Si Shen raised a brow as he eyed the broken bracelet in his hands, the very same bracelet that he had given to Xue Ziqi recently. Although it was an old broken item, Si Shen had kept it with him all this time. Whenever he had time, he would bring it out, polish the beads, and burn the ends of the thread to seal them. He would bring it out from time to time just to stare at it, polishing the beads with a cloth until they gleamed faintly in the lantern light, and burning the thread's ends to prevent further unraveling. Each time, he would linger over it, lost in memories of days long passed, as if the bracelet itself held fragments of his past.
Si Shen's gaze flicked from the bracelet to Xue RenJie's impassive face, unusually cold and unreadable. Strange, he used to be able to read him so well before. He met Xue RenJie's eyes, faking ignorance, and asked innocently. "What is this?"
"A junior member of my clan handed this to me recently and reported to me what had happened during her mission. She mentioned meeting a man who subdued a spirit and this bracelet" he lifts it between two fingers, "was the cause of corruption."
"The man was wearing black and fought with an umbrella." Xue RenJie's sharp gaze flicked to the silvered tip of the umbrella in Si Shen's hand.
Si Shen's lips curled into a lazy smile, though it didn't reach his eyes, "many people fight with umbrellas."
Xue RenJie's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not press the matter. Instead, he continued his narration. "If what the man claimed is to be true, the entire cultivation world will seek to claim it. This bracelet, with its cursed spirit, holds power far beyond what any one sect should possess. Those who covet it will stop at nothing."
Si Shen's gaze flicked up as he processed what the man was implying.
"So, the cultivation world will 'not rest,' as you say? You make it sound as though they were a bunch of power-hungry beasts who would attempt to raise an army of the dead. Aren't cultivators supposed to be morally upright and all that?"
Xue RenJie snorted humorlessly, "As if you believe that nonsense."
Si Shen's heart clenched. The casual disdain in Xue RenJie's tone was jarring, so foreign it almost stunned him. The Xue RenJie he remembered had been so full of innocence. A child, eyes wide with wonder and trust, who followed him everywhere, clinging to his sleeves, calling him Gege as if he were the center of the universe. How many times had Si Shen stood between him and the wolves, offering only a smile as a shield against the cruel world?
But that same innocence had long since been worn away. In its place was something colder, harder.
Now, the crying child had even learned the art of sarcasm. Si Shen couldn't decide how he felt about this growth, especially now that he was the one at the receiving end of it.
Xue RenJie, oblivious to Si Shen's internal struggle, continued his narration, voice steady. "Since it was an artifact, the function should not change even if it is broken. I experimented with it and did not get the expected results. So, I am here to seek out the person who gave my junior clan member this fake bracelet and negotiate about the real bracelet."
The air in the room shifted, heavy and taut. The words hung between them, unspoken tension crackling.
Si Shen's eyes narrowed, his aura shifting with subtle menace. The temperature dropped a few degrees, and the faintest hint of divine pressure seeped into the room, enough to send a chill down the spine. "What makes you think, you, a mere mortal, are in any position to negotiate with a God?"
"What I do with the bracelet has nothing to do with you humans. As you said, the cultivation world will come after it. Isn't it safer in my hands than in yours?"
Xue RenJie nodded, "I agree and I would like to keep it that way."
Si Shen frowned, "then what is it that you are negotiating?"
"I want to offer an exchange of information. I want to know the findings of this artifact as well as offer any information obtained from the human realm. I want to-" Xue RenJie took a steadying breath before he continued, "I want to form a partnership. I want in."
Si Shen raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Information? From the illegitimate child of the Xue Clan?"
At the mention of Xue RenJie's lineage, the young man's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with something darker. Si Shen's words were like a strike to the chest, but it was clear Xue RenJie had already learned to mask the pain. How ironic that the very words Si Shen had once protected him from now came from his own mouth.
"I have been recognized as part of the family by the current Sect Leader." Xue RenJie replied coolly, his voice now carrying an undercurrent of something harder. "And besides, I believe the Death God would be interested in my information."
Xue RenJie then began to list the various hauntings that had plagued the region in recent years—reports that had puzzled even seasoned cultivators. Vengeful spirits wreaking havoc in peaceful towns. Spirits attacking their own families which is quite rare unless there is some deep-seated hatred. Even stranger—coordinated attacks on small cultivation families, as if orchestrated by some unseen hand.
Si Shen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. These reports were not unfamiliar to him. He kept tabs on such things, especially during the seventh month, when all spirits roamed freely in the human realm and wreaked havoc. His servants routinely keep these spirits in check to maintain somewhat of an order, though he preferred not to clash with cultivators over matters of the spirit world.
But what Xue RenJie was describing was different. Far too strange to ignore.
"You are suggesting that these events are somewhat connected to the bracelet?"
Xue RenJie nodded grimly. Si Shen's eyes darkened as the possibilities began to unfold. If what Xue RenJie said was true, these events might be linked to the bracelet that manipulated resentment energy. If that were the case... it was no longer a matter of simply avoiding conflict. This was something Si Shen would have to investigate in the human realm—personally.
A small smile played on his lips. "Very well. This God agrees to work with you on this case. It seems... having you around could prove useful."
Xue RenJie looked at him, wariness still evident in his posture. "So, you accept this arrangement?"
Si Shen grinned. "In exchange for your information? Certainly. But," he said, extending his hand, "I would like my bracelet back."
Xue RenJie held his breath, clutching the bracelet as though he did not want to hand it over.
Xue RenJie stiffened, his grip on the bracelet tightening. "This... belongs to you?"
Si Shen's lips curled into a playful smirk. "I thought you already knew. The one who gave it to Xue Ziqi. Wearing black. Wielding an umbrella." He twirled, his robes catching the air in a flourish, as though to punctuate his point.
Xue RenJie's gaze flickered over Si Shen, something unreadable in his eyes. His fingers clutched the bracelet tighter, as if unwilling to part with it.
Si Shen raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange discomfort under Xue RenJie's intense gaze. Perhaps I shouldn't have twirled.
Xue RenJie's grip on the bracelet faltered, but he didn't immediately give it up. Si Shen sighed. "How about this: keep it until this case is over. That way, you won't be afraid I'll leave you hanging."
Xue RenJie glanced at the bracelet, then back at Si Shen, and after a moment of hesitation, he tucked it into his sleeve pocket. His voice was low. "I'm not afraid."
Si Shen chuckled, watching the young man's stiff posture. "Sure, I believe you." He turned away, heading towards the woods.
Xue RenJie followed, still frowning in confusion. "Where are we going? Why are we going back?"
Si Shen paused mid-step, turning back with a teasing smile. "You may have found the entrance to the spiritual realm, but you're still human. And humans are not allowed to enter." He gave Xue RenJie a sharp look. "Don't even think about it."
Xue RenJie's face darkened. "You can't be serious."
"I am. The moment you cross that gate, you will die. The resentment energy will corrupt your spiritual core, and before you know it, there won't be a single trace of your soul left." Si Shen's eyes hardened. "That's not a threat. It's a fact."
Xue RenJie's expression faltered, and he bit his lip. Si Shen knew that look—it was the one he wore when his stubbornness met a wall. After all these years, he still hadn't learned.
With a sigh, Si Shen grabbed Xue RenJie by the arm, pulling him away from the West Gate, back toward the mortal realm.
"Stop sulking, Xue RenJie. Let's go. I'm not about to let you turn into a pile of dust."
Xue RenJie glanced up at him, frustration still lingering in his eyes, but said nothing. They walked in silence, the tension between them as palpable as ever.