Xinxin crouched with him behind one of the large, thick trunks of a mighty tree. When Liu Yan looked up at it, he recognized a dozen such flowers in which human skulls bloomed.
Xinxin pressed herself against the bark and breathed shallowly. The nausea in Liu Yan increased, and the whistling sound and alternating chills and fever were joined by dizziness and vertigo, so that everything spun around him. He had trouble staying crouched and kept tipping over. His vision blurred and the air smelled strangely foul.
"You're sensitive to the concentrated, corrupted miasma," Xinxin whispered, tying a cloth over his nose and mouth. That alleviated the smell, but not his symptoms.
"No wonder, you're absorbing bad karma, and the power of a demon consists of pure, corrupted qi," she murmured softly.
The whispering and laughter grew louder. It was getting closer and closer. Liu Yan almost lost consciousness. Again and again, he drifted off and his eyes rolled upward. It got worse the closer the voice came.
"Oh dear, oh dear, who's lost their way here?" sang the voice sweetly, giggling. Xinxin squeezed Liu Yan's hand tightly. He gasped as a black shadow flew over them and a soft clinking sound filled the air.
"I sense hatred, I sense corruption, oh, just tell me, who has lost their way in my forest?" the voice asked again.
Liu Yan and Xinxin watched as the black shadow flew through the branches and landed on one of the huge roots, taking shape.
Tian Liu Yan had never seen anything more beautiful. The demon was female, she was as delicate as a flower, her long, pale legs flashing beneath her flowing robe.
She was barefoot and wore lots of dazzling, glittering jewelry. Her long hair was partly pinned up. She was wearing makeup and her full red lips were curved into a smile. If he hadn't known better, he would probably have revealed himself just to catch a glimpse of her.
But Xinxin pushed him behind her and looked at the demoness with fear and caution.
"Now come out, tell me what's on your mind, and Jingzi will help you," she whispered conspiratorially.
Xinxin reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out the golden hairpin with green gemstones that she had taken from Yi Chang. When the demon wasn't looking, Xinxin threw it as far away as possible.
The demoness pricked up her ears when she heard the jewelry disappear into the bushes. She immediately dissolved into iridescent black smoke and followed the sound. Xinxin crouched in the shadows.
Liu Yan could just make out enough to see the shadow swallow the hairpin. A joyful moan echoed through the forest, sending a shiver down his spine. The demon laughed and the black shadow danced across the ground for a moment.
"I must see, yes, I must see. Who is so depraved, who is this impure maiden?" With these words, the demon disappeared into the sky.
Xinxin breathed a sigh of relief, and the pressure on Liu Yan eased somewhat. They took a deep breath. He looked at Xinxin questioningly.
"A mirror demon. It reflects your desires and your depravity and lets you see whatever you desire most. That's how it lures people into its traps and creates miasma flowers, which it feeds on," Xinxin quickly explained.
"The hairpin once belonged to Zhao Hua's favorite possessions and reflects her greed. The demon is probably on its way to the Zhao estate. We don't have much time," she added, helping him back to his feet.
Liu Yan could only stumble forward. His legs were wobbly and he still felt dizzy.
"Why don't the flowers have any effect on you?" he gasped as they had to rest at the next large tree. Xinxin shook her head.
"I wouldn't say not at all, but not as much as you guys. You suck up the corrupted qi like dry earth sucks up water. That's why you're much more affected." She looked at him and brushed the tangled hair from his face before examining him closely.
"We have to get out of here before the demon comes back," she said urgently.
"It's burning, the Zhao estate is burning!"
Zhao Yuan and Zhao Yuehao looked at each other. No sooner had they passed through the city gate than they saw huge black clouds not far away and bright, blazing flames.
People ran excitedly along the street, throwing buckets of water into the river that once meandered through the city. When the two brothers reached their home, a terrible sight met their eyes.
Thick clouds of smoke had formed above the estate, most of which was ablaze. The fire raged wildly, and most of the employees had gathered in the street. Only a few of the stronger men were helping to extinguish the fire.
"It looks like it's been burning for a while," Yuan remarked, letting go of the reins of a nervously prancing horse. A layer of sweat covered his body and his gaze was fixed on the flames. Yuehao nodded. He took off his gloves and reached for some talismans in his pocket.
"First, we have to make sure it doesn't spread any further," he said.
Yuan agreed. They both took a few of the talismans and held them between their index and ring fingers as they channeled their qi and let it flow from the ground into the magical papers. Then they sent them off.
The talismans pinned themselves in a geometric circle in the air above the estate. Glowing, filigree lines connected, and the fire cowered, hissing, before the power of the two cultists. Yuan left it to his younger brother to take care of the frightened employees and positioned himself between the estate and the nearby river.
He concentrated his qi and let it flow in all directions over the ground and the branching meridians beneath him. The people on the riverbank fled screaming as the water suddenly began to rise.
It reared up like a raging storm surge. A deafening roar sounded and a dragon emerged from the masses of water. Almost the entire river rose into the air in the form of a giant dragon.
It flew over the estate, leaving a trail of thick, dense raindrops in its wake. It flew in a loop over the burning houses and gardens before suddenly collapsing and pouring all the river water over the burning building.
