A master of metaphysics is farming.

The bamboo forest on the back mountain became Xiang He's "secret meeting place".

Xiangyang had never been here before. All the students in the private school knew that this was a place the teacher frequented, and no one dared to come and disturb him.

At this moment, Xiang He leaned against the bamboo, casually fiddling with a mirror in her hand.

Xiangyang sat somewhat awkwardly on the stone bench, glancing at her occasionally, his mouth opening and closing but not knowing how to speak.

Seeing his expression, Xiang He held the mirror and looked up at the night sky. "Xiao Yang, is there anything you want to ask me? I'll answer everything I know."

She has made herself very clear; she will answer any questions asked.

Xiangyang's head buzzed, and after a moment of blankness, he saw her face clearly and clenched his hands on his knees.

"You...you're not my older sister...?"

The voice was soft but clear. Xiang He glanced over and smiled, "The body belongs to your older sister, but the soul inside is not."

Xiang Yang's expression froze instantly, and his breath caught in his throat. "What do you mean...?"

Seeing his stunned expression, Xiang He put away the mirror in her hand and put on a serious face. "Your older sister died on her way home that night."

"Then, who are you...?"

Seeing his empty eyes, Xiang He sighed and knelt down beside him. "I am a wisp of pure soul entering your elder sister's body, to continue living in her place. Do you understand?"

"Do Father and Mother know...?"

"know."

Having received a response, Xiangyang's pupils contracted, and he finally lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing his reaction, Xiang He simply patted his head lightly. "I have things to do tonight. Come find me when you've thought it through."

Before he could reply, Xiang He had already walked out of the bamboo forest, with two wisps of white mist following behind him, disappearing into the air.

Xiangyang watched her retreating figure. She said... her body was still the same, only the inside...

Recalling last night, the ruthlessness and look in her eyes when she attacked her grandmother and aunt were completely different from her older sister before.

Recalling that night when she protected her family behind her, and how she was not the gentle and timid older sister at all in daily life, her personality and behavior were completely different, how could she not be suspicious?

I just didn't expect that she would speak so frankly tonight, and that she had guessed that I had been overthinking things.

He clenched his fists, withdrew his gaze, and stood up, walking slowly toward the private school.

-

-

Two people were strolling leisurely on the street, walking through the alley to a deserted place.

Xiang He picked up two blades of grass from the ground with his left hand, took a step, and after his feet were firmly planted, he tucked the grass into his waistband, then gave another blade to He Sui'an, and put his palms together.

"The energy of heaven and earth gathers within me... So be it!"

Xiang He stopped gesturing. "That's enough. Let's try to walk as quietly as possible in a bit."

He Sui'an looked at the green grass in his hand, "What are you making?"

"I will lower my aura and gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to conceal myself, so that others will not be able to detect me easily, not even the Yin creatures."

Such a statement was novel, and He Sui'an quickly followed her.

The two walked a short distance without seeing any people passing by, until they finally reached the outer wall of the county government's backyard after several winding paths.

Xiang He touched the outer wall with her fingertips, estimating the location of the backyard. Before she could confirm, she heard several arguments.

The two exchanged a quick glance and immediately headed towards the sound of the argument.

Through the outer wall, one could hear Zeng Yunqing's sobs, a woman comforting him, and a clear male voice beside him, which belonged to Magistrate Zeng.

"You've already reached marriageable age; if you don't get married soon, people will criticize you!"

"Qing'er doesn't like that man, so why force her to marry him!"

It seemed to be a forced marriage scene. Xiang He leaned against the outer wall and listened carefully. He Suian looked up slightly. The wall wasn't high; she should be able to climb over it.

Inside, the arguing continued, and Zeng Yunqing cried uncontrollably. In the end, she stormed off in a huff, leaving her family sighing and lamenting.

"This girl! She clearly said she liked me when we were little, how come she changed her mind now that we're older!"

A woman's voice rang out, "Father, you yourself said it was only when he was young... perhaps he won't like it anymore when he grows up, so maybe we should just forget about it..."

These words prompted Magistrate Zeng to sigh, "Alright, alright, go and cancel it. It'll only make things worse. I wanted to give her some joy, but things have escalated to this..."

Xiang He finally understood. Magistrate Zeng had arranged a marriage between Zeng Yunqing and his childhood friend. However, Zeng Yunqing was not happy about it. After an argument, Magistrate Zeng stopped explaining his good intentions. Zeng Yunqing then thought that the elder was being unreasonable in arranging the marriage and disregarding her feelings.

Thinking of this, Xiang He frowned, sensing something was wrong. She raised an eyebrow, and He Suian nodded.

The two walked along the outer wall for a while, and some soft sobbing sounds reached their ears. Xiang He raised her hands to a certain height, but a large hand covered her waist and gently pulled her up.

Xiang He looked at He Suian with a slight surprise, then looked away.

Xiang He had always thought He Suian was no ordinary person, but she hadn't expected him to know martial arts. However, when he was escaping the vicious dog's pursuit earlier, he hadn't shown any particular skill, leading Xiang He to mistakenly believe that he didn't know martial arts.

The two of them squatted on the wall like that. They didn't think anything of it at first, but now they really felt like they were being spied on.

Xiang He didn't care, but Mr. He Sui'an...

She glanced to the side, but He Sui'an wasn't looking at her at all!

His gaze was elsewhere; truly, a virtuous gentleman does not pry into a woman's private life...

Xiang He felt helpless and amused. Her gaze fell once again on Zeng Yunqing's open window. She was wiping away tears and sobbing. She had originally wanted to have a good talk, but unexpectedly, the topic of marriage came up again, and it ended in another argument.

"Young Master Zhang... are you there?"

Suddenly hearing Zhang Rumin being called, Xiang He stopped complaining in her heart and turned her head to look at the window.

Zhang Rumin appeared at the window as expected, his figure fully visible as he leaned against it. He reached out his hand but then withdrew it, his eyes filled with heartache. "Don't cry, your family is only doing this for your own good..."

"How could this be!" Zeng Yunqing cried, her face streaked with tears. "I don't want to marry that man at all!"

Zhang Rumin sighed, "Marriage is arranged by parents, and there's nothing we can do about it now."

"No! Why can my elder sister marry the man she loves, while I have to obey!"

"They are, after all, your family, your grandfather. Since the elders have made the decision, you can't go against it."

Zeng Yunqing cried even harder, "Why!" She clenched the white paper in her hand, her eyes filled with hatred, "My marriage is my own decision, and Grandpa has no right to interfere!"

Zhang Rumin frowned slightly, "But he is your grandfather, you should respect your elders..."

"So what if they're elders!"

Hearing this, Xiang He's brows remained furrowed. She immediately pointed behind her, and the two of them nimbly returned to the ground.

Xiang He stroked her chin thoughtfully, "Don't you think this Zhang Rumin always targets Miss Zeng's elders when he talks about her..."

"I think so too." He Sui'an held a blade of grass in his hand. "If he truly wanted to comfort her, he shouldn't have repeatedly brought up the family members who had upset Miss Zeng. This action... seems to be stirring up conflict?"

Xiang He's eyes lit up. "This is it!"