The fireworks rose and fell, but it was only for a moment. After the brilliance, the night was still pitch black, and the sky was still gloomy.

There was no mirror outside, and who knew what had gotten into Shi Jingzhi, who was wearing a ridiculous smile on his face. Yin Ci wiped some snow water with his sleeve and began rubbing the blackened face of Shi Jingzhi.

Today was the New Year's Eve after all. His cheap master didn't have any new clothes to wear, but he was lucky to have a charming and ethereal appearance that overshadowed his shabby clothes. Now, if he were to walk into the house with this blackened face, he might be mistaken for a beggar and kicked out.

Taking of someone else seriously as an elder was not a great feeling. In just a few days, Yin Ci's heart had been pounding more times than in the past fifty years.

If it weren't for his immortality, that blow just now would have cost him several years of lifespan.

Yin Ci thought to himself and applied a bit more force to wipe Shi Jingzhi's face into redness. Finally, he managed to make Shi look presentable and the two of them returned indoors.

Little did they know that Shi Jingzhi's love for excitement was far from over.

After everyone had finished eating the dumplings and the noise had died down, Shi Jingzhi sorted out a pile of fireworks and had mysteriously prepared three red envelopes.

"Su Si, from now on, take good care of Lord Bai and don't cause trouble for me," Shi Jingzhi handed over a red envelope and then lightly patted Su Si's head. He had a smile on his face, but his words were not very polite.

Su Si had just swallowed the last dumpling and almost choked on it right then and there.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that he hadn't really been of much use on this journey. The Red Hook Sect's young heir reluctantly accepted the red envelope, opened it, and found only a penny inside.

Su Si: "..."

Although he hadn't been of much use, Sect Leader Shi was also not a generous person at all.

Was he trying to fob off a beggar with this!

"Yan Qing, take this money for now. When I break the prohibition, I will retrieve some of it. If I don't...then take this money and go back to Huilian Mountain with Su Si. The monks shouldn't make things too difficult for you, with this sword."

Yan Qing's eyes welled up with tears at this tone, like leaving his will.

He carefully opened the red envelope and took out two silver bills: one for one silver tael and one for two silver taels.

What happened to the agreed monthly salary and bonus? And he still wants to retrieve some of it?

Yan Qing's gratitude was immediately discounted. He replied with a subtle "oh" and turned around to have another bowl of dumplings.

He suspected that the Ku Mountain Sect had really come to mooch off this place for these past few days. Once they left, they might have to sleep out in the open, unable to afford even the most basic inn.

Finally, Shi Jingzhi walked up to Yin Ci and said, "Ah Ci, this is for you. Take it, after all, I am your master and I should give you what I owe you."

With the tragic cases of Su Si and Yan Qing fresh in his mind, Yin Ci hesitantly took the red envelope.

Judging by the weight, there wasn't a single penny inside. Who knows what kind of trick this fox was playing.

Forget it, he might as well play along with his cheap master.

Yin Ci tore off the red paper with a blank expression. Inside, there was indeed no silver, only a square piece of demon skin.

He raised an eyebrow and flipped the demon skin over. The skin was brown and almost black, with a beautiful line of small characters engraved on it. The strokes were filled with cinnabar, making them very clear.

[The Yi City Lantern Festival. With these words, choose any lantern as you please.]

"Ah Ci, make sure you hold onto it tightly," Shi Jingzhi said sternly. "If you lose it, I won't be paying for it."

A faint sourness rose in Yin Ci's heart as he tucked the small piece of demon skin into his pocket.

"Of course," he replied.

Despite being a spontaneous idea, as midnight approached, the festival became more and more lively. Shi Jingzhi had gathered some cheap materials from Chen Qianfan's collection and made some fireworks and firecrackers, which they set off outside the door.

With the crackling sound of firecrackers, brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky, adding fleeting stars to the gloomy sky.

Yan Qing held his Compassion Stone Sword and looked up until his neck was sore. Lord Bai was scared out of his wits by the firecrackers and ran around screaming, while Su Si had to chase after the goose's butt with a bitter face.

Shi Jingzhi happily made two snow stools and pulled Yin Ci to sit down, watching the fireworks twinkling in the sky.

