Xiao Shu stood quietly by the doorframe. Two trails of blood stretched down the hallway to this very spot before doubling back into the room. If she wasn't mistaken, the person crying softly inside now must be the injured one.

Was it Hua Gu? Xiao Shu recalled leaving the Reflection Villa. Hua Gu and A Mang had been dragged into the study by the hunchbacked old woman, but they were fine then, merely drowsy from a mild dose of sleeping draught. Now there was blood everywhere. Could it be that the hunchback, upon realizing Xiaoyu couldn't bring back the Ghost Infant, had slaughtered them all? However, the Ghost Infant had been taken by Li Xiaohao; whether he succeeded or failed was beyond the control of herself or Xiaoyu. If she were to harm Hua Gu and A Mang over this, it would solve nothing and only earn her universal hatred.

Thinking this, Xiao Shu mustered her courage and took a step closer, pushing through the doorway. As she stepped across the threshold, the scene before her instantly struck her dumb, leaving her momentarily helpless.

The room was far more gruesome than the hallway. Blood spatter coated all four walls. The hunchbacked crone lay supine on the floor, her face the color of parchment. A gentle breeze sighed in through the window, blowing the corpse's disheveled hair across half her face. Yet, Xiao Shu could still discern a crucial detail on the exposed half: her eyes were wide open, her mouth agape, her expression one of utter terror, as if she had encountered a fierce specter.

And huddled in the corner, emitting soft moans, was none other than Hua Gu. At this moment, Hua Gu was covered in blood, her eyelids tightly shut, yet they were deeply sunken inward, and two torrents of bright red liquid streamed endlessly from the hollowed sockets. Xiao Shu gasped in shock and moved toward Hua Gu one deliberate step at a time. As she neared, she gently crouched before her, examining the eyes closely. Hua Gu seemed to sense someone nearby, managing to clamp a hand over her mouth, refusing even to let a sob escape.

Xiao Shu stared for a long time, confirming that the eyeballs were indeed gone from their sockets. Heartbroken, she raised her voice softly and said, "Hua Gu, it’s me, Xiao Shu…"

Hearing Xiao Shu’s voice, Hua Gu seized upon it like a lifeline, blindly fumbling about in the dark, searching for the speaker. Xiao Shu grasped Hua Gu's hand, forcibly suppressing the tears, and said tenderly, "We’re back. What happened?"

Hua Gu touched the hand, confirming that it was indeed Xiao Shu crouching before her, and could hold back no longer. She burst into wrenching sobs, and two hot, crimson streams poured from the empty sockets, as if she were mourning an immense injustice. Between her cries, she choked out a garbled explanation to Xiao Shu: "You finally returned! A Mang is a spy. He killed the hunchback and gouged out my eyes, saying his master commanded him to. Young Master's eyes were injured and required a pair of healthy eyes for replacement…"

Hearing this, Xiao Shu felt as if a jar of bitter herbs had been overturned inside her. When Li Xiaohao took the zombie to the cave to save Xing’er, she had been right there. Xing’er’s eyes had been burned by spider venom; aside from bleeding, he couldn't see anything. Xiaohao picked up his injured son and walked silently out of the cave, leaving behind a floor littered with dead spiders and a terrified Ah Li. If her inference was correct, the person who took Hua Gu's eyes to save her son was none other than her own twin brother, Li Xiaohao.

Seeing Hua Gu subjected to such cruelty caused Xiao Shu profound pain, but there was nothing else to be done. Had the person who blinded her been a stranger to Xiao Shu, she would now stand up like an enraged youth, condemning the heinous act, or perhaps swearing to find the culprit and bring him to justice. Yet, the eye-gouger was sent by her own brother, and the recipient of the gruesome 'gift' was her most cherished Xing’er. Even facing Hua Gu’s sorrowful weeping, Xiao Shu was utterly resigned. She silently took out her canteen and poured the last sip of the Water of Immortality into Hua Gu’s mouth, saying nothing else. After drinking the water, the wounds slowly healed. But what was lost was lost; those sunken sockets could never again conceal a pair of bright, beautiful eyes.