Chapter Fifty-Six: An Unexpected Encounter

The door to the woodshed was half closed. Shangguan Chuci stood three paces outside, her moon-white silk robe stained crimson in places, a sight both shocking and pitiful. The wound on her shoulder had been hastily dressed, but her spiritual energy was depleted; her beautiful face was utterly devoid of color, only her bright eyes unwaveringly fixed on the flicker of candlelight leaking through the crack in the door.

A long time passed before the hinges creaked softly, and Shen Guizhou stepped out, his expression grave, tinged with a perplexed surprise. Shangguan Chuci’s heart tightened; when he drew near, she spoke, her voice hoarse:

“Uncle Shen, how… how is he?”

Shen Guizhou looked at his young mistress and sighed inwardly. He did not answer at once, but said instead,

“Your Grace, your noble status—why endure this bitter vigil? The wind here is strong; beware the cold. How will I answer to the prince should harm come to you?”

Shangguan Chuci shook her head lightly. “I am fine. Please, tell me—how is he?”

Seeing her resolve, Shen Guizhou knew further persuasion would be fruitless. He recounted his examination in detail.

“The condition of Young Master Lu is truly strange. When I checked his pulse, I found his meridians shattered, his organs gravely wounded. By rights, he should be barely clinging to life, his energy spent, his flame extinguished.”

At this, his tone shifted, and even his usually austere face showed a hint of disbelief.

“But… from his dantian, I sensed a surge of vigorous vitality, steadily repairing his broken body. This coexistence of life and death, flourishing and withering, is a phenomenon I have never encountered in my decades wandering the martial world.”

Shangguan Chuci’s gaze flickered as she replied,

“Uncle Shen, just now, when Wei Zhuodao perished and pierced Brother Lu’s chest with the bone pen, I saw a flash of sinister light in his arms…”

As she spoke, she drew a wooden doll from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Guizhou. The doll’s mouth had two fresh cracks, which, under the moonlight, looked even more eerie.

“Could it be… that this thing forcibly tethered Brother Lu’s life?”

Shen Guizhou took the doll, feeling a chill seep into his bones. He studied it intently, his face thoughtful.

“It’s possible. Ancient texts claim that a substitute longevity doll, once its purpose is fulfilled, can miraculously bring the dead to life and heal flesh and bone. If so, perhaps Qian Dahai was not entirely deceived; his dealings with the Heretical Cult may have been a matter of mutual calculation and benefit.”

Shangguan Chuci asked, “Since it has already saved Brother Lu once, its essence must be drained. Does it… still have any use?”

Shen Guizhou shook his head slowly, a hint of shame on his face.

“Such sinister artifacts—I know little beyond what old scrolls reveal. Its mysteries are beyond my grasp.”

He handed the doll back to Shangguan Chuci, then as if remembering something, continued,

“Your Grace, while I was safeguarding you both, I sensed a shadow flicker deep within the grove outside the courtyard. Only…”

---

“Someone else?” Shangguan Chuci’s heart skipped a beat, pressing him for details.

“I am not certain,” Shen Guizhou replied, pondering. “That presence vanished as quickly as it appeared. When I focused my senses, there was no trace, nor any sign of life within a hundred paces.”

“Perhaps… it was just lingering evil energy here, and my mind was agitated, so I may have seen things.”

He looked again at Shangguan Chuci, who could barely stand, and advised,

“Concerning Young Master Lu, you may rest assured for now. I have just used my true energy to restore his meridians; he has passed the most perilous moment. The rest depends on that strange vitality within him. You, Your Grace, must tend to your own injuries.”

Shangguan Chuci nodded at last. She knew that her spiritual energy was spent, her mind exhausted; to force herself further would do no good and only become a burden to others.

She braced herself, returning to her room.

The furnishings were unchanged, but her mood was no longer one of leisure. She sat cross-legged on the couch, attempting to meditate for half an hour, but her thoughts were tangled and restless.

“Lu Chenyuan… sacrificial doll… Taiyi… Dao Origin Embryo…”

Names and secrets whirled through her mind like lanterns spinning.

Suddenly, she recalled Shen Guizhou’s remark about a fleeting shadow in the woods, and an idea surfaced without warning, making her weary heart pound anew.

“At such a time, who else would appear here, if not Lu Chenyuan’s unfathomable master?”

“If she truly returned, seeing her disciple thus, would she leave so easily? At this moment, could she be…?”

Once the thought arose, she could not suppress it.

A surge of curiosity and impulse overcame her pain and fatigue.

“What am I doing this for?” she shook her head and smiled wryly, then bit her lip, thinking, “But I must see for myself!”

With that, she rose from the couch, barely bothering with her shoes, and crept out of her room, forgetting her noble status, moving like a thief back into the rear courtyard.

The night was deep and silent.

She slipped under the shadow of the old locust tree, quietly approaching the woodshed window, peering inside through the cracked frame.

Within, a lone lamp burned, its dim glow casting flickering shadows on the walls.

---

Lu Chenyuan lay unconscious upon the bed.

Beside him stood a figure in azure robes.

“Since you’ve come, there’s no need to hide.”

Just as Shangguan Chuci was startled, the figure spoke softly.

She felt a sinking feeling, but managed a faint smile, pushing open the door and entering, shaking her head.

“It seems I cannot deceive you, senior.”

The figure turned slowly. Her brows were sharp as blades, eyes like peach blossoms, a heroic presence mixed with seductive charm. Who else could she be but Lu Chenyuan’s master, Lady Situ?

Shangguan Chuci, despite having seen Lady Situ’s elegance before, could not help but be awed.

Situ regarded her and said, “I wondered who it was—such patience.”

“So, tell me: are you here because you cannot let go of my disciple, or did you come specifically to await my arrival?”

The candlelight flickered, illuminating Shangguan Chuci’s fleeting astonishment.

Yet, despite the turmoil in her heart, her composure soon returned. She showed no embarrassment at having her intentions exposed; instead, she met Situ’s half-smiling gaze with calm and smiled.

She drew a white jade folding fan from her breast, tapping it lightly against her palm without opening it.

“Since you’ve asked, it would be petty of me to hide further.”

She paused, then replied frankly,

“Half because I worry for Brother Lu, half because I wish to confirm a suspicion.”

“I see Brother Lu without a trace of spiritual power, yet able to pierce illusions; his heart is kind, yet within him seems to lurk a monstrous force. Such contradictions are rare in this world.”

Seeing the extraordinary woman’s intrigued expression, Shangguan Chuci smiled, continuing unhurriedly:

“I dare to guess: to teach such a disciple, one who is so at odds inside and out, and to see through my dream with a glance—surely, senior, you are not as simple as you appear?”