As Yan Budu's body fell, the soft fish demon eye on the jade pipe sank into the grass, and his inner realm plunged into darkness.

Then the darkness shattered, and the two of them fell into emptiness.

The small formation stopped working, and the desolate tomb on the hillside disappeared. The scenery in front of them changed from the Zongwu Mountain to the Huilian Mountain, with only rolling clouds and mist below, and a bottomless abyss.

The Heart Demon were back in place, the human head lamp on his head lit up, and the white thorns reappeared.

The transparent stone platform was shaking and about to collapse. Yin Ci borrowed the last bit of strength he had left and rolled back to the edge of the cliff, holding onto Shi Jingzhi. Shi Jingzhi was still staring blankly at the void, as if desperately trying to remember something.

This time, when the two of them landed, Yin Ci didn't use Shi Jingzhi as a cushion. He deliberately turned his body to the side and fell onto the stone surface on his back, his head ringing loudly.

During their time on the Zongwu Mountain, Yan Budu left behind countless crucial clues.

For example, he really did hide the Shi Rou; for example, even with countless maps, they still needed a "key"; and for example, Yan Budu really had contact with immortals - that person was at least a rare talent amongst his generation, and wouldn't mistake mortals who had drunk immortal wine for immortals.

But at this moment, Yin Ci couldn't delve into those clues.

The spider mole on Yan Budu's chest was the size of a copper coin, with a dark green color, exactly the same as Shi Jingzhi's.

Both of them were stunningly talented, paranoid and desirous, and were born with a rare and identical strange disease that was rarely seen in the world. Could this be a coincidence?

And Yin Ci had also seen Yan Budu's appearance when he had 'fixed his desire'.

More than 20 years ago, at the Ku Mountain's Gathering Valley, his little mute was dying, with black and blue blood vessels all over his body, black blood coming out of his mouth and nose, and a high fever that wouldn't subside. Even a light touch would make him scream in agony.

[I had a high fever once when I was a child, and this thing appeared afterwards.]

...Could all of this be just a coincidence?

Impossible.

Yin Ci lay on the edge of the cliff, not immediately getting up or allowing Shi Jingzhi to get up either. He wrapped one arm around Shi Jingzhi's waist, firmly holding him close.

Shi Jingzhi stared blankly at Yin Ci, still in a daze.

The shadow hands waved, futilely grasping at the white thorns. The thorns were sharp and painful, piercing Yin Ci's external body from all directions, but Yin Ci had no intention of letting go.

The two spent a month together in the inner realm, but only a few sticks of incense worth of time had passed outside. The sun had not moved much, the sky was clear, the breeze was cold, and everything was as it had been before.

Yin Ci looked at Kongshi's passing and Yan Budu's suicide with cold eyes. Having witnessed all the phenomena in the world, Yin Ci thought he had grown accustomed to being detached from worldly affairs. But now, his past has caught up with him, and he felt a lump in his throat, unable to express his thoughts.

It turned out that his "heart" had not yet rotted away completely.

Yes, he had once thought that if his little mute had survived, he would be this big by now. Who could have imagined that his casual thought would become a reality at this moment - with this strange illness as the fated thread, he seemed to have caught the ghost of twenty-four years ago.

However, there were still a few doubts. The little mute had seen his face before, but Shi Jingzhi couldn't recognize himself. He had witnessed little mute being eaten alive, yet Shi Jingzhi stood there unscathed. Yin Ci questioned himself, knowing he wouldn't be easily fooled, and Shi Jingzhi's mysterious background and broken humanity suggested that someone was intentionally pulling strings behind it all.

What exactly did Yan Budu mean when he had "fixed his desire"? Whose shadow was behind this "strange illness"?

Yin Ci closed his eyes and when he spoke again, his tone returned to its usual style. He confirmed the last doubt, enunciating word by word - "You said you had a high fever at the age of three, and then this strange mole appeared. How much do you remember about the fever?"

