Not long after passing through the Yao Forest, Mi Xingzhe arrived at the busiest black market in the Flatland.
He was cautious enough to hang back at first, hiding at a distance and watching for a while.
"This Flatland doesn't look any different from an ordinary marketplace… aside from the fact that there are humans and yao walking around together. I don't see what's so dangerous."
He observed a bit longer, but curiosity quickly won out. He decided to go in and see for himself. Spotting a battered mask in a corner, he picked it up, blew off the dust, and put it on.
"This way… even if I run into someone I know, they shouldn't recognize me." he muttered as he walked.
The street was lined with stalls and shops, their displays crammed with bizarre, unsettling wares. Mi Xingzhe wandered with growing interest.
The Flatland's black market truly did look like any other market on the surface. The only difference was what people sold here—whether human or yao, everyone dealt in things you could hardly imagine: cubs of ferocious beasts from Kunlun Hill, human bones, snake venom, immortal marrow, demon brains, and other wicked contraband. This was a lawless zone. Most who lived here treated sin as pleasure, cruelty as righteousness, and selfishness as their only creed.
Every stall was a horror show: cracked ancient relics, monster pelts, pulsing organs, so-called primordial divine weapons, hidden blades, strange artifacts—things Mi Xingzhe had never seen, and names he'd never even heard.
Even the vendors were eerie: beasts in grotesque attire, faces hidden behind ghost masks, each one more unsettling than the last.
Mi Xingzhe strolled along, fascinated by everything around him. What he didn't notice was a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction.
Not far ahead, Hua Ruoying was also scanning the stalls as she walked, occasionally picking something up to haggle with the seller. Today happened to be her once-a-month supply run, and Qingping trailed behind her with bundles piled high in his arms.
Masked Mi Xingzhe and Hua Ruoying ended up walking straight toward each other down the same street—
—and the entire scene was watched, start to finish, by a figure standing on a rooftop above.
Just as the two were within a single step of passing, a stray gust of wind swept through. The ribbon tying Mi Xingzhe's mask loosened; the mask slipped and fell to the ground. At the same time, an orange Hua Ruoying had been idly tossing in her hand also rolled away.
They both bent down to pick up what had dropped.
Their fingers brushed.
They looked up.
At such a close distance, both of them went briefly still, as if the noise of the market had blurred into the background.
Then Qingping hurried up—and the moment he saw Mi Xingzhe's face, he blurted out, "Oh—it's you!"
Mi Xingzhe froze. Being recognized made him panic. He snatched up the mask and held it in front of his face, flustered, half-convinced these were people from Liao Yin.
"N-no—it's not you—ah, no, it's not me!" he stammered, scrambling to retie the mask.
"How could I be wrong? That day in the cave—it was you. You almost got us—" Qingping said with absolute certainty.
He didn't finish. Hua Ruoying cut him off with a quick, warning look.
[It's him? What is he doing here?] Hua Ruoying's thoughts tightened as she studied Mi Xingzhe's face.
When Qingping mentioned the cave, Mi Xingzhe paused mid-motion. The only people who should've known about him being in a cave in the Flatland were his master and senior brother… and the two who had "saved" him.
He stopped fumbling with the mask. His gaze flicked over their clothes, their posture—matching the vague silhouettes in his memory, close enough to make his heart jump.
"W-what cave?" he asked, choosing to play dumb.
Hua Ruoying lifted the orange from the ground and, unhurriedly, called him by name.
"Yun Wan Nian?"
Mi Xingzhe's eyes widened behind the mask.
"Do I know you?" He scrutinized them again. They clearly weren't from Liao Yin. And if she knew his name…
Then the realization clicked.
"Oh—so you're the one from the cave that day."
Excitement surged through him. One of the reasons he'd come to the Flatland at all was the hope of meeting those two again.
"It really is you!" he blurted, pointing at Hua Ruoying, unable to hide his delight.
Hua Ruoying asked casually as she dusted the orange off, "Your eyes are better now?"
Mi Xingzhe was still caught up in the near-contact, a beat slow to respond. He'd never been this close to a girl before—let alone one so pretty, with such bright, lively eyes.
Watching him stare blankly, Hua Ruoying's heart jolted.
[Does he remember what I did to him that day?]
