After successfully appeasing, bribing, and distracting the Demon King with emotional honesty involving kisses and soft hair pats, Linyue finally headed back to her chamber.
Shu Mingye was busy again. Probably doing whatever mysterious kingly thing he did in that study of his. Plotting revenge? Reading scrolls? Drawing pictures of her? (Unlikely. But the thought made her walk a little faster.)
Telling him everything had made her chest feel lighter. They still didn't know the full truth. The purpose, the culprit, or why so many lives were involved. But at least now she wasn't carrying it alone. She had him. Her dangerously smug but surprisingly warm future husband. And of course, her chaos family. Who were probably still brooding in her chamber like it was their second home.
Sure enough, the moment Linyue pushed the door open, Song Meiyu nearly jumped out of her chair. "Sister Linyue! That's fast! I thought it would take one day. Or one night, at least."
Linyue coughed lightly. "Why would it take that long?"
Song Meiyu's eyes sparkled with pure mischief. "Well, because—"
"Nope," Linyue cut in quickly. "Anyway, we actually figured out something."
Shen Zhenyu immediately straightened in his seat. "What is it?"
She told them everything she had discussed with Shu Mingye, all the tangled thoughts and realizations. As she spoke, Song Meiyu leaned forward with wide, sparkling eyes, like she was listening to a dramatic romance instead of a potential crisis. He Yuying stayed slumped in his chair, popping a dried plum into his mouth lazily. Shen Zhenyu's frown kept deepening as if he planned to carve permanent lines into his face.
When she finally finished, Song Meiyu squeaked, "So, it's actually… to find more sacrifice?"
Shen Zhenyu nodded grimly. "It's possible. They all do involve a lot of lives."
He Yuying raised an eyebrow. "For what? Corpse party?"
Linyue sighed deeply. "That's what I don't understand. And what about the angry cabbage? Did any of them die?"
Song Meiyu shook her head quickly. "From what I heard, not yet. But some victims were badly injured. The angry cabbages are getting worse. They had to be tied to beds." She leaned in, lowering her voice. "One of them bit someone."
"Bit someone?" Linyue asked, her voice flat.
Song Meiyu nodded. "Clean through a sleeve. Master Yin Xue said it was a very nice robe too. Gold embroidery."
Linyue leaned back in her chair with a quiet sigh. At least the "angry cabbage" disaster hadn't reached Shulin yet. Small blessings. She turned her eyes toward Shen Zhenyu. "Tell that Soup Man about this chain of events."
Shen Zhenyu blinked. "What are you planning?"
"Free labor," Linyue replied without missing a beat.
Song Meiyu gasped so hard she almost choked on air. "Are you trying to use him?!"
"He's already investigating his father's death," Linyue said smoothly. "Looking into these events might help him uncover the truth. And all of this might or might not be connected." She gave a small shrug.
Shen Zhenyu frowned. "Do you think he can be trusted?"
"Doesn't matter," Linyue said without hesitation. "We're just sharing information. Whatever he does with it, that's his problem."
He Yuying nodded approvingly from his chair. "Smart. Outsourcing chaos."
Song Meiyu finally relaxed a little, though her expression stayed dramatic. "Fine… but you have to admit, he does seem helpful. Annoying, but helpful. Maybe he'll find out something we missed. Like who's really behind the angry cabbage. Or who makes robes with such weak sleeves."
Linyue gave a small nod. That would be useful.
Chaos Family: Now outsourcing. Efficiency had entered the chat.
Unfortunately, that was about all they could do for now. There were no angry cabbages storming their gates, no victims to investigate in the hallway, and no mysterious scrolls combusting in Shu Mingye's study yet. But Linyue had something else on her mind. Ever since she saw her master last time, a certain question had been bothering her. How did he always know exactly where to look, even with that mask covering his eyes?
No eyeholes. No windows. Not even a polite peephole.
The answer had come to her quietly. Spiritual sense. If she could use her spiritual sense to detect arrays, then maybe she could use it to sense other things too, like movement or presence. Maybe that was how her master could "see" without actually seeing. It required high control, yes. But if she could sharpen it, maybe she could finally sense the array hidden inside her own body. And if that worked, maybe she could also look at the colorful array surrounded the inner wall and finally figure out what it was.
