***
Ever since the Blood Demon Ancestor’s physical body had been destroyed by Wenren Ying two hundred years ago, he had existed solely as a primordial spirit. Over all these years, he had drifted from one cultivator’s body to another, and when it came to sensing primordial spirits and spiritual energy, he could be considered one of the very best throughout the Nine Provinces and Eighteen Lands.
And yet, the bizarre voices ringing out from both sides contained not the slightest trace of spiritual energy!
Combined with those strange, stiff tones, there was only one thing the Blood Demon Ancestor could possibly have thought of—
Ghost cultivators!
An extremely rare type of cultivator. Ordinary methods used against living beings were completely ineffective against them; only specially crafted magical treasures could deal with them. And what they relied on to survive was the yang energy of the living…
“Haah—!”
The thought flashed through the Blood Demon Ancestor’s mind in an instant, and he reacted just as quickly. With a loud shout, he suddenly leapt into the air and landed on top of the table, standing there in a one-legged pose like a golden rooster. The precious sword at his waist was already out of its sheath, its tip pointed toward the two ghost cultivators!
But in Wu Guanyue’s eyes, this was…
Er…
This handsome young man radiating an overwhelming sense of brokenness suddenly let out a yell and jumped onto the table…!
A golden rooster standing on one leg…
Although Wu Guanyue often used this pose when performing Wuyun Escape, seeing it from a third-person perspective left her somewhat speechless…
And besides… had he really been scared into doing this just because of two convenience-store sensor chimes?
It was true that those things were rather eerie, but wasn’t Master Chongxu supposed to be a young noble from an aristocratic clan? Weren’t there all kinds of strange magical treasures in the immortal-cultivation world? They even had Memory-Reflection Pearls. Could something that transmitted sound from a distance really scare someone this badly…?
She felt… a little disillusioned…
Oh, well. Since Master Chongxu was this easy to frighten, she might as well make full use of him and squeeze out every last bit of fear value—
No, that wasn’t what she meant. She would simply extract as much fear value as possible!
Actually, Wu Guanyue’s guess had been correct. Magical treasures capable of producing sound did exist in this world. For example, there were zithers that could pluck their own strings.
But the Blood Demon Ancestor was a country-bumpkin of a demon…
He had embarked upon the path of cultivation only after digging up a viper. In his entire life, he had never seen any good things. His knowledge of magical treasures was still limited to flying swords and armor.
At this moment, the country-bumpkin demon’s entire spirit was taut with tension!
“Hello~ Welcome~”
“Hello~ Welcome~”
The bizarre voices continued to ring out again and again. But aside from mechanically repeating the same sentence, the two ghost cultivators did absolutely nothing…
Only then did the Blood Demon Ancestor realize that something was wrong. Belatedly, he thought: Could they… be magical treasures?
But what kind of magical treasure was this? And how could a mortal girl like Wu Guanyue, who ran an inn in the city, possibly possess something like it?
In an instant, countless questions flashed through the Blood Demon Ancestor’s mind. At that very moment, Wu Guanyue moved as well!
Seeing how incredibly easy it was to frighten Master Chongxu, Little Shopkeeper Wu immediately grew bold. She opened the game shop and started shopping at once—
At the same time, Wu Guanyue declared righteously, “Master Chongxu, why did you suddenly draw your sword and attack? Could it be that you and Brother Ying aren’t truly friends? Tell me! What exactly are you trying to do?”
This was, in essence, a provocation…
But Wu Guanyue didn’t really care. After all, she currently had two lives. She could afford to be a little reckless.
The Blood Demon Ancestor: “…”
After hearing those words, the Blood Demon Ancestor actually froze for a moment.
Damn it… What a virtuous wife…
She cared so much about Wenren Ying, even worrying whether someone close to him might try to harm him!
Thinking of the miserable life he had led after Wenren Ying destroyed his physical body, the Blood Demon Ancestor grew more and more resentful of Wenren Ying’s current existence—with a wife, children, and a warm family hearth.
