To think back on it now, today’s turn of events is all thanks to Hou Dayong. I was locked away in a mental institution, and my elder sister was cursed and missing without a trace; not one of those situations had anything to do with him. Now that his life is in imminent danger, as his enemy, I ought to stand by and watch. However, on this journey, he saved both Wang Jue and me twice. To claim I felt no gratitude toward him would be too cold-blooded; a weakness of mine is being easily swayed by emotion.

Then it occurred to me: my sister hasn't been found yet. If we don't save him, where would we even begin to look for her whereabouts? If we can’t find her, how can we save her? Right now, he is the only one who can lead us to my sister.

So, I took the dagger from Wang Jue’s hand, gritted my teeth, and pierced my own palm. Blood immediately poured out. I moved my hand toward Hou Dayong’s chest. Wang Jue helped him lie down on the ground. The scalding blood fell like beads from a broken string, continuously dripping onto the wound, slowly obscuring the dark blood welling up…

A few minutes later, Hou Dayong’s bleeding seemed to stop. He let out a long breath and sat up, touching his chest. He said, “It still aches a bit, but it’ll be fine in a moment.”

“Even the undead can be wounded?” Wang Jue couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

Hou Dayong remained silent, likely unwilling to let Wang Jue and me in on their secrets.

Since he wouldn't speak, there was no point in pressing the issue. We began to discuss the plan for the next step. Hou Dayong mentioned there was a hidden mechanism in the room that could open a door to another chamber.

Wang Jue and I traced the base of the walls, searching for the mechanism. We fumbled around to no avail, only managing to cover our hands in dust. The walls here were incredibly smooth and loose; a gentle scrape was enough to pull out a handful of lime, giving the place a feeling of long disrepair.

After half a day of fruitless searching, we sat down on either side of Hou Dayong, dusting off our hands, both of us looking at him.

Hou Dayong seemed lost in thought. He rose and walked over to the mermaid. She was still clinging to life, lying prone on the floor, unable to move.

“How about a deal?” Hou Dayong said to her. “You tell us where the mechanism is, and I’ll pull the dagger from your back and return you to the water.”

The mermaid weakly pointed her finger toward the weapons rack. Wang Jue jumped up and went over, grabbing the rack and shaking it left and right.

Creaaak… The wall directly facing the opening slowly moved aside, revealing a stone chamber. Torches blazed on the four walls, but the room was otherwise empty, save for a compass-like object resting on a stone table precisely in the center. That must be the Blood Kin Compass we were looking for.

As promised, Hou Dayong pulled the dagger from the mermaid’s back. She took a deep breath, seeming slightly more relaxed than before. Wang Jue and I acted as laborers, helping the mermaid stand upright and setting her into the tunnel. We pushed her feet forward with effort, propelling her a good distance down the passage. The moment she touched the water, she sprang to life, quickly shaking us off and swimming toward the outside of the tunnel.

When we turned back, Hou Dayong was already standing beside the compass, wiping dust from its surface with his hand.

The compass appeared to be made of bronze, an ancient patina color, showing not a speck of rust. It was about ten inches square, completely round without any sharp edges, and divided into an inner and outer layer. The inner layer was a bronze mirror, clearly reflecting the heads of the three of us. The outer ring was inscribed with symbols like Zi, Wu, Yin, and Chou in sequence, and right at the very top center was a small, sunken groove.

Hou Dayong grabbed my hand, not saying a word. He picked up the dagger, pierced his index finger, and pressed my finger against his, allowing his blood to drip into the small groove.