[Through Concentration, you have successfully perceived Filthy Qi with your Spiritual Vision. Your inspiration has gained a small amount of experience.]

Zheng Xiu was in no mood to look at his Experience Level right now. He impatiently waved away the line of mosquito-sized text and turned to ask the others.

"This Peace Talisman... why was it under Second Lady’s pillow?"

The boy glanced back, and in that single look—his handsome features, his composed demeanor, his authoritative tone—he was the very image of the Master, as if cast from the same mold.

Zizi, Pingping, and Lily, who were used to taking care of the Master’s daily life, knew him well. The boy’s glance made them subconsciously press their legs together. ’He really is the Master’s bloodline,’ they thought. ’There’s no mistake.’

If they had any doubts before, now they had irrefutable proof.

Zizi answered honestly, "Second Lady personally requested that Peace Talisman for the Master. She wanted to send it to the prison immediately to protect him, but there have been a series of murders in the Imperial City recently. After Shi Wentong died, the Government Office came to investigate several times, which delayed things."

"Later, the Master was framed for the ’Princess Yu Run Bloodshed Case’ and taken to the Heaven-Gazing Platform. The security there is extremely tight. Even when we tried to bribe Sixth Master with everything we had, he didn’t dare to accept it. He said the rules were ironclad and he truly couldn’t break them, so the Peace Talisman was never delivered."

Pingping raised her hand to add, "Second Lady put it under her own pillow. After she fell ill, we checked it carefully. The Peaceful Silk Pouch was completely empty. There was nothing unusual about it."

Zheng Xiu gritted his teeth. "This Peaceful Silk Pouch... Second Lady carried it with her the entire time?"

Lily nodded, her voice as crisp and pleasant as a warbler’s song, drawing everyone’s attention the moment she spoke. "Yes. Second Lady was always trying to find ways to keep the Master safe, so she carried it with her at all times and never let us touch it."

’Wrong.’

’Wrong.’

’Wrong!’

’The fact that it’s empty is the strangest thing of all!’

Zheng Xiu was certain that there had been a lock of normal hair inside this Peace Talisman. Now it was empty. Unless Zheng Erniang had thrown it out herself, there was no way it would be empty!

He recalled Second Lady’s previous actions. The "last time" she gave the Peaceful Silk Pouch to Zheng Xiu, she had repeatedly warned him not to open it, or it would lose its effectiveness. It was clear she was superstitious about it and believed that sincerity begot miracles. She would never have opened it herself and taken out the hair.

’The hair!’

Zheng Xiu clenched the empty brocade bag, leaned closer to Second Lady, and began to feel around on her head.

As he felt around, his expression suddenly changed. He found a small lump on the back of Zheng Erniang’s head.

"Zizi! Help me!"

Forgetting to act like a child, Zheng Xiu had Zizi help him prop up Second Lady. He then parted her dull, lifeless hair.

Zizi had been watching the Young Master’s every move, wondering what he was up to.

But when Zheng Xiu parted the hair and revealed Zheng Erniang’s scalp...

Zizi’s lightly powdered and rouged lips flew open into a perfect "O," and she gasped in shock!

On Zheng Erniang’s scalp was a fleshy tumor, the size of a fingernail, that was slowly wriggling!

A lock of jet-black hair grew from the tumor. Its color and sheen, when compared to the rest of Second Lady’s hair, clearly showed it didn’t belong to her. It was much glossier.

Zheng Erniang’s eyes suddenly flew open, completely devoid of spirit. The nails on her left hand shot out, sharp as knives, as she lunged for Zheng Xiu’s neck.

"Young Master, watch out!"

Zizi’s gaze turned cold. Just as Zheng Xiu was about to react, she thrust out her arm to block Second Lady’s sharp fingers.

Her exposed arm, as smooth and white as a lotus root, shimmered with a faint, precious light. When Second Lady’s sharp nails landed on Zizi’s arm, they found no purchase and slid right off.

The scene unfolded right before his eyes, and Zheng Xiu was touched that Zizi had proactively protected her Young Master. But that feeling was quickly dispelled by her "slippery" skin.

’That’s way too slippery!’

’So Zizi is a Miracle Master, too!’

Zheng Xiu was sure that before the butterfly effect, Zizi’s hand had definitely not been this slippery.

"Now we’re in trouble."

Qing Shisan tapped his pipe, and the swirling smoke behind him coalesced into various shapes.

A ferocious beast, a terrifying specter, a wisp of ethereal mist.

Ji Hong’ou leaped down from the wall and spoke rapidly, "We are the ’Brotherhood’!"

Qing Shisan quickly followed up, "We hide in the darkness, and we yearn for the dawn!"

Outside, the Blood-Handed Scholar, Pei Gaoya, heard the commotion. Rubbing his bald head, he charged into the courtyard, shaking the very earth. He roared as he stomped forward, "Nothing is true! Everything is permitted! I’m going in!"

Inside the room.

Jing Xuemei’s gaze sharpened. She brought the long flute to her lips, but hesitated, as if unsure whether to play.

"SOB SOB SOB! Second Lady!" Pingping sobbed, having pulled out a Ji Zither from somewhere.

Lily reached out, trying to pull the seemingly frail and helpless little Young Master away.

...She couldn’t budge him.

Pingping and Bobo grew anxious and rushed forward to pull the Young Master back as well.

They couldn’t move him either.

Instead, Zheng Xiu spread his arms, pushed them all back at once, and said in a childish voice, "Everyone, stay back! Don’t make a move!"

Pingping: "Oof!"

Bobo: "Eek!"

Zizi: "Ah!"

