Two figures, identical in appearance. The bathroom had been so quiet just moments ago that Chang Dong felt certain his hearing wasn't impaired—unless the other person was completely breathless, there could only have been Ye Liuxi left behind. He greeted the first one who stepped out, "All right?" Given Ye Liuxi's meticulous nature, she must have also realized there was no one else in the bathroom. And by her temperament, upon suddenly seeing another figure appear ahead of her, she would have already drawn her blade and rushed forward—assuming she carried her sword while bathing. Ye Liuxi nodded, handing him the satchel, "Could you take that?" She tilted her head, using a towel to dry her hair: "This place is so dark—I've been timing myself. It's hard to say 'almost ready,' especially since it's actually at least fifteen minutes off. When I check out tomorrow, I'm not giving her any slack. Oh, Changdong, I've got a horror story for you!" "There was a man waiting outside the bathroom for a woman. Suddenly, the power went out. And when the woman came out, she wasn't actually the woman he'd been waiting for." That was quite her style. Looking over her shoulder, the shadow standing by the door curtain slowly retreated back inside. Just as she was about to speak, a faint light appeared. Looking up, Fei Tang had opened the window and was shining a large flashlight toward them: "Hey Dongguang, the power went out—I'll keep you all illuminated." Only then did Changdong take a deep, long breath, his slightly clenched hands now damp with sweat. He looked down at Ye Liuxi, who was gently brushing her hair, a few strands still damp with water, mingling with the fresh scent of the bath, drifting softly against his cheek. Ye Liuxi noticed and immediately stopped: "Did I knock you over?" Chang Dong smiled: "Just now in the bathroom, I didn't hear you say a word." Ye Liuxi replied: "I'm taking a shower—do I need to make a scene? Besides... you didn't mention it at all." She could only hear intermittent, soft sounds of water and her own heavy breathing. On several occasions, she doubted whether there was anyone on the other end at all, tilting her head, holding the towel, watching as droplets fell from its corner, one after another. She could tell exactly what he was doing just by the sounds—the sound of scooping water, the showering, the occasional towel rubbing, each producing a distinct rhythm—and the sound of rinsing, which made her imagine the water flowing from his shoulders and neck, spreading down over his solid back and waist. Thus, she became momentarily distracted until the coolness reached her body. "...Don't catch a cold, please. If you do, I'll certainly die of a cold—because the water won't be hot. The real reason? I'll never let it out. Ye Liuxi glanced at Chang Dong: "Let's go." “Give me your hand,” Chang Dong said. “Why?” “Because I’m nervous. I’m afraid that halfway through, I won’t know who’s beside me.” Ye Liu Xi snorted, then finally extended her hand after a moment. Chang Dong led her back, while Fei Tang remained carelessly at the forefront, her flashlight beam constantly hovering just ahead of them—like a carrot dangling from the side of a donkey’s mouth, always just out of reach. As they entered the hallway, Chang Dong glanced back. The bathroom end was dark and utterly still. —When they reached their room, Chang Dong’s tense nerves finally relaxed. He recounted what had happened. After he finished, the room fell silent for a while—so quiet that the wind outside made the windows and doors hum steadily. No one noticed that the wind had started blowing down here. Fei Tang was stunned, a turtle drawn halfway with a lipstick stain on his forehead—clearly the result of being overwhelmed by the very game of Mahjong he had been playing. He nervously dimmed the emergency lights, afraid their brightness might draw attention from something outside. "At first, everything was complicated. He didn't want to make enemies, didn't want to make friends—he just wanted to stay neutral, to avoid involvement whenever possible. Isn't that avoidance itself? He asked Fati to help him lay down mats for the floor, as there was only one bed in the room, which he gave to Ye Liuxi and Ding Liu. The men, being physically strong, ended up sleeping on the floor. At the moment the lights went out, the wind outside grew even stronger. Chang Dong whispered, 'No matter what happens outside—whether someone knocks or not—just don't pay attention. If anyone needs to use the bathroom, just hold it.' ——By midnight, a clear, loud rooster call suddenly rang out. It was no wonder they said 'When the rooster crows, the world is brightened.' The power of that crow was truly remarkable, surpassing even the combined sound of multiple alarm clocks. Chang Dong woke up almost instantly. Worse still, right after that crow, the entire flock responded—the hotel had several chickens, and their calls created a chaotic din. Amidst this noise, a man's voice shouted, 'What in the world!' "This sound... Ding Liu was the first to realize, 'It must be Li Jin'ao. How did he leave?' Fei Tang, weary and half-drowsy, replied, 'He's just brave—he has a magician's card, doesn't he?' High Shen, who had been quiet all along, suddenly added, 'Could it be that you've poured too much into him?' Chang Dong felt a jolt in his chest and sat up straight. There was nothing else but Li Jinao and the chicken. The chicken struggled fiercely, flapping its wings desperately to take flight, yet its claws were tied to Li Jinao's waistband, so it couldn't free itself. Panicked, it kept bumping into tables and chairs, creating