Just as Changming slashed out with her sword, Fengxing teleported behind her and struck out with a palm.
Though Changming caught the blow, she was forced several steps back.
Fengxing seized the chance to slip out of the Yun residence.
Changming chased after him, but in the end, he still vanished into the crowd.
Clouds furled and unfurled; spring was lush and vibrant.
For several days in a row, the Yun residence was exceptionally quiet.
Using the little money Yun Yichu had saved up, together with the small amount Lanfang had given him,
he set up the mourning hall anew.
The coffins of Yun Ruosheng and Yun Hua were also moved out of the ancestral hall.
At night, Changming thought of the Liuzi Copper Coin she had seen within the remnants of Yun Hua’s consciousness.
To be precise, it was an artifact spirit.
He had fair, clean features, a small and delicate body, and a golden peony huadian on his forehead.
Judging from these alone, he should have been a young boy.
But if he truly was the Liuzi Copper Coin, then his age ought to be several cycles older than her own.
After thinking it over, Changming ultimately decided to investigate Yun Hua’s corpse again.
Last time, she had borrowed an object to probe into it, but in the end, there had been a spell between them; some discrepancies were inevitable.
She had just stepped out of the side room and had not gone far when she heard a “bang”!
From the sound alone, it should have been a flowerpot.
The wind was strong at night; it was only reasonable for one or two to be blown down.
But after taking a few more steps, she realized something.
This was not the pawnshop. How could a flowerpot be suspended high up in the air?
And where could such a strong wind have come from here?
Sensing that something was wrong, she quietly followed the sound.
Only to see an unbelievable scene.
On the lattice window illuminated by candlelight, there were two shadows, one man and one woman, like shadow puppets.
The man had chained himself to the bed.
The woman was struggling to undo the chains on him.
The moment the chains were undone, the man was like a ferocious beast released from its cage.
He punched and kicked the woman, overturning every furnishing onto the floor.
There was also a pot of flowers on the ground, crushed to pieces underfoot. It must have been what had fallen just now and made that sound.
Before Changming could think further, the man picked up a chair and smashed it toward the woman.
“Ah!”
The woman groaned in pain, clutching her leg.
The man paused, then suddenly rammed his head into the wall.
Soon, blood streamed down his face.
Changming also recognized her. This woman was Chunlu, who had been taking care of her all along.
Without hesitation, she strode over and kicked the door open.
She knocked Yun Rong unconscious, then used white medicine to ease Chunlu’s pain.
“Why are you here?”
Changming touched Chunlu’s broken leg. “You two made too much noise. I really couldn’t help coming over.”
Chunlu gave a bitter smile. “Please don’t tell anyone about this, all right?”
Changming looked at Chunlu and said nothing.
The room was filled with the smell of burning hemp.
To prevent anyone else from being affected, Changming set up a barrier.
She did not understand why Chunlu wanted to conceal this for Yun Rong.
“I only came out for a stroll tonight. I didn’t see anything.”
After saying that, she rose and left.
After one night, all was calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
Rain fell quietly, dripping down along the dark tiles.
Changming sat by the window and brewed a pot of hot tea.
Her face was pale and bloodless.
At that moment, a maid knocked on the door.
“Miss Changming, please open the door. This servant has something to beg of you.”
Hearing her, Changming opened the door. It turned out to be the girl by Chunlu’s side.
“Miss Changming, our young lady has fallen gravely ill.”
“Please help us invite a physician. Give our young lady a way to live.”
Changming toyed with her teacup. “I am only a guest of the Yun residence. I cannot interfere in the affairs of the household.”
The maid’s eyes were red and swollen. “I don’t know why, but Miss suddenly broke one of her legs.”
“Her whole body is burning like a steamed bun.”
“Second Madam insists that she has been possessed by evil and refuses to let us invite a physician.”
“I had no other choice, which is why I came to beg you.”
Changming took a sip of tea.
