“All that fuss for half a day, and what do I get? A key. A tiny little key. And nobody bothers to mention what lock it belongs to?” I grumbled while spinning the thing between my fingers, annoyed and amused in equal measure.

  Fang Mei — that beast — was still nudging at my leg like a dog begging for walkies, its tail thumping the ground as if urging me to hurry up.

  The system’s voice dragged lazily through my head. [Stop whining, Host. That key is obviously tied to the plot.]

  “Plot? Please.” I snorted. “That explains precisely nothing. Speak human. What door does it open?”

  The system sighed. [If you don’t try, how would you know? And— hold on. Fang Mei seems to want your attention.]

  “What now, taking me somewhere again? The lock’s open, shouldn’t we get back to Lian first—”

  Before I finished, Fang Mei stopped the nudging. Instead, it circled around, placed both front paws on my thigh, and bowed its head toward my palm. Its nose nearly brushed my skin.

  There was an odd urgency in its movement — a mix of pleading and insistence. Seeing it like this, I couldn’t very well pretend I didn’t understand. I raised the key and hesitantly pushed it toward the thick ruff of fur around its neck.

  The system piped up. [It wants you to check its neck.]

  I muttered under my breath, half amused at myself. “Fine, fine… better a metal collar than a mouthful of demon fangs.”

  My fingers slid along the cold band hidden beneath the fur.

  Suddenly I felt it — a small indentation, barely wider than a needle’s point.

  Instinct told me that was the keyhole.

  I held my breath, aligned the tiny key with extreme caution, terrified I’d shove it in crooked. The moment it slid in, there was a clear click. The mechanism in the collar relaxed like an ancient lock finally exhaling.

  Fang Mei shuddered. The fur across its body loosened all at once and fell like a collapsing disguise.

  Its form began to shrink. Bones shifted with sickening precision, like someone cracking knuckles too close to my ear. Something invisible was being pulled back, drawn inward like wind yanking down a tent flap.

  In the blink of an eye, the hulking creature vanished.

  Standing in front of me was a man — robed plainly, sharply handsome, like a young noble stepped out of an old ink painting. He was so good-looking I squinted on instinct, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I rubbed my eyes. “You… you’re—”

  The man cupped his hands and bowed. His posture was respectful, his smile carrying a teasing edge. “Fang has been trapped here for over two hundred years. Today, thanks to Benefactor removing the collar, Fang is free. I owe you three favors in repayment.”

  My brain froze for several seconds. This plot twist came out of nowhere.

  I forced myself to act like someone who’d seen the world and wouldn’t startle over a little shape-shifting. I cleared my throat twice. “Two hundred years, huh? What’d you do to get yourself locked up that long? Arson? Murder? Stealing someone’s chickens?”

  Fang Mei didn’t lose his smile; he bowed even lower. “A misunderstanding. Pure accident. Fang bears no grudges and repays his debts sincerely. Name your three wishes, and I shall fulfill them.”

  My heart hammered. The offer sounded both reliable and completely unreliable.

  I opened my mouth, closed it, opened it again.

  Priority still came first: get Lian and Hua awake, then get the hell out. The antidote mattered, but it could come after — though realistically, if I didn’t mention all three at once, I suspected I’d regret it.

  Thoughts tangled. My breath came faster.

  Finally, I steeled myself and whispered the three things that mattered most.

  “First wish — wake Lian and Hua. Second — protect the three of us and get us safely out of this tomb. Third — help me find the herb called Daily Evergreen, the one that counters Monthly Crimson.”

  The system clicked its tongue. [Practical. Wake people up, escape, then get medicine. Your priority list is very down-to-earth.]

  “Less commentary, more certainty,” I snapped. “Can this actually happen? Don’t feed me another mystical headache.”

  Sweat pooled in my palms.

  Surprisingly, the system didn’t mock me again. [Your caution is improving. But that said—]

  It never finished.

  Fang Mei simply smiled, as if he had all the time in the world. “Easy. Benefactor, follow me.”

  The suspicion prickled immediately. But when he turned and walked off, and the system stayed silent, I could only grit my teeth and trail after him.

  My mind chanted: Don’t be stupid, don’t be fooled. But my feet moved like someone had hooked strings to my ankles.

  Fang Mei led me through a twisting corridor, narrow and wide by turns. Light flickered strangely — pitch-dark one second, faintly mottled the next.

  He walked light as air. I walked heavier with every step, as if sinking into a thick dream.

  I muttered, unwilling to admit unease: if there were ghosts, I’d just stare them down.

  Fang Mei drifted toward a stone pedestal tightly wrapped in old cloth. He tapped the top lightly. “Benefactor, the clue to the antidote lies here.”

  Somehow I believed him. Maybe it was the handsome face; maybe I was just tired. Fine. One look.

  But the moment my hand reached out—

  Fang Mei vanished like a dissolving mist.

  Click!

  Cold shot up from beneath my feet.

  The floor recoiled sharply, and the stone platform split open like a tongue sliding back, revealing a gaping pit.

  I pitched forward, half my body plunging down. My legs windmilled, a shoe flew off, and I dangled on the edge like a dumpling wrapper about to slip into the pot.

  “AAAAAAHHH—” I screamed at a register that probably woke the whole tomb. “This—this is a sacrifice pit?! Fang Mei, you bastard—!”

  Cold wind blasted up from the darkness, prickling my skin raw. I clung to the stone lip, fingers slipping on damp dirt, blood threatening to bead beneath my nails.

  All I could think was: Seriously? Fooled by a beast in human skin?

  The illusion rolled over me like a tide. I saw myself bound by ropes, heard someone’s whispered chant above me. Laughter drifted from far away — warped, familiar — Lian’s voice muttering strange syllables, Hua’s laughter muffled behind his fan.

  Each sound dragged me lower.

  My consciousness dimmed. The pit swallowed all light.

  Just when I felt myself slipping entirely into the dark—

  A sharp voice cut through the illusions, cold and commanding.

  “Take my hand!”

  Lian.