Shouts came from outside, “Ghost Doctor, Ghost Doctor, someone is looking for you.”

The woman was holding a parasitic insect the size of a finger. Impatiently, she put it down and walked out. The insect wriggled, mixing with the others, and the strange hisses rang out again in the darkness, causing one’s heart to tremble.

Outside, a woman in plain clothes was patiently explaining, “You don’t need to worry.”

Although the Ghost Doctor has a strange temperament, she is actually kind-hearted and overly obsessed with medical arts, especially with raising parasitic insects in recent years.

The woman in a sky-blue dress listened carefully, occasionally smiling and nodding. The warm-hearted farmer’s wife and the elegant woman created a harmonious scene, but it was suddenly interrupted by an irritated voice: “Madam Wang, who is looking for me this time?” Being interrupted while immersed in parasitic insect research was truly unpleasant.

The woman in the sky-blue dress cupped her hands and responded with a smile, “I am Jin Mo.” Her voice was warm and mellow.

At the port, Jin Mo stood facing the wind and asked the person beside her, “Any news?”

“Reporting to my master, the message says Young Master Xu is getting married.”

Jin Mo was stunned. “Is he marrying my elder sister? If that’s what he wants, I will bless him.”

“No.”

Jin Mo fell silent, and the atmosphere became quiet. After a while, she asked again, “Then who?”

“I heard it’s Boss Miao from the town.”

Jin Mo slightly furrowed her brow. “Boss Miao?”

“Yes, the cloth shop owner from town.”

Who could Yi’er marry besides his elder sister? Would his elder sister truly be so heartless, abandoning him after two years?

Jin Mo lowered her eyes and looked out at the sea. “Lou Ying, does Boss Miao have any wives or concubines?”

“Not yet married, but he has two concubines, one reportedly pregnant. People say you and Young Master Yun were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match. Although you’ve corresponded with Master Yun these two years, you’ve secretly tracked news about Young Master Xu. While you glanced at Yunmei’s letters, you read and kept the letters about Young Master Xu close.”

Jin Mo clenched and then released her hand. “When are they getting married? Is he willing or coerced?”

“Master,” Lou Ying was surprised, “this is the first time you’ve asked. The letter only mentions Young Master Yi will marry Boss Miao from the north of town next spring.”

Jin Mo took the letter and stared at it for a long time before saying, “Prepare to return.”

“Master? What about the parasitic poison? Are you not continuing to investigate?”

Jin Mo carefully folded the letter and tucked it into her sleeve. “I already know the antidote method.” Fortunately, the Ghost Doctor was obsessed with medical arts, which made it smooth.

The Ghost Doctor’s impatient voice echoed in Jin Mo’s ears. “Why are people asking about the parasitic poison again!”

“Can you be more specific?”

“About seven days ago, two women in black came…”

Over the past two years, Jin Mo had sensed someone else searching for the antidote. It seemed to be true.

Jin Mo sighed, “Using an excellent medical book and gathering some information, Lou Ying, we can return now.”

Lou Ying was surprised. “Master, you’re not giving the medical book we worked so hard to obtain to the Ghost Doctor, are you?” She didn’t understand why the master had suddenly become interested in medical arts after leaving Ten Li Town two years ago.

Jin Mo replied, “I’ve already memorized the book’s contents. Since she’s interested, giving it to her is no problem.”

“Master, are we just going back like this? What about those people tracking us? Should we try to shake them off, or let them follow us to Ten Li Town?” Lou Ying frowned, troubled.

Jin Mo glanced casually around. “No need to worry. For over a year, they’ve only been monitoring us without any malicious intent. Besides, even if we want to shake them off, we can’t. We’ve tried before.”

Those people were highly skilled martial artists, definitely not something they could resist. They had suffered a loss before.

“Master… Luo Ying, don’t say anymore, I have decided to return today.” Perhaps by returning, I could know more. For the past two years, I felt that someone extraordinary had arrived in Shi Li Town. I sent people to inquire several times, but nothing significant happened, except that my elder sister has been managing the Jin family business better.

The nights in town were never peaceful. In the whistling wind, a sharp cry echoed, and the sound of wings flapping came from outside the window.

Jin Yu opened the window, and an eagle swooped forward, its claws gripping the window frame, its sharp gaze fixed on Jin Yu. Its wings continued to beat, and the candlelight flickered in the wind.

Most of the lights in the Jin residence had been extinguished, wrapping everything in darkness. Jin Yu had instructed others not to wait on her. She removed the bamboo tube from the eagle’s claw, took out the letter inside, and unfolded it.

The candlelight wavered, the eagle’s eyes sharp. Jin Yu’s figure alternated between light and shadow, her brow furrowed, lost in thought.

Outside, the wind whistled, and cold air rushed in, tossing her loose hair across her face.

Suddenly, the eagle let out a sharp cry and flew into the darkness.

Jin Yu set the letter ablaze in the candlelight, and once the paper was consumed, she pushed open the door and went out.

#

In the exquisite room, the charcoal fire crackled, sparking occasionally. Dao’er stirred the herbs in the incense burner, and sandalwood smoke rose lazily as he added calming herbs.

Yun Mei was lying in bed, preparing to rest. He looked at Dao’er, “It’s very late. You should also go rest.”

Dao’er smiled back, “Young Master, you sleep first. I’ll go rest soon.” The smile, however, revealed worry, forced and strained, as the young master looked haggard.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed in, followed by cold drafts and the whistling sound from outside.

“Dao’er, what happened?” a puzzled voice came from the inner room.

Before Dao’er could react, the person at the door entered, pushing aside the crystal bead curtain.

“Wife?” a surprised and confused voice came from the inner room, soon followed by the sound of clothing being torn and frantic calls of “Wife.”

The hissing sounds made Dao’er’s heart skip several beats. He was stunned for a moment but quickly reacted. As he passed through the swaying bead curtain, his heart raced, and his body trembled. He wanted to walk over but hesitated, saying in a panic, “Master, the young master is in poor health. Perhaps another day…”

“Leave.” The cold voice carried such authority that it silenced Dao’er immediately. He could only look helplessly toward Yun Mei, who was in shock, trembling in the air, unable to respond.

Jin Yu’s gaze remained fixed on Yun Mei, ignoring Dao’er. After saying “leave” a second time, a soft closing door sound rang out, quieting the room, leaving only the sound of the crystal bead curtain swaying and the crackling of the charcoal fire.

Jin Yu coldly laughed, leaning close to Yun Mei’s ear and whispering, “Liking someone is not an excuse to hurt others.” She felt disgusted by Yun Mei’s actions, not only because he had married ‘Jin Yu’ but also due to his secret collusion with Jin Mo and his past attempt on ‘Jin Yu’s’ life. In fact, he had taken ‘Jin Yu’s’ life, which was why she was now reborn in this body.

But now, her life was about to end. She wondered if anyone would be reborn in this body after her death.

Jin Yu stood to leave, but was grabbed by her clothing. Turning back, she saw Yun Mei bent over, clutching her garment. His ink-like hair cascaded down, almost covering his body, revealing glimpses of his pale skin, looking particularly alluring in the dim candlelight.