Shi Zhongyu was worried about her sect leader and couldn't get in the mood. She didn't want to disturb the others' excitement, so she found a corner to meditate on her own.

The smell of smoke in the air became stronger and stronger. Chen Qianfan sneezed and shook his head helplessly. Granny Wei put on an extra coat and watched the fireworks with the Ku Mountain Sect.

The old woman leaned against the door, the fireworks shining in her cloudy eyes.

"The warm breeze loves the pretty peach blossoms...the spring river is calm, whose home is filled with the joy of spring..."

She started singing that cheerful and lively tune again. But compared to before, her singing style was a bit strange - the further she sang, the sharper her voice became. It was as if she had forgotten her age and was forcing herself to sing louder.

The old lady's throat couldn't handle the strain. The once cheerful tune was now turning into a mournful melody. Shi Jingzhi turned his head and asked, "Granny Wei?"

Granny Wei's expression was somewhat dazed as she gazed at the fireworks in the sky. A hint of fear gradually appeared on her face.

"It's over, it's over," she cried out in a girlish voice, clutching her throat. "My voice is gone, I can't sing the song. It's the New Year, and the master will beat me again!"

Shi Jingzhi hesitated for a moment, thinking of checking her pulse, but Granny Wei came to her senses on her own.

She stood there in a daze for a moment, then gradually lowered her head. A hint of embarrassment appeared on her round face. "I'm getting old and forgetful," she said. "Did I scare you just now? I'll go make some tea..."

Before Shi Jingzhi could say anything, she had already gone inside, as if trying to escape.

With the expert healer Chen Qianfan present, Shi Jingzhi was afraid of overstepping his bounds in treating patients and ultimately sat back down. As the last fireworks fizzled out, everyone retreated indoors to escape the cold. Granny Wei was already sitting in her usual spot, embroidering with a relaxed demeanor.

She apologized to everyone with a smile.

Shi Jingzhi returned to the side of Chen Qianfan, who was busying around, watching him study his techniques. As nighttime approached, he still brought up Granny Wei's condition.

"Hmm, I know," Chen Qianfan casually replied. "She's been a bit scatterbrained lately. I'm working on a solution."

Despite this setback, the New Year's Eve was still quite perfect.

The battle on the first day of the Lunar New Year was equally flawless.

The Secret Book seemed even more sluggish than yesterday. Chen Qianfan didn't even use spells, instead letting Shi Jingzhi direct them. With the three of them working together, they successfully cut off the hands of an ancient corpse by sunset.

That night, Chen Qianfan began to handle the corpse, claiming that he could make a disaster-blocking talisman by noon on the second day of the new year. While Old Man Chen was immersed in making the talisman, Granny Wei also came to help, clearing a large space in the house to set up a large-scale formation circle for breaking the prohibition.

The beginning of the new year was so smooth that Shi Jingzhi became a bit more spirited.

As the formation in the house gradually became complete, he even had a faint expectation amidst the tension.

The breaking of the prohibition was almost ready, only lacking the three ancient corpses to power it. The plan for the next step was smooth and stable, and could be carried out step by step, which was rare and reassuring.

...Unfortunately, this period of peace came to an end the next morning.

Early the next day, the master and disciple were shaken awake by a terrified Yan Qing. Yan Qing, usually composed, was now wide-eyed with fear. Shi Jingzhi rubbed his eyes and got up, asking, "It's not even the hour of the tiger yet, what's going on?"

"O-outside! Outside!"

Yan Qing gestured frantically, wishing he could pull out his memories to show them. He spoke for a while, but his tongue tied itself in knots. He had no choice but to drag the master and disciple to the door, one hand on each of them.

It was still dark outside, with only a faint light around them. But even this faint light was enough for them to notice something strange -

The vast and monotonous snowfield was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the area around the house was filled with dark objects, forming a perfect encirclement. In the dim light, countless green and red dots trembled slightly, occasionally flashing. The cold wind carried a gloomy atmosphere, making people feel uncomfortable all over.

Yin Ci squinted his eyes slightly and saw it clearly.

The entire area was filled with demons, mostly small ones, but still enough to be terrifying. Judging from the situation, it was not an exaggeration to say that all the demons in the Mi Lan homeland had gathered here.

