A Room You Can't Leave

Inside the guest room, peace returned.

Gu Chengming slowly opened his eyes.

He had reached the second realm.

He inspected his internal state and saw that the gaseous spiritual energy that had once filled his meridians had now completely transformed into viscous and heavy liquid true essence.

It flowed slowly within the dantian's sea of qi. In the very center of that sea, a wisp of golden-red aura that he hadn't cultivated himself, yet felt connected to his bloodline, sat quietly coiled.

The aura had condensed into the shape of a tiny swimming dragon, barely an inch long.

It was not a dead thing; rather, it breathed along with Gu Chengming, swallowing and spitting the surrounding true essence. What Gu Chengming found even more peculiar was that every time this little dragon breathed, he could vaguely feel a vague, indescribable resonance with the earth beneath his feet, the sky above his head, and even the entire Great Qian capital.

It was as if he had obtained some kind of special privilege.

'What is this thing?'

Gu Chengming felt somewhat puzzled.

This dragon qi... no matter how he looked at it, it seemed inextricably linked to the Great Qian imperial family.

【Hundred Bones Resonating exclaims: A dragon! That is the sign of an emperor!】

【It says gleefully: Congratulations, Emperor Gu! You can now ascend to the throne!】

【The Qingxin Art keenly perceives that this dragon qi might bring a lot of fun later on.】

【The Huiyuan Sword Manual is also quite happy for you.】

【Flowing Cloud Following Moon snorts: You're in the second realm now. Kill a few more sword cultivators later to liven things up.】

Looking at the lively scene before him, the slight doubt in Gu Chengming's heart dissipated significantly.

Amused, he stood up, straightened his slightly messy clothes, and pushed the door open.

Creak—

The long-closed door opened, and the autumn sunlight spilled unreservedly onto his face, carrying a hint of warmth.

Gu Chengming was in an excellent mood. Just as he was about to share the good news with Yu Wenqiu, he felt a faint gaze, like a physical manifestation of resentment, land on him.

He paused and looked toward the source.

Beneath the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, Yu Wenqiu was slumped in a wicker hammock. Although she was holding a volume of a storybook, her mind was clearly elsewhere. She was staring fixedly at Gu Chengming with a resentful look, as if she were looking at a heartless man.

"...Elder?"

Unsettled by her gaze, Gu Chengming subconsciously took half a step back and said hesitantly, "What's wrong?"

Yu Wenqiu gave a soft huff, her voice carrying a hint of gritted teeth. "Thanks to a certain someone."

She slowly sat up, her movements somewhat sluggish as if she had aggravated an injury. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly, but she quickly hid it.

"Did you break through?" Yu Wenqiu looked him up and down, her tone complex.

"I broke through by sheer luck."

Gu Chengming nodded, then walked forward and said, "However, Elder, something seems to have gone a bit wrong with my breakthrough..."

"Gone wrong?"

Yu Wenqiu's heart skipped a beat. With such a massive commotion earlier, she worried he might have actually been injured. "Where does it feel uncomfortable?"

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable."

Gu Chengming hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth. After all, Yu Wenqiu was knowledgeable. "In my sea of qi, I found a dragon-shaped qi seed. Furthermore, this seed seems to resonate with the dragon qi of the capital."

"..."

Yu Wenqiu's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

Once she snapped out of it, she grabbed Gu Chengming's wrist and sent a wisp of divine sense inside.

A moment later, she released her grip, her expression turning incredibly vivid. It really was dragon qi!

"Elder, is there... a problem?" Gu Chengming asked tentatively.

"There is, and there isn't."

Yu Wenqiu took a deep breath and massaged her temples, feeling her headache intensify. She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why. She could only attribute it to the unique nature of the Zhou Rites art or Gu Chengming's own providence. She instructed, "Before that dragon-shaped qi seed is completely stabilized, do not show it to anyone, especially people from the Great Qian imperial family."

"I understand," Gu Chengming nodded in agreement.

Yu Wenqiu gave a few more instructions and once again forcibly activated her Heavenly Eye, sealing off the aura that the dragon-shaped qi seed might leak.

With the business finished, Yu Wenqiu's resentment surged again. She remembered how she had nearly damaged her foundation earlier to hide this boy's commotion. How many good things would she have to eat to make up for that?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had lost out.

Thus, Yu Wenqiu extended a slender finger, disregarded her dignity as an elder, and poked Gu Chengming's firm chest twice, quite hard.

"I don't care what you've cultivated."

Yu Wenqiu puffed out her cheeks, looking like a debt collector who was fully in the right. "In short, I lost big for your closed-door cultivation this time!"

She didn't mention her injury or vomiting blood, turning her sacrifice into a lighthearted complaint like a young girl's.

"You must compensate me!"

Gu Chengming was poked back half a step. Looking at the woman who was both a mentor and a friend, he didn't know exactly what had happened, but he could guess she must have hidden something for him.

"Yes, yes, Elder has worked hard. In Elder's opinion, how should I compensate you?"

"Hmph."

