Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

[Your... underwear is with me...]

↱【I know!】

[You knew? Then why didn't you remind me to return it to you?]

↱【I thought you might need it (˃⌑˂ഃ)】

Cui Shi'an stared at the emoticon on his phone screen, a vein throbbing faintly at the temple.

Did she think I was pretending to be stupid and deliberately keeping it away?

【What should I do then? Give it to you tomorrow?】

↱【I have plans for tomorrow, so I'll just leave it with you, ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ】

He was about to reply "okay" when a second message popped up:

↱【Remember to wash it thoroughly after you're done, ㅋㅋ～】

Hey! Who said I was going to use it?!

【How would I know? After all, you have the item. Even if you wash it off after using it and say it's useless, I still wouldn't know.】

……

It seems...to be true.

Cui Shi'an hovered his finger above the screen, unable to type a single word for a long time. In the end, he could only collapse helplessly onto his dormitory bed, and his phone fell to his chest with a "thud".

Even if I am truly useless, she probably wouldn't believe it.

Now he's probably going to be nailed to the pillar of shame for being a "pervert".

Damn it!

...So what if someone is perverted?

Weren't you husband and wife in your past life? As a husband, isn't it normal for him to have a spare undergarment for his wife in his pocket?

and many more.

Cui Shi'an suddenly sat up in bed, his brows furrowed.

That's not right.

How did I, a fifth-rank official of the Tang Dynasty's Xiongjin Prefecture, end up having an affair with a Silla princess?

If this gets back to Chang'an and those corrupt officials in the Censorate find out, they'll be slapped on the head for "colluding with foreign barbarians and having secret dealings with foreign countries."

To put it more bluntly, it could be described as "colluding with vassal kings with treacherous intentions" or "leaking military secrets and plotting treason"...

Any one of these could cost you your head, or even your entire family.

Do they even care about the reputation of the Cui family of Qinghe?

Besides, given his age, in ancient times, he would have been engaged, if not already married.

Moreover, the other party must be a prominent family with a matching reputation, such as the Wang family of Taiyuan or the Pei family of Hedong...

Thinking of this, he tried the same action again, and his palm once again felt a heavy grip.

Then, with a sweep of the void—

Whoosh, the dormitory curtains moved automatically without any wind.

……

For several days in a row, Cui Shi'an searched for information about his past life, and even asked his classmates in China for help, but he still couldn't find Cui Yuan.

After all, a fifth-rank official isn't a high-ranking position. Within the vast Cui clan of Qinghe, he's probably just a nobody, perhaps even a branch of some lineage.

However, they still couldn't get in touch with Hara.

The message went unanswered, and the phone call was always out of service.

Just as he began to suspect that the girl might have been fired for poor performance or transferred to some remote mountain wilderness to be a local deity, his phone finally vibrated.

Hera's reply was as brief as ever: "Let's talk when we meet."

The location was still that dimly lit, round room, filled with the smell of herbs and old paper.

When Choi Si-an pushed open the door, Hera was floating in mid-air.

The literal meaning of "floating".

She was holding an old-fashioned feather duster that was longer than her arm, and was absentmindedly dusting the top shelf of the medicine cabinet.

The black skirt swayed slightly, like a floating night-blooming cereus.

When Cui Shi'an came in, she didn't stop, but just gestured with her eyes for him to sit down.

In one corner of the room, an electric kettle was bubbling away, emitting the aroma of burnt coffee.

Cui Shi'an didn't stand on ceremony. He went straight over, poured himself a glass, and then leaned back on the white sofa, crossing his long legs and placing them on the low table in front of him.

It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to be arrogant; it's just that after that night at Bukhansan, he inexplicably felt that he seemed to have gained a little...

No longer needing to be cautious and apprehensive.

"Where have you been these past few days?" He took a sip of his coffee, frowning—it was too sweet. "Why can't I get in touch with you at all?"

Hera didn't even turn her head, her feather duster sweeping across a row of celadon medicine jars: "I'm going to Sanzu River for the annual symposium. There's no signal down here."