The Blood Demon Ancestor said nothing, but he had already resolved to capture Wu Guanyue immediately and completely corrupt her with viper blood!
He would act at once!
With a loud roar, the Blood Demon Ancestor lunged toward Wu Guanyue!
Wu Guanyue, however, remained completely calm.
This man—after she had said those words, he had actually revealed an extremely sinister expression. He really was planning to harm Brother Ying!
In that case, she had no reason to hold back.
[Using Proficiency Skill—Rapid Food Delivery!]
“Riii—!”
A strange sound of something tearing through the air rang out!
The Blood Demon Ancestor sensed something flying toward him. His figure abruptly twisted, and he dodged the object rushing at him.
Wu Guanyue’s “Rapid Food Delivery” was a projectile skill capable of precisely locking onto its target. However, it was not a weapon governed by causality. In other words, if the opponent’s reactions were fast enough, dodging it was entirely possible.
But how could the clever Little Shopkeeper Wu have only one trick up her sleeve?
[Activating Mode: Building Mode!]
In that instant, the entire inn became Wu Guanyue’s domain!
She could completely control the various furnishings inside the inn and turn them into weapons—and as luck would have it, Master Chongxu could not see them, making the environment even more advantageous for her.
A jar suddenly flew toward the Blood Demon Ancestor—
The Blood Demon Ancestor laughed loudly. “Do you really think something like that can hit me?”
He nimbly leapt aside and dodged the jar. But the jar crashed onto the floor, and the grease inside splashed everywhere. The Blood Demon Ancestor’s foot immediately came down onto the oil-slicked ground—
Fun fact: people in the immortal-cultivation world still relied on friction when walking.
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s body slipped—but he didn’t fall. With a twist in midair, he turned halfway around and stabilized himself with a graceful aerial flip.
However, anyone who suddenly flipped through the air for no apparent reason was bound to reveal openings and vulnerabilities.
And so—
[Using Proficiency Skill—Rapid Food Delivery!]
“Riii—!”
That strange sound of something tearing through the air rang out once more!
Objects came flying from countless directions. Somehow, they curved and twisted through the air, steaming hot and glowing with a ghostly red light, forming a strange net that completely surrounded the Blood Demon Ancestor!
The Blood Demon Ancestor suddenly caught the scent of noodles…
Yes, it was that raw, steaming aroma of noodles, accompanied by the enticing fragrance of oil and another peculiar, stimulating scent that made anyone who smelled it swallow involuntarily…
…What could it be?
Fire chicken noodles! Fire chicken noodles! Explosively spicy fire chicken noodles!
As everyone knew, spiciness was not a taste but a sensation of pain. Moderate spice could help people sweat and even prevent rheumatism and such ailments. But excessive spice was nothing less than an attack!
Wu Guanyue had suffered firsthand from that kind of attack…
Originally, if she had merely been trying to earn a little fear value, she wouldn’t have resorted to such a vicious move. But since Master Chongxu genuinely intended to harm Brother Ying, there was nothing more to say.
She would strike with overwhelming force!
Wu Guanyue purchased twenty bowls of explosively spicy fire chicken noodles—the dine-in version—from the game shop in one go and flung them all out at once!
A deluge of spicy fire chicken noodles came crashing down right at the Blood Demon Ancestor mid-flip in the air, leaving him practically nowhere to escape!
The fire chicken noodles from the game shop really are better than the ones she mixes herself — every single noodle is fully coated in that dark red sauce!
And the Blood Demon Ancestor had no way to dodge it in time!
"AAAAAAAH ——!!!"
The Blood Demon Ancestor let out a earth-shattering shriek!
A full face of fire chicken noodles was plastered all over his features, and the dark red sauce instantly soaked through the sheer gauze he wore over his eyes. Even though Master Chongxu was blind, his eyes could still feel sensation, after all.
