Qiao Yan
e Xiao, or rather Qiao Yan, waking up ahead of schedule was truly bewildering. The soldier delivering the news reported that upon waking up, Qiao Yan immediately cried out for help and insisted on coming to the main camp despite her weakened state, which only added to the incredulity.
Indeed, not long after, Qiao Yan was supported into the tent, her face pale. Her appearance hadn’t changed in the slightest, but there was a subtle difference. Qiao Yan appeared genuinely fragile and delicate, fluttering like a trembling butterfly in the wind with every blink.
He Xiao also resembled a delicate butterfly, but somehow gave the impression that her wings might stir up a storm.
As soon as Qiao Yan entered the tent, she cried and threw herself into her mother’s arms, pleading, “Mother, save me!”
The woman, who hadn’t finished crying herself, immediately began sobbing again as she hugged Qiao Yan, asking her what had happened. Her older brother patted Qiao Yan’s back beside her.
He Simu raised an eyebrow, observing the affectionate family in the camp. Qiao Yan pointed at He Simu, crying, “Mother, it’s her! She’s the one who took my body and possessed me before. She’s a demon! She wants to harm me! Mother, please save me!”
All eyes in the camp turned to He Simu. Even Wu Shengliu, who had just been aggressive, looked at her with uncertainty. General Yin, who should have been excited, appeared somewhat nervous.
He Simu tilted her chin slightly, shifting her gaze from Qiao Yan to Master Mingfeng, then to her family, and casually said, “I have nothing to say. Just a pair of fake relatives, a fake Qiao Yan, and a fake Taoist.”
And a real demon.
Qiao Yan hadn’t actually awakened.
She was merely being manipulated by another demon who took advantage of her vulnerability. Master Mingfeng did have some abilities, and he couldn’t have missed the signs on Qiao Yan, but he remained silent at this moment.
So, it turned out to be a collusion between ghosts, Taoists, and humans. Master Mingfeng and General Yin were targeting Duan Xu, while the demon attached to Qiao Yan was likely targeting her. It was the first time in her four hundred years that He Simu had seen ghosts, Taoists, and humans so united, truly a harmonious scene.
He Simu stood up from her chair, walked up to Qiao Yan, and whispered softly to her with lowered eyes, “You have one day left. Make it count.”
Qiao Yan trembled, whether out of fear or acting, and immediately retreated into her mother’s embrace. Master Mingfeng stood between them, pointing at He Simu and declaring, “Demon, you won’t be allowed to harm the innocent any longer. I won’t let you get away with it.”
He Simu gave a faint smile, took two steps back, and calmly spoke under everyone’s scrutiny, “I am merely a wandering figure of the Martial world, not a demon. I have no idea why Miss Qiao would slander me like this. It seems Master Mingfeng has already prepared hundreds of ways to pin this crime on me. As a girl without any backing, what more can I say? If anyone wishes to investigate or detain me, feel free to do so.”
General Qin, sitting in the centre of the camp, wore a stern expression, while Zheng An’s face was constantly changing. General Qin’s gaze swept over the faces of the people in the camp, perhaps considering the implications for the Tabai Army and Duan Xu. Eventually, he said, “If Miss Seventeen is truly not a demon, she can stay in the prison for a while. When General Duan returns, he can question her to prove her innocence.”
He Simu turned to look at General Qin and replied indifferently, “Yes, I will follow General’s orders.”
General Qin inexplicably felt a hint of mockery in the girl’s eyes, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere that seemed neither human nor ghostly.
He Simu was fortunate to experience the feeling of being imprisoned for the first time in dozens of breaks. She sat cross-legged against the cold walls of the cell, closing her eyes to rest. The cell was surrounded by various talismans for exorcism and warding off spirits. She glanced briefly at these rather unsophisticated talismans; with the Demon King Lamp in her possession, these talismans were useless against her.
The prison conditions weren’t bad, but the impending continuation of the drama was unsettling.
Perhaps some lord had learned of her loss of power and saw this as a rare opportunity. They couldn’t let this chance slip by without taking action, so they instructed their subordinates to manipulate Qiao Yan’s body and collude with mortals to harm her.
“Seventeen,” someone suddenly called her. He Simu opened her eyes slightly to see Meng Wan’s anxious face outside the bars. She was dressed in inconspicuous black attire and held onto the bars, saying, “You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?”
He Simu leaned against the grey wall and gestured to the empty bowl beside her, “I’ve already eaten.”
Meng Wan’s expression changed drastically. She immediately crouched down and grabbed He Simu through the bars, shaking her, “You must vomit it out! It’s poisoned! Quickly, vomit it out!”
He Simu was shaken by her, causing the wall to shed dust. She replied casually, “Oh? Who is trying to harm me, General Yin? Lord Zheng?”
Meng Wan’s expression darkened.
He Simu nodded knowingly, ” Lord Zheng.”
Involvement in witchcraft was a grave offense. Zheng An likely had some doubts about her demonic identity, but not knowing what traps General Yin and General Qin had set up, they probably wanted to confront her with Duan Xu upon his return, finding some evidence or pretext to strike first and ensure she had “no defence.”
If she died, it would not only prove her innocence but also conveniently shift the blame onto General Yin.
“You’re fighting this war in Daliang just so-so, but your political manoeuvring is quite something,” He Simu said as she pulled Meng Wan’s hand down, speaking calmly, “Rest assured, this bit of poison isn’t enough to harm me. Unless one is pierced in the vital points by a spiritual sword or burned by ghost fire, a demon won’t perish.”
