Chapter Two: That Fiery Woman

“Old Ma, you and Big Lu, wrap up the body and carry it to the car. Be careful when you handle it. Don't break my newly replaced trunk door again,” Ye Yan instructed, glancing at Lu Dashan, whose massive frame stood nearly four meters tall, looming like a mountain before him.

“Alright, Brother Yan,” Lu Dashan replied with a silly grin, scratching his head. Together with Old Ma, he shoved the body into the trunk.

With the arrangements finalized, Ye Yan waved a hand. “Head back, all of you. I'll call you out again when it's time to bury the body.”

“Yes, Brother Yan.”

As the demonic wind faded, the four spirit fiends returned one after another into the Radiant Demon Banner. Ye Yan gathered his things, got into the car, started the engine, and his little Wuling minivan shot out of the parking lot with a burst of speed, leaving behind only the glow of a taillight.

Rain fell steadily outside.

Ye Yan didn't drive fast. He didn’t rush the traffic lights, calmly following the flow of cars. Only when he approached the outskirts did he gradually pick up speed.

A cigarette was perched between his lips, one hand resting on the steering wheel. A song played on loop inside the car.

The ache of heartbreak
Is always mine to bear
You left as I shattered, soaring into the air
A lifetime of passion, too hard to turn back…

Ten minutes later.

At a villa on the far edge of the suburbs, Ye Yan drove his little Wuling straight to the backyard without a pause.

He parked smoothly, stepped into the rain, and expertly opened the trunk. The metallic scent of blood rushed out to greet him.

Inside the trunk, with the seats removed, lay the body wrapped diagonally in a waterproof tarp. Beside it were a pile of shovels, hatchets, hemp rope, a full roll of waterproof cloth, and other odds and ends.

“Let’s get to work.”

He clapped his hands, brushing away the lingering scent of blood from his nose.

The demon banner fluttered, and the figures of Lu Dashan and the other fiends reappeared.

The four spirit fiends immediately fell into their usual roles—some carrying the body, others grabbing shovels. Though their numbers weren’t small, their actions were well-ordered.

Ye Yan didn’t join in. He stood to the side, quietly lighting another cigarette.

Smoke curled in the air.

The four fiends grunted and toiled.

In less than the time it took to finish a cigarette, they had dug a two-meter-long deep pit.

Without further instruction, the towering Lu Dashan skillfully dragged the body and dumped it into the pit. The others began to fill it in.

Ye Yan smoked, watching the fiends work, his gaze sweeping over the backyard dotted with nearly a hundred small mounds of earth.

A strange emotion stirred in his heart.

“Four years…”

Without realizing it, Ye Yan had spent four years in the world of “Under One Person.” In those four years, he had gone from ignorance to becoming a Nine-Banner Night Watcher. From a nameless nobody to someone whose reputation had risen swiftly. From a weakling unable to truss a chicken to someone whose backyard could barely contain the bodies. He’d had dealings with all sorts of special organizations: the Quanzhen Sect, the World Society, even Na Dou Tong.

The transformation was hard to put into words.

Ye Yan.

A Night Watcher of the Nine Banners.

Sharing the same name and abilities as the one in the Censorate, perhaps even more refined.

But Ye Yan knew well he had no real connection to his counterpart in another world.

At the very least, he wasn’t one for performance art.

Nor was he insane.

The cigarette between his fingers had burned down before he realized it, the heat snapping Ye Yan back to reality.

He flicked away the butt and saw the fiends, having finished their work, leaning on shovels and staring at him with wide, curious eyes.

“What are you all looking at?” he grumbled, sweeping his gaze over them.

“Brother Yan, are you alright?” Old Ma asked cautiously.

“What could possibly be wrong?” Ye Yan chuckled. “If you’re done here, go back inside. I’ll let you all play cards tonight.”

“Yay!” came a cheer from Mo Lizha.

At the mention of cards, the fiends’ eyes lit up with delight.

For spirit fiends, life was nothing but endless battles and serving their master. Occasionally, Ye Yan would let them play cards or Mahjong to liven things up—a small pleasure they all looked forward to.

With his promise, the fiends obediently returned to the Radiant Demon Banner.

Ye Yan opened the passenger door and retrieved the vegetables and fruit he had bought earlier.

He had to make dinner.

As for the little Wuling, he’d just leave it here. He could fetch it tomorrow if he needed it.

Carrying two bags, Ye Yan walked to the villa’s entrance. But as he pulled out his keys and slid one into the lock, he sensed something amiss.

As the door opened, he saw on the entryway rug a pair of small brown calfskin boots—confirming his suspicion.

Then, looking up, he saw her.

There she was, lounging on the sofa, draped in a silk, low-cut nightgown, her cherry-pink hair damp and dripping, yawning lazily.

“Oh, you’re back.”

Hearing the door, Xia He, perched cross-legged on the sofa, looked up with interest, her voice so sweet it seemed to melt into the bones.

“What are you doing here?” Ye Yan asked, frowning, slippers on his feet.

Chin propped delicately on her hand, Xia He replied, “Of course I came to see my little man. What’s wrong—am I not welcome?”

Ye Yan didn’t answer, turning instead toward the kitchen.

Xia He laughed, unbothered by his coldness, and padded barefoot after him.

While Ye Yan organized the groceries, Xia He pestered him incessantly. “Little brother, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. Did you miss your big sister?”

Her jade arms draped around his shoulders, soft voice whispering in his ear.

“Keep your distance,” Ye Yan said flatly, pushing her away.

Undeterred, Xia He clung again. “Why so cold to your big sister? Is there another woman in your life? Come…talk to me.”

“Heh.” Ye Yan snorted, but Xia He didn’t get annoyed. Tugging at the cherry-pink silk of her nightgown, she teased, “You’re so thoughtful, little brother, remembering my size.”

“That wasn’t for you.”

“No matter. It fits me perfectly.”

Ye Yan could only sigh inwardly.

Xia He, on the other hand, was in high spirits, completely unfazed by his indifference, and continued her playful banter as Ye Yan busied himself in the kitchen.

After teasing him for a while, Xia He suddenly pouted, “Little brother, I’m hungry.”

Ye Yan shot her a glance. “What’s that got to do with me? You really are something—always showing up wherever you please, impossible to get rid of.”

“That can’t be helped,” she replied. “You’re my little man. Feed me now, and I’ll have the energy to feed you later tonight.”

“What do you say, little brother?” As she spoke, her hand trailed shamelessly along his waist, acting as if she owned the place.