Appear

“Chu Liang, something’s happened…” The one who burst in was Lin Bei.

He rushed in, panic written all over his face, then paused as he surveyed the room: “Instructor Song is here too, huh? Quite the lively gathering.”

Standing, lying down—there were enough people to fill a mahjong table.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Li Jue?” Chu Liang asked.

“Li Jue is missing!” Lin Bei said urgently.

“Hmm?”

“I was keeping watch outside, and it was strangely quiet inside for a long time. I knocked, and when I checked, the window was open—Li Jue had vanished, no idea where he went!” Lin Bei continued, “So I hurried over to find you.”

“You didn’t hear anything unusual?” Chu Liang asked.

“No,” Lin Bei shook his head. “Not a trace of abnormal energy or sound. I suspect he slipped away on his own, but I don’t understand why he’d do it.”

“He might be hiding something from us. Li Jue could also be one of Si Tu Yan’s targets…” Chu Liang’s mind raced as he frowned in thought. “He’s gone… What should we do?”

“I… I can try,” Song Qingyi suddenly spoke.

“You have a way to find Li Jue?” Both Lin Bei and Chu Liang turned to her.

“Yes.” Song Qingyi nodded softly, then raised her hand and produced a half-sheet of old golden paper. It was blank, but spiritual energy flowed across its surface.

Her right hand shaped itself into a brush, and she traced lightly over the paper. At once, vermillion-red brilliance glimmered beneath her finger, forming characters.

Li… Jue…

After finishing the name, Song Qingyi tossed the half-sheet skyward. It spun three times in the air, then, as if finding direction, dropped a clear beam of light and flew out the window.

“Follow it,” Song Qingyi said, pursuing the guiding light, leaping out the window with the half-sheet.

“Someone needs to stay and watch him,” Chu Liang pointed at Yan Xiaohu.

“I’ll do it,” Lin Bei volunteered this time.

Chu Liang nodded, then followed Song Qingyi, leaping out as well.

Only Yan Xiaohu and Lin Bei were left, staring at each other.

After a brief silence, Yan Xiaohu asked timidly, “So… what should we do now?”

Lin Bei thought for a moment. “Let’s order food first.”

“Huh?” Yan Xiaohu was momentarily stunned.

Lin Bei sat boldly in a chair. “Then we’ll wake them up, and we’ll keep playing music and dancing!”

“Is that really okay?” Yan Xiaohu scratched his head. “I’m still in danger, aren’t I?”

“With me watching over you, you have nothing to worry about.” Lin Bei patted his shoulder. “Although the last person I watched just got into trouble… But that was a pure accident, and I hope I can succeed at least once…”

…

Let’s turn to the other side.

Chu Liang followed Song Qingyi and the half-sheet of golden paper, riding the wind out of the city. Along the way, he remarked, “Instructor Song, your magical artifact is so convenient. As long as a name is known, is there anyone in the world it can’t find?”

“It’s not that powerful. My cultivation is limited; I can only track within the area around Yan Jiao City,” Song Qingyi replied.

“That’s still impressive,” Chu Liang said.

Song Qingyi added, “This half-page golden book is a protective treasure my master gave me for this trip. It has many wondrous uses, but I haven’t fully mastered it yet.”

Chu Liang fell silent for a moment.

Her master is so kind… Wait, why am I feeling sad?

But he knew this wasn’t just about Lady Phoenix. In Mount Shu, unless you were extraordinarily talented or had rendered great service, it was rare for a disciple to be gifted a magical treasure by their master. Even after leaving the impoverished Silver Sword Peak, this remained true.

Yet, in other immortal sects, such gifts were common.

It all boiled down to differences in sect philosophies.

Especially among the Three Teachings, the scholars of the Confucian Sect differed somewhat from the other two. Besides cultivating supernatural abilities, the Confucian Sect placed greater emphasis on learning and virtue—particularly so in the Hall of Gentlemen.

With her cultivation, Song Qingyi would not be so valued in other sects, but at the Hall of Gentlemen, she could earn the respect of her elders through excellence in learning and virtue.

The half-page golden book did not fly quickly. After some time, they arrived at a familiar place.

The academy’s rear mountain, beside the small lake.

“Li Jue is here.”

“Don’t rush. Let’s watch and see,” Chu Liang said.

After confirming the location from afar, Song Qingyi put away her treasure, and the night returned to silence. The two approached slowly and soon saw a slender figure by the lake.

“Why…”

The figure was muttering to the water, his form and voice unmistakably Li Jue.

“Why did you kill so many people…” Li Jue’s voice was filled with pain.

“I was the one who caused your death. Why don’t you just come for me? Why keep killing others…”

“Hmm?” Chu Liang’s eyes brightened as he observed from the shadows.

As expected.

Li Jue was hiding something.

“The day you tied me up and wanted to scar my face, I was terrified. I struggled desperately… and accidentally pushed you into the lake. I was so shocked and scared that I ran straight home without thinking of anything else.”

“It was only much later that I wondered if you might be in danger after falling into the water… But when I rushed back to check on you, I heard someone had drowned in the lake…”

“I didn’t mean to… But it was truly my fault.”

“All these days, I’ve been so afraid, always running away… But now, I don’t want to run anymore…”

“Si Tu Yan, if you’ve really become a ghost, come find me. Stop killing others.”

…

His voice, broken and wavering, drifted on the wind to Chu Liang and Song Qingyi’s ears.

So it was Li Jue who directly caused Si Tu Yan’s drowning—not Si Tu Yan taking her own life. No wonder Li Jue was so fearful. He had been tormented by guilt for accidental killing and dread of vengeance, suffering unimaginable psychological torment.

Tonight must have been when he finally couldn’t bear it and came here.

He spoke alone for a long time, but nothing strange happened.

Li Jue looked around, “Are you not here, or do you not want to show yourself? Fine… then I’ll go down and atone myself…”

He murmured a few words, then rose and walked toward the lake.

It looked as if he was about to end his own life!

“Li…” Song Qingyi started to move to stop him, but Chu Liang grabbed her arm.

“Wait a bit longer,” Chu Liang whispered.

Li Jue reached the shore, hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and leapt in!

Just as Song Qingyi was about to intervene, suddenly, a fierce, chilling wind whipped up! The gusts howled as if stirring waves from nowhere, icy cold and sweeping from all directions, pushing Li Jue back to the shore mid-jump.

He fell heavily to the ground, but quickly scrambled up. “Si Tu Yan—is that you?”

The raging wind gathered at one spot before him, forming a human shape, then dissipated.

A ghostly figure remained.

It was a woman in scholar’s robes, half her face marked by dense scars. There could be no other—it was the infamous Si Tu Yan.

Li Jue, seeing the ghost he’d feared so long, seemed almost relieved. “You finally came to see me.”

Chu Liang and Song Qingyi braced themselves.

Such thick, sinister energy—this was no ordinary vengeful spirit. The solid form spoke volumes. Though they didn’t know what had happened to give her such power…

One thing was certain.

Si Tu Yan was the Painted-Skin Ghost!