Luo Ren couldn’t sleep.

He lay awake thinking. After deciding to “quit,” the biggest change was shifting from offense to defense. But as the old saying goes, the best defense is offense.

These all sounded like paradoxes, like the yin-yang fish symbol—extreme negativity gives way to positivity, and life can spring from hopeless situations.

He gently closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he heard the door. Someone came out with dragging, hesitant footsteps. They didn’t turn on the light and made their way to his side. The person carried a strong smell of alcohol, crouched beside the sofa, with irregular breathing, seemingly staring at him.

He wanted to pretend to be asleep, but after waiting, the person neither moved nor left.

Luo Ren lost patience and suddenly sat up, angrily whispering, “Fatty Cao, are you looking to die?”

Though he hadn’t opened his eyes once, with only a few people in the room, he had long guessed who it was from the weight of the footsteps and breathing pattern.

In the darkness, Cao Yanhua crouched by the sofa, head tilted back, mouth half-open, small eyes gleaming.

Luo Ren pressed the switch of the standing lamp beside the sofa. The yellowish light illuminated most of the sofa and Cao Yanhua’s bewildered face.

Afraid of disturbing the others, Luo Ren lowered his voice and asked, “What are you up to?”

He answered sluggishly, “Little Brother Luo, I’m looking for you for something.”

Was Pin Ting possessing him? Luo Ren felt goosebumps rising: “What is it?”

Cao Yanhua put a finger to his lips: “Shh!”

“Don’t make noise. I forgot what it was when I got here. Can’t you see I’m trying to remember?”

Luo Ren realized he was still drunk.

He’d thought that compared to Yi Wansan and Yan Hongsha, Cao Yanhua was the least troublesome drunk, but now he knew that each had their unique way of causing problems while intoxicated.

Luo Ren lay back down impatiently.

“Take your time thinking,” he said.

After a pause, he added, “And don’t stare at me.”

Cao Yanhua remained crouched in place, slowly shifting his feet to turn around, presenting his broad back and the back of his head to Luo Ren. “Little Brother Luo, we’re not bad-looking people, so why are you afraid of being looked at?”

Was that a compliment? The kind that makes one want to cry. Luo Ren covered his eyes with his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. When he finished laughing, he reached out to turn off the light.

Shortly after closing his eyes, alcohol-scented hot breath blew on his face again, and a pair of chubby arms hugged his arm.

This was going too far. Luo Ren’s fist slowly clenched, preparing to give him a beating—

“Little Brother Luo, I saw who has the seventh ominous slip.”

Luo Ren froze for a second or two and asked, “Who?”

Cao Yanhua grinned, his white teeth visible in the darkness: “Guess!”

Luo Ren gritted his teeth, then smiled after a pause: “Fatty Cao, you’re asking for it.”

In the next second, he abruptly stood up, grabbed Cao Yanhua by the collar, and dragged him toward the bathroom. Cao Yanhua stumbled along: “Hey… hey, Little Brother Luo, I can’t breathe. Hey, murder! Isn’t anyone going to help? Someone’s trying to kill me!”

Howling like a ghost, he was dragged into the bathroom by Luo Ren. His head was pressed against the sink, his cheek against the cold marble. He saw the curved basin with the faucet turned to maximum, water splashing against the bottom, droplets leaping to his face, cool and refreshing.

The spirited Cao Jiefang excitedly took small steps at the bathroom door, as if witnessing some great excitement. The living room lights came on, and after a while, Mu Dai appeared at the door, wrapped in clothes.

Yi Wansan and Yan Hongsha were in such deep, drunken sleep that she was probably the only ones who could be awakened by the noise.

“What’s wrong with Fatty Cao?”

Luo Ren said, “Nothing. Go back to rest. I’m just sobering him up.”

How was he sobering him up? By dunking his head in water? Mu Dai was a bit concerned. She came over and turned off the faucet, took a towel, soaked it in water, wrung it out, and said, “Don’t use your Philippine sobering-up methods on our people. When Fatty Cao sobers up, he’ll be angry with you.”

