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* **Ye Family Estate.**

It was a perfectly ordinary manor, the kind one would expect from a prestigious household. Nothing about it stood out in particular.

Lilith merely glanced at the magnificent buildings before her, and her interest faded almost instantly. She had seen far too many extravagant places in her life. Compared to those, the tall walls and lavish courtyard before her were merely… acceptable.

But Liana appeared extremely excited. “We’re finally home!” She grabbed Lilith by the hand and hurried inside with lively enthusiasm. “Come on, Mountain Ghost. There’s no time to waste. Let’s go see my mother first.”

“What about your tractor? You’re just leaving it parked at the front gate?”
“Ah, it’s fine. No one will steal it.”
“No, that’s not the issue.”

The real question was whether anyone would beat you up for blocking your own family’s front gate with a tractor.

“Liana!” A stern, low shout suddenly rang out. The moment she heard it, Liana’s body visibly trembled. Still clutching Lilith’s hand, she shrank down like a thief caught in the act, burying her head against her chest.

“F-Father…” She seemed deeply afraid of the person who had spoken.

Following the direction of the voice, Lilith turned her gaze toward the man Liana had called Father. He looked to be a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a simple robe. His demeanor was refined and scholarly, and his features were rather delicate. In fact, there was a noticeable resemblance between him and Liana.

Perhaps due to years of hard work, the man seemed older than his age. His temples were lightly streaked with gray, giving him the appearance of someone worn down by life. Rather than the head of a powerful family, he looked more like a humble schoolteacher.

Most importantly, Lilith could not detect the coldness, harshness, or stern authority she had imagined earlier from Liana’s descriptions. Instead, his face showed clear anxiety, as though he had been worried about Liana for a long time.

“Liana, why did you sneak out again? Do you know how worried I—”
“I’m sorry, Father! I’m truly very sorry!”

Liana bowed repeatedly in apology, as if the person standing before her were not her own father but some terrifying beast.

“It’s because you keep locking me inside the house that I had to sneak out. And I did follow your instructions and call you every day. Even though I’m useless, I won’t cause you trouble. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“I told you already, you don’t need to— ah…” The man let out a long sigh. Facing his daughter’s endless apologies, he seemed utterly troubled.

Lilith found herself completely bewildered. One of them kept apologizing nonstop, trembling as if she were terrified. The other didn’t look frightening at all and even seemed to want to stop her from apologizing.

The two of them appeared to be speaking past each other entirely, as if they were on completely different channels.

“And you are…?”

Only then did the man notice Lilith.

“She’s Lord Mountain Ghost. She’s here to help treat Mother’s illness,” Liana said, finally gathering the courage to step in front of Lilith protectively.

“Treat her illness again…” As if he had just heard some forbidden phrase, the man suddenly grew angry. “Liana! Why can’t you accept reality? I—”

He raised his hand, as though he were about to strike her. But Liana had already crouched down on the ground, clutching her head as she trembled violently.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Father, I’m truly sorry. But Lord Mountain Ghost can definitely save Mother this time, so please, please don’t drive her away…”

“I… ah…” In the end, the man’s hand never came down. He looked toward Lilith, and in his weathered eyes there seemed to be countless layers of helplessness. “Young lady, although I have no idea how Liana managed to deceive you into coming here, nor whether your medical skills are truly remarkable, I still advise you…”

He pulled out a black card and pressed it into Lilith’s hand. “Take this and leave.”

Lilith: ???

She had barely arrived, and the doctor was already being driven away? Had the fact that she knew absolutely nothing about medicine already been exposed?

“Ahem, sir.” Lilith deliberately lowered her voice, trying to sound a little more mature. “Things like medical skill are best proven through practice. I think allowing me to attempt saving your wife wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“But…” The man’s expression turned strange. “This isn’t really about medical skill at all.”

“Hmm?”

What was that supposed to mean? Could it be that the illness afflicting Liana’s mother carried some unspeakable secret behind it?

“Father, please…” Liana pleaded once more. “Just let Lord Mountain Ghost try, alright?”

“You—” The man’s expression twisted into something difficult to describe. It was hard to tell whether he felt anger or pity. Countless emotions seemed to mingle together on his face, forming an extremely complicated look.

“…Very well. Go.” In the end, the man closed his eyes wearily. “You’ll understand once you see it. There’s no point explaining any further.” He stepped aside and gave way.

Lilith handed the black card back to him. “Take this back.”

“Keep the money,” the man replied. “Since you’ve already come all this way, the Ye family is a prominent household. We can certainly afford the consultation fee.”

Lilith felt even more puzzled. Was the Ye family really this wealthy? They were paying before the treatment had even begun? Weren’t they worried she might fail and the money would go to waste?

And besides… Lilith looked down at the black card in her hand. “So this is actually the currency used in this world?”

***

Lilith followed Liana deeper into the estate. The entire manor covered an enormous area. Even after walking for more than ten minutes, the two of them had still not reached the room where Liana’s mother was staying.

As she walked, Lilith quietly observed the other people within the residence. Just as Liana had said earlier, because of her so-called useless constitution, she was not well regarded within the Ye family. That much was painfully obvious.

Along the way, the maids and servants clearly avoided Liana. After she passed by, they even whispered among themselves with faint sneers on their faces. Yet Lilith couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Even if Liana was considered useless, she was still the third young lady of the Ye family. Moreover, her father didn’t seem nearly as cold or harsh as Liana herself had described. Under such circumstances, where did these servants get the nerve to treat her with such open disdain?

“Ah, we’re here.”

Before Lilith could fully sort out her thoughts, they had already arrived at their destination. She glanced around and discovered that the courtyard was desolate. Weeds grew wildly everywhere, as though no one had tended to the place for a very long time. Not a single servant or maid could be seen.

‘So this is what complete abandonment looks like,’ Lilith thought to herself. Even being banished to the cold palace wouldn’t be this ruthless.

“Mother, I’m back!” Liana pushed open the door energetically. In the next instant, a sharp medicinal odor burst out of the room and rushed straight into Lilith’s nose. Completely caught off guard, she nearly suffocated from the overwhelming smell.

“What on earth…” Lilith felt her breathing grow difficult. Just how much medicine had been boiled in here for the scent to become this thick?

“Lord Mountain Ghost, come in quickly!” Liana showed no sign of discomfort. After calling Lilith inside, she dashed straight to the large bed deeper in the room and began chatting cheerfully to the figure wrapped in blankets.

“Mother, guess who I brought back this time. It’s Lord Mountain Ghost. Not one of those fake ones people talk about in stories, but the real Mountain Ghost! Lord Mountain Ghost will definitely be able to cure you.”

Lilith carefully stepped around the earthen pots used for boiling medicine that were scattered all over the floor and slowly approached the bed. Although she had been somewhat prepared, she still hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.

Just how many attempts had been made for so many medicine pots to pile up across the floor? Before Lilith had even arrived, Liana must have already tried every possible method she could think of.

“Lord Mountain Ghost, you really can cure Mother, right?” Liana asked again, her voice brimming with hope.

“Of course.” Lilith smiled. It wasn’t mere boasting. With the devouring nature of her black flames, any illness was nothing more than a trivial matter to her.

Filled with confidence, Lilith stepped closer to the bed and looked at Liana’s mother lying beneath the blankets. But the moment she saw the woman’s true face, a chill she hadn’t felt in a long time shot straight up the back of her head.¹