The Wu family ancestral mansion underwent tremendous changes overnight, but neither of the two people living in it expressed any opinion on the matter.
Jiang Zhenxue seemed to have not seen or realized this earth-shattering transformation at all, and the expression on his face had never changed; except for a certain day when the [Event] tab inexplicably displayed a line saying [Jiang Zhenxue returned to your mansion carrying a trace of the scent of blood], he was so gentle and amiable that he was almost indistinguishable from the refined gentlemen praised by mortals.
And Wu Zhen felt even less that this was any kind of special event. Since Jiang Zhenxue did not ask, she naturally would not say anything, tacitly assuming that this was a perfectly normal occurrence that NPCs in all games would silently ignore.
Her life became regular once again, spending most of her time leveling up skills and triggering new ones.
Jiang Zhenxue would occasionally go out for a trip. She did not know what he was doing, but seeing that he would return home on his own, Wu Zhen did not bother about it.
Until one day, he came before her covered in injuries, dripping with blood and looking utterly pitiful, asking if she could treat his wounds and offering to pay a medical fee that would satisfy her.
Wu Zhen glanced at the superficial wounds on his body, injuries that would have completely healed if he had been two seconds later and that meant absolutely nothing to a cultivator.
Then she looked at his incredibly sincere expression, as if he truly had absolute faith in her medical skills.
Wu Zhen: ...
Wu Zhen: Are you serious?
After receiving an affirmative answer, Wu Zhen, completely puzzled, added brewing medicine back into her daily schedule.
The good news was that under such training, her [Poison Arts] advanced by leaps and bounds, and it would not be long before it reached the max level.
The bad news was that by the time she reached the max level, Jiang Zhenxue would most likely be a goner.
Wu Zhen was now a little worried.
Because she discovered that the immortal destiny she had picked up did not seem to be gentle and kind-hearted, but rather had something wrong with his brain.
However, Wu Zhen did not put a stop to this matter (absolutely not because of the medical fee of one gold ingot per day).
Such tranquility did not last for very long.
[Event]: Someone is wandering outside your bamboo forest.
The player who was grinding her [Zither Arts] raised her head.
Ever since she built the ancestral mansion, this was the first time she had encountered such an event.
Wu Zhen thought for a moment, opened the build mode, and moved the positions of a few inconspicuous small stones in the bamboo forest.
[Qimen Dunjia: Lv. 5]
She had opened the gate leading to the Wu family mansion.
.
Deng Caiying had already been wandering outside this bamboo forest for several hours.
At this time, it had been more than a month since the death of the Life-Claiming Saber, the head of the three great demonic villains.
The moment he heard the news, he whipped his horse and rushed to Gan City. However, after inquiring in Gan City for several days, no one knew the origins of this person named Wu Zhen.
She was like someone who had suddenly appeared in the city and then suddenly disappeared, incredibly mysterious.
Yet Deng Caiying did not give up.
He chose a direction and asked around as he traveled. Perhaps favored by the heavens, his luck finally took a turn for the better, and more and more people reacted to the description of the black-haired young woman.
It was just that these reactions... were somewhat different from what he had imagined.
They seemed somewhat fearful of her existence, avoiding mentioning her name at all costs. Some even vaguely reminded him that this person was no ordinary figure, let alone a commoner, and if he had no urgent matters, it would be best not to disturb her.
When he doubtfully asked if this person named Wu Zhen had done any unjust deeds, these people repeatedly shook their heads and flatly denied it, even adding a sentence: It is too hard to explain it to you.
Deng Caiying: ...
Having roamed the martial world for so many years, he had never encountered such a strange reputation.
And the townsfolk's evaluation was completely different from the ignorant rustics rumored by some in the martial world.
If she were truly an ignorant rustic, how could she make the townsfolk both fear and revere her?
Deng Caiying grew increasingly curious about this person.
After searching day and night without rest, he finally found the bamboo forest that was suspected to be where Wu Zhen lived.
Deng Caiying came here to ask for a favor and was not an unreasonable person. Thus, he first announced his name and background outside the bamboo forest. Seeing that it was dead silent inside, he said, Pardon my intrusion, before tentatively walking into the bamboo forest.
Going in was easy for him.
Coming out was even easier.
After Deng Caiying inexplicably wandered out once again, he was certain that in all likelihood, this was where Wu Zhen lived.
The formation in that forest was not something an ordinary person could set up. At the very least, one must have achieved some minor success in the art of Qimen.
Therefore, Deng Caiying obediently waited on the spot.
It was not until two hours later, when the sound of something moving echoed out, that Deng Caiying looked toward the bamboo forest. Realizing something, he gratefully cupped his hands and said, Thank you for letting me pass, Senior.
He entered the bamboo forest, and this time, nothing went wrong. He finally found a bluestone path, and at the end of the path, a grand mansion wreathed in thin mist.
...
Deng Caiying fell silent for a moment.
He could not help but take two steps back, trying to view the mansion before him from a more comprehensive perspective.
He had found this place during the day. After wasting several hours outside, the sky had turned completely dark. Originally, he did not think much of it—as a martial arts chivalrous swordsman, how could he be someone who feared the ghosts and monsters of the night? But now, he was not so sure anymore.
Because the mansion before his eyes truly did not look like a dwelling for mortals.
The upturned eaves, dark tiles, and white walls were shrouded in a cold, pale silver light under the moonlight. Opening his eyes wide to carefully distinguish the details, he could not find any of the minor flaws and imperfections that should exist in worldly objects, let alone the traces of time. Even the distribution of the vines and moss at the base of the walls was just right, as if someone were deliberately controlling them.
