[Li Residence · Rear Courtyard]
Night fell. The courtyard lamps burned a dim yellow.
Li Furong was hurriedly shoved into her chamber by maids. With a bang, the door was locked from the outside. She froze for a heartbeat, then fury surged up her chest.
"Father! Why are you locking me up?" She hammered the door, her voice trembling with anger.
From outside came Lord Li's harsh shout. "You still have the nerve to ask? These past months you've been running to the herb shed every day, claiming you're studying materia medica, when in truth you've been making eyes at that boy surnamed Sang! The Li family's honor is not for you to trample!"
Li Furong's face went pale. She bit her lip and shot back, "I have been learning herbs! He… he's been guiding me!"
Before her words even finished, panic flickered in her heart, because she knew the truth: to her, Sang Qi was not merely a teacher.
He was the one she loved.
Lord Li's voice turned even colder. "A mere little Yao physician dares reach for the Li family's daughter? If you remain so stubborn, don't blame me when I drive him out of Yaodu!"
The room fell silent.
Li Furong's chest tightened. Her fingers dug into her sleeve until they shook. She gritted her teeth, stubbornness flashing in her eyes. "Father, he's not some nobody. He's someone I acknowledge!"
Outside, there was a long pause. Then came only a final, icy sentence.
"No matter what you say, I've ordered the gates watched. Without my permission, you will go nowhere."
Footsteps receded, and the courtyard returned to stillness.
Li Furong sank against the door, her grip trembling, her eyes reddening.
"Sang Qi…" she whispered. "What am I supposed to do?"
[Herb Shed · Afternoon]
Li Furong's maid delivered the news to Sang Qi, explaining why her mistress had not been to the herb shed these days, then hurried away.
The sound of a wooden pestle striking a mortar echoed through the air. Thud, thud.
Sang Qi kept grinding, head lowered, but his mind had wandered far away.
Furong was confined to her room. How could he even see her once?
His thoughts tangled until the herbs in the mortar were nearly pulverized to dust.
Suddenly the curtain was yanked aside without ceremony. Luo Ye stormed in with a storm-cloud face, took one long step, and dropped into the seat opposite him.
"What are you thinking about? You're so spaced out." Luo Ye waved a hand in front of his eyes, impatient.
Sang Qi came back to himself and let out a heavy sigh. "Furong… her father has confined her."
"Why?"
"He thinks I'm just a nobody Yao physician. No money, no power, no future."
Luo Ye blinked, then snorted. "Hmph. You're the Deputy Medical Officer of the Imperial Medical Bureau, and you're still…" He didn't finish. His eyes shifted as he took Sang Qi in from head to toe, brows knitting deeper.
"But honestly, if I were him, I wouldn't want my daughter associating with you either. Look at you, scruffy, reeking of herbs, not a trace of 'official physician' about you. Only Li Furong's eyesight must be bad enough to fall for you."
Sang Qi instantly bristled. He jerked up the pestle and pointed it straight at Luo Ye, eyes wide. "And you're not some hothead who picks fights for sport?! The fact that little Ling Dang can put up with you barking at people all day is a miracle worthy of the history books!"
"You—!" "So what?!"
They glared at each other, sparks practically snapping in the air.
Then a faint laugh came from the doorway. "You two… still the same as ever. Always bickering."
Both froze and turned.
"Cangyuan?!" "You're back!"
Cangyuan stepped in, a smile lingering on his face. Behind him entered a woman with a graceful figure and dignified poise.
"Greetings, young masters," the woman said softly, elegant to the bone.
Luo Ye and Sang Qi both startled and were about to return the greeting, but Cangyuan lifted a hand to stop them.
"Don't be so formal. Relax. They're my friends, Sang Qi and Luo Ye. And this is—" His tone softened without him realizing. "My wife, Xie Wenyun."
The herb shed went silent for half a beat.
"What? Wife?" Luo Ye arched a brow, doubtful. "Wife?!" Sang Qi nearly cracked his voice. The pestle slipped from his hand with a thunk into the mortar, sending powder flying everywhere.
Xie Wenyun couldn't help a small laugh and bowed lightly. "Please take care of me, both of you."
Luo Ye and Sang Qi exchanged a look, the same thought popping into both their minds:
Damn. He beat us to it.
[Yaodu · The Panic Spreads]
The shed still held the echo of laughter when urgent shouting erupted outside.