What a girl, like a nagging young wife, or a virtuous mother protecting her child. Luo Ren released his grip, quite pleased: “I’m just scaring him a bit.”

Cao Yanhua still had half his face pressed against the sink, refusing to move. Mu Dai pulled him up: “Come on, Fatty Cao, wipe your face.”

Cao Yanhua stared at her.

Mu Dai said, “Are you drunk, stupid? Get up and wipe your face.”

Cao Yanhua’s pupils slowly contracted, as if remembering something. In the next second, he screamed and violently pushed Mu Dai away, shouting, “It’s you!”

There was water on the floor, making it slippery. Caught off guard, Mu Dai fell sitting on the ground, her back hitting the toilet rim, nearly bringing her to tears from the pain. Before she could react, the cups, toothbrushes, combs, and hand towels from the counter flew at her. Cao Yanhua even scooped water from the sink and splashed it on her: “It’s you!”

Mu Dai covered her head to dodge as Luo Ren roared, “Have you gone crazy?”

He grabbed Cao Yanhua and pushed him to sit in the bathtub, removed the shower head, and in a few movements bound Cao Yanhua’s hands to the water outlet. He then tore down the shower curtain and tied it securely around his ankles.

When he tried to pick up Mu Dai, she winced in pain, so he had to support her instead. What had started as a sobering-up farce had turned into a sudden accident. Cao Jiefang, who had been stretching his neck to watch the commotion, fluttered away in fright, while Cao Yanhua lay in the bathtub, hands and feet bound, desperately trying to sit up, like a struggling insect.

Luo Ren was angry: “You stay here and sober up. Don’t come out until daybreak.”

He supported Mu Dai to the door, reached out to turn off the bathroom light, and as he was closing the door, Cao Yanhua shouted, “It’s her! I saw the ominous slip on her. The seventh ominous slip is on her!”

Luo Ren’s hand froze, but then he closed the door.

With the door closed, Cao Yanhua’s shouts immediately became much quieter. Mu Dai stood still. Luo Ren looked down and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Her nightgown had lifted, revealing a blue bruise on her lower back. With her fair skin, the blue-purple bruise was particularly noticeable. Luo Ren felt terrible. He had her lie face down on the sofa, sprayed medicine on the bruise, and gently massaged it.

Mu Dai spoke in a muffled voice: “Did you hear what Fatty Cao said?”

Luo Ren smiled wryly: “He’s drunk and talking nonsense. The seventh ominous slip could be on anyone, but not on us—doesn’t the silk scroll say we can avoid the possession and harm of the ominous slips, and won’t be controlled by their thoughts?”

Mu Dai said softly, “That’s what I thought, too. But Little Knife Luo, I dreamed about it too.”

Luo Ren fell silent. After a while, he helped her cover her lifted nightgown: “You also dreamed it was on you?”

Mu Dai shook her head: “In my dream, it was on you.”

After waking from the dream, she couldn’t fall back asleep. Her initial thoughts were like Luo Ren’s: it couldn’t be possible. The slip could be on anyone, but not on them.

She had been sitting dazed when she suddenly heard Cao Yanhua wailing outside, so she put on her clothes and went to look.

Luo Ren smiled: “This is interesting. Cao Yanhua dreamed it was on you, and you dreamed it was on me?”

He pondered for a moment.

The hint from the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps was indeed due to appear. As Hongsha had said earlier, having obtained the physical bronze artifacts of the clasps, their power increased, and perhaps they would soon find the seventh ominous slip.

But such hints seemed absurdly far-fetched, more like confusion than guidance.

Mu Dai suddenly thought of something: “I understand! Fatty Cao and I both had dreams tonight. Maybe Hongsha and Yi Wansan also had prophetic dreams, and you, too, Little Knife Luo. Why don’t you try to sleep? Maybe you’ll dream something too.”

