The night wind brought coolness, and a half-moon hung over the great desert. Standing on the dune, Zi Feng glanced down at Yan Qige below, then glared at Yusang. “How many times have I told you not to act rashly before I return? You don’t listen. I told you not to get entangled with this mortal anymore, and you don’t listen to that either. You seem determined to do the exact opposite of whatever I say.”

“Zi Feng, he means no harm, and I need his help to find the Soul Collector.”

“Excuses, all excuses. You know in your heart that with our abilities, we don’t need help from a mere mortal. If you had listened to me from the start and just seized the Soul Collector, there wouldn’t be all this trouble,” Zi Feng interrupted harshly, showing anger like never before. After glaring at Yusang for a moment, he asked again, “Yu Wensang, tell me honestly—have you fallen for this mortal?”

Yusang’s face grew somewhat hot. She glanced at Zi Feng and was about to speak when he cut her off first. “I know you have no intention of marrying me, and I don’t mind. If you find someone you like, I can even personally arrange your wedding and send you off in grand style like a sister. As long as you fancy them, I don’t care if they’re immortal or demon—but not this Yan Qige.”

“Why? Just because he’s mortal?”

“Mortal? If he were truly mortal, I’d be relieved. Look at his cultivation level—could a mortal possess such power? Mortals are at most bookish scholars, but everything about him lacks human essence. He’s neither a demon nor an immortal. He was tolerable before, but the more I look at him now, the more wrong he seems. Even I can’t figure out what he is. Among the six realms, there are plenty who are handsome and have deep cultivation. You don’t need to stake your heart and soul on such a character of unknown origins.”

“Zi Feng, I know you mean well, but this time I can’t listen to you. I want to make my own decisions.”

“This time you won’t listen to me? Tell me, when have you ever listened to me? I know—you’ve never taken my words seriously. Back then, you trusted Bai Zhi over me, and now you trust this Yan Qige over me. I stopped having expectations of you long ago. Fine, do whatever you want. Don’t come crying to me when you suffer for it.” Zi Feng grew angrier as he spoke, snapping shut his paper fan with a sharp motion, then disappearing in a flash of purple light with a wave of his sleeve.

The next day, when the dawn light illuminated the great desert, Yusang and Yan Qige resumed their journey. After the discussion, they decided to visit Helian Castle once more.

…

…

Yan Qige used his purple compass to determine direction, then led Yusang forward. They hadn’t traveled long before reaching the walls of a ruined city. Yan Qige signaled for Yusang to stop, dismounted, and walked a small circle by the city wall. Finally, at the base of the wall, he discovered a small cave. After digging it open, it revealed a small pile of cinnabar. Walking forward a few more steps, there was another small cave, also containing cinnabar. Continuing this way for ten yards, there was a pile of cinnabar every ten steps.

“What are these for?” Yusang dismounted and came forward to ask.

Yan Qige brushed the cinnabar powder off his hands, took the horse’s reins to enter the city, and looked around at the empty old city while saying, “Cinnabar repels evil. Those by the wall are also mixed with realgar and gold powder—it seems someone used them to prevent demons and evil spirits from entering the city. The city’s layout follows the Five Elements concealment technique, with meticulously constructed formations. Ordinary people or demons not only couldn’t enter, but they probably couldn’t even see this city. Two hundred years ago, Red Sand City disappeared along with Helian Castle—they must have used this barrier.”

“Really? Then, since I can not only see it but also enter, does that mean I’m very capable?”

“Yes, you’re truly capable,” Yan Qige drawled sarcastically, glancing at Yusang as he took the purple compass from his waist to determine direction. Upon looking, Yan Qige couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Yan Qige’s expression, Yusang stepped forward to look at the compass and discovered the needle inside was spinning rapidly in circles.

“Is it broken?” Yusang asked, immediately earning an eye roll from Yan Qige. He closed the purple compass, looked around, then walked toward a pile of ruins. Turning around a wall corner, he saw a moon-white Soul Collector hanging suspended in the air over the ruins.

As if sensing its master’s presence, the Soul Collector moved through the air and flew down to Yan Qige. He reached out to catch it, curved his fingers to form incantations, and the surrounding ruins trembled. Then a long sword wrapped in soft leather broke through the earth, spun once in the air, and settled on Yan Qige’s back.

“They say the Soul Collector is a sacred artifact of the ancient Fengjian Clan. How can you, a mortal, also have such a connection with this Soul Collector?” Yusang finally asked the question that had puzzled her for so long.

“I don’t know. I only remember waking up one day to find this lantern and sword hanging by my bed, as if they were things I’d had for a very long time. But how I came to have them, I can’t remember at all.”

“Well, it seems I’m not the only one with poor memory,” Yusang said somewhat gleefully, crossing her arms as she looked at Yan Qige.

“You’re getting more and more chatty,” Yan Qige glanced at Yusang, then put away the Soul Collector and went to lead his horse.

Yusang and Yan Qige left the city. Since their business there was finished, they decided to head south to leave the desert.

Although Yusang hadn’t managed to collect any soul artifacts this time, she was happy to finally be leaving this dry place. She rode along humming little tunes cheerfully, while in contrast, Yan Qige seemed distracted and somewhat dejected.

Noticing Yan Qige’s strange behavior along the way, Yusang called to him, but after calling several times without response, she lightly tapped his horse with her riding whip. The horse jolted, and only then did he suddenly look up.

“What’s wrong with you? You found your belongings—why aren’t you happy?” Yusang asked.

“I just feel something’s strange, like something’s not right.”

“What’s not right?”

“If the Helian Clan could make an entire castle disappear without a trace, their power shouldn’t be underestimated. But after encountering you, everything seemed to become simple. The Helian Clan members accomplished nothing—Helian Yu died, Helian Yun disappeared, you got what you wanted, and all my things were easily recovered. Leaving so smoothly like this is very strange.”

Yusang listened, first nodding thoughtfully, then her eyes rolled and she exclaimed, “Hey, didn’t you say you didn’t remember Helian Yu? You liar!”

Yan Qige ignored Yusang’s outcry and continued with a grave expression, “Don’t change the subject and mess around.”

“Then what do you think should have happened? Don’t tell me you wanted to be Helian Castle’s son-in-law.”

“I’m being serious here. I can smell your jealousy from here,” Yan Qige raised his eyelids to glance at Yusang. As his gaze fell, he noticed the Qiang flute broken in two hanging from Yusang’s saddle. “Did you take that from Helian Yu?”

Yusang picked up the broken Qiang flute. “I originally thought it was what I was looking for. I nearly lost my life over it, but it turned out not to be. I guess I sensed wrong, so I can only hang it here as a memento.”