Before dawn, Lan Yin was already awake. The exhaustion from three days and nights weighed heavily on him, forcing him to travel on foot, step after step, toward his destination—Mo Yu’s due date was near.
Lan Yin crossed mountains and rivers, traveling day and night. Finally, on the seventh morning, he arrived at Xiaocang Mountain. The environment was pleasant, but the place was sparsely populated. Today, Yuan Mei, the learned scholar, was destined to die.
After wandering the local village, Lan Yin learned that Yuan Mei had been a high-ranking court official in his youth. After turning fifty, he retired and withdrew from public life, settling at Xiaocang Mountain for a secluded life. He would teach nearby children to read, but now, at eighty-two, he had been bedridden for days, unable to get up.
Lan Yin found Yuan Mei’s residence—a simple bamboo house. Many people who seemed to be disciples surrounded it. According to their conversations, Yuan Mei was dying. Lan Yin scanned the area and used white silk to climb the cliff behind the bamboo house, watching the second floor where the old man lay on the bed, tended by someone. His fate was nearly sealed.
"Are those Underworld Denizens?"
Lan Yin suddenly uttered a quiet, startled exclamation, but I saw no one who looked like an Underworld Denizen. Lan Yin’s gaze stayed fixed on the front of the bamboo house, among the waiting disciples.
I looked over. The oldest was about forty, the youngest only ten. They guarded the bamboo house, never leaving their posts.
Just then, I noticed among the disciples a man who looked nearly forty, dressed in a black scholar’s robe. While the others wore braids, his hair hung loosely over his shoulders. His sharp eyes were fixed on the bamboo house.
After much investigation, Lan Yin was certain: the Awakening Water would begin to leak out the moment this learned man died. He only needed to use his Soul-Calling Gourd to collect the emerging essence, slowly accumulating it until it became Awakening Water.
But now, with Underworld Denizens present, Lan Yin decided to act first. The moment Yuan Mei breathed his last, he would seize the body.
Although Lan Yin had already collected all the souls, he could sense Yuan Mei’s time of death as soon as he got close. Yuan Mei would breathe his last near dusk.
But for now, Lan Yin did nothing. He knew that there was a high chance he’d be discovered by the Underworld Denizens. He hadn’t noticed their presence until he climbed up the cliff.
When mealtime arrived, the disciples in front of the bamboo house dispersed. The sharp-eyed man also stood up and began walking step by step toward the bamboo house.
"Friend up there, come down."
The man spoke, and Lan Yin looked at him in surprise. At this moment, Lan Yin was covered by white silk—normally, no one could see him.
Lan Yin gripped the white silk as he descended, his fists clenched, his posture wary as he watched the man.
"Are you a newcomer to the Hades Circle? You look weak, but in fact, you’re quite strong."
The man introduced himself. His name was Wang Ming, and he had become Yuan Mei’s disciple when Yuan Mei first entered the imperial court, following him ever since.
Wang Ming seemed to know nothing about Lan Yin’s affairs.
"Why have you come here? Is it for the Awakening Water?"