Chapter 102: 117, 118 Passing the Noble Clan Test, Is This a Ghost Abode

An Mansion, Neizhai.

Inside the room, there was not a sound.

An Chenyu's expression became visibly terrified; her first reaction was that her own daughter had been afflicted by an evil spirit.

Could she have turned into a Human-Skin Ghost Servant?

After all, in her impression, only Ghosts possessed such bizarre abilities.

The next instant, that terror transformed into anger and sorrow.

Young Miss An's almond eyes turned red, her willow brows furrowed tightly, and then she looked at Song Cheng—not to question him, but because when it came to resolving such matters, her own man was far more professional than she was.

"Little Song, what is going on?"

Song Cheng understood his wife's worry in a second and beckoned her over.

Young Miss An sat down beside him, looking worriedly at the tiny little girl.

Song Cheng glanced at his little darling; her data was all black, and in the days they had spent together, he had never seen anything abnormal about her. He gripped Young Miss An's hand, squeezed it gently, and said, "An Jie, don't worry. This is a power our daughter was born with; she is not a Human-Skin Ghost Servant."

An Chenyu looked slightly surprised, but she remained silent.

Song Cheng said, "Think carefully: didn't A Ting ask you for animal skins to draw on a long time ago? And didn't she ask me to cut animal skins to make little animals very early on?"

An Chenyu was stunned, her memories instantly pulled back to several months ago.

A Ting had loved drawing since she was born. At first, she drew on paper, but later she asked her for animal skins. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was just a child's curiosity about the world. And since the restaurant happened to be slaughtering sheep and pigs, leaving behind plenty of skins, she had asked for some.

But now, as those eerie leather rabbits and leather birds stared straight at her from the floor, other memories were triggered.

She remembered the "monsters" that flew into the city during the Ghost Tide at the beginning of last year.

Those were "Human-Skin Ghost Servants" sewn together from a mix of human skin and bird skin.

And she had even encountered this type of Ghost Servant in Shanghe County.

Those were "Human-Skin Ghost Servants" that looked no different from ordinary people on the outside; they would talk to you, laugh, and even think. But if you cut their bodies open, you would find that they had no internal organs inside, just a bloody, terrifying human skin. As for the owners of the skin, they were those "flesh-men" who had first been seen wriggling their bodies outside the city.

Human-Skin Ghosts could be called her nightmare.

On the surface, she was calm, but just thinking about the existence of such ghosts in the world made her tremble with cold fear.

And now, she suddenly realized that her own daughter drawing on skin, cutting it, and sewing it—these actions were not much different from a "Human-Skin Ghost."

An Chenyu's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she said with a trembling voice, "Is... is she a Human-Skin Ghost?"

Song Cheng nodded.

An Chenyu said, distraught, "How... how could this be?"

"An Jie, she is a Human-Skin Ghost, but not entirely." Song Cheng had actually figured out the general situation. He bent down and picked up the leather rabbit.

The rabbit's two legs kicked and thrashed, restlessly stomping against his palm.

Song Cheng said, "A Ting, stop kicking."

The rabbit immediately became obedient.

Song Cheng placed the leather rabbit in front of An Chenyu and used his finger to brush along the surface; a clear, flowing water texture immediately appeared.

He then turned the rabbit's head toward their line of sight, and using the light seeping in from the window, they could clearly see the two eyes on the rabbit's face "weeping."

Those "tears" flowed out continuously, only to drill back into its body through its mouth and ears, forming an eerie cycle.

Song Cheng didn't wait for An Jie to ask; he revealed the answer directly: "This should be a Drowned Ghost, which is to say, Yun E."

"Our daughter has the powers of a Drowned Ghost and a Human-Skin Ghost, but it seems there have been quite a few changes."

"For instance, no other ghost can speak through their own Ghost Servants, yet A Ting can easily speak using the little rabbits and birds."

"For instance, a Human-Skin Ghost must use the skin of its target to create a Human-Skin Ghost Servant that inherits the memories and traits of the deceased, while a Ghost Servant made of mixed skins loses its reason but becomes powerful because of it."

"A Ting's, however, are not like that; they have no independent consciousness, nor are they powerful."