Luo Ren smiled bitterly: “Do you know what it means when flowers won’t bloom despite careful planting? If I try to sleep just to dream, I definitely won’t be able to.”

Finally, he said, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Yi Wansan and Hongsha will wake up at daybreak anyway.”

They waited until daylight shone brightly, and the curtains were drawn back to reveal a nice day.

Out of habit, he counted the days: including today, eight days remained.

Single-digit days, each passing day making them leaner.

Luo Ren made a call to have breakfast delivered to the room: five Western breakfasts with trays laid out on the coffee table—identical bacon sandwiches, golden fried eggs, sautéed mushrooms, and milk.

Mu Dai lay on the sofa, lifted the bread from one sandwich, took the condiment tray, poured endless salt and pepper, and even squeezed on mustard, all with an unchanged expression.

She said, “This one is for Fatty Cao.”

The deep master-disciple relationship was truly touching.

Cao Yanhua was the first to recover, shouting from the bathroom with resentment and indignation.

“What’s going on! I just had a little drink. Why did you tie me up? Is this how you treat friends?”

Luo Ren calmly drank his milk and took a bite of his sandwich.

Mu Dai asked him, “Should we untie him?”

“I didn’t lock him in. If he can’t untie himself drunk, can’t he do it sober?”

Indeed, within two minutes, Cao Yanhua emerged, flexing his limbs. He had even used his teeth to finally free himself.

Having slept in the bathtub all night, his bones ached from the hard surface. His hangover was just subsiding, and his temples throbbed.

He greeted Luo Ren: “Oh, food! So fancy, Western breakfast too.”

Luo Ren gave him a cold glance: “Sober now?”

Cao Yanhua laughed dryly: “Yes, yes. I didn’t do anything, did I, Little Luo? I’m not the type to act up when drunk.”

As he spoke, he nervously looked around: fortunately, all the furniture was intact, and the room wasn’t a mess, suggesting he hadn’t broken anything the night before.

After laughing for a while, he reached for a tray.

Luo Ren flipped his hand, striking Cao Yanhua’s hand with the handle of a fork: “Think carefully and remember.”

Remember what? Cao Yanhua was puzzled. He scratched his head and looked at Mu Dai for help. Mu Dai’s face was as dark as water, her fork viciously stabbing a mushroom with such merciless precision that it seemed deliberately pointed.

Wait, wait. Cao Yanhua remembered.

His face turned from green to white. He quickly ran to Mu Dai’s side and crouched down, hands gripping the sofa armrest, smiling submissively.

“Little Master, I remember now. I was drunk… it was just a dream, thoughts by day become dreams by night… If I were sober, I wouldn’t have done that. How could the ominous slip be on you? We’re the Phoenix Team. When drunk, one loses consciousness. Little Master, you’re not hurt, are you?”

Mu Dai smiled gently: “I’m not hurt. Why am I lying face down? Do I just like lying this way?”

Cao Yanhua’s face turned green. He stammered, “So… what should we do?”

Mu Dai pursed her lips, gesturing toward the sandwich on the tray.

Just then, from one of the bedrooms came Yi Wansan’s angry voice: “Who did this? Celery all over the bed! Fatty Cao, was it you?”

Last night, when they dragged him to bed, the celery was still bundled. Now it was spread all over the bed. Who knows what he had done with it?

Yi Wansan stormed out, with a celery leaf stuck on top of his head.

Luo Ren engaged him in conversation.

—Awake?

—Yes, awake.

—Did you dream last night?

—Yes, dream after dream all night. They say that too many dreams mean poor sleep quality.

—Did you dream about… who has the seventh ominous slip?

Yi Wansan fell silent. He frowned, trying hard to remember. After a while, as if suddenly recalling something, his gaze shot toward Cao Yanhua.

Cao Yanhua was taking big breaths, his mouth ringed with mustard-colored salt and pepper, his tongue swollen, as he said, “Me?”

…

Yan Hongsha was the last to emerge, yawning, with her hair resembling a bird’s nest. As she pushed open the door, she was startled.