Yu Wenqiu withdrew her hand and tilted her chin up arrogantly. She held up one finger, but after thinking it over and deciding it wasn't enough, she doubled it. "One volume... no, two volumes! I want you to write that storybook all the way to the sixth volume in one go, and every volume must have a perfect side-route ending."

Gu Chengming found it funny but agreed anyway.

"That's more like it."

Having received a satisfactory promise, Yu Wenqiu's eyes curved into crescents, looking like a cat that had stolen some fish.

"Alright, since you've come out of seclusion, it's a happy occasion."

She stood up from the wicker hammock and lightly brushed a few flower petals off her skirt. She gave a long stretch, her exquisite curves fully revealed under the evening glow, exuding an indescribable laziness and comfort.

"I've been busy guarding you these past few days and haven't even had a hot meal."

As she spoke, she casually swept up her slightly loose long hair and tied it behind her head with a wooden hairpin. "Even though you've achieved inedia, this elder's mortal appetite hasn't been lost."

"Let's go, don't just stand there."

Yu Wenqiu turned and walked toward the courtyard gate with a light step, showing no trace of her previous weakness. "Today is a good day. Let's go to the Market City."

"I heard a few boats of fresh spirit beast meat arrived at the West Market, along with freshly picked spiritual vegetables. We won't make those damn osmanthus cakes tonight; we're having hot pot! Consider it... a welcoming feast for you, a second realm cultivator."

Without waiting for Gu Chengming to reply, she turned and left the courtyard.

About an hour later.

Beneath the old pagoda tree in the small courtyard, a dim yellow lantern hung from a branch, swaying gently in the night breeze and casting mottled, long shadows. Beneath the tree sat a small red clay stove with a roaring fire licking the bottom of a purple copper pot.

The milky white broth in the pot was bubbling. Pieces of tender white scallion and bright red goji berries floated on the surface. As the steam rose, a rich aroma of bone broth dominantly occupied the entire courtyard, warming the originally cold autumn night.

Gu Chengming rolled up his sleeves and sat on a small stool. Holding a sharp knife, he was focused on a piece of marbled mutton on the cutting board. His movements were steady; with every stroke, paper-thin slices of meat were neatly arranged on a blue-and-white porcelain plate, shimmering with a translucent luster.

Meanwhile, Yu Wenqiu reclined improperly on the wicker hammock opposite him, draped in a thick fleece blanket. Although she still held a storybook she hadn't finished reading, her peach-blossom eyes, usually filled with laziness, weren't on the pages at all.

Her gaze followed the rise and fall of Gu Chengming's knife. Her throat would occasionally bob almost imperceptibly. Whenever the broth in the copper pot boiled vigorously, she couldn't help but lean forward, lightly tapping her long chopsticks against the edge of the pot as if urging him.

When the meat slices hit the pot, the originally clear broth instantly churned with white foam, and the mutton curled and changed color in the boiling water. Yu Wenqiu squinted her eyes and, ignoring the heat, placed a piece of mutton into her mouth. She immediately let out a satisfied sigh, her eyes curving as she sank back into the wicker hammock.

The scent of osmanthus mingled with the warmth of the hearth. They sipped slowly and ate in silence through the night.

The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

When Gu Chengming stepped into the heavy gatehouse of the Night Guard Division built from black basalt once again, more than half a month had passed since his last visit.

During this half-month, the name Gu Chengming had become quite famous within the Night Guard Division.

A First Realm, Ninth Level cultivator who had inversely slain a second realm, Middle Stage evil spirit, straightened out the workplace in public at the welcoming banquet, and even spoke eloquently before Director Zhou—he had long since become a famous newcomer in the division.

Moreover, he had taken a leave of absence for closed-door cultivation, claiming to have gained some insight. Seeing him again now, everyone only needed to sense him for a moment to know he had broken through to the second realm.

"Brother Gu?"

Just as he crossed the corridor of the front courtyard, an uncertain voice came from the side.

Song Qing, who was biting into a meat bun, had his eyes wide open, staring at Gu Chengming as if he had seen a ghost.

As an art cultivator of the Tianting Sect, he was most sensitive to spiritual energy.

Half a month ago, although Gu Chengming was formidable, his aura was sharp and exposed—a sign of abundant spiritual energy that had not yet undergone a qualitative change. But the Gu Chengming before him had a deep, restrained aura. Without intentional investigation, one would even think he was just a mortal with vigorous qi and blood.

"Returning to basics, true essence liquefaction..."

Song Qing swallowed the bun in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. "You broke through to the second realm?!"

How long had it been? Half a month, at most!

When ordinary cultivators attempted to break through to the second realm's Foundation Establishment, which of them didn't prepare a mountain of meridian-protecting pills, adjust their state for months, and then go into seclusion for a year or even half a year without guaranteed success?

Seeing Song Qing like this, Gu Chengming internally complained about where this clumsy female protagonist biting bread from an old anime came from. On the surface, however, he looked normal as he smiled and said, "I had some insights and succeeded by luck."

"That wasn't luck..."

