[Xie Residence · Boudoir]
Xie Wenyun drew the curtain shut and hurriedly summoned her personal maid.
"A-Hao… last night, did I sneak wine again… and even run out?"
A-Hao froze for a beat, then replied in a small voice, "Miss, you truly weren't in the room. This servant searched twice… The old matrons in the courtyard said they thought they saw you heading to the back garden."
Wenyun's fingers tightened. Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "Then… did anyone see me? Did I do anything… improper?"
A-Hao shook her head blankly. "This servant wouldn't dare speak nonsense. It's just… when Miss returned, you looked very—very drunk."
Wenyun pressed both hands to her forehead and let out a low sigh.
"Ugh… it's all my fault. I love to drink, and my drinking manners are terrible."
A-Hao stood carefully at her side, yet couldn't help muttering, "Miss knows her manners are terrible, does she! Every time you sneak wine, this servant's heart is hanging by a thread—I'm afraid you'll get drunk and run out the door. You don't know… when you're drunk, aside from rambling about your 'heroine dream,' you also… hug people and kiss them at random. I don't even know how many times you've kissed this servant!"
The instant the words fell, Wenyun's face went crimson. She sprang up, eyes wide.
"Y-You… why have you never told me this?!"
A-Hao startled, lowered her head, and hurried to explain. "Miss—because before, you only drank in your room. At most you'd kiss this servant a few times and you wouldn't go outside… I thought I could hide it. But yesterday you truly left the room. This servant searched for ages and couldn't find you. In the end you stumbled back on your own—this servant was terrified…"
Wenyun stood rigid, her heart pounding, only one thought left in her mind—
If she really ran out drunk last night and caused trouble, and the person she ran into wasn't just anyone, but…
She bit her lip, so ashamed she nearly wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor.
As for the fact that she'd grown bold in the moment and tugged Cangyuan close to "lightly bully" him with two kisses—she remembered none of it.
Wenyun sat dazed at the dressing table, clutching her handkerchief, unmoving for a long time. Panic rolled over and over in her chest, burning her ears.
When Cangyuan mentioned her "heroine dream" today, it must have been something she blurted out after meeting him while drunk. And as for what A-Hao said—about hugging people and kissing them…
"No… this is far too humiliating."
She drew in a deep breath, biting her lip, forcing her expression to steady.
"I'll pretend nothing happened. If anyone asks, I'll say I stayed properly in my room last night."
Though her heart was still uneasy, her face slowly returned to its usual poised composure. Yet when she caught sight of her faintly flushed cheeks in the bronze mirror, she couldn't help giving a small huff.
"…How utterly mortifying."
[Xie Residence · Guest Room]
Cangyuan stood by the window, idly turning a teacup in his hand. The tea inside rippled with each motion.
His gaze was faraway as he murmured, "…Xingyu. I wonder how you've been."
A scene surfaced in his mind—how he had once bent down despite himself and placed a kiss he had restrained for far too long. Yet she had stared blankly, then pushed him away, panic and refusal flickering in her eyes—still a needle in his heart even now.
He had always known it: in her heart, he was only a companion, a trusted friend—not someone she loved.
His lips curved, not quite a smile, but full of self-mockery. "She says she keeps me in her heart… but that's devotion, not desire."
His fingers tightened. At last he set the teacup down gently and whispered, "Clear spring water can moisten for a time… but her heart has always run toward farther mountains and rivers."
At the same hour—
One person sat before a mirror, vexed at her own disgrace. Another stood beneath a window, quietly sighing over the past.
Wenyun's mind was in chaos, fearing her secret had been witnessed. Cangyuan's chest was heavy, convinced he would forever remain an onlooker—unable to truly step into Xingyu's heart.
Each carried their own storm, not knowing that their heartbeats had fallen out of rhythm for entirely different reasons.
[Yaonan Hidden Manor · Guest Room]
Ever since Wanluo had spoken the name "Ye Yi," everyone in the hall had exchanged looks in silence. The atmosphere weighed like lead.
Ye Qixiu remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking, his voice low yet carrying a force no one could ignore.
"If we truly wish to return that young man—Ling Shuo—to his own body… there is only one method."
He paused.
"The Soul-Transference Art."
The room went still at once.
Si Moheng's brows tightened. He spoke urgently. "If we know the method, then we find whoever can perform it—no matter the cost."
Ye Qixiu slowly shook his head, eyes deep as night. "The Soul-Transference Art is, by nature, a Black-Obsidian taboo. It was placed on the death-register decades ago. If it still exists in this world…"
His voice sank.
"…I fear only Ye Yi himself can perform it."
Youqing's heart jolted. Her fingers tightened unconsciously, her voice hoarse with urgency. "If that's the case… then even if we find Ye Yi, does it mean no one can save Ling Shuo?"