Suspicion flickered. She waved a hand in front of his face. Only then did Mi Xingzhe snap back to himself.
"They're better now," he said quickly, then bowed with both hands. "And I still have to thank you for saving me that day."
Hua Ruoying studied him with a faint frown.
[He doesn't seem to remember what happened after I drugged him.] she thought.
"After my master and senior brother brought me back, I realized I never even asked your name. I didn't get to thank you properly in person." Mi Xingzhe's salute was sincere.
Hua Ruoying waved it off and asked, "So why did you come running into the Flatland?"
"I… I just came out to look around." Mi Xingzhe answered honestly.
[So he snuck out.] Hua Ruoying's thoughts sharpened.
Seeing she didn't reply right away, Mi Xingzhe tried again. "Do you live nearby?"
"Oh—yes. Yes, I do." Hua Ruoying answered smoothly.
Mi Xingzhe hesitated, then asked politely, "May I ask your name?"
"I…" Hua Ruoying paused, not sure what to give him.
Mi Xingzhe immediately regretted asking. She was a lone woman, and he was a stranger—he'd been too forward.
"If you don't want to say, I won't press," he said quickly, shifting away from the question.
After a beat, Hua Ruoying answered anyway.
"Ruoying. Hua Ruoying."
"Miss Ruoying." Mi Xingzhe saluted again.
Hua Ruoying only nodded lightly, but as she remembered Li Minghan's promise, something in her gaze changed—subtle, calculating.
Noticing how captivated Mi Xingzhe was by every stall and trinket, she let the corner of her mouth lift.
"Is this your first time in the Flatland?" she asked with a smile. "If you like, I can show you around."
"Sure!" Mi Xingzhe agreed instantly, delighted.
For the rest of the afternoon, Hua Ruoying led him through the Flatland's liveliest corners—every "interesting" place, every curious little spectacle—until dusk crept in and even Qingping's legs gave out.
He dropped onto the ground with exaggerated misery. "Ruoying sister, if we keep walking, I am going to die right here."
Hua Ruoying turned to Mi Xingzhe. "Did you enjoy yourself today, young master?"
"Of course!" Mi Xingzhe beamed. "I never knew the Flatland had so many strange and fun things. Miss Ruoying, how are you so familiar with this place? Do you come here often? Next time you come, you have to bring me again."
"Sure," Hua Ruoying said lightly. "Next time, for sure."
Mi Xingzhe glanced at the sky, then winced. "It's late. I should hurry back. The birthday banquet must be ending soon—if I get caught sneaking out, I'm done for."
"Ok," Hua Ruoying said. "I also have something need to do."
"Then… okay." Mi Xingzhe was reluctant, but the time left him no choice.
Hua Ruoying soothed him with a casual promise. "Mm. I'll find you again next time."
Mi Xingzhe lingered a moment, then finally turned to leave.
As he did, Hua Ruoying called after him.
"Wait— Take this."
She produced a thumb-sized puppet and offered it to him.
Mi Xingzhe accepted it and turned it over in wonder. "This is… it's so delicate. Did you make it?"
"Consider it a meeting gift." Hua Ruoying's smile didn't waver. "If I come back to the Flatland again, I'll come find you—and we'll go together."
"Deal." Mi Xingzhe's eyes lit up. "Like a promise."
He tucked the puppet away, bowed, and left.
Not far away, a figure watched the three of them part.
A cold voice muttered, "Even when an opportunity is handed to you, you still can't seize it."
Once Mi Xingzhe had nearly disappeared into the crowd, Hua Ruoying's expression changed instantly.
Her hands lifted; seals formed in the air. Five fingers flicked open—an orange-glowing puppet shadow pulsed in her palm, and at the same time, the puppet in Mi Xingzhe's pocket flickered with the same light.
She drew the shadow back into her hand.
Then, with Qingping at her side, she turned to leave—
—and a voice drifted down from above.
"The thing you promised me… shouldn't you return it now?"
A man in black descended slowly.
Nan Zhe.
At the sight of the cold mask, Qingping instinctively shrank behind Hua Ruoying.
Hua Ruoying didn't look surprised at all. She extended a hand toward Qingping.
Qingping hurriedly passed her a brocaded pouch, then ducked back behind her again. Hua Ruoying tossed the pouch to Nan Zhe.