Song Qing gave a bitter smile and shook his head, the shock in his eyes gradually turning into admiration and congratulations. "With Brother Gu's talent, if you were in our Tianting Sect, those Grand Elders would probably be fighting to take you as a disciple. Congratulations, Brother Gu, for taking another step on the Great Dao."

The two walked toward the Hidden Dragon Courtyard side-by-side.

Along the way, Song Qing didn't stay idle, vividly telling Gu Chengming about the new things that had happened in the capital during the past half-month. From which minister's concubine ran off with an actor, to a new restaurant in the East Market rumored to have a demon race background, to several bold rogue cultivators recently caught by the Ministry of Justice—nothing was too small.

Gu Chengming listened, occasionally responding. As they neared the courtyard entrance, he paused and asked as if in passing, "By the way, how has Fellow Daoist Feng Ya been lately? Is the team all here today?"

Now that he had come out of seclusion with a stable realm and a few more trump cards, he thought that if that senior sister from the Cloud Moon Sect hadn't learned her lesson yet, he wouldn't mind helping her deepen her impression.

To his surprise, Song Qing's expression immediately became strange upon hearing this.

"Brother Gu, I'm afraid you won't see her for a while."

"Oh?"

"Ever since that night when you... ahem, invited her out of the banquet, she claimed to be ill once she went back. She probably thought it was too embarrassing, and with the injury on her face... ahem, though we cultivators recover quickly, injuries to one's pride are hard to heal. She's been on leave for half a month, saying she's going into death seclusion and won't come out until she breaks through to the second realm, Middle Stage. I'd guess she's afraid of running into you."

Gu Chengming was slightly taken aback by the news, and then an inexplicable sense of disappointment surged in his heart.

She's already given up?

He had thought that given the stubborn temper of those sword cultivators from the Cloud Moon Sect, the first thing she would do upon waking up would be to bring her sword and fight him to the death, or call for help from her sect to reclaim her dignity.

He had even prepared the script for how to counterattack and "persuade her with reason" again.

In the end, she directly chose to play dead?

'What a pity.'

Gu Chengming sighed inwardly. The plan he had prepared could only be put aside for now.

A moment later.

Gu Chengming pushed open the door to the Hidden Dragon Courtyard, and a faint fragrance of medicine greeted him.

In the hall, Li Dujiang was holding an ancient text, while in the corner, An Shan was carefully carving something out of an unknown beast bone with a knife. Seeing Gu Chengming enter, both of them paused simultaneously.

As cultivators who had long since entered the second realm, their sensitivity to aura was naturally more acute. Without many words, Li Dujiang simply gave a slight nod and raised his teacup in a distant toast, while An Shan showed his white teeth and gave a thumb's up.

Walking the Great Dao is a lonely journey; witnessing a companion break through is a joyous occasion in itself.

After taking their seats, the conversation naturally turned to the recent situation.

Though they were in the Night Guard Division, they each had their massive sects behind them. Over the past half-month, the major sects seemed to have caught the scent of undercurrents beneath the waters of the Great Qian capital, sending warnings and news through their respective channels.

Li Dujiang coughed and mentioned that several enshrined cultivators from the Hunyuan Sect in the army had sent word that the Ministry of War had been moving frequently recently. In particular, the Divine Machine Camp responsible for the capital's defense seemed to have quietly replaced a batch of new firearms. Those firearms' blueprints didn't come from the Ministry of Works, but rather seemed to originate from the always mysterious Mohist remnants.

An Shan added a few words in his muffled voice, saying that while buying beast bones in the black market, he discovered many rare materials from the northern wilderness had appeared on the market recently, and the prices were ridiculously low. It was as if someone was in a hurry to sell them off, or it was a liquidation before some great chaos.

At the same time, in the imperial court, the Grand Preceptor—who wielded great power and was usually not on good terms with the major sects—had been frequently receiving several foreign monks from the Western Regions for unknown purposes.

Every single thing indicated that the situation in the capital was like a gathering storm.

Gu Chengming sighed and set down his teacup. Shortly after, a guard clad in black armor arrived in a hurry, saying that Vice Commander Liu requested his presence.

Gu Chengming felt a stir in his heart, knowing the case had reached a conclusion. He immediately stood up and followed the guard to the inner office.

Inside the office, Vice Commander Liu was frowning at a thick case file. Seeing Gu Chengming enter, a smile finally appeared on his solemn face. Without any flowery pleasantries, he pushed the case file forward.

"Chengming, you've come at the right time."

Vice Commander Liu pointed at the file, his expression turning quite grave. "The third realm evil spirit, the Nightmare Wandering Corpse, that attacked the Listening to Rain Pavilion that night... the Hall of Geomancy worked through the night to dismantle and examine it, and they've found some leads. However, the water behind this is probably deeper than we expected."

At this point, he looked at Gu Chengming meaningfully. "Normally, according to the rules, cases involving third realm evil spirits and potentially involving forces in the capital should be handled by a senior banner at the Chiliarch level. But Director Zhou specifically gave orders. Since this case was aimed at you and coincided with your enlistment, you are given full authority to investigate."

Gu Chengming understood.