The Blood Demon Ancestor felt a searing stab of pain in both eyes, so sharp and overwhelming — and he, he was a primordial spirit that hadn't had a physical form for countless years!
This kind of pain was simply unbearable for him!
The Blood Demon Ancestor wailed with his mouth wide open... which only gave Wu Guanyue even more of an opening. More fire chicken noodles slipped into his mouth, making the mucous membranes in his mouth burn with that explosive, fiery agony!
It hurts so much! It's so spicy!
Right then, Little Shopkeeper Wu made her next move!
It's decided — go, lightning-struck wood fishing rod!
"Meow meow meow meow meow ——!"
Dark clouds streaked across the sky at breakneck speed, Wuyun the cat with nine fish treats balanced perfectly on its head. With one graceful leap through the air, all nine fish treats slotted neatly onto the line of Wu Guanyue's fishing rod!
Lightning-struck wood fishing rod — charging complete!
Wu Guanyue swung the rod, and the thin fishing line whirled into countless loops that wrapped Master Chongxu, who was covered head to toe in fire chicken noodles, completely tight.
Then, the rod unleashed a massive surge of thunder qi!
Crackle, crackle, blue-purple electric sparks burst across Master Chongxu's body. His screams echoed nonstop, but he still thrashed wildly, fighting to break free of the lightning-struck wood fishing rod's hold.
Wu Guanyue made a split-second call: "Wuyun, go get Brother Ying right now!"
She didn't have a truly effective finishing move, and she still had no idea why the Blood Demon Ancestor was targeting Brother Ying. Right now, the smartest choice was to bring Brother Ying over as fast as possible.
Wuyun shot off like a streak, turning into a flash of black lightning that skimmed across the ground and vanished in an instant.
But Master Chongxu was still struggling furiously...
This won't do, I have no idea how long the fishing rod can hold him... I need to think of a way to make him stay still.
Wu Guanyue's brain spun at top speed.
Ah! I've got it! She thought of something!
Wu Guanyue acted immediately, buying another item from the small home appliances section of the game shop, and then...
"Bzzzz... bzzzz...!"
The whir of something spinning at high speed rang out in Wu Guanyue's hand. Anyone who heard it would immediately know — this was a formidable, terrifying magical weapon.
Little Shopkeeper Wu's voice drifted out through the strange buzzing, low and eerie...
She said, her tone dark and quiet: "I suggest you stay perfectly still. Otherwise, this electric mixer is going right at you..."
Blood Demon Ancestor: "…………"
Blood Demon Ancestor: "………………"
The Blood Demon Ancestor felt a cold chill shoot down below his waist!
Good heavens! She said electric mixer... she really did say electric mixer, right?
That "mix" — what exactly is going to get mixed...
In that instant, an overwhelming, unthinkable terror flooded the Blood Demon Ancestor. He couldn't bear to imagine, he truly could not picture what was about to happen next!
I'd better give this body back to Master Chongxu right now — being a primordial spirit is so much safer!
Without a single second of hesitation, the Blood Demon Ancestor immediately released control of the body back to Master Chongxu and fled as fast as he could.
Master Chongxu's consciousness slowly drifted back...
The second he came to, he felt like every inch of his body was wrong. The most unsettling part was that he was tangled up tight in thin string, thunder qi surging through his whole body and popping tiny electric sparks all over his skin.
This — what is this —!
Master Chongxu was shocked out of his wits!
This familiar feeling — it's the lightning-struck wood fishing rod, isn't it!
Does that mean Little Shopkeeper Wu is connected to the old man who saved him all those years ago!
The descendant of my savior!
But from Wu Guanyue's perspective, the second she finished saying that terrifying threat, lines of tiny text suddenly floated up above Master Chongxu's head.
[Favorability +1]
[Favorability +1]
[Favorability +1]
Wu Guanyue: "…………"
Wu Guanyue: "…………?"
Brother Ying, there's a total weirdo here!!!
