“I remember now! When the young lady went out a while ago, she bumped into someone after coming out of the jewelry shop. That must have been when they made contact.”
Hearing this, the magistrate’s wife scolded angrily, “Xiao Huan, how on earth have you been looking after your young lady? How could you let her collide with a stranger?”
With that, she turned back toward Gu Qingyun. “Constable Gu, what should we do now? How can my child be restored to normal?”
Gu Qingyun closed her eyes for a brief moment before replying in a low voice, “Madam, do not be too harsh on them. The eldest miss couldn’t have avoided it. She was their intended target; if they hadn’t succeeded then, they would have tried again later. Fortunately, Sister Xiao Huan was vigilant enough to ask me to patrol this area more often at night, which allowed me to catch onto this anomaly.”
“Wait here, and do not untie the eldest miss’s ropes. Leave the rest to me.”
...
Gu Qingyun headed straight for the Marriage Tree she had visited once before. Looking at the wishing tree draped in red ribbons, her eyes turned ice-cold.
Looking at the tree seed in her hand and recalling what Bai Fan’s aunt and Old Yu had said, she was certain something was wrong with this tree.
“Will you come out yourself, or do I have to force you out?”
A long silence passed, but the tree remained just a tree, showing no difference from before.
Gu Qingyun laughed in anger. “Very well. If you refuse to do this the easy way, then let’s see what you’ve got.”
She formed hand seals, bringing her palms together as a wave of spiritual power rippled outward. Following her movements, an invisible barrier enveloped both her and the ancient tree.
Tapping the ground with the tips of her toes, she shot toward the ancient tree, the Blazing Sun Saber in her hand vibrating with a sharp hum.
Sensing danger, the ancient tree shook violently. Roots as thick as bowls burst from the earth like pythons, and alongside thrashing branches, whipped madly toward Gu Qingyun.
Instead of retreating, Gu Qingyun pressed forward. Meeting them head-on with her Blazing Sun Saber, the roots and branches snapped clean like brittle porcelain with a sharp 【crack】.
The severed branches thrashed wildly in the air as if in agony. Standing before the trunk, she said indifferently, “Willing to come out now?”
With a whoosh, the remaining roots retreated underground. A man dressed in green robes stepped out from the trunk. Tall and slender with clear, innocent-looking eyes, he looked at Gu Qingyun with an aggrieved expression. “Fellow Daoist, why must you resort to violence the moment you arrive? Though I am a tree, I have never harmed anyone.”
Gu Qingyun sneered, “I am a constable. You claim you’ve never harmed anyone, then tell me: what is this?”
She tossed the seed in front of the tree demon. “Tree demon, explain what this is. Dare lie to me, and I will scatter your soul to the winds.”
Brushing aside a strand of long hair, the tree demon admitted without hesitation, “That is one of my seeds. I bestowed it upon my believers. These seeds bring about his 【or her】 marriage, allowing them to smoothly find their lovers.”
“Lovers, or puppets? Manipulating people’s minds and destroying their lives just to grant your believers’ wishes—is that what you call your Dao?”
The tree demon scoffed, “What of it? I walk the Dao of Mortal Incense. Isn’t it only natural to grant my believers’ desires? I’ve never taken a single human life, yet you come barging in screaming for blood. Besides, I started out earnestly matchmaking, but the results were abysmal. People lacked sincerity. Only the faith produced by these devoted followers accelerates my cultivation, so I chose to help them. What is wrong with that?”
Gu Qingyun looked at him impassively. “It seems you’re quite pleased with yourself. What about the men and women forced to become their partners? Their ruined lives, the agony inflicted on their families—does none of that matter to you?”
The tree demon burst out laughing. “I am a tree! What do mortal lives have to do with me? I only spare a glance for believers useful to my cultivation. As for those other humans, they can fend for themselves. After all, mortals are the most abundant creatures in this world; how many were actually ruined? A handful at most—hardly worth mentioning.”
“You humans are the truly terrifying ones, butchering your own kin and taking lives without a second thought! I have never taken a single life; I even fulfilled their desires! I am a good demon!”
Expressionless, Gu Qingyun said, “Then you can die.”
The tree demon’s smile vanished. “What did you just say?”
“I said, you can die.” As the words left her mouth, Gu Qingyun slashed directly at the tree demon, nearly scattering its spirit body in a single blow. The tree demon scrambled back into its main trunk, screaming in outrage, “Bitch, you have no honor! You actually launched a sneak attack!”
Gu Qingyun gave it no room to breathe. Choosing to brutally obliterate its true form, she traced several gestures in the air. A shimmering glow condensed into a sword and shot straight toward the ancient tree, sinking deep into the trunk.
“Ah! What is this?!” The tree demon let out a bloodcurdling screech laden with terror.
“Something that will take your life.” Gu Qingyun felt a surge of grim satisfaction. A moment ago, she had nearly been unable to resist giving this thing a hard slap across the face—it was truly infuriating.
Laced with threads of lightning, the sword of spiritual energy tore through the core of the ancient tree. Realizing its main body was ruined, the tree demon panicked and fled, only to be intercepted by her.
Gu Qingyun’s expression was icy as she sneered, “Thinking of running? It won’t be that easy. I gave you a chance. Had you admitted your fault earlier, I might have spared your life. Now, be on your way—and strive to be a decent demon in your next life.”
Clamping her hand tightly around the tree demon’s soul, she channeled spiritual energy into her palm and squeezed hard. The tree demon writhed in agony, its eyes widening in sheer terror as Gu Qingyun sharply increased her power.
“Spare—”
Before it could finish, its spirit body burst into ash like dying sparks and dispersed into the air. With the tree demon’s demise, the ancient tree’s foliage withered to a sallow yellow in an instant, drained of all life.
Gu Qingyun watched in silence, murmuring under her breath, “You forgot: I am human. Naturally, I stand with humanity. Since you harm people, you cannot be permitted to live.”
With the tree demon destroyed, the willow trees across several neighboring towns withered away in the span of a single breath. In Yangguang Town, Lin Xueqian felt a sudden warmth in his chest, as if some invisible shackle had snapped.
His mind instantly cleared. Memories of his past and present collided within his thoughts. Clenching his fists tightly, his face twisted in anguish, he leaned against the wall and began to dry-heave.
What had he done?! Abandoning his wife and children for a woman like that—how could he have committed such a despicable deed? That wasn’t him! He had to go home. His wife, children, parents, and siblings were all waiting for him. He had to beg for their forgiveness.
Liu Jincui had no idea her 【good days】 were coming. Bossy and demanding as ever, she called out, “Husband, hurry and fetch some water for me! I want to take a bath.”
Hearing her voice, Lin Xueqian’s eyes filled with burning hatred. Turning a deaf ear, he didn’t even pack any clothes, storming away from the source of all his misery.
Elsewhere, Yingniang stared blankly at the clothes in her hands. With a piercing scream, she bolted out the door. There were many others just like her.
Men and women alike—some went to extremes, grabbing knives to slaughter their bedmates on the spot, while others couldn’t bear the shock and went completely mad.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingyun slipped quietly into Eldest Miss Yu’s room. Seeing that she had returned to normal, Gu Qingyun turned and went to meet Bai Fan to begin the second half of their night patrol.
...
The next day, beneath the pleasant morning sun, Old Man Lin opened his front door only to find his youngest son kneeling on the ground. Seeing his father emerge, he wailed, “Father!”
Tears welled in Old Man Lin’s eyes, though he forced a stern expression. “Third Son, what are you doing back here? We already severed ties! After the disgraceful things you’ve done, you still have the audacity to show your face?!”
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