The sky of Yún Xi and outside it was different—like black and white placed side by side.
The wind was cold, as if no warmth existed. The place looked pale, as if no color existed.
Yet only Lìngxiāo looked warm and colorful in his white robe.
A sharp blow of wind made Lìngxiāo's hair fly violently behind him, his white robe hugging his slim body more.
They grew serious again.
"This place looks like a whole guǐ's living place more than humans," Mò Qīn said, looking around.
"Hmph… let us go inside," Lìngxiāo whispered softly with a faint smile.
Somewhere, something watched him from afar—carefully. Tracking his every detail, it murmured something unclear, hissing.
But one word was clear as crystal:
"Beautiful."
Lìngxiāo almost heard it. He turned to his left side at the sky. The sky was heavy with black clouds. He found nothing.
"I think I have heard something," Mò Qīn said, then hesitated before adding, "Did that mò just say… beautiful? To what?"
"Not sure yet… let us just move forward first," Lìngxiāo answered, his unchanged smile deepening with a little dark shadow. He removed his bamboo hat and threw it onto a tree. It landed at a tree of Yún Xi's border.
Then, before going inside, he lightly jumped a bit, circling softly before landing on the ground perfectly.
He was no longer wearing his soft golden robe—but a red marriage robe.
A growing lantern at his hand.
He looked like a beautiful groom, ready for the marriage—in a place where that was a total sin.
The wind blew more, but softer than before.
Lìngxiāo placed his feet inside the boundaries of Yún Xi. His step cracked a twig under his boot.
The wind suddenly stopped, as if time had passed.
He looked around. The area was empty. House doors and windows were closed.
He blinked, adjusting his eyes into the darkness.
"Anybody here?" he called softly, looking around.
Something was still keeping an eye on him. He stopped at his place. His gaze snapped to the side of him. He took out a red talisman and wrote something in golden light—Yuè Shì: meaning Moon Vow.
He threw it toward where he felt the mò was hiding behind an abandoned cattle house. He felt something move away from his target just in time.
"Smart," Mò Qīn muttered.
"Yes… more than you," Lìngxiāo muttered, his dark yet sweet smile widening faintly, his eyes still fixed on the distance.
Mò Qīn huffed. "You find all ways effortlessly to insult me with those soft yet sharp words, and then smile cherry on top."
"You know I cannot stop smiling… my bad luck," he chuckled faintly, like saying any joke, then muttered, "…and curse."
Then he felt something come toward them from behind. Soft. Slow. Deliberate.
Both Mò Qīn and Lìngxiāo stayed still.
Then, in a heartbeat, he took out his Jìng Róu again and turned behind sharply.
But then he stopped.
It was not any spirit nor demon. It was one of the young men who had called him here.
The young man shut his eyes tightly. Lìngxiāo's sharp movement made the man's long hair fly a bit.
"L-Lìngxiāo Gōngzǐ… it is us," the young man said softly, his voice trembling a bit. His eyes shakily captured the way Lìngxiāo looked in the red wedding robe and lantern.
The strange thing was—the red robe spirit had not shown up yet. He usually appeared right when anyone was out at this hour, especially if doing the things that attracted him.
Perhaps the spirit was scared by Lìngxiāo's aura. Or just plotting something.
"Oh… it seems I have scared you, young lantern," Lìngxiāo said softly, his smile turning a bit softer than before.
"Thank you very much for keeping our request," the young man bowed a bit in politeness.
"My pleasure… I am honored by your trust in me… that is already enough for me to come here," Lìngxiāo said, enunciating the last words a little more clearly, as if he wanted them to be heard.
The man raised his head, then moved out of the way after looking here and there, a bit scared. "Allow me to guide you toward our clan, Yún Yànzī, Lìngxiāo Gōngzǐ."
He nodded once and followed him.
While walking, he looked around. His smile turned bitter.
He looked at every tree. Every house. Every narrow road with lamps, which seemed to be struggling to keep glowing. He looked at them as if they were familiar to him. Too old. But they made him remember something cold and fresh.
"Gōngzǐ?" Mò Qīn whispered.
Lìngxiāo snapped back to his senses. "Nothing… just analyzing the environment," he breathed, his smile widening just a little to show: I am fine.
Then they reached the clan—Yún Chóng. Its walls were black, its roof crimson red, like black rocks under red lava.
The hall was already filled with people. Their faces brightened at Lìngxiāo's presence.
"Lìngxiāo Gōngzǐ came for our rescue!" everyone cried out in happiness.
Lìngxiāo looked at them silently. The greetings were always familiar to him. But this place. Those people. It hit totally different.
He bowed lightly to everyone with his soft smile.
On the other hand, the clan's Dàozǔ—Chóng Féng's fourth son, Chóng Fēi—sat on his throne.
He looked the total opposite. While Lìngxiāo could not do more than smile, he looked like he could not smile either.
The man looked like he did not like Lìngxiāo here too much. He huffed, rolled his gray eyes, and pushed back his long black hair. He looked him up and down, taking in his appearance as well.
Lìngxiāo smiled at him—which felt a little dark again. He bowed, his hands spread in a circular way. "Thank you very much for inviting me… and trusting me… Fēi Gōngzǐ."
"Hm… raise. Nice to meet you too. Quite famous you are as a… smiling exorcist. So…" He looked around, almost mocking, before adding, "Let us see if your smile can burn that guǐ… or if you get burned in it yourself."
He glared at him, his eyes showing no care, no mercy, no respect.
Lìngxiāo stood straight slowly. He smiled casually, yet it looked a bit darker, with an unspoken burn of ego.
"As you say, Fēi Gōngzǐ. All you have to do is trust me," he said. "I, Lìngxiāo, only light up lanterns of justice and rest in peace of spirits. I do not burn the flesh." Then he added deliberately, "Nor cut the flesh."