"Your strings," she said coldly. "We're even."
Nan Zhe caught it and weighed it in his hand without opening it. His eyes curved in a smile that held no warmth—clearly he had no intention of letting things end here.
"You really do keep your word," he said. "But to trade a few strings for that beast's life… you've gotten off cheap."
Hua Ruoying's body tensed. "A deal is a deal. We found the strings. What else do you want?"
Nan Zhe's tone remained calm. "I've never called myself a gentleman. And Zixuan Yingqing is no ordinary treasure—you know its value." He idly toyed with the pouch. "How about this? Make another deal with me. Promise me three things, and I'll let this go."
"You—!" Hua Ruoying forced herself steady. "Fine. Three things. After that, we owe each other nothing. And you're never allowed to bother Qingping again."
Nan Zhe's voice turned mocking as his gaze slid toward the trembling boy behind her. "Qingping? A few days and even the beast has a name now?"
"None of your business," Hua Ruoying snapped. "Just state your conditions."
Nan Zhe paused. "I haven't decided yet." Then he flicked his sleeve and rose into the air, leaving one last line hanging behind him: "When I do, I'll come find you."
Once he vanished, Hua Ruoying spat under her breath, "He really is like a ghost that won't leave."
On the way back through Ice Bamboo Forest, Mi Xingzhe grew increasingly nervous. Night made the bamboo stretch into endless black shapes.
"It's way too dark… what if I get lost?" he muttered.
He didn't notice the figure watching him from high above.
The shadow on the tree gave a quiet snort. "Hmph. You really think I'll let you go back that easily?"
A talisman shot toward Mi Xingzhe.
The forest was so still at night that the talisman's movement was easy to catch. Mi Xingzhe spun and dodged it.
"Who is there?!" he shouted, voice sharp with newly grown confidence.
No answer.
Another strike came. Mi Xingzhe crossed his arms to block—
—but the purple spell detonated instantly.
The impact blasted him off his feet. He slammed into the ground and went limp, unconscious.
Only then did the figure drift down, light as falling ash, and walk up slowly.
He looked down at Mi Xingzhe with contempt.
"Heh… not worth a single blow. A useless waste."
Meanwhile, Hua Ruoying and Qingping were on the road back to Fanli Valley.
Hua Ruoying's irritation still hadn't faded. "I knew he wouldn't let it go."
Qingping's voice trembled. "Ruoying sister… will he kill me?"
"No," Hua Ruoying said firmly, patting him once to calm him. "If he wanted you dead, he wouldn't have let me save you that day. Nan Zhe has other motives."
Qingping swallowed hard and hurried to explain what he'd heard. "But people in the Flatland say he drinks demon blood like wine, sleeps on human bones, brews medicine with skulls. They say his estate is built from the bones of thousands—millions—of demons. Any demon who angers him dies horribly, and he doesn't even spare their souls. He's the Flatland's living King of Hell."
Hua Ruoying scoffed, unconvinced. "If he were really that powerful, he'd have conquered all three realms already. Why would he stay in a place like the Flatland? Rumors. I can't beat him, but that doesn't mean he's some invincible monster."
"It's true, Ruoying sister, they also say he—" Qingping started again.
Hua Ruoying cut him off with a sudden, sharp gesture.
Ahead on the road, a figure lay sprawled on the ground.
Hua Ruoying grabbed Qingping—who had been walking backward while talking—and jerked him around with a meaningful look. Qingping understood at once and turned. The moment he saw the person lying there, he started forward—
—and Hua Ruoying stopped him again.
"Wait."
She pulled Qingping into the bushes and scanned the surroundings, eyes narrowed. After confirming no one was nearby, she took a small round object from her pocket and tossed it onto the road.
Qingping whispered, "Ruoying sister… what is that?"
"Creatures in the Flatland like to play tricks at night," Hua Ruoying said quietly, watching the object closely. "We don't know if that's a human or a yao. This bead can detect movement around the body. If it's a yao pretending to be dead, it'll react."
The bead sat still.
No response.
Only then did Hua Ruoying step out with Qingping and approach.
Qingping poked the fallen figure with a long branch. No movement.
Hua Ruoying moved in, crouched, and rolled the person over—
And the moment she saw the face, she sucked in a sharp breath.
"What—?!" Hua Ruoying exclaimed.