Section 15
A week after returning from the fish market, Luna Wu gradually resumed her daily life in Deep City. When Mia Wu called to inquire about her new life, Luna carefully selected her words to convey positivity. Her mother believed that metaphysics required time, so Luna dared not share the strange occurrences in her rental apartment. She didn't wish to deceive her mother but opted to remain silent, even when asked about the lost white silk scarf, for which Luna only offered vague responses.
Yet, Luna's mind had yet to find its equilibrium. On several sleepless summer nights, she almost contemplated opening her wardrobe to retrieve the jade pillow, hoping it might induce a dream. Remembering Leo Lee's previous inquiries about this matter, and feeling the tug of her conscience, she ultimately refrained from acting on the impulse.
Moreover, she had begun to harbor doubts about whether Leo Lee had stationed someone to watch her at home. This suspicion lingered, making her feel uneasy during her showers and while changing clothes, as thoughts of being under surveillance crept in.
Perhaps it was the law of attraction at work, but that evening, the person Luna had been longing for finally appeared.
He sat outside a café on the corner of the street, dressed in a sky-blue shirt, exuding an exceptional charm. When Luna first passed the café, she noticed him but thought he was merely a handsome passerby. It was only after walking halfway down the street that she recalled his familiar appearance and decided to turn back. However, as she did, Leo Lee had already caught up with her.
Walking side by side, Luna asked, "Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes."
"Why not go directly to my place?"
"Miss Wu isn't home; it wouldn't be convenient."
Luna nodded, reflecting on her recent suspicions of him surveilling her, and she self-deprecatingly concluded she was overthinking.
Although they had never discussed it, Leo Lee's arrival signaled the beginning of their next journey for Luna.
Before they set off, she was determined to play the gracious host, pouring him a glass of water while suppressing her urge to urge him to depart promptly.
"It seems that each time we visit that world, our time there is quite limited," Luna remarked.
Leo Lee appeared intrigued. "Would Miss Wu prefer it to be longer or shorter?"
"I hope it lasts longer," Luna replied without hesitation. "As the ancients said, one day in the heavens equates to a year on Earth. They had an early understanding of the flow of time. I've realized that time there differs significantly from here; during our two visits, we spent at least two hours in that realm, yet it felt like only a few minutes had passed here."
Leo Lee gazed at her intently as the streetlights outside flickered on, illuminating his face. Luna sensed a deeper glimmer in his eyes—if she wasn't misreading his gaze.
"Miss Wu, regarding the injury you sustained at the ancestral hall…"
"I've fully recovered; it was merely a shallow cut," Luna replied. "I was just grazed lightly."
"Are you not afraid of getting hurt again?"
"I will be careful!" This seemed to signal a new round of scrutiny. Luna worried that he might view her as a liability, so she hastily assured him, "I will definitely not cause you any trouble!—I may have spoken too boldly, but I will be cautious. I'm not reckless."
After a prolonged silence, Leo Lee suddenly shifted his gaze to the chandelier.
"Oh, by the way, I haven't changed the chandelier. I fear the jade pillow requires dim lighting to activate," Luna mentioned.
Leo Lee paused for a moment, then finally uttered the words Luna had been eagerly anticipating: "Please, Miss Wu, bring out the jade pillow."
Section 16
As the sun sank in the western sky of Nanhai County, Leo Lee rode alongside Luna Wu back to their old haunt, the Lu Family Ancestral Hall.
Luna was uncertain about the timeline here; it had been a while since that fateful day when fishermen fell victim to the venomous bees. The area surrounding the hall appeared to have been tidied up or perhaps washed by rain. In any case, aside from its desolate and dilapidated appearance, there were no traces of blood.
The golden rays of the setting sun spilled onto the gray stone walls, while the distant sound of seabirds echoed. Leo led Luna directly toward the two pitch-black wooden doors.
The hall's entrance was unlocked; with a gentle push, it swung open, and the two of them stepped up onto the threshold, entering the hall.
Leo drew his sword, holding it in front of him, deliberately shielding Luna behind him. Without needing to ask, Luna understood that danger awaited them within.
Golden sunlight poured into the hall, and Luna couldn't help but glance around, feeling more like a tourist than anything else, despite Leo's readiness for battle as he entered the space marked by the courtyard typical of Lingnan architecture.
