For the first time in her life, Gu Qiqi pyed the role of a stalker. The target: Professor Xiao.

  In the week after visiting his home, she still spent her evenings with Ah Sheng, sitting in the goldfish shop, chatting and waiting for the various customers who came to buy goldfish. During the day, she gave up all her own time, quietly hiding near Professor Xiao's house. As soon as he left for school, she would follow him.

  She had initially pnned to sneak into his house to investigate, but thinking about A Sheng being at home, she didn't dare to make a move. Though his eyes were bad, the way his gaze would occasionally peek through the sungsses made her feel like he could see everything in the world, including her hidden presence. This was probably what they called feeling guilty.

  For several days in a row, there was nothing unusual about Professor Xiao. He would leave home, take the bus to school, attend csses, and work. Until the weekend, when he was packing his books after work, he received a phone call. His face immediately changed, and he rushed out of the office without even picking up his briefcase.

  From Gu Qiqi′s observations, Professor Xiao was a complete homebody, and his phone seemed more like a decoration; rarely did anyone call him. It was also uncommon to see him, usually so composed, polite, and humble, running out in such a flustered manner.

  She followed him to a quiet café. Inside, a middle-aged man wearing gsses, slightly plump, and dressed in an expensive branded shirt was waiting for him. Gu Qiqi followed him inside.

  The two men talking could never imagine that, in the midst of their private conversation, there stood an invisible Gu Qiqi.

  "Old Xiao, what are you still hesitating for? Don't you understand what that child means to you? No, to all of humanity?" The man with gsses leaned forward, his expression full of urgency.

  "I... of course I know, but I..." Professor Xiao couldn't bring himself to look at him, still unsure. "Old cssmate, you know that the child sees me as a father."

  "Ever since you told me that the child's wounds heal on their own, I knew that the opportunity for us has come." The man with gsses grabbed Professor Xiao's wrist, his eyes gleaming with a different kind of light. "Don't let emotions cloud your judgment. Think about it: not only can he heal his wounds, but he can also drink porridge ced with cyanide and remain unharmed. And you said he can even communicate with non-human species. Old Xiao, this child is a miracle in human history! If we hand him over to the experts in our research team, it will surely bring a miraculous contribution to human development."

  "But..." Professor Xiao was still hesitating.

  "Stop hesitating! Do you really want to live your entire life as a nameless, insignificant professor at a third-rate university?" The man with gsses seemed to be angry, speaking in a tone filled with disappointment. "Look at our cssmates from back then—either they’re rich, calling the shots in the business world, or they’ve gained fame and fortune, becoming academic giants. And now look at you, Old Xiao. Back then, you were the css president, the most talented and capable one. But now you're the most down and out of us all. I don′t believe you don′t want to change all of this! Ah, Sheng is your chance—the only chance."

  Professor Xiao's hand trembled as he held the coffee cup, cold sweat starting to bead in his palm.

  "I've already spoken to the research team about Ah Sheng. Once you give the go-ahead, we’ll take him right away." The man with gsses pressed relentlessly, almost not giving him a moment to breathe. "Old Xiao, we're doing this for the service of humanity. Don′t let emotions cloud your judgment. Think about the glory of standing on the Nobel stage. You′ll realize that everything we do today is worth it."

  Gu Qiqi felt a chill run down her spine. The research group, the research subject—Ah Sheng was a living human being. Although he was indeed a little strange, he wasn′t a Guinea pig. How could they just hand him over for research like that? Furthermore, this gsses-wearing fat man didn′t seem like an honest gentleman. The pungent smell of money lingered around him, impossible to ignore.

  She hoped that Professor Xiao would firmly refuse. Ah Sheng′s careful attention to him was something even an outsider like her could feel. How much more for him? Moreover, she always believed that Professor Xiao wasn′t a bad person. He should care for Ah Sheng as much as Ah Sheng cared for him. "Alright..." Professor Xiao finally nodded. "The day after tomorrow. I will bring him to meet you. But I have a condition. I must be present throughout the entire research process."

