Chapter 210

Ma Ling'er'er's face changed again, and she clenched her teeth, saying nothing.

"I advise you to speak now. When I return, Ma Tiejiang will confess anyway. If you clarify things now, perhaps I'll spare his life—or yours."

"Really? You'll spare both me and my father?"

Fang Yue smiled: "Why not? The true enemy of Gu Yue Cun has never been you, has it?"

"Yes, yes! The enemy of Gu Yue Cun are the evil Wu Yu clan members—nothing to do with us! My father sent me to Mo Cun to convince the Wu Yu clan to stop attacking Gu Yue Cun!"

"So that's it. Mo Cun has Wu Yu clan members, and you're trying to help Gu Yue Cun."

"Yes, Ye Ge, exactly! That's what I meant! You understand me so well!"

"So I really misjudged a good person!"

"No, no such thing—it was all a misunderstanding!"

"Mm-hmm."

Fang Yue nodded: "Then how do you communicate?"

"By recognizing the Wu Yu clan emblem—the mark on my arm."

"I see… So anyone with a tattoo could impersonate you?"

"Huh? W-what do you mean?"

"I mean—you're useless now."

Fang Yue slowly stood up.

Ma Ling'er'er's face changed.

"Wait, wait! I still…"

"Last question—who is A Duan?"

A Duan?!

Ma Ling'er'er, who had been feigning weakness just moments ago, suddenly narrowed her pupils.

Her expression darkened visibly.

"Why are you asking about him?"

"Huh? Not pretending to be frail anymore?"

"I'm asking you—why are you asking about A Duan?!"

"Nothing. Just curious."

"Just…?"

Hum!

A flash of blade-light—Ma Ling'er'er's head, filled with rage, tumbled to the ground.

"No attribute added, no progress on the cultivation breakthrough bar—looks like she wasn't a Gu (Ghost) identity."

Fang Yue looked disappointedly at the headless corpse and called out; Blood Hunter and others pushed the door open.

They glanced at the headless corpse and ordered someone to clean it up.

Fang Yue waved to Blood Hunter; the two walked out.

After dismissing the accompanying team members, Fang Yue asked: "Blood Hunter, do you know the Wu Yu clan?"

"The Wu Yu clan?"

Blood Hunter shook his head, bewildered.

"Is Ma Ling'er'er a Gu? A Gu classification? Are they planning to strike Gu Yue Village?"

"I don't know. That's what Ma Ling'er'er said—and the remaining Wu Yu clan members are hiding in Mo Cun."

"Mo Cun…"

Blood Hunter's face grew grim.

"Don't overthink it. You've been busy all day—go rest. I'll handle the rest."

"... Yes."

As Blood Hunter was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked softly: "How is An Shenyi's condition…"

"Not promising. I'll go check later. Don't worry about it."

"Yes."

Watching Blood Hunter return to his room to rest, Fang Yue headed toward Luo Shenyi's clinic.

Earlier, Ma Ling'er'er had spoken with such certainty in An Shenyi's room—her expression firm in her belief that the Wu Yu clan could destroy Gu Yue Cun—and Xiao Yi's reaction afterward seemed to agree.

The Wu Yu clan… cannot be underestimated!

Should I go to Mo Cun and investigate further?

Fang Yue hesitated, then finally shook his head.

Ma Ling'er'er is dead—could the Wu Yu clan even find him now?

Besides, Mo Cun has stood for years without falling; why would trouble strike the moment he went there? Xiao Yi and Ma Ling'er'er were certain the Wu Yu clan could destroy Gu Yue Cun, but Fang Yue thought they vastly underestimated Lord Han.

That being—no Wu Yu clan could possibly dare to challenge him.

Thinking of this, Fang Yue felt somewhat reassured.

As Fang Yue walked, lost in thought, he never imagined that Ma Ling'er'er's corpse, its Gu clan emblem on the arm, was emitting a faint, invisible ghostly light—gradually fading until the emblem vanished entirely.

Nor did he notice a faint black shadow, like a kite, hanging high in the sky, drifting with the wind as he moved.

The shadow's slender body was composed of bones, each coated in membrane, floating in midair like a human-shaped kite.

In the darkness, her mouth opened and closed, as if speaking.

"... C... o... m... p... l... e... t... e... d..."

…

Luo Shenyi's clinic.

Inside the clinic, people came and went.

Various wounded lay on the ground, waiting for treatment.

These wounded were all members who participated in tonight's extermination of the 【Memory-Erasing Wraith】.