"A seminar?" Cui Shi'an raised an eyebrow, a hint of absurd amusement in his voice. "You messengers of hell... you even do this?"

"Of course." Hera finally stopped what she was doing, turned around, and floated to the ground, casually sticking the feather duster back into the earthenware jar behind the door.

"Let's exchange ideas on the difficulties in our respective districts, share best practices, discuss policy changes... and how to regulate and handle 'other overlooked individuals' like you, etc."

Cui Shi'an nodded calmly: "I see."

Hera sat down opposite him, tilting her head to look him over, a hint of curiosity in her cat-like eyes:

"Hmm? Aren't you scared? 'How to deal with it'—that doesn't sound like a good thing~"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Cui Shi'an put down his coffee cup, looked up at her, and said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather: "I've even met your 'boss'."

"The leader?" Hera was taken aback. "Who? Pan Yin? You've seen him? When?"

"That was the night we dealt with the evil spirit last time."

Hara's expression instantly turned strange. She stared at Choi Si-an for several seconds before slowly speaking, "...Impossible, right?"

"How is that impossible?"

"Lord Judge Yin was also attending the seminar at Sanzu River that day," Hera frowned. "He even hosted the opening ceremony. How could he possibly be in two places at once to see you?"

"Eh?"

This time, Cui Shi'an was stunned: "Are you sure??"

"What's there to be sure about? He never left during that time."

Cui Shi'an quickly asked again, "Then...did he have a big beard, be bald, and wear a gray robe?"

"Hey? Our Judge Yin of Hanyang isn't bald?"

Cui Shi'an was taken aback again: "Then... is it possible that he has a clone technique or something?"

"If they really had that ability, what would be the point of having so many messengers of hell? One person could do it all, right?"

Cui Shi'an was completely stunned.

The other party isn't a judge?

So... who exactly was that guy who talked to him about the paradox of God, the secrets of the sacred bones, and wanted him to "become a stone"?

Seeing his constantly changing expression, Hera cautiously asked:

"You...have you encountered a scammer? These days, many charlatans with a bit of skill like to pretend to be some kind of deity descended from heaven or an official in the underworld, just to swindle money from you..."

"Impossible." Cui Shi'an interrupted her, his voice hoarse. "The other person's aura is at least a hundred or a thousand times stronger than yours. What charlatan has such ability?"

"A hundred times, a thousand times?" Hera gasped, her eyes widening. "Really? Our Judge Yin isn't that powerful."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The only sound was the "click" of the electric kettle's keep-warm switch tripping.

Cui Shi'an felt a chill run down his spine. Had he fallen under some kind of strange illusion?

He was still unwilling to give up. He suddenly got up, walked to the window, and pulled open the heavy curtains with a "whoosh".

Outside the window is the typical street scene of the northern part of the city; the night is deep and the lights are dim.

"Look at the sky," he said, pointing out the window. "What can you see?"

Hera floated over, staring intently in the direction he was pointing. After a moment, she turned her head in confusion: "The sky? Is there something there? Clouds? The stars are being obscured by light pollution."

Cui Shi'an's heart sank.

Even she...can't see it?

Could it be that we've really fallen under an illusion?

wrong!

He quickly looked down at his right hand.

Slowly grasp the handle.

His palm was empty, but that heavy, incomparably sharp "presence" came clearly with his thoughts.

"Do you see anything in my hand?"

"Huh?" Hera looked at his loosely clenched fist, blinked, "What? Air? Why do I feel such a strong killing intent?"

Cui Shi'an remained silent.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the room, finally settling on the center of the room—the coffin board, as black as ink, made of ancient, submerged wood.

Then he swung the knife down!

There wasn't a sound.

There wasn't a single ray of light or shadow.

but--

A distinct click rang out in the silent room.

Hara turned her head sharply and looked at the coffin lid.

The incredibly hard, impervious wood, which could even nourish the soul, had been cut with a small gash!

Her eyes widened to their limit in an instant:

"How...how did you do that??"