"This subordinate will not fail the expectations of the Director and Vice Commander."

In the side hall of the Hidden Dragon Courtyard, Gu Chengming carefully read the case file he had received from Vice Commander Liu.

The records were extremely detailed, listing everything from the material of the paper effigy to the components of the residual baleful qi within it. Gu Chengming skimmed through it, his fingertip tapping lightly on several key points of information.

'Yellow paper bones, corpse oil soul... this is a typical path for an evil cultivator.'

Gu Chengming's eyes narrowed as he began to unpick the details in his mind.

This yellow paper wasn't ordinary straw paper used for sacrifices, but rather gold-dusted paper mixed with Phoebe zhennan wood dust. This item was expensive and only sold in a few large paper effigy shops in the capital; it was usually used to make burial goods for high-ranking officials and nobles.

Then there was the corpse oil. Gu Chengming looked at an inconspicuous remark in the dossier—【The corpse oil is slightly reddish, with a faint sweet scent of cosmetics mixed into the resentment, and the baleful qi's attribute leans toward obsessive grievance rather than pure violence.】

Ordinary evil cultivators refined corpses by focusing on fierce malice, often taking the corpse oil of people who died violent deaths—the more resentment, the better. The smell was usually fishy and foul. But this wandering corpse, though a third realm entity, was driven by a core resentment that wasn't hatred for heaven's unfairness, but rather a highly distorted case of unrequited longing.

Infatuated men and resentful women, love, hatred, greed, and obsession.

A sharp glint appeared in Gu Chengming's eyes.

To be able to refine 'obsessive grievance' so purely and even leave a long-lasting high-grade cosmetic scent in the corpse oil was not something a wild evil cultivator hiding in a mass grave could achieve. This meant the raw material for this corpse oil must have been surrounded by luxury while alive, and it was highly likely they were a cultivator who practiced a 'lust' method or a discarded vessel who had been drained of essence and soul by such a cultivator.

The gold-dusted paper meant the perpetrator had considerable wealth and was hidden in the bustling parts of the city. The special corpse oil pointed toward the path of lust.

In this capital, a place that had wealth, mastery over the path of lust, and could quietly dispose of large amounts of obsessive waste...

"Hehuan Sect?" Gu Chengming whispered to himself.

Of course, he didn't mean to say the Hehuan Sect did it, since they now followed a righteous path. But the clue certainly pointed to a certain property under the Hehuan Sect or some scum acting under their skin.

Just as Gu Chengming was calculating which Hehuan Sect property to start with, a figure wearing Azure Cloud patterns drifted over.

It was Song Qing. He seemed to be in a good mood, spinning his precious pearl rapidly. Seeing Gu Chengming, he immediately leaned in secretively.

"Brother Gu! Finished with your work?"

Song Qing smiled. "I saw the Vice Commander call you earlier and knew it must be important business. But, while work must be done, balancing it with leisure is also necessary."

With that, he pulled a gold-embossed invitation from his sleeve and waved it before Gu Chengming.

The invitation was exquisitely made. Even before opening it, a dizzying fragrance wafted from it. On the cover was a blooming pink peony, and in the corner was a tiny, very subtle Hehuan Sect mark.

"This is?" Gu Chengming raised an eyebrow.

"The Flower Viewing Assembly at the Elegant Garden!"

Song Qing lowered his voice. "Brother Gu, when we were chatting the other day, I saw you were quite interested in the cultivation philosophy of the Hehuan Sect. Well, the Elegant Garden is holding its annual Flower Viewing Assembly today. I heard that tonight, a senior sister from the Inner Sect of the Hehuan Sect will personally demonstrate the exquisite methods from the Su Nu Sutra, aiming to exchange insights with the talents in the capital. This is a rare opportunity for study! I finally managed to get two invitations. Brother Gu, will you go?"

Song Qing's eyes were full of expectation. Although he liked to play, he felt it was a bit boring to go alone and was even a bit stage-frightened. If he could pull Gu Chengming along, it would bolster his courage, and they could look out for each other if they ran into trouble.

Looking at the invitation, Gu Chengming's heart stirred slightly.

The Elegant Garden was one of the Hehuan Sect's largest properties in the capital, and it was also a place where information flowed freely and all sorts of people gathered. Just as he had deduced a clue pointing to the Hehuan Sect, this opportunity had landed at his door.

He could investigate the case and simultaneously inspect the Hehuan Sect's cultivation mechanism to prepare for his future system construction—killing two birds with one stone.

"Since Senior Brother Song has extended such a warm invitation, wouldn't it be ungrateful of me to refuse?"

Gu Chengming took the invitation. "Coincidentally, I also want to see what is so unique about the Hehuan Sect's arts."

The capital at night was as busy as the day. The Elegant Garden, located in the east of the city, was not like an ordinary brothel with lanterns and streamers. On the contrary, it was built by the water, with upturned eaves and glazed tiles that shimmered with a gentle luster under the moonlight. Inside the courtyard, the sound of music was elegant, and the faint sight of light silk dancing could be seen.

"Brother Gu, this place isn't bad, right?"

