She Wenjie let out a howl of anguish and collapsed to the ground. In that instant, he lost all ability to move.
Of course, the one lying on the ground at that moment was the real She Wenjie. The Blood Demon Ancestor had always understood the principle of “let someone else die instead of me.”
She Wenjie only remembered that he had… only remembered that he had charged at Wu Guanyue.
At the time, his mind held no thought other than “kill this bitch with one sword.” He had completely ignored even that obviously strange mass of blood-red mist.
Then… everything went black before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.
When he regained consciousness, he had already been plunged into immense agony. Before She Wenjie could even react, a scream tore from his throat. Lying on the ground, he writhed and rolled frantically, looking just like a maggot.
He wouldn’t do it again! He wouldn’t! Never again!
He rolled right out of the inn, exposing himself in all his ugliness beneath the sunlight on Qihua Road.
She Wenjie—Senior Brother She, a member of the Meishan She clan—might have been tyrannical and vicious in his daily life, but his elders had never bothered to discipline him. In their eyes, everything he did was merely a “minor matter.”
Yet those very “minor matters” had ruined who knew how many people. The suffering he was enduring now still could not repay all the debts he owed.
As for the Blood Demon Ancestor…
The Blood Demon Ancestor had transformed into a mass of blood-red mist and was fleeing at top speed.
To prevent him from entering another body and causing Wenren Ying even more trouble, Wu Guanyue shouted, “Blood Demon Ancestor! No matter how many bodies you enter, don’t even dream of escaping my Explosive-Spicy Five-Finger Mountain!”
The Blood Demon Ancestor cursed, “Shameless! Despicable! You adulterous pair!”
This trick was simply too sinister!
The Blood Demon Ancestor had lived for more than three hundred years, yet he had never seen such a sinister move before!
But… it really was effective.
At that moment, how could the Blood Demon Ancestor dare enter another body? He had gathered those pampered young masters because he intended to use them as spare clothing—once She Wenjie’s body became unusable, he could simply switch to another one. With that, he would surely be able to wear Wenren Ying down eventually.
But now… that plan was no longer viable.
The Blood Demon Ancestor could only run for his life. And run for his life he did.
But no matter how fast he ran, could he possibly outrun the light of the Soul-Seeking Mirror?
Before long, the mirror light caught him. He struggled uselessly, struggling and struggling…
Wenren Ying switched to a short dagger—the Yuan-Severing Blade, specially designed for dealing with primordial spirits.
Now, he was going to settle the grudge that had lasted three hundred years.
His expression was utterly cold. Anyone who saw it would know that his opponent no longer had even the slightest chance of survival.
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s eyes bulged with rage as hatred surged wildly in his heart. But when he saw the cold gleam of the Yuan-Severing Blade, fear suddenly drowned out his hatred, completely overwhelming him.
“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” the Blood Demon Ancestor cried out in panic.
But if Wenren Ying were willing to listen to him, he would not be Wenren Ying.
“The true culprit behind the Donghua Blood Moon wasn’t me! I was framed! I was framed! Don’t kill me—I’ll tell you who it was!”
Wenren Ying’s hand abruptly paused.
Seeing this, the Blood Demon Ancestor hurriedly continued, “I was only doing odd jobs for him! The real culprit was someone else! He was dressed like a rich man—clearly someone with money!”
Wenren Ying stared coldly at him.
But the Blood Demon Ancestor could say no more. At the time, he had merely been a muddleheaded farmer. After receiving some money, he had worked as someone’s laborer. How could he have known the identity of that nobleman?
Wenren Ying said coldly, “Whether that’s true or not, I’ll investigate it myself. You needn’t concern yourself with it.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Yuan-Severing Blade fell.
The Blood Demon Ancestor suddenly let out a terrifying scream that shook the heavens. The mass of blood-red mist was cleaved in two and writhed violently in the air. It did not last even three breaths before vanishing into thin air, leaving not the slightest trace behind.
Wenren Ying stood where he was, motionless.
Blood flowed across his chest and down his body, yet he showed no reaction at all, as though he could not feel the pain.
“Brother Ying!”
Wu Guanyue came running over and anxiously caught hold of him.
Wenren Ying seemed to force a smile at her and said hoarsely, “I’m fine.”
But… was he really fine?
After the Blood Demon Ancestor revealed that shocking secret… Wenren Ying seemed to have returned to Donghua City all those years ago.
He had thought he had already moved on. But now… it seemed he had never truly moved on at all.
The operation to hunt down the Blood Demon Ancestor had undergone several unexpected twists and turns, but the final outcome was good.
Master Chongxu had finally freed himself from the Blood Demon Ancestor and from the constantly spreading blood poison. In exchange, however, he had paid a tremendous price.
His spiritual palace had been destroyed. From then on, he would no longer be able to use his own body to store the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.
Yet Master Chongxu looked quite relaxed.
