Expired interpretation rights

Rain pattered against the window, its rhythm erratic. The dreamer opened her eyes to the white light. Time seemed to have passed quickly, but the dizziness had lessened considerably after her nap. Cheng Xiangwu cleared her head and turned to see Bai Yunxian leaning against the sofa, eyes closed, resting. She wasn't wearing that suspicious white coat anymore, but her brows were still furrowed.

She opened her eyes when she heard the rustling of fabric.

"...You're awake." Bai Yunxian spoke first, her voice inexplicably tense. "How are you feeling now?"

"It's better than before," Cheng Xiangwu said. "What do you want with me?"

“...I came to see you,” Bai Yunxian said.

"Finished reading?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

"...Are you angry?" Bai Yunxian asked tentatively.

Cheng Xiangwu almost laughed at her question. If someone else had been sitting in that chair as their test subject, they would either be in the hospital or reporting a crime at the police station by now. And this person actually asked her if she was angry.

However, Cheng Xiangwu wasn't really angry right now, so she said, "No."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian frowned and leaned closer, staring at Cheng Xiangwu's face. Seeing the latter shrink back a little, she raised her hand to adjust her glasses and asked again, "What do you want me to do to stop being angry?"

“…I’m really not angry,” Cheng Xiangwu said helplessly, then asked, “Will the thing you just made also work for people who use that kind of wax regularly?”

"You mean Gu Wanqiu?" Bai Yunxian leaned back on the sofa, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, but it has to be done in small amounts and frequently, and with the help of professional assistive devices, otherwise her stress response will be no less than yours."

After saying that, she paused and said, "But given her attitude towards that job, I'm afraid she won't accept waking up from the results just like that."

This matter needs to be considered carefully. Cheng Xiangwu nodded and then asked, "Is there a more portable version?"

“…If it works on common senses, then it can be made into a nebulized form of medication.” Bai Yunxian frowned. “Why are you asking this?”

"If you give me that, I won't be angry." Cheng Xiangwu reached out her hand.

"Tell me what you want to do first." Bai Yunxian ignored the uninvited slap.

At Du Qingyu's request, Cheng Xiangwu did not answer, but stretched out his hand to look at her. The two were locked in a stalemate for a long time, and someone had to give in first.

"...I'm really fed up. I'll trust you this once, just don't cause me any trouble." Bai Yunxian sighed and slapped the hand impatiently. "Fine, I'll give it to you tomorrow, but don't abuse it, or you'll ruin your brain, understand?"

"Okay, thank you, sister. You're the best." Cheng Xiangwu knew when to stop.

Bai Yunxian laughed, "I heard from that guy that you weren't angry, but you're fine."

After saying that, she stood up, stretched her stiff shoulders and neck a few times, and then walked towards the conference room door, clearly having nothing else to do there and preparing to return to the lab. Cheng Xiangwu felt a strange sense of unease realizing that she had only come to check on him to make sure he wasn't angry.

"Are you planning to give that thing to your mother?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

Bai Yunxian paused, leaned against the door, and after a long silence, said in a deep voice, "I will ask for her opinion first."

"What if she doesn't agree?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

"...I will resort to forced treatment." Bai Yunxian sneered, pushed open the door, and left.

After watching him leave, Cheng Xiangwu took out her phone and called Du Liang.

"Sister!" The call was answered immediately. "Have you seen Auntie?"

"I saw her." Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and asked, "Did you see what she looks like now?"

"Hmm?" Du Liang asked, puzzled. "What happened to her?"

“She’s become a child,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Oh..." Du Liang didn't react much, and said calmly, "Auntie seems to have gotten a little shorter, but she doesn't seem to have any health problems. Her complexion has even improved a lot."

“That’s true.” Cheng Xiangwu didn’t expect any special reaction from the other party, so she asked what she wanted to ask, “I heard from my aunt that there used to be a carpenter by Senhu Lake who made a statue that was taken away by the Bai family. Was she the one who repaired your house before?”

"Is it Teacher Yuan?" Du Liang thought for a moment and said, "My aunt said she used to often sit by our back door drinking tea and teaching the children by the lake to read. Hmm, I'd like to meet her..."

Hearing her somewhat sullen voice, Cheng Xiangwu said nothing. This person had died before Du Liang was born, and although Du Qingyu was there to relay the story, the information they had heard was ultimately limited.

