The mushroom cloud burned for a long time over Wuliu Village. The entire village was deathly quiet. Not a single sound could be heard.
This was normal. After all, this was an ancient world, a time steeped in superstition. A sudden fire or thunder appearing out of thin air belonged to the category of heavenly punishment. Who would dare come out to watch the spectacle at a time like this?
Gu Nuanyang watched quietly for a while. The madness in her eyes gradually dissipated along with that mushroom cloud.
Finally, it returned to calm. She could no longer return to Wuliu Village, or rather, she didn't want to stay in the entire Feng Kingdom anymore.
Having killed Zhao Juanqing, his emperor father and concubine mother would absolutely not let the matter rest. They would surely come to Wuliu Village. Gu Nuanyang wasn't afraid of them targeting the old Gu family residence.
The split of the family back then had been extremely contentious. After the division, the two sides had cut off all contact, acting as if the other didn't exist. Even if they met on the street, they would spit at each other.
But this peace didn't last long. Soon, Gu Nuanyang saw figures rushing towards the area from all directions. Their builds clearly marked them as trained martial artists.
Gu Nuanyang knew these people rushing over were the ones secretly protecting Zhao Juanqing. The few she had blown up were nothing to the larger force behind them.
She even knew that before dawn, a large contingent from the county garrison would arrive. She also knew that without Lin Xi's help today, she couldn't have carried out this task so cleanly and efficiently.
And the likelihood of failure would have been much higher. While cooking, she had even considered whether to tie them all up after drugging them and then talk to them one by one.
This thought had circled in her mind once before she dismissed it. If she had tied up Zhao Juanqing, the people secretly protecting him couldn't possibly have failed to notice.
Before her transmigration, she had read many novels where it was always said that villains died from talking too much, but wasn't the same true for the so-called righteous heroes?
Gu Nuanyang didn't look back. She turned and walked away swiftly. In the dense forest, under the cover of darkness, she moved as if walking on flat ground. When she saw animal droppings by the path, she deliberately, though disgusted, stepped on them. Then she pulled a branch from a tree and used it to smooth out the grass she had flattened as she walked.
Since she hadn't died while taking revenge on the Gu family and Zhao Juanqing, she would now strive to live on. Otherwise, wouldn't Lin Xi's cross-spacetime phone call have been in vain?
Gu Nuanyang walked faster and faster, heading deeper into the wilderness. Night had fallen, and she was entering the depths of the forest. She feared encountering large predators. She needed to find a safe shelter to spend the night before the large beasts came out to hunt.
This wasn't difficult for Gu Nuanyang. In the early days after her transmigration, when she had no money to start a business, she had often gone up the mountains. She knew which mountain had what valuable resources.
Relying on her memory, she found a cave. The cave wasn't large, but its entrance was cleverly positioned. It was hidden by three mountain slopes, shaped like an upturned palm cradling it. This cave also had a side exit at the back of the mountain slope, opening onto a steep incline that led down into a mountain hollow.
Gu Nuanyang climbed to the top of the slope and then slowly slid down, finally reaching the bottom. She leaned against the mountain wall, sliding down to sit on the ground, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Looking up at the small opening high above, Gu Nuanyang gave a wry smile.
Right after transmigrating, she had thought of herself as the female lead of a farming novel. She would wander up the mountains whenever she had the chance. She even believed she was a child of fortune, daring to venture deep into the wilderness.
And her trips to the deep mountains weren't without reward; she had found many mountain goods. Some were valuable, some not so much.
She wouldn't have discovered this cave if not for a beautiful orchid growing from a crevice in the soil at the top. Back then, she had been very loose-lipped. She loved pestering Gu Rou'er, telling her everything. As the old saying goes, she couldn't keep two ounces of sesame oil in her belly.
But for some reason, perhaps thinking it unimportant, she had never told Gu Rou'er about this cave.
Thinking of this, Gu Nuanyang's self-mockery deepened. She never imagined that something she hadn't cared about in her previous life could save her life in this one.
The cave had housed some animal before, leaving an indescribable odor.