Yuehao watched his brother. He was really good. He wouldn't consider himself weak, but he couldn't create beings from the elements and control them at will.
"Zhao Gongzi," a trembling, plaintive voice sounded behind him. Yuehao turned around. One of the long-time employees had approached him.
His clothes were covered in soot, as was his exposed skin. Tears ran down his face as he knelt before the young master.
"Forgive us, Zhao Gongzi, we are incompetent," he coughed, his voice choked with tears. Yuehao placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
He and his brother had returned so quickly only because they had encountered a star wanderer on the way. He had some trouble keeping clingy spirits away from him. When Yuan and he helped him, he warned them in gratitude that a great misfortune was about to befall their house. They had rushed back as fast as they could. Apparently not fast enough.
"What happened?" he asked the man calmly. Yuan brushed the dust off his clothes and joined them. His gaze was stern. The man swallowed and folded his hands in prayer.
"It's all right, we won't accuse anyone without reason," said Yuehao conciliatorily, knowing full well that his spoiled sisters often caused trouble among the employees.
"We did the work we were assigned. We were taking care of the house when suddenly..." He paused. Yuan and Yuehao waited patiently for the man to compose himself and continue.
"One of the young boys noticed it first thing this morning. There was a fire, and it spread from the backyard to the sleeping quarters," he reported. The two brothers exchanged glances. Everyone knew who lived in the back of the house. "All right, everyone who works for the family, please gather in the main hall, which seems to be undamaged. My brother and I will take a look," Yuan's voice rang out, brooking no argument.
Most nodded and hurried to gather everyone together. The two young men ran across the remains and the charred courtyards. The smell was awful and repulsive.
"Ai!" Yuehao exclaimed. The shed above which Liu Yan's room had been located was completely burned down.
"Look," Yuehao pointed something out to his older brother. Shreds of clothing hung from the branches of some bushes that were still standing.
They followed the trail and soon found the stinking remains of two bodies. Not much was left to see, and the water had washed away most of the traces.
"It looks like several people were here," Yuehao said aloud.
His brother shook his head and measured the footprints with his thumb.
"If so, then they were all weightless. It seems to me that someone wanted to cover their tracks here," he replied.
From the outside, the two made an impressive figure. Tall, muscular, and their dark hair tied up high, just as their sect prescribed. Their white clothes with the silver crane remained almost untouched by dirt and dust. But now soot had stubbornly settled on them.
"Hua Jiejie hasn't been particularly kind to her fiancé lately, that's true, but that would be going too far. You should give our big sister a little more credit," Yuehao said reproachfully.
"I don't think Jiejie is responsible for that either. Not directly, anyway. It's more likely that some overzealous servants went too far and then tried to cover their tracks," replied Yuan.
"And someone else was affected in the process?" added Yuehao. Yuan nodded.
"What do we do now?" asked the younger man.
"If we report it, the emperor will surely be angry and the people will become restless, not to mention how our family will be perceived."
Yuan interrupted him by raising a hand. He stroked his hair back and turned away from the two charred corpses.
"It's a shame we're not able to see the second sphere," he mused. Yuehao agreed with him. The second sphere, the spirit sphere, was a place where time and space flowed differently.
With the right techniques, one was able to see the last moments of the deceased once again. But the sect of the dead-bound order was secretive and rarely offered help.
"First, we'll get an overview of the remaining employees and fix up the rooms that were left undamaged. For the most part, only the desolate backyard and the employees' bedrooms were affected. That can be rebuilt quickly. We'll write a letter to Father and keep everything between ourselves for now. Publicly, we'll say it was a tragic accident," Yuan decided.
Yuehao sighed. His brother was right. First of all, it was important to get things in order. Then they would get to the bottom of it.
"No pushing, no pushing, please," Yuehao admonished the employees who had gathered in the large hall. His brother had taken a seat behind his father's desk.
On one side, an incense stick burned so that he could keep track of time, and on the other, tea was served to him. In front of him, he had spread out brushes, paper, and ink. He nodded when he was ready and beckoned the first person to approach him.
"Name and position!" he asked.
"Lie Bujin, my lord, gardener," replied an elderly gentleman. Yuan made a note and then gave the man a few taels.
"Find somewhere else to stay for a few days. As soon as we have work for you, we will call for you," said Yuan. "Next, name and position!"
"Fu Zhou, my lord. Maid to the second young lady." She too received a few taels and the same instructions, and so it continued.
Yuehao instructed the crowd to move in orderly rows and admired his older brother's composure. He would one day follow in their father's footsteps and become a worthy leader. Of that he was certain.
Li Wangxi would defend the country on the front lines, their sisters would marry the princes, and the Zhao family would secure their position for decades to come.
"Step forward, name and position," Yuan called out as it suddenly grew colder. The servants didn't notice, but Zhao Yuan and Zhao Yuehao immediately noticed the rapid drop in temperature.
To them, it felt as if someone had poured ice water, lighter than air, over them. The world grew slightly darker and black miasma rose like morning fog from the earth.
A laugh rang out, at first soft and distant. But it quickly grew closer. A giggle and a voice that echoed like a thousand shards of glass. A wind picked up, carrying with it the foul smell of rotten qi. The two looked at each other. Even without words, they understood each other.
"A demon!"