Chapter Text
Lumine Lumine left the refugee camp, walked along the rain-soaked dirt path, each step sinking slightly into the muddy ground. The early wind was chilly, carrying with it the faint, metallic stench of lingering resentful energy in the air. As she passed Zhengyang Pavilion, her gaze hesitated.
The large gate was sealed with two strips of official sealing paper, each bearing the mark of the Millelith. Below were mud stains and a few fresh footprints.
She paused, then turned to ask a man nearby who was sweeping the yard nearby.
"What happened here?"
“Oh… you haven’t heard?” The man looked up, his expression complicated. “Early this morning, that exorcist was taken away by Millelith soldiers. They said he had been negligent when checking the level of resentful energy contamination in the soldiers during the previous inspection.”
An old woman nearby scoffed: “I knew it. What could anyone possibly expect from someone with such a frail, scholarly appearance?”
Lumine flinched slightly at those words, nodded in thanks, and quickened her pace. Her expression remained calm, but her heartbeat began to falter slightly.
_
That afternoon, Lumine went to Su Yun's house to return the book. The house still stood at the end of the small alley, beneath a trellis draped in moss. When Lumine knocked on the door, Su Yun came to open it. The woman’s face looked somewhat gaunt, yet her smile remained as gentle as ever.
“Oh, Traveler. You’re here.”
“I came to return the book from yesterday. By the way... have you heard anything about Ling Tian?”
Su Yun paused for a moment, then sighed softly and accepted the book Lumine handed her. “Yes. I didn’t expect this either… I always thought he was a careful man. But perhaps there’s something more going on. I don’t believe he meant any harm.”
Lumine pressed her lips together. “It happened too quickly. I… still feel like something isn’t right.”
Su Yun lowered her gaze, a deep sorrow showing on her face. “I owe him a great deal. When my husband and I first arrived here, we faced countless hardships. We had no household registration, and not even a single Mora. If it hadn’t been for Master Ling Tian’s help… perhaps we wouldn’t have survived until now.”
“You… seem to trust him quite a lot, don’t you?”
Su Yun nodded. “Yes. We used to live in another region, one ravaged by war. After that, we wandered here and were taken in by the Geo Nation. All I wanted was a peaceful life… so I’ve always cherished those who helped us.”
Lumine nodded quietly, then looked up. “Do you have any books on incense? I’d like to study more…”
“I do. Give me a moment.” As soon as Lumine mentioned incense powder, Su Yun responded quickly, disappearing inside. She returned shortly with a pale-colored book, its yellowing pages fragile with age. Lumine tilted the book towards herself, flipping through a few pages.
The air turned slightly still, but neither of them noticed a shadow lurking nearby, watching silently from the darkness.
Lumine said softly, “Oh, right… yesterday, in the embroidery book you lent me… a bit of incense powder fell out. It smelled… rather strong.”
Su Yun stiffened for a brief second, then gave a light chuckle. “Recently, I’ve been preparing Mei Gui Hua incense for the exorcist. Perhaps I left the book too close to some powder without noticing.”
Lumine nodded in understanding, her hand pausing on a description of Mei Gui Hua: A light, gentle fragrance, often used for calming and meditation.
A brief silence followed. It was unclear whether it was the wind blowing through the open door, but the oil lamp suddenly flickered.
In that very moment, something leapt through the window, a black cat, utterly silent, lunging toward Lumine. She startled, stumbling backward as the book in her hands fell to the floor and opened.
Su Yun bent down to pick it up, but as her hand neared the book’s edge, it halted midair.
Time seemed to pause in that single instant. Lumine stayed quiet, eyes lowered as she observed every little movement of Su Yun.
Su Yun looked up, a hint of suspicion flickering in her gaze. But before she could say anything, her attention shifted toward the far end of the alley.
Two Millelith soldiers were approaching slowly. Their posture was hesitant, eyes avoiding contact, steps unhurried, hands empty.
As they came closer, Su Yun called out: “Is there something you need from me?”
The two soldiers flinched slightly. One stammered, “We… we have something to report…”
The other took a deep breath as if gathering courage, then stepped forward, clearly troubled. “Ma’am… we were ordered to deliver this letter to you… It’s… it’s a letter Yu Feng wrote before he…”
“You Feng? What happened to him?!” Su Yun suddenly raised her voice, panic flaring in her tone. She rushed toward them, eyes wide with fear.
The two soldiers exchanged a silent look, then without saying another word, produced a letter sealed with red wax and gently handed it to her.
Su Yun snatched it from them, her hands trembling. She tore the seal and unfolded the letter. Her eyes scanned each line feverishly.
It wasn’t long. She read it quickly, but each word cut like a blade. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the page. After reading the final line, she flipped the letter over, only to find a blank sheet.
She looked up at the two Millelith soldiers before her, but they averted their gazes, their faces filled with sorrow and sympathy.
“I want to see him. I won’t believe it until I see him with my own eyes… He promised me…”
Su Yun’s voice was hoarse and shaking. She made to run, but the soldiers stepped forward, blocking her path.
