VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 986: Peerless Beauties

The meeting with YiQueen was set at an open-air café half a block from Shisan Bakery, ideal for watching the foot traffic at the entrance.

Yi Qing’s first glimpse of YiQueen shocked her more than seeing her own one eye in the mirror post-injury.

A white-haired old woman with gentle features, her short hair sharp and spirited, wearing women’s glasses with a metal chain, puffing a cheap cigarette. But the key detail: she couldn’t walk, confined to a wheelchair, her left arm ending below the elbow.

They say only the disabled leave Fireseed, but this YiQueen’s more disabled than me, Yi Qing thought.

Pushing YiQueen’s wheelchair was a slender girl in a purple qipao, long black hair flowing, a massive black case on her back. Her face held peach-blossom charm but was cold as ice—a skilled operative.

“Read Ye Shisan’s file?” YiQueen skipped greetings, tossing over a dossier.

“Of course, but… this is…”

YiQueen chuckled. “My work. You won’t find it elsewhere.”

Yi Qing opened it. It detailed Ye Shisan’s grandfather, Ye Dongsheng, a barefoot doctor.

The file said Ye Dongsheng was a famed healer before the nation’s founding, even treating the last royals. His family had a secret skill: curing the Heart Demon.

He roamed, healing odd ailments, especially “hysteria”—what they called madness when mental illness wasn’t a term. All head cases were deemed dazed.

Legends like Bian Que or Hua Tuo fixed what could be seen or heard. Mental disorders? No one claimed cures. Yet Ye Dongsheng did?

But if so skilled, why couldn’t he save his grandson? Ye Shisan spent twenty years in a mental hospital.

YiQueen exhaled smoke slowly. “I sent people to his village. Ye Shisan was seven when Ye Dongsheng died. Three years later, he snapped—nearly killed a classmate and burned his house.”

“You’re saying he didn’t break before seven because Ye Dongsheng was treating him?” Yi Qing caught on. “You mean Ye Shisan has a Heart Demon?”

YiQueen’s lips curled slightly, nodding. “Do you believe everyone has a Heart Demon? I mean everyone.”

Yi Qing had never considered such a strange question. “What’s this got to do with the case?”

YiQueen smiled, dodging the question, and turned to the girl. “Azi, it’s late. We’ve got a train to Xiedi City. Let’s not miss it… Officer Yi Qing, I’ll take my leave.”

“Hey, you can’t leave me hanging!” Yi Qing blurted, then caught herself.

Who was YiQueen? An active Fireseed operative. Helping a small-time cop was already a huge favor. She wouldn’t solve the whole case. It was Yi Qing’s to crack.

The qipao girl, Azi, turned the wheelchair. YiQueen glanced at Yi Qing’s troubled face. “For Zhang Dulao’s sake, one last tip: drop this case. I’ll assign someone else. This isn’t for ordinary cops.”

The words “ordinary cops” stung. Yi Qing’s mind flashed to her Fireseed oath: I swear to lead into the dark; I swear to shine in the dark; I swear to burn my life for that light!

I was Fireseed too! This old woman was underestimating her!

Fuming, Yi Qing watched Azi wheel YiQueen away. Then she spotted a familiar face.

She’d studied his photo thousands of times—a tall, lean man striding toward Shisan Bakery. Ye Shisan.

This jerk caused all this!

Yi Qing charged, shouting, “Ye Shisan! Don’t move!”

Before she finished, a seventeen-or-eighteen-year-old girl leapt out, red hair flowing, dressed in an odd bandage crop top and red lantern pants, like a punk. Fearless, she blocked Yi Qing.

“Who’re you, yelling like that?”

“I’ve got business with Ye Shisan. Step aside!”

“Pfft! Ye Shisan’s my man! Who’re you?”

The redhead clung to Ye Shisan’s arm, faking intimacy.

Yi Qing saw through it—his awkward dodge screamed no romance. She flashed her badge. “I’m a cop, here to question Ye Shisan. Clear out!”

Most girls would flinch at “cop,” but this one got fiercer. “Cop? Cops are nothing!”

She reached for her waist—oops, no gun.

Ye Shisan hissed, “You Long’er, keep it low! She’s police!”

You Long’er scoffed. “Her boss’s boss’s boss’s boss drank with my dad last month!”

You Long’er? That name rang a bell… Yi Qing studied her, gasping. Despite heavy makeup, her face and features screamed Dragon Gate’s princess, You Long’er! Why was she with Ye Shisan?

As tension froze the trio, a sweet voice rang out. “Uncle Shisan! You’re back! Vanilla missed you!”

A silver-haired girl flung herself into Ye Shisan’s arms, nuzzling.

You Long’er’s eyes bulged. “Ye Shisan… you’ve got a daughter?!”

He looked helpless. “I’m single… no daughter!”

Vanilla turned, eyeing You Long’er, then Yi Qing. “Uncle Shisan, who’re these two uglies?”

You Long’er exploded. “You little brat! Want a smack?”

Yi Qing fumed too. This kid met her before and now insulted her to Ye Shisan’s face. What a mouth!

As the women bristled, a figure stepped in—Ms. Wang.

She sized up Yi Qing and You Long’er, shaking her head at Ye Shisan. “Shisan, I’m not nagging, but a man needs loyalty. Don’t go stepping on two boats! I’m off—supermarket discounts wait for no one!”

Hearing Ms. Wang, Yi Qing and You Long’er locked eyes, shouting in sync, “Who are you to Ye Shisan?!”