Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

As the morning mist recedes over the rooftops of the water village, the crisscrossing waterways of Yunmeng Marsh are revealed.

The newly built wooden sluice gate was half-submerged in water, and several little demons trudged through the mud, embedding the last few water-drawing bamboo pipes into the canal wall.

Smoke rose from the wooden houses in the distance, and old clothes were being dried on the shore. What was once a mess of ruins had taken on the appearance of a village.

Bai Yin stood in front of the stone wall at the village gate, listening to the reports from the patrolmen one by one.

"Have all three dead veins in the west been sealed off?"

"It's sealed. As you instructed, check the array nails every two hours."

"What about the refugees from Waize?"

"Twenty-seven households have been resettled. The injured are in the wooden houses on the east side, and the young demons will receive their food first."

Bai Yin nodded, bent down, and pulled out a formation nail from beside the ditch. The nail was free of black energy, and the sealing formation patterns were intact. He pressed his palm against the nail, and the fox mark on the broken sword at his waist glowed faintly.

The sound of water was soft behind me.

Su Xiaojiu emerged from the depths of the water fortress. Today, she neither rolled up her sleeves nor got covered in mud; she simply held a wisp of moon-white karma in her palm. The light falling between her fingers made her expression appear calmer than usual.

Bai Yin looked up at her.

"Something happened?"

"Not really." Su Xiaojiu put the karma into her sleeve. "I received a message from my main body that there are a few old karmas that I need to go back and deal with."

The array nail in Bai Yin's hand made a crisp sound.

He crushed the hard iron nail, and the murderous aura of metal rose along his wrist bone, casting dark red streaks beneath his skin. He didn't ask what had happened, nor whether she would come back; he only stared at the cuff of her sleeve where she had put away the message.

The altar of the Moon Palace seemed to press into my eyes again.

The red dress, her hard work, and her nonchalant "It's nothing" before she collapsed.

Su Xiaojiu saw the crack under his palm.

"Bai Yin".

He snapped out of his daze, put the array nail back into the stone trough, and said in a deep voice.

"I don't know. I'll have to go back to see how messed up the cause and effect are."

Bai Yin tensed his jaw and glanced up at Ze Wai.

"The death veins of Yunmeng Marsh have just been quelled, and the remnants of the Demon Court have not yet been completely wiped out. The area outside the water fortress is full of refugees, and the patrols haven't been trained yet."

"Um."

"Wait a few more days," he said, "until the waterways are fully open and the outer marsh formation is completed. Then, wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."

As he spoke, he took a step to the side, which blocked the wooden bridge leading to Waize.

The little demons carrying timber nearby slowed down their movements.

The young demons by the irrigation ditch fell silent. The village gate, which had been echoing with the sounds of axes and chisels, gradually quieted down, leaving only the clear water rushing over the wooden sluice gate.

Everyone could see the bloodshot look in Bai Yin's eyes.

That wasn't anger.

It's the "Don't go" that was once branded into the bones of the mad tiger.

Su Xiaojiu didn't force him to make way; she simply turned to look at the stone wall.

The newly carved rules still bear the marks of the knife.

One must not exchange one's life for loyalty.

One must not risk one's life for anyone without authorization.

At the very bottom are the two characters "Shouze" that Bai Yin added himself.

Su Xiaojiu raised her hand and pointed to the stone wall.

"Were these inscriptions erected for someone else?"

Bai Yin did not answer.

"Shouldn't you also take care of yourself?"

His palm landed on the hilt of the broken sword, gripping it tighter and tighter. His rough knuckles lost their color, and the malevolent energy within the scabbard was drawn in, emitting a low, tiger-like roar.

Su Xiaojiu looked at him.

"What are you trying to do, blocking my way?"

"It's dangerous outside."

"I know."

"The land of the true self may not be able to accommodate this mortal body."

"I know that too."

Bai Yin's Adam's apple bobbed, and after a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence from between his teeth:

"Then don't go."

The water under the wooden bridge seemed to have calmed down.

When he looked up, the ferocity in his eyes had been suppressed by another emotion. The mad tiger who had once stormed the Demon Court and dared to tear apart any enemy in his way now stood before her, seemingly unsure of where to put his hands.

"I'm not afraid of those things."

Bai Yin's voice was very low.

"I'm afraid that if you turn around, you'll leave all the danger to yourself again. By the time I find you, all that's left is a pool of blood, or a soul that's almost completely dissipated."

He took half a step forward, then abruptly stopped.

"I can stay with you. If you won't let me into the main body's territory, I'll guard outside. I won't do anything, as long as I can see you."

Su Xiaojiu stared at the spot where he had stopped.

"Bai Yin, being there for someone doesn't mean being by their side every step of the way."

"I can do it."

"Protecting someone doesn't mean locking them up in front of you."

Bai Yin's shoulders stiffened.

Her voice contained no reproach, yet it made it impossible for him to conceal the danger with the word "danger."

