As I was about to leave, Zhong Xiaokui ran up to me, mischievously winking at me and saying, "Sha Luo Aunty, COOL!"

  "Hey, didn't I tell you to call me'sister' when there are others around, not 'aunt'?" I rolled my eyes at the little brat.

  "I won't do it again next time!" Zhong Xiaokui stuck out his tongue.

  "You!" I flicked his forehead with my finger, ughing, "You look a lot like your real aunt. In the future, you'll surely become someone as great as she is."

  "What? My real aunt? Great?" Zhong Xiaokui looked confused.

  "Because both of you have kind hearts. This is very important for the Zhong family." I smiled at him, not bothering with the confusion on his face, and turned to leave.

  Yes, I have a deep connection with the descendants of that old ghost, Zhong Kui. I know Zhong Xiaokui's parents, aunt, grandparents, and even his great-grandparents. However, to tell the full story of the Zhong family is another long legend, and I′m too tired today to remember it all. I′ll talk about them another time if the opportunity arises.

  I walked quickly, but Gu Wuming caught up and grabbed my arm, not letting go.

  "You're leaving just like this? What about my sister and the others?" he asked.

  "They′re on Yingyue Mountain, inside my seal. They′ll be safe," I shrugged off his hand, the cold touch of his bones not something I liked. "And you really know how to call for reinforcements. Your sister and the others are stuck on the mountain, and instead of seeking anyone else, you come to me, forcing me to"

  "I've heard of it, and the only person I could find in the shortest time who is capable of helping us is you," Gu Wuming said, a bit nervous. "Luckily, I heard about the work you did for the Water God, stabilizing the Duan Lake. Do you know, your one breath of true energy and a single strand of hair, and that ke hasn′t had a flood since?"

  "Alright, alright, no need to bring up those old stories," I interrupted him impatiently.

  "Fine, fine," he said. "But although your seal stopped the people from the underworld, isn′t this essentially imprisoning them? Swapping freedom for safety... that doesn′t seem right, does it?" He quickly blocked my way as I was about to leave.

  I stopped and looked up at him mockingly. "Now you realize the importance of freedom?"

  "I've always known!" he replied.

  "No, you don't," I said bluntly. "True freedom doesn't mean how much space you have to move, but how much of your feelings can be understood. A person who isn't understood, even in the vast universe, feels confined, but someone who is understood, even in a tiny pce, feels like they have an entire ocean in their heart."

  Gu Wuming remained silent, and I could tell he was confused.

  "Forget it; you big fool won't understand," I shook my head. "Anyway, your sister and Ah Sheng are fine now. I know you care about your sister, but stop trying to control her life. Just go and do what you need to do. And by the way, don't come to my shop unannounced; I'm afraid you'll scare my customers!"

  "But that bet wasn't really fair; that stone isn't even human!" He called out behind me, sounding dejected.

  "Actually, whether something is human or not isn't about the surface; it's about here," I pointed to my heart, and after saying that, I summoned a cloud and quickly flew towards the city. I hadn't been in the shop all day, and I was curious what trouble Pang Zi and Shou Zi might have caused while I was gone.

  I thought to myself, Once Ah Sheng's injuries have healed, I'll open the barrier and let him and Gu Qiqi decide where to go on their own. Or, should I keep them in the barrier for a little longer until I've had a chance to discuss Ah Sheng's fate with the King of Hell?

  Or perhaps there's a way to break the power of Ah Sheng's eyes? It should be possible, right? Just because he wanted to see someone he liked with one gnce and ended up killing them shouldn't be a fate that exists in this harmonious world.

  Anyway, no matter what, today I once again meddled in someone else's affairs. In this scorching heat, instead of staying in the shop to eat watermelon, I spent the entire day running around, wasting a breath of true energy—such a losing deal. I definitely need to reflect on this when I get back.

  The moon was much brighter than before, hanging perfectly and close to me. I leisurely glided through the sky, with Yingyue Mountain growing farther behind. Tonight, this mountain should belong to two other people—not two, but rather a girl with a skeleton-like frame and a boy made of stone with a human body. Maybe they can never truly meet, but does that really matter?

  Hmm, this summer night isn′t so bad after all.