“When I was little, my mother often told me to learn from Teacher Yuan and what her spirit was. But after she passed away, people stopped talking about what she did, and her house is now empty.” Du Liang said, “Sister, she was very capable. She was not only a carpenter and a teacher, but also the head of the ancestral hall in the lakeside village. She could also treat illnesses, prescribe medicine, and grow flowers. Why would someone like her be forgotten?”

"...Someone will always remember." That was all Cheng Xiangwu could say; she didn't know the answer either.

“That’s right!” Du Liang accepted the answer easily. “She left a lot of things at our house, and I brought some with me. Every time I see them, I think of my teacher, so at least I won’t forget her!”

"Her work?" Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback. "Can I go and see it?"

"Is my sister coming to my room?!" Du Liang exclaimed in surprise, then happily replied, "I'll tidy up the room right now!"

Perhaps taking pets into consideration, the hotel arranged a room for Du Liang in a corner on a middle floor, near the emergency exit. Cheng Xiangwu looked at the "Beware of Pets" sign hanging in front of the door and knocked on it.

The footsteps grew closer, and then the door in front of them was quickly pulled open a crack. Du Liang's head popped out, and she stretched out her foot to hold the crack open, but Alice's head still peeked into the hotel corridor.

"Oh dear." Du Liang bent down and picked up Alice, then smiled at Cheng Xiangwu and said, "Please come in, please come in!"

This scene seemed familiar. Cheng Xiang nodded five times, entered the room, changed her shoes, and went inside.

The standard room at Senhu Grand Hotel is decorated in a retro style. Under the warm light of the dome, the carpet and sofa share an intricate gold carving pattern. The space is not large, but it has been kept quite tidy by the temporary guests. The air is filled with the hotel's unique fragrance mixed with the scent of cats. The exhaust fan is noisy, and cat beds, litter boxes, and cat bowls are placed along the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Alice jumped onto the bed as soon as she landed, stepped on the folded blankets that Du Liang had neatly arranged, crossed her legs and sat up, showing no interest whatsoever in the cat bed by the rain-soaked window.

"Please sit down, please sit down!" Du Liang warmly pushed Cheng Xiangwu toward the office area. Between a single sofa and an office chair, Cheng Xiangwu chose the side by the window. Du Liang took the upside-down mug from the sink, glanced at Cheng Xiangwu, then put it under the coffee machine and filled a cup with hot water.

"You've learned how to use this!" Cheng Xiangwu said flatteringly.

"Hehe!" Du Liang laughed happily, "I saw someone else using it downstairs last time, and that's how I learned it!"

As she spoke, she placed two cups of hot water on the glass table in her office, picked up a wooden round jar from the side, opened the lid, and the refreshing aroma of tea wafted into the air. She took a cup and a spoon, swirled it around, and the aroma of tea, carried by the steam, filled the room.

After putting away the tea canister, Du Liang pushed over his suitcase, spread it out on the ground, and took out a long, carved wooden box.

“I brought these with me!” she said, opening the box, taking out a cloth bag, and casually setting the box aside. Lying in the burlap were five palm-sized stone statues of various colors. Judging by their colors, they were the five cats that had been causing trouble in Senhu City.

Cheng Xiangwu reached out and touched the one that represented Alice. The texture was so smooth it was almost soft, like white jade. "These are the five cats?"

She had no aesthetic sense when it came to stone carvings. She felt that without explanation, it would be difficult to tell that the subject of the carving was a cat. She didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but since the person in question was now being called a master, she, as an outsider, couldn't say anything.

"Teacher Yuan carved a portrait of every cat by Senhu Lake," Du Liang said somewhat embarrassedly. "I couldn't really tell them apart, so I brought the five that looked the most similar. But I think I'm right!"

She pushed all five stone sculptures toward Cheng Xiangwu, and said hesitantly, "Right? Right? They look alike, don't they?"

“Yes.” Cheng Xiangwu looked down and nodded, “I also think it’s those five.”

"Hehe!" Du Liang laughed happily.

Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Back then, were all of Teacher Yuan's works taken away by the Bai family?"

"...Actually, no, I heard a little bit." Du Liang gestured a little bit. "Teacher Yuan lives next to the ancestral hall. Everyone respects her and no one dares to enter or leave her room without permission. Only her students can do so, and anyone else who goes in will be beaten."

"A student, a child from the Senhu Lake?" Cheng Xiang asked.