"As for these questions, I have just thought about it; perhaps it is because A Ting is still young."

"When she grows up, these supernatural powers should change further."

An Chenyu listened, dumbfounded.

She felt a sense of dawning realization.

No wonder A Ting was so difficult to give birth to.

And no wonder the day A Ting was born happened to be the day the Ghost Tide erupted.

Perhaps it was at the exact same moment as the Ghost Tide.

A child born when the Great Yin was at its most intense, a child born on the first day of the year... She shook her head gently and said, "Regardless, she is our daughter."

"No matter what she is, we love her."

"This matter must not be discovered by anyone."

"There are far too many people in this world who hold grudges against ghosts. If it were discovered that A Ting has the abilities of a ghost, and a Human-Skin Ghost at that, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Human hatred is easily transferred; they cannot kill a Human-Skin Ghost, but they will take their anger out on A Ting..."

Young Miss An understood human nature.

Song Cheng added, "People from the noble clans would also snatch A Ting away as if they had discovered a rare treasure. After all, A Ting's situation is too rare."

An Chenyu also turned, leaning into Song Cheng's embrace, and said sternly to her daughter, "A Ting, from now on, you are not allowed to sew rabbits, not allowed to sew birds, not allowed to sew anything."

A Ting:??? She understood.

Her little mouth puckered, and she immediately began to wail, her tiny body trembling non-stop.

Song Cheng hugged his little darling, who was shaking from crying, into his arms, gently stroking her thin, fine hair.

An Chenyu felt heartbroken too, so she said, "I will have someone go buy more toys..."

Song Cheng nodded helplessly.

An Chenyu suddenly remembered something and said nervously, "Then what about Xiao An? Will Xiao An..."

Song Cheng said, "I will speak to Tong Niangzi about this. I will also tell Ying'er and Ling'er. But not Ling'er; Ling'er might be possessed by Su Huxian."

"Is Su Huxian not to be trusted?"

"It's not that, it's just that I don't want there to be even the slightest possibility of a leak." Song Cheng remembered that Su Ningyu's favorability was only "99," not "100."

An Chenyu nodded solemnly.

Then, the husband and wife looked at each other and hurriedly began to act.

An Chenyu sent someone to the street to buy all kinds of toys.

Song Cheng, meanwhile, quickly disposed of the "leather bird" and "leather rabbit," then ran next door to tell Tong Niangzi and Ying'er about this matter.

Upon hearing this, Tong Niangzi was stunned for a moment, then looked at the baby boy sleeping soundly in her arms and said, "Xiao An is fine; he hasn't discovered these things."

Ying'er, beside her, also nodded repeatedly.

She could clearly feel the difference between the two children, so she said, "The Young Miss has loved drawing since she was little, and she even loves drawing on animal skins, but the Young Master is different."

Song Cheng stared at his two children, and suddenly a guess arose in his heart.

He glanced at his panel:

【Taboo】

1. Blessing of the Drowned Ghost 2. Peering of the Skin Ghost. 【Taboo】 affects the Soul.

Then is there a possibility that when I planted the seed of life inside An Jie, I also planted these two soul changes? Is that why A Ting was born with a soul mutation?

And this soul mutation inheritance is either one-time or random.

It just so happened to be passed to A Ting, but not to Xiao An.

Song Cheng pondered to himself.

However, this was purely his wild guess; what would actually happen remained to be seen later.

The matter of A Ting also came to a temporary end.

Any animal skin, cloth doll, or similar toy became a Taboo item in the deep An Mansion.

These things were absolutely, strictly forbidden from being brought into the residence.

Fortunately, although A Ting was unhappy, she was only forbidden from coming into contact with those "stuffed dolls" or "animal skins," and her parents did not forbid her from drawing.

Besides that, she also received quite a few toys.

And the multi-talented Ling'er also began to show her other talents such as "singing, dancing, tea grinding, chess, paper cutting, making wind chimes, and making sachets," plus A Ting still had to learn to walk.

Before long, the sadness of "being forbidden from doing something" disappeared.

Song Cheng and Young Miss were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

And because this family in the deep An Mansion was involved in many industries in Hanping Prefecture, slowly, quite a few people began to pay visits.