If it were the Gu Nuanyang who had just transmigrated in her previous life, she would have found it unbearable. But the reborn Gu Nuanyang no longer cared about such things. During her time imprisoned in the palace, what kind of smells hadn't she endured?
She took out the wooden plaque and clicked into the group chat she hadn't even glanced at before. The group members were unanimously posting about how beautiful the fireworks were.
Gu Nuanyang let out the first sincere, unadulterated laugh since her rebirth.
[Reborn Transmigrator Gu Nuanyang: Hello everyone, my name is Gu Nuanyang.]
After her message, people in the group began introducing themselves. After stating their names, they would briefly share their stories in a few sentences, enough to make them memorable in the shortest time.
Lin Xi also spoke in the group: [@Reborn Transmigrator Gu Nuanyang, today's fireworks sponsors, besides me, were Lin Duxi and Xu Huanhuan.]
Gu Nuanyang wasn't clueless. She immediately followed Lin Xi's lead and expressed her thanks. Everyone wanted to get along well, so the group atmosphere remained light.
After introducing himself, Chu Qianmo began his usual inquiry: [Wife-Slaying Cultivator Chu Qianmo: @Reborn Transmigrator Gu Nuanyang, do you need an Appearance-Altering Pill? We can trade. Just exchange it for something edible unique to your world.]
This time, Chu Qianmo didn't proactively mention the spatial pouch. He felt some things became cheap if he was too eager. Others needed to ask for them.
But Chu Qianmo believed the current Gu Nuanyang must surely need an Appearance-Altering Pill.
Gu Nuanyang indeed agreed to trade. Lin Xi, acting as the intermediary, facilitated the exchange before immediately leaning on her pillow to sleep.
It was already past 4 a.m. Gu Nuanyang didn't dare sleep. She was waiting for the search parties looking for Zhao Juanqing to sweep through this area.
Listening to wave after wave of people passing outside the cave, she hugged her knees and thought that she hadn't learned nothing in her previous life. At the very least, she had learned about the paranoia of the imperial family.
The group chat gradually fell silent. Gu Nuanyang watched from darkness until dawn.
Lin Xi, however, slept very deeply and didn't wake up until past 11 a.m. There was no movement in the house.
Yawning, Lin Xi went out to wash up. A warm meal was kept in the pot. After eating, she leisurely made her way towards the guesthouse.
The sun shone warmly on her body, making her particularly lazy. The chat group was still lively, and Gu Nuanyang wasn't as aloof as before, occasionally replying to messages in the group.
Lin Xi sent her a message and quickly received a reply.
[Transmigrated Reborn Woman Gu Nuanyang: I took Brother Chu's Disguise Pill. I've already left the county town and am heading towards the borderlands. Thank you for helping me yesterday, but honestly, I have nothing to linger for in this world.]
[Before I transmigrated, I studied poems, I read about 'a lone smoke rises straight above the vast desert, the sun sinks round above the endless river.' I want to go see that. Then I'll find a mountain forest to settle in and never come out again. This world is too terrifying. I'm not actually smarter than anyone; in their eyes, I'm probably as naive as a blank sheet of paper.]
Gu Nuanyang didn't take the main road, traveling instead through the mountains. Since starting her journey in the morning, she had been replaying her previous life in her mind. And then she realized, she discovered how utterly foolish she had been in her past life.
[I always thought I hid myself well, but I found my disguise was almost nonexistent. The original Gu Erniu, sandwiched between her elder sister and younger sister, was the most inconspicuous, the least valued—timid, submissive, only knowing how to work, not even daring to speak loudly. And me? I have a bright personality, I'm talkative, keeping quiet would suffocate me.]
[The illness the original host suffered was from washing clothes in the river in the dead of winter to help Lady Guli with chores, which led to her freezing and falling sick. She had no money for treatment, so she just died from a high fever. As for me, even though I grew up in an orphanage with competitive pressure and perhaps more experiences than some peers...]
