Her crying made me uncomfortable, and without thinking, I turned and ran.

  At that time, I didn′t understand how to empathize with someone else′s sorrow. It felt distant, unfamiliar—her grief seemed foreign to me. All I could focus on was my own confusion and frustration.

  As time passed, I never returned to that hollow in the mountains. The sound of the willow tree′s crying, that lonely figure, soon faded from my memory.

  Yet, I realized much ter, after thousands of years, that the things I thought I had forgotten had never truly left the lives of those they had touched.

  "I want to be like you..."

  Mù, your wish has come true, after all.

  I took a sip of tea and walked to the shop's door. The evening glow was floating over the uneven rooftops of the buildings opposite. It bathed the quiet, inconspicuous street in a soft light, giving it an almost grand and majestic air.

  The moment I saw the Devil Card, a shiver ran through me. Its dark, ominous imagery seemed to echo the strange feeling that had lingered in my chest since I glimpsed the sky.

  The card's presence made it feel as though the very air in the room had thickened, and a subtle pressure seemed to press down on me, as if the forces of the universe were closing in.

  I let out a long breath, realizing that perhaps what I had seen wasn′t a mere illusion after all. The faint stirrings in the sky, the subtle unease I felt—these were not mere tricks of the mind. There was something out there, something dark and insistent, pulling its threads slowly but steadily.

  I flipped the card over, my eyes lingering on the image of the dark, looming figure, chains binding two helpless figures beneath it. The Devil Card was a warning—a reminder of the darkness that could take root in any corner of the world. The dark energy I had felt in the sky was no coincidence. Something, or someone, was beginning to stir.

  The world wasn′t as simple as it seemed. And whatever was coming, I wasn′t going to let it catch me off guard.

  My birthday is not far off, and I can smell the winter air. Outside the window, the colors are gradually shifting from vibrant to dull.

  On the surface, I am contently "enjoying" my new life, but secretly, I am thinking of every possible way to turn the tables.

  During this time, Mu hasn't made any major moves. She only came to `Sound of Twilight′ once, still with the attitude of a victor, smiling brightly at me, casually chatting about how stupid Pang Zi and Shou Zi are, how their intelligence is almost zero except for making sweets and flirting with girls, and how they truly fit the style of `Endless′. Then there were the Yaokais who came seeking help, each one more ridiculous and troublesome than the st.

  "Ah," I said, nibbling on the apple in my hand. "If they were really smart, they wouldn′t have mistaken you for me. It must be exhausting, dealing with those idiots for me."

  "Hehe." Mu stroked the long bck hair that didn't even belong to her and said, "I really like your body. It's so beautiful, and you have a thousand years of cultivation."

  I took a big bite of the apple, not even gncing at her, and said, "I also think my body is great, but with your low configuration, aren't you afraid it won't be compatible? Haha."

  She sneered, stood behind me, and leaned close to my ear, whispering, "Sister, one day, you will come crying to beg me, just like I did back then."

  I couldn′t be bothered to respond.

  "Oh, by the way, those yaokais who came to ask for help, I will take good care of them for you," she suddenly turned around before leaving, winking pyfully at me.

  "Because I need them."

  The word "need" was clearly ced with poison.

  "Everything you're doing now will have consequences in the future," I threw that sentence at her.

  "Aren't you the best example of that?" She ughed loudly as she left.

  This woman was so arrogant that saying I wasn′t angry would be a lie—I'm not a saint.

  But the focus of our verbal sparring wasn′t about who angered who; it was about the dangerous warning she had brought me. I didn′t know why Mu had been lying low tely, with no unusual behavior, but I knew well that everything she did wasn′t just simple revenge on me.

  She had mentioned she had a master.

  But what could I do now? Should I run to the door of "Endless" and put up a sign saying that this "Shā Luó" boss is a counterfeit, telling both humans and yaokais not to come looking for her for their own safety?

  No one would believe me. Not even Pang Zi and Shou Zi would. At best, they'd just think they saw a delusional woman.

  I was trapped in Mu's human form, and unless someone recognized my true identity and called my name, forget about helping others—I couldn′t even protect myself.

  But who could recognize "me" that wasn′t even "me"?

  I thought of many ways, but none of them worked. I had secretly contacted Jiǔ Jué, intending to tell him everything and gamble on whether he would believe me. As long as he came to my side, even if he couldn′t break Mu′s curse and return me to my true form, at least he could help me with many things I was currently unable to do.

  As a yaokai with no power, the phone was the only way to contact Jiǔ Jué. But his phone was always "out of service area." Where the hell had that old bastard gone with his phone? Did he run back to see his "Spiritual Rhino" ′ disciple from a hundred years ago?! I had no choice but to give up on finding him. If it were in the past, all I needed was a talisman, and even if he were in the eighteenth yer of the earth, I could pull him out and beat him up.

  Sigh.

  The only thing that sustains me, perhaps, is the reversed Death card in my bedroom.

  The phrase "Only by facing death can one be reborn" is something I quietly repeat three times before going to bed each night.

  The weather was bad today, with wind and rain. I was sick with a cold, lying on the bed for half the day, trying to sleep but not feeling comfortable.

  It was my first time taking medicine, and the taste of human medicine pills was really bad.

  "Boss, eat... eat... dinner." At the door, my part-time worker, whose full name is Zhang Daxia, was rubbing his hands on his apron, calling me carefully.

  This young man, who was as sturdy and honest as a wooden post, usually only made 99 cotton candies before finishing his shift. But today, perhaps seeing how badly I was suffering from the cold, he didn't leave after his shift, saying he would cook me dinner before leaving. This guy wasn′t outstanding in appearance, was taciturn, and had a slight stutter. When talking to me, he never dared to look me directly in the eye, and after speaking a few words, he would turn red in the face. It was quite amusing.

  I sat across from him in the living room. On the round table were two bowls of congee and a few small, delicately prepared dishes. The fvors were light, with a hint of vinegar and sesame oil, making it just right for someone like me who had little appetite due to the cold.

  "Why aren't you eating?" I noticed that Zhang Daxia didn't even touch his chopsticks.