After hearing Xiao Man's account, Gao Yang finally understood what had happened.
After killing her father and brother, Xiao Man had not gone home. Instead, she went straight to Chai Village. In the forest, she saw a group of rat spirits carrying a man deeper into the woods—at the time, unaware it was Gao Yang's father.
Upon reaching Chai Village, she claimed to be a disciple of the Azure Mountain Sect, visiting the family of Gao Yang. The village chief welcomed her warmly, hosting a generous feast, but avoided mentioning the Gao family at all.
Growing suspicious, Xiao Man requested to visit the Gao family's old home. Only then did the chief finally reveal the truth.
After Gao Yang's father returned to the village, he became gravely ill. His body festered and rotted; his temper changed. At night, he cried endlessly—the sound eerily like that of an infant. The villagers suspected that, during his journey escorting Gao Yang to the sect, he had been possessed by a demon spirit. They deceived Gao Yang's mother into leaving the village to seek a healer, while they plotted to kill her husband.
They poisoned his food under the guise of bringing him a meal.
The next day, Gao Yang's mother truly returned with a healer. The healer recognized the symptoms of poisoning but did not expose them. Instead, he demanded more payment from her while secretly telling the village chief that Gao Yang's father was on the verge of becoming a demon—and must be expelled.
Under the healer's manipulation, the chief and his men carried Gao Yang's father into the forest and abandoned him. When his mother discovered the truth and went searching, she never returned.
Trusting the false healer completely, the chief kept him in the village, feeding and rewarding him lavishly.
"So, you're saying that healer was a rat spirit?" Gao Yang asked quietly.
Xiao Man nodded. "Eight or nine chances out of ten."
Gao Yang laughed bitterly.
The villagers believed his father was a demon and cast him out—yet the one they kept close, the one they fed, was the true monster. His father had eaten an Infant Fruit. Ordinary mortals could not withstand its power; they only needed guidance to expel it with qi.
Now everything was tangled.
Gao Yang held no deep affection for his body's parents, yet they were bound to him by fate. He owed them the closure of their karma—a truth even the Immortal Mistress often spoke of. He had sent Xiao Man to deliver silver to them precisely to sever those bonds and ensure their safety, so that when he escaped the sect, there would be no vengeance upon them.
He swore under his breath. "Damn rat spirit."
Then he turned to Xiao Man. "How did the Seven Fiends end up on your body?"
A flicker of panic crossed her face. When she had awoken, the demonic marks had vanished. Without their power, she could barely survive among the spirits. She fell to her knees, trembling. "Master, I don't know. They told me they could grant me strength if I fed them my blood. I… I'm sorry for deceiving you."
Gao Yang's expression remained unreadable. "The sect already knows you ran and killed. Seventh Senior Sister and I came to resolve this."
Xiao Man's face drained of color. She gave a sorrowful smile. "Master, you've shown me kindness. If I must die, I won't resist."
"Then die," Gao Yang said softly.
Seven black Fiend Shadows burst from his body and pierced into hers. Xiao Man collapsed, tears streaking down her cheeks as her body convulsed.
"Thirteen!" Seventh Senior Sister's voice rang out behind him.
Gao Yang turned, expression cold and calm.
Seventh Senior Sister glanced around the courtyard—the corpses of the village chief and his son sprawled nearby. Her expression flickered but she said nothing. Two dead mortals were hardly worth mention.
She knelt to check Xiao Man's pulse. Gao Yang's hands clenched involuntarily.
"You killed her?" she asked.
"She was a servant," Gao Yang replied evenly. "We came for her. A servant's death isn't worth our emotions."
Seventh Senior Sister smirked. "Good. You understand." She glanced at the corpses. "See to them as well. Rumors of this would only stain the sect's name."
Gao Yang bowed stiffly. "As you say, Senior Sister."
She turned toward the door. "I'll meet the steward at the gate. He should be close by now."
Once she left, Gao Yang returned to Xiao Man's side. He knelt, removing the paper talisman from her waist. Fiend Shadows swirled in his palm as he tore it apart. Then he pressed a Blood and Qi Pill to her lips, channeling qi into her body to awaken her life force.
Xiao Man convulsed violently, coughing blood before gasping for breath. She looked up at him, dazed. "Master… didn't I die?"
"You did," Gao Yang said with a faint smile. "But now you're free. Where will you go?"
Her eyes burned with hatred. "I'll kill my whole family."
He chuckled. "Then do as you wish."
Even in death, vengeance consumed her. Gao Yang could only imagine how much pain her family had caused.
Xiao Man wiped the blood from her mouth, confusion dawning. "Master… am I really not dead?"
He tapped her forehead gently. "Took you long enough to realize. You're weak—you can't control the Seven Fiends yet. I've disciplined them; they'll obey now. I'll leave you five Blood and Qi Pills. When you use the Seven Fiends, take one pill first, then rest three days before using them again. Understand?"
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Master, are you abandoning me?"
"Silly girl," he said softly. "I must return to the sect. I can't bring you back—and besides, you're dead now. You can serve me from outside."
Comprehension dawned on her face. "So that's how it is."
Gao Yang continued, "The rat spirit escaped. You'll find its trail for me. Don't fight it; summon the Seven Fiends to call me if you find him. I'll escape the sect soon and come to you. You still have the silver, yes?"
Xiao Man produced two small pouches and a silver ingot. "I do."
"Good. Use it to buy a place in town. Stay hidden. Don't draw attention—and don't use the Seven Fiends unless you must."
Xiao Man nodded, eyes glistening with tears and determination. She was alive once more, but bound by a promise darker than death.