Life is truly full of surprises. I've always believed that.

  Look, in just one night, I inexplicably went from being the boss of `Endless′ to the boss of `Sound of Twilight′.

  To be honest, I'm still a little upset. All the gold I saved up is now someone else's treasure.

  Even those two shady guys, Pang Zi and Shou Zi, have become someone else's underlings.

  No wonder Mu said I would lose everything.

  It took me three hours by car to get back to the city. Not being able to ride the clouds is indeed inconvenient.

  Standing in the shop of `Sound of Twilight,' I looked at the unsold cotton candy still sitting on the shelves and started pnning how to use this little shop to make a living. If I were to die because I couldn't return to my original body, that would be a reasonable end. But starving to death because I can't afford food? Now that would be truly pathetic!

  I began taking inventory of the shop's fixed assets, figuring out which valuable items could be sold off and converted into cash for some small-scale investments or ventures.

  Of course, I also considered asking someone like Jiu Jue for help. Even if they couldn't lift the curse, they might at least be willing to take care of me like a freeloader. But I quickly dismissed the idea. First, that insidious fake tree yaokai is bound to keep an eye on me, and now isn't the time to involve my friends. Second, Jiu Jue might not even believe me. Yaokais identify each other by "scent." No matter how much they transform, each yaokai′s scent is as unique and irreplicable as DNA. How could I possibly convince Jiu Jue that a body without the familiar scent of Sha Luo is truly me?

  It′s just too complicated.

  Most of the time, I′m used to solving problems on my own.

  I hung a “temporarily closed” sign on the door of `Sound of Twilight′. I needed some time to quietly think about what to do next.

  That night, I rummaged through the fridge and found a box of instant noodles. I cooked it up and ate it with surprising relish. In the past, I never thought of this kind of junk food as delicious. It seems that living with a different identity isn′t all bad.

  I′m really good at comforting myself.

  During the day, Mu′s words suddenly resurfaced in my mind: “Many, many years ago, that′s what I used to call you.” Her expression didn′t seem to make it up.

  Did I know her? And not just know her, but from “many, many years ago”? Why do I have no memory of this at all?

  The more I thought about it, the more my head started to hurt. Tossing aside my chopsticks, I climbed onto the bed in the back room and y down.

  Her bed was as clean as mine, with the same faint fragrance. The pillow was soft and fluffy, and lying on it felt just like lying on my own.

  After all the chaos, I fell into a deep sleep for the first time as an "ordinary human."

  "Sha Luo-jiejie, take me with you!"

  "That won′t do. I′m not the same as you."

  "Why not? Weren′t we born in the same pce?"

  "I already told you, we′re different."

  "How are we different? If you can, I can too! I want to live as freely as you, Jiejie!"

  "Staying here is better for you."

  "Liar! You're lying! You're lying! If you can, why can't I?"

  In the dead of night, I was jolted awake by two voices arguing endlessly. That fragment of dialogue, buried by who knows where and hidden for who knows how many years, began to resurface, piece by piece, stirring a memory I had long forgotten.

  I got out of bed, pushed open the window, and leaned my groggy head into the cool breeze blowing in.

  Mu... Mu...

  Suddenly, it all clicked.

  Why I couldn′t see through this woman. Why I couldn′t detect any trace of yaokainic energy from her. Why I felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with her from the very beginning...

  At that moment, I finally understood.

  In this world, tree yaokai capable of cultivating human form are exceedingly rare.

  Precisely because it is so difficult, tree yaokai who achieve human form usually possess abilities slightly superior to other types of yaokais. Their ability to identify others by scent is also the strongest. However, tree yaokais are uniquely unable to detect the scent of their own kind, especially those who grew from the same soil as they did. Their scents are often strikingly simir.

  Outside, there was no moonlight. The bck clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, as though they might fall from the heavens at any moment.

  My heart, too, suddenly felt like the sky I was looking at—so heavy it seemed about to colpse.

  Mu... she′s my kin. A tree yaokai, just like me.

  --------

  "Master, the item you requested has been successfully retrieved."

  She respectfully presented the bck leather pouch.

  The spacious, empty room contained nothing but a rge desk and a single chair. The bck floor was scattered with books.

  The man sitting behind the desk was sketching something on a piece of paper. He gave a brief nod, signaling for her to pce it down.

  The room was nearly devoid of light and sound, save for the faint rustling of the man's pen moving across the paper.

  "Master, I..." she began, but trailed off, unsure whether to continue.

  "Is there something else?" The man's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a tangible weight. He slightly lifted his head, and his hawk-like, cold eyes fshed through the darkness. After a moment, he lowered his gaze again. "If there′s nothing else, leave. You did well this time."

  "Mm!" She responded with the enthusiasm of a child who had been rewarded, happily retreating from the room.

  The room once again fell into a deathly silence. The faint light slowly shifted onto the paper in front of the man, and it became vaguely visible—on the paper was a portrait of a woman, drawn by his hand.