Chu Susu looked exhausted after her failed attempt. She shook her head, explaining that a failure gave her a headache and she couldn’t steal anymore.

Hearing this, the Monk closed his eyes again, shaking his head and muttering mysteriously, "An ailment of the heart can only be cured by medicine of the heart!"

Feng Bei quickened her pace, her jet-black ponytail swinging from side to side with each step.

Zheng Xiu scratched his head. For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that Feng Bei was upset.

’It’s alright. I just need to cheer her up.’

Zheng Xiu strode forward to walk beside Feng Bei.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zheng Xiu asked.

Feng Bei’s gaze was fixed ahead. "She has great potential."

"How so?"

"To become self-taught in just half a year, to be able to approach the Darkness and remain unscathed... Even if it’s just with a ’severed hand,’ among all the people I know who are still alive, fewer than a dozen could do that." Feng Bei gave Zheng Xiu a subtle glance before continuing, "Perhaps it has to do with her rules. The word ’stealing’ is quite fitting. If the Night Lord ever learned the principles of her Miracle Technique, he would undoubtedly do everything in his power to recruit her into Ye Weiyang."

Zheng Xiu inwardly pursed his lips. ’Looks like the Night Lord won’t get a chance to poach her after all.’ Despite his thoughts, Zheng Xiu agreed with her out loud.

"But," Feng Bei shook her head, "if you’re not a Mystic, getting too close to the Darkness isn’t a blessing, it’s a curse."

Zheng Xiu’s brow furrowed.

Feng Bei continued, "Brother Zheng, you should be able to see it too. Her Miracle Technique achieves its phantom-like effects by passing through the Darkness. But even if she meticulously follows her rules when Casting, getting too close to the Darkness will taint her with the Filthy Qi that leaks out. And if her Path isn’t profound enough, the slightest misstep will lead to her being devoured by the Darkness."

Zheng Xiu’s expression changed. "She’ll die?"

Feng Bei recalled the tragedy she had experienced with Zheng Shan all those years ago. She nodded. "If Brother Zheng still remembers what happened in Baili Village twenty-one years ago... she will die a horrible death."

Zheng Xiu knew Feng Bei wasn’t just trying to scare him.

Nor was she worried about Chu Susu.

In truth, neither of them had any real connection to Chu Susu. If she died, she died. It was nothing for them to worry about.

The faint sadness Zheng Xiu sensed from Feng Bei’s silhouette stemmed from that moment, when she was once again remembering what had happened in Baili Village twenty-one years ago. She was remembering Feng Nantian’s death. She was remembering the gruesome sight of Wang Cangyun, a mere Human, forcing his way through the barrier between two realms. And even more, she was remembering the horrific state Wei Chen was in when Wang Cangyun carried him out.

In fact, even now, Zheng Xiu wasn’t sure if Wei Chen was still alive. He only knew that at the end of the Baili Village incident, Wei Chen’s skin had been so badly burned it looked as though he’d been set ablaze. There wasn’t a single unblemished spot on him; the sight had been truly wretched.

The Baili Village massacre was now the only remaining link between Feng Bei and "Machoman Zheng Shan." It was a past they had shared. At the same time, however, the massacre was a scar on Feng Bei’s heart. She should have died there, but she had survived because of Zheng Shan. To this day, she still lived a lonely existence, bearing an Omen, desperately seeking a reason to live in the Human world as a Mystic.

The moment Zheng Xiu had made contact with Feng Bei in Baili Village, her memories had flowed into his mind, revealing her past to him. Now, he could faintly grasp the complex thoughts swirling in her heart, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to comfort her. After a brief hesitation, Zheng Xiu took her hand.

Feng Bei stiffened as if struck by lightning, turning to stare at Senior Zheng in shock.

Zheng Xiu smiled. "See? I’m fine."

Feng Bei was taken aback for a moment, then lowered her head, letting Zheng Xiu hold her hand. As she felt the warmth spreading from his palm, the glacial ice in her heart—the thick walls she had built around herself—seemed to melt just a little because of him. To Feng Bei, Zheng Xiu’s existence couldn’t be defined by simple, worldly terms like "friend," "lover," "kin," or "acquaintance."

To Feng Bei, Zheng Xiu was "that person"—the only one in this world she could touch without fear of accidentally destroying them.

Zheng Xiu gave her hand a comforting squeeze, then quickly let go. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Feng Bei froze for a second. Her pinky finger twitched back, trying to catch his, but found nothing. She could only press forward in silence.

More than Chu Susu, Zheng Xiu was actually curious about the Monk’s Path.

First, there was him infiltrating an orphanage for delinquents, pretending to be a thief.

Then, there was him dressing as a woman to sneak into a brothel.

Both incidents made Zheng Xiu click his tongue in amazement. He had to admit, he was impressed by the Monk’s peculiar habits; it really broadened his horizons.

’I never would’ve imagined a Path could be cultivated that way.’

But the Monk was different from Chu Susu.

Chu Susu was naive and didn’t understand how treacherous people could be, so she’d casually shared the details of her Miracle Technique.

As the saying goes, those who walk a Path do not pry into the Paths of others. Zheng Xiu fell back a few steps and stared at the back of the Monk’s bald head for a long time, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

The Monk focused on leading the way, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Zheng Xiu pondered the medium, rules, and Restrictions of Chu Susu’s Casting.

When she Cast, she actually sent her disembodied hand through the Darkness to reach her target.

Zheng Xiu had never heard of such a bizarre Miracle Technique. And judging from Feng Bei’s reaction, even within Ye Weiyang, techniques that could traverse the Darkness were rare.

Even if it was just a hand.

Zheng Xiu thought of himself.

’Does my clone’s teleportation work on a similar principle?’

’Does it travel through the Darkness to arrive directly at the destination?’

Zheng Xiu had witnessed the consequences of entering the Darkness firsthand. At that thought, he warned Chu Susu not to use her Stealing Skill so casually until he could figure things out, just to be safe.

Chu Susu didn’t understand, but she remembered how Uncle Zheng had stuffed her cheeks full with a steamed bun. A warmth spread through her heart, and her trust in Zheng Xiu deepened. She nodded and agreed.