During the Daytime, Song Cheng had to go out to train troops, and Ying'er would follow him.

An Chenyu and Tong Jia would usually have one person stay behind to look after the two children with Ling'er, while the other went to the front courtyard of the An Family to receive visitors.

If they were truly too busy, both would go to the front courtyard, and they would even take a carriage to see the site; at such times, Ling'er would be the one looking after the two children alone.

Of course, sometimes when Song Cheng did not go to train troops, he would also stay at home to look after the children.

And Zhao Hua's wife would also often come to visit carrying her baby girl.

Life was just like this: repetitive, monotonous, hurried, and busy; there was nothing earth-shattering or grand, and everything passed by like flowing water in the mundane.

Although there was nothing heart-wrenching, thinking about it carefully, every day was precious; perhaps it could be described by the phrase, "I only thought it was ordinary at the time."

In the blink of an eye, time reached February.

On this day, the acting temple master of Zhushan Temple, Chen Ji, came to the An Family excitedly; she was here to see Tong Niangzi.

At this moment, she was carrying a bag in her hand, her expression excited; even in the main hall, she could not sit down, but paced back and forth.

A moment later, Tong Niangzi hurried out from the inner courtyard.

Chen Ji hurriedly approached, untied the bag, and said with incomparable joy, "Temple Master, look at this!"

Tong Niangzi looked inside.

It was wheat.

She raised her hand to grab some seeds, rubbed them, and smelled them; the wheat ears had a fresh scent, as if they had just been threshed from the stalks.

But it was February now?

How could wheat mature at this time? Tong Niangzi's expression became excited; she smiled from ear to ear and asked, "It succeeded?"

"Temple Master, it succeeded! It really works! This is wheat that was just threshed, and the yield per mu is a full five times higher than before! Five times!" Chen Ji was even speaking incoherently. "Planted last winter, it's only been two months, two months, and the wheat has grown! We have already eaten it, and the taste is even more fragrant than normal wheat."

After saying this, Chen Ji added, "It's a pity that the wheat grown from this doesn't have that effect; only our original seeds work."

Tong Jia said, "Then continue; if it is confirmed that there are no problems, get more seeds, and then let the common people come to collect these new seeds."

"Two months of planting time, five times the yield, and it doesn't even depend on the season... This is too good."

"If it can be popularized, then we can feed the people of all the villages and counties."

"Yes, Temple Master!"

Chen Ji was incomparably excited.

And after she took her leave, Tong Niangzi's expression remained excited.

In the evening, Song Cheng returned.

Tong Niangzi's excitement had not yet faded, and she began to tell him about the day's events.

In order to promote the agriculture of Hanping Prefecture and make Hanping Prefecture a "lone city" that could be self-sufficient, Zhushan Temple had thought of all kinds of methods.

"Repelling Insect Grass" was one.

And now, these seeds were another.

"We placed the wheat seeds next to a type of Water Crystal, and after waiting for no more than three days, the seeds became plump and full of vitality."

"That kind of crystal is usually used to promote plant growth, so we thought if it were used on seeds, would the wheat ears produced by the seeds be plumper?"

"It was originally just a trial, but it actually succeeded."

"What water crystal?"

"We call it Wood Crystal; it should have been left behind by Su Huxian previously. This kind of crystal is very magical, and like Sun Nine-Pattern Gold, Void Iron, and gray 【matter】, they all possess strange effects.

I just didn't expect it could truly play such a big role.

If it succeeds, from now on in Hanping Prefecture, no one will have to go hungry."

Wood Crystal?

Song Cheng remembered.

Su Huxian had said that she left some things at Zhushan. He had asked her about these things, but Su Huxian did not understand the principles behind them either, only knowing that "the more terrifying the Ghost Tide, the deeper the catastrophe, the easier it is for these strange ores and crystals to be born outside."

Many of these gold, stone, and iron ores were brought out by the Su Family from that already destroyed continent.

And because the Su Family had to enter the earth for a long slumber, they stored these things separately; Zhushan was precisely one of them.

"Mm."

Song Cheng nodded, then looking at Tong Niangzi, who was still speaking excitedly, he suddenly said: "Today A Ting and Xiao An are both over at An Jie's place."