When Fang Yue appeared, they excitedly greeted him.

Clearly, Fang Yue's performance tonight won their respect.

In fact, Fang Yue, using Night's Breath, performed even better than Lin Duoduo in the battle against the 【Memory-Erasing Wraith】.

But Lin Duoduo's final sword strike was truly stunning—its timing was perfect, catching the 【Memory-Erasing Wraith】 off guard and delivering a crushing blow, stealing the spotlight.

If we were to split the credit, it'd be fifty-fifty.

Entering the clinic and finding the innermost room, Fang Yue quickly saw Lin Duoduo.

"Lin…"

"Quiet."

Lin Duoduo pointed to a chair beside her, signaling Fang Yue to sit.

"Luo Shenyi is working with all her might to treat Lao An, but I didn't hold back, so Lao An's injuries may take a long time to fully heal—or perhaps never heal at all, leaving lasting damage. I feel deeply guilty."

"No, no, it was all to eliminate the wraith—it's not your fault."

"Hmm… also, Lao An's condition means he can't travel. Would you consider staying in our Luoye Cun to recuperate for a month before leaving?"

Recuperate for a month?

By then, the yellow flowers would be long gone!

Fang Yue's attributes had hit a bottleneck—he was desperate to fly to Mo Cun and buy a Heart Method from a caravan. How could he possibly stay in Luoye Cun for a month?

"You want to leave? Tomorrow? But what about Lao An…"

"Let me first check the progress of Lao An's recovery. If he can't travel, I'll leave the escort team here and go to Mo Cun alone."

"Do you have urgent business?"

"Yes. I heard there's a caravan in Mo Cun recently—I want to try my luck."

Lin Duoduo immediately understood: "You want to buy a second-rate Post-Heaven Heart Method to break through your realm?"

"Yes."

Lin Duoduo hesitated, then sighed: "Too bad—you're from Gu Yue Cun. Otherwise, I might have considered teaching you a Heart Method. How about you leave Gu Yue Cun and join me?"

No thanks—you people of Luoye Cun have no patrons. I'm not joining you.

Gu Yue Cun has Lord Han and Lao An to protect it. Your strongest is just you, a second-rate Post-Heaven expert.

A Black Grade mid-level 【Memory-Erasing Wraith】 could wipe out your village—it's far too unsafe.

After that, Fang Yue and Lin Duoduo talked a bit about Lin Ling.

When Lin Ling was mentioned, Lin Duoduo suddenly became much more talkative.

Fang Yue then remembered: earlier, Lin Duoduo had suddenly "awakened" after someone mentioned Lin Ling.

This guy… could he be a little brother fanatic…

Fang Yue awkwardly moved a little farther away from Lin Duoduo and changed the subject.

"Wu Yu tribe? I feel like I've heard of it before…"

"Heard of it?!"

Fang Yue's eyes lit up instantly, pressing for more.

"Hmm… where did I hear it…? I forgot."

"Forgot?"

"Forgotten. Long ago—probably when I was a child. I must have glanced at it in some obscure note in our family genealogy."

Genealogy?

How long ago was that?

Fang Yue was confused and pressed further, but Lin Duoduo insisted she truly couldn't recall.

Fang Yue wanted to check Lin Duoduo's family genealogy himself, but she spread her hands: "Unless you marry me, you'll never see our Lin Family genealogy in this lifetime."

"… "

Fine, fine—I won't look!

Fang Yue frowned, then suddenly thought of something: "Does Lin Ling have access to it?"

"... Yes, but he probably won't come to pay respects."

"He definitely will! Where is your Lin Family Courtyard?"

"That one in the east side of town."

Fang Yue immediately stood up: "I'm going out."

Lin Duoduo gave him a strange look and hummed in acknowledgment.

After leaving, Fang Yue immediately put on his Human Skin Mask.

Lin Family Courtyard, Lin Family Courtyard.

After searching a while, he spotted the closed Lin Family Courtyard—thankfully, some Human Soul lamps inside were still lit.

As Fang Yue leapt onto the wall, preparing to sneak in, another figure suddenly jumped out beside him.

"Lin Duoduo?"

"It's me."

"Uh… Cousin?"

"Stop pretending."

Lin Duoduo's face darkened: "Your voice, tone, pitch, movements, even your expressions—they don't match him at all!"

Obviously, a Human Skin Mask only changes your facial appearance; everything else isn't under your control.

"I just wanted to look into the Wu Yu tribe—no ill intent," Fang Yue sighed.