"Something's wrong! Run! People have gone mad!"
The three of them froze. From the alleyways came a rising storm of chaos.
"Ah! Help!" "They're crazy, don't go near them!"
Luo Ye shoved aside the curtain. Outside, several townsfolk staggered with black mist in their eyes, faces twisted, brandishing whatever they'd snatched from stalls: knives, forks, sticks. They lunged at anyone they saw, heedless of pain or consequence.
"How can this be…?" Xie Wenyun gasped.
Cangyuan's expression sank instantly, his gaze turning razor-cold. "This isn't ordinary madness. It's illusion arts controlling them."
Luo Ye's heart jolted. A name flared in his mind: Ling Shuo.
His face changed. "Damn it! Ling Dang is still at the courier station!" Before the words were finished, he was already moving.
At that same moment, two figures sprinted toward them, breath ragged, faces grim: Xiao You and Liu Yan.
"I get it now!" Liu Yan gritted her teeth. "Ling Shuo wandering the city at night all this time… that was a smokescreen." Xiao You's voice was low and heavy. "His real goal is to ignite a riot."
After exchanging those few words at the shed, they rushed off to help suppress the frenzied townsfolk.
The herb shed fell into a dead hush.
Outside, the clanging of weapons and desperate screams grew louder. The Yao army had mobilized, yet they hesitated, afraid to strike too hard.
Because every raging attacker was a citizen of Yaodu.
Sang Qi's first thought was one name:
Furong.
He didn't hesitate. Drawing in a breath, he shot away toward the Li residence.
Cangyuan moved at once, pulling Xie Wenyun close to his side. "We can't stay here. You're coming with me."
He escorted her toward the Yao Residence.
The streets were already boiling with shouts, firelight, and crawling black fog. The people, bewitched by illusion, had pitch-black eyes and throats full of low, animal snarls. They threw themselves at passersby, and even when blades cut them, they showed no pain, only fought harder, wilder.
In that instant, Yaodu plunged into a chaos it had never known.
[Li Residence]
Outside the gates, screams and clashes shook the air. Black fog roiled as frenzied townsfolk slammed clubs against the Li residence doors.
"Hold them back! Close the gates!" the guards yelled, panicking, shoved backward by sheer pressure.
At that moment Sang Qi arrived. One palm strike blasted a door panel loose, and he flashed inside.
"Don't panic!" he barked, voice steady, eyes hard. "With me!"
Servants and maids were already half out of their minds with fear. Lord Li, roused by the noise, hurried out with people at his heels.
"Who are you?! How dare you—" Lord Li began, brows drawn tight, but a savage howl cut him off.
"AH—!"
Beyond the wall, a crazed man with black mist in his eyes rammed a spear straight through his own chest and didn't even flinch, roaring as he kept charging the wall.
Everyone in the Li residence turned deathly pale.
Sang Qi spoke coldly and clearly. "Lord Li, this isn't a normal riot. It's illusion arts that bewitch the mind. If we stay, the entire household will be trapped in danger."
He turned, and saw Li Furong standing under the corridor eaves, face white as paper. His heart clenched, but he forced himself to stay composed.
"Gather the elderly and children in the central courtyard. Guards, follow me. We're going to the Yao Residence immediately for shelter!"
Lord Li stared, stunned, his expression complicated. He was about to challenge him, when Sang Qi had already begun issuing brisk orders, tossing out several small medicine pouches.
"Cover your mouths! Now!"
The pouches burst on the ground. A bitter medicinal scent billowed out, and the nearest frenzied attackers stuttered, their movements slowing.
Sang Qi seized that moment and shouted, "Move!"
The guards lifted the elders, supported women and children, and began withdrawing in a long stream toward the back gate.
He wasn't a familiar face. The young man wore simple clothing, his brows cold and focused, medicine pouches clenched in his hand. He showed no panic. He barked directions, shoved several children to safety against the wall before they could be trampled, tore his own sleeve to bind an injured old servant's bleeding arm.
"Who…?" Lord Li blurted, stunned.
He had never seen this face before. Not kin, not acquaintance.
A stranger, yet in this crisis, steadier than many people Lord Li had known for years.
Lord Li's chest trembled. He had been ready to demand, Who are you, but the words stuck in his throat.
Because in that moment, he understood:
This young man needed no title, no status.
His actions alone commanded respect.
