"Be honest with me. What have you been up to lately? You’ve seemed awfully busy."

"Heh… Do I?"

"Don’t dodge the question. Do you really think you can fool the brilliant Lady Xia Bing with that flimsy excuse?"

*Yeah, yeah—you’re Lady Xia Bing, but you’re also my family’s cook. And I’m still your master.*

"Alright, hurry home and bring in the laundry. I’m exhausted~ I’m heading back. See you tomorrow."

After parting ways with Xia Bing, I naturally didn’t go home. Instead, I headed to the spot where Shan Weihao had promised to meet me.

"Master, you’re here! Let me explain—this afternoon, Uncle De delivered two jade lion statues to my house. I didn’t feel anything off, but Mengze said they made her deeply uneasy. That’s why I called you."

Mengze had been resurrected using a Celestial’s feather. Naturally, she’d recoil from anything tainted with evil. Since this "Uncle De" Shan Weihao mentioned kept sending suspicious items, the evidence was now undeniable. This guy had tried multiple times to kill Shan Weihao’s father… maybe even his whole family.

Shan Weihao lived on the ground floor. I could observe the interior through the security bars—or I could activate my Doom Dragon’s golden pupils for a clearer view, though that’d cost me some energy.

I instructed Shan Weihao to take Mengze inside as if nothing were wrong. I wanted to see what tricks those jade lions on the table would pull.

"Weihao! Why are you taking Mengze out so late? Finished your homework?"

Thanks to my Doom Dragon hearing, I caught every word from inside. Hiding in the bushes, I watched every flicker of movement.

"Dad, I just took Mengze for a walk. The doctor said it helps her condition."

*Huh? Did I hear that right? Mengze looked perfectly fine. Since when was she sick?*

"She has amnesia. Walking helps her memories return. Though even if they don’t… I’ve grown fond of this hardworking girl. She can stay here as a maid forever if she wishes."

*Seriously?! You’re using amnesia as an excuse? That trope’s so outdated! No wonder his dad’s clueless while someone’s plotting against him.*

Pitch-black clouds swallowed the last trace of moonlight. This midnight was destined for bloodshed…

*Slap!* "Damn mosquitoes! Are you suicidal? Sucking Doom Dragon blood? One bite’ll overdose you!"

*FUCK. Why am I playing hide-and-seek with mosquitoes at midnight? Can’t these people just go to sleep? If the villain won’t move, am I supposed to guard their door all night?*

Hours passed before the lights finally went out. Only the two jade lions on the table glowed with an unsettling green light. I crept to the security bars to inspect them—only to see them *move*.

"No—mmph!"

"*Shh!* Quiet! Don’t let those things spot us."

That voice… so familiar. And that scent—Xia Bing!

We retreated into the bushes before she finally released her hand from my mouth.

"*Phew!* You nearly suffocated me. What are you doing here?"

Xia Bing immediately flicked my forehead. My skull was too thick to feel it, but her hand turned red. She winced silently—a mix of pain and embarrassment that looked oddly cute.

"You thick-headed idiot! Of course I had to come! You were about to die back there! If I hadn’t stopped you—"

I brushed dirt off my clothes, puzzled. "Those little trinkets? They couldn’t hurt me. Back in my day, I’d swallow a hundred of them in one bite."

"Those aren’t ordinary decorations. They’re tiger-shaped jades carved from cursed stone. Most people can’t tell lions from tigers. Ancient wisdom says: *Lions guard homes; tigers shatter fortune.* Where the Tiger Star’s malice strikes, disaster follows. Those ‘lions’ are actually snarling jade tigers—they’ll ruin the household’s luck *and* kill the owner."

"Then just destroy them."

"It’s not that simple! Shattering cursed jades releases their evil energy. It’ll latch onto whoever breaks them, turning them into a host… until they die a gruesome death."

*This world’s full of things I don’t understand. Even as a Doom Dragon reborn, I’m in no hurry to reunite with my Celestial sister and the Father.*

"So what do we do?"

Xia Bing tugged my sleeve. "We leave. Why risk your life over this? Are these people that important to you?"

"No. Just acquaintances."

"Then why throw your life away? This is their destined trial. If they survive, it’s fortune. If not… well, that’s fate."

I smiled. True—Shan Weihao, Mengze, even his father… we barely knew each other. No reason to die for them. But acquaintances are still friends. And friends don’t abandon friends. Gently, I pried Xia Bing’s hand from my sleeve and tapped twice on the security bars.

The jade tigers had nearly reached Shan Weihao’s father’s door when my knocks drew their attention. Their black eyes locked onto mine for three seconds—then they charged at me like mad beasts. I knew those bars wouldn’t hold them. Grabbing Xia Bing’s hand, I sprinted toward the nearby hill.

*CRASH!!*

Glass shattered behind us. No need to look back—I knew exactly what it was.

"What the hell are you doing?! Why am I running too?!"

"Prefer to stay and wait for them?"

Small as they were—easily gripped in one hand—the jade tigers were relentless. Ten minutes of sprinting, and their pace hadn’t slowed a bit.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Shen Yufeng’s number…