While they were chatting, Ji Jiu walked in.
The winter sunlight was splendid. The man approached slowly under the sun, like a green pine under the bright moon. Once again, Xi Mufu was struck by his appearance.
Of course, this was merely an appreciation of beauty, just like admiring a handsome celebrity.
“I’ll be troubling you from now on,” Ji Jiu said, stopping in front of her.
Xi Mufu shook her head and pointed to the wing room on the left side of the courtyard. “This room has always been empty. I’ve already cleaned it up, and you can move in anytime. I hope it meets your satisfaction.”
Ji Jiu: “Thank you for your trouble.”
Shan Qu came over and said with a smile, “Little Fu, I’d like to stay too. Is that alright?”
Of course he wanted to spend more time with such a heaven-sent genius and learn from her. Although Tianyou Temple was less than an hour’s drive from Jingning Town, he thought it would be more convenient to live here. As for the temple, he could leave it to his disciples.
Xi Mufu was very grateful to Shan Qu for teaching her about Xuanmen and said with a smile, “No problem.”
There were three empty rooms in the backyard, and Shan Qu could choose any of them.
But Ji Jiu tactfully said, “To avoid arousing suspicion from visitors from other realms, the fewer people in this courtyard, the better.”
Shan Qu thought it made sense and quickly said, “Then I’ll stay next door.”
The elders from Longhu Mountain and Mao Shan Sect also wanted to stay and learn about talismans, so they bought the houses on both sides to temporarily reside in. After learning that the Talisman-making technique Xi Mufu had acquired was extremely exquisite and miraculous, they were eager to summon all the talented disciples from their sects to learn. However, they restrained themselves, fearing they might disturb Xi Mufu or affect the Special Administration Bureau’s plans.
Shan Qu hurriedly left to settle the housing matter, leaving only Xi Mufu and Ji Jiu in the courtyard.
Xi Mufu felt somewhat awkward for once.
Normally, she spent her days running the shop and taking inventory, living a fulfilling life. Now that the shop was closed, she found herself with free time and didn’t know what to do. Plus, she wasn’t particularly familiar with Ji Jiu, and the thought of living together day and night made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Ji Jiu glanced down at her and walked toward the main hall, his gaze falling on the memorial tablet in the room. “Is this your grandfather?”
Speaking of her grandfather, Xi Mufu felt sad, a nostalgic expression appearing on her face. “Yes, that’s my grandfather.”
She had grown up with her grandfather since childhood. He used to teach her how to fold gold ingots and various paper offerings. Every corner of this courtyard was filled with memories.
Ji Jiu noticed her downcast expression and said softly, “Your grandfather was kind to others during his lifetime and accumulated merit. He must be doing well in the underworld.”
Xi Mufu: “I hope so.”
In truth, she hadn’t really believed in the concept of the underworld before. Her grandfather had always told her that there were no gods or ghosts in this world. But after encountering visitors from other realms and Xuanmen practitioners like Shanqun Abbot, she felt that anything was possible. Perhaps her grandfather had indeed gone to the underworld after his passing. She only hoped that he was doing well in that unknown place.
Seeing that she was still immersed in sorrow, Ji Jiu remained silent for a moment before turning to look toward the entrance.
The next moment, several subordinates entered, some carrying boxes, others lifting cases.
“This is the payment for the first batch of Cleansing Talismans—3 million in total, plus 2 million in compensation for the business suspension. It’s all been converted into gold bars,” Ji Jiu said.
The subordinates opened the boxes, and the gold bars gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, radiating a dazzling glow.
Xi Mufu’s eyes widened, her sadness transforming into astonishment.
Gold bars!
It was the gold bars she had been dreaming of!
Truly demonstrating the speed of China, they had fulfilled their promise so quickly!
“I also had someone customize a safe for you, so you don’t need to worry about the gold bars going missing.” Ji Jiu pointed to the large box nearby and said, “From now on, payments will be settled monthly. You can continue choosing gold bars or opt to have the funds transferred to your bank card.”
