"Give you assets? And insist on marrying his daughter off to you?"
Does he think you're so suave, irresistible superstar?
"Just keep bragging. You're coming ho with right now!"
Shen Youling wrinkled her nose and tightened her grip on Lin Tang's hand, their fingers interlocking. She nodded at Lee Encai, then fled as if her life depended on it, terrified of being dragged back.
Upon reaching their apartnt building, Shen Youling noticed Gu Zicheng was still following them. "Who is he?" she asked.
If I tell her this guy is my new servant, she'll probably be unhappy, Lin Tang thought. Not wanting to argue, he said, "He's a neighbor from my hotown, a professional fortune-teller. His child fell ill and he couldn't afford the hospital fees, so he ca to see if I could help."
"Oh, then you should do your best to help him." Shen Youling looked at Gu Zicheng with pure sympathy.
Gu Zicheng was left speechless.
Lee Encai's mouth twitched. When he tells the truth, she refuses to believe him. But when he tells a casual lie, she buys it hook, line, and sinker!
Just as Shen Youling was about to go get her grandfather, Shen Qiushi called to say he was at the hospital.
"Are you feeling unwell again?" Shen Youling asked anxiously.
"No, I was thinking of donating my corneas..."
"Grandpa! You can't do sothing so foolish!"
"Youling, don't panic, I haven't done it. I just heard from the doctors that they've found a cornea from a deceased donor and it's on its way to Jiangbei. We don't need to provide ours anymore. We're safe!"
"So that's how it is!" Shen Youling said, a wave of realization washing over her. No wonder Lin Tang was released. What incredible luck!
***
At Lee Encai's strong insistence, Gu Zicheng spent an hour taking a bath. He also shaved, got a haircut, and changed into normal clothes. Despite being middle-aged, he looked quite refined and handso.
"See? You look so much better like this. Why did you have to be so filthy?" Lee Encai said, shaking her head.
Gu Zicheng replied helplessly, "It's mainly because the Gu worms I raise are more prone to backfiring and draining my vital essence when I'm clean..."
"What kind of things are you raising? Can I see them?" Lee Encai asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Of course." Gu Zicheng swiftly took out a small jar and opened the lid. He then pulled out a whistle and blew a series of strange notes.
A creature slowly crawled out. Its upper body was a cross between a fly and a praying mantis, while its lower half resembled a caterpillar. It was about the size of a child's fist, its abdon swollen and translucent, revealing countless tiny worms wriggling inside.
Lee Encai felt her throat clench, her face twisting in disgust. "This is absolutely repulsive. Is it always pregnant like this?"
"Yes. With my unique techniques, the larvae in its belly can silently invade an enemy's body. Ordinary people have no defense against it, and very few doctors can provide a cure," Gu Zicheng said with pride. "With this by my side, I can do as I please even in the most chaotic places abroad."
Lin Tang spoke up. "You have these parasites in your body too, don't you? When you launched that bad breath attack and spat blood at , you were trying to infect , weren't you?"
"Err, yes," Gu Zicheng grinned sheepishly.
"Stop talking, just put it away! I won't be able to eat later if you don't," Lee Encai said. She wanted to run to the restroom to vomit, but the thought of Gu Zicheng having just co out of there made her abandon the idea. She urged him to scram, adamant about not sharing a roof with him.
Gu Zicheng was secretly pleased and was about to take his leave. But Lin Tang had sohow produced a specially made pill. He said with a smile, "Eat this."
"Ah? Is... is this really necessary?" Gu Zicheng's eyelids twitched. This can't be good. "The Gu worms in my body are already highly toxic. A pill like this probably won't have any effect," he protested.
"If it won't have any effect, then what are you afraid of? Eat it. Now!"
"Yes..." With no other choice, Gu Zicheng complied. After a mont, he muttered, "Hm? I don't feel anything... WAAAHHH!!"
He suddenly convulsed, clutching his stomach as he squatted down, screaming in agony. He then started rolling on the ground as if his intestines were rupturing.
Lin Tang smiled faintly and retracted the Divine Sense that had activated the pill, allowing the man to gradually return to normal, gasping for breath. Gu Zicheng scrambled to his feet and imdiately swore his loyalty, begging Lin Tang to never torture him like that again. It had been excruciating.
Just as he collected the worm and was about to leave, Shen Youling returned with Shen Qiushi.
"You're leaving already? You should at least stay for a al!" Shen Youling insisted warmly, before chiding Lin Tang. "He's from our hotown. We can't be rude, or people will laugh at us."
Then she dragged Lin Tang to the kitchen, claiming they'd cook together.
Lin Tang was speechless. "Didn't you agree to handle it yourself? And why did you buy so many vegetables and radishes? Where's the at?"
"No money!" Shen Youling stated matter-of-factly, pouting at him.
"What's that supposed to an?" Lin Tang asked, puzzled. Is she asking to kiss her?
"...I just said, I have no money!"
"Oh, so you're asking for money. You should've just said so. How would I know you wanted it if you didn't tell ?" Lin Tang teased.