Her wandering gaze was suddenly caught by a fleeting flash of red.
The red figure darted from left to right, then leaped from the ground to the beams and into the courtyard. Luna's eyes followed the crimson specter.
Meanwhile, Leo remained focused ahead, evidently oblivious to the presence of the red figure.
"Can't you see the woman in red?" Luna whispered from behind him.
Leo halted, slightly tilting his ear toward her. "You see her?"
Luna replied with a soft "yes," locking eyes with the woman in red who sat on the threshold of the main hall. "She's the one I saw stealing fish at the market."
No sooner had she spoken than the red figure suddenly appeared before her, seemingly wanting to close the distance. Yet, an unseen force prevented her from advancing further.
The woman in red fixed her gaze on Luna and asked, "Can you see me?"
Luna nodded in affirmation.
"I don't believe you!" the woman retorted instantly.
"Your hair and eyes are both red, your nose is prominent, you have a mole at the corner of your eye, and you stand… about at my chest level."
The woman's expression soured, and she raised her hand as if to strike Luna. But in an instant, some force pushed her back, and all Luna could see was Leo's sword positioned protectively in front of her.
As the sun dipped lower, the light faded from the courtyard, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
The red figure maintained a distance of three or four steps from both Luna and Leo. Luna felt a chill from the woman's unwavering gaze and couldn't help but ask Leo, "How can you not see her yet still be affected by her?"
"Can you see her?" a voice interjected.
"Yes," Luna instinctively replied, only to realize the question had not come from Leo. She wondered who else was in the hall when a sudden force shoved her from behind, propelling her toward the woman in red.
In the process of stumbling forward, Luna attempted to "brake" with her feet, but the force behind her was relentless, and she was caught off guard—
The woman in red actually retreated first.
What was happening? Luna sprawled forward, landing like a turtle on the threshold of the main hall. She couldn't bother to rise immediately, her eyes first drawn to the woman in red, who appeared flustered and took three or four steps back.
Turning her gaze back, she saw Leo still in place. Focusing intently, she discerned some indistinct shapes in the air, reminiscent of arms or claws, much like the woman in red, giving off an illusion of being mere phantoms. They emerged from all directions, grasping Leo's arms and legs, rendering him immobile.
Not far behind Leo stood a tall, thin man in white, his face ashen, eyes cold, fingers moving deftly as he manipulated something.
With the hall's central axis as a line, Luna found herself at the midpoint, with the woman in red, Leo, and the pale-faced man on either end. The surroundings fell silent, not even the sounds of seabirds could be heard.
After quickly processing the situation, Luna resolved to rescue Leo.
Perhaps understanding her intent, Leo cautiously shook his head at her.
Suddenly, the pale-faced man noticed Leo's attempt to save himself. He swiftly drew something from his waist and advanced to Leo's side. By the time Luna realized what he was doing, a gleaming short sword was already pressed against Leo's throat.
This sudden turn of events unfolded in the blink of an eye. Compared to Luna's horror, Leo's expression remained remarkably calm. "Is it not somewhat unreasonable for you to treat a friend this way, sir?"
"Who says we are friends?"
"I saved your life once."
"I never asked you to save me, so I owe you nothing," Victor Ward replied coldly. "Moreover, even if I did owe you, there's no need for repayment. I have no concept of benevolence."
"You disregard kindness and righteousness as well?"
"I do," Victor interrupted, pressing the short sword deeper into Leo's neck, drawing forth a trickle of blood.
Luna kept a close watch on Leo's expression, waiting for his signal. He was more familiar with this world, and she dared not act impulsively. As she saw Leo bleed, Luna suddenly recalled the last time at the Lu Family Ancestral Hall when the venomous bees had claimed a life in mere seconds—death here was instantaneous.
Reflecting on this, Luna clenched her fists and turned back to glance into the hall. Startled by her sudden movement, the woman in red flinched and stepped back a half-step. Luna noticed her subtle expression; there was a hint of fear directed at her.
Turning back, Luna fixed a steely gaze on the pale-faced man. She remembered that this was the same man who had deceived her at the fish market with his illusions.
"What do you desire?" Luna Wu inquired.
"A beehive."
