Zheng Xiu came up with a plausible excuse and went back to the inn’s rear courtyard to use the outhouse.

He also claimed to still be a little scared, asking Feng Bei to stand guard outside the yard for him.

Feng Bei, doting on him, happily agreed.

"Whoosh..."

Inside the outhouse, the boy transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished.

「Imperial City.」

It had started snowing again.

A light snow drifted about.

Zheng Xiu quickly had Scarface Liu fetch several exquisite side dishes, pastries, and peanuts from the Fragrant Pavilion. He ate a hasty meal, making do with what he had.

But just as he was about to eat, Zheng Xiu was surprised to find he wasn’t nearly as hungry as he had imagined.

It was then he realized that the nutrients his Incarnation absorbed from eating could be transferred back to his Main Body.

This was already beyond the realm of scientific explanation. Then again, at a time like this, what was the point of talking about science?

After brewing a pot of hot tea, Zheng Xiu pulled his quilt tight in his cell, lit a warming fire in the stove, and prepared to grind all night long.

With Feng Bei around, Zheng Xiu thought to himself, ’It’ll be hard *not* to speedrun this, even if I don’t want to.’

She was just that incredible.

With his preparations complete, Zheng Xiu entered the Heart Prison to adjust the [Evil Child]’s equipped Traits.

He couldn’t keep Feng Bei waiting too long, so Zheng Xiu quickly made his decisions.

On a side note, from thrashing Dou Xie along the way, his [Muscle Strength] and [Step Technique] had seen a small increase.

[Name] Zheng Er

[Title] Evil Child

[Birth] Scholarly Family

[Age] Ten

[Muscle Strength] Thirty-six (Innate Divine Power, Powerful Strength, Fists of an Ox)

[Step Technique] Sixteen (Agile and Nimble)

[Constitution] Thirty-six (Righteous Qi Within, Evil Cannot Be Touched, Immune to Hundred Poisons)

[Appearance] Eighteen (Delicate and Handsome)

[Will] Twelve (Distracted)

[Destiny] Eighteen (Blessed by Fortune)

[Physique] Twelve (Small Child of Five Chi)

[Scholarship] Nine (Ignorant and Unknowing)

[Traits] Inspiration (Entry), Fist Skill (Entry), Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes (Entry), Intuition (Entry), Taunt (Masterful)

...

Zheng Xiu had been reluctant to equip [Taunt], but a Masterful-level [Taunt] was just too useful. ’Even if I don’t use it to pull aggro, if something happens, can’t I just pull Dou Xie in front of me to take the hit? Right?’

’It’ll come in handy eventually.’

’After all, it is... at the Masterful level.’

Additionally, equipping both [Fist Skill] and [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes] might have seemed redundant.

But Zheng Xiu had to consider the "what ifs."

’What if his blade broke?’

’What if his fists got swollen and bruised?’

’A man who doesn’t plan ahead is bound to face trouble.’

His preparations complete, Zheng Xiu looked at [Post Station Feng Bei].

With a single glance, Zheng Xiu was taken aback. The [Affinity] for this Post Station had quietly changed to "Spoiling."

’What’s going on?’

Zheng Xiu was completely baffled. ’How did it suddenly become "Spoiling"?’

’I hadn’t noticed at all.’

But Zheng Xiu didn’t dwell on it and chose to enter.

He poked the face of the Feng Bei doll. A vortex surged, and a small door swung silently open.

The Evil Child opened his eyes and stepped through the doorway in the vortex.

A wave of vertigo washed over him. Zheng Xiu felt as if he were rocketing through a tunnel. In the blink of an eye, he arrived, as the Evil Child, in the sky above the inn.

Phew.

Zheng Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid he would emerge from within Feng Bei’s body. If that happened, he would have had no choice but to reveal everything.

Thankfully, his guess had been correct. As a Mystic, Feng Bei was surrounded by a small space akin to a "Ghostly Realm." When his Incarnation used a [Post Station] to fast travel, it would materialize within this "miniature Ghostly Realm" near her.

Feng Bei was a short distance from the yard. The translucent spirit slipped silently into the outhouse and solidified into a physical body.

Zheng Xiu went to the well in the inn’s courtyard to draw water and wash his hands. As he walked out, his hands still dripping, Feng Bei watched him with a pensive look on her face.

Zheng Xiu froze. ’Don’t tell me she actually sensed something when I used the Post Station?’

"You..." Feng Bei began, then trailed off.

Zheng Xiu pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

"Did the noodles upset your stomach?" Feng Bei asked earnestly.