"Teacher Yuan once said that the relationship between teachers and students is a cooperative one. She teaches the children to recognize characters simply to accumulate her own knowledge, without seeking anything in return. So although everyone calls her 'teacher,' she is not actually their mentor," Du Liang explained eloquently. "The only person she knows who is formally her student is... what was his name again, Dong something..."

“…Dong Yilin.” Cheng Xiangwu remembered this person, “the architect of the Bai family mansion.”

"That's right!" Du Liang slapped his forehead. "The teacher also called the student his most satisfying work, but I've never seen this person before. Did the Bai family also take him away?"

"That should be it." Cheng Xiangwu took a sip of tea. Now it seemed that Chairman Bai had learned the landing steps of the unidentified flying object through Dong Yilin.

"Before Ms. Yuan left, she sent the cat sculptures she made and the books she wrote to our house, and threw the rest into the lake." Du Liang said, propping his head up and looking at the cat sculptures. "When I was a child, I often played with these while listening to my mother tell me about Ms. Yuan's books. Thinking about it this way, even though she is gone, she can still teach us things."

"Her books?" Cheng Xiangwu asked doubtfully, "Medical books?"

“It’s a book about physical exercise.” Du Liang gestured. “You could also call it a medical book. It has a lot of health tips, like how fish must be cooked before eating, and how boiling moss scraped from the lake at night with lake water and then distilling the water can cure hysteria.”

“…I see.” Cheng Xiangwu said. Although the differences between the two sides are great, no one cares about them now. Teaching according to aptitude is no longer possible. The materials are gone, the educators are dead, and the students are nowhere to be found.

"Hmm...it's all knowledge that's no longer applicable." Du Liang sighed, then tilted his head and asked, "But I've always been curious, why is it that the book was clearly written by Teacher Yuan, but it's all signed 'Lake Immortal'?"

"...Do people who read these books know that they were all written by this teacher?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

"Auntie says she doesn't know. They all believe it's knowledge bestowed upon them by the fairy of the lake, and they all believe it without a doubt," Du Liang said, puzzled. "But Mom and the others know it was written by Teacher Yuan, yet they don't explain it. Why is that..."

For Cheng Xiangwu, the answer wasn't hard to guess. Information is only useful if it's accepted. When she needed to ensure that a certain piece of information was accepted by a certain group of people, the easiest way was to give it authority, such as a death notice stamped with an official seal, a teaching book signed with a deity's name, or a birthday greeting message that was spread for no reason.

That's a form of proof that bypasses the empirical stage, allowing even those lacking judgment to believe in the assurance of information. Behind a simple trace lies an entity that can punish the forger—a responsible person. Empirical evidence, on the other hand, is irresponsible. It merely exists, open for observation, but never changes itself—like a corpse.

Some people are content with just having the "right to hold those who commit fraud accountable," but others insist on seeing concrete evidence. Cheng Xiangwu looked at Du Liang's conflicted expression as he propped his head up, and then looked at the statues.

“She’s a bit superstitious because of the person she likes to steal things from,” she said. “If the book was signed by the Fairy of the Lake, she wouldn’t dare take it and burn it.”

“…Oh—” Du Liang suddenly realized, “Sister, you are so smart.”

"...No, no." Cheng Xiangwu said somewhat embarrassedly, when she suddenly felt a tickle at her feet. Alice had quietly snuggled over and started tugging at Du Liang's socks, probably because she was hungry or bored.

"Oh dear," Du Liang said, getting up with a sense of responsibility, "I'll open a can of food for Alice."

She picked up a can of food from the sink, opened it, and poured it into a bowl by the window. Alice stood by and watched as the man walked back and forth serving her. Once the can was empty, she lowered her head and began to eat.

The salmon and quail egg canned food—Cheng Xiangwu recognized the packaging; it was the most expensive one sold in the pet store. This cat had only just arrived in the city and had already developed a taste for high-end consumption before people did.

"Xiao Liang," Cheng Xiangwu said, looking at the people walking around, "have you thought about where you're going and what you're going to do after you leave here?"

"Ah, well..." Du Liang walked back to the table with a bitter face and sat down, placing his hands on his knees. "I've been looking around the neighborhood these past few days, and I've found that all the places hiring part-time workers require proof of my educational background..."

This is something she has absolutely nothing about.