“We’re sorry, ma'am. You Feng’s body is heavily tainted with resentful energy. It’s too dangerous for civilians to approach. We must bury him immediately…”
“No! I want to see him! Get out of my way!”
Su Yun broke free from their grasp, but before she could run, her legs gave out. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious, as the letter fluttered gently to the earth beside her.
_
Lumine stayed in the small house, tending to Su Yun, the woman who now lay unconscious on the bamboo bed in the small room.
Her face was pale, lips cracked and dry, occasionally murmuring faint groans, sometimes calling out her husband’s name, other times sobbing in her dreams. Her frail hand clutched the thin blanket tightly, as if trying to hold on to something in her delirium.
Lumine checked her temperature and gently wiped her forehead with a warm cloth. Everything seemed stable, but it was clear Su Yun wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.
Leaving the bedroom, Lumine returned to the main room. Though small, the space was tidy, surrounded by old bookshelves. Next to them lay wooden boxes filled with incense powder, carefully wrapped in handmade paper and thin twine, alongside neatly arranged dried flower stalks on the table. Faint light filtered through the window, illuminating spots of long-settled dust and casting a quiet, melancholic stillness over the air.
Since yesterday, suspicion had begun to stir in her mind. The sharp scent in the embroidery book coincidentally matched the one often burned at Zhengyang Pavilion. Last time at Zhengyang Pavilion, Su Yun herself had insisted it was Mei Gui Hua incense. Yet the book described Mei Gui Hua as having a gentle, mild fragrance, not one so sharp and overpowering.
Ling Tian had been arrested for negligence in checking the resentful energy. When he drew the charm for her last time, he hadn’t noticed the presence of Yin mugwort powder on it. Xiao had also mentioned that the pungent incense powder could impair a mortal's sense of smell. Coincidentally, the incense he regularly used had been gifted to him by Su Yun.
No, all of this… couldn’t be a coincidence.
From what she deduced, Su Yun, for some reason, had deliberately attempted to poison Ling Tian. The pungent incense powder had been mixed into the Mei Gui Hua powder, starting in small amounts, gradually increasing so that Ling Tian wouldn’t suspect anything and would fall deeper into the trap she had laid.
If she could find evidence here…
Lumine frowned, a question echoing in her mind without answer: when she dropped the book and Su Yun bent to pick it up… had Su Yun managed to glimpse what she was researching?
What exactly was her plan? If Su Yun was truly involved in the case with the Yin mugwort powder, then things were far from simple.
She slowly walked over to the bookshelf and began searching carefully, not missing a single package. Each incense was labeled, some were chrysanthemum powder, others dried lotus, some cinnamon, sandalwood… but none matched the type from the other day. She frowned, scanning each label and drawer.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the gap in the door, slamming it against the wall with a loud "clack" that made Lumine startle and whip around.
Nothing. She took a breath, steadying herself before continuing the search.
Until her hand touched an old wooden box tucked deep into the corner of the shelf. She gently pulled it out and opened the lid.
Inside was a large packet of dark reddish-brown incense powder, a slightly pungent scent wafted out. Next to the wooden box was a piece of paper, carefully clipped in place on it were two words: “Ling Tian”.
For incense this pungent, yet Ling Tian hadn’t noticed anything… Lumine clenched her fists slightly. So this was why Su Yun had previously stopped Meng Yan’s mother from burning this type of incense while the girl was unconscious.
Lumine exhaled softly, both relieved and tense. She was about to stand and take the evidence with her when...
A low, rough chuckle sounded from behind her, as if it had been there all along.
“Didn’t expect to catch such a big rat here.”
Lumine whipped around.
A man in Millelith attire was standing silently behind her, half his body hidden in shadow. At his waist hung a small scented sachet embroidered with delicate patterns, swaying lightly with his movements. On his lips was a crooked smile, and his eyes were ice cold. At some point, the windows and main door had been shut, casting the room into darkness.
Only now did she notice that something seemed to be lingering in the air. She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, only that when she breathed in deeply, her nostrils tingled with a coldness like the first snow of winter, seeping slowly into her lungs. Lumine slightly frowned, about to draw her sword, but as soon as she raised her arm, a wave of dizziness hit her.
The world around her began to spin. Her knees buckled. She tried to grip the edge of the table to keep herself upright, but it was no use.
Laughter echoed faintly in the darkening room.
Lumine collapsed to the floor, her vision blurring. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was a pair of black boots slowly approaching her… and mocking eyes hidden in the dark.
_
In her dream, she saw herself fighting, her white dress now tragically rumpled and tattered, her figure flashing through the horde of Abyss creatures. Slash after slash, she cut through their bodies. And... strangely enough, she found herself feeling a bit estranged from that image of her own self.
Lumine struggled to lift her heavy eyelids.
The first sound she heard was the muffled voices of a conversation nearby, fragmented and unclear. Her body ached, weighed down, her mind smothered in a dense fog. Every movement made her sway in rhythm with each step beneath her. A white cloth was draped over her, her body resting on a narrow wooden stretcher being carried somewhere. Her fingers brushed against something cold and pointed, it was a rusted nail sticking out from the stretcher.
