Chapter Seventy: The Shattered Jade Man

Suhe was slightly startled, leaning back a little.

She spoke slowly, “According to that Miss Rongrong, Miss Sui is a sacrificial offering who escaped from the Temple of the Divine Maiden. If all goes as expected, once she awakens, we can ask her directly about the cause?”

Huai Yin bowed his head in silence, the wine bowl touching his lips but he did not drink. After a long moment, he glanced at Suhe and said, “You’re right. I lost my composure.”

He put down the wine bowl, wiped the wine from his hand with his sleeve, brought it to his nose and sniffed, then said with a hint of disdain, “I’ll go wash up.”

“Mm.”

He had barely stepped out when Que Yunzi entered, carrying a bowl and looking somewhat dispirited. “Where’s that brat off to?”

“He spilled his wine accidentally and went out to wash.”

“Hah! A grown man fussing like a woman. He didn’t seem so picky when he was drinking it.”

Suhe smiled, lifting her own wine bowl to smooth things over for Huai Yin. “Having received your kindness many times, I wish to offer a toast as a sign of respect. If you don’t mind, shall we drink together?”

She stood to toast from afar, drained her bowl in one go, and checked her empty cup.

Seeing this, Que Yunzi burst into laughter, jumped onto a stool in a half-squat, and declared, “Good, let’s drink!”

Suhe then filled the wine jars in order. The two drank several rounds. After Huai Yin finished washing, he shook the water from his hands and stepped back inside. “Oh? Aren’t you sitting outside anymore?”

“Hmph, if I sat outside, you’d finish all the wine. Tell me, what were you doing secretly just now?” Que Yunzi suddenly raised his voice, startling both Huai Yin and Suhe.

Suhe, confused, asked, “Senior?”

Huai Yin steadied himself, pulled the wine jar closer and filled his own bowl, shooting Que Yunzi a glare. “What could I possibly do? With your sharp eyes, surely you’d notice?”

He had a point—the sleeves were still wet enough to wring water from them. What could he have done...

But Que Yunzi feigned ignorance. “I can’t tell. Did you hide a bowl of wine somewhere?”

Que Yunzi dragged the wine jar protectively into his arms, his eyes anxious.

“Here, smell it. I hid it all right here.” Huai Yin was about to drink, but hearing this, he slammed his bowl down, pulled up his sleeve and shook it before Que Yunzi, “Is there any? Is there any?”

“Get lost, you’re not a woman, what’s the point in sniffing it?”

“It’s just two bowls of wine, look how worked up you’re getting...”

Que Yunzi slapped Huai Yin’s sleeve away like a barrage of gunfire, snorting in disdain.

“Hey, old man, don’t go too far...”

“Will you bite me?”

“……”

As they bantered, the door to the inner room opened, and Fu Qingfeng stepped out, lifting the curtain. “She’s fine now. Do you wish to ask her questions now, or wait until dawn to discuss?”

Huai Yin looked up, shot Que Yunzi a glance, and said, “Ask now. I want to know which bastard did this to her.”

His voice was loud, and every word reached Sui Yuren, who was lying in the inner room.

Unexpectedly, Fu Qingfeng did not stop him, simply glanced his way, then allowed him to enter.

As he passed, Huai Yin wondered if he was being too suspicious.

Fu Qingfeng did not look back, but said to Suhe, “Let’s go. We must make good use of our time.”

He turned to Que Yunzi, “Friend Que, feel free to do as you like in the valley. I have other matters to attend to, please forgive any discourtesy.”

Que Yunzi waved it off. “No matter, go on with your business. I’ll go listen to what the little girl has to say.”

The two parted ways. Suhe cupped her hands in a respectful bow. “Please rest, Senior. Forgive us for leaving.”

“Go on, go on...”

Waving them off, Que Yunzi slipped sneakily into the inner room, startling both Sui Yuren and Huai Yin.

The restored Sui Yuren looked as charming and innocent as ever, her watery eyes sparkling with cleverness and delight.

“Elder, are you here to play ghost games with me?”

“Yes, yes, do you want to play? This brat is too stiff, not fun at all. Shall we play together?” Que Yunzi blinked at the girl, babbling away.

Sui Yuren giggled and rolled about, clutching her belly. “No, ghosts are scary. I’m afraid.”

“Why? Ghosts are just people after they die. Why fear them?”

“No, I’m just scared... hehe!” She buried her face in her pillow, then peeked out slyly.

Her eyes twinkled, filled with laughter.

“Alright, little girl, let me ask you. What is your real name?” Que Yunzi switched to coaxing her, not like a wicked old woman, but more like a wolfish grandfather.

Sui Yuren beamed, “My name is Sui Yuren.”

“Hm? Wasn’t that name given by this brat?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, I’m called Sui Yuren.”

“Alright, where are you from? Who are your parents? Why were you a sacrificial offering at the Temple of the Divine Maiden?” Que Yunzi kicked Huai Yin. “Move aside, old man, I’m tired.”

Huai Yin paused, temper rising, but obediently fetched himself a stool and sat.

“Hehe, go ahead, I’d like to hear it.” Que Yunzi grinned broadly, showing his teeth.

Sui Yuren blinked, counting on her fingers as she stared at Huai Yin. “I was born in the royal city. My birth parents died early, and I was raised by my adoptive father.”