Outside the door, the three big shots of the Brotherhood prepared to burst in.

From Second Lady’s sudden attack, to Zizi’s slippery arm deflecting her sharp nails, to Zheng Xiu pushing the others away—everything happened in the span of a few breaths.

Zheng Xiu pushed them aside and stared in shock at the ferocious-looking Second Lady sitting on the bed.

The whites of Second Lady’s eyes were filled with a dense web of black, hair-like strands, all fixed on Zheng Xiu and the others. Her hair had grown several times its original length and was writhing like tentacles, coiling around the bed.

Once everyone had backed away, Second Lady maintained this strange posture, making no further moves.

Qing Shisan and Ji Hong’ou stepped over the threshold.

"CRACK."

Behind them, Pei Gaoya, who had rushed in, smashed his head into the doorframe, shattering it to pieces.

"Ah, my apologies, my apologies, my apologies!"

Pei Gaoya bowed his head, completely at a loss.

The room now felt rather crowded. After her bizarre transformation, Zheng Erniang had yet to make another move.

The transformed Second Lady and the others in the room were locked in a silent standoff.

Although Zheng Xiu was anxious, he knew he shouldn’t act rashly until he understood the cause and effect of the situation.

One by one, the familiar people around him were revealing supernatural abilities. At this point, even if Qing Pi were to twist off his own head and kick it like a soccer ball in front of him, Zheng Xiu wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

’This world... has completely changed!’

His eyes were glued to the bed, where the twisting, growing hair was gradually enveloping Second Lady. Under his "Spiritual Vision," the mass of hair surrounding Zheng Erniang looked like a blazing black fire, stinging his eyes slightly.

[Through Concentration, you have successfully perceived a large amount of Filthy Qi with your Spiritual Vision. Your inspiration has gained a significant amount of experience.]

[Through Concentration, you have successfully perceived a large amount of Filthy Qi with your Spiritual Vision. Your inspiration has gained a significant amount of experience.]

The Experience Value for his [inspiration] shot up, ticking up almost every second. In the blink of an eye, it broke through the "Initial Path" stage and reached the realm of "some accomplishment."

Even though his Experience Level was soaring, Zheng Xiu only grew more and more agitated.

This was the first time he’d ever been unhappy about gaining Experience Level.

Everyone looked to the Young Master, as if waiting for his decision.

As Zheng Xiu stood in silence, a familiar itching sensation came from the lump on his forehead.

He reached up and scratched it.

[You have discovered a new Ghostly Realm: Immortal Maiden Temple.]

...

「At this moment.」

「Within the Imperial City.」

"CAW—CAW—CAW!"

The flock of Ravens circling above the Imperial City seemed to have been disturbed. They gathered in a massive swarm, like a pitch-black storm.

The common folk, not understanding what was happening, watched the crows flying chaotically in the sky. Others, hearing the piercing cries from inside their homes, pushed open their windows to look at the night sky.

Hundreds of Ravens flocked together, streaking toward the sky above the Zheng Residence.

"Hm? The Ravens are acting strangely!"

"It’s the Ravens!"

"They’re heading for the Zheng Residence!"

"Hundreds of Ravens have been stirred up! Whoever is Casting in the Imperial City to agitate them like this must be a Miracle Master of at least the Little Star Position!"

"If it’s the Zheng Family, then it’s not surprising at all!"

"Go investigate, quickly!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Has the Zheng Family finally made its move? Since Zheng Xiu was imprisoned, they’ve been keeping a low profile. I never expected that tonight..."

Throughout the city, Night Guards hidden on the rooftops followed the Ravens’ strange movements, their gazes converging on the Zheng Residence, each with their own thoughts.

Agile and nimble figures moved swiftly across the rooftops and through the streets and alleys of the Imperial City.

「West Market.」

「Great Night Treasure Pavilion.」

The Fat Shopkeeper was cheerfully warming himself by the fire in the back room. Once he was warm, he ambled out with his hands behind his back.

He noticed that the secret door to the ice cellar had been closed and was once again hidden by the curtain.

The Fat Shopkeeper paused. ’It would be rude not to say goodbye to the lord,’ he thought. He began to look around and soon spotted Feng Bei washing his hands by the well in the backyard.

As the flock of crows stirred in the sky, Feng Bei silently pulled on his gloves and looked up at the night sky.

"That direction..."

The light in Feng Bei’s left eye focused. In an instant, he leaped onto the roof, pulling on a pair of black silk gloves mid-air.

"L-Lord, are you finished with your investigation?"

Feng Bei rushed off in the direction of the agitated Ravens, his calm voice drifting back: "I’ve finished examining Zhou Ji’s body. The case can be closed. I’m afraid I’ve made a mess in the cellar, so I’ll have to trouble you to clean it up. Something urgent has come up, so I must take my leave. My apologies!"

By the time the Fat Shopkeeper thought to ask for more details, Feng Bei had already vanished into the night sky.

The Fat Shopkeeper opened the secret door and walked down the steps to the ice cellar, muttering to himself, wondering how the case could be closed just like that.

"To think that Lord Upper Three, a high-ranking member of Ye Weiyang, would be so gentle and polite."

Having met such a legendary figure, the Fat Shopkeeper was in a good mood. He carried his oil lamp down into the ice cellar.

He was still pondering the meaning of Feng Bei’s parting words, "clean it up."

The floor of the ice cellar was covered with fingernail-sized, cube-shaped fragments of flesh and bone.

A chill shot through the Fat Shopkeeper’s heart. The oil lamp in his hand made a CLATTERING sound as it fell to his feet.