“I won’t give you a bonus, but you can get paid. You know, someone will pay you when the time comes.”

“Well, if that’s what the employer says…”

They fell silent for a while, but Yu Nai could clearly see Juxi holding Yuanhui back, trying to keep him from losing his temper.

It was already very late. Juxi and Yuanhui were both rough sorts, so they casually bedded down near the campfire they’d lit by the door. They were generous enough to give the bed to Yu Nai, though.

The night was very quiet. Other than the occasional cries from outside the window, the only sound was Juxi getting up now and then to patrol, his footsteps crossing the floor.

Every so often, Yu Nai heard him mutter something like, “I can’t believe it actually worked. Or—maybe they can’t attack?!”

“Juxi, are you asleep?” Yu Nai cautiously called his name.

Juxi had drunk a little hot liquor that night. It was bitterly cold here, so he hadn’t slept very comfortably on the floor.

“What is it?”

Yu Nai eventually managed to wake Juxi. He looked tired and troubled now, because he had no way to test whether it worked.

“Sigh. It’s so late, and we still have to travel tomorrow.”

“Come on. We don’t even know if we’ll be able to leave tomorrow!”

“…”

It seemed Yu Nai understood their situation perfectly well, so Juxi had no choice but to stop arguing.

“Yes, their condition is getting more and more worrying. But one thing is certain: they’re ghouls!”

Juxi knew all too well that ghouls existed. They might look stupid, but they had human intelligence and could communicate in human language.

“But these mutants don’t have minds of their own. That’s not how ghouls are supposed to behave…”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying, but you said they can talk, right?”

Yu Nai was completely baffled. But they were out of options now. They’d been trapped for a full eighteen hours, and the castle looming in the distant mist was clearly visible.

“You said they were saying, ‘Why did this child end up like this…’—uh, how much of that is true?”

“Not much. Ghouls don’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone has to cast a spell. But I think it’s quite possible this has something to do with your princess. Maybe an enemy cursed her… and that’s what caused all this.”

Juxi shared his theory. After all, if ghouls refused to leave their bodies, they must have some unfinished business.

“Mm, I think so too. Some wise people have said the same thing. Only sin can bring punishment; these things can’t have happened for no reason… Huh, maybe this is God punishing us. The exorcists’ methods are basically useless against them!” Yu Nai agreed with Juxi’s theory.

But…

“I just don’t know. We specialize in studying where these things come from. For us Tiandao masters, it’s enough to know that powerful obsessions can cause this kind of thing, and how to fight these beings—creatures caught between yin and yang.”

“Kill them? Good heavens, that’s hundreds of thousands of lives…”

“Usually, yes. Most of the time, people pay us to do exactly that. Very few want to break the curse. Generally, they just want to protect themselves. And if the monsters have killed people, then there’s revenge to consider, too.”

Juxi stood and paced around the room, stopping in front of the sword and gun leaning against the wall.

Only then did Yu Nai notice that Juxi was carrying a sword, too. It looked like it was made of iron, but she couldn’t figure out why he wore that particular sword.

“Are you going to use this sword?” Yu Nai asked, her gaze fixed on it.

“No. This one’s for dealing with people.”

“Uh… all right. Forget I asked. But I heard about it, Juxi. Would you let me come with you on this hunt?”

“No way.”

Juxi turned around, his eyes glinting.

“Juxi, you know I’ve never seen that person—not whoever they are, not when they were born… I mean, I’ve always been afraid. I hope you’ll let me come along. I have the right to resolve this problem myself!”

“I’ll say it again: no. This is a matter of life and death! If I get distracted, I’d rather… No means no!!!”

With that, Juxi turned and headed for the door.

For a moment, Juxi thought Yu Nai would leave without saying a word, without even a wave goodbye. But Yu Nai stopped and looked him in the eye.

“You make people feel they can trust you,” Yu Nai said softly. “Even though I know you’re a rogue—the others told me what happened at the inn. I’m sure you knocked those thugs out like a delinquent just to get everyone’s attention, including mine. I know you could’ve beaten them easily… No, I suppose I’ll never know. Whether you’re going to save our people or kill them, I agree. I have to agree, because… this is my duty. Do you know why?”

Juxi watched Yu Nai in silence and didn’t answer.

“Because,” Yu Nai said, “being the queen of a country is truly painful. I hope I can take the suffering of sex upon myself. That’s what I want.”