Demons were already rare, let alone gathering together regardless of species and getting along harmoniously. Yin Ci quickly scanned the area and found the "king" leading the group.

The Secret Book was definitely among them.

It was about a hundred meters away from the house, kneeling at the edge of the encirclement. Its terrifying head was slightly lowered, facing the front door of the house. Unlike the previous two days of fighting, the eyes of entire head of the Secret Book were wide open, and from afar, thousands of pupils were embedded in the huge head, emitting green light.

Chen Qianfan's house was most likely protected by spells, blocking them all outside. The group of demons couldn't move forward and remained quiet.

It's hard to imagine what kind of shock Yan Qing experienced when he went out to practice with his sword early in the morning.

The three of them made a fair amount of noise, and Old Man Chen, who was sleeping by the table, woke up. He grumbled a few times and pushed the three people blocking the door to the side, saying, "Move aside, let me take a look."

Upon seeing the bustling scene outside the door and the Secret Book kneeling not far away, Chen Qianfan raised his eyebrows and said, "I never thought that even in this remote place, there are still people rushing to pay their New Year's respects?"

The three members of the Ku Mountain Sect: "..."

This old man was quite daring, he must have been wild in his youth.

After his sarcastic remark, Chen Qianfan stretched lazily and said, "Call everyone here, but remember to close the windows so that Xiao Chun won't see. Don't panic, I have set up many formations, they won't be able to enter for a while."

Soon, everyone gathered inside the house, while Granny Wei prepared breakfast as usual. Shi Zhongyu frowned upon seeing the scene outside the door.

Yan Qing quickly noticed something was amiss and asked, "Where is Su Si?"

"That teardrop mole kid? His goose beat him up in the middle of the night, and then it ran off. He went after it, and even had time to say goodbye to me before leaving," said Chen Qianfan. "Looks like it's a blessing in disguise now."

It seemed that Lord Bai had sensed something and time was running out, so he could only save Su Si alone.

"Senior, may I ask what's going on?" asked Shi Zhongyu, in a hurry and with a nervous tone.

"Someone's hand got itchy and they 'awakened' the Secret Book," Chen Qianfan snorted.

"Don't worry, it's not you guys. That goose-chasing kid also couldn't have done it. Only my senior brothers and sisters, or junior brothers and sisters have the ability to pull this off."

"Awakened?" said Yin Ci.

"When the Secret Book was still the 'Empress' Funeral', it was much more ferocious than it is now. The Mi Mountain Sect placed thousands of restrictions on it to suppress it to its previous state... Now it seems that someone deliberately lifted the restrictions and turned it back into that mad dog from years ago."

It turns out that they were fighting with a weakened version of the Secret Book a few days ago.

Shi Jingzhi broke out in a cold sweat and asked, "If they placed restrictions on it, why did they leave a way to unlock it?"

"Are you stupid? This is the Mi Lan Empress' artifact. If foreign enemies invade, awakening the Secret Book to deal with them is much easier than taking action ourselves."

This is indeed a good strategy, thought Yin Ci. It would be even better if they were not considered "enemies".

Yin Ci spoke before Shi Jingzhi, "Yan Qing was not present that day, I'll have him escort you and Granny Wei away first."

Old Man Chen was getting on in years and not very strong in battle, and he was essential to lifting the prohibition. If the Secret Book was coming for them, it would be best to send the old man away first.

Chen Qianfan snorted, "The 'Empress' Funeral,' will never give up and doesn't listen to reason. Don't even think about it. Anyone who's surrounded won't be able to escape."

Yin Ci remained silent.

"But it's not impossible to escape," Chen Qianfan said with a cold smirk. He didn't seem too bothered by the implications of being involved.

"Using those two corpse hands as materials, I can make a temporary artifact to help us all escape. The downside is that even if the Secret Book is sealed again, it won't give up its target. As long as the target sets foot on the land of Mi Lan, it will relentlessly pursue us day and night. In the future, we won't be able to take a single step closer to the Mi Mountain Sect."

"By doing this, that girl's disaster-blocking talisman can no longer be made, and this boy's prohibition cannot be lifted. My thirty years of research may have to end here."