Chapter 140: Morning

The next day.

The weather cleared, and the gentle autumn sun spilled onto the windows; faint osmanthus fragrance drifting from the courtyard could be barely smelled.

Xie Jinhuan rose, dressed in his robes, hung his weapon at his waist, then picked up the belt and skirt from the floor, folded them neatly, and hung them on the clothes rack.

Between the curtains, the woman with glasses lay facing inward; her black-silk cultivation technique lay discarded aside, and her shoulder, white as congealed fat, twitched from time to time.

Yet her skin tone was much rosier than before; the whole person seemed to glow, which also seemed related to the partial removal of the Yin-cold Qi.

The Yin-cold Qi of Queyue Manor, strictly speaking, belonged to a flaw of the cultivation technique, while the Immortal-Burning Gu was a method researched by recycling that flaw into something useful.

The cold-removal method taught by A-Piao was indeed effective; Wan Yi, having transformed into the River Goddess, felt more and more spirited herself.

The price, however, was a ruined person; all the removed Yin-cold Qi was transferred onto him, and if it accumulated too heavily, Yin would overwhelm Yang.

But a man's supreme Yang Qi is ceaseless; within a few days it would be metabolized, so there was no real problem.

After tidying up, Xie Jinhuan fetched the handkerchief folded beside the pillow, which bore a small red flower; whenever he fought, his robes would shatter, so fearing he might lose it, he had kept it inside Wan Yi's cabinet.

Once everything was tidied, Xie Jinhuan came to Wan Yi's side and studied her carefully:

"Wanwan?"

Lin Wanyi's shoulder shrank slightly; she glanced over, then realized it was dawn, and weakly pushed her arm:

"It's dawn; you should go back..."

Xie Jinhuan smiled: "Let me tidy up for you; you sleep well."

Lin Wanyi's mind cleared a bit, but her eyes turned to an indescribable shame; she pulled up the quilt and covered her national-beauty, heavenly-grace scarlet face:

"I'll do it myself; I just want some quiet now."

"Do you want me to help change the sheets and such?"

"Tsk~ How dare you say that? I'll do it myself... Go back quickly; Zisu should be coming..."

Xie Jinhuan leaned close, pulled back the quilt, and revealed her rosy cheeks:

"Just let me leave like this?"

Facing the stern face so near, Lin Wanyi's eyes were slightly dazed; after a moment's consideration, she fished out several silver notes from the bedside:

"It's not easy for you alone; here's some pocket money for you..."

Hah?!

Xie Jinhuan took a soft breath, thought Wan Yi was a bit cheeky, and reached his hand into the quilt:

"No merit, no reward; then I must serve Lady properly once more..."

"Eh~ No, no, no~"

Lin Wanyi shrank backward: "I just wanted to give you some pocket money; you... do you want anything?"

Xie Jinhuan said seriously: "Forgot what I like most?"

Lin Wanyi bit her red lip lightly, thought for a moment, and replied weakly:

"Lying on your stomach?"

"Uh... that's a move; I'm talking about the mental method!"

"Mental method..."

Lin Wanyi's head was dizzy, but she still recalled it and struggled to sit up:

"I'll go make you food; eat something before you go out..."

"Eh."

Xie Jinhuan supported his shoulder: "Just give me the feeling; no need to really busy yourself."

Seeing this, Lin Wanyi began to straighten the man's collar and earnestly instructed:

"Don't work too hard out there; you've already bullied me; if anything happens to you, I won't forgive you..."

Soft words, like a young wife instructing her husband before he goes out.

Xie Jinhuan, fully satisfied, leaned down and pecked:

"Rest assured; don't you know my character? Only I bully others; no one bullies me. What you should worry about are the evil demons and outsiders."

Lin Wanyi pressed her lips together, leaned forward to return the peck, then flopped back and covered her face:

"Alright, alright, go on."

"Sleep well; I'll come see you later."

"Huh?"

Lin Wanyi's fingers had no strength; she wanted this wild ox that chews peonies not to indulge in lust—Auntie isn't made of iron either.

But if she didn't let him stir things up, would she save her energy to stir things up with that little Daoist nun?

Thinking thus, Lin Wanyi said nothing, only made an "mm-hmm" sound from under the quilt.

Xie Jinhuan felt a bit reluctant to leave; thinking again, he leaned close and suddenly flung open the autumn quilt.

"Ah!"

Lin Wanyi shrank in fright, then rolled over and rose, about to beat this lawless big pig trotter; but Xie Jinhuan took off running, flew out the window, and vanished without a trace.

Click~

"You... if you have the guts, don't come back!"

Lin Wanyi hugged the quilt, face flushed, and scolded fiercely; after confirming Xie Jinhuan was gone, she turned to an indescribable embarrassment, curled into the quilt, dared not recall the night's absurdity, pondered for a moment, then picked up the peony hairpin to fiddle with.