a truly bold and determined scene. —— Chang Dong half-dragged, half-pulled Li Jinao into the room and sat him down. With one hand he held the lamp and with the other he carried the chicken, placing the lamp on the table and setting the chicken beside Li Jinao. Li Jinao was still shaken, and the more he thought, the more furious he became. Suddenly turning around, he slapped the chicken's head: "A waste of time!" The large rooster hung its head low, motionless like a hen incubating eggs—perhaps aware of its own shortcomings, it simply looked as if it said, "Go ahead, hit me. I don't care." Ye Liuxi found this quite amusing and sat down on the mat: "Don't blame the chicken too much. You've been hanging it upside down every day—how could it possibly stay sane?" Li Jinao replied: "I was trying to exercise it..." " Li Jin'ao felt both angry and embarrassed. According to legend, the more capable a fangshi, the more likely he would be dressed plainly, unimpressive in appearance, and unconventional in behavior—he had done all of these: hanging a chicken from his waist, and in the entire Yumen Pass, there wasn't a second person who could match him. The only shortcoming was that his actual abilities were quite ordinary. The chicken, too, was no match, fleeing faster than he ever did. Chang Dong managed to suppress a smile and asked, "What happened just now? Did the chicken run off with you for no reason at all?" Only then did Li Jin'ao regain his composure and realize he needed to salvage some dignity for both himself and the chicken: "The chicken, usually, doesn't behave this way. Its main concern is scorpions." Chang Dong paused, only then realizing the chicken's name was Zhun Shan He. "Not just any scorpions, I hope?" Li Jin'ao turned back to the closed door, speaking softly, "We should all be careful. There are people in the inn who have scorpion eyes." — Li Jin'ao had indeed woken up from being drunk; he lived on the first floor, close to the bathroom, and hadn’t thought much of it at first, just stepping out one foot at a time to use the night toilet. On his way back to his room, he suddenly felt something strange around him. Glancing over, he was startled into a cold sweat. He saw a shadow of the same height and build as himself, slightly round and sturdy, with a rooster hanging from his waist—basically, identical to him. The mountain river began to crow at that very moment. Chang Dong asked, “What was that shadow?” Li Jin'ao blushed slightly, “I was actually a bit stunned at the time and didn’t know what to say. Now that I think about it, it’s a kind of spirit called the ‘Twin-Child’ spirit. To be precise, this spirit is simply a shadow—appearing only in darkness and vanishing when exposed to light. In ancient times, if someone carried a lantern, the Twin-Child spirit would simply not dare to approach.” It doesn't have much power, but it's particularly fond of imitating humans—quick to learn. In the dark, it watches you closely, copying your posture and your gait. Within a short while, its shadow outline becomes indistinguishable from yours. The twins' greatest delight is to scare people senseless, then stand there giggling quietly. What they dislike most is when people don't fear them or pay any attention to them—this makes them feel particularly uncomfortable, as if their skills aren't up to par or their imitation isn't convincing. Twins that have lived beyond sixty years can learn to speak human language, but only after hearing a certain volume of your speech. For instance, if you say "1234," it can repeat "1234," "4321," "1324," and other combinations, yet it cannot utter "5." Li Jin'ao lowered his voice: "Have you noticed its potential? With the right spells, it can be controlled and put to good use." Think about it—during the dark hours, when nothing is visible, it pretends to be someone close to you, chatting with you, falsely relaying messages, stirring up conflicts... When he first saw the twin forms, Li Jinao couldn't immediately react. It wasn't surprising—some spirits were like rare animals, having not appeared for many years, and many thought they had perished or gone extinct. So he roared, "What in the world is this!" At that very moment, the shadow of the twin figures seemed to be drawn away, instantly transforming and swiftly moving toward a certain direction. Li Jinao looked up and saw a person standing not far away—the shadow of the twins was flowing directly into the leather bag in that person's hands. Li Jin'ao said, "The twins' shadows must be enclosed in bags made of thick animal fur. Clearly, these twins have been tended to and moved around by someone. At that time, the Mountain River town wasn't afraid at all, and I had even planned to loosen its claws. But just then, that person stepped aside, revealing a scorpion behind him. Without a doubt, I recognized the outline immediately—it was a scorpion, at least as large as a small basin..." And then, the Mountain River town went berserk. Ye Liuxi asked, "Was that person—the one you called the Scorpion-Eyed one?" Li Jin'ao nodded, glanced cautiously at the windows and doors, and held his finger to his lips: "Hush." Ye Liuxi found his series of gestures rather awkward: "So, the Scorpion-Eyed one is that terrifying?" Li Jin'ao replied, "Of course. He's a rebel—ordinary scorpions are much smaller." The size of a palm is no small thing—only those with scorpion eyes can nurture giant scorpions; it's said their leaders even draw a scorpion on each corner of their eyes... They're quite deadly—over a year ago, they hanged hundreds of Feathered Guards in the poplar forest of the Gobi Desert!