Wu De Donkey wasn't surprised in the slightest. Its lips curled back, revealing a row of unnervingly white teeth. "How did you know I'm Long Er?"
"From the moment I left the capital until I entered Mu Xiao Mountain, you're the only non-human thing I've encountered." Bai Shuo sighed. "Do you demons really think mortals have no brains?"
"Don't lump me in with that cursed star." The donkey shuddered. "Little Bai, when we escaped Mu Xiao Mountain—it was your blood that woke up that pig, wasn't it?"
A flash of wariness crossed Bai Shuo's eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't take much. Just this vial..." Its hoof tapped the ground, and a small porcelain bottle materialized out of thin air. "Give me one vial of your blood, and I'll help you see that fool."
"Deal." Bai Shuo picked up the bottle without hesitation.
A sly glint flickered in the donkey's eyes, but before it could grin, Bai Shuo spoke again.
"I'm curious. Why can't the master of Haoyue Palace recognize you when he's clearly looking for you? And... why does he call you Long Er when you're obviously a donkey?"
"Well..." The donkey drawled, blinking slowly. It bent its front legs in a mocking bow. "Dawn is almost here. Are you sure you want to waste time on this?"
Bai Shuo paused, then said nothing more. She climbed onto the donkey's back. "To the prison."
With a flick of its tail and a burst of light, the girl and donkey vanished from the ancestral hall.
The window creaked open, then softly shut again.
"Hey, Little Wood! Was that girl secretly mocking you just now?"
In the courtyard outside, a red-clad youth lounged lazily in a tree while Long Yi Zhu, the pig spirit, flapped its tiny wings and giggled.
Fan Yue shot the pig a glance, his face expressionless.
A shimmer of light, and the two reappeared on the streets of Chang'an, following the sound of donkey hooves from a distance. The supposedly invisible fool of a donkey was plain as day to Fan Yue's eyes.
"How'd you see through that idiot's true form? Even I missed it," Long Yi Zhu asked.
Fan Yue couldn't be bothered to waste energy on the pig.
Nearby, the night watch drum suddenly struck. The donkey startled so badly its legs buckled, and Bai Shuo nearly tumbled off. She clung desperately to its neck, terrified.
Watching her frantic struggle to survive, Fan Yue's lips curved slightly.
"Have you ever seen anyone more afraid of death than her?"
The abrupt question left Long Yi Zhu blinking in confusion.
"Yet scared as she is, she didn't forget this donkey while running for her life." Fan Yue's smirk deepened. "If I hadn't knocked her unconscious, and if those Daoists from Daze Mountain hadn't sent her back to the capital, and if that mortal Chong Zhao wasn't locked up—do you really think this fool could manipulate her?"
Long Yi Zhu pondered this. In its tens of thousands of years of existence, the last time it had seen such a stubborn girl was when the True God Shang Gu was young.
The pig pouted and snorted. "She's only got so much blood—I wouldn't even dare waste it! And this fool actually dares to ask for it! Hey, Little Wood, why are we following this idiot anyway? Let's just take the medicine jar and the donkey back to the Far North—ow!"
Mid-rant, Long Yi Zhu smacked into Fan Yue's back. Just around the corner stood the prison, where the girl and donkey had stopped.
The donkey suddenly turned their way. A flash of light, and Fan Yue vanished. The creature glanced back, seeing nothing, though a flicker of doubt crossed its eyes. It had no time to dwell on it.
"Hold on tight!"
Before Bai Shuo could react, the donkey leaped on all fours into the celestial prison and disappeared without a trace.
At the entrance to the prison, Long Er blew a breath toward the depths of the cells. Guards and prisoners alike slumped softly to the ground, falling into deep slumber.
With a flick of its tail, the donkey and rider materialized. Long Er bent its front legs, allowing Bai Shuo to slide down.
"That fool's locked inside. Go on."
The long corridor was bone-chillingly cold. Bai Shuo shivered involuntarily before turning to run deeper into the prison.
"Girl Bai, you only have half an incense stick's worth of time! Don't forget!" Long Er's voice echoed behind her.
The dim, flickering lantern light revealed emaciated figures in the cells—some with broken limbs, others in wretched states that made Bai Shuo's stomach turn. She quickened her pace until she suddenly froze before one particular cell.