  "No problem!" The gsses-wearing man let out a sigh of relief, ughing as he patted his thin shoulder. At that moment, Gu Qiqi began to understand why everyone had repeatedly warned her not to trust any creature living inside a human skin. It was too te now, but she felt cold.

  After leaving the coffee shop, Professor Xiao didn’t head directly home. He wandered outside until te at night before making his way back.

  Gu Qi Qi followed him the whole time, repeatedly wanting to reveal her true intentions in front of the man and then grab his shoulder to ask, "Are you really going to hand Ah Sheng over to those mysterious people? Do you really see him only as a research subject?"

  Outside the neighborhood, in front of the square, Ah Sheng stood alone, gazing into the distance. The moonlight fell on him, casting a solitary shadow on the ground.

  "What are you doing here?" Professor Xiao walked up quickly, pretending to be calm as he asked.

  "I saw you hadn′t returned so te, and when I called, you didn′t answer. I was a little worried, so I decided to come out and look for you," Ah Sheng scratched his head.

  "Oh..." Professor Xiao gave an awkward smile. "Your eyes aren′t that good, and the streetlights are out here. Don't wander out like this in the middle of the night. I'm fine, just a bit busy at school today. Let′s go, let′s head home."

  Just as the two were about to take a step, three figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the square.

  In the moonlight, Gu Qiqi recognized them as a few unruly thugs from the neighboring street. Three gleaming daggers waved in the hands of the thugs, one of which was pointed directly at Professor Xiao′s nose.

  Their goal, of course, was simple—money. The frightened Professor Xiao rummaged through his pockets and only found twenty-seven dolrs and eighty cents.

  One of the thugs grabbed the money and punched Professor Xiao in the face, cursing, "Damn it, is this all you've got?! You're a grown man, and this is all the money you have? How shameful!"

  Professor Xiao stumbled and fell to the ground, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He stammered, "I'm sorry... truly sorry..."

  Thug two kicked him in the chest, cursing, "What's the use of an apology? Do you have a bank card? Give it to me! What's the password?"

  "I... I..." Professor Xiao shook his head. His response was met with another round of punches and kicks.

  A cold, emotionless voice came from behind. "Stop hitting him. I have money; follow me." With that, Ah Sheng raised his hand, taking off his sungsses.

  Just as Gu Qiqi was about to step forward to help, a sudden chill swept past her, and a cold, hard hand unexpectedly covered her mouth. Before she could even reveal herself, the hand grabbed her with inhuman strength and swiftly dragged her away from the scene.

  "Are you out of your mind?" Gu Wuming angrily shoved his sister to the ground, pointing at her nose and scolding, "Do you want to die that badly? How could you be hanging around with that guy? Do you even know what he's really about?"

  Gu Qiqi remained silent, not speaking. She had never seen Gu Wuming so angry at her.

  "You... I just leave for a little while, and you run away from home and get involved with this kind of person." Gu Wuming was almost ready to hit her.

  "He's—he's not a bad person!" Gu Qiqi finally spoke, softly rebutting.

  "You're talking nonsense!" Gu Wuming immediately grabbed his sister by the shoulders, yanking her up from the floor, his voice harsh. "Do you even know who that A Sheng really is? He's an evil spirit locked in the underworld, a soul stone raised on Medusa′s blood! How could you?"

  "Soul Stone?" Gu Qiqi felt a bit dizzy, stammering, "What... what is a soul stone?"

  "Back in the era of the gods' war, there was an evil yaokai in Greece called Medusa—you know, the one with the face of a beautiful woman but hair made of snakes. Any creature that looked into her eyes would instantly turn to stone. Later, when Medusa's head was cut off, her blood spilled onto a pure white boulder. Over thousands of years, the stone gained a soul, took human form, and inherited Medusa's sinister powers. It began to wander the world, causing the deaths of countless innocent lives. People called it the `Soul Stone.'

  A thousand years ago, this creature wandered into China and was subdued by the ghost king Zhong Kui. He forced it back into its original form and sent it to the underworld, sealing it by the banks of the River Styx, never to step into the human world again.