In fact, judging from Du Qingyu's statement, Cheng Xiangwu would open the door for Du Liang if he ever couldn't survive in the city anymore and wanted to go home.

“So I think I’ll go see other places later!” Du Liang said, looking up with a smile.

“…I see.” Cheng Xiangwu smiled, then asked, “Do you have enough money on you?”

"I guess so?" Du Liang tilted his head. "It should be enough for Alice to eat canned food for a long time."

But cat food shouldn't be the only expense, Cheng Xiangwu said. "You also need to consider transportation and accommodation costs. Alice can't be homeless with you."

“…Oh, right.” Du Liang broke out in a cold sweat. “Then, how much would be enough?”

"That's hard to say," Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you planning to sell those statues?"

"...First, do we really have to sell it?" Du Liang was quite reluctant.

“Someone is willing to pay a high price for Teacher Yuan’s things,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Then," Du Liang placed the carved wooden box that had been shoved aside back on the table, and asked nervously in a trader's tone that he had picked up from somewhere, "approximately how much is this worth?"

Cheng Xiangwu had no idea about this. She looked around, then took a trash bag from under the TV cabinet, put the wooden box in, and said, "I'll go ask for you."

Fu Xiao had no complaints about the packaging. She tied her hair back, carefully disinfected the table in the living room, laid out a soft mat, put on gloves, and then carefully took the wooden box out of the black garbage bag and gently placed it on the mat.

Cheng Xiangwu watched her squatting on the ground, examining the box from all angles with a small flashlight and magnifying glass. He couldn't help but sigh at the vast differences in people's aesthetic sense, remembering how Du Liang had used the wooden box as a lining in his suitcase.

"...Indeed, it's genuine." Fu Xiao finally raised his neck, which had almost broken off against the table, and took a deep breath. "The outer layer is in bad condition, but the most important internal structure is intact. I didn't expect someone would still keep something like this..."

Her enthusiasm faltered, and she calmly wrapped the wooden box and lid in velvet, took off her gloves, took out a calculator, typed in a series of numbers, and said, "I can give you this number."

"A check?" Cheng Xiang asked. She didn't know how much it was worth, but the amount was enough for Du Liang to live in any city for a while, as long as she didn't get into strange high-spending habits.

“We can sign now,” Fu Xiao nodded and said with a smile, “The payment will be settled immediately.”

"Okay." Cheng Xiang nodded.

Both sides received what they wanted, and the transaction was successfully completed.

“Judging from the friction marks inside, it must have indeed served as a container,” Fu Xiao said with a smile. “Of course, I won’t force the collector to part with it, but please give my business card to that person, just to make friends.”

"Sure." Cheng Xiang nodded and asked, "Do you know that Dong Yilin?"

“…You already know collectors like this…” Fu Xiao frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed and said, “Engineer Dong spoke with me when she was involved in the restoration project of the Bai Mansion. Do you need her contact information?”

"I have something to ask you," Cheng Xiangwu said. "Where is this person now?"

"I'll ask for you," Fu Xiao nodded.

Later, Cheng Xiangwu took Du Liang to the bank to deposit money. She also helped Du Liang open a mobile banking account and deposited most of the money into a current account. She didn't have much experience in financial management, and as long as she had enough money to spend and wouldn't be scammed, that was fine.

On the way back to the hotel, Du Liang seemed to be struggling with something. It wasn't until the rain stopped outside the steps that she mustered up the courage to look at Cheng Xiangwu, who was carrying an umbrella, and asked, "Sister, can I go to where you are?"

"Go wherever you want," Cheng Xiangwu said, then added, "Be careful not to get scammed."

“…I mean, you know, that…” Du Liang took a deep breath and said, “Could I… go with you—”

“No,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Xiao Liang, you can’t live with me.”

"...Why..." Du Liang asked, still looking up at Cheng Xiangwu, but her voice and emotions were almost falling to the ground.

The rain was still falling just a step away. She was still holding Alice, and if she cried, she would have to wipe her face with Alice's back. Considering Alice's breathing, Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment and said, "Because of my profession, I can't live with anyone."

In her professional experience, once a hitman has a regular life partner, that person's name will soon appear on her mission list, and depending on the situation, the other person's name may also be added.

"...What profession?" Du Liang asked stubbornly. "Why don't I just do that profession too?"

"Du Qingyu might try to kill me," Cheng Xiangwu sighed and asked, "Xiao Liang, don't you have anything you want to do?"

