Chapter 38: The Sumerian Bag! Squeeze It for More Health! (Combined Chapter 2-in-1)

Want it while it's hot?

Hot your sister!

Looking at Yu Er's face, streaked with bluish-black death qi, Chen Mo rubbed his temples.

He hadn't expected the head courtesan of Qingya Studio to be a spy planted by the Young Master.

It made sense—he'd torn up his engagement over a courtesan, disregarding family interests, a fact well known throughout the Capital.

And Yu Er's beauty was stunning, her figure slender and graceful, with mastery of the qin—she was clearly a poor substitute for Gu Manzhi.

As for why she was inferior—

The seductive allure of the Extreme Yin Chai Body was something no one else could imitate.

Even though Gu Manzhi's body had not yet fully matured, and she deliberately suppressed her aura, she still attracted countless admirers and became the top of the five courtesans of the Teaching Bureau.

Yu Er's demeanor was decent enough, but beside that demoness, she paled in comparison.

"Honestly, I'm not opposed to a beauty trap—no need to sneak around like this…"

"The problem is, Yu Er is dead. Who knows what the Young Master will do next…"

As Chen Mo frowned in thought, "Yu Er" opened her cherry lips, and a paper doll poked its head out.

"Master, it's still warm—do you want it or not…"

"Shut up!"

Chen Mo snapped.

The paper doll shrank back its head and slipped inside again.

This sight made Chen Mo frown—going in and out of someone's body like that was incredibly rude!

But it sparked an idea in his mind.

Chen Mo turned to Gu Manzhi and asked, "If you used a paper doll to mimic Yu Er, how similar could you make it?"

"Why are you asking this… oh~"

Gu Manzhi suddenly understood, smiling slyly, "You want me to impersonate Yu Er, fool the Young Master, and become a double agent?"

Chen Mo shrugged, candidly, "It's mutually beneficial. Since you're staying in the Teaching Bureau, you need a proper identity—what can a little maid possibly uncover?"

Gu Manzhi blinked. "So you're not going to kill me?"

Chen Mo snorted. "I could've killed you long ago—why would I keep you alive this long?"

"But let me be clear—if you dare lay a hand on the Chen family again, I'll cut you down without mercy!"

Hearing his harsh tone, Gu Manzhi's eyes grew slightly dreamy, her lips unable to suppress a faint smile.

Hmph, hypocrite—you clearly can't bear to let me go…

…

Chen Mo had his own calculations.

When he was still a Seventh-Rank Martialist, he could still injure Gu Manzhi by striking first.

Now his strength was incomparably greater—he doubted she could cause any real trouble.

But if Gu Manzhi met with any misfortune, the Yue Huang Sect might send a Master, or even the Holy Lord himself… that would be a real headache!

Either way, keeping her alive for now was the best choice.

"Might as well rack up some favor points while I'm idle."

"But come to think of it, the original body pined after her for ages with no result—I gave her one palm strike and her favor shot up so much… could she have the same constitution as Li Yan?"

【"Gu Manzhi" favor increased.】

【Current progress: 47/100 (Met too late).】

Chen Mo: "…"

…

Paper Puppetry has two forms.

One is "fabricating from nothing," similar to the method Gu Manzhi once used on Chen Mo.

The prerequisite is using the original's blood essence to nurture it—the longer the nurturing, the more lifelike the paper doll becomes; to achieve perfect resemblance, at least a month is needed.

Yu Er is already dead—this method is useless.

That leaves only the second method: inserting a paper doll into the corpse, borrowing its shell to "rebirth" and replace it.

"I've observed Yu Er for a while—I can mimic her speech and movements to about seven or eight percent accuracy. With a wandering soul attached, and some time to acclimate, no one should easily spot the deception."

"But the problem is her soul is obliterated, her body lifeless, utterly devoid of vitality…"

Before Gu Manzhi finished speaking, Chen Mo pressed a finger to Yu Er's forehead. From that point, emerald radiance spread outward, and the bluish-black face rapidly turned white and rosy, the death qi vanishing entirely.

She lay there quietly, as if merely in deep sleep.

"Is this good enough now?"

Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi's lips moved, but no words came out.

Just how many tricks does this man have?

He's becoming more and more unfathomable…

Chen Mo said, "I left a thread of vital essence inside her—it should last about seven days. I'll return to replenish it then."

A corpse cannot retain vitality—it must be periodically injected.

Fortunately, only the appearance needs maintaining, so the essence consumption is minimal; with his dantian reserves, he could sustain it for a year or more.

"Yu Er" slowly sat up, adjusting her expressions and movements.

At first stiff, she gradually grew natural.