Song Qing was clearly a regular here. As soon as they entered, his familiarity showed. He moved through the front hall with ease and turned back to introduce it to Gu Chengming. "The layout of the Elegant Garden secretly matches the five elements array. Not only is the scenery pleasant, but the concentration of spiritual energy is also on par with an ordinary cave dwelling..."

However, before he could finish, he stopped awkwardly.

He noticed that the outer sect female disciples of the Hehuan Sect, dressed in light silk, only let their gazes linger on him for a split second before they all swept past him and stuck themselves firmly onto Gu Chengming behind him.

Today, Gu Chengming wore well-tailored black silk robes with a long sword hanging from his waist, standing tall as a pine. Combined with his sword intent and his handsome, otherworldly face, the advantage of his twenty-five points of charm was utilized to the fullest.

"This young master... looks so familiar."

"Is it your first time here, Young Master? How have I never seen such a handsome person before?"

"Oh, don't push me! Young Master, I just learned a new piece, 'Phoenix Seeking Mate.' Would you like to come and listen?"

In an instant, there were sounds of soft voices and fragrant breezes. Those female cultivators looked at him with longing eyes, wishing they could hang onto him. Song Qing, the regular, was heartlessly pushed out of the circle, holding the invitation awkwardly with an expression of shock and envy.

Just as Gu Chengming was becoming overwhelmed by this excessive enthusiasm and considering whether to use spiritual energy to push them away...

"What is this commotion? No manners!" A charming but somewhat dignified light shout came through.

Immediately after, a second realm, Middle Stage spiritual pressure spread out, gently pushing away the surrounding outer sect female cultivators.

The chattering women shrunk their necks. Though they looked at Gu Chengming with some reluctance, they still obediently dispersed, bowing as they withdrew. "Greetings, Senior Sister Yun."

Gu Chengming looked up and saw a woman dressed in a violet cloud-brocade gown leaning against the railing on the second floor. She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, an age when a woman's charm was at its peak. Her hair was swept high, held by a red-gold hair ornament. Her eyes carried a hint of shrewdness and competence without losing their allure.

"So it is Young Master Song."

The woman waved her fan, her gaze passing over Song Qing to land on Gu Chengming. A flash of amazement crossed her eyes as well, and she covered her mouth with a light laugh. "This young master is quite unfamiliar, but to make the girls of our Elegant Garden lose their composure like this, he must be someone extraordinary."

Song Qing finally straightened his disheveled clothes and gave a bitter smile, clasping his hands. "Senior Sister Yun, you joke. This is Brother Gu Chengming, an elite of the Wenjian Sect. He came today to see the style of the Elegant Garden."

"Wenjian Sect?"

The woman called Senior Sister Yun's eyes brightened even more. The fan in her hand paused slightly, and then her figure flickered. Like a butterfly weaving through flowers, she floated down the stairs, performing a graceful bow before the two of them. "I am Yun Wan, one of the managers of this Elegant Garden. Since you are distinguished guests of the Night Guard Division, how can you sit in the noisy area downstairs? Gentlemen, please follow me upstairs."

The private seats on the second floor had an excellent view. They were located right above the side of the central stage, allowing them to see the songs and dances below while providing privacy with pearl curtains.

The three took their seats, and servants brought spiritual tea and fruit snacks.

"Young Master Gu is new here, so you might not know."

Yun Wan personally poured a cup of tea for Gu Chengming and pointed to the seemingly ordinary landscape paintings hanging around the private seats, introducing them with a smile. "Every plant and tree in the Elegant Garden actually matches the way of arrays. For example, these paintings are based on the concept of rain and clouds on Mount Wu. If you calm your mind here, you can feel the spiritual energy in your body moving a bit more actively than outside. It is most beneficial for regulating qi and blood and clearing the meridians."

Gu Chengming sensed it for a moment and found it was indeed true.

"Your sect's clever design is truly unique," Gu Chengming praised, though he was calculating whether clues about the third realm evil spirit were hidden beneath these arrays.

After a few rounds of small talk and drinks, although Yun Wan was speaking to both of them, her beautiful eyes were constantly, if subtly, fixed on Gu Chengming.

An inner sect disciple of the Wenjian Sect, a second realm cultivation, a top-tier appearance, and his primordial yang was still intact with pure yang qi and blood...

To a female cultivator of the Hehuan Sect, how was this different from a walking tonic?

After a few rounds of wine, Yun Wan seemed to think the time was right. She dismissed the nearby servants and leaned forward slightly, her beautiful eyes staring straight at Gu Chengming, her voice becoming sweet and soft. "Young Master Gu, I see your qi and blood are pure and your sword intent is restrained. You must have reached a bottleneck in your sword dao?"

"I won't hide it from you. In my recent cultivation, I have also encountered a hurdle that is difficult to cross. If you do not mind..."

Her gaze shifted, the suggestion within it now too thick to be ignored. "Would you be willing... to explore the Great Dao together?"

As she spoke, she extended her jade-like hand and held up three scallion-like fingers.