Du Liang pursed his lips and shook his head.

"What do you think of your experience working for that mayor before?" Cheng Xiangwu asked patiently.

"...It seems like I can't do anything right except fighting," Du Liang said softly. "Alice even scratched the mayor's face...thankfully she didn't pursue the matter."

“You’re a great fighter, but that’s not all you can do. You can do a lot of things,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Just like Teacher Yuan.”

"Why can't I do what my sister does?" Du Liang asked.

“…Because I’m a rotten person.” Cheng Xiangwu looked at her, smiled, and said, “And the path I’m on is a dead end. You can come to see me, but you can’t come with me.”

After she finished speaking, she didn't explain any further. She simply patted Du Liang on the shoulder, turned around, opened her umbrella, and walked into the rain.

Dong Yilin wasn't at the Bai residence, but at the building materials market. When Cheng Xiangwu went there, she was leaning against a red awning. The man, around forty years old, had a face with distinct bone structure and was dressed in a plain robe. He certainly looked like a wise and sage-like master, the kind who tells fortunes. He was holding a cell phone and talking to someone.

"Have all the statues been delivered?" Her voice broke through the sound of the rain. "They need to be placed according to the blueprints. I'll go over tomorrow to confirm and tell the staff to be careful."

After chatting about this and that, she put down her phone, crossed her arms, looked at the rain outside the shed, and sighed, seemingly lost in thought.

"What blueprints?" Cheng Xiang asked.

Dong Yilin then realized that there was another person in the shed. Her expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "I can't laugh at such a joke. Who are you?"

"You were the one who placed those stones in the restaurant, telling that person what to do, and even earlier, you were the one who told the Bai family how to use the whale carcass in the lake," Cheng Xiangwu said, looking at the rain outside the window. "You're not a member of the union, so why did you do these things?"

Dong Yilin stared at Cheng Xiangwu's profile, her expression growing increasingly grim with each word she heard. Finally, as the last word fell, she gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and raised her hand, saying, "I—"

Cheng Xiangwu didn't turn his head. He raised the hand that wasn't holding the umbrella, pressed the gun against her forehead, and said, "Take both hands out."

What can the threatened person do? At such close range, anyone can clearly see that it's a gun and understand what it means.

"...Have you considered the consequences of doing this?" Dong Yilin said through gritted teeth. "If you could say those things, you should understand how much I mean to Bai Langtao. If you stop now, I can pretend nothing happened..."

"Why did you do that?" Cheng Xiangwu asked. "You were the one who approached them in the first place. Was it just for profit?"

Dong Yilin's breath hitched, then he snapped angrily, "You think I had a choice?!"

Her anger was made even more vivid by the red tarpaulin, but Cheng Xiangwu didn't understand what it meant that she had no other choice.

"Could she really hold a gun to your head and force you to betray your master like I did?" she asked. "You've seen what happened to those partners. How can you think that joining Bai Bai would be a better idea than joining your master?"

"...Hmph, how could outsiders understand?" Dong Yilin sneered, looking at the rain. "You know quite a bit, but that's all. I advise you not to interfere with the cause and effect, lest you get involved in trouble."

"Do you really know what she's trying to do?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

“…She has her own destiny.” Dong Yilin said solemnly, “In any case, everything is destined. Outsiders have no right to question her choices, nor can they affect the outcome.”

This was quite a mystery. Cheng Xiangwu turned her head and asked, "You really don't recognize me?" She was quite confident in the local recognition of her face.

"...Why must I—" Dong Yilin frowned, squinted at Cheng Xiang's five-pointed face, and after a long while, she fell silent.

“It seems you’re getting used to it now,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Now tell me, what was your purpose in doing all that?”

"...Your coming here is also part of fate." Dong Yilin murmured to himself, paused for a moment, and then said, "I have nothing to hide on this point. Bai Langtao and I are in a business relationship. Her purpose has nothing to do with me."

She was silent for a moment, then spoke again with a chilling fear in her voice, "Besides, I can't shoulder that knowledge and those responsibilities alone."

“…What do you mean?” Cheng Xiang asked five times.

“There weren’t many children in my hometown. When Yuan Xiang saw that I was intelligent, she took me in as a student, but she didn’t explain the price,” Dong Yilin said. “I learned whatever she taught me. There was a shrine in the village by Senhu Lake that enshrined the Immortal of the Lake, but there was no statue of the deity. All prayers, big or small, were listened to, responded to, and helped by the host.”