Her clear, water-like eyes turned to Chen Mo, her vermilion lips parting:

"Husband, perhaps…"

"Get out."

"…"

Chen Mo ignored her and went to the corpse of the faceless man to search it.

He found a black pouch the size of a palm inside the abdominal cavity.

It was embroidered with golden thread depicting mist-shrouded clouds and mountains; its material was unknown, smooth as silk yet supple like beast hide.

He opened it and saw it was empty.

"A ghost cultivator carrying such an exquisite pouch… By the way, where did that bronze lamp he held just now go?"

Gu Manzhi caught sight of this and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Xumi Bag… try dripping a drop of your blood onto it?"

"Xumi Bag?"

Chen Mo paused in surprise.

Without hesitation, he forced a drop of blood from his fingertip using true qi, letting it land on the pouch's surface.

Like a sponge absorbing water, the blood was swiftly drawn in, and he felt a faint, elusive connection form with the pouch.

He turned the pouch upside down and shook it.

Ding ding guang guang—

A pile of miscellaneous items tumbled out, scattering across the floor.

"Is this… a game inventory?!"

Chen Mo's eyes lit up.

Gu Manzhi sighed, "I never expected this ghost cultivator had such a treasure—you're lucky."

Chen Mo asked curiously, "Is this thing rare?"

"Of course."

Gu Manzhi said, "It's more precious than any artifact. A speck of dust holds a thousand worlds; it embodies the highest truths of the Dao. Ordinary artifact masters cannot forge one… I've only ever seen one on my master."

Chen Mo thought that made sense.

This thing was, after all, a "spatial artifact"—it certainly wasn't common.

He tried sinking his spirit into it. His vision went dark, as if entering another space.

Dark, profound, yet he sensed its boundaries—roughly seven feet square, not large, but sufficient for carrying personal items.

He picked up the water cup on the table, and with a thought, the cup vanished instantly.

A moment later, it reappeared in his hand.

After testing the cup, he began trying chairs, tables, stools… He was having a blast.

After testing, he found that any object within a foot of his body—except living things—could be directly stored inside.

Excellent treasure!

Searching corpses really is a good habit!

After playing enough, Chen Mo began inventorying the remaining belongings of the Ghost Daoist.

【Earth-Class Upper-Tier Artifact: Soul-Guiding Lamp.】

【Soul as wick, human fat as oil; attracts wandering spirits, strengthens ghostly entities.】

Looking at the bronze lamp in his hand, Chen Mo was startled.

A Xumi Bag, a Heaven-Class Mid-Tier Soul-Calling Banner, and now this Earth-Class Upper-Tier artifact… this Ghost Daoist was truly loaded!

What kind of sect is the Shigui Sect?

"By the way, you said the Shigui Sect was wiped out—what happened?"

Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi said coolly, "Like the Huang Sect, it was slaughtered to the last person by Consort Yu."

Chen Mo: "…"

In the original plot, the Huang Sect was the dominant sect in Qingzhou, ruling its territory with martial might, refusing to submit to Consort Yu, and publicly executing the envoy sent to negotiate.

Three days later, it was utterly annihilated!

Only the sect master, who was in seclusion, and a few disciples on external training survived.

It was no exaggeration to call it a blood feud.

That's why they were so relentless in targeting Yu Youhan—and the Chen family was the initial breakthrough point…

Seeing Gu Manzhi's expression, Chen Mo wisely dropped the subject.

He continued inspecting the relics.

Besides the bronze lamp, there was an ancient book with a weathered, worn cover, bearing two hasty characters: "Ghost Book."

He flipped through it roughly—it contained techniques for refining living souls and controlling ghosts, deeply sinister. Chen Mo had no interest and tossed it straight into the Xumi Bag.

The rest were bones, human fat, blood pearls… and other items used by ghost cultivators.

Not even a single silver coin…

Chen Mo shoved all this miscellaneous junk and the Ghost Daoist's corpse into the bag, deactivated the soundproof array, and cleaned the scene.

Then he walked to the bed and lay down on it.

Gu Manzhi blinked in surprise, "You're…"

"Sleeping."

Chen Mo closed his eyes and muttered.

He had absorbed too much soul energy—he felt floaty, his awareness razor-sharp but his movements half a beat delayed, as if lagging.

Yet he didn't know any soul-refining methods, so he could only relax his spirit and let his body adapt to this "lag."

It seems rising too fast isn't a good thing.

When I have time, I'll go to the Empress and demand a Soul-Refining Technique...

Seeing that Chen Mo showed no movement, as if he had truly fallen asleep.

