At this, the other celestials fell silent. They had assumed it was merely a minor demon causing trouble. Who could have guessed that the powerful hall master would emerge from the Far North, of all places, to save a mortal? Qing Yi, too, was silent, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
Back at the General’s Residence, Bai Xun stood in the main hall, barely containing his fury.
“When was she last seen?” he demanded.
The guards knelt, trembling. “General, w-we don’t know…”
“Ridiculous! With so many of you watching her, are you telling me she just vanished into thin air?”
“We stood guard outside the ancestral hall all night, General! We never saw her leave!”
Bai Xun’s face darkened as he considered this. “Go to the rear courtyard and see if the donkey that brought her back is still there.”
The guards exchanged uneasy glances but quickly left to check. Moments later, they returned to report that the donkey in the back courtyard had disappeared. Word also reached Bai Xun that Chong Zhao was missing from the Heavenly Prison.
He staggered, almost collapsing, but a steadying hand caught him.
“Father.” Bai Xi, dressed in mourning clothes, removed her veil, revealing a face that no longer resembled Bai Shuo’s.
“Xi’er… what are you doing here? Your sister, she…”
“I know.” Bai Xi waved her hand, dismissing the others. “Leave us.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The hall quickly emptied.
“Father, since A-Shuo’s return, I’ve had people from the Eastern Palace monitoring the Bai and Chong families. When I learned she was missing, I came back immediately.”
“Do you know where she’s gone?”
“No,” Bai Xi shook her head, “but I suspect that her sudden disappearance from the General’s Residence is related to Chong Zhao’s escape from the prison.”
Bai Xi’s gaze turned distant as she looked outside. “From the moment you brought me back from the royal tombs, I knew we would never be able to keep her here. Still, I never thought this day would come so soon…”
Bai Xun’s expression changed, a grim suspicion crossing his mind. “Xi’er, you…?”
Bai Xi nodded slightly. “Yes. I’ve remembered everything that happened since that year when I was eight.”
Bai Xun was silent, then heaved a heavy sigh.
At the royal tombs, Bai Shuo had backed up to the edge of a cliff, staring in horror at the figure before her.
“Why… why are you here?”
Fan Yue stepped forward, his dark gaze unwavering. “You’re clever, Bai Shuo. Do you really not know why I’m here?”
“Y-You’re too kind, Hall Master,” Bai Shuo stammered, forcing a strained smile. “How could someone like me dare presume to associate with you? But really, Hall Master, Long Er isn’t with me! I swear!”
“I know.” Fan Yue leaned casually against a tree trunk, seemingly indifferent.
Bai Shuo blinked, taken aback. Before she could respond, Fan Yue opened his palm, and the tiny wooden donkey tumbled into his hand, rolling over.
“Long Er?” Bai Shuo blurted, then quickly covered her mouth.
“So, you two are well-acquainted.” Fan Yue’s eyes glinted, and Bai Shuo’s face fell as she realized the truth.
“You… captured Long Er! No… A-Zhao!” Her eyes darted to the high noon sun, and she turned to run back toward the city, only to be stopped by a wall of ice that appeared out of thin air.
“Let me go!” Her eyes turned red with desperation.
"Are you in such a rush because of him?"
With a wave of Fan Yue’s hand, A-Zhao’s unconscious form appeared near a boulder not far off.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo ran over, relieved to see that his wounds were healed and his bloodstains gone. But as she relaxed, suspicion crept into her gaze, and she looked back at Fan Yue, her expression complicated. “Was it… was it you who saved him?”
“Of course. Who else? This foolish donkey?” Fan Yue frowned in annoyance.
“But… why?” Bai Shuo stammered.
“On a whim.”
Bai Shuo froze, watching as Fan Yue approached her.
“This hall master does not owe favors, especially to mortals. I saved his life; therefore, your assistance in the mountains is now considered even. We’re square; nothing owed.”
Fan Yue stopped before her, the sharp contours of his profile cut by the sunlight. Bai Shuo gazed up at him, feeling strangely dazed for reasons she didn’t fully understand.
“Th-Thank you.” Other than gratitude, she didn’t know what else to say.
Maybe demons aren’t as terrible as people say, she thought. Those tales must all be lies…
“Since everything is settled, there are also some things best left forgotten.”
Before Bai Shuo could react, Fan Yue leaned down, resting his slender hand on her forehead. A faint glow passed over her, and she slowly closed her eyes, sinking softly to the ground.
Rising, Fan Yue cast a final, indifferent glance at the two of them before turning and walking away without hesitation. As her eyelids grew heavy, the last thing Bai Shuo saw was his retreating silhouette, devoid of any sentiment. Oddly, it felt familiar somehow.
Who is he? she wondered hazily. The Hall Master of the Luminous Moon… just a demon, that’s all… Darkness claimed her thoughts as she slipped into unconsciousness.
* * *
When Bai Shuo opened her eyes again, she found herself in a moving carriage. Dressed in plain clothes, A-Zhao lay asleep beside her. The carriage halted as she stirred. Bai Shuo lifted the curtain, only to find that no one was around—not even a driver. At the end of the official road, a figure stood waiting by a pavilion.
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