অধ্যায় একশত সাইত্রিশ: কিয়োটো

দuan Tingzhi stood motionless, his hands trembling slightly. He lowered his head, burying his face almost against his own neck. Countless moments spent with Qin Miao flashed through his mind. That day in the orchard at Shiru City, when he had raised his hand to block half of Qin Miao’s face, he had been certain then that Qin Miao and that masked woman were one and the same. Or perhaps his "certainty" had come much earlier than he cared to admit; he had simply refused to believe it for the longest time.

"Why did you admit your identity?" Even if Duan Tingzhi had recognized her in the orchard that day, he had not exposed her as a demon. Why was Qin Miao now bringing trouble upon herself? Wasn’t her goal to seduce him and then use him to kill Lu Weifeng? With such an admission, how could she possibly achieve her objective?

"And why didn't you expose me?" Seeing that he was finally regaining some clarity, Qin Miao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Duan Tingzhi spoke in a deep voice, unable to fathom his own thoughts. He clearly despised demons above all else, yet he simply could not bring himself to harm Qin Miao.

"You—do not follow me anymore. I told you back at the cliff that I owe you two lives, so the first and second times I see you hereafter, I will not engage you in a fierce battle. Today counts as that second time," Duan Tingzhi said.

"Think carefully. Back when the inn caught fire, it was I, your 'little maidservant,' who risked her life to pull you from the flames. I lost one of my lives back then," Qin Miao sneered. "If we are being technical, you owe me three lives. And if we look at it even more strictly, if you and I were to fight today, the one more likely to die would be you. Therefore, your choice not to fight me fiercely is not you repaying my life; it is you incurring yet another debt to me."

Duan Tingzhi was left completely speechless by her retort.

"Your grand ambition is to subjugate demons and protect the common people of the world. Yet now you willingly trap yourself in a dream, immersed in total illusion—what kind of behavior is that? By banishing demons in dreams, does the waking world become one fraction safer?" Qin Miao turned and lightly brushed her sleeve. "I have said all I have to say."

Qin Miao's soul transformed into drifting smoke and suddenly vanished from Duan Tingzhi’s dream world.

Returning to her physical vessel, Qin Miao’s eyes snapped open and she sat straight up.

"Sister Qin, you're back? How did it go? Where is Department Head Duan?" Looking at Duan Tingzhi, who was still fast asleep, Qiu Linlin asked Qin Miao with undeniable anxiety.

"He... should be waking up soon, I suppose," Qin Miao said, a look of sorrow on her face, hoping her words had struck a chord and that Duan Tingzhi would choose to wake up.

Qin Miao walked over to Lu Weifeng and said to him, "I am leaving. The next time we meet, I will fight you fairly and squarely."

Lu Weifeng’s gaze narrowed slightly.

"You know you are no match for me." Lu Weifeng was somewhat surprised; had this nine-tailed cat demon given up on getting Duan Tingzhi to kill him?

Qin Miao naturally knew that unless Lu Weifeng was attacked while completely off guard, it would be extremely difficult to kill him.

"I am tired. Pretending to be a mortal is truly exhausting." Qin Miao lowered her gaze and gently closed her eyes. No one had ever told her that trying to lure someone with affection would ultimately lead to falling into the snare of love. She should never have approached Duan Tingzhi in the first place. She needed to leave him before the situation became completely chaotic.

Qin Miao lifted her feet to walk out of the teahouse.

"Sister Qin," Qiu Linlin called out, stopping her. "Are you leaving us?"

Qin Miao stood beneath the faint light, casting her figure in half-light and half-shadow. "Linlin, you have only recently entered the mortal world and do not yet know the saying, 'There is no banquet in this world that never ends.' In this life, no one can accompany you forever."

It was only after losing her own brothers and sisters that Qin Miao had truly come to understand such a cruel truth. She had once believed that her demon siblings possessed millennia of life and could constantly stay together, traveling the mortal realm. All that beauty, however, had been shattered by Lu Weifeng’s "Lightning Summoning Array."

Afterwards, seeking vengeance for her siblings and dragging a demon body that had lost half its cultivation power, Qin Miao had lurked beside Duan Tingzhi and Qiu Linlin, living with them day and night while experiencing the vicissitudes of the mortal world together.

They had all been present on that day the lightning was summoned; they were all accomplices. Yet amidst their daily companionship, Qin Miao had still grown fond of them. If things continued this way, how could she ever avenge her siblings? How could she face herself?

She didn't know if it was too late now, but when she saw herself become his wife in Duan Tingzhi’s dream, Qin Miao had genuinely panicked. If she didn't leave now, how much deeper would their bonds grow? Would it make her forget her hatred? That would truly be terrifying.

Qin Miao walked out of the Floating Life Teahouse and abruptly vanished into thin air.

Qiu Linlin stared in the direction of Qin Miao's departure, feeling a profound emptiness in her heart.

"Cough, cough." Lying on the ground, Duan Tingzhi slowly awoke from his dream. He propped himself up into a sitting position, his gaze shifting about as if searching for someone.

Lu Weifeng crossed his arms, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, though there was no real joy in his gaze.

"She just left. Too bad you woke up right on 'time,'" Lu Weifeng remarked to Duan Tingzhi.

Zhao Gantang stood to the side, completely bewildered, pondering for a long time without understanding the current situation. Why had Miss Qin suddenly left? As a young woman, was she going to return to Licheng all by herself? That would be far too dangerous. Yet neither Linlin nor Daoist Priest Lu showed the slightest sign of worry.

Duan Tingzhi remained silent, refusing to admit he had been looking for Qin Miao.

The group departed Menghua Town, though not everyone within the town had awakened. Whether dream or waking, let each find their own happiness. That poison known as "escapism" was not something everyone could escape.

Through wind, frost, rain, and snow, the endless bustle of the mortal world rolled on.

Climbing mountains and wading across rivers, the group finally arrived in the capital. Yet when they had set out, they were a bustling crowd, and now upon reaching their destination, only four remained.

Duan Tingzhi walked up to the capital gates, drew the travel pass from his tunic, and handed it to the soldiers stationed outside.

After inspecting the pass, the soldier raised his gaze to stare intently at Duan Tingzhi for a moment before turning away and waving his hand. "Go on in."

Duan Tingzhi felt an inexplicable sense of panic under that unfathomable look. After hesitating several times, he finally stepped timidly into the capital.

Qiu Linlin, Lu Weifeng, and Zhao Gantang followed closely behind. The four of them found an inn to lodge in.

As soon as Lu Weifeng entered his room, he summoned a spirit butterfly. That uncle of his, Liang Jin, was terribly strange; ever since returning to the demon realm, very few messages had come from him. He had thought Liang Jin would return quickly, but now so much time had passed...

They had reached the capital now, which was the crucial period for removing the Emperor Bell from inside Zhao Gantang. Why wasn't he in the least bit anxious? The vague words his uncle had told him back then—that "the seal will naturally be unlocked upon reaching the capital"—gave Lu Weifeng a genuine headache. Why had his uncle acted like some heavenly secret couldn't be divulged and refused to tell him more?

Lu Weifeng released the spirit butterfly to search for Liang Jin.

Meanwhile, within the demon realm, earth-shattering changes had already taken place.