Chapter 12

That night, the celebration never truly began.
The dishes Ying Lei had proudly prepared were still sitting on the table when the doors of the Demon Investigation Bureau burst open.
Pei Sijing entered first.
Her expression alone was enough to kill the mood.
The laughter died immediately.
Wen Xiao stood.
“What happened?”
Pei Sijing tossed a scroll onto the table.
“Another murder.”
Silence fell.
Zhao Yuanzhou’s smile faded.
“Where?”
“The capital.”
Her voice was grim.
“The victim was found drained of spiritual energy.”
Bai Jiu swallowed hard.
“A demon?”
Pei Sijing nodded.
“Most likely.”
The room grew heavy once more.

Their brief moment of peace had ended.
Far away, beneath the shadow of an abandoned pavilion-
A woman stood beneath the moonlight.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
But the smile on her lips was wrong.
Because beneath the illusion-
It was Li Lun.
Across from him stood a man dressed entirely in black.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood.
“The information reached Pei Sijing?” the man asked.
Li Lun laughed softly.
“Of course.”
His fingers played with a folding fan.
“I made sure she found it.”
The man frowned.
“Why?”
Li Lun’s smile widened.
Golden eyes glimmered beneath the disguise.
“Because Zhao Yuanzhou has suffered too little.”
The wind stirred.
Li Lun’s expression darkened.
“I want him to remember.”
A pause.
“Everything.”

Meanwhile-
Inside the Bureau.
A single lamp burned in Zhou Yi Chen’s room.
The room was silent.
Except for his breathing.
Uneven.
Painful.
His hands trembled slightly as he tightened the straps around his wrist.
The suppressants lay scattered nearby.
Their scent filled the room.
But they weren’t helping enough.
Not this time.
Heat rolled through his body like fire.
His head ached.
Every nerve felt stretched too tightly.
Zhou Yi Chen leaned against the table, breathing slowly.
Trying to steady himself.
Trying to force the weakness away.

Outside, the Bureau was already preparing to leave.
Another case.
Another death.
There wasn’t time for this.
There never was.
After several long moments, he straightened.
His face was pale.
But his eyes remained sharp.
Determined.

The leader of the Demon Investigation Bureau first.
Everything else second.
He pushed open the door.
The others were already gathered in the courtyard.
Wen Xiao immediately noticed something was wrong.
“Yi Chen?”
He looked exhausted.
Far too pale.
Even Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression changed.
“You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine.”
The answer came too quickly.
Zhao Yuanzhou frowned.
“You-“
“I’m fine.”
His voice was colder this time.
Sharper.
Ending the conversation before it began.
The courtyard fell silent.
Zhou Yi Chen adjusted Yun Guangjian at his side.
Then looked toward Pei Sijing.
“Where was the body found?”
Pei Sijing hesitated.
Studying him carefully.
But ultimately answered.
“South Market.”
Zhou Yi Chen nodded once.
“Then let’s go.”
He took a step forward.
His posture was perfectly straight.
As if he wasn’t hurting at all.
As if sheer willpower alone was carrying him.
Zhao Yuanzhou watched him quietly.
And for the first time that night-
His concern outweighed his usual teasing.
Because something told him that whatever Zhou Yi Chen was enduring-
He was enduring it alone.

