“Ladies, the owner of this establishment is a lecherous playboy, though he does have some skill.
When he is drunk, he loves to flirt with the beautiful women on the street. It is common for him to snatch a sweat cloth or grab a kerchief.”
The young assistant took the copper coins. Seeing that Nan Zhi had a gentle temperament and was not as intimidating as her appearance suggested, he hesitated for a moment before adding:
“This lady is so beautiful that I fear she might attract that fool's attention. Tomorrow morning, as soon as the sky clears, you should leave early.”
After saying this, the young assistant hurriedly slipped away along the wall, seemingly not wanting to stay a moment longer.
Nan Zhi and Wanniang exchanged a look, but they did not disregard the young assistant's kindness.
Once he was gone, Wanniang lowered the hand that had been covering her face, revealing a bright red long tongue.
“Hehe, if the shop owner truly dares to set his sights on me, he would be bold beyond belief.”
Although Nan Zhi had long since grown accustomed to her appearance, seeing her suddenly under the lamplight—
A beauty with a long tongue and a hideous ghostly face was still somewhat terrifying.
Nan Zhi finished making the bed and placed the umbrella Wanniang resided in beside the pillow.
“Didn't the assistant who led us in say it earlier? The owner went out to drink tonight and hasn't returned yet.
We are in a hurry. We will leave as soon as the rain stops tomorrow. I doubt that scoundrel will even cross paths with us.”
“Who knows? I was just reflecting on how long it has been. Even the foot shop I used to stay at has changed its rules.”
Wanniang sighed, her tone sorrowful. Her entire ghostly form transformed into a plume of smoke and drifted into the paper umbrella, falling silent.
Nan Zhi shook her head and ate a bit of the food the assistant had brought up before taking a thorough bath.
—Even though she could not feel filth in the game, she always felt she smelled foul after traveling through rain and yellow mud.
...
...
“Phew...”
By the time she finished her tasks, it was late into the night.
Nan Zhi blew out the oil lamp in the room, and the last bit of light vanished.
Outside, the heavy rain continued to pour, a boundless curtain of water falling from the heavens.
Nan Zhi controlled her character to lie on the bed. For once, she did not cultivate, instead choosing to tally the rewards from her recent lottery draw.
First were the five spell books she was most interested in.
【Water Shield Art (green quality): A basic Five Elements water control method. By borrowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth's water, it condenses water into a shield around the body.】
【Flying Fire Art (green quality): A basic Five Elements fire control method. By borrowing scorching energy, it hurls fire to injure enemies.】
【Wood Binding Art (green quality): A basic Five Elements wood system method. By borrowing the power of wood to grow withered vines, it binds enemies.】
【Earth Mud Art (green quality): A Five Elements earth spell. It turns earth into mud, creating a prison on the spot.】
【Sharp Gold Curse (green quality): A Five Elements sharp gold incantation. By borrowing the power of sharp gold and chanting over a blade, it creates a sharp weapon.】
Although they were all basic spells, they were a huge surprise for Nan Zhi at her current stage.
While her cultivation was gradually rising, her only actual offensive spell was the Five Thunder Curse.
The Five Elements spells were not of high quality, but if used well, they could provide a surprise victory.
Next, she turned her gaze toward another blue quality book reward.
【Painted Skin Manual (blue quality): Painting a person's skin is easy, but painting their bones is hard; painting their bones and eyes is easy, but painting their heart is hard.
This item contains the insights gained by a Painted Skin Ghost over many years. Those who master it can study the Painted Skin Art.】
Nan Zhi flipped through it casually, and her face immediately lit up with joy.
Who would have thought? The Painted Skin Ghost had been dead for so long, yet he could still be squeezed for such good stuff!
Wasn't this just the xianxia version of a disguise technique?!
She had been worried before that the path of cultivation was vast and full of danger. What if she was too reckless and made too many enemies?
This thing was a legendary tool for creating personas!