When he had collapsed in a pool of blood that day, there had even been a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
After that battle, Master Chongxu returned to Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven to recuperate. Although he was still Verdant Cloud Adept’s personal disciple, everyone understood that he was about to leave the stage.
Though Wenren Ying had destroyed Master Chongxu’s spiritual palace, everyone had witnessed that he had done so because the Blood Demon Ancestor had been residing within him. Bai Yunsheng of the Profound Heaven Sect and Baili Yuling of the Hundred Flowers Palace could both testify to that. Moreover, Master Chongxu himself had remained aware of the Blood Demon Ancestor’s possession while deliberately keeping silent about it.
If the matter were not suppressed quickly, it would likely benefit no one. And so, the case was settled in a vague and ambiguous manner.
As for She Wenjie…
She Wenjie was not a stray dog, yet he was even worse off than one.
The Meishan She clan was vast and flourishing, with countless descendants. The reason She Wenjie had been the one everyone fawned over was that his elder brother was exceptionally outstanding. Because of that, their branch of the family had also become particularly prominent. Those families that had placed their bets on Master Chongxu becoming the next master of the grotto-heaven would send a few useless, pampered young masters to play with She Wenjie…
It was hardly any trouble for them.
Now that Master Chongxu had been crippled, continuing to curry favor with She Wenjie was clearly no longer a worthwhile investment.
Besides, She Wenjie no longer dared show his face.
His dignity had been trampled completely into the dust. And this time, the experience had been so excruciating that he no longer dared hate Wu Guanyue, nor did he dare hate Wenren Ying.
She Wenjie holed up at home and refused to come out.
Wenren Ying had been injured during his battle with the Blood Demon Ancestor, but his wounds were not too serious. For the past few days, he had been recuperating at home and had likewise kept his doors firmly shut.
As for Wu Guanyue… Wu Guanyue had gained an unexpected reward!
Her Fear Points had actually reached the maximum!
Seeing She Wenjie’s miserable state had terrified the pampered young masters beyond measure… It had even terrified Bai Yunsheng. One after another, they had generously handed over their Fear Points, causing her Fear Points to… reach the maximum all at once!
Wow, this really was an unexpected delight!
By then, the inn had reached LV.5, and the seasons had turned from summer to late autumn.
Late autumn brought with it a bleakness that touched all things. Even the distant green mountains had turned golden. The weather was growing colder by the day, and every morning she woke to find frost covering the ground. After each frost, the temperature dropped a little further.
This was enough to prove just how much each level was worth in this game—she had spent nearly half a year reaching Level Five alone…
After the inn reached LV.5, she also unlocked a new feature: expansion!
The cultivation world certainly was convenient. Even expanding the inn didn’t require her to buy the surrounding properties. All she had to do was place a new decorative item, the [Immortal Gourd], inside the inn. Its exterior would remain unchanged, while the interior space would expand.
As an aside, the mustard-seed pouches in this world were all made from the skin of these gourds.
So that was how it worked. So that was how it worked.
The available expansion building also had a distinctly wintry feel—could it be a hot spring?!
Yes! A hot-spring courtyard! She absolutely had to choose the hot-spring courtyard!
She could turn the expanded backyard into a beautiful hot-spring retreat and add a few more guest rooms while she was at it. That way, when winter arrived, the inn could open as a hot-spring resort.
And she could soak in the hot springs with Brother Ying… Er, would that be all right?
At the thought of Wenren Ying, Wu Guanyue couldn’t help but flop onto the bed with a soft “flop.” She hugged Wuyun to her chest, trapping the blanket between her legs, and daydreamed sweetly for a while. Her face grew redder and redder…
She had to win Brother Ying over before winter arrived!
But first, she’d better check the main quest!
Wu Guanyue raised both hands and patted her cheeks twice before opening her quest panel to view the main quest.
This time, however, the main quest was rather cryptic.
[Main Quest: Discover the Root of Everything]
[Quest Details: You have wondered countless times why you were the one afflicted with that strange illness. You have also wondered countless times why you were the one chosen by the game… Your destiny is closely intertwined with the inn, but what exactly is the inn? If you wish to uncover the truth behind everything, begin by upgrading the inn to its highest level, LV.6.]
[Reward: Reunion of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits]
Hmm… the dimensional barrier had finally been broken.
Actually, Wu Guanyue had been mentally prepared for this. When she first experienced the game’s miraculous rewards, she had already realized that the two worlds connected by the game might both be real. Naturally, she had also wondered why she, of all people, had been chosen by a game that seemed almost miraculous.
What shocked her most, however, was the reward offered by this main quest.
…Reunion of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits.
Could it be that the paralysis she had suffered since childhood—a condition whose cause no one had ever been able to diagnose—was because her three souls and seven spirits were… incomplete?
Ah… No, she wasn’t going to think about it anymore. In any case, the inn’s management quests had been updated. It was time to start building the hot-spring courtyard and work hard to earn money!
And then there was Brother Ying… Before winter arrived, she absolutely had to win him over!
