Chapter 25: The Eight-Trigram Soul Sacrifice Plate—Part 2

After a restful night, Yusang fell asleep with a smile on her face.

What exactly was she so happy about?

She wasn’t entirely sure herself.

Was it because Yan Qige coaxed her?

No, no, she denied it.

He owed her that much.

After all, he had bullied and annoyed her far more times than he had ever tried to comfort her.

It must have been the thought of being able to snack on demon cores freely in the future.

Yes, that had to be it.

She convinced herself with this reasoning and happily drifted into a dream filled with endless snacks made of demon cores.

Who was it that said sweet dreams are fragile and easily broken?

Early the next morning, while Yusang was still lost in her dream of unlimited demon core snacks, she was rudely awakened by a thunderous knocking at the door.

“Who is it?” Yusang finally jumped up, shouting in frustration.

“Your young master wants you to attend to him as he rises,” came the voice of the inn’s errand boy from outside.

“What?” Yusang yanked the door open, thinking she must have misheard.

“Alright, message delivered. Hurry up now.” The errand boy, treating her like a maid following her master, didn’t bother with pleasantries and left immediately.

Yusang didn’t actually consider Yan Qige her master, but she still went to his room.

She needed to make it clear to him that he shouldn’t order her around like a servant.

When she reached Yan Qige’s door, she saw it was half-open.

With some lingering annoyance, she pushed it open and walked in, declaring, “I need to make something clear to you. You must have misunderstood something—I am not…”

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in shock.

Yan Qige stood beside his bed, his long hair untied, his robe loosely draped over his shoulders, exposing a broad expanse of his chest.

For a moment, Yusang felt blood rushing to her face, and her nose tingled as if she might start bleeding.

“What are you not?” Yan Qige asked casually while calmly tying his robe and retrieving an outer garment to wear.

Yusang’s face turned red, and her eyes darted around the room, finding nowhere appropriate to look.

The confident words she had prepared moments ago now felt hollow.

After a long hesitation, she muttered, “I’m not your maid. Stop ordering me around.”

“If you don’t want to be my maid, then tell me—what do you want to be?” Yan Qige asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Anything’s fine, as long as I’m not a maid!” she blurted out.

“Alright, fine.”

Yusang was surprised by how readily he agreed, but before she could feel relieved, Yan Qige added, “From now on, you’ll be my attendant.”

“What? Isn’t that the same as being a maid?”

“How could it be the same? A maid serves tea, arranges living quarters, and runs errands. An attendant also manages luggage and must be ready to risk their lives to protect their master if necessary.”

“Can’t I just not be a subordinate at all?” Yusang said with a miserable expression.

Yan Qige, now fully dressed, glanced at her and said with a smirk, “With your skills, following me around, being a subordinate is about the best you can manage. I do lack a spirit beast mount, but… you won’t do.”

“I’m definitely not going to be a mount! Actually… you could consider me a reliable partner, someone to travel the world with, a true companion. We could combine our strengths, you know?” Yusang shamelessly suggested.

“Combine strengths with you? Am I mad?”

“You…” Yusang gritted her teeth in frustration.

As Yan Qige tied his hair in front of the mirror, he glanced at her sideways.

Under that look, Yusang’s courage faltered, and her shoulders drooped.

She tried a different tactic, her voice softening as she pleaded, “Please, just agree. I swear I’ll be really helpful!”

Yan Qige ignored her, calmly fastening his jade hairpin.

Only after he had finished did he turn slightly, beckoning her closer with a crooked finger.

Yusang, thinking her plea had worked, hurried forward.

“If you want to follow me, not as a maid, and still have demon cores as supplements—that’s all fine. But you’ll need to listen to me and follow my orders. Agreed?”

Yusang’s eyes flickered with thought.

The terms didn’t sound too bad, so she nodded eagerly.

Yan Qige smiled slightly and gestured for her to come closer, whispering instructions into her ear.

Half an hour later, the three of them sat in the inn’s dining hall having breakfast: two plates of greens, one dish of marinated beef, a tray of steamed buns, and three bowls of porridge. The food looked and smelled simple yet appetizing.

Yan Qige, usually indifferent to food, suddenly seemed in high spirits.

He asked the errand boy if there were any local specialties worth trying, and specifically asked about Ming Ran’s preferences.

The errand boy mentioned a famous pine nut cake sold at a shop in the front street.

Yan Qige handed him a few silver coins, instructing him to buy some for Ming Ran and keep the change as a tip.

Ming Ran blushed and lowered her head, mumbling polite refusals.

Yusang watched all this and snorted in annoyance.

Yan Qige immediately shot her a cold look, letting his chopsticks slip from his fingers onto the floor.

“Fetch me another pair,” he ordered Yusang.

Yusang rose reluctantly, her expression one of grievance as she walked toward the back of the inn.

The back courtyard was small, with a well and three wooden rooms.

Once she confirmed no one was around, she dropped her façade and swiftly pulled out a violet jade compass and two yellow talismans that Yan Qige had given her earlier.

She tossed the talismans into the air, leaped lightly with her toes barely touching the ground, and balanced the jade compass in her palm.

With her lips forming an incantation, the compass needle began spinning rapidly.

The talismans circled the compass twice before flying straight toward one of the wooden rooms.

Just then, she heard a faint tinkling sound from the front hall—a warning bell she had set earlier to alert her if anyone approached.

Hurriedly, she retrieved the compass and talismans, turning around just in time to see the errand boy entering.

“What are you doing here? The back courtyard isn’t for guests!” the errand boy said sharply, his expression tense.

“Oh, I was just here to fetch a pair of chopsticks,” Yusang said, casually folding one of the talismans into a tiny triangle behind her back.

“Leave at once!” the errand boy barked, waving her away.

Yusang stepped back, flicking the folded talisman discreetly into the wooden room’s threshold.

Feigning irritation, she grumbled while turning and walking away.