She looked at Cheng Xiangwu and suddenly laughed, "There's no such thing as a fairy in the lake, it's her, she wants to be a fairy in the lake, hahaha—"

Cheng Xiangwu watched as the immortal disciple suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard it almost looked like she was vomiting.

"Prime Minister Yuan, Prime Minister Yuan," she murmured. "I've never seen anyone like you before. No one is smarter than you, and no one is dumber than you. You've learned so much, but in the end, it's all benefited others."

"...Then why is she making stone statues?" Cheng Xiangwu asked, puzzled.

"When you see those Du family members, don't you feel that they are somewhat obsessed with Senhu Lake?" Dong Yilin said to himself. "Yuan Xiang is the same. Most of the words in her books come from dreams. The more she writes, the more dreamy she becomes, and the deeper her dreams are, the more she writes. Later, she couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality. Do you understand? She went mad. Anyone who learns what she learns will go mad. Her teacher was also a madman who wanted to become an immortal. They shared the pen name 'Immortal in the Lake,' as if they were having the same dream."

She paused for a long time, as if recalling something, and then continued, "Then, one day, I dreamed about it too. A grand dream, a bloated forest lake, endless echoes, and a deep, pungent smell. I didn't want to become the next her. I didn't want to drown myself, so I boarded the Bai family's boat. What's wrong with wanting to live?"

A low, hoarse voice, mixed with the sound of rain, crashed into my ears, echoing hollowly.

Dong Yilin crossed his arms, raised one hand to cover his face, stared at the rain with a distorted expression, and said in a trembling voice, "Do you know what she was doing for the six months she was making that stone statue?"

"Make stone statues?" Cheng Xiangwu had no idea.

"...Hmph." Dong Yilin sneered, her gaze passing through her fingers and landing on Cheng Xiangwu's face. "I made that whale statue, but it was only because it was named after her that all those rumors started."

"And what about her? What did she do?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

“She locked herself in her room, carving a wooden statue day and night. For the past six months, every time I saw her, she was more exhausted than the last time. In the end, she was practically a walking corpse, so I forced her into the room.” Dong Yilin paused, took a deep breath, and continued in a trembling voice, “I saw a headless seated statue, and half-carved heads scattered all over the floor. They were similar in appearance, but each had a different expression. They were her own faces.”

Cheng Xiangwu remained silent.

"...She said she saw it." Dong Yilin suddenly calmed down and murmured to himself, "She said she saw the Fairy in the Lake, but how could she admit it, my master..."

She sighed deeply, then put on her masterly airs again, and looked at Cheng Xiangwu, saying, "Did you see that coffin?"

“That really is a coffin,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

“If that’s not the case, then we should try our best to avoid such an image to prevent attracting trouble,” Dong Yilin muttered. “A coffin can only hold a corpse. Chairman Bai ordered me to set up a grand formation at the banquet to help the corpse ascend to immortality. But that formation never worked in the village ancestral hall; it only drove people mad, or rather, she’s already gone mad. Over fifty years old, she does nothing but crazy things, and her children are even worse…”

Before he could finish speaking, Dong Yilin frowned and pursed his lips.

"...Her child?" Cheng Xiangwu pressed, "Which one? What happened?"

“…The one born thirty years ago,” Dong Yilin said. “When the chairman had hysterical episodes, she would often ask me what would have happened thirty years ago. I would repeat, ‘Your sister Bai Guanhai would have died in a mining accident, and your second child would have been born.’ Only such words could calm her down. But sometimes she would press me, ‘Whose child? Bai Guanhai’s child? Bai Langtao’s child?’ I would answer, ‘Bai Langtao’s child,’ and then she would vehemently deny it, saying that Bai Langtao would only have one child. I would ask her, ‘Then who is Bai Yunxian?’ In her madness, she would answer, ‘Bai Yunxian shouldn’t exist.’ When she was exhausted, she would close her eyes and not answer.”

Cheng Xiangwu listened to these words and couldn't say anything. Dong Yilin looked at her with a calm but complicated gaze, his tone of voice without any fluctuation, as if he had already repeated it hundreds of times.