"You may retrieve it; I shall not contest you."
"There is no rush; I will take it once you are all dead," Victor Ward replied coldly.
Luna Wu was taken aback by his words for a few seconds, then steadied her nerves, saying, "You could have acted directly; waiting here suggests you seek to leverage something."
Victor Ward's expression shifted, and a faint smile slowly emerged. "What school of sorcery do you practice, my lady?"
"Even if I told you, it would be of no significance." Realizing he was using Leo Lee as a hostage, Luna Wu felt a little less anxious, guessing that her adversary was entirely unaware of her capabilities. Thus, the more enigmatic she appeared, the safer Leo Lee would be.
"Can you truly see the spirit within the temple?"
"She remains inside. If you doubt, you may inquire with her."
"Do not involve me in the quarrels of mortals," a voice from within the temple echoed.
Though the spirit sought to distance herself, her words indirectly validated Luna Wu's claims. Victor Ward's demeanor shifted as the encroaching twilight cast an ominous pallor over his pale face.
"Since you are a spirit, why do you not eliminate this woman?" Victor Ward directed his question at the spirit.
"Should I wish to kill, it would be you," the woman in red retorted.
At that moment, Leo Lee's spell began to wane, and Victor Ward immediately sensed his intention to draw his sword. "I advise you not to move."
Leo Lee turned his gaze toward Luna Wu. Their eyes met, and relying on a basic understanding, they opted for a strategy of inaction.
Victor Ward, observing their silent communication, could not help but scoff. "You still have time for glances, truly believing I would spare his life?" He pressed the blade deeper.
"What are your terms?" Luna Wu pressed urgently.
"That spirit fears you, indicating your considerable prowess. Retrieve the beehive from the crevice."
"Whether you live or die is of no concern to me. Attempting to take the beehive is futile," the spirit declared.
Luna Wu did not grasp the full import of their conversation.
Victor Ward laughed icily, pondering why such a decrepit place as Nanhai County had drawn both aristocrats wielding ancient swords and spirits, all for a mere beehive.
Earlier, he had observed Leo Lee enter the temple accompanied by a single woman, deepening his suspicion. When he discovered that the woman could see the spirit with her own eyes and, with her assistance, Leo Lee had managed to fend off the spirit, Victor Ward had felt a flicker of worry. He feared that, alone, he would not match the two of them. However, he soon realized that the woman had remained entirely sheltered behind Leo Lee, showing no combat prowess whatsoever, which led him to devise a new plan.
In Victor Ward's scheme, he would first take Leo Lee as a hostage, compel the woman to retrieve the beehive, then provoke the spirit into attacking her, allowing Leo Lee to contend with the spirit, while he reaped the benefits. The more individuals sought the beehive, the more it indicated its value, thus intensifying his desire to seize it.
He had not anticipated that the scenario he envisioned would not unfold; the spirit not only spared the woman but seemed to share his intention, wishing to see them both engaged in a deadly struggle.
"It seems you've miscalculated," Leo Lee remarked.
"Silence," Victor Ward hissed, pressing the blade deeper into Leo Lee's neck.
Luna Wu stepped forward anxiously, but Victor Ward barked, "Stop! If you attempt to rescue him from my grasp, you court death. Your beloved will perish, and so will you. I shall only say this once more: retrieve the beehive."
Though unaware of the beehive's location, Luna Wu understood she still had time to save him. She turned toward the interior of the temple, advancing slowly while observing the expressions of the woman in red. Following her gaze, Luna Wu identified the spot between two large columns on the west side of the hall.
"Should you advance further, I shall take matters into my own hands," the spirit warned.
For reasons she could not comprehend, Luna Wu felt no fear at the sight of the spirit; rather, she sensed that the spirit was more terrified than she was. As Luna Wu approached, the spirit retreated, her withered hands resembling animal claws, constantly trembling as if to grasp at Luna Wu.
"You fear me," Luna Wu said, deliberately lowering her voice.
"Who fears—"
With a sudden flourish of her hand, Luna Wu silenced the spirit, who leapt to the other side of the hall.
This was merely a feigned gesture; through it, Luna Wu confirmed the spirit's fear of her. Yet, she could not fathom the reason behind it.
There was no time for contemplation, as she had reached her destination.