Tong Niangzi was stunned, then immediately raised her hand to lightly strike him, laughing coquettishly: "What do you want to do?"

Song Cheng said softly: "I want to."

Tong Niangzi let out a cry of surprise.

Song Cheng took a breath and blew out the candle lamp.

The husband and wife each displayed their magical powers.

The sound of smacking, along with Tong Niangzi's complaints, drifted out from the darkness.

"Eat a little less."

"Mmph."

"Eat a little less, eat a little less, leave some for your son; there wasn't much to begin with."

"One more bite."

"Hateful... woooo..."

Before long, Song Cheng completely let go, wielding the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, and looking at the rushing current of the Quicksand River, he shouted, "Hey, spirit, if you don't come out, Old Song is coming in."

Tong Niangzi rolled her eyes, then put her hands on her hips and said fiercely: "Come on then, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Song Cheng hesitated no longer and charged into the Quicksand River.

The Yunhe was rushing; in the depths at the edge of a certain tributary, the gloomy and twisted long hair, like water weeds, gradually stopped swaying, as if it had completely given up... The green-clad woman's long hair had all changed; it was originally only waist-length, but now it dragged longer than her own body.

She slowly reached for that last strand of long hair, dragged it over, and inserted it into the top of her head.

Song Cheng woke up to find Tong Niangzi resting on his arm, snuggled against his side, her body clinging like a cicada.

Song Cheng looked at this young beautiful woman.

He truly felt that time passed very quickly; the former Young Mistress had now become a mother.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt his eyes ache inexplicably, so he subconsciously rubbed them, but the aching sensation still had not disappeared.

This was too strange.

As he was now, it was impossible for his body to produce this kind of ache.

He had a premonition and looked sharply at the panel.

He saw that the 【Taboo】 column had inexplicably changed.

【Taboo】

1. Blessing of the Drowned Ghost and Ghost Hair 2. Peering of the Human-Skin Ghost. The first item had changed.

Song Cheng could guess with his toes that something had happened on Yun E's side.

But it should be a good thing.

Yun E was a Drowned Ghost, and with the Yunhe connected, her strength had increased quite a bit.

During the Ghost Tide, Yun E had not appeared, and Song Cheng had been wondering where she went.

Now it seemed that Yun E had gone to "merge with other evil ghosts."

Now, she had successfully merged with an evil ghost called "Ghost Hair."

And his own pair of Ghost Eyes, because of the connection with Yun E, had also risen with the tide, becoming the blessing of two ghosts.

Thinking of this, Song Cheng hurriedly got up.

Tong Niangzi was woken up and said groggily: "Why are you up so early?"

Song Cheng said: "To do it."

Tong Niangzi was stunned, her beautiful face losing its color.

Song Cheng smiled, but he had already put on his clothes and trousers.

Tong Niangzi realized she had been teased, rolled her eyes fiercely, and said: "Come on then, if you have the ability, come on; do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Song Cheng said: "I have something to do, something regarding cultivation."

Tong Niangzi said: "Then go quickly."

Song Cheng responded, simply combed his hair, then went out the door, arrived at a room in the Neizhai specifically for martial arts practice, and first looked in the mirror.

In the mirror, the pupils in his eyes were extremely deep, and if one stared closely, one could even see a strange sense of distortion in that darkness, as if deep-sea water weeds were bending and swaying with the impact of the current.

'It really has changed.'

Song Cheng sat cross-legged and visualized the Tower.

The Nine-Layer Nether Tower appeared in the void.

The eighth layer of the tower was originally pitch-black like a lightless deep-sea domain, but now it began to emit some strange black mist.

Song Cheng meditated silently, walked to the eighth layer of the tower, resided within it, and quietly sensed it for a long time until the panel changed again:

【Nether Tower Visualization Method】

Eighth-Layer Trickery: Black Heaven Domain (Mutated) (0/0)

The original "Black Heaven" has become "Black Heaven Domain."

Song Cheng tested it slightly and discovered that "Black Heaven, which could originally only target one objective," had become something that could "act upon all objectives within several zhang of the surroundings, with himself as the center."

