Among the four, Yunxi was the least injured. With golden armor shielding her, she had not drained every drop of spiritual power. When the black hole spat her out, she remained conscious, swiftly recalling the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff into her dantian while keeping the Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella in hand to slow her fall.
Ten minutes later, Yunxi landed steadily on an old-fashioned long street. It was night. The street lay quiet, lit only by red and white lanterns hanging beneath the eaves on both sides, along with pale moonlight that silvered the stone paving.
She first tried releasing her divine sense, then frowned. It was heavily suppressed, limited to the coverage of a Golden Core cultivator. Arching a brow, she noticed something that did not belong on such an antique street.
Just then a night watchman clacked his wooden clapper and cried out, "Third watch, all is well!"
He called it twice more. On the third time, he suddenly shrieked, "Ghost!"
The scream carried far. Even from a distance, Yunxi heard it clearly. She rubbed her ear and walked toward the sound.
When she arrived, a middle-aged man in gray short robes, the face of a weathered watchman, was floundering on the ground in terror, scrambling away from a red-clad female ghost drifting toward him.
Yunxi glanced at the red-clad ghost. Hair covered her face so that only a chalk-white chin showed. The long red dress did not hide her bare feet. Black bells circled her ankles, chiming with every float of her steps. The thin, metallic ring of "ding-ling" echoed down the street, extra unnerving in the dark.
"D, do not come closer. I did not—"
Before the man could finish, the ghost gaped her bloody mouth and began to siphon his vital essence.
Yunxi's brows drew together. She stepped out from behind a memorial arch column and in a single stride arrived at the ghost's side.
Sensing danger, the ghost whipped around to face the woman holding a black umbrella. At the light flick of Yunxi's sleeve, the ghost flew backward with eyes round, slammed into the lantern stand, and shrieked. The black bells on her ankles shattered with a snap, and a wisp of dark qi rose from the red-clad ghost's body and dispersed into the night.
"Cut! Cut! Cut! Who is that? How did she slip onto my set? Get her out, now!"
A director's furious shout cracked across the street. All the lanterns blazed on at once, turning night to day. Yunxi became the focus of every eye. The "night watchman" lay at her feet, and the "female ghost" had been knocked aside along with her prop.
Yunxi's lips quirked. She confirmed she had fallen onto a filming location, and an active shoot at that, a Chinese-style supernatural picture. The familiar yet strange set made her feel for a moment as if she had slipped back into her previous life.
"Hey, you! Yes, you. Why are you still standing there? Get lost!"
Someone jogged over, shouting at Yunxi as he came.
Holding the Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella, Yunxi slowly turned and tilted the canopy higher, looking past him toward several cameras and a bustle of crew. The corner of her mouth hooked in open disdain.
A ripple of sharp intakes of breath went through the crowd. Even the crewman charging at her stopped short. Faced with that flawless face, his scolding stuck in his throat.
Every monitor now showed Yunxi's face and that disdainful smile. The set gradually fell silent.
The director finally saw her head-on. His eyes went glassy. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Yunxi took two steps forward with her umbrella when someone called from behind, "Stop! What did you do to our Sister Xia? Why is she unconscious?"
The assistant's voice was anxious, yet she still raised it to accuse Yunxi, certain she was the culprit.
Yunxi glanced once at the middle-aged "watchman," who was rubbing his temples, then at the red-clad "ghost" called Sister Xia, whose eyes remained shut. She said evenly, "Press her philtrum. She should wake up. If she cannot remember how she came to set, have her find me."
With that, Yunxi turned to leave with her umbrella. She needed to confirm whether this was Blue Star or some other plane entirely. The place felt odd. The actress playing the ghost had indeed been possessed, and those black ankle bells had been the binding that trapped the ghost in her body.
Yunxi was in a hurry to go, but the director told his assistant director to block her, saying there was a role tailor-made for her in his film and he wanted to invite her to act.
"Apologies. I am not interested, and I am not a professional actor."
Her refusal was crisp.
"Miss, wait. Do not refuse so fast. Director Lian is one of the top names in supernatural films. If he wants to build a role for you, that means he truly values you. You could be an overnight sensation."
"Apologies. My ambitions lie elsewhere."
The assistant director could only pull out a business card and offer it. "Please reconsider. This is the director's card. Do contact us."
Yunxi accepted it with a helpless nod. She did not want to waste time. She had to find her companions. Han Lian and Yun Chen had been sucked into the black hole while trying to save her and Xun Kun. Yunxi had seen it clearly.
Just as she turned again, Sister Xia's assistant blocked her path. Yunxi lifted a brow. "What is it?"
The assistant was stunned by Yunxi's beauty and cowed by the unique aura she carried. Swallowing hard, she straightened instinctively and spoke very politely, "Miss, Sister Xia requests that you sit in her car for a moment. She has something to ask you."
Yunxi understood that this actress had realized something was wrong with herself.
Seeing Yunxi remain silent, the assistant hurried to add, "Please rest assured. If we delay your valuable time, we will pay for it."
Yunxi liked that answer and nodded. "Very well. Lead the way."
The two headed for Sister Xia's RV under the assistant director's gaze.
The assistant director smacked his forehead. Perhaps the woman did not want fame. She was here to make money. He should have led with the pay. But that was above his authority. He spun around to find Director Lian.
Yunxi closed the Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella and sent it back into her dantian. When the assistant turned to invite her aboard, the black umbrella was gone. She stared, then glanced Yunxi up and down, seeing nothing.
Inside the RV, Yunxi shrugged off her outer cloak, revealing a white Daoist robe beneath. The assistant could not help a second glance. The costume had a subdued luxury she could not describe.
Sister Xia had already shed the red costume. Dressed in a white T-shirt and long pants, she sat kneading her brow with an ashen face.