[It still doesn't compare to these ancient people. I'm not even as shrewd as Gu Ling'er. Thinking about it, it's actually quite normal. They lived in large families with many children. This era's large families are nothing like modern ones. A bunch of kids fighting over the family's limited resources. So which one could be truly foolish?]
[Gu Erniu and Lady Guli were constantly exploited by the Gu family because they lacked confidence—they had no sons and no means of earning any income. If they had possessed even one of these, they wouldn't have allowed the eldest and third branches of the Gu family to bully them.]
[After I arrived, I started selling food, and once we had money, didn't Gu Erniu begin to resist? At the time, I thought my constant persuasion over the months had worked. Now, looking back, it wasn't my persuasion at all. Gu Erniu had probably wanted to do this for a long time, right? What truly docile workhorse exists?]
[His obedience was due to having no money, no skills, and no sons. He just thought that by enduring more hardship and doing more work, his nephews might remember his kindness. So when he grew old, they might give him a mouthful of food and see him off at his funeral.]
[He held grudges too. That's why in the previous life, after going to the capital, he never returned to Willow Village, not even when his father was gravely ill and wanted to see him one last time before dying. Muyang Prefecture is right next to the capital. A fast horse could get there in less than a day.]
[I was too stupid in my past life, couldn't figure it out. I thought because I transmigrated here, with my fingertip spiritual spring, I was the undisputed protagonist. Everything would go as I thought, as I wished.]
[As for Zhao Juanqing, it goes without saying. Growing up in the imperial palace, that arena of fame and fortune, he's been steeped in those struggles since childhood. What do I know? The biggest official I'd ever seen in my life was the neighborhood committee director. And I barely spoke to them.]
[So my death in the past life wasn't unjust. It was all because I was too foolish.] Gu Nuanyang had never analyzed herself so profoundly before.
Before discovering the ugliness of human hearts in this world, she had always been brimming with self-confidence.
Ordinary yet confident—that described her perfectly.
The sun gradually dipped westward. Having traveled all day, Gu Nuanyang didn't check Lin Xi's reply. She put away the wooden token and, taking a detour down the mountain, finally saw a town ahead. In front of the city gate was a tea stall. Gu Nuanyang went to get a bamboo tube of water and drank it at the edge of the crowd.
She should be thankful she never felt secure without money. Even in this era, she always kept silver on her person. For convenience, she also hid copper coins in many different places. Otherwise, being this thirsty today, she probably wouldn't even have been able to get a drink of water.
A group of traveling merchants were resting outside the city gate, tying their oxen and horses to posts beside the tea stall.
Before they even entered the stall, the proprietor came out to greet them. "Shopkeeper Feng is here? Why are you so much later than usual today?"
The wiry middle-aged man called Shopkeeper Feng plopped down at a table, placing his horsewhip on it, and said casually, "Don't mention it. The officials in Muyang County are checking very strictly. Not only checking identity documents, but also inspecting our goods. As you can see, I have a whole cart of stuff. Checking item by item took all that time."
The tea stall proprietor deftly brewed a pot of good tea and brought it over. "Oh, we haven't seen that in many years. Did something happen over there?"
Shopkeeper Feng glanced around and said, "I heard a wealthy household in Willow Village, Muyang, was burned down. The whole family, not a single person escaped. With a case like that, of course they have to investigate thoroughly."
"Oh, that's truly a major case. Haven't seen something like that in so many years. Really, no one got out? That's awful."
"Look at you, don't you believe me? Would I lie? I reckon every merchant on the road will have spread this news in a few days. Really, no one got out. I also heard that wealthy family in Willow Village had three beautiful young ladies, all perished in the fire."
Gu Nuanyang finished the water in her bamboo tube without showing any expression. She no longer planned to go see the desert scenery. This Shopkeeper Feng and this tea stall proprietor were both from the Zhao family.
In her past life, she never used travel passes or identity documents when going out. After reborn, her mind was a blank slate and she simply couldn't remember. If she tried to enter the city now, she would definitely be detained.
