Shen Zhenyu nodded. "Soup Man asked his people to search all over the states. Still none."
"That's right," Song Meiyu perked up, eyes wide. "Is he still in Luyan?"
Shen Zhenyu held his scroll and spoke calmly. "Yes. After what happened, it seems the masked man is behind all of this. Soup Man stayed to investigate. He's trying to find any trace of him."
"Hmm…" Song Meiyu tapped her chin. "We did find that Phantom Blood Array in Soup Man's father's belongings… maybe that's why he died? Maybe he found the scroll by accident!"
He Yuying muttered from his corner, "This plot has more twists than a tangled fishing net…"
Song Meiyu nodded so fast her hair almost slapped He Yuying in the face. "That's true! But, why would that masked man do those things? He's already super strong! And that dark red energy… doesn't it seem like that storybook? The one that tells about the great calamity four hundred years ago! The land! The rivers! Even the sky turned red!"
Shen Zhenyu finally looked up from his scroll, slightly interested. "That's what I thought too. That's what I'm reading right now."
Song Meiyu leaned in. "Then… then… does that mean that masked man is the one behind the calamity? And the demons?"
He Yuying slowly raised a hand from beneath a pile of luggage. "Anyone else want to fake a stomach illness and go home?"
Song Meiyu shook her head and declared, "No! We must find the truth! And then we shall cleanse the evil, reveal the past, and save the world!"
He Yuying sat up just enough to glare. "You're not saving the world. You're eating steamed buns and quoting your favorite storybook."
"They're inspirational storybooks," Song Meiyu huffed.
Shen Zhenyu let out a long sigh. "There's still a lot we don't know about what happened four hundred years ago. Most of the records were destroyed, or rewritten. The rest are legends."
Song Meiyu blinked, her voice softer. "Yeah, but if that masked man really is behind all of it… why did he save Sister Linyue back then? Why didn't he just let her die during the palace fire? Was she part of the plan all along? And actually…" She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "…don't you think his lightning felt different from the first time we met him?"
Shen Zhenyu nodded slowly. "You noticed too. The first and second time… there was no killing intent. It felt more like he was warning us. Like he just didn't want us to get too close. He even helped me and Linyue distract the Bloodfire King so we could run away."
He Yuying perked up. "The first time in the forest of Lingxu. He attacked us, but he didn't hurt us. Then he just let us run away. Very mysterious. Very weird."
"And don't forget," Song Meiyu added, "he helped cleanse the demons outside the Shulin wall that time. He didn't even ask for credit."
He Yuying rubbed his chin. "That's true. Maybe he just wants to kill selectively."
"But the last time…" Song Meiyu's voice dropped. "It felt different. His lightning was heavy. Sharp. Full of thorns and blades. Like it wanted to tear everything apart."
They all went quiet.
"And that dark red energy," she whispered, "it wasn't there before."
Shen Zhenyu closed his scroll. "That's why Linyue wanted to investigate him. She thought something was wrong. That maybe, there was something deeper behind all of this."
Song Meiyu squinted into the distance despite the curtain being closed. "Do you think he wanted to kill us because… we cured the angry cabbages?"
Shen Zhenyu didn't even blink. "Likely. Maybe we ruined his evil cabbage plan."
Song Meiyu gasped. "So it was a cabbage conspiracy! I knew it!"
He Yuying, now upside-down on a pile of blankets for some reason, muttered, "Well, at least the angry cabbages in Luyan are gone."
"Yeah," Song Meiyu grinned, "Prince Lu finally got some sleep, and his father grew more hair!"
Shen Zhenyu, serious as ever, added, "We still don't know if the other states solved their angry cabbage problems."
Song Meiyu sighed softly. "That's true… No one else can perform shock therapy like Sister Linyue."
They went quiet for a moment, thinking of her.
Then Song Meiyu brightened again. "Actually, her lightning last time helped me break through to peak stage!"
Shen Zhenyu gave a small nod. "That's true. You've advanced fast. That's good. We need to be stronger. Remember the last time we got completely beaten up. We almost died."
He Yuying raised a limp arm. "My back still remembers."
"I've been meditating ever since!" Song Meiyu said proudly. "And training my spiritual sense! Now I can almost control it properly. Maybe if I train a bit more, I can use it to poke Sister Linyue awake! Like—pew pew—medicinal spiritual poke!"
Shen Zhenyu gave an actual smile. "That's good."
Song Meiyu grinned, puffed up with determination. "Then I'll meditate now!"
She promptly sat cross-legged on her herb bags and closed her eyes with intense focus. One eye opened to check if anyone was watching. They weren't. She shut it again.
He Yuying rolled over and mumbled, "I guess I'll meditate too. I want revenge."
Shen Zhenyu nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit."
And so, the journey continued…
In silence. In peace. For now.
The journey had gone surprisingly well. No bandits. No assassins. No surprise lightning strikes. Shu Mingye had even allowed himself a sliver of hope that this peaceful ride would continue all the way to Shulin.
Of course, that hope shattered when the carriage suddenly jerked to a stop.
Shu Mingye frowned and immediately looked out the window.
Forest. Still in the forest of Shulin. They had at least five more days to go before reaching the palace gates. He tightened his hold around Linyue protectively, instinctively shielding her. Then from the second carriage behind him, a very familiar voice screamed—
"I SENSE IT! I SENSE IT! THAT THING!"
Song Meiyu came flying toward his carriage. "THE SPIRIT BEAST! THE ONE THAT DROWNED US INTO THE SWAMP!"
He Yuying groaned before even stepping out. "Ugh. That beast."
Shen Zhenyu followed after them, calm as always, adjusting his sleeves. "Where is it?"
From inside his carriage, Shu Mingye barely lifted his head. "Ignore it."
He had zero interest in anything that wasn't getting them back to Shulin quickly. Spirit beasts, demon squirrels, haunted birds, let them all wait. He had his Pie to save.
Meanwhile, Song Meiyu had already tiptoed to the front of the first carriage. She crouched behind a bush, motioning for the others to follow with overly dramatic hand signs like she was leading a spy mission.
He Yuying grumbled but followed anyway, dragging his feet and swatting away bugs.
Shen Zhenyu followed quietly behind them.
"There!" Song Meiyu pointed with wide eyes. "See it? That's the white dog!"
They all peeked through the leaves.
There it was. Standing in the middle of the path like it owned the road. A spirit beast. But not a terrifying one. It looked more like a very fancy dog. It had soft, fluffy white fur that shimmered faintly with a glowing white aura. A small, curved horn sprouted from its forehead like a crown. The air around it felt strangely calm, almost sacred. It wasn't growling. It wasn't charging. It was just standing. Blocking the way like a very pretty traffic sign.
It was indeed the spirit beast they met last time. The exact same one who lured them to the swamp.
He Yuying narrowed his eyes. "Is it trying to drown us in a swamp again?"
Shen Zhenyu stared at the gentle white glow. "That aura…"
Song Meiyu's eyes widened. "No way!"
She immediately spun around and dashed back to the front carriage.
"Wait, Meiyu—!" Shen Zhenyu tried to stop her, but it was too late.
BANG!
She flung open the carriage door.