Zheng Xiu nearly stumbled and quickly replied, "I’m fine, I’m fine! The noodles were pretty good. Not bad, not bad at all."

’Thank goodness,’ he thought. ’She really can’t feel it when I use the [Post Station].’

Night had completely fallen. The four of them walked out of the inn.

At the edge of town, Zheng Xiu was surprised to see the pancake vendor, the Wimp, shambling away from town in a daze.

[Inspiration] triggered.

Zheng Xiu felt a tickle between his brows. He could faintly make out what looked like an ethereal black thread above the middle-aged Wimp’s head, stretching up into the night sky.

At the same time, from the Black Boxes on Dou Xie’s and Yue Yan’s backs, came the inexplicable sound of scratching claws.

"Shhh!"

Zheng Xiu lowered his voice. "Follow that Wimp. Something seems off."

Having been thrashed by Zheng Xiu repeatedly on their journey, Dou Xie was now a firm believer in the boy’s "Spirit Communication Constitution."

Logically, ordinary people shouldn’t be able to see his Miracle Technique, a fact he had tested time and again. And yet, whenever they fought, this little brat seemed to see his "characters" as clear as day, effortlessly dodging them before landing a heavy blow.

The four exchanged a look and silently fell in behind him.

Ever since Feng Bei had started doting on Zheng Xiu, Yue Yan and Dou Xie no longer treated Young Master Zheng as an outsider.

Considering he could effortlessly thrash Dou Xie, even though the boy was young and worldly-unwise, his future entry into Ye Weiyang was a foregone conclusion—especially with a recommendation from Upper Three Feng Bei. The only obstacle would be if Young Master Zheng himself refused.

The mountain path was rugged and uneven, impassable for horses or carriages. They had no choice but to proceed on foot.

While following the Wimp, Yue Yan considered for a moment. After requesting and receiving Feng Bei’s permission, she borrowed paper and a brush from Dou Xie, hastily scribbled a few lines, and tied the note to a Raven’s leg, sending it back with a message.

She intended to report the eerie events of this place back to Ye Weiyang headquarters and request reinforcements.

The four continued their pursuit, moving farther from the town until their figures vanished into the night.

「Not long after they had gone.」

「In Danglang Town.」

Three men in tattered, beggar-like clothes and wide bamboo hats stood by the side of the road, watching Zheng Xiu’s party recede into the distance.

All three men were maimed in some way. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

One, dressed as a Monk, kept his eyes tightly shut. Scars on his upper and lower eyelids made them look as if they were sealed together. Not a single hair grew on his head; he was a blind Monk.

The second man had no ears, which had clearly been cut off. He appeared to be deaf.

The third man leaned on a crutch, his left pant leg hanging empty. He was lame.

"Hey, Deafie, did you get a good look? Was that Ye Weiyang?" the blind Monk shouted at the deaf man.

The deaf man pointed to the holes where his ears had been, shook his head, and babbled incoherently, signaling that he couldn’t hear.

The lame man grinned, revealing a row of jagged, rotten teeth. "It’s Ye Weiyang. That bunch never bothers with disguises."

The blind man frowned. "They’re heading straight for the mountain. Looks like we’ve been found out."

The deaf man grunted a few times.

The lame man gestured to the deaf man. "Deafie says, ’So what if we’re found out!’"

The blind man asked again, "Did you see who it was?"

The lame man dug a finger in his ear and pulled out a large, black glob of wax, flicking it away. "Got a clear look. The girl in the lead is probably Twelfth Moon. We wouldn’t stand a chance against her."

The blind man said, "If we can’t beat her, then what do we...?"

The deaf man: "AAAAARGH!"

Hearing this, the blind man turned his head to "look" at the deaf one and gestured toward the lame man. "What’s he saying?"

The lame man sighed softly. "He says that if we screw this up, the boss will chop off my other leg."

The blind man chuckled. "Heh heh. Lucky for me, I’ve got no eyes left to gouge out."

The deaf man also roared with laughter, pointing at his own ears.

"One day I’m gonna chop off all your goddamn hands and feet!" the lame man snarled, grinding his teeth. He slammed his crutch on the ground with a heavy THUD.

Three crows flew out of the distant night sky toward the maimed men, each landing on one of their shoulders.

Had anyone from Ye Weiyang been present, they might have been surprised to discover that the three crows bore a slight resemblance to their own Ravens.

The only difference was that the feathers of these three crows were red—the very color of blood.

They were, without a doubt, Blood Crows.