“…didn’t expect her to figure out I’d given incense mixed with Zi Wan* powder to Ling Tian…”
Then came a deep male voice in response: “…It doesn’t matter, she’s in our hands now. As long as we can lure…”
It was Su Yun’s voice. The other voice likely belonged to the man from her house earlier. Lumine calmed herself, not daring to move. She sensed that it was no longer daylight, darkness surrounded her. Her limbs were tightly bound to the stretcher by thin ropes, her skin burning from the friction. But ignoring the pain, she began slowly rubbing the rope against the rusty nail. A flicker of hope sparked as she felt the fibers start to fray.
But before Lumine could rejoice, the movement suddenly stopped. The stretcher was slammed roughly to the ground, making her brain shake for a while and her chest ached. Footsteps on damp earth approached, step by step.
A man lifted the white cloth. He looked down at Lumine.
“Don’t pretend. I know you’ve been awake for a while now.”
Lumine slowly opened her eyes. Her honey-gold gaze calmly assessed her surroundings. Aside from Su Yun standing in the distance and the man before her, no one else. The realization sent a chill down her spine.
Where had the others carrying the stretcher gone?
“What do you want from me?”
You Feng didn’t answer immediately. He pulled out a silver dagger, his eyes gleaming with menace.
“If you’ve got any last words, better say them now before it’s too late.”
Lumine narrowed her eyes, her voice cold and sharp: “If you only wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble to bring me here. What’s your real objective…”
You Feng curled his lips. “Ha… That’s right. There is indeed still work that needs you. But unfortunately… you don’t have the fortune to know.”
Without waiting for her to react, he stabbed the dagger into her arm.
_
At the same time, Zheng Hong, sneaking through the damp dirt path, made his way past the dense trees. His face was contorted in fear. His hand touched the front of his shirt, lightly grazing the protective talisman tucked inside.
Even though he had passed through this area many times, the place always sent shivers down his spine at night.
He glanced around nervously, completely unaware that someone had been silently following him from the start.
Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Xiao’s figure flickered, sharp eyes tracking his every move. He had been tailing Zheng Hong from the village to this point, quietly trying to deduce his purpose for coming here.
But suddenly, a flicker of unease flashed through Xiao’s gaze, as if sensing some unseen danger. Without hesitation, he vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a cold gust of wind.
_
Lumine clenched her teeth, stifling a groan, but blood immediately gushed from the wound, soaking the wooden stretcher in crimson.
Just as she tried to hold back the sound, she felt the blade being pulled out. Blood poured out uncontrollably. The attacker, now lying on the ground, had a spear driven through his chest.
You Feng stared wide-eyed at his chest, where the spear had pierced cleanly from behind. He collapsed, shock still frozen in his gaze.
Xiao stood behind him, his eyes cold and resolute, the blow aimed to take the enemy down in one more strike.
From afar, Su Yun screamed, desperately trying to run toward Du Phong, but Xiao’s dagger-like gaze locked onto her, causing her legs to tremble and trapping her in place, unable to take another step.
"A mere mortal, yet you were with a jiangshi?" Xiao looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. "Do you truly think you can escape the hunt of the resentful energy? Foolish."
Lumine lay there, face pale, lips cracked and dry, her brows furrowed in pain, left arm drenched in blood. Hearing his words, she couldn't help but reel in shock. What did Xiao just call him? A jiangshi?
Suddenly, from nowhere, a thick black mist began to spread. A mournful wail rose from afar, like countless spirits converging.
Xiao knitted his brows tightly. Just as he was about to step forward and subdue the two fools who didn't know their place, a sudden wave of black mist cut across his path out of nowhere. As if possessing a mind of its own, the mist completely shrouded You Feng and Su Yun, blocking Xiao’s line of attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Yun slung You Feng’s arm over her shoulder. Ignoring the chaos erupting around them, she struggled to drag him away in the opposite direction.
Zheng Hong stopped before a lone mound of earth, bare of grass, only a few stones stacked in a tapering tower from large to small.
He took out a knife, made a small cut on his left hand, and let the blood drip onto the top of the stone pile.
"It’s done..." he muttered, getting ready to stand, when his left foot slipped on the slick mud and he fell face-first to the ground. A small ceramic jar fell from his sleeve, bright red powder scattering, staining his chest.
Groaning in agony, he pushed himself up, utterly unaware that in the eyes of the demons, the red powder was emitting a foul, reeking stench. The scent drifted through the air, relentlessly drawing them closer and closer.
Unbothered, he muttered curses and brushed the powder off. The mud-drenched powder slowly seeping into his shirt, staining the protective talisman hidden inside.
A cold wind blew past, raising goosebumps on his skin. He glanced around anxiously, the darkness seemed to conceal something, thick and foreboding.
Seeing nothing, Zheng Hong didn’t feel any relief. All he wanted now was to get away from this place as quickly as possible. But high above, in the trees, a pair of glowing red eyes stared straight at him.
The creature's mouth opened, revealing long, dagger-like fangs.
Just as Zheng Hong turned to leave, the shadow lunged down. No sound. No warning.
Clawed fingers touched the back of his neck.
And then… everything fell silent.