Gu Chengming was stunned. He understood what 'exploring the Great Dao' meant—it was a special plot invitation in a galgame. But what did the three fingers mean? Three hundred spirit stones?

He was momentarily speechless. Putting aside the fact that he was here on a mission to investigate and had no interest in this mess, what about this price... three hundred spirit stones?!

He worked his life away in the sect to kill a second realm demon beast, and the official reward only converted to fifteen hundred spirit stones.

And most importantly...

Gu Chengming looked at the top of Yun Wan's head—no chat box, no affection bar. In the logic of a galgame player, an NPC without an affection bar was just a bystander. It had to be a heroine with a name and maxed-out affection to trigger special CGs. You, a bystander NPC, come up to me wanting a special scene and asking for three hundred spirit stones? Are you dreaming?

Gu Chengming's expression didn't change as he took a sip of tea, about to refuse.

Seeing him silent, Yun Wan bit her lip and raised another finger. Four hundred!

The price was even going up? The Hehuan Sect's business practices were too sloppy!

Seeing Gu Chengming still not responding, Yun Wan steeled herself and opened her hand fully. Five hundred spirit stones!

"..."

Song Qing finally noticed the wrong atmosphere. Looking at Gu Chengming's gradually cold gaze and then at Yun Wan's desperate expression, he suddenly realized—Brother Gu had misunderstood!

"Ahem!"

Song Qing quickly raised his wine cup to hide his face, while urgently sending a transmission into Gu Chengming's ear. "She's giving the spirit stones to you!"

"Dual cultivation in the Hehuan Sect, though it values mutual consent, is essentially a technique of gathering and nourishing. Even in dual cultivation, they are drawing pure yang qi from you to aid their cultivation. It's... well, consider it borrowing your cultivation for a bit."

"Since it's borrowing, they naturally have to pay a reward."

"This is the rule of the Hehuan Sect. If a female disciple wants to find a male cultivator she likes for dual cultivation, she must pay spirit stones or pills as compensation."

"Five hundred spirit stones... that's a sky-high price. It means Senior Sister Yun really has her eye on you!"

Gu Chengming: "...?"

The founder of the Hehuan Sect was truly a genius to come up with this model.

"Fellow Daoist Gu?"

Seeing Gu Chengming's expression changing, Senior Sister Yun thought there was a chance and leaned in with hope. "These five hundred spirit stones can be paid upfront..."

Gu Chengming snapped back to reality. Looking at the NPC who had no dialogue box but was quite generous, he felt surprised by this business model, but principles were principles.

"I really came here today only to listen to music and discuss the Dao."

Hearing this, the light in Senior Sister Yun's eyes vanished instantly. She looked at Gu Chengming, then at her five outstretched fingers, and finally gave a heavy sigh, slumping into her chair like a deflated ball. She looked so regretful and dejected that she seemed more upset than if she had actually lost five hundred spirit stones.

Song Qing watched this and silently raised his wine cup.

Just then—

"Ahhh!!!"

A scream suddenly tore through the originally flirtatious and warm sounds of music in the Elegant Garden. The sound was so sharp it even carried a vibration of spiritual energy, instantly piercing through the soundproofing pearl curtains of the second-floor seats and stabbing into everyone's eardrums.

This was followed by the muffled thud of a heavy object hitting the floor and the crash of shattering porcelain. The hall downstairs instantly fell into chaos, with cries of surprise and the sound of overturned tables and chairs echoing one after another.

Yun Wan's face changed abruptly as she snapped her fan shut.

"What happened?"

She barked the question as her figure flickered out like a purple swallow, flipping over the railing and jumping down to the first floor. Gu Chengming and Song Qing exchanged a look; both were experienced and reacted quickly, immediately rising to follow her.

The incident took place in a first-class guest room on the east side of the first floor.

Currently, the door to the room was wide open. Several outer sect female disciples, dressed only in thin silk undergarments, were slumped by the door, their faces pale and their bodies trembling like sieves.

The surrounding guests—those scholars who usually prided themselves on their romantic nature or wealthy merchants with protruding bellies—were also shrinking back in the distance, stretching their necks out of both fear and curiosity.

Gu Chengming landed silently and moved through the crowd without making a sound.

A dense aura of death, mixed with a sickeningly sweet and fishy smell, rushed at him.

Inside the room, red candles burned high and warm curtains hung low. On the large, carved mahogany bed lay a corpse. It was a male corpse, shriveled like wood, nothing but skin and bones. The man was still wearing a half-removed official robe. Judging by the dark red mandarin square, he was likely a fifth-rank Vice Director of the Ministry of Works.

His eyes were wide open, his eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets, with residual extreme terror and pleasure in his pupils. These two polar opposite emotions were twisted onto that withered face, looking exceptionally hideous and terrifying.

His mouth was wide open as if he had tried to take a final breath before dying, but all his life force had been drained away.

By the bedside, a Hehuan Sect female disciple who looked no more than twenty was slumped on the floor, her clothes in disarray and her hair messy. She was clutching her collar tightly, tears and snot covering her face as she incoherently cried to the newly arrived Yun Wan.