"I noticed you rushing off just now and thought something was off. You're bold indeed—just to gather some records, you planned to climb over my wall into my courtyard. What were you going to do next?"

"A confused passerby asking for directions? Everyone else should recognize this face, right?"

"... True, they can't detect so many differences. But without the key, you can only wait until I return to see it—so the outcome is the same."

"Ah, this... just a clan genealogy? You guard it so tightly?"

"It concerns a past event of Gu Yue Cun—no amount of secrecy is excessive. Enough. Go back. I'll find the Wu Yu tribe's records for you, alright?"

"Really?!"

Fang Yue's face lit up with joy, but Lin Duoduo glared at him with a grim expression.

"Don't make that expression with his face."

"Uh... I, I'll take it off."

After removing the Human Skin Mask, Lin Duoduo's expression eased slightly, and she jumped down.

Fang Yue hesitated, then returned to the clinic.

He waited—and waited until dawn.

But who arrived wasn't Lin Duoduo—it was Luo Shenyi.

"Huh? You're alone? Where's Lin, Chief Captain?"

"She's occupied. By the way, how's An Shenyi?"

"With my hands on him, of course I saved his life. From now on, I'll see who dares say my medical skill is inferior to his!"

"Good, good."

Fang Yue had no interest in medical rivalries.

"Can I go in and see him?"

"Of course."

Fang Yue entered the ward and saw An Shenyi lying weakly on the bed, his breath rising and falling.

His life was saved, but recovery would take unknown time.

As if sensing movement, An Shenyi opened his eyes.

"Yeye?"

"Don't move. Just lie still."

"What... what happened to me? I heard Luo Shenyi say I was Possessed?"

"Yes."

Fang Yue briefly recounted the events of last night.

"... It's all my fault. As a physician, I didn't realize I'd been Possessed."

Fang Yue suspected An Shenyi might have already sensed the Possession—but the entity erased his memory, leaving him completely unaware.

Possession is hard to detect if the host doesn't speak up and the entity remains hidden.

Fang Yue offered a few words of comfort, then revealed his plan.

"You want... to leave me in Luoye Cun?"

An Shenyi was stunned—he shook his head frantically: "No! I'm going with the escort team!"

"But your body—"

"I know Luo Shenyi has a special skill to temporarily strengthen weakened patients. I'll ask him to help me get mobile. Mo Cun isn't far—I don't want to stay here."

"This..."

Fang Yue hesitated, but under An Shenyi's insistence, he agreed.

When Luo Shenyi heard the news, his eyes lit up.

"Perfect! I love test subjects—I love patients like An Shenyi!"

To care for An Shenyi, Fang Yue originally set the team's departure for tomorrow morning—but under An Shenyi's insistence, it was moved to noon today.

Orders given, the escort team sprang into action—packing, preparing.

"Ye Ge, I discovered a secret!!"

While Fang Yue anxiously waited for Lin Duoduo to return with the records, Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu suddenly scampered over.

"What secret?"

Fang Yue replied listlessly.

Though he brought Niu Niu and Wu Wu on this trip—one a bystander tending to his injured sister, the other constantly eating and useless in battle—the only upside was that Wu Wu could now care for herself, so he didn't have to pay for her meals.

"I found out Tail is amazing!"

"Huh? Amazing?"

Fang Yue frowned at her: "What's amazing?"

"How good she is at fighting!"

"... Better than me?"

"Not like that—it's... it's..."

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu scratched her head in frustration: "It's about technique! The skill!"

"Oh... then come here. Attack me with everything you've got."

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu blinked: "I attack you?"

"Yes."

"…Oh."

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu thought for a moment, then screamed "Ya ya a a!" and charged at Fang Yue, flailing her arms like a little girl fighting in the street, trying to grab his hair.

Fang Yue sidestepped, pulled and guided—Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu fell to the ground.

"Are my techniques good?"

Fang Yue looked down coldly at Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, who was screaming in pain on the ground.

"Y-yes, very good."

"Then that's enough. Fight more. Don't be naive and think everything's impressive. I can see your stats aren't low—next time I'll find you a weird creature to train with."

"Huh? Aaahhh! I don't want to!!!"

Fang Yue ignored her entirely. You ate all that food—do you really think I'm some kind of charity?

At that moment, Fang Yue saw a person standing outside the door, waving at him.

Fang Yue's pupils contracted—it was… Lin Duoduo!

She's finally here!

Heart lifting, Fang Yue dropped Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu and walked out.

"Remember to eat more, eat more buns to raise your stats. I've got something to do—I'll come back later to supervise you."

(End of Chapter)