Chapter 115: Han Shu’s Remnant

Yun Qiao froze. Wasn’t Han Shu supposed to be the owner of that square seal? Why was he appearing here? She instinctively turned toward the underworld artifact resting on her desk—and saw that it was faintly glowing with a thread of silver light. Something indistinct and ethereal seemed to connect it to the man before her.

“You’re a remnant soul attached to this seal?” she asked, examining him carefully. Indeed, his form was much fainter than that of ordinary spirits, as though a single gust of wind could blow him away.

“Remnant… soul?” A flicker of confusion crossed the man’s face; he clearly didn’t understand what she meant.

“How did you come to be bound to this seal? Where’s your real body?” Yun Qiao pressed.

Han Shu’s expression grew more and more lost, as if her words were foreign to him. “Real body? I… I don’t remember.”

Yun Qiao frowned slightly. Seeing how vacant he looked, she realized the situation was likely serious. She turned and said firmly, “Wait here.”

Then she strode to the door, pulled it open, and shouted toward the adjoining room, where the old man was still reading under the lamplight. “Old man, help me call Grandmaster over here—I need him for something.”

“Oh,” the old man replied absently, setting his book aside. Without asking why, he instinctively headed toward the tall tower. Moments later, his booming voice echoed through the night: “Grandmaster! The girl’s asking if you want supper!”

A flash of white light—

In the next instant, a figure appeared beside Yun Qiao. A cool, calm voice sounded immediately: “Yes!”

Yun Qiao: “…”

Ye Yuan’s eyes swept the table first—empty, no food—and he barely had time to wonder about it before he spotted the dazed figure standing in the middle of the room. His gaze darkened instantly. A strange irritation surged up within him. There was a strange man in his little disciple’s room!

(╰_╯)#

“Girl, what did you cook—wait, what the hell?!” The old man arrived right behind him, hoping to share some late-night snacks, but the sight before him made him jump. “Th-this… who’s this?”

He turned to Yun Qiao, giving her a look that clearly said: Girl, did you secretly keep a pretty boy here?

Yun Qiao wanted to roll her eyes but restrained herself. “He suddenly came out of that seal,” she explained. “I had no idea he was in there.” Wen Qing had left in a hurry earlier and hadn’t taken the seal with him, so she’d just kept it by her side. “And it seems like he’s… lost his memory.”

“Lost his memory?” The old man was startled. Even ghosts can get amnesia?

“Mm.” Yun Qiao nodded and stepped closer to Han Shu. “Do you remember anything else? Like how you ended up inside that seal?”

Han Shu thought hard for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know… I only remember my name—Han Shu. When I opened my eyes, you were the first thing I saw.” His gaze locked onto hers, filled with a strange focus and faint attachment, perhaps because she was the first person he had seen upon awakening.

Ye Yuan’s irritation deepened.

“I’ve only heard of you—I don’t actually know you,” Yun Qiao replied calmly. Then she turned to Ye Yuan. “Grandmaster, can you take a look at him and see what’s going on?”

Ye Yuan frowned, clearly unwilling, but still answered gruffly, “He’s just a fragment of a soul. His main soul must have suffered severe damage, leaving only this shred behind.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward and picked up the seal from the table. With a flick of his fingers, a hand seal formed. A moment later, a thin stream of crimson liquid seeped out from the seal, hovering in the air. It looked unmistakably like—blood.

“His essence blood stained this underworld artifact,” Ye Yuan said coldly. “That’s why his remnant soul became bound to it.”

Yun Qiao’s heart sank. “Grandmaster, you mean his true body is already…”

“Dead,” Ye Yuan said without hesitation. “Body and soul annihilated.”

Yun Qiao froze. Even the old man beside her gasped sharply, both of them glancing at Han Shu with sympathy. Poor soul—so he was truly gone, surviving only as this fragile remnant.

Yun Qiao looked again at Han Shu’s blank expression. Perhaps because of his memory loss, he didn’t seem to comprehend the gravity of Ye Yuan’s words. After a moment’s dazed silence, he murmured softly, “So… I’m already dead?”

Yun Qiao sighed. She turned to her medicine chest and took out a small thumb-sized vial. Stepping forward, she collected the drop of blood from the seal into it. The faint link of energy between Han Shu’s remnant and the seal shifted immediately to the vial in her hand.

“You plan to save him?” Ye Yuan’s brows drew together, his tone clearly disapproving.

“Uh… not exactly.” Yun Qiao blinked, then explained earnestly, “Wen Shishu said this Han Shu was his disciple. Since we happened to find him, it wouldn’t feel right to just ignore him. Besides, the fact that he’s here means he might not have been the culprit behind what happened earlier.” She shrugged. “And my medical skills aren’t enough to bring anyone back from the dead, let alone repair a damaged soul.”

“Hmph! Forget about that foolish disciple!” Ye Yuan snorted, his face full of disdain.

“…” Yun Qiao couldn’t help thinking her grandmaster seemed unusually irritable tonight. Was it because he didn’t get any supper? She decided not to question it. Turning to Han Shu—who looked as pale as paper—she asked gently, “Fellow Daoist Han, do you remember Uncle Wen Qing? He’s your master.”

“Wen… Qing? Master?” Han Shu frowned and shook his head again. “I’m sorry, miss. I really don’t remember.”

Completely blank, Yun Qiao thought. Likely due to his soul being damaged—just retaining self-awareness was impressive. Asking further would yield nothing.

“In that case,” she said, “why don’t you stay here for now? When Uncle Wen returns, he’ll surely know what happened, and he might be able to restore your soul.” Judging from Wen Qing’s panic when he first saw the seal and his desperate attempt to hide it from Ye Yuan, he clearly cared deeply about this disciple. Once he reached the underworld and found Han Shu missing, he would realize something had gone wrong.

Han Shu visibly relaxed, bowing politely. “Thank you, miss, for your kindness. I’ll trouble you for a while then. May I ask your name?”

“Oh, I’m Yun Qiao,” she said, then introduced the old man and her grandmaster.

He greeted them all with courtesy, then smiled shyly at her. “So, it’s Junior Sister Yun.”

Yun Qiao blinked, then realized he’d likely called her that because she’d referred to Wen Qing as her uncle-master. She didn’t mind and reminded him not to stray too far from the vial—otherwise, it could harm his soul.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuan’s expression was growing darker by the second. From the moment Han Shu appeared, that strange, smoldering irritation had been building inside him. Seeing the two of them chatting so easily now finally pushed him over the edge. Without another word, he grabbed his little disciple by the arm and marched her toward the door.

“Grandmaster?” Yun Qiao was taken aback as she was pulled along. “Where are we going?”

“Midnight snack,” he said curtly.

Yun Qiao: “…”

Bai Yu: “…”

(End of Chapter)