"Wuuu, it wasn't me, Senior Sister Yun, it really wasn't me..."

"I just gave him a cup of wine and was getting ready to start the technique when he suddenly started twitching, and then he became like this..."

Yun Wan looked at the mummified corpse, her face looking terrible. This was a typical death by exhaustion of yang, commonly known as being drained to death. In the Hehuan Sect's territory, an imperial official had died, and the death was so tragic, as if his essence had been sucked dry by evil arts.

If word got out, the ruin of the Elegant Garden's reputation would be a small matter; if the court used this as an excuse to hold them accountable or even implicate the sect, that would be a massive disaster.

"Shut up!"

Yun Wan barked, a flash of spiritual light from her fingertip sealing the disciple's cries. She then turned quickly, forcing a slight smile to the onlookers, about to speak to soothe them and seal off the news.

Just then—

Boom!

The heavy vermilion doors of the Elegant Garden were crudely smashed open from the outside. A piercing cold wind carrying a murderous aura instantly poured into this warm den of vice.

"Demon-Slaying Bureau handling a case! All bystanders, get out of the way!"

Accompanying the thunderous shout was a team of officials dressed in dark red flying-fish robes with standard-issue long sabers at their waists, charging in like a pack of wolves. They moved quickly with a clear division of labor: some guarded the exits, others dispersed the crowd. The leader, a black-faced man radiating a second realm, late-stage spiritual pressure, headed straight for the room where the incident occurred.

Gu Chengming stood in the shadows of the crowd, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.

He subconsciously looked at the Night Guard Division jade waist token that had no reaction. Too fast. From the time the scream rang out to the time this group smashed through the door, only dozens of breaths had passed.

The night patrol command of the Night Guard Division hadn't even had time to sense the abnormal fluctuations here. How did the Demon-Slaying Bureau, which belonged to the Ministry of Justice and usually had friction with the Night Guard Division, arrive instantly as if they had been waiting at the door?

Furthermore, looking at their stance, they didn't even need to ask questions; they went straight for the location of the incident.

"Are you the manager here?"

The black-faced man strode into the room. Without even glancing at the corpse, he shoved a medallion in front of Yun Wan, his tone arrogant. "Someone reported that an enchantress was committing murder in the Elegant Garden, draining an imperial official! Now that both the culprit and the evidence are here, what else is there to say?"

"Men! Seal the scene! Take this enchantress away! And this manager, bring her back for questioning too!"

"Wait!"

Though Yun Wan was panicked, she was still a manager and didn't immediately give in. She suppressed her anger and stood in front of the slumped disciple, saying coldly, "Lord, to catch a thief, one must have the goods. The man just died, and the cause of death is unknown. You haven't even examined him before insisting my Elegant Garden disciple committed the crime? This is a bit too hasty!"

"Hasty?"

The black-faced man sneered, pointing at the mummified corpse on the bed. "This man has been sucked into a dried husk. Who else in this capital has such methods besides your Hehuan Sect's arts? What, do you want me to call back his soul to confront you?"

"Take them!"

At his command, the two officials behind him moved to forcibly seize them. Yun Wan's spiritual energy surged as she prepared to resist, but she saw a cold flash in the black-faced man's hand—it was a spirit-locking chain specifically designed to suppress a cultivator's spiritual energy.

"Dare to resist arrest? Then you are an accomplice! The crime is doubled!"

Just as the tension reached a breaking point and the people of the Elegant Garden were at a loss...

"Hold on."

A voice came abruptly from behind the crowd.

The black-faced man paused and turned his head sharply, his gaze scanning the source fiercely. "Which blind fool dares to interfere in the business of the Demon-Slaying Bureau?"

The crowd parted like a tide.

Gu Chengming walked out with Song Qing following behind him. Gu Chengming didn't pay attention to the man's shout but walked straight to the door of the room.

He first glanced at the mummified corpse, then at the two officials about to move, and finally at the black-faced man. He reached into his robe, pulled out his waist token, and flashed it.

"Night Guard Division, Night Patrol."

Six simple words made the aggressive black-faced man's expression change slightly. The Night Guard Division and the Demon-Slaying Bureau were both agencies handling supernatural cases for the Great Qian, but they were never on good terms.

The Demon-Slaying Bureau belonged to the Ministry of Justice; though they had a numerical advantage, they were ultimately a rank lower in status. Seeing the token, the black-faced man's pupils shrank, and his arrogance diminished by thirty percent. However, he still stubbornly said, "So it is a colleague from the Night Guard Division. But this case happened in the Market City and involves demonic draining; it should be under the jurisdiction of my Demon-Slaying Bureau. Are you trying to overstep?"

Gu Chengming didn't answer. Instead, he reached out his hand, condensed a faint sliver of true essence at his fingertip, and lightly pressed it to the brow of the mummified corpse.

This was exactly the anomaly he had seen when he activated his Wisdom Eye earlier.

"If it were truly a case of draining, the victim's body should be completely devoid of primordial yang, yet there would be residual soul." As Gu Chengming's fingertip moved, a faint, sickly grayish-black smoke that smelled nauseating rose slowly from the corpse's orifices.

