At Sunrise, the rooster crowed, and the sky turned bright.

The Immortal Maiden Temple was still standing. Morning hikers who came up the mountain to pray for peace were surprised to find the temple empty. The Immortal Lady was gone, and the two trees in front of the temple had withered overnight, leaving only bare, twisted branches, devoid of their former spiritual aura.

In the incense burner before the temple, a faint fragrance still lingered, not yet completely extinguished.

In the Ghostly Realm, Feng Bei had clearly leveled the entire mountain, leaving only a hole, let alone the Immortal Maiden Temple.

But upon exiting the Ghostly Realm, everything was perfectly intact, as if nothing had happened.

Except for the Immortal Lady, who was gone, everything else remained.

The Immortal Maiden Temple was there. The incense burner was there. The waterfall was there.

In the pond, colorful carp leaped about, playfully vying to cross the Dragon Gate.

Meanwhile, in Danglang Town.

The four of them passed by yesterday’s noodle shop, and Zheng Xiu happened to see the pancake stall across from the inn opening for business.

A middle-aged man awkwardly pushed out his cart, unfurled his banner, lit the fire, placed the griddle on top, and spread the rice batter.

Soon, a shrewish woman, thinking the man was too slow, rushed out wielding a rolling pin, hitting and cursing him.

The group, caked in dried blood and grime, sat down in a corner. The waiter tremblingly served them hot noodles, saying this meal was on the house. He pleaded that his humble shop couldn’t handle such formidable figures and begged the masters to eat quickly and be on their way.

So much had happened overnight, yet in the end, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

It was like that whole trip to the Ghostly Realm had been for nothing.

At least, that’s how it seemed for the ordinary people here.

Like the husband at the pancake stall across the street. He had lost a part of his Human Soul, but he was still alive. To everyone else, he was living just fine.

His Human Soul was quartered, leaving only "Form" and "Fortune."

As they ate their noodles, the four of them, covered in heavy bloodstains and radiating a fierce, murderous aura, looked like trouble.

Passersby took one look, their faces paled, and they turned and fled.

Among the four, Dou Xie was actually the most frightening. His face looked as if it had been plowed over with a file, with vertical scars running from his forehead to his chin. His nose was even more bruised and swollen than yesterday.

When the waiter finally mustered enough courage, he subtly asked the young Dou Xie if he was being held hostage, telling him to blink if he was, as the Danglang Town Government Office was right next door.

Recalling everything that had happened in the Ghostly Realm, Dou Xie collapsed onto the table and burst into tears, wailing loudly.

Sitting across from Dou Xie, a guilty Yue Yan just shoveled noodles into her mouth.

Inside the noodle shop, the altar on the wall still enshrined the Dang Lang Immortal.

The townspeople still had no idea that the Dang Lang Fairy was no longer on the mountain.

Zheng Xiu, unable to hear anything, ate his fill in one go. It was a good chance to have breakfast for his Main Body.

He watched the waiter piously offer three sticks of incense to the Dang Lang Immortal, lost in thought.

Zheng Xiu looked up and saw Feng Bei, who was sitting across from him, staring intently at his face with a deep frown.

Seeing Feng Bei’s rare, conflicted expression, Zheng Xiu thought, ’This is bad.’

’I have to find a way to explain this.’

’If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter. If I were exposed, I could just turn into smoke and disappear, letting them think they’d seen a ghost.’

’But Feng Bei is different.’

’Feng Bei is my [Post Station]. As long as I’m with her, my exploration range is practically limitless.’

’In the future, there will definitely be times when I need to enter [Post Station Feng Bei] and use the Ghostly Realm around her to travel long distances.’

’So, I can’t let this fall apart.’

Feigning deafness, Zheng Xiu silently tried to think of a solution.

Aside from Feng Bei, the other three returned to the inn to change into clean clothes and bathe. By the time they finished, it was noon.

It was worth noting that before leaving Darkness, Zheng Xiu had claimed he’d gone deaf and couldn’t hear a thing.

But Feng Bei didn’t let him off the hook, following close behind him the entire way as if afraid he would run off.

Even when Zheng Xiu was bathing in a large wooden tub in his room, Feng Bei sat just five paces away with her eyes closed, her ears twitching slightly, clearly listening intently.

Only when Zheng Xiu was dressed and called out to her several times did Feng Bei calmly open her eyes.

Shamefully, Master Zheng found the whole process a little... stimulating.

’I can never tell Feng Bei about this. I’ll just have to keep it a secret in my heart.’

’Who could blame him? He was in the body of a ten-year-old boy, after all.’

The "deaf" boy couldn’t communicate, so Yue Yan and Feng Bei could only glare at his innocent-looking face and clench their fists.

Their minds were clearly filled with questions.

It wasn’t just them. Even Master Zheng himself had many questions about everything that had happened in Darkness and the Ghostly Realm.

From the moment he was imprisoned until now, everything that had occurred was shrouded in mystery.

Without another word in town, the four retrieved their carriage. With the loud clatter of hooves, they drove out of the city.

Dou Xie, naturally, was the one driving the horses. His face was now wrapped in thick gauze, a rather miserable sight.

The trip to the Immortal Maiden Temple had left a painful shadow on him.

Zheng Xiu’s strange behavior in the Ghostly Realm and during the battle in Darkness made Dou Xie and Yue Yan suspect that this kid, like Feng Bei, might be an Innate Mystic.

