The night was hazy.
On the road, a rat carrying a red rope in its mouth scurried along the base of a wall.
Chi Yu, pulling Shen Yanzhou along, followed closely behind it.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at a dense forest in the outskirts. The rat’s trail was difficult to see under the cover of grass and bushes, forcing Chi Yu to proceed with even greater caution.
Shen Yanzhou lowered his voice: “You knew that old woman was suspicious?”
She kept her eyes on the rat: “Of course. Someone as clever as me would naturally see through the truth at a glance.”
Truth be told, she hadn’t noticed at first.
But upon reflection, something felt off—the old woman’s appearance was too coincidental, happening right on the street near the intersection of East Street and Jiang Jiuming’s stall.
Song Wan had also disappeared around the same time in this area.
For someone to silently take Song Wan away from the inn, they must have used a tool that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
Moreover, as a vulnerable young woman separated from her sister, Song Wan should have been even more wary of strangers.
But a frail, helpless old woman selling red ropes to make a living wouldn’t raise her guard.
After all, the old woman appeared weak, and young women are more inclined to sympathize with the vulnerable. That made the old woman the most suspicious.
Since the other party’s background was unclear, Chi Yu didn’t act rashly.
She chose to buy the old woman’s red rope precisely to confirm whether it was her.
And indeed, the red rope turned out to be problematic.
Shen Yanzhou’s expression was complicated: “So that’s why you gave it to Jiang Jiuming?”
“Exactly.”
On the street, only she had noticed the old woman’s suspicious behavior. To avoid ruining the plan, she had to prioritize her own safety.
Shen Yanzhou, as the male lead, was blessed with fortune and was more reliable than Jiang Jiuming.
So, after careful consideration, she gave the red rope to Jiang Jiuming.
To protect him, she even exchanged a tool with the System: while in a deep sleep, his divine soul would be immune to all spell damage for one hour.
This way, Jiang Jiuming would at most suffer some physical beating—consider it payment for earning Song Yingying’s thousand Spirit Stones.
For a moment, Shen Yanzhou fell silent.
Indeed, this woman wouldn’t smile so brightly at others without reason.
Recalling this, he distanced himself from Chi Yu.
The memory of her using him as a shield in the Great Demon’s cave was still vivid, and this time, he had learned his lesson.
The rat stopped abruptly at a grave mound.
It transformed into human form, and the red rope morphed into a stretcher, with Jiang Jiuming lying peacefully on it.
Another rat scurried out from behind the grave mound and also transformed into human form, appearing older.
He looked surprised: “Can this man also serve as the king’s bride?”
“We don’t know either.”
The younger one wiped the sweat from his forehead: “But Yan Niang’s red rope was tied to him, so it must be correct. Let’s just take him down and report back.”
They lifted the stretcher and circled the grave mound three times to the left and three times to the right. The tombstone slowly shifted, revealing an opening with steps leading downward.
They carried Jiang Jiuming down.
Chi Yu quickly pulled Shen Yanzhou to follow.
The tombstone gradually moved back into place.
Beneath the earth pit, a hidden world awaited.
A long corridor stretched ahead, with candle lamps hanging on the stone walls, barely illuminating the path. The walkway was cold and damp, sending shivers down one’s spine.
The two Rat People carried Jiang Jiuming forward, entering a dark chamber before finally setting him down.
Chi Yu finally saw clearly that several young girls stood by the wall of the dark chamber, like puppets, all dressed in red with pale faces, sunk into deep sleep.
The last one was unmistakably her one thousand Spirit Stones—Song Wan.
Before the dressing table sat a skeletal skeleton.
Its tone was surprised: “Why is it a man this time?”
“We don’t know either, but Yan Niang must have her reasons for doing this. You should hurry and finish his makeup. We still have to lead the bride to see the King later.”
The skeleton nodded, stood up, and gently applied powder to Jiang Jiuming’s face. It took out a blue-black eyebrow pencil to outline his brows, applied lip rouge, loosened his hair and combed it into twin buns, and finally changed him into a red outer garment.
A lovely “bride” with willow-leaf eyebrows and cherry-like lips was thus created.
Chi Yu couldn’t help but sigh to the System: “You know, this skeleton’s makeup skills are quite good. Jiang Jiuming looks really pretty in women’s clothing.”
Once they got out, she would set up a stall on the street, have Jiang Jiuming and Shen Yanzhou both dance in women’s clothing, while she handled the music. The attention they’d draw would surely be high, and she wouldn’t have to worry about making money.
She truly was a genius.
System: “…That’s not the point, Host. Do you know where you are?”
“Where?”
“A mass burial ground. This is where Shen Yanzhou’s opportunity lies. Here, he devours the Hundred Ghosts’ Resentment and breaks through to the Qi Refining Fifth Stage.”
The System paused: “Places where the male lead finds opportunities are often very dangerous. Be extra careful and don’t die.”