As long as the materials were ready, she would be a walking persona generator. Even an onion wouldn't have as many layers as her!
Good stuff.
Nan Zhi immediately clicked to learn it. The pages of the pale blue book flipped, and lines of small black characters drifted into her character's forehead.
In just a few breaths, she felt as if something extra had been added to her mind.
—If she had the materials on hand, she would have certainly gotten up to test it out.
Perhaps because she had left the starting village, even the materials drawn from the pool had become strange and varied.
【wet blood mud: Produced in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains of the southern border. A strange blood mud formed from the wailing of spirits after death. It smells unbearably foul, but for ghosts, it is a rare delicacy.】
【ghost incense: A special supply from the Demon Suppression Division. Incense pellets made from rhino horn, spirit cicada, and Small Chun seeds. When held under the tongue, one can understand the language of birds and beasts.】
These two also seemed quite useful.
Nan Zhi continued scrolling down, her gaze suddenly landing on one particular item:
【Strange Pause Button (?): Carefully refined by a great expert of this world, it contains infinite power of laws.
When used, it can pause game or reality progress to prevent the cultivator from missing important plot points. Please use with caution. (Cooldown: 90 days)】
What on earth?
“?!”
Nan Zhi practically bounced off the bed.
“Seriously? If this broken game could be paused, you should have said so earlier!”
Three months!
Do you know what she had been through these three months?!
A full three months without rest, working like a slave by day and a slave by night, pushing herself to the absolute limit!
Although cultivation could replace sleep, she still felt mentally unrefined!
Come on, game developer, come out. Let's talk about the philosophy of life and poetry. I promise I won't hit you (not).
“Splash, splash, splash...”
The sound of rain outside grew more urgent. Nan Zhi calmed down before taking out the item to examine it.
A small metal triangle, only about half the size of a palm. The center was transparent, and the internal structure resembled an hourglass, making a rustling sound when shaken.
“Able to pause game or reality... I can understand pausing the game, but saying it can pause reality—isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?”
Nan Zhi tried clicking the item, and two black options immediately appeared in her vision:
【Pause Reality】
【Pause Game】
She could actually choose?
Putting down the tablet in her hand, the character in the game immediately entered an idle state.
Outside the Great Song foot shop, the rain never stopped, as if it were the only sound left in the world.
In the rented room of the modern city, it was silent, with only the occasional sound of a car horn.
For a moment, Nan Zhi felt a sense of disorienting confusion.
If time in reality could also be paused, then which side was truly real?
Was she the wanderer in the game, or the cultivator who had just entered the dao in reality?
Nan Zhi had no answer.
But she did not dwell on the question for long.
【Pause Reality.】
The moment she made the choice, Nan Zhi felt a subtle change in her surroundings.
She slowly turned her head.
“Rumble!”
A flash of white light flared, followed by a sudden clap of thunder.
The quiet, cozy rented room had turned into a simple and tidy ancient style inn. Gauze hangings fell by the bed, swaying slightly in the eerie wind. Through the hazy bed curtains, she could vaguely discern the room's furnishings.
The damp air brought by the heavy rain rushed toward her, the smell of rot and moisture from the air competing to enter her nose. The rain continued, the sound of water hitting the eaves exceptionally piercing.
“Rumble, rumble!”
Another burst of thunder.
Nan Zhi stared blankly at everything.
An oil paper umbrella sat by the pillow, and a black shadow slowly poked out halfway. Wanniang, the long tongued female ghost, looked at her with concern.
“What is it? Sister Zhi, is something wrong?”
Nan Zhi gently looked up, her gaze falling on the bruises on the female ghost's neck and her deathly pale face.
The other was so close that she could even smell the cold aura of death mixed with a faint scent of wine.
Nan Zhi stared at that long tongue for a long while before suddenly laughing out loud.
“It is nothing. I just feel that it is good to see you with my own eyes.”
Wanniang was somewhat confused.
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