The next morning, Young Master Liu rose early, secretly taking a bottle of coagulant and analgesic from the medical chest, grinding it into powder with a pestle and wrapping it in paper. He then retrieved a bottle of wine from the crate brought by Village Head Tian last time, grabbed a few steamed buns, and slipped out towards the small woods.

If it had been any other time, Young Master Liu would have called for Goudan, but since his arm hadn't healed and Goudan's parents wouldn't let him leave the house, Young Master Liu had no choice but to venture out alone for his amusement.

Arriving at the small woods, Young Master Liu headed to the spot where he had rescued Elder Huang the day before, but Elder Huang was nowhere in sight, nor was the animal trap.

Young Master Liu placed his provisions on the ground and called out softly, "Elder Huang... Elder Huang... hurry out here... I brought you wine... Elder Huang!"

After a few calls, a patch of white in the distance on the snow suddenly bolted towards him. As it drew closer, it resolved into Elder Huang, the strip of cloth Young Master Liu had tied around its leg yesterday still visible. Elder Huang looked up at Young Master Liu and, astonishingly, rose up onto its hind legs.

It circled Young Master Liu several times before settling back down. Young Master Liu stroked its fur; it felt wonderfully soft and warm.

Young Master Liu said, "Elder Huang, I brought you the good wine. After I put this medicine on your leg, you can have some!"

Elder Huang wagged its tail, seemingly understanding every word.

Young Master Liu took out the finely ground powder, untied the cloth from Elder Huang's hind leg, sprinkled the medicine on the wound, and Elder Huang shivered its small body. Then, Young Master Liu fed it a bun, taking one for himself and squatting beside Elder Huang to eat.

Once the little creature finished eating, it began sniffing the air with its tiny nose, likely scenting the wine. Young Master Liu pulled the wine bottle from his inner pocket and placed it before Elder Huang. The creature straightened up, grasped the bottle with its forepaws, dipped its nose into the opening to sniff, then tilted the bottle sideways, plunging its little mouth inside to drink. Young Master Liu could see its small belly swelling and contracting; it seemed to have drunk a fair amount.

In no time, the wine bottle was empty and lying on the ground. Elder Huang swayed unsteadily, clearly intoxicated, before collapsing onto the snow. Its small eyes flickered towards Young Master Liu, its tail gave a couple of weak wags, and then it closed its eyes, presumably falling asleep.

Fearing someone else might find Elder Huang, Young Master Liu carefully picked it up and placed it inside a hollow tree trunk, which happened to catch the sunlight nicely. Once this was done, Young Master Liu headed back home.

In the days that followed, whenever Young Master Liu had free time, he would go visit Elder Huang. Sometimes, the creature would bring him wild fruits that were only available in summer, and in return, Young Master Liu brought it fine wine.

Elder Huang truly was a little drunkard; it drained every drop of wine Young Master Liu brought, then staggered back to its den. If it drank too much, it would simply sleep off its stupor in that hollow tree.

As the Eve of the Lunar New Year approached, Young Master Liu knew he might not be able to visit Elder Huang for several days. So, the very next day, Young Master Liu brought wine and played with Elder Huang for a while before stroking its head and saying, "Elder Huang, the New Year is just a couple of days away. I probably won't be able to see you for a while!"

Elder Huang lifted its head, looked at Young Master Liu, and wagged its tail, signaling comprehension.

Young Master Liu thought for a moment and then added, "The grown-ups say you're quite capable, is that true? Show me a trick, hehe!"

After Young Master Liu finished speaking, to his surprise, Elder Huang suddenly stood up, its small eyes fixed on him.

It then walked over and tugged at the cuff of Young Master Liu’s trousers, moving forward, then turning back to look at Young Master Liu—it seemed to want him to follow. So, Young Master Liu trailed after it.

Young Master Liu had been changing the dressing on Elder Huang’s leg every day for the past few days; it was nearly healed. He followed the creature for a long time, eventually arriving at the desolate mountain outside the village.

The barren mountain was stark, nothing but snow as far as the eye could see. Elder Huang turned its head to look at Young Master Liu, then trotted to a clear patch of ground and began digging with its forepaws. Seeing that it intended to excavate, Young Master Liu picked up a large rock nearby and began digging alongside it.

For some inexplicable reason, though it was winter and the earth should have been frozen solid, this patch of soil was not particularly hard; rather, it was somewhat soft. After only a short while, he felt something solid. Elder Huang had hopped onto the edge of the pit and was peering down at him. Young Master Liu brushed away the dirt with his hands and his heart lurched—was that a coffin?

Terrified, he scrambled out of the pit. Just then, muffled thuds sounded from inside the coffin—thump, thump, thump—as if someone were striking the lid from within, interspersed with the faint shh-shh sound of claws scraping wood. Goosebumps erupted all over Young Master Liu's body, paralyzing him with fear.

Then came a loud CRACK, and the coffin lid was thrown out of the pit, landing beside Young Master Liu.

A foul stench erupted. He looked towards the edge of the pit.

A withered hand, sporting long, black nails, stretched out from the hole.

Young Master Liu stumbled back several paces. He looked at Elder Huang on the ground; it was lying there as if it had fallen fast asleep.

Shivering, Young Master Liu scooped it up, murmuring, "Elder Huang, don't sleep now! Think of something! We dug up someone's coffin, they'll be angry!"

But no matter how much Young Master Liu called, Elder Huang would not stir. He glanced back at the edge of the pit, where a second withered hand, also bearing long, black nails, had appeared.

The two hands fumbled along the edge of the pit for a moment, then suddenly gripped the rim, hoisting half a body out of the hole. It began crawling frantically towards Young Master Liu.