Chi Yu’s expression turned serious. She leaned close to Shen Yanzhou: “Once they leave, you go steal Song Wan and Jiang Jiuming. We’ll leave immediately.”
Shen Yanzhou: “…”
Chi Yu’s thinking was simple: since this was Shen Yanzhou’s opportunity, he definitely wouldn’t die.
Therefore, the task of stealing people was best left to him.
She didn’t know what cultivation base the “King” mentioned by those spirits had. If they couldn’t defeat him, it would be awkward, so they couldn’t cause a commotion.
Now that they had scouted the situation, they should first steal the important people.
Canglang City was full of Cultivators who slayed demons and monsters. Once they were safely out, she could drop a hint that this place held secret treasures, and someone would surely come to investigate and rescue the others.
After a long while, the skeleton stood up: “It’s time. Take the bride over.”
But then, Chi Yu watched helplessly as it led Song Wan away.
Shen Yanzhou concealed the darkness in his eyes, pretending to be an innocent youth, and asked her: “I suppose I don’t need to go steal people now?”
Chi Yu gritted her teeth: “Of course not.”
This damn skeleton, why did it have to pick Song Wan?
There was no way she could let her one thousand Spirit Stones come to harm. She could only follow angrily.
On the way, she took out the Qiankun Order and without hesitation sent a message.
[Manic Maggot in the Sea of Filth: There’s an underground city in the mass burial ground of South Mountain, filled with countless secret treasures. Too much for one person to take. Those interested, come quickly.]
After sending this message, she specifically added the method to open the underground passage.
Regardless of the enemy’s cultivation base, calling for reinforcements was the way to go.
Passing through a narrow, long tunnel, they soon arrived at an extremely spacious area.
It was a circular underground chamber, with a circle of human skulls arranged on the ground, particularly eerie.
On a crescent-shaped platform, many red candles were placed, along with wine cups and dishes—though all were raw meat.
Over a dozen Rat People busily set out bowls and chopsticks, while skeletal skeletons moved small square tables around.
In the center of the round platform stood a clay sculpture resembling a woman, with a Star Stone embedded in its forehead, faintly glowing under the dim candlelight.
With a creak,
all the spirits and monsters immediately halted their movements, kneeling halfway to the ground. “We welcome the great king.”
A tall figure emerged from the dark door on the left.
He wore a black feathered robe, a hood covering his head, and held a scepter in his hand. His hands were as thin as dried twigs, and his face was deathly pale.
Beside him stood a figure with lowered eyes and a submissive demeanor, floating in the air without legs—the old woman Chi Yu had encountered on East Street.
System: “Host, they are Grudge Spirits who feed on human essence. Be careful. The tall one’s Cultivation Base is at least at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.”
Chi Yu frowned, deciding to wait for backup to arrive.
King Nanshan stood before the clay sculpture, his eyes filled with tenderness, his voice hoarse. “My lady, after sacrificing the Divine Souls of seven more brides, you will be revived.”
He reached out, gently caressing the clay sculpture, even planting a soft kiss on its face—a sight both eerie and unsettling.
Yan Niang behind him gestured with a hook of her hand. “Bring the bride forward.”
The skeletal skeletons immediately carried Song Wan before the clay sculpture, connecting her to the crystal stone with a Red Rope.
King Nanshan slowly extended his hand, black energy swirling around it as he placed it atop Song Wan’s head, preparing to extract her Divine Soul for the sacrifice.
The Divine Soul was one of the lifelines of a Cultivator. Once destroyed, Song Wan would undoubtedly perish.
Chi Yu’s heart burned with anxiety, but no other Cultivators had arrived yet.
If she didn’t interrupt this ritual, the thousand Spirit Stones would be wasted.
Shen Yanzhou’s gaze was filled with disdain and ambiguity as he stared at Chi Yu beside him.
In previous lifetimes, he had clashed with this King Nanshan, who was actually not much of a threat. But at present, he could easily overpower Chi Yu.
Though he wanted to prolong the game and wouldn’t let Chi Yu die now, it seemed quite fitting to let her suffer some injuries.
Otherwise, her life was far too comfortable compared to the previous Task Executors.
Thinking this, Shen Yanzhou’s lips curled into a faint smile.
All he had to do was gently remove Chi Yu’s Invisibility Talisman, exposing her to King Nanshan and subjecting her to attacks from all the spirits and monsters. By then, she would be covered in wounds and drenched in blood—a scene that would surely be lively.
His plan was perfectly conceived when suddenly, Chi Yu turned to look at him. “Sorry, Zhouzhou.”
Before he could react, Chi Yu’s hands shot out like lightning, tearing the Invisibility Talisman from his chest. As his figure became visible, she shoved him forward.
With a loud crash, he materialized and collided with a table at the wedding feast.
All the spirits and monsters instantly turned their gazes, letting out a chorus of startled cries.
King Nanshan recoiled in shock, withdrawing his soul-extracting hand. “Who’s there?!”
Shen Yanzhou: “…”
Damn!
Chi Yu had the same idea as him—and acted faster!