Zhuge Wu moved with incredible speed, raising his hand to grab my fist as he said calmly, "How exactly did I use you?" I had no idea how Zhuge Wu possessed such strength—with my fist in his grip, I couldn't even pull it back. "Yu Mengxuan and that Lietougui—I brought them both here, and you used the Lietougui to harm Yu Mengxuan?" I gave up trying to pull my hand free and kicked out instead. But Zhuge Wu seemed to anticipate my move; the moment I lifted my foot, he kicked out first, sending me crashing to the ground. He said flatly, "You were haunted by the Lietougui, and I helped you get rid of it. Yu Mengxuan won't die either, and I get paid. It's a win-win-win situation—how is that using you?" I was momentarily at a loss for words. Zhuge Wu was definitely a trained fighter; otherwise, he wouldn't have such skills. "But you just said 'chan si fa zhu'! Don't think I didn't hear you!" I got up and stared at him coldly. "It's 'si chan fa zhu.' Yu Mengxuan won't die, don't worry. Hah, I didn't expect you to have some fire in you." Zhuge Wu said as he walked out. I quickly chased after him, asking, "Tell me, what is the Lieguiren Lianmeng?" "A killing organization," Zhuge Wu said nonchalantly. "A killing organization? You've been killing people all along?" I asked in shock. This was a society governed by law, wasn't it? How could such an organization still exist? Zhuge Wu nodded and said, "Yes, one kill per week—that's our mission. By the way, are you hungry? Let me take you to breakfast." I stood still on the stairs, staring blankly at Zhuge Wu, unable to comprehend what kind of world he lived in—how he could say "one kill per week" so casually. "Demon…" I muttered, staring at him in a daze. "Come on, let's go eat. What, scared? Let me tell you, Zhao Lianfan, from the moment you traded the old man's life to marry a snake demon as your wife, you should have known this world isn't simple," Zhuge Wu said. I was stunned, frowning as I asked, "What are you talking about? Trading Grandfather's life to marry a snake wife?" Zhuge Wu sneered and said, "Don't tell me you didn't know. If it weren't for you, the old man would have had at least another year to live. Maybe in that year, I could have broken through his fate and changed it for him. But now he's dead, the lamp is out, and there's nothing I can do." "I…" I couldn't say another word, just staring at Zhuge Wu. He didn't treat me like a child either, staring back without yielding an inch. In his eyes, there seemed to be a hint of resentment, as if I were the one who had killed Grandfather. The two of us faced each other for a long time in the silence of the stairs. Though Zhuge Wu had spoken of Grandfather's death lightly, I could still see a heavy sorrow in his eyes. "Gurgle!" His stomach growled. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, since the old man raised you himself and willingly gave up his life to save you, I won't go against his wishes. But you need to understand the dangers of this world. I've read your birth chart—with a fate like yours and a snake demon as your wife, you should keep your attitude in check for the rest of your life. Come on, let's go eat breakfast." I silently followed behind Zhuge Wu, my heart heavy. I knew few people shared my experience—I was an outlier. Zhuge Wu was right; I needed to face what was coming bravely. Zhuge Wu casually grabbed a cloth bundle from the table, walked out of the shabby villa, and mounted his beat-up motorcycle again, taking me to a small noodle shop outside Qianhun Lu. The entire meal was suffocatingly tense. I didn't want to talk, and Zhuge Wu couldn't be bothered to speak with me either.
Zhuge Wu ate very slowly, seemingly lost in thought. Sometimes after taking a bite, he would stare off into space for several minutes. In the end, the entire breakfast took over two hours to finish. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Aren't you afraid the noodle shop owner will kick you out?" Zhuge Wu gave a mysterious smile and said, "Wait. Within a minute, Yu Mengxuan will definitely call you." I looked at him doubtfully, and just as I pulled out my phone, it rang—an unfamiliar number. I pressed the answer button and casually said, "Hello? Hi there." "Zhao Lianfan? This is Yu Mengxuan." Yu Mengxuan's tone remained as cold as ever. I grunted in acknowledgment and said, "Is there something you need?" "Your third uncle was right—I'm being haunted by a ghost. Since your third uncle knows how to catch ghosts, come over here. I've already sent a car to pick you up." Yu Mengxuan's voice was calm and flat, devoid of any emotion. I let out an "oh," glanced at Zhuge Wu, and before I could say anything, she had already hung up. "Zhuge Wu, you were right. Yu Mengxuan is being haunted by a ghost and wants you to help her. A car is already on its way to pick us up," I said. Zhuge Wu nodded and said, "Let's go. We'll head back and get prepared." When we returned to Number 44, Zhuge Wu went upstairs. Before long, the guy had changed into a different set of attire and came down—wearing a Taoist robe printed with the Eight Trigrams pattern, a black Taoist headscarf, and carrying a gray cloth bag. He looked spirited and full of vigor. "Zhuge Wu, aren't you at all worried this is a trap?" Looking at Zhuge Wu's appearance, I asked with concern. Yu Zhen was no ordinary person. Someone who had clawed their way