Chapter 31: Reunion

In an instant familiar, mighty power flooded her limbs. Her body didn’t reject it—it resonated fiercely with the ruby.
While the ruby gave her strength it also buried her consciousness in darkness.
Her head split. Roaring in her skull. Vision swallowed by black until she passed out completely.
When she woke again the ceiling was familiar—she was home.
The wall clock pointed to the next day. A full day had passed since she and Bai Yanci left for Wangshu Orphanage.
Her mouth was dry. She called without thinking: “Sister…”
She called several times. No answer.
Yesterday’s strangeness brought a bad feeling. She released spiritual flame to sense Bai Yanci’s presence.
Bai Yanci hadn’t returned. Nothing of her clung to Yi Ke either.
She remembered blacking out in the cavern.
If Bai Yanci didn’t bring her back—how had she gotten home?
Right—the cursed ruby. She sent immortal power to probe. The ruby was set tight in her chest.
When she first saw it, it had been in the statue’s heart. With its power merged in, her strength had grown again.
Somewhere a voice told her: the ruby had always been her power.
By accident she glanced at the floor mirror beside the bed.
She stared at her hands in disbelief. Her mind went blank with a roar.
In the mirror her face, clothes, and hands were smeared with blood—patches everywhere.
What had happened? What on earth had happened?
Panic. She tried to reach Bai Yanci—calls and messages sank without reply.
Frantic, she sensed the green-silk ring—the only link between them.
The ring couldn’t fix a position. Bai Yanci’s last trace was that disordered space.
She knew Bai Yanci would never abandon her.
If she hadn’t come back, something had gone wrong. She had to bring her home.
Regret—why take Bai Yanci to the orphanage? No orphanage, no bureau, no Qixie, no fall into that space.
Regret—deep regret.
She didn’t remember leaving at all. Going back blind wouldn’t find Bai Yanci—only trap herself.
She knew nothing about the disordered space.
Too strange—the statue, the ruby, time and space in knots.
That place wasn’t natural. Someone had made it.
She cleaned the blood roughly and stepped out of the apartment—then stood stunned, not knowing who to ask.
Since meeting Bai Yanci, every hard thing she’d turned to Bai Yanci for.
Now Bai Yanci was gone and she felt hollow.
“Team Leader Yi—have you thought about what we discussed?” Jade Dust’s voice came from behind.
Jade Dust had apparently been there a while. Lonely snowflakes dusted her shoulders.
“Why are you here?” She was on guard at once.
Last time she’d slipped into Qixie for files. Jade Dust caught her, beat her, left her in the snow. Bai Yanci had dragged her back—nearly died.
Jade Dust’s strength was unreadable. Mood unpredictable.
Finding Bai Yanci came first. She couldn’t provoke Jade Dust—had to get away fast.
“Since you wouldn’t come to me, I came to you.” Jade Dust looked pleased. “Team Leader Yi—want to know about the space under Wangshu Orphanage?”
“How do you know?”
“Of course I know.” Jade Dust smiled. “I sent Yang Yufei to fight the bureau so enough power would gather to open the door below.”
Under her shock Jade Dust’s smile widened. “And I know—even with enough power, without a fallen god you can’t open the disordered space.”
Jade Dust was calm; the words felt like provocation. She knew Yi Ke was fallen god too—how?
The words hit like being played. Before Jade Dust she was a clown on a string.
Worry, grievance, anger poured out in one unwilling cry: “Jade Dust, what do you want!”
“Don’t get excited. I have answers you want.” Jade Dust smiled more. “Go to the Ability Bureau. Find Mu Wenxin. She has everything.”
Same script again.
Jade Dust used her, then came to her with the way out.
First meeting Jade Dust had taught her moon forbidden arts to save those tainted by spiritual flame.
This time she hadn’t asked—Jade Dust pointed the direction anyway.
Jade Dust always stood neither friend nor foe. Yet at Qixie one disagreement and they’d thrown her in snow—nearly killed her.
Help without reason unsettled her more.
Besides wanting to recruit her, she didn’t know what Jade Dust wanted from her.
While she dazed, Jade Dust cast a small transport array—no time to hesitate.
When her eyes opened again they stood before the Ability Bureau.
“Still hesitating?” Jade Dust hid her form; voice rang in her mind. “People in disordered space lose their origin easily. Wait too long and you’ll never see your lover again.”
That sobered her at once.
Bai Yanci was waiting. Besides trusting Jade Dust she had no path.
Jade Dust was Qixie—enemy. But thinking it through, Jade Dust had no reason to lie.
Since the lab fire the bureau had more guards, stronger wards.
Sneaking in failed—she walked in openly, alone!
Awakened fallen-god power—human ability users couldn’t stop her.
Alarms behind her. Straight into Mu Wenxin’s office. A barrier sealed the door.
Alarms kept sounding. Someone tried to break the ward. Her barrier wasn’t Bai Yanci’s level—but it could hold humans a while.
Mu wasn’t surprised—gentle mask as always.
Even now playing good mother: “Ke-ke, what brings you? How have you been lately?”
“Director Mu, I’m not here to chat.” Distance in one line—still polite. “Tell me everything about the disordered space.”
Mu kept her proper smile and stood. “Ke-ke, I don’t understand what you mean.”
But her eyes were pure challenge.
“If you know what that space is, you know how dangerous it is!” Urgent. “Your people are inside—they follow you truly. Don’t you want them out?”
Mu had raised her. She still didn’t want to tear the last mask—but Mu’s words froze her heart.
A light lift of her hand pinned Mu motionless.
“They serve me. Dying for me is fitting.” Mu was calm even under absolute force. “Ke-ke, a leader who pities subordinates will never achieve great things.”
She understood. Mu and Jade Dust were the same breed—Mu colder still.
No more words. Immortal light in her palm—a dagger at Mu’s throat. “I’m not here to chat. Behave or I take your life now.”
“Fallen-god power!” Mu’s eyes lit. No fear—laughter. “Ke-ke, you didn’t disappoint me.”
Only when the blade sank an inch and drew blood did Mu’s flawless face crack. “Second drawer from the left—what you want is there.”
She dropped the dagger, left the binding, found the files on the disordered space.
Disordered space: twisted by great power, usually guarded by a mighty artifact; time and space inside are chaos. Lose the exit long enough and you’re lost forever.
To find the exit you must hold your heart and use power equal to the guardian artifact.
Guardian artifact—the ruby.
She teleported to Wangshu’s gate. The disordered space had warped a wide area—a rift.
No hesitation. She leaped in alone.
At her chest the Spirit Tide Pearl resonated without stop. In her mind she drew Bai Yanci’s face again and again.
Heaven, if you pity me—send me to my lover.
In the chaos it felt like endless years—or a single blink.
She searched in the dark, even burning spiritual flame to trace.
Black everywhere. The space was unstable; without the guardian artifact she didn’t dare light it with full force—collapse might trap her forever.
Somehow she felt the space kept drinking her power.
In a daze the voice returned: “Yi Ke, you shouldn’t have come back here.”
She didn’t hear it. Only finding Bai Yanci remained.
If she couldn’t find Bai Yanci she’d leave her life here before leaving alone.
After unknown time each step grew heavier.
Power leaked away bit by bit. Still she followed instinct and didn’t stop.
At last, in a remote corner, she saw the figure she’d dreamed of.
She ran to the white silhouette, seized Bai Yanci’s hand, held her tight: “Sister, I found you at last…”