  (T/N: The River Styx is a concept from ancient Greek mythology. It is a mythical river that forms the boundary between the world of the living and the Underworld (Hades). The name "Styx" means "hate" or "abhorrence," and the river is often associated with solemn oaths, as the gods themselves were said to swear upon it, making any vow unbreakable. In literary and cultural symbolism, the Styx often represents the transition between life and death or a pce of irrevocable decisions.)

  The atmosphere grew more intense as Gu Wuming spoke, 'But who would have thought that not long ago, the underworld guard responsible for watching over the Soul Stone got drunk and neglected his duties? On top of that, the binding talisman Zhong Kui had pced on the stone had weakened over time. The careless guard accidentally knocked the talisman off, allowing the evil spirit to escape the underworld. It transformed into a yaokai and take human form, hiding among mortals, waiting for fools like you to stumble upon it so it can turn you into stone!'"

  "Three days ago, I arrived at the River of Forgetfulness. The first thing I did was to thoroughly investigate the people around you. You know, with my skills, there's no information I can't uncover. And sure enough, I discovered that the boy selling goldfish is actually a ruthless yaokai who kills without a second thought."

  "Who... told you that?" Gu Qiqi's tone didn't carry the fear one might expect after hearing the "truth." Instead, it was full of doubt toward her brother.

  Gu Wuming let out a heavy sigh. "Qiqi, I must eliminate any danger that could threaten my only family. The underworld is already searching for him, and I believe that in no more than two days, this yaokai will face the punishment he deserves."

  Gu Qiqi fell silent, lowering her head like a stone shrouded by Medusa's gaze. Gu Wuming thought his sister was scared or regretting her recklessness. He patted her head, then retrieved the Narcissus Mirror from her backpack, setting it upright on the ground. Taking out paper and a pen, he asked, "What did he say his English name was?"

  "Live," Gu Qiqi answered.

  Gu Wuming swiftly wrote the word down on the paper: "Come here and take a look. Look into the mirror."

  Gu Qiqi slowly walked over and gnced at the mirror. The word "live" was reflected on the paper, but in the mirror, it unmistakably appeared as—Evil. Evil, the Yaokai.

  "You see? Even when it comes to choosing a name, this guy loves pying tricks like this," Gu Wuming said, crumpling the paper into a ball. "Clearly a yaokai that brings death and destruction, yet he deliberately picks a name brimming with vitality. It's truly ironic."

  "Brother, Professor Xiao is about to sell him out to the research team." Gu Qiqi suddenly blurted out something completely unreted, as if she had entirely forgotten the shocking revetions from earlier. She grabbed Gu Wuming's hand. "I... I can't let Professor Xiao hand Ah Sheng over!"

  With that, she turned and tried to run.

  "Are you out of your mind?" Gu Wuming forcefully yanked her back. "Who cares about this Professor Xiao or whatever? Whether it's him or the people from the underworld, that's their business—it has nothing to do with you! If you dare to have any more contact with that yaokai, I'll break your legs!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Wuming suddenly drew a chain of faintly glowing bck light from the void. With a sharp cw, he locked it around his sister's right wrist, securing the other end to his own wrist. Furiously, he said, "You're not going anywhere! Tomorrow morning, we're leaving the River of Forgetfulness. For now, go to bed!"

  "Brother! You!" Gu Qiqi tugged at the chain on her wrist with all her strength, crying out, "Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to sleep; I want to find Ah Sheng! He's not what you say he is; he's not!"

  Gu Wuming completely ignored her. He y down on the sofa, pressed a pillow over his head, turned his back to her, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

  Exhausted from struggling, Gu Qiqi slumped against the window, gazing at the hazy night outside. Ah Sheng's face seemed to flicker faintly in the darkness—his sarcastic remarks, the strange boy who sold goldfish. Their lighthearted conversations under the moonlit nights repyed in her mind, along with the ughter they had shared, echoing like tides rushing back and forth in her heart.

  She suddenly stopped all her attempts to pull at the chain.