When Shen Youling finally served a table full of dishes, Gu Zicheng ate timidly. Lee Encai had no appetite at all and occasionally looked like she was about to vomit before forcing it back down.
Shen Youling was bewildered. What's with her? Is my cooking that bad? Or is she just acting strange on purpose? Could she be pregnant?
The thought shocked her, and she couldn't help but pinch Lin Tang under the table.
Lin Tang gasped. "Are you crazy?"
「Atop the Heavenly Mountains, in the Yaochi Heavenly Palace.」
Everyone held lit incense, devoutly chanting ancient texts. The older the language, the more complex the pronunciation; modern speech patterns were all simplified versions. These ancient pronunciations converged, seemingly stirring a mysterious power in the unseen world. The Grand Priestess, dressed in splendid garnts befitting a Heavenly Immortal, held a unique instrunt and ticulously perford the ritual. She had been awake for days without rest, neither eating, drinking, nor relieving herself. It was a feat ordinary people could hardly emulate.
Besides her, another woman in similarly gorgeous attire occasionally participated in the ritual. She was younger and smaller in stature—the Junior Priestess of the palace and the successor to the Grand Priestess.
That night, the sky was clear, revealing the vast, breathtakingly beautiful galaxy.
Suddenly, it was as if the heavens had drawn much closer. The seemingly small stars grew larger and brighter. Beams of starlight stread down, enveloping the entire Yaochi Heavenly Palace. The palace itself seed to beco a ship sailing through a sea of stars, and the entire mountain began to tremble slightly.
The crowd erupted in joy. "The Mystical Lady has finally awakened!"
They all knelt in worship. The Grand Priestess let out a long sigh of relief, utterly exhausted, and imdiately perford the concluding rites. All the descending starlight intertwined, forming a massive screen of light. Within it, the vague image of a regally beautiful woman's face appeared.
"What is it?"
As she spoke, her voice was like that of an ordinary person amplified hundreds of tis. Though lodious, it was deafening, causing everyone to stagger as a great wind howled through the mountains. For a re projection's voice to be so terrifying was a testant to her imnse power.
"Reporting, My Lady..." The Grand Priestess knelt and recounted the recent events.
The Mystical Lady's expression remained unchanged. She asked for the current year and month. Upon receiving the answer, she finally sighed faintly. "I had not thought that in the ti I took a nap, decades would have passed in the human world. By my calculations, the barrier between the Underworld and the human world is at its weakest again. We cannot allow them to wreak such havoc. Grand Priestess!"
"Disciple is here!" the Grand Priestess responded, bowing respectfully.
"Within ten days, bring the Human World King before . You are permitted to use a few Magic Artifacts at your discretion."
"I will obey the decree!"
After giving a few more instructions, the Mystical Lady closed her eyes and slowly faded away.
The Grand Priestess imdiately went to the palace treasury. Inside, a few seemingly decayed Magic Artifacts once again burst forth with a dazzling light; they had been activated by the Mystical Lady. The Grand Priestess first picked up a cone-shaped Magic Artifact, but after a mont's thought, she decided against it. I need to capture Long Tianji alive, not kill him.
So she switched to a rope-shaped Magic Artifact.
"Sister, let go. You've been so tired these past few days," the Junior Priestess said, her large eyes blinking.
"You?" The Grand Priestess hesitated. "You aren't planning to use this as a chance to sneak out and play, are you? You cannot ruin the Mystical Lady's important task!"
"Oh, co on, that's not what I ant at all!" The Junior Priestess threw herself into her elder's embrace, nuzzling her and pleading, "Please, just let go! Besides, the Magic Artifact is already imbued with Her Majesty's power. Its might is the sa whether you wield it or I do. No matter who the opponent is, they won't be able to resist. What difference does it make which one of us goes?"
Unable to bear her incessant pestering, the Grand Priestess reluctantly agreed. She then summoned the elder who had previously attended to Yan Qinghe. "Elder Zhan, you have always been the most dependable. Please keep an eye on Ruoruo and don't let her cause any trouble."
Elder Zhan smiled kindly. "Don't worry. The Junior Priestess is actually very sensible."
By dayti, the two had already arrived in a city.
"Wow! Is this what the human world looks like? It's completely different from what the ancient texts describe!" The Junior Priestess's eyes shone with utter amazent.
Everywhere she went, people stared with wide eyes.
"That girl is gorgeous! And she has such a classical aura, like she walked right out of a painting!"
"She's even wearing traditional clothing. Is she a Hanfu model?"
"Miss, are you an internet celebrity? What's your social dia handle? I want to follow you!"
"Can I take a photo with you?"
Soon, she was surrounded by a crowd, which only made her more curious, and she began asking all sorts of questions. "What is an 'internet celebrity'? And what is 'taking a photo'?"
Seeing her apparent ignorance, the people were astonished. Could she really be from ancient tis?
Just then, a luxury car sped past, completely ignoring the street's speed limit.
SCREECH!
The car slamd on its brakes and reversed.
Damn, I can't believe I ran into a total knockout who's on par with Shen Youling. Heh, I can't let this chance slip by!
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