An individual target became a domain; it could be considered an improvement.

He walked out of the secret chamber.

Song Cheng had thought today would be the same as usual—drilling troops, looking after the children, and meeting guests—but at the hour of midnight, he welcomed an unexpected guest.

The one knocking on the door was Ling'er, but the tone of voice was that of Su Huxian.

"Little Song, my Rotten Poison has healed."

Song Cheng was stunned. He looked at Su Huxian's favorability rating of "99," then immediately said, "Sister Su, long time no see. It is truly thanks to you; otherwise, we might not have been able to hold out during last year's Ghost Tide."

After saying this, he recounted the matter of the "stitched Ghost servant" from last year.

Su Huxian said, "That is the kind of person they are. Ghost servants will grow stronger, but this is not the most terrifying part. Evil Ghosts will fuse and unify; the Ghost servants created by those fused and unified Evil Ghosts will become increasingly unimaginable."

Having said this, she stopped discussing this topic and instead digressed, "Little Song, come with me. I want to take you to test your talent. My Su Family head said that if you have talent, she will permit you to enter my Su Family.

After Su Houzhang was sealed, that final breath of his has completely dissipated; he is about to die.

Once he dies, that Ice Coffin will be yours."

Song Cheng:. For a moment, he felt some hesitation.

Go? Or not go?

The aristocratic families are clearly the gateway to the new world.

There is too much knowledge that can only be known after coming into contact with the aristocratic families.

But if he were to let his Soul leave his body to follow someone else away, he did not want to.

It is too risky.

Even if Su Ningyu harbored no ill intentions toward him, what if someone were to use Su Ningyu? Although it was impossible, Song Cheng was not very willing.

Seeing his hesitation, Su Ningyu said speechlessly, "You must not know the benefits of entering an aristocratic family.

Not to mention anything else, Ice Coffins are very rare, and the number of people in an aristocratic family is determined based on the Ice Coffins.

You have as many Ice Coffins as you have people.

And with an Ice Coffin, as long as you lie inside, you can extend your lifespan by double; if you are in deep sleep, you can even extend it by triple.

Those who enter the Xuan Realm have a lifespan of nine sixty-year cycles.

If you lie in an Ice Coffin without your body leaving it, you can live for eighteen sixty-year cycles, a full one thousand and eighty years! In deep sleep, with the body not leaving and the Soul not leaving, one can live for one thousand six hundred and twenty years!"

Song Cheng himself was not interested in the "temptation of lifespan."

Things that others risked their lives to pursue, he had already had infinitely. However, at this moment, he still held an inquisitive attitude and asked curiously, "Then what if one lives until the last day of the eighteen sixty-year cycles and then begins deep sleep?"

Su Ningyu smiled seductively, "Little Song, how could there be such a good thing in the world? If you have one year of lifespan left, lying in an Ice Coffin can extend it to two years, while deep sleep can extend it to three years."

"So that's how it is." Song Cheng nodded, then suddenly asked, "Then what about using it for ordinary people? Can ordinary people increase their lifespan?"

He thought of this Ice Coffin; although he might not be able to use it, it would be good if he could give it to An Jie, Tong Niangzi, or even the future A Ting and Xiao An.

And if there were more Ice Coffins, Huazi, Ying'er, and Ling'er—those who were very close to him—could all be arranged for.

Su Ningyu frowned as she looked at him and said, "Mortals have their own destined fate; how can they enter an Ice Coffin to extend their lifespan? Giving up an Ice Coffin means one less aristocratic family member.

Aristocratic family members can still pursue stronger power and can go everywhere to suppress Evil Ghosts to maintain world peace.

If mortals use it, what can they do?"

With just this one question, her favorability rating dropped from "99" to "98."

Clearly, she had already guessed Song Cheng's thoughts, and she was very dissatisfied with this idea.

Song Cheng also knew that he had been a bit "abrupt."

Whether he could pass the test was still a question, yet he had actually started thinking about giving the Ice Coffin to his own family members; in Su Ningyu's view, this was undoubtedly a very poor display.

Normal.

If it were him, he would be the same, and his favorability might even drop more severely.