Ancient prison cells were nothing like modern detention centers. Regardless of guilt, once you went in, you might not come out. She drained the bamboo cup, stood up, and headed towards another path. Not long after she left, someone emerged from the merchant group, pretending to be a passerby, and followed behind Gu Nuanyang.
Gu Nuanyang had taken the Disguise Pill and transformed into a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth—short, dark, skinny, with an ordinary face were his features. On her back, she carried a tattered bundle stolen from a broken-down temple.
In her previous life, Zhao Juanqing had shown her the Feng Kingdom's map. From this town, taking the right fork and walking straight would lead into the mountains, and within those mountains, there was a village.
This mountain was isolated from the world; aside from the young, no one went out to work. In her past life, not long after Gu Nuanyang had transmigrated, she had saved a man in the mountains. He had been mauled by a wild beast, clinging to life by a thread, and even the spiritual spring water from her fingertip couldn't save him.
Knowing he was dying, he entrusted Gu Nuanyang with sending a message to his family. Gu Nuanyang memorized his home address.
Since his family only consisted of his blind old mother, he didn't mention his death, only saying he was going out to work and would return in a couple of years.
Gu Nuanyang kept her promise and found someone to deliver the message for him. Last night, while taking the Disguise Pill, for some reason, that man's face surfaced in her mind. The Disguise Pill changed her appearance based on her first conscious thought.
Unexpectedly, through a strange twist of fate, she had actually become "him." Gu Nuanyang felt the world was utterly absurd. In her past life, those she treated with genuine sincerity had deceived her for a lifetime. That tiny act of kindness she showed would become the very foundation for her survival and stability in this life.
Gu Nuanyang acted completely unaware of the person following her, walking swiftly without daring to delay. She finally entered the mountain village just before dark.
The village had only five or six households. She walked to the innermost house and knocked on the door of the thatched hut.
"Mother, I'm back." Gu Nuanyang was immensely grateful that Muyang was close to here, and even the local dialect was the same.
The sound of an overturned stool came from inside, followed by the door opening, revealing an old woman with tightly closed eyes.
"Is that my Catkin back?" The old woman reached out, feeling Gu Nuanyang's body, then began pounding her with her fists: "You unfilial child, you finally know to come back? Do you know how long your mother has been waiting for you at home?"
The old woman cried as she spoke and hit her. Gu Nuanyang envied Catkin for having such a mother. But in this life, she would never again bare her heart and soul to anyone.
Things like the spiritual spring water from her fingertip, even if she had it, she would drink it herself and never give it to others again. She would not give anyone another chance to hurt her.
"Mother, I was wrong. Haven't I come back now?" The Disguise Pill changed her voice as well.
Having not spoken for so long, her voice came out dry and hoarse.
The old woman pulled Gu Nuanyang inside, fumbling around to cook for her, asking how she had been these past years outside. Gu Nuanyang answered what she could and remained silent on what she couldn't.
The old woman, angry, scolded her several times, saying she hadn't improved at all after being away for years.
Gu Nuanyang continued her silence. As night deepened, the person sent to monitor Gu Nuanyang finally left. Lying on the bed in the thatched hut, Gu Nuanyang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She only knew that she had taken on Zhou Mao's identity; from now on, she was Zhou Mao. She would care for Old Lady Zhou until her end. But she would not lightly alter the course of others' lives again.
For the foreseeable future, she would not leave the mountains.
Finally, exhausted, Gu Nuanyang drifted into a fitful sleep.
Over at Lin Xi's side, it wasn't dark yet. She found Chi Xiangping and the others at the homestay construction site.
They were sitting on newly placed wooden chairs by the pond, basking in the sun and chatting. Aunt Wu and her daughter-in-law, Elder Sister Yang, were also there. Yue was playing with Elder Sister Yang's son not far from the wooden chairs.
The workers at the homestay hadn't paused for a moment. In just over half a month, they had already completed the main structure of the homestay's first floor, ready for the concrete pour.
Lin Xi planned to dig a small stream in the courtyard and build a tiny pavilion; these were also starting to take shape.
