Chapter 57: "Fox friends and dog companions"
One thought after another flashed through Ding Songyan's mind. Weighing his words, he said:
"I do not know, Master."
Before Tao Wenshu could ask anything else, he volunteered:
"When I was attacked at the ruined temple outside the city, I lost many of my memories. All this time, I took Ding Qingyan, the identity Demoness Ji had assumed, to be my younger sister, and cared for her dearly..."
He briefly recounted several incidents from their everyday life as "brother and sister," including telling her stories before bed and giving her the Silver Hairpin to keep at the bottom of her chest. He focused on the three "nightmares" that "Ding Qingyan" had suffered the previous night, and the oath he had sworn.
Finally, he gave a simple account of Ji Hanyi's conversation with Yan Changqing, as well as what Ji Hanyi had told him before leaving: "I've had a great deal of fun these past few days. I'll let you live a little longer for now." He concealed only the secret of his resurrection and his peculiar ability to reach the Netherworld.
"Master, what does severing worldly ties mean?" Ding Songyan asked after finishing his account.
Tao Wenshu, the heavy Iron Crown upon her head, said thoughtfully:
"On the righteous path, severing worldly ties means leaving home and withdrawing from the world, no longer concerning yourself with your family's affairs. On the Heterodox Path..."
She paused before continuing:
"It means leaving you all alone, without family or kin."
*Isn't that just slaughtering someone's entire family? Demoness Ji's first "nightmare" hinted at that... Yan Changqing also said his entire family had been slaughtered, and that he alone had escaped by sheer luck... Now it seems his talent might have been the very reason they were