After a moment of thought, he said sincerely, "Sister Su, my apologies," and then added, "I wonder how I should be tested?"

Su Ningyu's expression improved slightly, and she then said, "Bring a maid who knows no martial arts, and also bring an iron shovel, incense, and a fire starter, then follow me."

Song Cheng asked, "Will this maid's appearance change afterward?"

Su Ningyu said, "My Su Family head has strong control over the Soul; it will not affect the person being possessed, and no impression will be left afterward. You can just bring any one."

Song Cheng felt a bit enlightened. So that was it.

He did not ask further, told An Jie and Tong Niangzi, and then directly led a maid from the front courtyard and drove away in a carriage.

Su Ningyu pointed the way, and the three of them soon arrived at a wilderness near Zhushan.

Su Ningyu searched for the orientation and then pointed to a spot, "Little Song, dig."

Song Cheng did not say a word, grabbed the iron shovel, and dug frantically.

This matter was secretive, so he had to do everything himself.

He channeled his Gang Qi through the iron shovel, digging through the soil as if piercing a mountain, and a large pit was soon dug.

He jumped into the pit and continued to dig. Thus, after being busy for more than half an hour, he felt the shovel hit something different. He tapped it, producing a crisp thudding sound, and upon digging further, he unearthed a piece of black tile, the kind used for roofs.

Su Ningyu said, "Dig a bit more to both sides."

A moment later, as Song Cheng's final shovel stroke landed, the ground collapsed slightly, revealing a ruined temple sealed beneath the earth.

Su Ningyu said, "Take us down."

Song Cheng grabbed one in each hand and leaped down.

The area around the ruined temple was buried by soil, but the inside was empty. A Two-Tail fox that gave off a sense of seductiveness sat upright on the shrine, in a cross-legged, benevolent posture.

Subsequently, the maid was arranged to light the incense and respectfully kowtow to this Two-Tail fox.

In an instant, the maid's body suddenly stiffened, as if something had possessed her; in the blink of an eye, that timid, respectful, and fearful expression vanished.

It was profound, indifferent, yet concealed a hint of curiosity.

The maid scrutinized Song Cheng.

Song Cheng glanced at the maid.

The maid's data instantly changed from "0~0" to "0 (525)~0 (1050)," and her favorability changed from "90" to "90 (80)."

This was quite a bit higher than Song Cheng's, yet... it did not seem too high; at the very least, the gap was not too wide.

If the head of a noble family was only at this level, did that mean... the noble families were still at "Mysterious Grade Ding Quality" or at most "Mysterious Grade Grade C"?

"Greetings, Family Head," Song Cheng said, bowing respectfully.

The maid said, "Bring us up first."

Song Cheng spoke in a pedantic tone, "Pardon the intrusion," then lifted the maid and Su Ningyu and flew up to the surface.

Immediately after, the test began.

The maid first had Song Cheng demonstrate his martial arts strength.

This time, Song Cheng did not hold much back.

If one still hid their strength during a test and consequently failed to be selected, thereby missing the opportunity to join a noble family, that would be truly foolish.

At this very moment, his entire body glowed with dark gold, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist; a phantom of a Black Tortoise over two zhang tall spread out from his body, the giant turtle roaring and the wild dragon hissing, its aura devouring all directions, indescribably tyrannical.

With a wave of his hand and a punch, whirlwinds raged between heaven and earth, sending sand and stones flying.

His clenched fist was like a drum mallet; he struck the ground, and the earth shook.

His two fingers turned into blades; he sliced the mountain, and the peak snapped.

Su Ningyu's little mouth remained open from start to finish, as if in extreme disbelief; her favorability silently rose from "98" back to "99."

After Song Cheng finished the set of fist techniques, the surrounding terrain had already changed slightly.

He bowed respectfully to the maid and said pedantically, "I have embarrassed myself."

Su Ningyu looked at the maid and said, "Sister, he must have talent. If he isn't in the Xuan Realm, how could he practice to this level? I didn't even know he was this powerful."

The maid was also somewhat moved; Song Cheng's performance had surprised her too much.

This was not a level a mortal could reach at all.

Although it was nothing compared to a noble family, it was the effect a scion of a noble family could only achieve after stepping out of an Ice Coffin.