Not today, though. She had nearly exploded herself last time. Strategic patience. Very wise. Then another thought crept in. If spiritual sense could detect things inside her body... maybe it could also detect sickness or poison inside someone else?
Linyue sat up straighter. "I have an interesting idea. But it might be dangerous."
He Yuying immediately groaned from his usual half-dead position on the chair. "Can we vote against it?"
Shen Zhenyu raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous?"
Song Meiyu, on the other hand, was already leaning forward with both hands gripping her knees. Her eyes sparkled. "What is it? Tell us. Is it something with explosions? Wait. Is it another firework?!"
"No," Linyue said firmly. Then she explained about spiritual sense, about sending her own energy outward to detect disturbances. If she could control it, maybe she could sense the strange changes in affected people. Maybe even track the source.
When she finished, Song Meiyu's hands were clapping together. "That's possible? That's amazing. Wait. Could I use it to find herbs buried underground?!"
Shen Zhenyu nodded slightly, though his brows furrowed in thought. "That's… actually very promising. If it works, it might help identify what kind of abnormality is spreading."
He Yuying, still slouched, spoke up dryly. "I already sense my spiritual energy. It tells me I'm tired."
Linyue ignored him. For once, it felt like she was onto something that wasn't just guesswork or following crumbs in the dark. Dangerous? Yes. But worth it.
Shen Zhenyu said calmly, "I don't think it's possible to use spiritual energy to inspect someone else's body."
Song Meiyu gasped loudly, clutching her chest. "Why not? That sounds so cool! It's like being a magical doctor! You could see everything. Even hidden parasites!"
Linyue frowned, thinking. Then she realized it. "That's true... I can do it to myself because it's my own spiritual energy. But if I tried it on someone else like Brother Yuying for example, he might explode."
He Yuying stared at her flatly. "Excuse me?"
Linyue kept going in her calm, logical tone. "Because he has fire spiritual energy. I have lightning. If I push my lightning spiritual energy into his body and it crashes into his fire…" She paused meaningfully. "Boom."
Song Meiyu slapped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide, but there was a spark of fascination there too. "So spiritual energy can fight inside the body? That's terrifying. But also kind of cool?"
"Highly likely," Linyue said with a serious nod. "Different types might collide. Especially if the user can't control it perfectly. That could lead to internal damage. Or worse."
Song Meiyu leaned forward, whispering like she was asking for a dark secret. "Then what if they have the same spiritual energy?"
He Yuying groaned louder this time, sitting up halfway in his chair. "Okay, but more importantly… who exactly is volunteering to be the test subject for this possible explosion? Anyone? No? Great. Let's keep it that way."
Linyue leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh. It was true. That could have gone terribly. It was a good thing she thought it through instead of actually trying it. Otherwise, she might have accidentally turned someone into charcoal.
Then Shen Zhenyu spoke, thoughtful as always. "What about water?"
Linyue's eyes snapped open. She sat up so fast her chair gave a pitiful creak. "That's right!" She turned sharply to Song Meiyu, her expression lighting up with hope. "Sister Meiyu, you can do it."
Song Meiyu blinked, caught off guard. "What? Me??"
Linyue nodded firmly, almost too excited now. "Your spiritual energy is water. Most of the human body is water. Even blood. If you control your spiritual energy well, it won't harm anything. It can move smoothly without clashing with the person's natural energy."
Shen Zhenyu added with a small nod, "Exactly. You don't even need to force it into the meridians like Linyue did. You could sense things through the blood instead. Safer. Cleaner."
Song Meiyu's eyes widened. Then they started sparkling. "So… I can do that cool, mysterious, possibly life-saving thing??"
Linyue gave her an encouraging smile. "Yes. You might be our best chance."
Song Meiyu gasped loudly, clutching her chest like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment. "I knew it. I always knew this day would come. My water powers are finally useful!"
He Yuying muttered from his chair, sounding very unimpressed, "We're doomed."
Chaos Family: Now entering the era of Water Doctor Trials. Testing in progress. Try not to explode.