Juxi gazed deeply at Yu Nai. He didn’t show his agreement, didn’t nod, didn’t even move—but Yu Nai understood his answer.

Juxi looked out the second-floor window one last time. Dusk was rapidly settling over the land, and the lights of Harilan flickered dimly across the lake.

The area around them was desolate and deserted.

For three years, the residents had kept far away from this dangerous place. All that remained were a few ruins, crumbling pillars and beams, and broken fences—nothing worth tearing down or carrying away.

At the far end of the city stood the king’s new palace. Beneath the sky, which was gradually turning deep blue, the castle’s round towers formed a dark silhouette.

Juxi returned to the dusty table. Like many of the castle’s rooms that had been looted, this one was bare.

He exhaled, settled himself, and began making careful preparations.

As far as he knew, they still had plenty of time. The mutants wouldn’t leave the dark zone before midnight.

“Whew. Looks like the old castle hasn’t been breached yet—or it was only breached recently. There might still be survivors inside.”

“Hey, Brother Juxi, since when can you predict the future? And how do you know it hasn’t been breached?”

“It’s simple. If we can still see lights, then someone in the castle is keeping something lit. Maybe a brazier or something like that. That means it might not have fallen yet.”

As he spoke, Juxi lifted his hand from the dusty table… Clang—!

A small box with gold trim fell to the floor in front of him.

As Juxi bent to pick it up, a huge chest under the table caught his eye.

Outside

“That doesn’t look like something you’d use to store junk…” Juxi glanced toward the room full of odds and ends, then drew the sword at his waist without another word and hacked the chest open in a few quick strokes!

Juxi opened the box, puzzled. Inside were several small compartments lined with gorgeous white silk, with a few dark glass bottles resting on top.

After looking them over several times, Juxi took out three.

He picked up a long object wrapped in sheepskin and tied with leather cord. When he unwrapped it, he found a sword. Its hilt was beautifully decorated, and rows of letters and symbols covered its gleaming black scabbard.

He drew the sword. Its blade shone like a mirror; it was forged from dark iron.

Juxi murmured an incantation and drank from two small bottles. After each sip, he placed his left hand on the sword’s hilt.

Then he wrapped himself tightly in a black coat and sat down on the floor.

There wasn’t a single chair in the room. The same was true throughout the entire town.

He sat with his eyes closed, completely motionless.

At first, his breathing was steady. Gradually, it grew faster, harsher, and more strained—then stopped altogether.

The potion that let him completely control every organ in his body was made mainly from green herbs. The other ingredients had no names in human language.

To anyone who hadn’t been drinking it since childhood like a Tiandao master, this potion was deadly poison.

Just then, Juxi whipped around.

His hearing was in disarray now. Anyone could hear the human footsteps in the silence, the rustling as someone crossed the courtyard.

That couldn’t have been left by a Tiandao master… Absolutely impossible!!!

Juxi kept telling himself that, but the effects of the potion told him otherwise…

It was getting late, but scattered mutants still wandered outside the window. Going out now wouldn’t be a wise choice.

Then he slung the sword across his back, hid the remaining supplies from the bundle inside a disused furnace, and silently slipped down to the first floor like a bat.

It wasn’t too dark in the courtyard yet; he could still make out the vines around the walls. But the sight of those things filled him with such fear and disgust that his mouth twisted on its own.

Juxi gave an ironic smile—he knew what he looked like.

After drinking the potion that heightened his senses, his face was as pale as chalk. His pupils covered his entire irises, and his catlike gaze swept across the plain.

The potion let him see clearly in the darkest hours of the night, but that wasn’t even what he wanted it for.

Juxi pulled open the curtains in front of a first-floor window and quickly regained his composure.

“You look just like a corpse, Juxi.” Yu Nai came over, worried. “I mean… is this potion really safe?”

Juxi didn’t answer. He was still weak—the side effect of the potion that heightened his senses, which left his limbs limp and powerless.

“Didn’t you hear me, Juxi? You’re saved, and there’s a whole lot of money waiting for you to take it!” Yu Nai shook the large bag in his hand, trying to toss it down by Juxi’s feet.

“Take your gold. Now you need to wake up!”

Juxi remained silent, ignoring the gold Yu Nai was offering him. Instead, he raised the little box where he’d found the potion and held it up before his eyes.