Meng Wan was taken aback. She released He Simu’s hand and looked at her as if she were a stranger. He Simu turned her head slightly and said, “Don’t tell me you’ve never doubted me.”
“So, you really are…”
“A demon.”
“You’re…”
“He Xiaoxiao.”
Meng Wan took a deep breath. She stood up and looked at He Simu with complex emotions in her eyes. After staring at He Simu for a while, she suddenly took out the key from her waist and opened the prison door, saying softly, “I’ll distract the guard later, you hurry and leave.”
He Simu’s gaze shifted from Meng Wan’s actions to her eyes. She crossed her arms and said, “But I thought you didn’t like me very much?”
“Just go when I tell you to go!” Meng Wan suppressed the anger in her voice. She looked at He Simu fiercely, gritting her teeth, “You helped Shunxi and helped us defeat the Huqi people. Whatever you are… I’m not the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity.”
He Simu fell silent for a moment. She sat up from the ground, and the moonlight cast upon the floor through the ventilation window. Her skin was fair, with a small mole beneath her phoenix-like eyes, giving her a cold appearance. She approached Meng Wan, and her direct gaze made Meng Wan feel breathless. But instead of stopping, He Simu walked past her and patted her shoulder, “Thanks.”
She said casually.
After He Simu’s figure moved away, Meng Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her head to look at He Simu’s back and wondered if she really was a demon. She didn’t seem as terrifying as the demons in legends.
Did Duan Xu know about He Xiaoxiao being a demon?
He must know.
Even so, did he… have feelings for her?
After coming out of the prison, He Simu didn’t rush to leave. She found a veil that could conceal her figure and wore it on her head. With her hands behind her back, she leisurely walked out of the Shuozhou Prefecture city and into the wilderness outside. The ground still bore the scorched earth left by the burned military camp earlier.
As she walked, she suddenly stopped. She spoke lightly, “You’ve waited for so long, aren’t you going to make your move?”
A group of people emerged stealthily from the darkness, like wild beasts prowling in the night, surrounding He Simu. She glanced over and saw the manipulated Qiao Yan and Master Mingfeng standing in front of the crowd, watching her vigilantly but not immediately approaching. It seemed that although they knew about her loss of power, they still harboured lingering fears of her usual strength.
He Simu lightly chuckled, but his smile faded when he saw the person behind Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan reached out to touch the head of the child behind her and smiled, “Chenying, help me get the jade pendant from the waist of this evil spirit. That’s my thing.”
Chenying looked at Qiao Yan with some confusion, then at He Simu. He tugged on Qiao Yan’s clothes and asked, “Are you… really, Miss He Xiaoxiao?”
Qiao Yan smiled. In the darkness, there was no difference between her and the past He Xiaoxiao. She squatted down to pat Chenying’s shoulder and said, “What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me? I’m He Xiaoxiao. You were very sad when I was asleep. I woke up, didn’t I?”
Chenying glanced at He Simu and whispered, “But… General Brother and she both said…”
“They’re lying to you! She’s an evil spirit, colluding with Duan Xu. They deceived us all. Look, she even stole the jade pendant that my sister always carries with her. Can you help my sister get it back?”
Chenying looked into Qiao Yan’s eyes, biting his lip. “You… did you ask Aunt Song to borrow the suona? How many eggs did you use to exchange?”
Qiao Yan smiled without hesitation, “Eight. You trust me now, right?”
Chenying looked at He Simu with some confusion. He Simu just looked at them lightly, without arguing.
Qiao Yan took Chenying’s hand and brought him to He Simu. She coaxed, “Just lift your hand, and you can get it. Sister is by your side, don’t be afraid.”
With one hand comforting Chenying and the other hand threateningly staring at He Simu, the life of this child was now in her hands.
Chenying looked up and met He Simu’s gaze. In He Simu’s eyes, reflecting the cold moonlight, there was no emotion, no anger, panic, disappointment, or any other reaction, just like an unchanged glacier over the years. She simply watched as the child she had sheltered for three months hesitantly reached out and grasped the Ghost King Lantern pendant hanging from her waist. The artefact, feared by all evil spirits, was surprisingly obedient in the hands of a mortal. With a slight tug, Chenying broke the thread and took the Ghost King Lantern into his hand.
In that moment when the thread broke, he anxiously glanced at He Simu’s expression, but she showed no anger or resistance, allowing him to take the Ghost King Lantern from her waist.
“Come on, give me the Ghost King Lantern… give me the pendant,” Qiao Yan’s eyes almost gleamed with fanaticism.
Chenying hesitated, slowly placing the Ghost King Lantern into Qiao Yan’s hand. The lantern lay quietly, without emitting the expected light. Qiao Yan’s expression momentarily showed disappointment, but she quickly regained excitement and said to He Simu, “As long as I kill you, everything will be fine.”
She turned to the Daoist behind her and said, “Master Mingfeng, it’s your turn now.”
Master Mingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, observing the silent and calm He Simu for a moment before asking, “Are you sure she has no power left at all?”
He Simu sneered and muttered, “Coward.”
Master Mingfeng frowned. After walking over and sizing up He Simu for a while, he handed a short spiritual sword to Chenying. “Child, I’m giving you a chance to slay this evil spirit!” he said.