Deng Caiying recalled the situation along his journey here.
The townsfolk's deep secrecy, the bamboo forest's profound eeriness, the lack of response yet letting him pass after nightfall, coupled with the illusion-like mansion surrounded by clouds and mist...
Deng Caiying: ...
Cold sweat rolled down Deng Caiying's face.
He held down his trembling hands, turned around, and walked away.
After all, when encountering strange things, the possibility of it being a secluded dwelling of immortals was often not as high as it being a trap set by demons and spirits to eat people.
This matter was recorded in various tales of the strange and supernatural.
But he should have known earlier that it was easy to come, but hard to leave.
Just at the moment he turned around, the mansion behind him slowly opened its main gates.
Deng Caiying's scalp went numb. He did not dare to look back, but he also did not dare to act rashly, simply keeping his head down and walking forward.
This made the player who was observing his actions confused.
What is he doing?
Deng Caiying did not hesitate for too long. Because after the initial horror passed, his reason began to return, and he remembered a strange stone standing in front of the gate of that mansion.
There was a character on that strange stone, seemingly forged by heaven and earth, naturally formed, primitive and mystical; and that character was the Wu of Wu Zhen!
...Could it be that he had not found the wrong place?
Deng Caiying pondered for a moment, bowed deeply in a salute, and then stepped into the open gates with a bit of apprehension.
As soon as he entered, he froze on the spot.
At this very moment, only a single phrase remained in his mind.
—A true paradise on earth, nothing less than this.
Beneath a tree full of pear blossoms, someone was playing the zither.
The sound of the zither was melodious,
like a flowing clear spring and a gentle pine breeze, and Deng Caiying could not help but be mesmerized.
The style of a zither's melody is often connected to the player's current state of mind, emotions, and even their nature. Deng Caiying could almost picture the kind of person she was.
However, how could someone as pure and bright as a gentle breeze and clear moon make the townsfolk so secretive and fearful?
Such bewilderment surfaced in Deng Caiying's heart.
Until she raised her head.
Until the zither player raised her head.
Deng Caiying suddenly snapped back to reality. His slightly warmed mood instantly plunged into freezing depths, as if a basin of ice water had been splashed over him in the dead of winter.
Because in the eyes of the person who could play such a melody, there was absolutely no emotion.
They were like a spilled pool of ink; at a glance, nothing else could be seen.
"Do you need something from me?"
She asked.
Deng Caiying steadied his nerves, cupped his hands humbly, and said, "I am Deng Caiying. May I ask if you are Wu Zhen, the young hero Wu who, a month ago on the arena in Gan City, struck down the Life-Claiming Saber, the leader of the three great demons?"
Wu Zhen said, "I am."
Seeing that he hadn't come to the wrong place and certainly hadn't mistaken the person, the heavy stone in Deng Caiying's heart dropped. He then said, "Young hero, this person was the chief culprit who annihilated my entire Deng family seventeen years ago. I was young at the time, and thanks to the merciful heart of my mother's friend, I luckily survived, vowing to avenge my family's blood feud."
Wu Zhen pressed fast-forward.
She listened with half an ear. It was roughly about how Deng Caiying hadn't practiced martial arts as long as the Life-Claiming Saber, nor did his natural talent surpass his. His blood feud remained unavenged, while his enemy had already become one of the world's few peerless martial arts masters. Originally, he deeply resented the hopelessness of his revenge, never expecting the Life-Claiming Saber to crash right into her hands out of nowhere.
And he was even beheaded by her, his body subsequently torn apart and his bones broken by those who hated him, leaving him without an intact corpse.
Deng Caiying said, "I came to seek you today, young hero, firstly to express my gratitude. For over a decade, my heart has held nothing but revenge. Now, relying on you, my great vengeance has been achieved, and I am finally freed. Such immense grace is hard to thank properly. Fortunately, my family still has some surplus wealth, which I will hand over entirely to you today."
Saying this, he respectfully presented a thick stack of high-value silver notes.
The originally nonchalant player slowly sat up straight.
Deng Caiying continued, "Secondly, I am bold enough to have another request. Back then, my family was wiped out precisely because of the Three Yin Saber. Someone grew greedy but didn't dare to show their face directly, so they spread the news, wanting to use others to do their dirty work and take advantage of the chaos. As a result, that demon took an interest, and the saber ultimately fell into his hands."
"The current situation is exactly like back then. Someone is deliberately spreading news, and those sent to scout the way won't arrive too late. I do not possess anything of equal value to exchange for the precious saber from your hands. I only beg that you allow me to reside here temporarily for a few days, waiting for those who come to seize the saber."
Wu Zhen nodded. "You may."
Given the current size of her estate, let alone accommodating one more person, there was more than enough room for several more.
She pointed casually in a direction. "Go find a room for yourself."
Deng Caiying gratefully bowed deeply in thanks once more before heading in the direction she pointed. As he raised his head and turned around, his movements paused for an imperceptible moment.
In a place untouched by the moonlight, beneath the shadows of the upturned eaves, stood a figure as tall and pristine as a green pine in the snow, who knows since when.
Yet he had been completely unaware.
That person's cold, clear gaze swept past him without any reaction.
Only then did the muscles Deng Caiying had subconsciously tensed out of a sense of danger in that instant slowly relax.
He cautiously bowed, forming a guess in his heart.
This person, presumably, was the one mentioned by the bystanders at the arena that day, the companion traveling with young hero Wu, who looked like an immortal banished to the mortal realm.
It seemed...
He was her husband...?