Clutching Elder Huang, Young Master Liu lost his footing and fell back onto the ground. The corpse’s face was so rotted that bone was visible; its jaw was missing, revealing only teeth. This was far more terrifying than seeing ghosts with opened Yin-Yang eyes, as those were mere spirits. The thing before him was horrifyingly corporeal!

The corpse moved with terrifying speed, reaching Young Master Liu’s feet in a few crawls. Young Master Liu, still on the ground, shifted backward while hugging Elder Huang close, quickly bit the middle finger of his right hand until it bled, formed a mudra with his right hand, kept Elder Huang tucked securely in his left arm, and pointed his right hand at the corpse, chanting, "No taboos! Break the evil!"

The corpse paused for a beat, then continued to advance. Young Master Liu closed his eyes in despair, thinking he was surely doomed here.

After a long silence, finding no movement, Young Master Liu cautiously opened one eye to glance at the corpse. He saw the corpse reach into its own fleshless, hollow mouth and pull out a crystalline purple orb, about the size of a palm, placing it next to Young Master Liu.

Then, it swayed slightly and lay still on the ground.

The moment the corpse settled, Young Master Liu felt Elder Huang stirring in his embrace. It wriggled free, darted over to the corpse, circled it once, then ran to the orb, picking it up with its two small front paws. It stared intently at Young Master Liu with its bead-like eyes.

It turned out Elder Huang had possessed the corpse, opening the coffin from within. Then, it retrieved this bead and offered it to Young Master Liu.

It took Young Master Liu a good while to steady himself before standing up. "Could it be that you truly possess the ability to separate soul and body?"

Elder Huang nodded its small head in affirmation.

"This bead... did Elder Huang give this to me too?" Saying this, he picked up the orb and felt a distinct warmth radiating from it. Elder Huang spun in a circle, and Young Master Liu carefully tucked the bead away. Elder Huang suddenly spun rapidly in place, and as soon as it stopped, several large wild dogs burst from the thicket and dragged the corpse away.

Later, Young Master Liu told Elder Huang he would return to visit after some time. Elder Huang circled him a few times, then slowly walked away. When it was a short distance off, it paused to look back at Young Master Liu before vanishing into the woods.

Returning home, Young Master Liu went alone to the study, hoping to find some information about the origin of the bead in Zhang Enpu’s books.

However, after flipping through for a long time, he found no mention of this particular bead. Only on a page labeled "Xuan Pin Pearl" did it read: "The dark sea nurtures a miraculous elixir, clear and bright in color; swallowing it opens wondrous portals and allows one to understand the language of all beasts!" But the bead Elder Huang gave him was purple, whereas the Xuan Pin Pearl was described as transparent. Thus, Young Master Liu closed the book, taking the bead back to his room.

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. Every household was pasting couplets, hanging the character Fu, and stringing lanterns. Young Master Liu ate his fill of sweets. Even before nightfall, the crackle of firecrackers began echoing through the village. Young Master Liu and Goudan went outside to set off some as well; his arm could now move slightly. Then came making dumplings, offering sacrifices to the Household Guardians, and staying up late to welcome the New Year.

This New Year's Eve passed amidst lively celebrations.

After the first day of the New Year came the rounds of New Year's greetings. Village Head Tian delivered several large boxes of tobacco, wine, and fruit to Zhang Enpu, and also bought many sugar figures for Young Master Liu, which delighted him immensely. Villagers also came to pay their respects to the Old Immortal, Zhang Enpu. Just like that, a month passed, and the New Year festivities concluded.

Shortly after the beginning of Spring, Zhang Enpu received a letter. With a grave expression, he told Young Master Liu, "A distant relative of mine has passed away. The family must attend the funeral, and it might take quite a while before I can return. Don't cause trouble during this time, understand!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu was secretly thrilled, thinking he wouldn't have to carry those heavy things anymore.

That night, unable to sleep, he lay on the heated brick bed (kang) chatting with Zhang Enpu. Young Master Liu loved recounting strange occurrences to him, and it wasn't until very late that he finally drifted off.

The next morning, Zhang Enpu had his luggage packed. "Be sure to listen to your grandmother while I’m gone and don't be naughty. If anything happens, remain calm, and do not lose your composure!" Zhang Enpu said meaningfully.

"Da Shao will be obedient. But may I take a few books to read?" Young Master Liu gestured toward the study.

"Go ahead, be good!" Zhang Enpu said, patting Young Master Liu's head.

Young Master Liu dashed into the study and grabbed Celestial Master’s Records, which he was only a few pages from finishing, and Taiyi Heavenly Dipper. He figured these two books would suffice for his reading material.

Leaving the study, Zhang Enpu led Young Master Liu to the small rented room he occupied and fastened a large padlock on the door. Young Master Liu secretly sighed; he wouldn't be able to come home for some time.

Zhang Enpu turned to Old Mr. and Mrs. Liu and said, "I apologize for causing you both trouble these past few days."

Old Mr. Liu, smiling and speaking smoothly, replied, "What is Celestial Master Zhang saying? You have always looked out for us. We are family, after all!"

Zhang Enpu smiled, unable to say more, and then headed towards the edge of the village. Watching Zhang Enpu’s receding figure, Young Master Liu felt a deep reluctance to part. He shouted after him, "Hurry back! Da Shao misses you so much!"

As he yelled, Young Master Liu’s eyes grew moist. Though it was only a few days' separation, he couldn't help shedding a few tears. Goudan patted Young Master Liu’s shoulder and said, "It’s okay, you still have me!"

Goudan's words warmed Young Master Liu’s heart, and he reached out to grasp Goudan's hand.