Firelight swayed. Faces gradually darkened.
Garo clenched his fist, fury burning in his eyes. "Then aren't we completely in his grasp?"
Ye Qixiu let out a long sigh, pain threaded through his words. "That is precisely what makes Ye Yi terrifying. He doesn't merely seize bodies—he seizes the very possibility of a solution. Unless…"
His gaze lowered, heavy.
"Unless we can find another road before he does."
The candles flickered; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Youqing lifted her eyes, expression sharpening. "Then what about Metal Yao's Yao-Transference Technique? If it can steal Yao power, can it not also be used to move a soul?"
Ye Qixiu frowned and immediately shook his head. "No!"
His tone turned hard, decisive. "The Yao-Transference Technique is an art of attack—forcing another's Yao energy away. It is not the same as soul transfer. If you attempt it by force, not only will it fail to return Ling Shuo to his body, it will damage both souls—body and spirit will be extinguished together."
Youqing's lips trembled. Her chest tightened, yet she forced herself to remain steady.
Ye Qixiu continued, voice low and grave. "The Soul-Transference Art requires black obsidian as an anchor, to bind soul to flesh. Obsidian is cold and fiercely rigid; it can bear the shock of soul-force…"
He paused, then added with weight, "But now, only Nether City still has an obsidian vein. If we are to perform the rite, the stone must be taken from there."
Youqing fell silent for a moment before speaking, slowly but clearly. "Obsidian… won't be hard to obtain. Nether City has the mines. If I want it, Father will give it. As for Ye Yi—he has taken Ling Shuo's body. His identity is exposed. Follow the trail, and we will catch him."
Her expression faltered. She lowered her gaze, fingertips digging into the edge of the table.
"Only… this Soul-Transference Art—no one knows how to use it."
The air in the room turned heavy at once.
Si Moheng's gaze sank, cold light flashing in his eyes. "So every lead… still ties back to Ye Yi."
Ye Qixiu shook his head and sighed. "Yes. Obsidian is only the anchor. Without a practitioner who truly understands the art, it is nothing but a cold stone. I can reason out principles… but that is nowhere near enough to perform it."
Garo gave a low, bitter snort, fist clenched. "So even if we catch Ye Yi… we still have to let him lead us by the nose?"
Lianyu's brows knitted tight, voice urgent. "If he refuses to perform it, Ling Shuo's soul will be trapped in Wanluo forever!"
Ye Qixiu's eyes were dark, helplessness on his face. "That is the greatest danger. Capturing Ye Yi does not solve everything. On the contrary—he may use this as a bargaining chip, and turn the board against us."
Youqing's heart tightened, yet she steadied her breath and added, soft but firm, "Then—even if it is a forbidden art—I will find someone who can learn it."
Everyone jolted. All eyes turned to her.
Youqing lifted her gaze, calm and resolute. "If there is no one to use it, then I will learn. If only Ye Yi can perform it, that is the same as letting him control everything. I will not allow that!"
Si Moheng strode forward and barked, "Youqing, have you lost your mind?! Soul-Transference is a Black-Obsidian forbidden art. Touch it even slightly and you invite eternal ruin! I will not allow you to take this road!"
Youqing's wrist was caught in his grip, yet she didn't retreat. She met his eyes head-on, her voice cool but trembling under restraint. "If even I step back, then who will save them? Ling Shuo's soul, Wanluo's body, everything Ye Yi is controlling—do we just watch it happen?"
Si Moheng's eyes churned with anger and pain. His voice dropped, heavy. "I would rather bear ten thousand sins than let you take this risk! Others' lives I can weigh—but you… if anything happens to you, what am I supposed to do?"
Youqing's lips quivered. She bit down hard, eyes burning with stubborn fire. "Moheng—if this truly is the only solution, I would rather be the one to walk it than let Ye Yi pull our strings!"
Their gazes clashed under the flickering firelight like drawn blades. Neither yielded.
—Just as the room teetered on the edge of deadlock—
Garo gave a sudden cold snort, breaking the silence. "What's the point of arguing? Ye Yi won't stop because you're fighting."
His gaze swept over them, dark and urgent. "If the Imperial Daughter truly can learn it, then let her try. Win or lose, it's still better than being dragged around by Ye Yi!"
Lianyu immediately frowned, voice grave. "Nonsense! If the rite goes out of control, it won't just be her—soul and body alike will scatter into nothing!"
Garo snapped back, "And if we try nothing, will the outcome be better? Ye Yi advances precisely because he knows we don't dare move. That's why he can plan step by step!"
Voices overlapped; the room erupted into noise.
