Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 8

After the Huang family’s disheveled group disappeared into the rain, the window on the second floor of the Yuelai Inn returned to its calm state.

The plump auntie poked her head out downstairs for a while, and seeing no further commotion, she shook her head and went back to dozing behind the counter.

In her opinion, this Miss Su’s temper was truly more unpredictable than the heavens’ rain.

Night deepened.

The rain in Wushui Town still showed no signs of stopping; instead, it seemed to be getting heavier.

Large raindrops pattered against the eaves and window lattices, creating a dull sound that muffled all other noises in the town.

Such a night was perfect for doing things unknown to others.

On the second floor of the inn, in the room whose door had remained tightly shut, Su Mingyue quietly opened her eyes.

In the darkness, her eyes glowed astonishingly, as if they could pierce through the heavy night.

She sat up from the bed, her movements as light as a cat’s.

Then, from her faded cloth bundle, she pulled out a set of clothes completely different from her usual simple attire—a neat black outfit, with tight sleeves and a cinched waist, trouser legs tucked in, clearly night-traveling attire suitable for agile movement.

She had lived for so many years; what identity hadn’t she assumed?

Such attire was, naturally, always prepared.

In three quick movements, she changed her clothes. Su Mingyue tied her long hair into a simple bun on top of her head, securing it with a black strip of cloth.

Reflected in the mirror was a heroic and sharp-eyed woman, completely different from the cold and detached fortune-telling girl of the daytime.

She nodded in satisfaction, then took out a small oil-paper package from her embrace. She opened it to reveal several razor-thin black iron pieces, sharp at the edges.

These were her specially made lock-picking tools, essential for her travels in the Jianghu.

With everything ready, Su Mingyue gently pushed open the window.

A cold wind, mixed with the scent of rain and earth, rushed in, making her clothes flutter slightly.

She peered out, glancing around. The street was pitch black, with only an occasional dog bark echoing in the distance.

Confirming no one was around, Su Mingyue’s body swayed, and like a feather, she quietly leaped out of the second-story window, landing steadily on the slippery eaves.

Her movements were clean and precise, not making a sound, as if she had merged with the night.

In the night rain, Su Mingyue moved like an agile civet cat, swiftly traversing the staggered rooftops of Wushui Town.

Her destination was clear—the east of town, the Huang Mansion.

Although she had refused Huang Baiwan’s request earlier in the day, she could not ignore Huang Yingying’s illness.

Not only was the increasingly dense aura of death making her uneasy, but more importantly, she had smelled a faint trace of demonic qi from Huang Mingyuan.

The demonic qi was very faint, almost negligible, but Su Mingyue was too sensitive to such auras.

She suspected that Huang Yingying’s illness was not merely a simple case of evil spirit possession; something deeper might be involved.

And the reason she cared about these demonic creatures was that thousands of years ago, an old man had told her that she might find something related to herself from these strange existences!

Soon, the tall walls of the Huang Mansion appeared before her eyes.

The Huang Mansion occupied a considerable area, one of the largest residences in Wushui Town.

At this moment, the entire mansion was enveloped in silence, with only a few windows emitting faint lights, appearing particularly desolate in the rainy night.

Su Mingyue stopped at a secluded corner of the wall, listened for a moment, and after confirming there were no patrolling household guards, she leaped gracefully, easily scaling the wall that was two people high, landing silently on a large tree within the courtyard.

Using the cover of the tree canopy, Su Mingyue carefully observed the layout of the Huang Mansion.

Although she hadn’t entered the Huang Mansion during the day, from the complexion and demeanor of Huang Baiwan and the others, she could generally deduce the location of Huang Yingying’s bedroom—typically, young ladies of wealthy families resided in the relatively quiet and well-lit backyards.

Having determined the direction, Su Mingyue once again used her movement technique, like a black bolt of lightning, traversing and leaping among the pavilions and towers of the Huang Mansion, avoiding brightly lit courtyards and occasionally passing servants.

Her movements were as swift as a ghost, yet she landed soundlessly. Even the most experienced household guards would find it difficult to detect her presence.

Before long, she arrived at a courtyard that looked quite elegant.

This courtyard was different from other places; although it had lights, it exuded an indescribable sense of oppression and deathly silence.

At the courtyard gate, two drowsy old women stood guard.

“It should be here,” Su Mingyue thought.

She didn’t enter through the main gate but instead circled to the back of the courtyard, finding an unguarded window.

With a gentle flick of her specialized iron piece, the window latch clicked open.

Su Mingyue slipped into the room, and a strong smell of medicine mixed with a faint scent of powder wafted over her.

A dim oil lamp flickered in the room, its light wavering.