The surrounding demons lowered their heads, none daring to interrupt. It was the first time they had heard this mad tiger speak with fear, and the first time they had seen Su Xiaojiu not brush it off with a simple "I won't leave."

Bai Yin slowly spread his hands.

The fox mark on my palm is burning hot.

He recalled how he had once stormed the Demon Court to chase after her, how he had used the broken sword to hold back the demon core by the icy pool, and how he had thought countless times—if she wanted to leave, he would grab her; if he couldn't, he would risk injury or his life to force her to turn back.

Those thoughts were no cleaner than those of the Demon-Locking Chain.

Bai Yin closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he slowly loosened the hilt of his sword and took the broken sword from his waist.

With a "clang".

He planted the reforged Asura Blade beside the stone wall, its blade embedded three inches into the ground. The fox mark on the hilt flashed briefly before falling silent again.

Bai Yin stepped aside to clear the wooden bridge.

"Let's go."

Su Xiaojiu glanced at him and took a step forward.

The next moment, the malevolent energy of Geng metal suddenly erupted.

A dark red aura surged from behind Bai Yin, and the phantom of a white tiger parted the morning mist, its fangs pointing directly at the wooden bridge. Nearby lesser demons retreated in panic, and several instinctively gripped their weapons.

Bai Yin did not draw his sword.

He closed his eyes tightly, forcefully suppressing all the leaking evil energy back into his meridians.

A series of muffled thuds erupted from his bones. A surge of malevolent energy surged through his heart, causing the Asura patterns beneath his skin to crack inch by inch, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The white tiger dharma image struggled behind him for a few breaths, but ultimately did not pounce on Su Xiaojiu; instead, he personally dragged it back into his bone and blood.

From beginning to end, not a trace of malevolent energy touched the hem of her clothes.

The demons of the water village stared in disbelief.

For the first time, the once mad tiger did not use his killing intent to keep her, preferring to suppress his own instincts rather than let her suffer even more.

Bai Yin opened his eyes, offered no explanation, and turned to walk into the wooden house.

A moment later, he took out an old cloak.

The cloak had accompanied him on his battles against the demon court, and the dark stains on the collar still held the scent of blood from the past. Bai Yin walked up to Su Xiaojiu, not fastening the cloak for her, but simply draping it over her shoulders and carefully smoothing out the corner that had been whipped up by the wind.

His movements were clumsy; his fingers paused for a moment when they touched the side of her neck before quickly pulling away.

Half a step.

It wasn't close, and it didn't block the way anymore.

"It's cold outside."

Bai Yin looked at her.

"Come back when you're done."

Su Xiaojiu glanced down at the cloak on her shoulder, then looked at the distance he had stepped back.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed Bai Yin's wrist.

Bai Yin tensed up, but did not grip back.

Su Xiaojiu turned his palm over and slowly traced the lines on his palm with her fingertips. First, the pointed ears, then the curled-up body, and finally, a long tail that wrapped around the palm lines and covered the old fox mark.

My fingertips brushed across my palm, sending a slight tingling sensation through me.

Bai Yin looked down and didn't move.

"I have my own path."

Su Xiaojiu finished the last stroke.

"You also have Yunmengze to protect."

She looked up, and the morning light fell into her fox-like eyes.

"I won't promise you I'll never leave, nor will I say I'll be with you through thick and thin. Those words are easy to say, but if something really happens, no one can control anyone else."

Bai Yin's palm trembled slightly.

Su Xiaojiu gently pressed down on the newly painted fox.

"Wait for me to come back, and we'll see the flowers bloom here together."

Bai Yin stared at the overlapping old and new marks on his palm for a long time before responding softly.

"it is good."

He did not reach out to stop him.

Su Xiaojiu walked onto the wooden bridge, draped in a cloak. The bridge planks were still covered in morning dew. She walked slowly, a corner of her white coat peeking out from under the dark cloak, swaying gently in the breeze.

Bai Yin stood before the "Guardian of the Marsh" stone wall, not taking a single step forward.

She didn't reach the end of the canal until she reached the broken knife handle.

Su Xiaojiu stopped and looked back.

Bai Yin did not draw his sword.

He turned around and looked at the demons who were still standing there in a daze.

"Add two crossbeams to the wooden sluice gate on the east side, and widen the western canal by three feet. Move the injured to sheltered wooden huts, and give the newly arrived refugees hot porridge first."

The little demons snapped out of their daze and responded in unison.

The axe fell again, and the sound of wood being dragged along the ditch echoed once more.

Bai Yin personally propped up a fallen beam, summoned the patrolmen to assign manpower, and the broken sword still stood quietly beside the stone wall.

Su Xiaojiu looked for a moment, then turned and walked into the thin mist rising outside the marsh.

In the Yunmeng Marsh, clear water flows through the canals.

The demons finally understood that this mad tiger, which had once used killing to stop killing, had learned to save its blade for death and its enemies.

And leave the way home for those who want to return.