Four people, three sitting and one lying face down, eight eyes staring directly at her.

Yan Hongsha felt uneasy: “Why are you all looking at me? Yes, I woke up late, but none of you called me.”

Yi Wansan asked directly: “Fire Two, did you dream about me last night?”

Yan Hongsha reacted strongly: “Who are you? Why would I dream about you? Why not dream about someone else? What do you mean, you, you, you…”

She stammered, increasingly incoherent, until her final words: “You… how did you know?”

Before Yan Hongsha got up, Yi Wansan and the others had already made a preliminary deduction based on the five elements’ cycle of generation and conquest: metal conquers wood, so Mu Dai dreamed of Luo Ren; wood conquers earth, so Cao Yanhua dreamed of Mu Dai; earth conquers water, so Yi Wansan dreamed of Cao Yanhua.

Although Luo Ren was the only one who hadn’t slept, following the deduction, fire conquers metal, so he should have dreamed of Yan Hongsha; and water conquers fire, so Yan Hongsha most likely dreamed of Yi Wansan.

Yan Hongsha’s reaction confirmed this deduction.

Cao Yanhua was furious. The sandwich churning in his stomach pushed his anger to its peak: “This seventh ominous slip hasn’t shown itself, but it’s secretly causing harm, Little Luo! It’s trying to drive a wedge between us. If we weren’t so resolute, we would already be suspecting each other.”

Luo Ren smiled. Cao Yanhua’s words seemed reasonable at first, but upon careful consideration, something felt off: such obvious manipulation would be easily exposed. If the goal was to create distrust, it would be more effective to have all five people accuse one person rather than each other.

Cao Yanhua gritted his teeth in anger: “Clearly, the seventh ominous slip is near us. It can’t be Pin Ting or Zhang Shu; they’re too far away. It must be someone nearby who can influence us. Think about who we’ve been in contact with these past few days. Cao Jiefang is one!”

Cao Jiefang, who was pecking at fallen salt grains and bread crumbs by the sofa, was startled upon hearing his name, his feathers standing on end.

Who else? Old Nine Ding was living outside Fengzi Ridge Village. Shen Gun also barely counted—they had spoken on the phone yesterday, and perhaps the evil force had affected them through radio waves.

But thinking it through, Cao Jiefang remained the prime suspect.

“This ‘hiding,'” Cao Yanhua analyzed, “must be unintentional, unexpected—Jiefang is just a chicken, one that has done good deeds before. We’re easily misled by these surface appearances. Little Luo, better to be wrong than to let escape. I suggest the five of us give Cao Jiefang some blood to see if we can force out the seventh slip.”

Cao Jiefang continued pecking at food, as it couldn’t understand what these people were saying anyway.

Yan Hongsha found it unreliable: “Let’s stop bothering Jiefang. Besides, putting human blood into a chicken doesn’t seem right, does it?”

Luo Ren said, “Something still feels off.”

He called Shen Gun.

Shen Gun was also startled by the new situation: “Wasn’t it said that people with the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps couldn’t be harmed by possession from the ominous slips?”

Luo Ren said, “The whole thing, at this point, is suddenly full of strange paradoxes. I need everyone to help me sort this out.”

The first paradox: People with the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps won’t be harmed by possession from the ominous slips, vs. The ominous slip is attached to one of them.

—If they said they wouldn’t be harmed by possession, then finding it on any one of them would be a blatant contradiction.

The second paradox: This situation is the seventh ominous slip trying to sow discord, vs. They won’t be mentally controlled or influenced by the ominous slips.

—If the ominous slips can’t influence their minds, how could they make them have strange, targeted dreams to create discord?

The third paradox: This situation has nothing to do with the ominous slips, but is a hint from the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps vs. the silk scroll says those with the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps won’t be harmed by possession from the ominous slips.

Going in circles, contradictions everywhere, all forming insoluble loops.

