[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit":3,"chapter-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-26":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","There Is a Malevolent Spirit",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263132,4416,"Chapter 26: 25、Mind Threads and Lotus Threads","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>25. Thread of silk, thread of lotus root\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry; I was too forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang bowed to Bai Xiu'e, his expression unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu'e looked at him timidly, suddenly thinking this guy was rather brazen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Zhou Chang was now moving freely, she wanted to offer some congratulations, but at that moment, Zhou Chang spoke again: \"Miss Bai, do you know Wen Yongsheng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Zhou Chang stared fixedly at Bai Xiu'e.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected—when he mentioned the name \"Wen Yongsheng,\" her face instantly changed, flooded with shock and panic, only to be forcibly suppressed a moment later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and changed the subject: \"The Wen family’s Yongsheng Brewery is famous throughout Sichuan and Shu; who wouldn’t know the name Wen Yongsheng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her earlier expression had already revealed to Zhou Chang a crucial clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She definitely knew \"Wen Yongsheng\"—not merely as the name of a brewery, but likely had personal contact with the man himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hallucinations he experienced in the wine cellar were probably not hallucinations at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps her marriage to the Wen family really did happen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The visions brought by the offering wind might be the lingering memories and thoughts of the common deity Wen Yongsheng, buried in the cellar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang smiled, still staring fixedly at Bai Xiu'e.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the woman, his gaze seemed highly impolite, even brazenly unrestrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added: \"The current young master of the Wen family is also named Wen Yongsheng, isn’t he, Miss Bai?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Y-You how do you know?\" At this, Bai Xiu'e’s gaze toward Zhou Chang was outright terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was common knowledge that Wen Yongsheng, the Wen family’s ancestor, founded the Yongsheng Brewery. But that the current heir was also named Wen Yongsheng? That was a Wen family secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, descendants must avoid using the same name as their elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a landowning family that prided itself on scholarly and agricultural traditions have its eldest grandson bearing the exact same name as its ancestor? What would people say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Bai Xiu'e heard Zhou Chang’s words, her mind instantly raced through countless suspicions—she feared Zhou Chang had some connection to Wen Yongsheng and had come here specifically to find her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So it’s true,\" Zhou Chang’s eyes brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long wondered about the identity of the Wen family’s young master—the one wearing a skullcap, sporting a fake rat-tail braid, and with a deathly pale face—who married Bai Xiu'e in his hallucination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling that the offering wind carried the memories of the common deity Wen Yongsheng, he boldly guessed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it turned out to be exactly right!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the relationship between the current Wen family heir and the ancestral Wen Yongsheng?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is he alive or dead? Could you tell me, Miss Bai?\" Zhou Chang stepped closer to Bai Xiu'e, pressing her with rapid questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bai Xiu'e had just realized that Zhou Chang had deliberately tricked her into revealing information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him approach ever closer, she felt even more disrespected and humiliated, so she lowered her head, clamped her lips shut, and refused to answer any of his questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when she married Wen Yongsheng, though still breathing, she was essentially dead—how could she possibly reveal such secrets to someone as unfamiliar as Zhou Chang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang, seeing her silence and refusal to respond, was not in the least impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miss Bai wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon; he had plenty of time to patiently maneuver with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially now—every moment spent near her brought him new gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Perhaps due to Bai Xiu’e’s current emotional turmoil, the growth rate of his thought threads was extremely rapid; by now, the new threads had already covered nearly half his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is the other girl now?\" Zhou Chang studied her features and asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"other girl\" he referred to was the \"paper-face.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu’e, unsettled by his gaze, suddenly looked up, intending to warn him to stop his impudent behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she met his eyes, she saw his gaze was clear and pure—utterly unlike the lecherous stares she’d received from other men before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt she’d misjudged Zhou Chang and lowered her head again: \"It… it’s not a good person. Don’t interact with it—it will harm you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood.\" Since she said so, Zhou Chang readily agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two fell silent for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang enjoyed the rapid growth of his thought threads, calmly observing the furnishings of the room, showing no intention to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bai Xiu’e couldn’t bear it. In all her years, she’d seen many men behave lewdly because of her looks—but none had ever been like Zhou Chang—his eyes held no lust whatsoever; his behavior couldn’t rightly be called lewd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was better described as \"heretical.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was so strange!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he be so oblivious to the boundaries between men and women? Didn’t he know they should maintain proper distance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You…\" Bai Xiu’e, utterly at a loss, finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Chang said: \"I see you’re sewing that so-called 'Hundred Beasts Garment' for me, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could you show it to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu’e looked up, slightly startled, staring at Zhou Chang, unsure what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he be so naturally entitled, as if it were perfectly normal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Hundred Beasts Garment was made for him—he asking to see it didn’t seem wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, Bai Xiu’e surrendered, lowering her head and handing him the small piece of rat hide she’d been hiding behind her back—though she still concealed the stitched beetle shells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those beetle shells would eventually be sewn into the Hundred Beasts Garment, but she wasn’t ready to let outsiders see her stitching technique or the \"thread\" she used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are eight or nine rats here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miss Bai, your stitching is flawless—no trace of needle or thread visible.\" Zhou Chang turned the small piece of hide over and over in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he touched the hide, he confirmed it was stitched with thread of the same origin as his thought threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, his own thought threads couldn’t establish any connection with the hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d have to wait until the Hundred Beasts Garment was fully completed and in his hands before conducting any experiments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A real man knows needlework?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could you possibly understand stitching?\" Bai Xiu’e, watching Zhou Chang admire her work, unconsciously smiled, her speech becoming more animated than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as the words left her mouth, she scolded herself inwardly for being too forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang, as if recalling something, chuckled: \"I do know a bit about needlework myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really?\" Bai Xiu’e grew even more curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. Would you like me to show you?\" Zhou Chang asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu’e’s lips curved upward, about to reply, when she suddenly noticed a figure standing at the door—her expression instantly turned tense and fearful, and she quickly lowered her head as if caught committing a grave sin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang turned to the door and saw Zhou Sanji standing there with a grim face: \"Dinner’s ready. How much longer are you going to chat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh.\" Zhou Chang turned to Bai Xiu’e and said, \"Let’s go, Miss Bai. It’s time for dinner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his calm demeanor, Bai Xiu’e’s fear and anxiety immediately lessened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She began to think that chatting with a man outside her family wasn’t such a morally corrupt act after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the door, Zhou Sanji slapped his forehead and sighed as he left the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Zhou Chang followed her out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu’e sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her toes, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes sparkled, and the gloom in her expression had lifted considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Has your heart stirred?\" Suddenly, her left cheek rippled like water, revealing a seductive, affectionate face within it: \"You’re so foolish—you can’t see he’s using you now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you sew the Hundred Beasts Garment for him, he’ll talk to you; but once you’re useless, he’ll kick you aside without a second thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He appears gentle on the surface, but inwardly cold and indifferent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep down, he’s emotionally detached… I’ve seen through him…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiu’e pressed her lips shut, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin, translucent lotus-root threads drifted from her body, winding around the seductive face and sealing its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>",1383,"2026-06-19T18:47:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f49fe39811ff33d7414bc46925e69fe150a2b0260fc28f768bb6717adc52df25","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-27","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-25",209,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthere-is-a-malevolent-spirit-cover.jpg"]