"But not only is there no primordial yang in this corpse, even the soul has been swallowed completely."

Gu Chengming looked up, his gaze like a torch. "Even if one dies from being drained, what remains is the qi of desire, not this cold aura of death."

"This doesn't look like the work of a person; it looks more like an evil spirit."

"Since it's a case of an evil spirit, it naturally belongs to my Night Guard Division."

"Nonsense!"

The black-faced man's face grew unsightly. He had naturally seen some clues, but if this case were classified as an evil spirit's work tonight, it would have to be handed over to the Night Guard Division.

If it were classified as a sect disciple's crime, it would be a merit for the Demon-Slaying Bureau, and they could take the opportunity to fleece the Hehuan Sect.

"The facts are here. This female cultivator was right beside him. Who else could it be?"

"Men! Take her!"

Gu Chengming's eyes narrowed slightly. These people from the Demon-Slaying Bureau were more eager for quick success than he had imagined.

"I said, hold on."

Gu Chengming's voice turned cold. A spiritual pressure belonging to a second realm cultivator, reinforced by his official prestige under the Zhou Rites, instantly covered the scene.

"This matter is full of doubts. If you catch the wrong person and let the true culprit escape, causing this evil spirit to continue its chaos in the capital, can you take that responsibility?"

"And to find the source, one only needs to investigate to know the truth."

As he spoke, Gu Chengming stopped paying attention to the man from the Demon-Slaying Bureau. The Tinglan Sword slightly unsheathed, its sword intent locking onto the residual aura above the corpse.

At the same time, in a tea house opposite the Elegant Garden.

A figure hidden in the shadows was staring fixedly at Gu Chengming through a crack in the window.

'Why is someone from the Night Guard Division here at a time like this?'

'And he knows his stuff...'

'I absolutely cannot let him perform a tracking spell!'

The mastermind formed a hand seal, a flash of ruthlessness in their eyes. Since things couldn't be resolved peacefully, they would strike first!

Inside the hall of the Elegant Garden.

At the moment Gu Chengming was about to perform the spell, a sudden change occurred. The faint black smoke rising from the corpse's orifices suddenly surged without warning, instantly turning into a cloud of pink, seductive mist. Carrying a dizzying sweet fragrance, it rushed straight at Gu Chengming's face!

"Watch out!" Song Qing cried out in alarm.

But the mist came too fast and ignored spiritual shields, drilling directly into Gu Chengming's brow.

Gu Chengming's figure suddenly froze, his eyes becoming dazed.

In the tea house, the mastermind was overjoyed. "Success!"

This was the innate divine ability of the third realm evil spirit, the 'Pink Skeleton.' This ability was extremely overbearing, able to forcibly pull the target into an illusion constructed of desire.

However, this technique had a restriction: it was a 'dual-person' illusion. Both the evil spirit and the target had to enter. Within the illusion, the evil spirit would drain the target's soul through 'intercourse.'

As long as the evil spirit entered, with the pressure of a third realm entity on a soul level, wouldn't killing a Second Realm, Early Stage sword cultivator be as easy as taking something from a pocket?

However.

The next moment, the mastermind's smile froze on their face. They sensed the evil spirit's position.

"...?"

That ball of pink mist was currently floating outside Gu Chengming's brow. it hadn't disappeared, nor had it entered Gu Chengming's sea of consciousness.

"What's going on?!" The mastermind was bewildered.

The illusion had clearly been activated! They could clearly feel that Gu Chengming's soul had been pulled into a closed illusory space; the connection on that side had been established.

But... since the illusion required 'two parties' to sustain it, and the evil spirit was still hanging outside...

Then, in the illusion, who was the 'second party' with Gu Chengming?!

Before they could figure out this terrifying question...

A strong feeling of backlash suddenly came. Because the evil spirit was the caster, it had to enter to host the illusion after it started. Now, it had been 'pushed' out by an unknown force, yet it was forced to maintain the illusion's operation, causing it to be stuck in an awkward 'cast delay' state.

As the mastermind controlling the evil spirit, in order to maintain such high-intensity spiritual output, they were also forced to maintain a high-intensity soul link with the evil spirit.

The evil spirit couldn't move.

They couldn't move either!

'I've been hard-controlled?!'

The mastermind stayed in the position of forming the hand seal, their eyes bulging. Cold sweat poured down, yet they couldn't even move a finger. They could only watch helplessly as the situation in the Elegant Garden across the street developed.

'What the hell is going on?! Who the hell took my spot?!'

Inside the illusion where the flow of time was completely different from the outside world.

Gu Chengming looked at the black-haired, surprised, and somewhat shy young girl before him and fell into deep thought.

"Huiyuan Sword Manual?" he asked with some uncertainty.

"Mm!!" The girl nodded. She wanted to reach out and touch Gu Chengming, but for some reason, she passed right through.

Gu Chengming looked at her and then at the words that lit up on the white space behind her—'A Room You Can't Leave.'

He fell into deep thought.