It was the only one in the entire prison with its gates wide open.
Inside, Chong Zhao lay unconscious on a straw mat, covered in blood, his hair disheveled and matted. In just half a month, the once-glamorous young master of the prime minister's residence had been tortured beyond recognition.
"A-Zhao!" Bai Shuo had never seen him like this. She cried out in shock, rushing into the cell and lifting him from the ground. "A-Zhao! What happened to you?"
Chong Zhao slowly opened his eyes. His bloodstained pupils vaguely reflected Bai Shuo's face. He gave a tragic smile and coughed up blood. "I'm dreaming again... Only in dreams can I see you, A-Shuo."
"A-Zhao, it's me! I'm A-Shuo! Don't scare me like this!" Bai Shuo's voice trembled, her heart clenching painfully in her chest.
Delirious with fever, Chong Zhao couldn't recognize anyone. He truly believed himself trapped in another dream.
"It's good... you didn't marry me. A-Shuo, you... you must live well..." Chong Zhao coughed violently, vomiting blood that stained Bai Shuo's snow-white robes crimson. She could do nothing to help him.
Suddenly, as if possessed by demons, Chong Zhao shoved Bai Shuo away. He pounded the ground with his fists, glaring toward the distant imperial palace. "No! My father is innocent! He served the nation and its people his whole life—he would never rebel!"
"A-Zhao..."
"You've wronged him! Wronged him! I won't confess! Never!"
With a roar, Chong Zhao slammed his head against the wall and collapsed unconscious, blood streaming down his face in rivulets.
"A-Zhao!" Bai Shuo caught him but couldn't rouse him again. Holding the boy she'd grown up with, she wept helplessly in the depths of the celestial prison, her entire body trembling.
"Time's up. We must leave!" Long Er's voice rang in her ears. Before Bai Shuo could react, an invisible force swept her out of the cell.
In an instant, she was outside the prison. Long Er bent its legs, and as soon as Bai Shuo landed on its back, the creature bolted toward the prime minister's residence.
Clutching the donkey's neck tightly, Bai Shuo forgot—for the first time in her life—all about her pursuit of immortality. Her mind was filled only with Chong Zhao's bloodied, frenzied face.
Long Er landed nimbly outside the ancestral hall of the general's residence. The concealing glow hadn't yet faded, rendering them invisible to the guards stationed nearby. Just as Long Er was about to leap into the hall, a voice sounded from the garden.
"My lord, what's done is done. No amount of self-blame can save the Chong family now."
Mother? Bai Shuo yanked Long Er's ears and jumped off its back.
Fearing discovery, Long Er flicked its tail to extend the concealment spell over Bai Shuo.
Not far from the ancestral hall, beneath an old peach tree in the garden, Bai Xun stood with exhaustion written across every line of his face. Lady Bai stood behind him, her eyes brimming with tears and worry.
"There are three jars of wine buried under this tree. Chong Zhao and I personally buried them when A-Shuo and A-Xi were born. We agreed to open them when the children got married..." Bai Xun sighed, his voice hoarse with grief. "How could he be so foolish! Dragging the entire family into ruin! Chong Zhao is a kind-hearted boy. If not for Shuo'er, why would he have gone to such lengths..."
Hidden in the shadows, Bai Shuo's heart trembled. She unconsciously moved closer to the two figures beneath the tree.
"Husband!" Lady Bai's voice sharpened as she tugged at the general's sleeve. "No! We absolutely cannot let Shuo'er know about this!"
Lady Bai had always been gentle and meek, never so resolute before.
Know what? What were her parents hiding from her? Bai Shuo's heart turned to ice, her hands trembling against the cold stone wall.
"Shuo'er and Chong Zhao grew up together, closer than siblings. Chong Zhao was utterly devoted to her." Lady Bai's voice broke. "If Shuo'er finds out it was because she broke off the engagement that Chong Zhao privately mobilized the Prime Minister's troops in Weicheng to search for her—leading His Majesty to discover the Chong family's secret army and execute the entire household—she'll never be able to bear it."
Lady Bai couldn't hold back her sobs any longer. "Husband, we mustn't let Shuo'er know. Otherwise, what will become of her in the future..."