✨✨✨✨❄️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

The investigation reached a dead end.
Too many bodies.
Too many clues.
And far too many secrets.
Everyone stood in silence until Zhou Yi Chen suddenly spoke.
“If Chenghuang is connected to all of this…”
His fingers tightened around Yun Guangjian.
“…then finding Chenghuang might also reveal what happened to Pei Siheng.”
The name caused Pei Sijing’s expression to shift.
A brief flicker of emotion crossed her face.
Hope.
Fear.
Determination.
Everyone’s gaze immediately turned toward Zhao Yuanzhou.
The ancient demon sighed.
“I was hoping nobody would ask.”
“Too late,” Wen Xiao replied.
Zhao Yuanzhou folded his arms.
“Chenghuang resides at the Observatory.”
“The Observatory?” Bai Jiu blinked.
“Why there?”
“Because he likes watching people.”
The answer somehow made it worse.
Seeing their confusion, Zhao Yuanzhou continued.
“Long ago, Chenghuang lived in Kunlun.”
“A sacred place.”
“But he violated heavenly laws.”
“So he was exiled.”
Ying Lei whistled.
“You have to do something impressive to get thrown out of Kunlun.”
“Chenghuang was very impressive.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“No.”
As they traveled, Zhao Yuanzhou explained more.
“Somehow, Chenghuang escaped punishment from the Baize Order.”
His expression darkened.
“Afterward, he secretly opened the gates connecting Kunlun.”
“And lesser demons poured through.”
Wen Xiao frowned.
“That should have been impossible.”
“Many things that should be impossible have happened recently.”
Nobody could argue with that.
By nightfall, they reached the Observatory.
The ancient structure stood beneath the stars like a forgotten monument.
Silent.
Motionless.
Waiting.
In the center of the courtyard sat a massive stone sundial.
Moonlight illuminated strange carvings running across its surface.
Bai Jiu immediately looked around.
“Where’s the water clock?”
There wasn’t one.
Which was strange.
An observatory should have had both.
Zhao Yuanzhou approached the sundial slowly.
Golden eyes studying every symbol.
After several moments he spoke.
“This isn’t for telling time.”
“What is it then?” Pei Sijing asked.
“A key.”
His gaze sharpened.
“To a formation.”
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
Ying Lei took a cautious step backward.
“I suddenly don’t want to go in.”
“We’re going in,” Zhou Yi Chen said.
“I knew you’d say that.”
Zhao Yuanzhou crouched beside the sundial.
Ancient energy flowed beneath the stone.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
If the formation activated unexpectedly, people could easily become separated.
Or worse.
He stood.
“For safety…”
A rope appeared in his hands.
The others immediately became suspicious.
A few moments later-
Zhou Yi Chen stared down at the rope binding his wrist to Zhao Yuanzhou’s.
“…Explain.”
“For safety.”
“You seem entirely too happy about this.”
“I am happy about this.”
“Zhao Yuanzhou.”
“What?”
“This is suspicious.”
Wen Xiao covered her face.
“Not this again.”
Bai Jiu was already laughing.
Ying Lei pointed dramatically.
“The couple has matching accessories now.”
“We are not a couple.”
“Sure.”
Ignoring everyone, Zhao Yuanzhou checked the knot.
Satisfied.
“If the formation separates us, we’ll find each other.”
Zhou Yi Chen rolled his eyes.
But he didn’t remove the rope.
The group stepped toward the sundial.
Ancient symbols suddenly began glowing.
Blue light spread across the stone.
The ground trembled.
Wind exploded through the courtyard.
The formation activated.
Then everything changed.
The world twisted.
Stars blurred.
Reality bent around them.
Zhou Yi Chen felt a sharp pain behind his eyes.
His breathing suddenly became uneven.
The suppressants he’d taken earlier were no longer working properly.
The strain of the day.
The demonic energy.
The formation.
Everything was becoming too much.
His vision blurred.
The glowing symbols doubled.
Tripled.
The world tilted.
“Yi Chen?”
He heard Zhao Yuanzhou’s voice distantly.
Too far away.
The pain in his head intensified.
His legs gave out.
Before he hit the ground-
Strong arms caught him.
The rope between their wrists tightened.
Zhou Yi Chen found himself falling directly against Zhao Yuanzhou’s shoulder.
The ancient demon froze.
Everyone else froze too.
Wen Xiao blinked.
“…Uh.”
Bai Jiu looked concerned.
“Leader Zhou?”
Pei Sijing immediately stepped forward.
But Zhao Yuanzhou was already supporting him carefully.
One arm around his shoulders.
Keeping him upright.
Zhou Yi Chen tried to push away.
Failed.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
“I’m fine.”
His voice sounded weak even to himself.
Nobody believed him.
Especially not Zhao Yuanzhou.
The ancient demon looked down at him quietly.
For once there was no teasing.
No flirting.
Only concern.
“You’re not.”
The words were soft.
Dangerously soft.
The formation continued glowing around them.
Ancient power humming beneath the Observatory.
But Zhao Yuanzhou barely noticed.
Because Zhou Yi Chen’s face had gone pale.
And despite all their arguments-
All their grudges-
The sight made something tighten painfully in his chest.
A feeling he had spent thousands of years trying to forget.