Smoke and Fire [GL] - Chapter 12

“Alright, let me try to understand,” Yi An ran Luo Yao’s words through her mind a few times. “Shen Junxuan is the client. He died because of this vengeful spirit, but he, a mortal, couldn’t defeat a ghost—so this is his intense and unfulfilled wish: for us to help him kill the vengeful spirit?”

Luo Yao nodded, adding, “Mm, if the plot that follows includes the vengeful spirit killing Shen Junxuan, then it basically confirms that Shen Junxuan is the client.”

“Teacher Luo, I have a question.” Yi An raised her hand.

“Student, please speak.” Teacher Luo replied without batting an eye.

“Given our strength, why don’t we just get rid of everyone here? That way, no matter who the client is, we either kill Shen Junxuan or the vengeful spirit. Wouldn’t it work to just wipe them all out?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yi An felt several surprised gazes fall upon her face.

“Why aren’t you going on about him being a handsome guy now?” Si Yin looked at her in bewilderment.

“…Are you guys misunderstanding me? I like living, human, handsome guys,” Yi An said with equal bewilderment. “If he’s an obsession, then he’s a ghost! Folks, I’m old-fashioned. My kinks haven’t evolved to that extent yet.”

“Oh, you are definitely old-fashioned,” Tan Tan sharply commented. “The gods in heaven are most delighted by human-ghost romance. How does that saying go… oh right, ‘Love knows no life or death.’”

Yi An: “…”

“Alright, let me give you a serious reply. We can’t wipe out everyone. The reason is a bit abstract.”

“It’s not abstract,” Luo Yao interjected. “Although this is an illusion, it is based on the events that occurred in the obsession’s life. What we need to do is analyze the plot and strike at the opportune moment, one fatal blow. There is no such thing as ‘reloading’ here.”

“And at this time, let alone wiping out everyone, even if you kill one person who wasn’t supposed to die in the original plot,” she looked up and stared directly at Yi An, her eyes strangely captivating in the flickering candlelight, “the illusion will instantly fall apart.”

Yi An stared into her eyes, stunned.

With that angle of her gaze and the flickering candlelight, she inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity, but before she could react, it was gone in a flash.

Si Yin didn’t notice Yi An’s expression and frustratingly rubbed her hair: “No, we’ve been talking nonsense for ages, and we still haven’t discussed who the obsession is, have we?”

“Mhm,” Luo Yao admitted calmly.

Si Yin’s face clearly read “I’m about to go crazy,” but just as she was winding up for a tantrum, she heard a weak voice from the corner of the table:

“Uh… uh, that.”

The group looked over. The person who spoke was the bar girl, who had been shrinking in the corner the whole time. She was now nervously raising her hand.

Si Yin, whose tantrum was interrupted: “What do you want?”

“Th-that, I, I, I, I just heard you guys talking about that client, the murdered baby girls,” she whispered. “But… that Third Madam doesn’t have a face…”

Si Yin: “Is there a connection?”

“I get what you mean,” Tan Tan, however, lowered her hand from propping up her chin. “We all know that the illusion is constructed entirely according to the client’s will. Those without faces are usually equivalent to NPCs. If the obsession really is the vengeful spirit, she wouldn’t fail to leave a face for her own mother.”

Luo Yao lowered her gaze, her fingertip tracing the edge of the teacup, seemingly deep in thought.

“That can be taken into consideration,” she finally said.

Yi An knew that her saying that meant she agreed. She nudged Si Yin with her elbow and giggled: “Si Yin~ What did I tell you~?”

“Get lost.”

“Oh dear~ Someone’s angry~”

“……………”

Student Yi An was truly a master of smart-aleck remarks. Ultimately, this formal round-table meeting once again officially concluded amidst a messy episode of mutual insults, a large-scale intervention, and Luo Yao’s universal compassion.

“—492.”

The counter, Tan Tan: Tired.jpg.

After a big argument, the group was exhausted. But since this was an illusion where ghosts could appear at any time, not a five-star hotel, everyone reached a consensus: sleep in one room.

Si Yin patted her chest and declared: You guys sleep freely, I’ll take the night watch.

“Loyal,” Yi An briefly made peace with her because of that statement, and then immediately fell into a deep sleep.

On the other side, Tan Tan and the bar girl also fell asleep the moment they hit the bed.