Li Furong's eyes reddened as she clung close to Sang Qi's side. "If not for you, the whole Li residence…"
Sang Qi glanced at her, his voice still sharp. "I told you I would protect you. And everyone here, I'll protect them too."
[Courier Station]
Luo Ye raced through the streets, breath ragged. When he reached the courier station, the sight nearly crushed his heart.
The gates were wide open. The hall was overturned, tables and chairs shattered, blood streaking the walls. The once-quiet station looked like ruins swept by a hurricane.
"Dang'er!" His voice came out raw as he charged inside.
But there was only wreckage.
No Ling Dang. No Ling Shuo.
His heart slammed down like a fist had seized it. He scanned wildly, but saw only bewitched citizens with black fog in their eyes, swinging clubs at innocent travelers.
"Stop!" Luo Ye roared and surged forward.
His twin rings flashed in the firelight. One brutal sweep knocked weapons flying, sending several attackers sprawling. Yet he felt no relief, only a deeper, hotter panic.
"Go! South gate, take shelter!" he shouted, forcing the crazed citizens back while pushing trembling travelers out.
Screams and clashes flooded his ears. Sweat streamed down his temple. His eyes held only one burning question.
"Dang'er, where are you?! Don't let anything happen…"
He gritted his teeth and fought harder, but he still held back, never striking to kill.
Because these were still Yaodu's people.
He scoured the hall again, then froze at a smear of red by the corner.
He strode over.
A torn piece of cloth, its embroidery thread painfully familiar.
Ling Dang's sleeve.
Gray, fingerprint-like smudges marked it, as if she'd clawed and struggled.
Luo Ye's hand tightened until the fabric nearly tore.
Then his boot crunched something with a sharp click.
He looked down.
A small bamboo whistle, snapped in half.
His heart lurched. "...Dang'er."
He remembered: she used to keep that whistle at her waist. She'd said it was a charm given by her elder brother, Ling Shuo.
Now the whistle lay broken. Her sleeve lay torn.
Luo Ye's gaze turned murderous-cold.
"Ling Shuo. If you dare lay a finger on her—"
His rings crashed together with a clang like thunder.
"I will never forgive you."
Firelight bled into his eyes, killing intent tangled with fear. He whirled and burst out of the courier station, plunging into the streets to hunt for Ling Dang.
[Yao South Hidden Manor · Memorial Hall]
Night pressed down heavy.
In the memorial hall, candles flickered. A white lantern swayed slightly overhead. Incense curled upward before the spirit tablet carved with three solemn characters:
Ye Qixiu.
Youqing stood shoulder to shoulder with Si Moheng and the three generals, all dressed in mourning white. The disciples kept their heads bowed in silence. Only the soft crackle of candle flame could be heard.
Si Moheng's expression was cold and hard, yet he still offered incense with strict respect. Youqing stared at the spirit tablet, grief shifting in her eyes like dark water.
Suddenly frantic footsteps pounded in. A disciple stumbled inside, dropped to one knee, and spoke through panic.
"Report! Yaodu has fallen into chaos. The people have been bewitched by illusion and are rioting madly! The Yao army has mobilized, but the situation… may be turning dire!"
The hall went dead silent.
Youqing's head snapped up, heart jolting. Si Moheng's brows tightened, a flash of icy light cutting through his gaze. The three generals' hands closed on their weapons at once.
After a brief, taut pause, Si Moheng spoke, voice low and decisive.
"Ye Qixiu has passed, and we have paid our respects. But if Yaodu descends into ruin, even Ye Qixiu cannot rest in peace."
Youqing clenched her teeth and bowed. "Grandfather spent his life protecting the Yao Realm. I will not sit here while Yaodu collapses into chaos!"
The three generals answered in unison. "We will follow Your Highness into battle!"
Si Moheng turned to the spirit tablet and bowed deeply.
"Master Ye, rest in peace. On this journey, I will secure Yaodu."
Then he spun back, cloak flaring, voice ringing like a bell.
"Prepare the horses. We ride!"
Outside the manor gates, torches burned bright. Dozens of mounted soldiers were already assembled.
Si Moheng swung into the saddle. Youqing and the three generals followed. The troop surged out into the night, thundering toward the capital.
Hooves roared through the mountain silence, carrying an unstoppable resolve.
In the distance, the night sky glimmered faintly with black mist, as if warning of blood and fire ahead.
Si Moheng narrowed his eyes, voice ice-cold.
"Yaodu… must not fall into chaos."