But whether from exhaustion or not, she flopped down and fell asleep!

When she woke again, she heard "thump-thump-thump~" knocking outside, and:

"Auntie, Auntie, the sun's already shining on your white big butt..."

"Wan Yi, aren't you eating breakfast? Your father has been waiting for you for ages..."

"Sss—!!"

A bolt from the blue!

Discovering that all the mischievous girls were at the door, Lin Wanyi suddenly woke up, nearly fainted from fright, scrambled to sit up, shoved the bedsheet and quilt into the wardrobe, then hurriedly gathered the soft pillow used for waist support, and rushed out saying:

"Mother, I'm awake, practicing martial arts, I'll come out in a moment..."

"You dead girl, why not learn proper medicine, what martial arts are you practicing at home..."

——

Northern Jingzhao Prefecture.

Merchant ships with billowing sails sailed upstream along the Luohe River.

Below the deck, inside the narrow cabin, more than thirty people huddled together in silence, while over ten crates of cargo sat in the middle of the chamber.

Zhang Chu stood at the rear of the ship, his cloak fluttering in the wind, gazing continuously at the river behind him, his eyes filled with anxiety.

He Can squatted inside the cabin, holding a bowl of scallion egg noodles, and called out while devouring them:

"Stop waiting, eat first; if Third Master's procedures go smoothly, he should already be nursing at the nest by now."

Zhang Chu frowned tightly and said coldly:

"Third Master might not be able to win, but he cannot die; ghost cultivators are formidable precisely because they borrow shells to restore their souls; even if Xie Jinhuan can shatter the shell, how can he capture and bind the soul?"

He Can slurped a few mouthfuls of noodles and replied:

"The Jianghu is unpredictable; no matter how high one's cultivation, bad luck can still strike; even my master, as cunning and calculating as he is, still capsized when it was time. In my view, the path of cultivation is like a casino; not betting is the only way to win. Avoid trouble, keep your head down and practice your own arts, and only then can you truly stand in a place of immortality."

Zhang Chu waited all night, saw no sign of Third Master following, guessed in his heart that things were likely dire, turned, and returned to the cabin:

"What you speak of is the method of the Hidden Immortal Sect, a bunch of deep-water Wang Ba; they are strong, but they live in obscurity and die in silence; what does this world have to do with them? Furthermore, the Demon Dao upholds 'survival of the fittest, the strong devour the weak'; if you withdraw from survival of the fittest, can you still be called the Demon Dao?"

He Can shrugged slightly: "Learn from Shang Lianbi; he monopolizes Dragon Bone Shoal; cultivators each month contribute a pinch of refined blood, and can make a living there; if robbed, they can go to Yanbo City to complain; he openly practices the Demon Dao, both parties willing, what can the various sects and schools do about it?"

Shang Lianbi's way of playing is the ideal kingdom in the hearts of all Demon Dao cultivators, but the prerequisite for playing this way is first possessing the strength to monopolize Dragon Bone Shoal.

If the Demon Dao does not slaughter cities, destroy villages, and bring chaos to the world, where would this strength come from?

Zhang Chu was too lazy to respond to this remark, entered the room, sat down, and looked at an accountant Mr. who was flipping through the Juan Sect files:

"The imperial court's attention has been diverted; now is a great opportunity; how long will it take to re-establish the Blood Sacrifice Great Array?"

The accountant Mr., who was also a runner and incense master, shook his head upon hearing this:

"The materials are already prepared; if Third Master returns, we can act today or tomorrow; if Third Master does not return, then it will be troublesome, taking at least three or four days. Second Master is a public figure; we cannot simply disappear when the incident occurs; we must first find a reasonable pretext and arrange an escape route."

He Can slurped noodles and said: "Third Master definitely won't return, so you are in trouble; this matter will likely fail again. By the way, since the Imperial Astronomical Bureau arrived so quickly, couldn't you have run farther away?"

Zhang Chu spread his hands: "Northwest Mu Yun Ling, Northeast Wei Wu Yi, Southwest Fan Yun Temple, Southeast Li Chi Mo; where can we run?"

The accountant Mr. nodded: "Across the thirty-two provinces of Great Qian, every province has a sect stationed there; barren lands are subsidized by the imperial court with money; a crowd of newcomers rush to establish sects, all to prevent the Demon Dao from performing blood sacrifices and slaughtering cities."

He Can nodded: "Indeed, evil cannot overcome righteousness."

Zhang Chu was too lazy to argue with this omen of misfortune; seeing the two start bickering, he rose again and went to the rear of the merchant ship, waiting for the Third Master, whom he might meet for the last time, parting forever...

(End of this chapter)