"Keke, your big brother and Paimon are here," Aether whispered softly.
He then summoned Hydro to wash away the dried blood on Yu Keke's body. Life energy in the form of Dendro gently bloomed from her, closing the wound on her forehead in an instant. Her once-pale cheeks regained their rosy glow.
From a distance, she looked just like a peacefully sleeping little fox girl—only now, she would never open her eyes again.
Aether carefully placed the jade pendant back around her neck. A small notebook peeked from within her robe.
He took it in hand and, under the caress of the wind, opened the first page.
The handwriting was uneven and a bit shaky, but every stroke carried care and sincerity.
First page:
I asked His Highness for this little notebook today. I wanted to record a few things~
Where should I start? Hmm~ let's begin from when I met Brother and Paimon!
They always call me a little monster… but not Papa, not Brother, not Paimon.
Paimon even said I was pretty, hehe~
Second page:
Brother and Paimon finally agreed to take me traveling—I'm so happy!
…
Paimon looks so cool and beautiful when she grows bigger. I love it! I want to grow up soon too!
…
Paimon said she's Brother's guardian deity. Brother looked really happy~
Actually, I want to be Brother's guardian too… but I'm useless. All I do is hold them back…
…
I've thought of a gift to give Brother and Paimon!
They don't know that I used to sculpt clay figurines when I was little.
I'll make ones of Brother and Paimon, and they're going to look amazing!
Hmm~ not enough clay. I wanted to make one of myself too, so we could always stay together, the three of us…
…
Brother helped awaken my powers again! I feel so strong now. What do I do? I'm too excited to sleep!
We're leaving tomorrow! I finally get to go traveling with Brother!
But first, I need to get more clay.
His Highness knows we're leaving. He seemed really down…
I'll make three figurines to give him too. Maybe that'll cheer him up…
…
The notebook was thin, with only a few short entries.
"Keke…"
Standing beside him, Xue Qinghe had reached the last page. He softly murmured her name, then covered his mouth. Choked sobs escaped between his fingers.
"Your Highness…"
"Your Highness, is Miss Keke…?"
Chen Xin and Dugu Bo arrived moments apart and saw Aether holding Yu Keke, his expression unreadable.
"Find out for me—since dawn, who passed through this area, and who saw what happened."
Aether tucked the notebook and the small clay figurines from Paimon's hands into the Serenitea Pot. He gently straightened the girl's dress, his presence now calm and subdued.
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood…"
Xue Qinghe, Chen Xin, and Dugu Bo bowed in unison.
Xue Qinghe approached the captain of the guards who had just gotten up, whispered a few urgent words, and the captain, face grim, ran off to mobilize his men and begin door-to-door inquiries.
Chen Xin and Dugu Bo watched as Aether knelt to pick up the fallen pieces of clay, then sat down on a stone bench near a house, still holding Yu Keke in his arms.
Paimon, eyes brimming with tears, followed silently. She stared wordlessly as he began shaping clay with great care.
"Your Highness… what's he doing?"
Dugu Bo, seeing Aether intently sculpting figurines, leaned over to Xue Qinghe and whispered.
"Keke is dead. Murdered. Right here."
Xue Qinghe looked straight at Dugu Bo and Chen Xin, enunciating each word clearly.
"…"
Dugu Bo, Chen Xin, and the just-arrived Ning Fengzhi staggered back a step at the news.
"Your Highness, do we know who did it?"
Ning Fengzhi struggled to keep his emotions in check, but the jade cane in his hand trembled visibly.
This was disastrous.
Someone had dared to harm that man's companion…
"Sect Master, Miss Rongrong is—"
Just then, a robed soul master rushed over and whispered something in Ning Fengzhi's ear. Relief washed over his face almost instantly.
"She's fine… thank the heavens she's fine. Go back and continue protecting her. If even the people close to him aren't safe, you must be on high alert—understood?!"
"Yes, Sect Master! One more thing… I also saw—"
The soul master seemed to recall something and quickly added a few more words.
"What?! Say that again!"
Ning Fengzhi suddenly yelled. His momentary relief was shattered, replaced by tension and alarm.
"Report—Your Highness, this man claims to have witnessed the attack earlier this morning!"
A guard captain arrived with a man dressed in rags, dragging him over to Xue Qinghe and giving a hasty report.
"Old man, tell me exactly what you saw this morning—don't leave out a single word!"
Xue Qinghe instinctively searched for coins but remembered he'd given his pouch to a vendor earlier. He turned to the captain, took two gold soul coins, and pressed them into the beggar's hands.
The beggar, overjoyed, knelt and kowtowed. In a fawning tone, he said,
"Thank you, my lord! Here's what I saw: I was sleeping in that alley over there when I heard someone screaming for help. I got scared, so I didn't go out—just peeked through a crack…
"The girl was fierce, I'll give her that. When she couldn't fight back, she bit the fat guy's ear clean off!
"While he was in pain, she got up and rammed her head into the stone wall… and then…"
The beggar gestured dramatically as he recounted the scene.
"A fat guy… dressed fancy… with blonde hair… I know who it is!"
Ning Fengzhi slapped his thigh and exclaimed. He rushed up to Aether and cried out,
"Your Excellency, I know who killed Miss Keke!"
"…?"
Aether looked up sharply, his hands still gently shaping the clay.
"I-If I'm right… it was a fat one from Shrek Academy… and the blond one—Dai Mubai!"
Ning Fengzhi spoke as calmly as he could, though Aether's oppressive aura weighed down on him. He recounted everything the hidden guards near Rongrong had told him.
"Your Excellency, I know where they are—I'll take you there right away!"
Without waiting for a reply, Ning Fengzhi took the lead, quickly running ahead to show the way.
Aether stood up, still holding Yu Keke. He turned to Paimon.
"Paimon, let's avenge Keke."
"Yeah!"
Paimon nodded hard, a rare dark expression clouding her tear-streaked face.
Wherever Ning Fengzhi passed, the crowd parted. Behind him was Aether, face cold and unreadable, and Paimon, eyes still red.
Xue Qinghe, Chen Xin, and Dugu Bo followed close behind.
At Xue Qinghe's order, a contingent of Heaven Dou Imperial Guards—around a hundred men—moved out in full force behind them.
_
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