“It was my idea to send her to your family back then. She’s a smart child. If we don’t keep her away, she’ll eventually find out something.” Dong Yilin sighed. “My original intention was to give her a goal, so that she would have a place to go and someone to talk to her mother about. But she is intelligent and has her own destiny. She shouldn’t have come back. I shouldn’t have looked at her destiny back then.”

The red shed reflected the light, blocking out the dim sky beyond the wet and dry lines. Occasionally, a transport vehicle would wade through the puddles along the path in front of the shed, its bumpy sounds mingling with the rain, unable to break the silence that had broken the conversation between the two. The long-outdated words inside were also shut out by the heavy rain, unable to disturb the gradual progress of time.

“I’ve seen her.” Cheng Xiangwu put away his gun. “She told me about her past, and although she hid some things, she didn’t seem like a madwoman.”

“…The lost soul is prone to sleepwalking,” Dong Yilin said. “In the dream-preserving array I set up for her, she dreamt of events from thirty years ago. Inside the array, she was actually lucid, aware of what she was doing and what she was saying. What she saw was different from what you and I saw. She knew this, yet she still couldn’t break free from the miasma.”

So the stone monkey might actually be her friend. Cheng Xiangwu was stunned. That guy almost gave her his friend. He must be crazy.

"What exactly is this formation?" she asked.

"The secret techniques passed down through our sect can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words," Dong Yilin maintained a mysterious attitude.

At this moment, Cheng Xiangwu remembered the good thing about Ariyenor; at least she could get an explanation she could understand after asking this person. But now, she had heard too many stories and learned too many explanations based on motives, so she didn't care about this one more time.

She stopped talking about that and asked, "Didn't you think about what would happen if that person got into trouble? Where would you go to pretend to be a master after you lost your boss?"

"...I certainly possess genuine talent and ability to stand firm," Dong Yilin said proudly. "Besides, how could the Bai family, a behemoth, possibly collapse overnight?"

"Real talent and skills?" Cheng Xiangwu asked doubtfully. "As an architect? Or a fortune teller?"

"I also work as a stonemason," Dong Yilin said proudly. "Unlike Yuan Xiang, who left nothing behind after a fire thirty years ago, I have many works to my name."

Recalling Fu Xiao's evaluation, Cheng Xiangwu had no idea what this person was so proud of. She paused for a moment and then said, "Your master didn't leave nothing behind. Before she left, she sent some books and stone carvings to the Du family."

“She will naturally try to preserve those merits,” Dong Yilin said with a smile, then asked, “What stone carving? She only knows how to carve wood.”

“Anyway, there is one,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “It’s a statue for the cat sculpted by Senhu Lake.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Yilin fell silent, and Cheng Xiangwu ignored him, opening her umbrella and preparing to leave.

"I'm sorry about your mother's situation," Dong Yilin said from inside the shed. "If Bai Langtao's obsession contributed to that fire, then I was also one of those who added fuel to the fire."

Upon hearing this, Chengxiang turned around five times. The rain curtain acted as a veil, protecting their secret, and neither of them could see the other's face clearly.

"There is a cause for every effect, and the order is irreversible." The syllables coming from inside the awning were rhythmic and measured. "Regardless of whether the formation works or not, the person who lights the lamp will have their soul taken away for the purpose of summoning spirits. If you follow in the footsteps of Prime Minister Yuan and your mother, then even if I cut my guts, I cannot repay them. Bai Langtao has her own destiny, and she is destined to suffer a calamity. I have already done my best to fix her soul. You don't need to look at her fate."

These words were really hard to understand, but Cheng Xiangwu didn't think too much about it and said, "Then you have a lot of people to apologize to." With that, she turned and left.

When Cheng Xiangwu returned to the apartment, it was already too dark to be any longer. As she was packing her gear, she heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. The caller was F.

"Five Spices," Ariel's voice rang out against the noisy background of the restaurant, "Where are you now?"

"What happened at home?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"...Miss Baiyunxian stated your needs, but not your reasons," Arienor asked. "Why?"

How could Cheng Xiangwu tell her this? She deliberately avoided the hotel to avoid the other party. Although she was quite confident in her ability to not think about anything, who can completely control their thoughts?

Arienne seemed to be annoyed by this silence, and she asked again, "What are you silent about?"

“…Just take it as me being angry,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

“You think this will convince me?” Arienoel sneered.

Of course not, but Cheng Xiangwu couldn't even say something like "someone needs me to keep it a secret." She felt that Ariyenor was too smart and could hear the unspoken meanings in words, so she might guess something unfounded.