Youqing suddenly drew back her gaze, inhaled, and cut through it coldly. "Enough."
She swept the room, her voice clear and unarguable. "Arguing is useless. I have my own measure in this matter. No one needs to decide for me."
Candleflame swayed; her shadow on the wall stood straight—lonely, yet unbending.
Si Moheng stared at her. The fury in his eyes finally pressed down, transforming into deeper pain and unease.
Ye Qixiu watched Youqing, brow furrowed, something complicated flickering through his eyes.
—Soul-Transference. Black-Obsidian taboo. Back then, Ye Yi had been obsessed with it, and in the end fell into demonhood; even the Five Yaos had failed to stop him. If someone stepped onto that road again… the ending might be the same.
But this girl in front of him…
Ye Qixiu's chest sank, and yet another feeling rose quietly within him—
Perhaps Youqing truly was the one who could break this deadlock.
Because she belonged neither to Black-Obsidian nor to Metal alone. She was both Imperial Daughter and Saint Maiden—bearing the Scarlet-Pupil bloodline of the You clan, and the mandate of the Yao Realm. If anyone could carve a path outside the Black-Obsidian forbidden arts…
Perhaps it was her.
His fingers trembled faintly within his sleeve, but he did not speak these thoughts aloud. Only in his heart did he sigh:
Xingyu… what you carry is not only the fate of two realms,
but the future road no one dares to touch.
The candlelight brightened and dimmed. With Youqing's single sentence—"I have my own measure"—the room fell into heavy quiet.
Ye Qixiu stayed silent for a long time before finally lifting his eyes to her.
Something complicated passed through his gaze. His voice was low and steady. "Xingyu… I understand your resolve. But remember—Soul-Transference is not only forbidden. It is an abyss that can devour the practitioner."
He paused, eyes deepening as though looking beyond her, toward a farther future. "Back then, Ye Yi fell into demonhood because of this art—never to return. If someone steps onto this road again… whether to save people or to save the world, you must be prepared to pay the same price."
Around the room, expressions shifted.
But Youqing did not retreat. Her fingers tightened; her gaze stayed firm.
Ye Qixiu looked at her for a long moment. He did not try to stop her again—only sighed silently in his heart.
—If anyone could force a new path through darkness, perhaps it truly was this girl. —But once that road is chosen, there is no turning back.
At last, he spoke with finality. "Fine. If you truly insist on walking this path, Grandfather will prepare everything you need. At the very least…"
His voice softened, just slightly.
"I will not let you walk into the black fog alone."
The heaviness in the room loosened a fraction.
Yet everyone understood—this was not an ending, but the beginning of a greater storm.
[Yaonan Hidden Manor · Side Room · Deep Night]
The night lay still. Outside, the thin rain had just ceased; the sound of droplets falling from leaves was crisp and clear.
When Youqing pushed the door open, the candle inside was still burning.
She had thought her grandfather would already be asleep. Instead, Ye Qixiu sat at the desk. Several tattered volumes lay open before him. Beside them sat an ancient soul altar, its mouth pressed down by a piece of black obsidian—a chilling presence that seemed to bite at the skin.
Youqing's heart jolted. "Grandfather…"
Ye Qixiu lifted his eyes; something flashed across them. At once he gathered the notes on the desk, his voice steady. "It's late. Why are you still awake?"
Youqing stared at the soul altar and the talisman-chains. She already knew the answer, yet still asked softly, "These… are they for me?"
Ye Qixiu fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
He looked at the girl before him. His expression was complicated—worry, and a wordless tenderness.
"Since you insist on walking this road, I cannot stand aside. These broken scrolls can give you some theoretical grounding. This altar and the obsidian are necessities for Soul-Transference. And these soul-guard talismans and spirit chains—if the rite spirals out of control, they may at least keep your soul from scattering."
His voice stayed low, carrying an unarguable resolve. "Xingyu, you may not believe it, but Grandfather doesn't have much time left. If this board must demand someone step into danger, then you will be the one to go. At the very least…"
His gaze softened.
"I will not let you do it alone."
Youqing's fingers trembled. Heat rose to her eyes.
She walked forward slowly and laid her hand over the seals on the desk. Looking up at Ye Qixiu, she spoke in a low, clear voice.
"I'll remember. This isn't my recklessness—it's my responsibility. If no one else can walk this road, then I will be the only one who must."
Candlelight swayed. The worry in Ye Qixiu's eyes finally turned into a deep, weary sigh.
He reached out and pressed a firm hand onto Youqing's shoulder, voice hoarse. "Since you've decided, then let Grandfather lay the road behind you. No matter what, Grandfather will stay with you to the end."
—An old man, at last, poured out his final protection for her.
—A young girl, in her heart, swore an oath from which there could be no return.