Xi Mufu: “Mm-hmm.”
They had even prepared a safe for her—how thoughtful.
She was filled with emotion, but her eyes never left the gold bars. After all, these were worth 5 million yuan! She had never earned so much money in her life, nor had she ever seen so many gold bars. She couldn’t resist picking them up, admiring and playing with them, unable to get enough.
Ji Jiu watched as she stared intently at the gold bars and shook his head in amusement.
His subordinate whispered, “Nether Lord, do you not plan to reveal your identity to her?”
As the Nether Lord, Ji Jiu governed the six realms and, under this identity, collaborated with the human world as the head of the Special Administration Bureau to maintain peace across the realms. The arrival of visitors from other worlds had disrupted the tranquility of the six realms, which was why he had come in person as the bureau chief to assess the situation. However, Xi Mufu was still unaware of the reasons behind it.
Ji Jiu: “She is a mortal. It might be too much for her to process all this information at once. We can tell her later.”
She had only just been introduced to the Xuanmen; it was better to proceed step by step and reveal the truth once she had adapted.
“Go investigate her grandfather,” Ji Jiu said.
Perhaps in the future, she could even be reunited with her grandfather.
“Yes,” the subordinate replied respectfully before taking his leave.
Meanwhile, Xi Mufu was so absorbed in the gleam of the gold bars that she didn’t hear their conversation, nor did she catch the crucial term “Nether Lord.”
And so, everything was arranged by the Special Administration Bureau, waiting only for the visitors from other worlds.
Three days passed in this manner until the second one finally arrived.
Pu Yunfeng was the vice president of the Qilin Guild, the third-largest guild in the Infinite World. Though it couldn’t compare to the top-ranked Xi He or the second-ranked Chronal Watch, the Qilin Guild was still renowned. As the guild’s vice president, Pu Yunfeng’s strength was beyond doubt.
But this time, he had entered a hell-level instance—Night of the Wax Museum.
This instance was extremely terrifying. All NPCs inside could transform into wax figures at any moment, and if a player was touched by a wax figure, they would melt and solidify. Once completely solidified, they would die, and to this day, there was no known way to counter it. Every time the instance opened, almost no one survived. Over the years, the only ones who had cleared it were the leaders of the three major guilds. Thus, unless necessary, players avoided entering this instance. Unfortunately, this was a forced match, and Pu Yunfeng was selected, compelled to enter the instance.
Sure enough, on the first day, he was attacked by wax figures. After using three items and four skills in succession, he finally managed to escape the wax museum and stumbled into a shop in panic.
“Wait… What is this place?” Pu Yunfeng frowned, warily surveying his surroundings, only to find that it was… an Incense Shop?
Behind the counter stood a man and a woman, both exceptionally good-looking.
But Pu Yunfeng didn’t let his guard down. No matter how attractive the NPCs were, they could transform at any moment. The thought of the wax figures’ terrifying melting ability made his heart sink.
Xi Mufu and Ji Jiu naturally noticed Pu Yunfeng as well. Covered in blood and wounds, he had appeared inexplicably in the shop—undoubtedly a visitor from another world.
Exchanging a glance, Ji Jiu nodded to Xi Mufu.
Xi Mufu stepped forward: “Hello, what would you like to buy?”
Pu Yunfeng remained silent, merely watching her warily.
Seeing he showed no intention to attack, Xi Mufu handed him a Cleansing Talisman and said, “Would you like to clean the bloodstains on your body first?”
Mainly because there was also blood on his face, which looked quite frightening, and she felt somewhat scared too.
Pu Yunfeng didn’t take it.
Xi Mufu guessed he was probably worried about a trap. After a moment’s thought, she directly activated the Cleansing Talisman.
The next second, Pu Yunfeng found the bloodstains on his body had vanished. His left leg, which had been touched by an NPC and was nearly melted and solidified, returned to normal the moment it came into contact with the talisman.
He stared in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock.
This… this talisman could actually counteract the damage from wax figures?!