Coiling light gray wisps rose from the burning incense, drifting as the lamp flickered and cast its glow into the cold and dark night.

What was strange was how warm the water in the tub was, and how it glowed green, much brighter around the wounded stranger.

Shengsi didn’t move an inch as she remained in the same tub, while the ghostly butterflies kept her company. The urge to quit and forget everything began to surface more clearly in her mind, and somehow, her heart grew weary and restrained. How could she respond to what her grandfather had said?

However, Grandfather Li, who received no reply, seemed to understand her situation. “The water helps his body, and since it’s infused with herbal medicine, it won’t only tonify his Qi and strengthen him, but it’ll also aid in replenishing his vital energy and relieving his fatigue. Beyond that, it helps nourish the blood, which is necessary for healing his wounds as well as restoring his vitality after such loss. With the enchantment you used, its effects are doubled.” 

Grandfather Li had decocted a large amount of herbs into the water in the tub. He’d brewed astragalus, codonopsis, as well as angelica and red dates, combining them in proper measure. Their effectiveness would then rely on the enchantment, as their properties would complement one another. From there, Chuanhu would also be eased of his trauma. It was something that could aid in calling back the wandering soul.

As he kept his stance, he glanced behind the closed door.

“While these things might be new to you, and rather odd at that, the chronicles of warlock physicians I read back when I was a military physician, when I was still learning, found them even more ridiculous. Yet they endured far more than what you’re feeling now.” Grandfather Li’s voice wasn’t as stern this time. “Shengsi, think of Xie Chuanhu as your first patient. There’s nothing strange about what you’re doing.”

After all, Grandfather Li’s concerns were far more pressing than Shengsi’s personal misgivings, especially with how she perceived the worsening instructions. That young man… if he had truly offended someone, not just one but perhaps many, then he’d only be placing his granddaughter in danger. What Shengsi felt at this moment could be set aside. What mattered was ensuring that he woke and could be sent away from them.

Otherwise, why would he allow him to remain, when a talented and promising individual could be nurtured as a warlock physician within their residence? The sooner he awakened, the sooner they could be rid of the risk he carried.

While Shengsi listened to Grandfather Li, her eyes wandered into the space before her, as if the unseen were wax that might melt at any moment. But the situation couldn’t be avoided, no matter how long she stared to soothe herself. She blinked twice and returned to reality.

Without further thought, she tossed her coin and performed a divination. After a successful attempt, she chanted the fitting enchantment: “The coin is a double-edged blade, and the blade cuts a thousand times deep... I carry its edge!”

Nothing happened to the coin, though Shengsi knew her enchantment had already enhanced its lethality. Holding it carefully, she opened her palm and drew it across in a swift motion. A wince crossed her face as a sharp, prickling pain pierced her skin, and before she realized it, her palm split open, the wound spilling crimson like a surging current. 

She took Chuanhu’s lukewarm hand and, with a guilty conscience, opened his palm and did the same before the coin’s enhanced lethality faded.

To lessen the pain, Shengsi soaked his wounded palm in the water along with hers.

“What else do we need to do, Grandfather Li?” Shengsi didn’t want to waste a second, fearing she might exhaust herself if she wasn’t resolute. “I’ve already done what you asked… so are there any more ‘ordinary’ steps in your procedures that I might be comfortable performing?” She placed clear emphasis on the word 'ordinary'.

But Grandfather Li didn’t respond.

“Grandfather Li, are you still there?” she asked, her brow creasing.

The old man sighed. “Hold his wounded palm with your own.”

It was brief, yet it made Shengsi feel even more uneasy.

But what else could she do?

“How do I hold it?” Shengsi took his soaked hand. “Please, not in some strange way…”

“Just make sure the wounds are joined.”

Shengsi shook her head, but still intertwined her fingers with his. She wanted to apologize for such impropriety, but there was no way to do so. This practice only grew more peculiar as his instructions went deeper. She might as well die from embarrassment and guilt.

“As you see fit, Shengsi, you’ve learned the Calming River, Flowing Tide Technique, the one you used as first aid for Chuanhu back in the graveyard. See, the blood is a flowing river, that’s what it teaches…” Grandfather Li continued without being reluctant about it. “Meanwhile, xue is indeed the tether to the soul, and while this may cause further depletion, it won’t at this moment, as the enchantment you used helps restore what’s lost.”

Other than that, Shengsi was also giving a portion of her own vitality to him through the blood-binding.

“This practice of blood-binding is inspired by an ancient rite called the Zhaohun ritual, through which the soul is summoned. This bond will lead you to his consciousness, and through it, to the world he's now dreaming of.”

She absorbed the flood of information as best as she could, though it nearly overwhelmed her. As someone who wasn’t even inclined toward the practices of warlock physicians, she found little connection to what she had learned years ago. Grandfather Li wasn’t one to teach such matters before, as what he passed on to her had little to do with his former profession, and Aunt Li hadn’t either, having only taught her the basics of coin invocation, among the others.

If she were to be honest, Grandfather Li seemed to be in a hurry, and Shengsi could barely keep up with him.

As Chuanhu’s lukewarm palm pressed against Shengsi’s, her face seemed to darken slightly. In what state had she entangled herself? With his head hovering above the water, as if seated without movement or response, it felt as though she had violated countless boundaries, even his. She couldn’t help but wonder, that when he woke and learned what had been done to him, what had tainted his pride, honor, and dignity, would he come for her and demand her life for such impropriety?

“This soul-finding ritual… how will it work, Grandfather Li?” Shengsi asked quickly, her voice seeming to lose its strength. Was it because of the wound? Or the act itself? “How do I reach him… do I have to divine it as well?”

Grandfather Li rubbed his chin. “My granddaughter, you only need to toss the coin and chant. There’s no need for another divination, so don’t worry.”

Shengsi felt a hint of relief upon hearing that.

“Then… what’s the enchantment?”

Grandfather Li seemed to hesitate, as if asking himself the same. “It’s rather complicated, so let’s do this. Toss your coin with each line I say, then repeat the line after.”

She agreed.

And so, Grandfather Li spoke the first line. 

Shengsi listened, understood, then tossed the coin and said, “O wandering blood, bound with my blood, where do you stray?”

Another line followed, and another toss.

“O soul, come back! The giants stalk the dark lands, seeking to crush the lost!”

Then another.

“O soul, come back to stillness and peace!”

Grandfather Li nodded to himself. “That’s the entire phrase, Shengsi. Though, I might say, it remains a mystery to me as well. Did I somehow... forget something?”

But Shengsi didn’t respond.

Grandfather Li turned toward the door. “Shengsi?”

His eyes flickered faintly in the night.

Lips twitching, he recalled what he should’ve said earlier.

“It looks like I forgot to mention, silly child.”

For some time, the bathhouse seemed truly silent, like no one had ever been there.

“You’ll remain bound by blood even after the wound heals.”

Grandfather Li turned and began to walk away.

“But I must say… I’ve quite the talent for matchmaking, haven’t I?”

He glanced up at the moon.

“My dear daughter Ran, it seems you’ve been watching all along.”

Yawning, he clasped both hands behind his back.

Since both of them would fall into a deep sleep, there was nothing else to do but rest.

The enchantments would surely last through the night.

As the wind hushed through every corner, his silhouette faded into the dark.