Gu Manzhi sat beside the bed, propping her chin, gazing at that handsome, rugged face.

Her hazy eyes were slightly damp, her lovely face faintly flushed, as if lost in some thought.

The hour of Zi had passed halfway.

All the guests in the wine house had left, each taking a Miss to sleep.

Only Li Yan remained, drinking alone, empty wine flasks piled on the table and beneath her feet.

Her once vigorous brows and eyes had grown hazy, like the misty rain of southern Jiang Nan in March; her vermilion lips, lightly painted, glowed brighter, and a rosy flush seeped through her fair, delicate skin, like morning glow reflecting on snow.

She was drunk.

As a sixth-rank martialist, Li Yan could easily use her True Qi to dispel the alcohol—but she didn't. It seemed that numbing herself might ease her inner vexation a little.

Yet for some reason, the rascal's face kept flashing before her eyes, growing clearer each time.

Gulp-gulp-gulp~

Li Yan raised the wine flask, tilting her head back to drink deeply; wine trickled from her lips, sliding down her neck into the valley of her collarbone.

"No more wine... Someone, bring more wine!"

Long moments passed—no one answered.

Li Yan frowned, stood up, and staggered toward the inner chamber.

She pulled back the curtain, crossed the corridor, and entered a tea room carpeted with soft rugs.

The air was filled with calming incense; a complete set of Bai Yu tea ware sat on the tea table.

Li Yan came for wine, not tea.

Behind the tea room was another door; she walked over, pushed it open, and entered a lavishly decorated bedroom. The most striking feature was a massive bed—large enough, by its size, to sleep four.

Though her mind was dizzy, Li Yan knew exactly where she had stumbled.

She instinctively turned to leave.

But suddenly her foot halted; she turned her head toward the bed, a flicker of bitterness crossing her eyes.

Her teeth bit her lip; after long hesitation, she stepped forward slowly.

She pulled back the canopy—and found three people lying on the bed.

Li Yan rubbed her eyes and muttered softly, "I must've drunk too much... everything's double..."

She squinted, focusing carefully, and recognized Chen Mo lying on the outer side; she reached out, grabbed his wrist, and tried to pull him up.

"Chen Mo, wake up... I—I have something I want to say to you..."

"Mmm..."

Under the alcohol's numbness, Li Yan's body was weak; she couldn't lift Chen Mo, and instead toppled onto the bed herself.

Just as she struggled to rise, she was pulled into an embrace, an arm draping over her, pinning her in place.

The strong embrace radiated warmth, seeping through her clothes and making her entire body burn; the drunkenness surged, and her last vestiges of awareness and strength vanished.

Chen Mo had a dream.

He dreamed he was buying steamed buns on the street.

The vendor lifted the steamer lid; fresh, steaming buns had just come out—he began carefully selecting them.

"This batch is well-steamed: fluffy, soft, and just the right size."

"This batch is a bit smaller, but light and delicate, full of airiness—should be delicious too."

"Stop it... ticklish..."

The vendor looked at him shyly.

"?"

Chen Mo's consciousness returned; he slowly opened his eyes.

Morning sunlight streamed into the room, spilling through the gauzy canopy onto the bed; as his gaze focused, Chen Mo's expression stiffened.

Li Yan clung tightly to his arm, sleeping soundly; the sunlight fell on her rosy-cheeked face, giving her an almost innocent, girl-next-door sweetness.

Her lips pouted slightly as she murmured, "No, three people won't do..."

Chen Mo: "..."

He turned his head to the right.

Gu Manzhi had, at some point, shed her disguise, now nestled against him.

Her face, breathtakingly flawless as jade, had lost its seductive allure in sleep—instead, she appeared pure and sweet.

She rested her head on his arm, while his hand lay precisely atop...

Chen Mo took a deep breath and carefully withdrew his hand from between their collars.

"Mmm?"

Li Yan's eyelashes fluttered, waking from sleep.

Her dazed eyes slowly cleared; she glanced at the man beside her, then down at her own chest.

Her face flushed crimson, like a blazing cloud!

"You rascal! How dare you—how dare you..."

Last time you hit me there wasn't enough—now you've moved to a new spot!

Before Chen Mo could explain, Gu Manzhi on the other side rubbed her eyes and murmured:

What time is it now... Huh!?

The three stared at each other, the atmosphere freezing instantly.

"Rogue! Who is she?"

"Chen Mo, who is she?!"

Li Yan and Gu Manzhi asked almost in unison.

At that moment, "Yu'er," who had been curled in the corner, sat up straight, stretched her waist, and turned to look at Chen Mo:

"Husband, it's truly warm now—sure you won't try?"

"..."