"...Someone needs you to keep a secret from me?" Arienor asked in a low voice. "Who is it?"

Even over the phone, Cheng Xiangwu had already guessed what was going on. What else could she do? She thought for a moment and said dryly, "I'm really angry. You've gone too far. Xiaobai came to apologize to me, so I forgave her, but not only did you not apologize, you also didn't believe what I said. You said you wanted me to accompany you, and I did. Now don't come looking for me anymore, that's it."

She hung up before the other person could react. She stared at her phone screen for a long time, and seeing no further calls, continued packing her gear. Estimating it was past lunchtime, she was just about to leave when the door opened by itself. A figure, still dripping wet, stood in the doorway. Ariel, without her trench coat, was holding the doorknob and smiling at her.

"Are you going out now?" Ariyenor squinted at Cheng Xiangwu's head and smiled. "I'll go with you."

“…I’m going to act alone.” Cheng Xiangwu looked down at her feet and changed her shoes.

Upon hearing this, Ariyenor's smile vanished. She stared at Cheng Xiangwu silently for a long time without saying a word, blocking the doorway like a debt collector. Cheng Xiangwu tried to pass by with her umbrella, but her arm was grabbed.

“Tell me who it is, and I’ll take care of it,” she said coldly. “There are no secrets on this planet that I can’t hear.”

“It’s because I don’t want you to hear it.” Cheng Xiangwu pulled her arm away and said, “Don’t worry about it. I will handle all my actions by myself from now on. If you need anything, go find someone else.”

"...What are you talking about?!" Arienor said incredulously. "Who told you to say that? Who told you to think that? You, your actions are all for the purpose of completing the mission. You've come up with a plan?"

Cheng Xiangwu didn't answer, but quickened her pace, walked out of the apartment, closed the door, and headed outside.

"How could you possibly have guessed? Who told you?" Arienoel caught up and asked, "Lin Che'an? Or who did you see this afternoon? Tell me—"

"Don't ask," Cheng Xiangwu said. "I don't want you to know."

“…You have no right to refuse.” Arienne grabbed Cheng Xiangwu’s coat and pulled it back, clearly displeased. “Stop right there!”

Cheng Xiangwu stopped. She thought of something, turned around, and held out her hand, saying, "Give me back my house key."

Staring at the palm, Ariel froze on the spot, her expression changing several times before finally settling on anger.

"...Why?!" she roared. "Why are you so wary of me because of a secret? What if it's something I already knew? How dare you say such things to me based on such a vague possibility?!"

"Then I'll have to sleep in a hotel tonight," Cheng Xiangwu sighed, turned around and continued downstairs. Ariyenor remained silent for a long time before following him.

“…Stop following me.” Cheng Xiangwu said helplessly, “Do you really have to know this? If you already knew, wouldn’t it be better? Don’t come here looking for verification.”

Ariyenor followed behind without saying a word, but Cheng Xiangwu could guess that she was staring at his head without even turning around.

It was raining outside. Cheng Xiangwu hailed a car and waited outside with her umbrella. When she looked back, she saw the shadow with two blue lights standing silently in the dark rain, not even bothering to take a few steps back to avoid it. Some people don't look out of place standing in the rain, like her. Her melancholy appearance seemed to be in sync with the summer rain, but getting soaked is never comfortable.

"You really have to listen to my version?" Cheng Xiangwu took two steps back to shield the person from the rain.

“…I need to have the whole story,” Arieno said softly. “Partial understanding is fatal, you should know that.”

“Then I’m in trouble,” Cheng Xiangwu said, seeing car lights flashing in the distance.

"Then what do you want to do?" Arienne asked. "Will you continue to hide from me like this, living in fear and afraid to see me?"

These words made her sound like some kind of ghost that would die if touched, and Cheng Xiangwu laughed.

“…I will not back down,” Arieno said.

"No need." Cheng Xiangwu waved her hand. "I should be able to forget about this soon after it's over."

The car stopped in front of the apartment building. Cheng Xiangwu handed the umbrella to Ariyenor, who was silent for a moment before accepting it.

"So, everything you said on the phone was fake, right?" Her voice came from under the dark umbrella, muffled and indistinct amidst the sound of rain.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiangwu turned around and looked at the umbrella that was pulled down low in surprise. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Just take it as me being angry."

After saying that, she turned around and jogged to the car.