Boss Feng from the construction team was there. Seeing Lin Xi, he quickly walked over: "I was just about to call you. Go walk through the building again. See if anything needs changing. If not, we'll pour the roof slab tomorrow."
Lin Xi had visited the homestay countless times. She had ducked under the wooden supports holding up the bricks above the doorway and walked through the building several times.
For the homestay's first floor, Lin Xi had planned a lobby, kitchen/dining area, bar counter zone, tea room, as well as an entertainment room and an activity room.
Every area maximized space usage and saved money. Lin Xi hadn't held back on tasks the construction team could handle.
After walking a full circle, Lin Xi nodded: "There's nothing that needs changing."
There really wasn't anything to change; any modifications had been discussed extensively with Boss Feng over the past days.
This was just a formality now.
"Alright, then we'll start pouring the roof slab at nine tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Okay." Tomorrow's pour date was determined by Chi Xiangping consulting the perpetual calendar. To wait for this day, the workers had already rested for one day, with only a few remaining to work on the courtyard landscaping.
Having received Lin Xi's confirmation, Boss Feng immediately made a call on his phone, then drove off with his workers in a rumble of vehicles.
Whenever a house was being built at home, no matter how it was done, Chi Xiangping was always especially happy. As soon as Lin Xi walked over to her, she told Lin Xi to go buy steamed rice cakes from the street.
"Buy some of the block pieces, and some of the cup-shaped ones." Afraid Lin Xi wouldn't understand, Chi Xiangping repeated this instruction three times.
According to local custom here, for major events like pouring a roof slab during construction, it was necessary to share the joy with the villagers. When Lin Xi was little, they used to give out candy and fruit. In recent years, influenced by trends from somewhere, they started giving out steamed rice cakes for roof pours. But honestly, Lin Xi quite liked eating them, and the symbolism was good too.
"Alright, I'll go then. Is Yue coming with me?" Lin Xi asked Yue, who was playing with mud over there.
Yao Yuran said, "She won't go. She's little and doesn't understand things yet. If she throws a tantrum later, you won't be able to handle it."
After enjoying a period of stable life, Yue had recently discovered that all the adults at home doted on her. These past few days, she had gradually started showing her little temper.
One manifestation was refusing to give up until she got her way. She didn't throw herself on the ground and scream like other children. Instead, she would stand still, staring with pitiful eyes, and soon tears would start falling.
She wouldn't cry out loud, just keep crying silently, impossible to console. Yao Yuran had been quite frustrated by this the past couple of days, wanting to spank her, but Chi Xiangping always stopped her.
"Okay, then I'll go by myself." Thinking she really couldn't manage a tantrum-throwing Yue, Lin Xi left alone.
Steamed rice cakes weren't sold on Xingshui Street; she had to go to the city to buy them.
She was already familiar with the city's vegetable market. Parking her car outside, Lin Xi walked in and directly bought out all the rice cakes from the steamed bun shop.
She bought ten jin of rice cakes at three yuan per jin, and twenty jin of wine-cup cakes at the same price.
The wine-cup cakes were shaped like small cups, each just a single bite. The rice cakes were made from brown sugar, rice flour, and tapioca starch, resulting in a light soy sauce color. Up close, the aroma of brown sugar and rice was overwhelming.
While loading the rice cakes into the car's trunk, Lin Xi couldn't resist sneaking two pieces.
After that, she bought some seasonal fruits, melon seeds, and peanuts. When she came out again, her car was blocked in.
And that slightly wine-red Beijing Jeep was particularly eye-catching, and also strangely familiar.
Lin Xi took out her phone and called the owner, Li Sheng. It rang only twice before he answered.
"Lin Xi, good afternoon."
This was the first time Lin Xi had called Li Sheng. Transmitted electronically, his voice sounded deeper and more magnetic than usual.
He was probably smiling as he spoke, adding a touch of gentleness.
As a well-hidden voice enthusiast, Lin Xi felt as if a feather had brushed against her heart—soft, gentle, and ticklish. This is normal, she told herself.