Bai Xun embraced his wife, letting out a long sigh filled with helplessness.
Outside the garden, Bai Shuo's face was deathly pale, her entire body shaking. The image of Chong Zhao—covered in blood and driven to madness—flashed repeatedly before her eyes. If not for the wall supporting her, she would have collapsed long ago.
A flash of light streaked past as Long Er hooked Bai Shuo with its tail and dragged her back toward the ancestral hall.
With a thud, the donkey's tail flicked, and Bai Shuo, unable to steady herself, fell to the floor inside the hall. Her eyes were vacant, her face terrifyingly pale.
"Hey! Little Bai?" Long Er's voice suddenly turned crisp and childlike before he caught himself and coughed, reverting to his usual gruff tone. "Bai girl?"
Bai Shuo remained seated on the ground, dazed and unresponsive.
Long Er glanced anxiously out the window. If he didn't awaken his Soul Power soon, that damned ice block would find him, and he'd be turned into a literal piece of wood for eternity.
Growing impatient, Long Er snorted and raised a hoof, ready to jolt Bai Shuo awake by force—only for her to suddenly look up.
"Help me save him, and I'll give you my life."
Long Er froze, his eyes widening in shock before shifting to guilt.
Damn it! She figured it out? How?
"Bai girl, what nonsense are you talking about? I just need a vial of your blood... What's this about your life..."
"If all you wanted was a vial of my blood, why take so many risks? You could've knocked me out and taken it while I slept." Bai Shuo's voice was soft but steady. "The Yao Race is known for being capricious and vengeful. After how I tricked you at Mu Xiao Mountain, you still played along with me, going through all this trouble. I've been wondering—why?"
She met the donkey's eyes directly. "I once read that unlike immortals, the Yao Race's most common cultivation method involves taking human essence or blood—but there are rules. I think... for my blood to be useful to you, I must willingly offer it. Am I right?"
Both immortals and demons could take human essence or blood to aid their cultivation. But if taken by force, against the victim's will, they would fall to the path of evil—just like the nine-headed serpent Tian Qi had slain in the imperial mausoleum.
Long Er dreamed of awakening his Soul Power, but he could only do so if Bai Shuo willingly offered her blood. Otherwise, he would forever be reduced to a demonic entity that cultivated by draining the life force of living beings—a fate worse than death.
Long Er stared at Bai Shuo oddly for a long moment before finally asking, "Little Bai, are you really just a mortal?"
"Absolutely genuine."
"How can a mere mortal know so much?"
Bai Shuo suddenly sighed. She walked to the window and gazed at the moon hanging high in the night sky. No one knew what thoughts filled her mind as she stared at that cold, distant light.
"My greatest wish in this life is to become an immortal. Since I was eight years old, I've read every book on gods and ghosts in this world. I know those books were written to deceive people, but since they've been passed down through generations, there must be some truth in them. Everything I know comes from those books."
Bai Shuo wasn't lying. Over the years, Chong Zhao had spent fortunes collecting strange tales from across the land for her. Many were indeed written by Daoist cultivators. While the contents seemed absurd to others, Bai Shuo knew many of the accounts might not be false.
"What's so great about being an immortal?" Long Er scoffed. "All those pretentious rules and fake morals—nothing beats the freedom of being a demon!"
"It doesn't matter anymore." Whether it was regret or resignation in Bai Shuo's eyes was unclear as she turned back. "There's no time left. As long as you help me rescue A-Zhao, I'll willingly offer you my blood—a life for a life."
The lie had been exposed. If Bai Shuo refused to offer her blood, Long Er truly had no other options. If he couldn't awaken his Soul Power, Fan Yue would eventually find him. Rather than becoming a lifeless piece of wood forever, he might as well gamble everything on this!
In a flash of light, the donkey disappeared. In its place stood a green-robed youth—though "youth" was generous. He was really just a half-grown child with a simple wooden hairpin holding back his hair. His patched green robe hung on him like a sack, but his dark eyes sparkled with mischief and vitality.
"Fine, I'll help you save that fool," the boy said in his unbroken, childish voice. "But you have to keep your word—no tricks!"
Long Er extended his small hand to Bai Shuo. Looking at the child before her, she clasped his palm firmly.
"Deal."
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