The corpse on the ground suddenly twitched, its fingers scraping at the dirt with a bone-chilling creak.
Chu Huaizhou's face went deathly pale. He staggered back several steps, his longsword trembling uncontrollably in his hand.
"N-not dead?"
Standing behind him, Xie Zhaolin's fingertips were already laced with strands of black qi that had quietly wrapped around the corpse. She watched his terrified expression, the corner of her lips lifting in the faintest arc.
"Brother Huaizhou…" She suddenly grabbed his sleeve, her voice trembling just right. "He, he's not dead. What if he gets back up… what do we do?"
Her words were like a switch. Chu Huaizhou's adam's apple bobbed, and in a sudden burst, he drove his sword straight into the corpse's chest.
"Pshh!" Blood splattered across his pale face.
Like a man possessed, he stabbed again and again until the body was nothing but mangled flesh.
"He's dead…" He panted heavily, blood dripping from the tip of his sword. "This time he's really dead…"
Xie Zhaolin stood quietly, watching.
Under the moonlight, the black qi seeping from the corpse drifted into her sleeve. Chu Huaizhou's ferocity had gone further than she expected—but that was fine. After all, the baleful qi of a man driven to despair was always the richest.
"Let's go." Chu Huaizhou wiped his face, the blood smearing into long red streaks. He grabbed her wrist with such force it nearly crushed her bones.
Back at the carriage, he didn't even glance at the corpses of the two servants. He just kicked one off the shaft with a dull thud, raising a cloud of dust.
"Ah Xiu, get in the carriage." His voice was calm again, as if his earlier frenzy had never happened.
She obediently climbed aboard. Out of his sight, her fingertip gave a subtle flick, drawing another wisp of black qi from the servant's corpse into her sleeve.
The carriage sped through the night, wheels rumbling over the rugged mountain road.
Xie Zhaolin leaned against the window, her divine sense never leaving Chu Huaizhou's back. His spine was stiff as steel, his knuckles white on the reins, clearly still unable to calm himself after the slaughter.
"We're here."
At dawn, his voice drifted back from the driver's bench.
She lifted her eyes. In the misty morning light, the walls of Qingyang City loomed ahead. The city gates had just opened, and the drowsy guards were still yawning.
Instead of taking the main gate, Chu Huaizhou guided the carriage to a small side entrance, slipped the guard a few copper coins, and quietly entered the city.
The Chu family estate was far larger than Xie Zhaolin expected.
Blue brick, dark tiles, crimson gates, and two majestic stone lions standing guard. Yet even here, Chu Huaizhou avoided the main entrance, knocking three times on a smaller side door.
It creaked open. A maid in a pale lotus-pink dress peeked out.
"Young Master!" Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, but when she caught sight of Xie Zhaolin behind him, her mouth immediately curved downward.
"Yuzhu, take Ah Xiu to the west wing and prepare some hot water for her to wash." Chu Huaizhou's tone brooked no argument.
Yuzhu gave a reluctant bow, dragging out her reply. "Yes…"
Chu Huaizhou softened his tone when he turned to Xie Zhaolin. "Ah Xiu, get some rest. I'll come see you later."
She lowered her head, playing the part of a grateful girl. "Thank you, Brother Huaizhou."
Yuzhu led her through a maze of corridors, heading farther and farther away, until they stopped at a damp and dusty little house. It was obvious no one had lived there for ages. The window paper was even torn.
"This is it." Yuzhu stood at the door, making no move to tidy up. "Young Master said you're not to wander. Especially not the main courtyard. Madam can't stand the stench of poverty." Her tone dripped with malice.
Xie Zhaolin lowered her head, her shoulders trembling. The bruises on her neck stood out starkly in the morning light, her clothes still stained with last night's blood.
"What, cat got your tongue?" Yuzhu sneered. "You've been to the gambling dens already, don't act so high and mighty!"
Her eyelashes trembled.
So, the entire Chu estate knew about Ah Xiu's past.
A thin wisp of black qi slipped from her sleeve, snaking up Yuzhu's embroidered shoes.
"Sister Yuzhu…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "C-could I have a basin of water…"
"Water?" Yuzhu laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world, her gold bangles clinking. "There's a puddle behind the latrine. Use it if you want."
Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Yuzhu's expression shifted in an instant. She grabbed Xie Zhaolin's wrist in a mock-gentle grip, her nails digging deep into flesh. "Little sister Ah Xiu, watch your step over the threshold."
Xie Zhaolin's brows twitched. With her baleful qi protecting her, Yuzhu's little cruelty couldn't hurt her. But if the real Ah Xiu had been here…
The footsteps faded. Yuzhu shoved her hard into the room. "Quit pretending to be delicate!"
Xie Zhaolin stumbled, nearly falling. She swallowed her temper. Until she understood the Chu family's situation, she couldn't act openly.
A shadow flickered in her eyes.
"You filthy wench, you think you're worthy of our Young Master?" Yuzhu sneered, kicking over a stool. "I heard your brother sold you to a gambling den to pay off his debts. How are you not dead yet?"
The stool crashed near her feet, sending up dust. Her eyes reddened—not from acting, but from grit in the air.
She made her voice tremble. "Sister Yuzhu… I know I'm not worthy of Brother Huaizhou… but I heard the Chu family has an immortal master living here… I…"
Yuzhu froze, then smirked. "What, trying to climb higher? Hmph, fine, I'll tell you. Ever since the old master passed away, the only one here is Young Master—"
Realizing she'd said too much, she snapped, "Why are you asking?"
Amusement flashed in Xie Zhaolin's eyes, but she quickly masked it with fear. "I-I was just worried… that I'd offend someone without knowing…"
"Pathetic!" Yuzhu scoffed. "Trash like you isn't even worthy to carry a cultivator's shoes. But you don't need to worry…" Her smile turned vicious. "The Chu family doesn't even have a cultivator guarding it anymore. With your pitiful skills…"
Xie Zhaolin's eyelashes fluttered. The black qi had already seeped through Yuzhu's meridians, coiling around her heart.
She tilted her head slightly, lips curving in an eerie smile. "That's really… perfect."
Yuzhu blinked, then laughed. "What, scared out of your mind?"
Xie Zhaolin didn't answer. She slowly raised her hand, her fingertip giving a slight flick.
"AHHHH—!"
Yuzhu's scream tore through the air. She looked down in horror as countless black threads writhed beneath her skin, crawling through her veins like living creatures.
"You… what did you do to me?!" Her voice cracked with terror. She tried to back away, but her body wouldn't obey.
Xie Zhaolin smiled. "Didn't I just say? No cultivator guarding the Chu family… that's perfect."