She often browsed short videos where countless voice-focused hosts could tempt her. Sometimes, when she browsed frequently, this feeling occurred often. The odd sensation Li Sheng gave her could probably be cured by watching a few more hosts.
The motto was simply being enamored with each new voice.
"Good afternoon. Officer Li, are you at the Xujiu Market right now? My car is blocked here, and the one blocking it seems to be yours."
"So that white SUV is yours. Hold on a moment, I'll be right out. One minute." Li Sheng said.
Lin Xi acknowledged and hung up, specifically checking the time: 3:30 PM.
Just as the time jumped to 15:31, Li Sheng arrived.
Amidst the bustling market crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
"Punctual." Lin Xi gave him a thumbs-up. As a former furniture salesperson, she had met far too many unpunctual people. Finally encountering one felt like seeing something rare.
Li Sheng smiled. "Here to buy groceries?"
"The guesthouse we're building at home is having its roof poured tomorrow, so I came to buy some rice cakes and fruit. You're not working today?"
"Day off today, accompanying my mom to buy groceries."
Not being very familiar, they exchanged a few polite words before Li Sheng moved his car. Lin Xi invited him to dinner at her place tomorrow.
The memory of his last visit to Lin Xi's home, where he was persuaded to eat several large bowls of rice, was still vivid. Without exaggeration, from the time he ate that meal at Lin Xi's until the next afternoon, he hadn't felt hungry at all.
Li Sheng politely declined, and Lin Xi didn't press the matter, driving off. Back home, Chi Xiangping and the others had already returned from the guesthouse construction site and were chatting in the yard.
The last type of flower her grandmother had planted in the flower bed had bloomed: vibrantly colored ping pong chrysanthemums. In the winter, with the sun already set, they became the only splash of bright color in the yard.
Fang was back from school. She had final exams today; starting tomorrow, she would be on winter break.
The New Year was getting closer and closer.
Lin Xi put the rice cakes in the refrigerator. When she came out, Chi Xiangping was on the phone with Li Yucheng. After hanging up, Chi Xiangping was full of regret.
"If only I had called earlier. He said he just left."
"He was here on official business, not for tourism. Of course he'd leave once he was done." Lin Xi knew about Li Yucheng's departure; she had received a message from him when she woke up from her nap at noon.
Apart from the words "have a smooth journey," Lin Xi didn't have anything else to say to him.
After dinner, Lin Xi didn't join Chi Xiangping and the others in watching the blood-pressure-raising TV drama. Instead, she took her phone back to her room.
Checking the chat records, she saw that Gu Nuanyang had already found a place to stay and congratulated her.
Gu Nuanyang was probably already asleep, as there was no reply.
While Lin Xi was happily chatting in the group, she received a message from Chu Qianmo.
[Wife-Slaying Daoist Chu Qianmo: Little Xi, I think there's something I should tell you. The plants Gu Nuanyang sent over contain a bit of spiritual energy. I heard her fingertip spring water can promote plant growth.]
[Ask her tomorrow if she wants a method to conceal the spring water. Right now, the plants that pass through her hands carry spiritual energy. If she stays in one place long-term, the effect on the vegetation will be even greater.]
[That's an ancient world, right? Not technologically advanced? If people discover it, she'll be in big trouble.]
Chu Qianmo's concern was valid. If Gu Nuanyang's fingertip spring water truly started radiating spiritual energy, it would definitely not be a good thing for her.
In modern times, one could blame it on good fertilizer, but what explanation would work in ancient times?
Lin Xi replied: [Okay, I understand. I'll tell her later; she'll see it when she wakes up.]
Chu Qianmo, in the cultivation world, nodded. He stored the spiritual energy-rich vegetables in his portable space, placing them in a special cabinet designed to prevent energy leakage.
He was incredibly curious about Gu Nuanyang's fingertip spring water. After all, he had been growing vegetables in the cultivation world for so long, yet the spiritual power contained in his produce wasn't even as high as that in the plants sent by Gu Nuanyang.
After pulling the last radish and storing it in his portable space, Chu Qianmo took advantage of the remaining daylight. He took one last look around the cave he had lived in and set off.