Yue Yan cradled the fat Mao’er in her arms, occasionally feeding a wick into its mouth. Pointing toward Zheng Xiu, she cursed the cat, "Is your nose broken? You can’t even smell such an obvious Mystic? What good are you!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The fat Mao’er, hiccuping with a full stomach, rolled its eyes. It circled around Zheng Xiu but still couldn’t detect the scent of a Mystic, looking quite innocent in its failure.

Yue Yan even had the audacious thought of stripping the kid naked to see where his Omen birthmark was located. But in the end, out of consideration for Feng Bei, Yue Yan had to give up on the tempting idea.

Just as the carriage left Danglang Town, Yue Yan’s Raven flew back with a new message tied to it.

Yue Yan secretly glanced at Feng Bei.

Feng Bei understood immediately and said, "Just tell them it’s over. They don’t need to come anymore."

On the way back, the roadside was lined with decaying leaves. White frost hung upside down from the branches, covering them completely, a different kind of lushness, like willow leaves.

Dou Xie, shivering from the cold as he drove, pulled over to rest at a Post Station along the road. He quickly started a fire to warm himself, glancing warily in the boy’s direction.

’Before, I was ignorant and clueless,’ he thought. ’But now I get it. I was so worked up back then because I fell for that damn kid’s Miracle Technique!’

’Damn it!’

Dou Xie had long forgotten his earlier bravado about teaching Zheng Xiu the meaning of death. Now, he prayed with all his might that the little monster would just stay away from him!

The poor kid was truly beaten into submission.

Yue Yan sat across from Dou Xie, wanting to review the fight with him and offer some pointers.

This "review" meant drawing lessons from their recent Combat Skill against the three disabled men.

At first, Dou Xie was unwilling. His nerves were still shot, and he argued, "They’re dead, let them rest in peace. What’s there to talk about?"

Yue Yan slowly replied, "If you don’t learn your lesson, your face will just get swollen again next time."

After some thought, Yue Yan had more or less figured out the Chain Skill of the deaf, mute, and blind trio.

Their disabilities were, in themselves, a kind of rule—a rule they were constantly obeying.

The medium for their Casting was undoubtedly sound and direct eye contact.

The other two were manageable, but the deaf one was a [Thousand Gate General]. A single casual sentence from him could completely twist a person’s Will. A Miracle Technique like that must have strict Restrictions.

This was what Yue Yan wanted to discuss with Dou Xie.

If they could figure out its secrets, they would surely have the upper hand when encountering similar Miracle Masters in the future.

So why didn’t she try to pull Feng Bei into this popular pastime of post-fight analysis?

Yue Yan sighed and looked over at Feng Bei.

She recalled the "Mystic," Feng Bei, leveling Danglang Mountain with a single wave of her hand... ’Perhaps Lord Upper Three has no need for such reviews.’

While Dou Xie and Yue Yan were deep in discussion.

"Come here."

Feng Bei beckoned to the boy. She knew he couldn’t hear her right now.

’Why does that gesture seem so familiar?’

Zheng Xiu braced himself and followed Feng Bei to a separate area.

Feng Bei started another campfire—she clearly had something to discuss with Zheng Xiu.

The two sat around the fire, warming themselves.

Feng Bei was silent for a moment, then she pulled a long, thin twig from the fire and wrote in the dirt:

"Is Zheng Shan really your father?"

’Here it comes.’

’It would be strange if Feng Bei wasn’t suspicious.’

Zheng Xiu felt a headache coming on. He couldn’t very well say, ’My father is me, and I am also me. It’s all me! That would be a complete mess.’

"Absolutely."

Zheng Xiu answered. He couldn’t hear, but he could still speak.

Feng Bei wrote again: "I don’t believe you."

Zheng Xiu answered honestly, "Everyone has their secrets."

Feng Bei froze, the twig pausing in her hand.

Zheng Xiu decided to counterattack. "Then let me ask you a question. Why did you enter Darkness? Was your mind tainted at the time?"

Feng Bei hadn’t expected Zheng Xiu to ask that.

But the answer wasn’t much of a secret.

Feng Bei wrote in the dirt again: "I heard my father’s voice."

’That’s creepy.’

’So that’s how it is.’

Zheng Xiu nodded to himself. Feng Nantian must be dead. Zheng Xiu had personally witnessed the miserable state of Treasure King Cangyun twenty years ago; he found it hard to imagine anyone could have survived in Darkness.

But Feng Bei’s reaction didn’t seem fake. Zheng Xiu was more inclined to believe that when Darkness opened, Filthy Qi had leaked out, contaminating Feng Bei and causing her to hallucinate her father’s voice.

Feng Bei then proceeded to ask him about his relationship with Zheng Shan over and over again.

At first, Zheng Xiu stuck to his guns: ’Zheng Shan is my father, and not even the Emperor can change that.’

As the carriage headed toward the Imperial City again, Feng Bei still refused to give up, questioning him relentlessly.

Finally, Zheng Xiu grew annoyed. On top of that, someone back in the Imperial City was shaking his Main Body, so he blurted out casually:

"Fine, I’ll tell you. But first, you have to meow for me."

Feng Bei’s cheeks puffed out, and she seemed a little angry. She turned her head sharply, her long hair falling to hide the faint smile at the corners of her lips.

Zheng Xiu found a comfortable position, lay down, and prepared to sleep.

"...Meow."

...

Outside the carriage.

Dou Xie tumbled headfirst off the driver’s seat.

The startled horses bucked, and Yue Yan, who was sitting on the carriage roof, was jolted so hard she could barely stay seated. She, too, was dumbfounded.

She looked down at the fat cat in her arms. Mao’er was stuffed full and sleeping soundly.

She was absolutely certain that the meow she had just heard did not come from her cat.