Shi Jingzhi frowned, "Not much, I even forgot what happened before the fever. I only know about the fever itself from what others told me."

Without needing any prompting from Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi continued speaking.

"Looking at it now, the symptoms are quite similar to Yan Budu's... but I've never heard of 'fixing the desire'. He definitely knows more about this illness than I do."

Unfortunately, Yan Budu had long been buried in the mountains, and his bones probably couldn't even be found now.

Shi Jingzhi had already thought of this, and although he was excited about the new lead, he remained calm and didn't become overly ecstatic.

"Ah Ci, we're in the clear now, you can let go of me." Shi Jingzhi patted Yin Ci's arm.

But Yin Ci didn't release his grip.

It didn't matter that the lead on Yan Budu had gone cold, and it didn't matter that Shi Jingzhi couldn't remember his past.

This person was right beside him after all, he would have a way to uncover the truth of the past. Yin Ci grabbed Shi Jingzhi's head with one hand, his fingers deeply embedded in the black hair, and pressed the other into his embrace.

He lay there between heaven and earth, gazing up at the sky.

The little mute boy was not just a way to pass the time for him. That child was more like a nail, keeping his last bit of soul tethered to the world. Although Yin Ci did not believe that "living like this" was a fortunate thing, it was still much better than being deeply immersed in madness and killing.

He had once made an unfulfilled promise to the little mute, and now he had a chance to make it right.

The world was chaotic and confusing, but in the midst of it all, he once again touched upon a corner of destiny. His heart, which had been silent for many years, contracted again, causing a dull pain.

Years ago, the child was innocent and could not have had any intention of playing tricks on him. So no matter who was behind this, whoever dared to use deceitful means to snatch someone from him would surely pay the price.

If it were a mortal, killing them would suffice. If it were an immortal, he would make sure they fell back to the mortal world.

As he was being pressed into Yin Ci's arms, Shi Jingzhi finally realized that something was off about Yin Ci. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about Shizun's illness," Yin Ci replied, still gazing at the sky.

"We can talk about that later. If you're tired, rest here for a while. I need to go check on Su Si and Yan Qing... Ah Ci?"

"Mm," Yin Ci didn't let go of the embrace, "with the two of us working together and having clues in our hands, we will definitely be able to solve this strange illness."

With that, Yin Ci lowered his head and lightly brushed his lips against Shi Jingzhi's forehead. His gaze pierced through the person in front of him, looking at the figure from twenty years ago.

[Little mute, since you cannot express your wishes, I will grant you a life free of worries and a long life of a hundred years.]

Yin Ci curved his lips.

Just as Shi Jingzhi had asked in the inner realm, he was indeed capable of becoming one of those immortals who escort people on their final journeys.

"...Shi Jingzhi, I will give you a life free of worries and a long life of a hundred years."

Even if he had to fight against fate once again, he not only wanted him to live a few more years, but he also wanted him to die peacefully in his old age.

Shi Jingzhi gasped a cold breath of air and pressed his forehead.

Upon hearing those words, his mind was filled with falling red leaves and piercing pain. It seemed like something was trying to break out of his mind, but he couldn't find a way to release it, causing his head to throb.

So he could only grit his teeth and bear it, "Good disciple, there's no need for a long life of a hundred years, ninety-nine is enough."

Yin Ci's gaze was complex as he smiled and let go of him, "That works too."

An hour and a half had passed.

The master and disciple boiled snow, the one with medical skills tended to the injured, and finally managed to awaken the two servants who were knocked out.

Yan Qing and Su Si's Heart Demons had not disappeared, but at least they had returned to normal. However, their wounds were real and the situation of Ku Mountain Sect was poor.

Su Si continued to touch his wounds and groan, while Yan Qing, upon waking up and seeing the pale thorns on the ground, thought he was still dreaming. He closed his eyes and turned over to continue sleeping.

When he saw the pair of ghost eyes, Shi Jingzhi's emotions were a little complicated.