Luo Ren felt that their deductions had reached a paradoxical deadlock because one of their fundamental premises must be wrong.

Where was the error?

Shen Gun couldn’t figure it out either. He said, “Wait a minute, I need to go meditate in the valley,” and hung up.

Looking at everyone, they all seemed at a loss.

After a long while, Mu Dai spoke up: “Actually, I also think it makes perfect sense if the seventh ominous slip is on one of us. As Fatty Cao said, the most brilliant hiding is something unexpected, unthinkable. We’ve suspected everyone around us, even Cao Jiefang, but never thought of ourselves.”

Yan Hongsha bit her lip and nodded: “I think so too. My grandfather often told me that looking for something is like trying to see in the darkness under a lamp. When I was little, I heard a story about a magic mirror. There was a princess who had a mirror that could find anyone in heaven or on earth.”

Luo Ren had heard this story too. It continued with a young man who challenged her, having once rescued an eagle, a large fish, and a fox.

The first time, he rode on the eagle’s back, flying high into the sky, but the princess pointed her mirror at the sky and found him.

The second time, he hid in the fish’s belly, deep in the sea, but the princess’s mirror pointed at the sea and found him again.

The third time, the fox devised a plan. It dug a hole leading under the princess’s bedchamber, and the young man hid there. This time, he succeeded.

Yes, it made perfect sense, but… it was still a paradox.

The day passed quickly. Luo Ren was even considering returning home when, at sunset, Shen Gun suddenly called.

He was so excited that his words tumbled out incoherently: “Little Carrot, while meditating, I thought if our final reasoning contradicts itself, there must be an error in our basic premise. So I tried to overturn each piece of information we have, and suddenly!”

His voice trembled with excitement: “I made a conjecture, the Shen Gun conjecture. The more I think about it, the more I believe I’m right! Wait, let me drink some water first!”

Through the phone, they heard his footsteps running away.

Luo Ren’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at everyone, turned the phone volume to maximum, and said, “Close the windows, close the doors, put up the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign.”

Everyone moved in unison, then gathered around the coffee table. The main lights were turned off, leaving only a yellowish standing lamp. The call button glowed, and Mu Dai suddenly felt anxious, fearing that at this crucial moment, something might happen in Wuzhen that would prevent Shen Gun from returning.

Fortunately, her worries were unfounded. Shen Gun quickly returned.

In a solemn voice, he said, “Listen carefully. Don’t rush to argue or explode. Let me finish.”

“I hypothesize that your dreams aren’t interference or manipulation from the ominous slips, but hints from the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps, and these hints are correct. The seventh ominous slip is indeed on you, and not just on one person—it’s on each of you.”

Cao Yanhua couldn’t sit still. As he tensed his neck to speak, Luo Ren’s piercing gaze shot over like an awl. His heart skipped, and he swallowed his words.

“I’ve gone through all the contents of the silk scroll that I transcribed. There are two sentences I want to repeat. Listen carefully.”

“The first sentence is: People who possess the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps cannot be harmed by possession from the ominous slips.”

“The second sentence is: The power of the seven stars, attached to the body, changes human hearts, devours good and promotes evil, strengthens the body, makes one nimble in movement, and can even bring back life.”

In Luo Ren’s mind, a tiny spark flashed. He felt he had already realized something, but the spark wasn’t bright enough yet; it needed fuel.

Shen Gun continued: “I suddenly realized that being harmed by possession from the ominous slips and being possessed by the ominous slips are two different things.”

That was it, the fuel he needed!

Clarity instantly flooded Luo Ren’s mind. He leaned back on the sofa and laughed loudly.

Shen Gun said, “Oh, Little Carrot, have you figured it out?”

Luo Ren’s laughter continued for a good while before he said, “Go on.”

Shen Gun cleared his throat: “The power of the seven stars, besides changing human hearts and devouring good to promote evil, actually has beneficial effects. To put it simply, it has many functions, but if it turns off this one aspect, then its attachment to someone can’t be considered harmful at all.”

