Chapter Five: The Letter

"Of course, I would never dare question you; you are never wrong!" Duan Lingqi, seeing that Su Yuanbai remained silent, his black eyes calmly fixed on him, grew even more flustered and hastily spoke again.

"What did the letter say?" Su Yuanbai gazed at Duan Lingqi with a tranquil expression, revealing no hint of emotion in his dark eyes or indifferent face.

"Only eight words: 'Venus crosses the sky; Jupiter stands opposite.'" Duan Lingqi hesitated for a moment before replying. Though he knew little of astrology, he was adept at reading people's faces.

When that mad little beggar had read the letter in his presence, the wild, laughing expression vanished in an instant, replaced by grave seriousness.

"Venus crosses the sky... Venus is a yin star, and if it appears during the day, it is said to 'cross the sky.' Such an omen foretells chaos in the realm, the people cast adrift, disorder imminent, and even the changing of the sovereign." Su Yuanbai murmured the four words softly, and vague memories began to stir in his mind—he realized he had seen this letter before.

Therefore, the words of this old man, Duan Lingqi, held some credibility. Only now did Su Yuanbai find a sliver of trust in what the man said.

"But what does it mean when Jupiter stands opposite?" Duan Lingqi, half-understanding, nodded as he withdrew his hand from his wide sleeve, stroking his goatee in puzzlement.

"Jupiter, when it hangs in the sky, often heralds auspicious events. But if it stands opposed, then misfortune is nigh..." Su Yuanbai's eyes lowered slightly, drawn to Duan Lingqi's hand emerging from his sleeve—or, more accurately, his claw.

This claw was an earthy yellow, much like the color of the old man's robes, marked by serpentine patterns and tipped with three talons, the nails gray and sharp as blades.

"So that is how it is!" Duan Lingqi exclaimed in sudden realization, just as he noticed Su Yuanbai's gaze upon his hand.

"In my haste to return, I could not avoid taking the water route and happened upon my old foe. Our fight exhausted much of my demonic power, which is why I am struggling to maintain my human form." Duan Lingqi forced a bitter smile, offering a strained explanation.

The inability to maintain a complete human form was a humiliation not only for Duan Lingqi, but for any creature of his kind.

"You're not human?" Su Yuanbai's brow furrowed. He had not considered the possibility that this old man was a beast in human guise until he saw the claw.

Yet, discovering this, he felt neither surprise nor unease—instead, it seemed almost fitting.

This was what made Su Yuanbai frown.

He was not startled; it was as if he had long grown used to such things.

But Su Yuanbai did not realize that his frown sent a shiver through Duan Lingqi. The old man's tone grew hurried and panicked, and his face twisted with a look of despair.

"Please do not think this old servant has been disrespectful. You were born human, with a divine body and noble destiny, so you cannot know the hardship we humble spirits of the wild endure to take human form. Without passing through countless disasters and centuries, sometimes even millennia, how could one easily transform? Even after becoming human, though we gain a body capable of holding the essence of all things and refining it, maintaining this form is no small feat. Though you freed me from the Demon-Binding Chain, and though Sangyu Isle is a land of abundant spirit energy, this prison is sealed by formation—the energy cannot enter. Thus, it is exceedingly difficult for me to maintain my human guise. And after my recent fight with that brat from Cloudcave Lake, I was gravely wounded..." Duan Lingqi now lowered himself further, referring to himself as an old servant, and amidst his anxious ramblings, again paid Su Yuanbai a subtle compliment.

Since the publication of the "Rites for Demons," all spirits entering the mortal world were required to abide by its rules; among them, showing one's true form in a conversation with a human was deemed a grave discourtesy.

Though Duan Lingqi still had not guessed the true identity of the man before him, he prided himself on his skill in reading people. Moreover, from his clandestine perusals of the scant records on Sangyu Isle when he had delivered the letter, he surmised this man was likely a scion of some great house, once lord of vast lands, who had been punished after a catastrophic rebellion nine centuries ago and imprisoned here once the fortress was completed.

If this man truly had such a background, he would be one who cared deeply about decorum and propriety.

Had it been an ordinary wastrel from a lesser noble family, Duan Lingqi would not have been concerned—etiquette was for the weak, and if the opponent had some backing, he could always escape by water.

But this man, regardless of his background, was far stronger than he was.

Hence, Duan Lingqi's panic.

"Why did you burrow through the tunnel to my cell just now?" Su Yuanbai, however, paid little heed to Duan Lingqi's actions or words. Having noted a few key pieces of information, he found the old man's chatter excessive and irritating, so he changed the subject.

Duan Lingqi felt immense relief and quickly tucked the troublesome claw back into his sleeve. This was an easy question to answer.

"Naturally, I came to report the details of my journey to you," he replied respectfully.

"Not because you heard I was dead?" Su Yuanbai's lips curved into a faint smile. Of all times, Duan Lingqi had chosen to arrive just after the jailers had left—what a coincidence.

Moreover, given the commotion in the cell just now, Su Yuanbai doubted anyone could have remained unaware.

"How could someone of your stature possibly die so easily? Even if you did, the underworld's wardens would likely return you with all due courtesy, and perhaps even add decades to your lifespan in the Book of Life and Death!" Duan Lingqi flattered him, his face creasing into a smile as wrinkled as a withered chrysanthemum.

"So you mean that I am impossible to kill?" Su Yuanbai mused.

"As long as your soul remains, even if the wardens of the underworld refuse to return you, I, as your servant, would storm the Hall of Yama and bring you back myself!" Duan Lingqi's grin vanished, and he patted his chest with solemn bravado, as though ready to lay down his life for a noble cause.

"You are certainly loyal. So, after all your flattery, what is it that you seek?" Su Yuanbai regarded Duan Lingqi, who hastily hid his claw back in his sleeve.

"I seek nothing, save your continued well-being. That is my greatest wish." Duan Lingqi's face once again crinkled into that wrinkled smile.

"Very well," Su Yuanbai replied, glancing at the old man, who stood with bowed head and folded sleeves, before turning to return into the tunnel, apparently preparing to leave.

"Of course, if you could loosen the blood pact that binds me, or perhaps, one day, flay my enemy alive for me, I would be forever in your debt," Duan Lingqi added, watching Su Yuanbai's calm departing back, his eyes flickering as he finally spoke in a low voice.