Si Yin exchanged a look with Luo Yao, trying to force herself to stay awake, and said, “You sleep. I’ve got everything covered.”

“Oh.”

Luo Yao responded flatly. She silently counted to three and then, entirely as expected, heard the sound of the other person snoring as she rested on the round table.

Luo Yao: “…”

She smiled helplessly, stood up to put a blanket over Si Yin, and then returned to sit on the edge of the bed.

She had almost forgotten that Si Yin and Tan Tan were currently only using human bodies. They hadn’t rested since the night at Yunshan Village. Forcing themselves to stay awake and analyze for so long had likely pushed them to their limit.

The moonlight silently crept up the bed curtains. The room was momentarily quiet, with only the rhythmic breathing of a few people.

When was the last time she saw these two exhausted from their antics?

Luo Yao let her thoughts drift at this inappropriate time.

—She thought of the very beginning.

…

…

“Great Sealing of the Azure Luan, Nine Songs of Heaven and Earth!”

“Divine Bird Azure Luan, born to deliver all beings, like a bright lotus on a snowy mountain, enlightened in the Dharma, merits complete, conferred the title of Azure Luan High Goddess!”

The Buddha Kingdom spanned thousands of miles, and the lotuses were boundless.

From the Glazed Terrace to Mount Sumeru in the Celestial Realm, five-colored water lilies and Mandala flowers bloomed everywhere. The sky was an ultimate blend of gold and crimson, spreading from the continuous palaces of song and dance on the west side all the way to the mortal world. The principal musician deities were arrayed on both sides of the Glazed Terrace, and graceful celestial maidens danced to the music, presenting a scene of immense prosperity.

On the ten thousand steps leading from Mount Sumeru to the Buddhist Hall, monks in snow-white kasayas chanted softly with lowered eyes, while the younger sramaneras roamed about freely without inhibition.

“Fairy Sister, why is it so lively today?” A few chirping sramaneras trailed behind a fairy maiden.

The fairy maiden, carrying a bamboo basket filled with crushed jade, looked down at her small procession and smiled sweetly: “Today is the day of our Azure Luan Highness’s investiture as High Goddess. After today, Her Highness will be ranked among the chief of all deities.”

Just then, a woman in a wide-sleeved white robe stopped her from the side, sounding somewhat anxious: “Ruolan, why haven’t the flowers on Mount Sumeru fully bloomed yet? Where is the Flower Goddess Highness?”

“Greetings, Empress of Azure Clouds,” Ruolan hurriedly bowed in respect. “The Flower Goddess Highness is likely… st-still with Her Highness.”

Hearing this, the white-robed woman showed displeasure: “How can the Flower Goddess be like this? It is her Highness’s investiture today, and she is neglecting her duties to this extent!”

“Please calm your anger, Empress. The Flower Goddess Highness is still just a child,” Ruolan smiled apologetically, casually scattering the gently glowing crushed jade from the small bamboo basket onto the ground.

Not far away, celestial maidens holding similar baskets were tossing gold dust into the air. The gold dust was as fine as sand, scattering with the clouds and mist of the Celestial Realm, sparkling like a magnificent fireworks display.

“Gold dust scattered into the sky, crushed jade paving the road…”

The Empress of Azure Clouds gazed at the joyous spectacle before her, and after a moment, she finally sighed, “The last time there was such a grand occasion was during the Phoenix’s coronation.”

Ruolan was startled, then laughed: “Empress, you worry too much. The Phoenix’s demise was predetermined by fate. Her Highness naturally won’t suffer the same.”

“How do you know that the so-called extreme prosperity won’t inevitably lead to decline…” The Empress of Azure Clouds gave her a deep look and shook her head. “Forget it, the time is almost here. Your Highness should be preparing to leave the palace now, right?”

…

Azure Luan Palace.

“I’m truly done, I’m absolutely done!!” A woman kicked over an incense burner on the ground, but she didn’t look satisfied yet. She started tearing down the gauze curtains with her bare hands, frightening the surrounding maids who immediately knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.

This woman was strikingly heroic, with sharp eyebrows and a stern gaze, clad in dark red heavy armor. It seemed that simply standing there embodied the four characters of “Rebellious and Unruly.”

In the vast holy palace, she was having a fit in the very center, and no one dared to approach.