By the weak lamplight, Su Mingyue saw a frail figure lying on the bed—it was Huang Yingying.

At this moment, Huang Yingying’s eyes were tightly shut, her face as pale as paper, her breathing weak, her chest barely rising and falling. If not for the occasional faint groan of pain, she would have looked like a lifeless porcelain doll.

By the bedside, a maid-like girl was dozing, slumped over the edge of the bed, clearly exhausted from day and night care.

Su Mingyue didn’t alarm anyone. She quietly approached the bed, her gaze fixed on Huang Yingying’s face.

Earlier in the day, at the inn staircase, she had only caught a brief glimpse and hadn’t observed closely. Now, at close range, she discovered that the black aura between Huang Yingying’s brows was much denser than what she had seen on the people tainted with death qi in town, almost solidified.

Moreover, within this black aura, there was a faint, almost imperceptible demonic presence.

“Something is indeed amiss,” Su Mingyue murmured inwardly.

She extended two fingers, holding them together like a sword, a faint, almost invisible golden light shimmering at their tips.

Then, she lightly brushed her conjoined fingertips across her own eyes.

“Open!” she chanted silently in her mind.

This was a simple Daoist eye-opening technique called “Lingxi Yidiantong” (Spiritual Insight Through a Single Point), which could temporarily enhance vision, allowing one to see through illusions and malevolent qi that ordinary people could not.

Of course, with Su Mingyue’s current cultivation, she could perceive everything clearly even without this technique, but to see even more distinctly, she still used it.

The moment the incantation touched her eyes, the scene before Su Mingyue immediately changed.

The originally dim room became incredibly clear to her eyes; every particle of dust floating in the air was vividly visible.

And when her gaze fell on Huang Yingying again, her pupils couldn’t help but contract slightly!

Through her “spiritual eyes,” Huang Yingying’s body seemed to become a translucent vessel.

And in her chest and abdomen, a fist-sized, pitch-black, spider-like demonic creature was coiled!

The creature was curled up in a ball, seemingly in a state of slumber, but its eight long, slender legs, like straws, were deeply embedded in Huang Yingying’s internal organs, continuously drawing vital energy from her body!

The absorbed vital energy transformed into faint white streams of qi, visible to the naked eye, slowly flowing into the demon’s body, giving its black body a subtle, eerie sheen.

“What a sinister method!” Su Mingyue’s heart clenched.

No wonder Huang Yingying was growing thinner day by day, her spirit languishing; she was being used as “nourishment” by this creature!

The demon’s technique was extremely subtle; it didn’t directly devour the soul but slowly drained life force, which was why Huang Yingying had lasted this long.

But if this continued, once her vital energy was depleted, Huang Yingying would surely die!

Even more startling to Su Mingyue was that she saw a thin, almost transparent black thread, like a spider’s silk, extending from the sleeping demon!

One end of the thread was connected to the demon, and the other pierced through Huang Yingying’s body, through the bedboard, through the floor, continuously winding downward, disappearing into the depths beneath the Huang Mansion!

It was as if this demon was merely a puppet, or rather, a “transfer station.” The vital energy it absorbed would ultimately be transported through this eerie thread to some unknown location underground!

“What exactly is down there?” Su Mingyue’s brows furrowed.

She had previously sensed that the source of the death qi in Wushui Town was in the east, which was the Huang Mansion area. Now it seemed that the thing underground was very likely the true source of the death qi!

And Huang Yingying was merely an unfortunate “sacrifice” or “medium” chosen.

Thoughts raced through Su Mingyue’s mind.

It seemed that the Huang family’s matter was even more complex and dangerous than she had initially imagined.

Whatever was underground was definitely not benevolent.

If it were disturbed rashly, it would likely bring about a catastrophe for the entire Wushui Town.

This was also one of the reasons she had been unwilling to readily agree to Huang Baiwan’s request during the day. She needed a foolproof plan that could save Huang Yingying without causing greater trouble.

She carefully observed the black thread connecting the demon and the underground, noticing faint signs of energy flow on the thread, but it was very weak, seemingly also in a “dormant” state.

“It seems this demon and whatever is underground have not fully awakened yet,” Su Mingyue judged. “Perhaps, they are also waiting for a specific time.”

She looked at Huang Yingying again, seeing that although her vital energy was being drained, her soul remained stable, so there should be no immediate danger to her life.

“Alright, let you live a few more days,” Su Mingyue thought.

She couldn’t tip her hand yet.

She needed more time to observe and prepare.

Su Mingyue retracted her gaze, and the faint golden light in her eyes gradually faded.

She glanced once more at Huang Yingying on the bed and the sleeping maid beside her, then her figure swayed, and just as she had come, she quietly left the room, disappearing into the heavy night rain.