Yi Wansan cursed loudly: “Damn.”

He had realized it too.

Why did they all understand now? Yan Hongsha was a bit anxious. Mu Dai remained calm: “It’s fine, let them strain their brain cells. We’ll listen.”

“That is to say, they can attach to you as long as they completely shut down their harmful function—your blood would normally react to malicious, ominous slips, but what if they’re not being malicious?”

“It’s like how, medically speaking, everyone has cancer genes, but whether they turn into cancer cells depends on how they’re controlled.”

If the ominous slips shut down their harmful functions, would they be completely benign? If they weren’t malicious, the ominous slips would become like beneficial spiritual herbs, and the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps would completely lose their target to suppress and act upon.

Mu Dai suddenly realized: “I understand now!”

She stared at Luo Ren in shock: “I remember when Luo Ren was injured by the cheetah, both Big Senior Brother and Qingmu said Little Knife Luo wouldn’t survive. Later, when Luo Ren pulled through, I thought it was…”

She had thought it was a miracle, the power of love, medical advancement, or strong willpower.

But in reality, every effect has a cause, doesn’t it?

Luo Ren looked at her with a smile: “Also, do you remember when the cheetah buried you underground?”

“I dug you out of the earth and felt your chest was still warm. At that moment, I thanked heaven, thinking I had arrived in time. I also thought perhaps your years of martial arts training allowed you to hold your breath, buying you time.”

Yan Hongsha’s heart jumped, and she reflexively looked at Yi Wansan: “Yi Wansan, weren’t you also…”

Yi Wansan nodded: “It’s possible.”

That time in Cao Village, when he was trapped by Ya Feng and Qingshan’s scheme during the landslide, he was buried for over two days.

Yet he recovered surprisingly quickly. Afterward, he thought it was just luck—his nose hadn’t been blocked by mud. Despite the landslide and rain, he’d held on until Hongsha rescued him.

Now, thinking back, he suddenly felt a chill run through him.

Was it because of the seventh ominous slip?

It had been hiding inconspicuously and silently, with its “malevolence” and “violence” turned off, quietly dispersed among the five of them. It had even inadvertently benefited them, and it was precisely this “benefit” that made its concealment safer.

Shen Gun’s voice was a bit tense: “Little Carrot, we’ve always said the ominous slips might have intelligence. In their long struggle against the power of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps, they’ve been constantly evolving. If we use war as a metaphor, this round represents a new tactic they’ve developed after summarizing their previous failures.”

The loss of the early ominous slips signaled the emergence of the Phoenix, Firebird, and Simurgh clasps’ power and indicated a small-scale collapse in the ominous slips’ defenses. Thus, secretly, the layout, counterattack, and final act gradually took shape.

The fourth slip began consciously targeting Luo Ren and the others, recognizing each person’s face, knowing exactly who the enemy was.

The fifth, represented by Ya Feng, launched the first wave of attacks. Though imperfect, its direction was clear. When finally defeated, Ya Feng said, “You will eventually become like us.”

This statement didn’t just allude to the situation the seven ominous slips were trying to create; in retrospect, it was profound because by then, the seventh ominous slip was already in position.

The sixth, the cheetah’s almost storming, raging invasion, caused them heavy losses. They nearly suffered a total defeat.

But in reality, from the perspective of the entire battlefield, whether these six won or lost didn’t matter.

Because there was still the final killing move: as long as the seventh remained unfound, all “restrictions” on the previous six would automatically be released.

The seventh was the behind-the-scenes leader, always sitting like a mountain. It didn’t charge into battle or bare its fangs. It remained calm as if it never existed, watching impassively as ominous slip after ominous slip was defeated, never panicking.

To some extent, those defeats were necessary sacrifices to confuse and blind the opponents.

It still firmly controlled the game. It was of utmost importance, and those defeats it dismissed with a smile were like scratching an itch through one’s boot.

It wanted them to be unable to find it.

It was right there on all five of them.