back to this position wasn't someone you could easily fool. I refused to believe he didn't have a few insiders around him. And the tone Yu Mengxuan used when she called me seemed somewhat hostile. Zhuge Wu smiled and said, "If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster; if it's a disaster, you can't avoid it. I don't have any other path right now. What? Are you scared? If you're scared, stay home. If I don't come back safely, you run for your life. But I can tell you plainly—if Yu Zhen wants to find you, it won't matter if you flee to the ends of the earth." "So I've been dragged into this by you?" I said, somewhat speechless. Zhuge Wu chuckled and said, "I'm your third uncle, and you're my nephew. Saying 'dragged into this' is a bit too distant." "But when you're collecting money, you sure don't acknowledge being my third uncle!" I cursed under my breath, not wanting to say anything more. Zhuge Wu remained as thick-skinned as ever, walking over to me and saying, "By the way, your Yintang is floating and unstable, and your yin-yang eyes are very unsteady. It seems like they've been opened with spiritual power, but then again, it doesn't quite seem that way. What's going on?" I didn't want to talk about it, so I just looked at Zhuge Wu. Zhuge Wu continued, "If you don't tell me, I won't take you to the Yangshidi." "Damn it, you took my money!" I stood up abruptly. Zhuge Wu explained, "What I mean is, if we don't resolve this problem, even if we find the Yinshazhu, you won't be able to withstand it." "Really?" "Really. If I'm lying, I'm a dog." "Fine. Grandfather said my Jiyin Mingge was broken by my snake wife, and my yin-yang eyes were affected but not fully opened. I occasionally see some things, but not everything—I'm still in a hazy state," I said. Zhuge Wu's expression changed, and he asked, "What do you mean 'broken'? That's just a seal. Hey—if the snake demon sealed your Jiyin Mingge again, doesn't that mean you and that snake demon have already consummated the marriage?"
“Yeah.” I blushed and answered directly. Zhuge Wu’s body twitched, and he suddenly looked at me with a very strange expression. “What?” I asked, puzzled. Zhuge Wu chuckled and said, “That snake demon is really good to you. There’s something I’m not sure if I should ask.” “What?” “When you and the snake demon do it, does it feel good? Does it feel like you’re having the time of your life?” Zhuge Wu licked his lips and said. “Get lost!” I cursed, no longer bothering to look at this bastard. Zhuge Wu laughed and said, “To be honest, for the snake demon to sleep with you, it costs her cultivation. And you should be benefiting a lot—like a stronger body, increased comprehension, and even a super memory, almost photographic, right?” I nodded and said, “Yeah, pretty much.” Zhuge Wu said enviously, “Lianfan, let’s discuss something—if I can cure that snake demon, can you let her and me…” “Get the hell out of here!” I didn’t hold back anymore, grabbing a cup from the coffee table and hurling it with all my strength. Zhuge Wu’s figure flashed, and he raised his hand to catch the cup, saying, “Young people have such a hot temper. I’m just joking. With your current qualities in every aspect, as long as you’re properly trained, you’ll have a bright future.” “How do you train me?” I looked at Zhuge Wu’s agility with surprise and a bit of envy. In my impression, people who understood ghost and spirit arts usually weren’t good at fighting, but Zhuge Wu completely changed my view—this guy’s skills were way too impressive. Zhuge Wu said seriously, “Give me a hundred thousand, and I’ll take you as my disciple. Not only will I teach you ghost and spirit arts, but also martial skills. Most importantly, I can teach you how to be a person, to become a well-rounded talent of excellent character like me.” “…” Talking with Zhuge Wu was enough to drive me crazy, but unfortunately, I couldn’t beat him now, and I needed his help, so I had to endure it. After that, Zhuge Wu rambled on beside me for nearly half an hour, and I didn’t say another word. Half an hour later, a van pulled up outside. When Zhuge Wu saw the van, his expression changed slightly. I smiled and said, “Looks like they don’t think much of you, sending a beat-up van to pick us up.” Zhuge Wu’s expression returned to normal, and he took out a black talisman, formed a sword finger gesture, pinched the talisman, and drew a few strokes over my forehead while muttering some gibberish. Then he stuffed the talisman into my pocket and said, “This is for saving your life—never take it out.” I gave an “oh” and followed Zhuge Wu into the van. The van drove for over an hour before stopping outside a luxurious and imposing villa in the city. Whether it was the appearance or the size, especially the dazzling hollow gold characters “Yu Mansion” at the entrance, it was clearly worth a fortune—compared to Zhuge Wu’s shabby villa, it was like night and day. Guided by the Yu Mansion’s steward, we walked into the hall, which was nearly five hundred square meters, but the windows were covered with thick curtains, blocking out all light, with the lights inside on. Seeing the scene in the hall, my heart suddenly turned cold, because the Lietougui that Zhuge Wu had used to entangle Yu Mengxuan was now trembling beside a middle-aged man also wearing a Taoist robe, with a yellow talisman paper stuck to its chest.