After a while, Shi Jingzhi cleared his throat and spoke with a stern tone, "...Yan Qing, if you don't get up now, I'll deduct your monthly allowance."

Yan Qing immediately sat up in shock despite his injuries, his back straighter than Shi Jingzhi's flagpole.

As soon as both of them were awake, Shi Jingzhi put his hands behind his back and started acting like a big bad wolf again: "Ah Ci and I have already defeated Anger and Ignorance, so you don't need to worry anymore. But the Buddha's Heart Formation is still a problem, so after you all rest up, let's enter the Jianchen Temple early and catch our breath."

Yan Qing nodded honestly. He treated Su Si as usual, as if his heart demon had never existed. Su Si, on the other hand, scratched his head and occasionally glanced at Yan Qing, his face turning red.

In the end, his vigilance defeated the thought of "being on good behaviour": "Sect Leader, what is all this stuff on the ground? Can you explain it to us?"

Shi Jingzhi put on a friendly look and replied without hesitation: "It's the remnants left by Anger and Ignorance."

Yin Ci was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. He was so caught up in thinking about the little mute that he almost forgot about this person's fox fur.

"Great," he couldn't help but think to himself.

Although Shi Jingzhi was broken, he wasn't filled with gloom and negativity, nor did he avoid the world. His vitality was just as strong as before, and he was still able to grasp his hand, still able to hold onto that glimmer of hope.

There was still time to make things right.

As the sun set, the night passed without incident.

The spells buried by Yan Budu had ceased, and aside from their own Heart Demons, there was nothing else to stop the four of them on their journey. The mountain path was long and winding, and Shi Jingzhi took the opportunity to talk about the happenings in the inner realm, to give them a proper explanation of their journey.

The surroundings were calm and peaceful, and all of the sect members were present, which made Sect Leader Shi very pleased. However, he noticed a subtle change in his disciple, Yin Ci, compared to before.

Since leaving the small formation, Shi Jingzhi felt that Yin Ci's gaze towards him was a bit off. The Buddha's Heart Formation had once again taken effect, and although his disciple's Heart Demon were not stirred, his eyes did not darken again.

However, as they walked, Yin Ci naturally caught his wrist, holding it firmly but not too tightly. It seemed that the whole "regaining his sight" was just his own illusion.

But the feeling was comforting, and Shi Jingzhi didn't want to ask about it, letting the other person hold onto him.

Yan Qing, who hadn't experienced the past month's events in the inner realm, was still used to the scene in front of him. He supported Su Si, whose lower half was a snake, and couldn't help but ask, "Since we have a clue, why do we still need to go up the mountain?"

Shi Jingzhi's tone was light and cheerful. "Master Kongshi is a high-ranking monk in Jianchen Temple. Over the years, Jianchen Temple has never given up on searching for his remains. When it comes to the location of Yan Budu's final battle with Master Kongshi, no one knows better than Jianchen Temple."

"Exactly," Yin Ci added proactively, "and there's something that bothers me - Yan Budu took away the sword from Master Kongshi, but didn't bring it back to the tomb. Yan Budu never does anything useless..."

"...there's probably some mystery to that stone sword. Besides, he arranged for the clue to be at the entrance of Jianchen Temple. If we get the clue halfway there and go back, it seems like something is missing," Shi Jingzhi laughed and continued the conversation.

"Since it's Yan Budu, even the slightest clue is worth a try."

Su Si paused at this. He looked at Shi Jingzhi's back, lost in thought.

"Ah Si?" Yan Qing pulled him up the stairs, sensing that something was wrong.

"Just lost in thought," Su Si frowned slightly, "let's go to Jianchen Temple first... don't worry, I won't hide anything from you anymore."

Author's note:

Demon Lord Yin: "I'm blind, but I'm faking it." 
Fox Shi: "Huh?" 
Today's transitional chapter is a bit short, but don't worry, tomorrow's will be a bit longer and more satisfying.