But now, what scion of a noble family would be willing to leave their Ice Coffin? To go out for a day meant one day less of life; to walk for a year meant one year less of life.

Who would be willing? The maid asserted, "In this world, you can already act almost without restraint."

Song Cheng waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I cannot compare to the Family Head, nor to Sister Su..."

"Sister Su?"

The maid murmured strangely, then turned her head to look at the head-held-high Su Ningyu, before looking back at Song Cheng and saying, "Little Song, release your Soul, let me see."

Song Cheng glanced at the change in the maid's favorability.

His performance had caused the maid's favorability to change from "80" to "90"; this was a change in mindset as she prepared to slowly accept him as a new member of the noble family.

Therefore, he said respectfully, "Yes, Family Head."

Having said that, his thoughts stirred, and his Soul drifted out from his Purple Mansion at the center of his brow, floating in the void.

Behind the maid, the image of a giant Two-Tail Youhu emerged.

The Youhu scrutinized him, watched for a while, then returned to the maid's body and asked, "Can you Manifest using mud and stone?"

Song Cheng nodded, then took a deep breath; the surrounding dust boiled and gravel rolled, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a two-zhang-tall mud and stone giant.

The maid nodded with satisfaction and said, "Return."

*Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle*—the mud and stone dissipated.

Song Cheng's Soul returned to his body.

The maid's favorability rose again from "90" to "93."

Although she did not speak, Song Cheng knew he had passed the test.

But the maid did not state it immediately, instead saying, "Little Song, how long can you maintain your Manifestation?"

How long could he maintain it?

This question was somewhat beyond Song Cheng's expectations.

Wasn't it just as long as he wanted?

Seeing him remain silent, the maid said, "Never mind, I understand.

Manifestation is a very exhausting task; without a Yin She for nourishing the Soul to live in, one cannot maintain it for long... It is already not easy for you to have gathered it; you must be tired now, right?"

Song Cheng:... A Yin She for nourishing the Soul? That sounds quite high-end.

As the thought crossed his mind, he hurriedly raised a hand to his forehead and said with a bitter smile, "The Family Head has seen through me; I have made a fool of myself."

The maid smiled and said, "You have passed the test; from now on, you are a member of my Su Family."

As her words fell, Su Ningyu, who had been nervous the whole time, beamed with joy and said from the side, "Sister, visualize the Yin She and let Little Song see it."

Sister?

Song Cheng was stunned again.

Immediately, he realized.

No wonder Su Ningyu was not worried about "Su Houzhang lodging a complaint first"; it turned out "the Su Family Head is her sister," and it looked like they were blood-related.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

He had that kind of relationship with Su Ningyu, and he also intended to continue winning her over as much as possible; once her favorability reached one hundred and they had spent more time together, he planned to tell Su Ningyu about "A Ting."

He was worried about his little ward's talent being exposed, and also worried that her talent would not be fully tapped into and thus be squandered.

And the noble families, undoubtedly, knew how to handle such things, or at least knew far more than ordinary people.

If the Su Family head is Su Ningyu's older sister, then by seniority, she would be his future sister-in-law.

Just as he was thinking this, the maid suddenly said, "Little Song, perform Soul out-of-body."

Su Ningyu then said, "Come, let me show you my Su Family's Yin She."

Song Cheng hurriedly responded; holding an attitude of both nervousness and anticipation, much like a country bumpkin entering the city or Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, he performed Soul out-of-body, and looking out, he saw a small hut glowing with a ghostly light floating in the void.

The hut was like a shed, only one story high rather than a pavilion, and even from a distance, one could see how cramped it was inside.

Song Cheng was completely stunned.

This is... a Yin She?

It seems that no matter which layer of his Nine-Layer Nether Tower it was, it could fit many such Yin She, right? No wonder he felt "how long can Manifestation be maintained" was a strange question; inside the house, a beautiful Young Mistress with a face that could topple cities poked her head out, and that Young Mistress said in Su Ningyu's tone, "Little Song, you've never seen this kind of house for a Soul to dwell in, have you? Stunned, aren't you? Hurry up and come in to experience it."

(End of this chapter)