With enough vegetables secured, he was heading to the mortal world to begin his magnificent life as a great chef.
However, even after transmigrating to the cultivation world, Chu Qianmo's streak of bad luck remained unchanged.
Just after leaving the valley and dispelling the protective barrier, he hadn't gone far when five female cultivators approached him.
Each was exceptionally beautiful, and each possessed a unique charm.
One wearing red martial attire blocked Chu Qianmo's path. "What's your name? Where are you going?"
The original host's dantian was shattered, his meridians severed. There was no hope of survival, especially during a lightning tribulation. Yet, these five women clearly didn't believe it. Recently, they had been patrolling the area where the original host fell.
Not just Chu Qianmo; even a passing dog would be interrogated by them.
They were searching for the storage pouch left behind after Chu Qianmo's demise.
A sharpened sword pressed against his neck. Even though he grew up in peaceful times and dealt with kitchen knives daily, Chu Qianmo felt a chill run down his spine.
The features, restructured by the genetic repair fluid, were fair and delicate; this scare made them turn deathly pale.
Chu Qianmo admitted he was a coward—who wouldn't be? The woman before him was the original host's second wife, a princess of a nation, notoriously willful and spoiled by nature.
When she said she would kill someone, she truly meant it, never hesitating in the slightest.
At that moment, Chu Qianmo felt immensely grateful for his foresight in swapping clothes with Ye Bingbing for Wei-Jin dynasty-style ancient attire.
Although somewhat cumbersome to move in, it was definitely better than the array of magical robes from the original host's storage space.
Before he could even speak, the princess pinched his cheek with her other hand—just one squeeze, and tears of pain welled up in his eyes.
"Princess Huyang, that's enough," a woman in a black feathered-dress robe spoke. Princess Huyang glanced at her and reluctantly let go.
Chu Qianmo hitched up his skirt and bolted.
"Sister Ruoruo, why won't you let me continue questioning him? He's the person we've seen lately who looks most like that beast," Princess Huyang complained, her voice growing particularly loud.
"Princess Huyang, we've already scanned him with our spiritual sense. He's merely a male cultivator at the Qi Refining stage. Moreover, we checked his storage pouch; it's full of all kinds of vegetables," a female cultivator in soft yellow clothing explained to Princess Huyang.
Chu Qianmo didn't even look back. That was the original host's fourth wife, the eldest daughter of the prime minister from a country hostile to Princess Huyang's. Well-versed in the classics since childhood, after being killed by the original host, she never reincarnated. Instead, she lingered near him, observing his deeds. Furious, she recited the Five Classics and Four Books daily, eventually attaining enlightenment through literature.
After being reborn, her position within the Avenger Alliance was that of the strategist. It was she who, with her silver tongue, united the five people the original host had used to prove his Dao.
The original host's death was entirely orchestrated by her schemes. Otherwise, how could a cultivator at the Deity stage possibly die in such an undignified manner?
As an outsider, Chu Qianmo found them truly courageous, resourceful, and heroic. He deeply admired them. But as someone caught in the middle, Chu Qianmo was left with nothing but panic. If these sisters really mistook him for the original host and killed him again, who would he even go to for justice once he reached the underworld and stood before the King of Hell?
The more he thought, the more frantic he became.
In his previous life, Chu Qianmo's heart belonged only to culinary arts; his eyes saw only kitchen knives and woks. These women wielded swords and blades—he was no match for them.
At this moment, things like fingertip spirit springs or transmigrator chat groups paled in importance compared to his very survival!
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to hurry away. My sisters and I merely wish to ask you a few questions," a voice called out.
Chu Qianmo pretended not to hear, his legs churning even faster. He thought, the words of Zhang Wuji's mother and that old monk were indeed the ultimate truths of the world.
Beautiful women are the best at deception! Was that fourth wife really just wanting to ask questions? She studied demonic arts from the demon clan region. She was exceedingly proficient at things like soul-searching.
The old monk said women were tigers—he was absolutely right. They were simply too terrifying!