On the main seat, which everyone had to look up to, a person watched her leisurely through the curtains, saying only, “Don’t throw the vase. It was a gift from Cai Feng.”

A dramatic moment occurred. The unruly woman’s motion to throw the vase abruptly froze in the air, and then she reluctantly put the vase back properly: “Hmph, it’s not as nice as the one I gave.”

The person on the main seat let out two soft laughs, then changed her posture. The maids on either side immediately and perceptively helped her up.

Across the layers of curtains, her graceful figure was still clearly visible. A large red ceremonial robe set off her snow-like complexion. A hairpin was pinned in her ink-black hair, and stray wisps brushed against the exquisite corners of her eyes, inexplicably giving rise to a startlingly delicate beauty.

She raised a hand to dismiss the maids, lifted the curtain, and walked down. Her voice carried a soothing tone: “Stop making a fuss, Si Yin.”

To be personally coaxed by the Azure Luan High Goddess was a rare honor that many gods or immortals in the Celestial Realm could not hope for.

But the one being favored did not appreciate it.

“Why don’t you understand, Your Highness? I’m not making a fuss at all! This is a matter of principle!” Si Yin looked almost frantic with anger. “What do you mean, ‘High Goddess Si Yin enters as a mount’? Why does even that little kid Tan Tan get to be in the procession, but I’m a transportation tool?!”

The woman in the ceremonial robe turned her head and let out a soft snort.

Si Yin said expressionlessly: “…Your Highness.”

“Mhm, I meant to say,” Luo Yao replied without changing her expression, “you should see it as an honor bestowed upon you by the Venerable One. Think about it: only you among the Four Guardian Deities are qualified to be present, and you get to walk right in the front. Xuan Wu and the others must be so jealous of you.”

Anyone else hearing this would know it was nonsense, but Si Yin actually listened, looking momentarily hesitant and contemplative.

“Our little Si is the best. She definitely knows to prioritize the big picture, right?” Luo Yao skillfully stroked her ego.

Si Yin gave a pretense of a cough, trying to appear cool, but in the other’s eyes, she looked like a proud Maine Coon: “Then, how do I compare to that little broken flower?”

“Better than her, ten times better than her!” Luo Yao nodded seriously.

Only then did Si Yin contentedly hum, like a cat praised by its owner. She tidied up her slightly messy high ponytail and lifted her chin, asking, “Speaking of which, why hasn’t the little broken flower arrived yet? Where’s Veda?”

Luo Yao lowered her eyes and smiled. Before she could speak, a gentle male voice came from behind the screen: “Veda is here.”

Si Yin abruptly stopped. She saw a man in simple white robes walk out, clear and refined like jade, holding a flowerpot in his hands. He slightly bowed to her and smiled:

“Greetings, High Goddess Si Yin.”

Si Yin didn’t even look at him. She was staring intently at the flowerpot in Veda’s arms, as if she wanted to burn a hole through it.

After a long while, she suddenly turned to Luo Yao, raised one eyebrow, and asked with a smile: “Your Highness, what did you just say? What was that about ten times better?”

Luo Yao smiled in return: “What did you just say? What flower?”

As soon as she spoke, the flowerpot trembled violently, seemingly in protest.

Si Yin replied without changing her expression: “You misheard. I said pitcher plant.”

Such an insult was a big deal.

The flowerpot was so angry that it immediately jumped out of the man’s arms. It rolled after Si Yin on the floor, chasing her and shouting: “You f*cking bully me because I haven’t fully transformed yet, is that it?! You even, you even called me a pitcher plant?? I’m the Flower Goddess, the Flower Goddess, do you understand!”

Si Yin didn’t forget to tease her while running: “Oh dear, Her Excellency the Flower Goddess is a person of culture. Always writing and composing poetry~ We, who guard the three realms, are just common soldiers. We simply don’t understand Her Excellency’s unique way of chasing people~”

The solemn Azure Luan Holy Palace was suddenly in utter chaos. The maids, long accustomed to this, were even secretly giggling.

Veda followed the two with a look of helplessness, calling out, “Flower Goddess Highness, slow down,” while quickly and frequently assisting to make sure the flowerpot didn’t get bumped or scratched.

Amidst the messy sounds of pleading, screaming, and chasing, Luo Yao raised her head to the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and let out a long, faint sigh—

Just let it all be destroyed, quickly.