“Who’s your adoptive father?”

“Hmm... Father said I shouldn’t use his name outside, lest I cause trouble and shame him.”

“Alright, then how did you end up... well, how did you get into this mess?”

“Well...” Sui Yuren dropped her gaze, hiding most of her face, showing only her eyes. “I’ve never left the garden since I was born. One day, I heard a commotion outside and wanted to see what was happening. But the women who cared for me wouldn’t let me go. I got angry, subdued them, and sneaked out.”

“Did you get caught soon after leaving?” Huai Yin couldn’t help but interject coldly.

“So what if I did? I’d never been out before—getting caught isn’t strange, is it?” Her eyes spun, and she grabbed the pillow, smacking Huai Yin in the face. “Bad man!”

“Hey, who’s the bad man here?” Huai Yin, annoyed, pulled the pillow off his face. Such a domineering woman.

“I don’t care. If I say you’re bad, you’re bad. Grandpa, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes...” Que Yunzi played along.

In a blink, the two became grandfather and granddaughter. Watching Sui Yuren drag Que Yunzi’s hand and act spoiled, Huai Yin felt his eyes ache.

“Enough, stop fooling around. Tell us how you fell into their hands.”

“...I won’t tell you.”

Que Yunzi chuckled. “Be good, tell Grandpa and make him angry.”

Sui Yuren dropped the playful act and suddenly seemed like a different person. She glanced at Huai Yin and timidly lowered her head. “I don’t know how I got inside. I only remember waking up in a temple filled with red silk and mystery. There was a statue of the Divine Maiden, tall and beautiful, holding a jade lotus cup as if reaching for the moon. Inside, there were many girls like me, all captured. Some had been there two or three days already. Every day, people died. If anyone resisted, they were tortured until they agreed to sacrifice themselves—only then would the torment stop.”

Hearing the word “sacrifice,” even Que Yunzi, usually so unserious, grew solemn. “What kind of sacrifice?”

“They hung us upside down from the beams and drained all our blood until we died. All the blood flowed into the jade lotus cup.”

The more she spoke, the weaker her voice became.

From her words, the terror from the depths of her soul was palpable. Huai Yin frowned and rose. “If there were others, why didn’t you join forces to escape?”

No doubt, this was all the work of Lin Mao and that woman.

Sui Yuren drooped her head, sniffing softly. “We all had our cultivation suppressed. In their hands, we were no different from ordinary people.”

Huai Yin froze—it turned out those women had told the truth.

“I see. How did you escape?” Que Yunzi asked.

“I was the last among them to be sacrificed. They were experts at tormenting people—destroying the insides without breaking the skin, leaving just enough breath to hang and bleed slowly. They said the Divine Maiden disliked ugly offerings. For those who refused, they turned spiritual energy into needles, stabbing into the sea of consciousness...”

Que Yunzi and Huai Yin were both shocked, seeing the dismay in each other’s eyes. The sea of consciousness was exceptionally fragile. Piercing it with needles was torture of the soul.

No wonder this girl now acted like a child. Not losing her soul was a stroke of fortune.

“So... how did you get out?” Huai Yin felt a strange heaviness, not knowing how she survived or what she endured to escape.

Ultimately, she arrived at Tenghai.

Sui Yuren shook her head; she herself did not know how she escaped. She only said that at the time, driven by obsession and using a secret method, she broke the restraints and fled the Temple of the Divine Maiden. She wandered in a daze, not knowing where she ended up. As for how she reached Tenghai, she couldn’t explain either.

After listening, Que Yunzi rubbed his knees. “Brat, what do you think?”

Honestly, the Sea of Desire had been quiet for years—never had he heard of such infuriating sacrificial rituals. There were many ways to sacrifice, but using living people was always taboo. Even those who broke the rules did it swiftly. Such cruelty was unheard of.

Caught at this critical moment, was the long peace finally about to be shattered?

Huai Yin bit his lip, then asked, “Do you know how the bodies were disposed of?”

He recalled Lin Mao’s daughter and the Temple of the Divine Maiden had both been consumed by fire. So many people—if burned, there would surely be traces. Perhaps it was a clue.

Sui Yuren collapsed weakly onto the bedding. “I don’t know, only that after each sacrifice, some people would come to carry the bodies away. Where they took them, I have no idea...”

“Do you know who those people were? Their names?”

“No... They were extremely tight-lipped, never saying a word.” Perhaps recalling the past brought back those nightmare days. She quietly reached out, grabbed the corner of the blanket, and rolled herself up like a caterpillar.

Que Yunzi sighed, reaching out to pat her head. “It’s alright, it’s all over now. Those beasts won’t go unpunished.”

He turned to Huai Yin. “How long do you think Suhe will need?”

Given the situation, the other side would not wait half a month as promised. If they didn’t hurry, they might miss their chance.

“It’s hard to say. I’ve already given him the Emperor’s Stone, but whether things go smoothly depends on the master’s abilities.”

“You’re right. I’ll go take a look. You keep the little girl company.” Que Yunzi slapped his thigh, scratched his messy hair in frustration, and left with his hands behind his back.

Huai Yin watched the curtain, gazing for a long time.

When it finally stopped moving, he turned and walked over to the bed.

“Come out.”