Song Ciwan stood in the Otherworld, watching as Wang Yi, in the Mortal World, suddenly raised a sleeve to wipe the corner of his eye.

Tiny teardrops welled in the corners of his eyes. His voice was sorrowful and sincere as he said, "Yes, exactly. Take Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, and Brother Jian, for example. They adored Princess Chunshui, coming day after day to throw flowers and support her. Truly... if not for their limited funds, they would have pooled their money to buy her freedom and take her home."

Wang Yi sighed. "All that affection from days past... who could have known that Princess Chunshui would suddenly undergo Demonization? In a single moment, she turned on her former companions with the most terrifying methods."

"Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, and Brother Jian were standing right there by the railing on the second floor..." Wang Yi gestured with his hands, vividly describing the scene of Princess Chunshui’s initial Demonization.

He had witnessed it all with his own eyes.

The woman had been singing a sweet, winding melody. She sang, "My lord, why do you love my golden lotuses? Ah, my little lotuses, so perfectly pointed, hee hee..."

At that moment, Princess Chunshui’s smile was one of devastating charm and captivating beauty.

Everyone in Yao Fang Courtyard, from top to bottom, was utterly spellbound.

The three of them—Liu, Zhang, and Jian—came from prominent city families. They were well-read men of considerable Talent. And they were standing closest to Princess Chunshui, applauding her rapturously.

From beneath Princess Chunshui’s light, flowing skirt, which billowed like a blossoming flower, a sharp Snake Tail suddenly shot out.

The Snake Tail grew as it met the air, instantly extending dozens of feet. With a WHAP, it lashed out and struck Liu, Zhang, and Jian dead.

Yes, it happened in a single moment, an instant.

Fast. It was too fast. So fast that it wasn’t just Wang Yi, who stood behind the three men, who couldn’t react; no one else present in Yao Fang Courtyard could react either.

The crowd was still immersed in Princess Chunshui’s exquisite singing, lost in a drunken stupor, oblivious to everything.

Those three—Liu, Zhang, and Jian—were not weaklings. But such is the nature of Scholars. Before their Talent breaks through three feet and they reach the Righteous Qi Realm, a Scholar’s body is as fragile as wet paper compared to that of a Martial Artist or a Cultivator.

Otherwise, why would the common folk joke that a Scholar "lacks the strength to truss a chicken"?

If their Talent doesn’t break through three feet, a Scholar’s body is no different from an ordinary mortal’s.

No, if caught off guard, they might even be more fragile.

And so Liu, Zhang, and Jian died. It wasn’t until blood flowed from their broken bodies and soaked a nearby wine-serving Child that the boy screamed, "Aah! Blood!"

Only then was everyone in Yao Fang Courtyard startled into awareness. Only then did people realize someone had died.

The crowd erupted into a panicked commotion.

But at first, the panic was limited.

Why?

Because recently, death at Yao Fang Courtyard had not been a rare occurrence.

Someone choked to death on a tea leaf while sipping their drink.

Someone was tapping out a rhythm and suddenly tumbled over the second-floor railing, hitting the ground with a SPLAT and dying instantly.

Others got into an argument, emotions flared, and suddenly a punch was thrown, a slap returned, and in a flash, they had beaten each other to death...

In short, all sorts of deaths, seemingly accidental, had been happening for quite some time.

Not long ago, there was even a bounty posted for Princess Chunshui in the Steward Hall at the foot of Wangjiang Mountain.

Dong Shiba had died in Yao Fang Courtyard, and his mother, convinced Princess Chunshui was involved, posted the bounty at the Wangjiang Mountain Steward Hall, hoping some expert would bring Princess Chunshui to justice.

But the world is an absurd, laughable place. Despite the many deaths surrounding Princess Chunshui and Madam Dong’s well-known bounty, the liveliness of Yao Fang Courtyard never waned. In fact, the crowds of people arriving at just the right time to see Princess Chunshui grew larger by the day.

Wang Yi sighed. "I was standing quite far back, behind the three gentlemen, so I didn’t clearly see Princess Chunshui’s demonized Snake Tail emerge. I thought my three friends had just met with some strange, unforeseen accident, like the others before them."

"I wanted to go and prepare their bodies for burial, but before I could even touch them, the three gentlemen’s appearances suddenly changed."

Here, Wang Yi’s voice grew strained. He said, "Liu, Zhang, and Jian... they were always such dashing, elegant men. But at that moment, they suddenly grew snake-like faces and scales. Their legs were still human, but their feet... I don’t know how, but their feet had become bound like a woman’s, pointed and shaped like a pair of rice dumplings."

WHOOSH. Those three Scholars, with their pointed, dumpling-like feet, rigidly flipped upright and leaped into the crowd, scattering in different directions.

The crowd in Yao Fang Courtyard was dense.

Most people couldn’t react before Liu, Zhang, or Jian grabbed their hands or touched their faces.

Others were touched on the arm, the backside, the hem of their clothes, and so on.

In short, anyone touched by Liu, Zhang, or Jian would, in a matter of moments, sprout a pair of pointed little feet.

Those who grew the small feet screamed, shoving frantically, and fled in all directions with a hobbling gait. In doing so, they bumped into even more people.

And anyone who came into contact with one of these people with small feet would inevitably be infected, also sprouting a pair of small feet moments later.

The suffering of having those small feet was indescribable.

Seeing this, Wang Yi was scared witless.

Fortunately, his Life-bound Illusion Text, "Doubt Not," was an excellent defensive text.

He gritted his teeth and wrote "Doubt Not" for himself. He then centered his mind, calmed his spirit, and dodged through the crowd to escape Yao Fang Courtyard.

He didn’t elaborate on the many hardships and dangers he faced during his escape, saying only, "I am ashamed. I could not save my three classmates, nor could I save anyone else. I could only use the two words, ’Doubt Not,’ to wisely protect myself."

Perhaps the newly demonized Princess Chunshui had limited Magic Power, or perhaps she simply wasn’t paying any special attention to Wang Yi. In any case, though his escape was perilous, he ultimately succeeded.

Zhou Bo, cradling his cat, nodded. "To do what one knows is impossible is courage; to refrain from doing what one knows is impossible is wisdom. Wisely protecting yourself is the way of a gentleman. Brother Wang, you have no need to be ashamed."

Hearing this praise, Wang Yi’s face showed a mix of being flattered and relieved. He was just about to offer a humble reply like, "Brother Zhou, you flatter me," when Zhou Bo continued, "However, at the time, everyone had their Divine Souls turned upside down by Princess Chunshui, and thus either died or had their feet bound. Why were you, Brother Wang, able to remain so clear-headed?"

Wang Yi: "..."

’All I can say is, Zhou Bo is just too good at asking questions.’

Wang Yi froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, Brother Zhou, while I often came to Bright Moon Square with my classmates, it was merely to listen to the music. A Scholar’s pursuit, you understand. A refined pastime."

"But as for me... because someone from my past already lives in my heart, I would never have my Divine Soul turned upside down for Princess Chunshui."