whole body was curled up in the suitcase, not lying flat but leaning—the case was angled against the wall, its wheels locked, and something placed underneath to prevent it from sliding.
Nie Jiuluo said: “Let’s establish a rule first. I have some nervous issues and can’t handle loud voices, so let’s chat calmly and quietly. I specifically downloaded a decibel meter on my phone…”
As she spoke, she turned her phone screen toward him while setting it on a stand.
Chen Fu saw the decibel meter page with its gauge dial above and volume transition line below. The needle quivered and the line fluctuated, but they expressed the same thing.
“I’ve set a warning line at 60 decibels, so don’t speak loudly. Once it crosses the line, there’ll be a beeping alert. Those who cross the line must be punished.”
She giggled as she spoke, though very softly, then picked up a very fine makeup brush, dipped it in a small dish, and bent down slightly. Starting from his right brow center, she drew downward, across his eyelid to below his lower eyelid, writing the number “1.”
“The brush is dipped in oil. Remember, if your voice gets too loud, I’ll have to burn a line with innate fire.”
As she spoke, she pulled the cloth from his mouth.
With her this close, Chen Fu finally recognized her.
“You, you’re that crazy…”
As soon as he started speaking, he glimpsed the phone screen’s needle and line going wild, and quickly lowered his volume: “Crazy… Blade?”
Nie Jiuluo praised him: “Right, just like that, speak softly.”
She then pointed to one side of her body covered by the coat: “You broke my arm, and I’m very angry about that. So angry that I want to send you down to reunite with Han Guan every minute. So treasure your life, chat with me very gently, and if you make me happy, I won’t kill you today.”
Chen Fu shuddered. Han Guan—yes, he remembered now. Han Guan was dead, his face sunken like a skull.
Nie Jiuluo said: “Don’t think not killing you today is anything special. In life, one must persevere and stay hopeful. Look at me—I persevered until the end and waited for Yan Tuo to save me, didn’t I? You should persevere too. Who knows, maybe Lin Xiru will come to save you.”
The more pleasant her demeanor, the colder Chen Fu’s spine felt—this woman seemed mentally unstable.
“Let me ask you, how’s your blood sac? Is your body doing well?”
Chen Fu swallowed dryly, his mind buzzing: How does this woman know about blood sacs?
Nie Jiuluo’s expression darkened: “When I ask you something, you ignore me? This makes me unhappy.”
As she spoke, she picked up a match from the table and brought it to the flame.
The match head’s phosphorus made a soft hiss as it ignited. Chen Fu was startled at this small burst of flame, his right eyelid twitching wildly. He quickly said, “Fine, fine.”
Good response. Nie Jiuluo held the match horizontally, gently blew it out, waved it back and forth to prevent rekindling, then slowly continued: “Then your luck is much better than your neighbor’s.”
She gestured toward the next door with her lips.
Neighbor? Who else was there?
Chen Fu was completely confused.
Nie Jiuluo smiled sweetly: “You know, that Miss Li. Poor thing, she keeps coughing, and can’t even straighten her back. Compared to her, aren’t you much luckier?”
Li? Li Yueying?
Chen Fu’s scalp tingled: “You… you brought her here too?”
Nie Jiuluo responded with surprise: “With Yan Tuo as an inside man, who can’t I get? Besides, it’s because I captured you all that Lin Xiru is going crazy, sending people to search everywhere. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance—I’m waiting for her. Let’s see if you can keep me entertained until then.”
Chen Fu swallowed again.
Given his temperament, he would normally have exploded in rage by now, but first, Han Guan’s horrible fate was still fresh in his mind, and second, Nie Jiuluo had a point—maybe holding out longer meant more hope. Sister Lin was clever, maybe… maybe she was already on her way.
Buy time, moment by moment.
He forced an ingratiating smile: “What… what else do you want to ask?”
Nie Jiuluo picked up her phone: “Who knows if you’re telling the truth? Besides, this question-and-answer is boring. Let’s interact with the next door. Same questions for you and her—if the answers match, we continue. If they don’t, I add a line of fire. Two mismatches, and we’re done—you can go play mahjong with Han Guan.”
It took Chen Fu a while to process this. He stammered: “But… but what if I tell the truth and she lies?”
Nie Jiuluo glanced at him: “Why do you think so poorly of your companion? With only two chances, would she dare risk death?”
Chen Fu said anxiously: “Of course she would! Her second generation has no blood sac anymore. That old woman is full of hatred. Given the chance, she’d drag someone down with her…”
Nie Jiuluo acted as if she hadn’t heard: “Listen up, here’s the first question. In 2000, when Chan Tou Jun walked the Green Soil, a woman was dragged into Black and White Rapids by Di Xiao. What happened to her?”
Chen Fu was stunned for a moment: “I don’t know.”
Seeing Nie Jiuluo’s expression darken, he hurriedly explained: “Black and White Rapids… is huge. I wasn’t there then, how would I know?”
“You never heard about it?”
“No, never.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a soft message tone—not loud enough to break 60 decibels—came from Nie Jiuluo’s phone.
Chen Fu’s heart trembled, not daring to breathe.
Nie Jiuluo looked at her phone. Actually, no message had come in—she had just switched to the “Sound and Vibration” page and tapped the message tone.
She smiled: “What a coincidence, she also says she doesn’t know. This reminds me—from now on, you can’t both answer ‘don’t know.’ If every answer is ‘don’t know,’ wouldn’t you pass every question?”
She operated her phone for a while, pretending to send a message with this reminder, then cleared her throat: “Second question, from Yan Tuo. He says he couldn’t get the answer himself. You know what I’m going to ask, right?”
Chen Fu licked his lips, remembering: “His… his sister?”
“Lin Xiru took his sister away. Where did she take her?”
“Black… Black and White Rapids.”
Fuck, Black and White Rapids again.
Another message tone.
Nie Jiuluo looked at her phone, then up at Chen Fu: “That’s not what Li Yueying said. You lose.”
As she spoke, she picked up a new match, lit it, and slowly bent down.
Chen Fu watched the flame getting closer and closer to his right eye. Anxious but trying to keep his voice down: “No, no, what did she say?”
“She said she was made into a blood sac.”
That old bitch, spewing complete nonsense. At that moment, Chen Fu’s anger wasn’t directed at Nie Jiuluo but entirely at Li Yueying. He wanted to smash her dog head: “She… she’s lying. Yan Tuo’s sister was only two when she was taken, not even fully grown. How could she be made into a blood sac?”
Just as the flame was about to reach his eye, Nie Jiuluo twisted her wrist slightly, moving it away, thoughtful: “You make some sense. So she was lying?”
Chen Fu nodded frantically.
Nie Jiuluo sighed: “She’s evil, and deserves to burn. But why did you tell Yan Tuo he’d never see his sister again, then turn around and wish them an early reunion?”
Chen Fu said: “Black and White Rapids is no ordinary place. Once you enter Black and White Rapids, Di Xiao become human demons, humans become Di Xiao ghosts…”
Nie Jiuluo instinctively found the word “enter” jarring: “Enter? Humans entering is one thing, but where do you enter from?”
Chen Fu shuddered violently as if suddenly realizing he’d let something slip. His expression changed, and he fell silent.