Yun Ruosheng was so anxious that he drifted back and forth.
Summoning his courage, he tugged at Changming’s sleeve. “Chunlu is a good girl. Please help her.”
Changming glared at him.
Then she looked at the maid. “Where is Yun Yichu?”
The maid explained, “I went to beg the young master early this morning.”
“But recently, the young master has also fallen ill and cannot spare the time to deal with these trivial matters.”
Changming narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment. A few days ago, she had already given Chunlu a chance to choose.
But the other party had not accepted her kindness.
The maid knelt at Changming’s feet and kowtowed. “Please save my young lady.”
Changming was puzzled. “Why do you think I can definitely save her?”
The maid stared at the floor tiles. “The young master invited you here to drive out evil.”
“And you truly can keep the Eldest Master under control.”
“With your divine abilities, I believe you can definitely save Miss.”
Changming’s expression turned grave. She walked to the maid’s side and whispered by her ear.
“Do you know my identity?”
The maid froze for a moment, then shook her head.
Changming pressed a fingertip to the space between her brows, presenting the Artifact Spirit Pawnshop before her eyes.
“Do you understand now?”
“I am the owner of this pawnshop.”
“I specialize in transactions related to artifact spirits.”
The maid lowered her head and thought for a long while. “In other words, as long as I am willing to pay the price, you will save our young lady?”
Changming gave a soft laugh. “It seems you still don’t understand what I mean.”
“I only do business with artifact spirits. I only trade with things other than humans.”
The maid tightly gripped the corner of her clothes. “I grew up together with Miss.”
“Since childhood, I have been Miss’s servant.”
“You could also say I am Miss’s possession.”
“So I can be considered an object too, can’t I?”
Changming set down her teacup and smiled bitterly. “By the laws of the Heavenly Dao, all beings with spirits, once they enter the human realm, may not interfere with mortal fate.”
“Even if my abilities were greater, I could not save her. Do you understand?”
After hearing this, the maid’s tears kept falling. “Why? Why would you help the young master, but not save our young lady?”
Changming looked toward Yun Ruosheng in the corner with a complaining gaze.
“Does your Yun family specialize in producing stubborn fools?”
Yun Ruosheng answered with pleading eyes. “Help her.”
After thinking it over, Changming flung the tea from her cup into the rain.
The tea fell to the ground, yet not a single drop of rain touched it.
“It seems even the heavens want me to help you.”
“This, too, is a rare opportunity.”
The maid begged in a low voice, “Please save our young lady.”
Changming lightly curled her finger and drew her into the barrier.
“All who make a wish in the Artifact Spirit Pawnshop shall have their requests answered.”
“Only,”
“if you want to achieve your goal, you must pay an equal price.”
She leaned close to the maid’s ear. “Have you thought about what you will use in exchange?”
The maid bit her lip. “As long as it can save her, anything is fine.”
Changming looked at her with interest. “How curious. Has she shown you some great kindness? Why do you want to save her so much?”
The maid’s eyes shifted, as if recalling the past.
“My mother was a maid in the residence, and after I was born, I naturally became Miss’s maid as well.”
“I grew up with her.”
“She never once looked down on me because of our difference in status.”
“We kept each other company. You could say we were as close as sisters.”
“Now, the one I want to save is simply my elder sister.”
“Please help me.”
In the end, Changming agreed to her request. “I can help her, but are you willing to exchange one year of your lifespan for it?”
The maid nodded. “I am willing.”
The spiritual contract was formed.
From that moment on, one year was subtracted from the maid’s allotted lifespan.
Changming watched the maid’s figure in the rain, unable to draw back her gaze for a long time.
Yun Ruosheng asked, “Is there something strange about her?”
Changming shook her head. “Once, a demon asked me whether anyone would be willing to die for me.”
“I said that in this whole world, everyone weighs the pros and cons, and there could never be such a fool.”
“But today, I saw one.”
“Could this be what they call love?”