The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 47

Fortunately, Wu Liangyi didn’t recognize the White Porcelain Doll as Shen Yanting. Otherwise, he would have stared at her incessantly, his gaze mirroring Guan Caimei’s predatory look that had so infuriated Bo Xuenong. Even now, the memory of Guan Caimei’s gaze lingering on Shen Yanting like a hunter eyeing prey still ignited Bo Xuenong’s anger.

Shen Yanting was no one’s prey. On the contrary, Bo Xuenong would lead Shen Yanting to hunt down anyone who dared covet her.

Along the way, Bo Xuenong eliminated the Demonic Cultivators who blocked their path, leaving those who didn’t attack her to Wu Qingshu, who lagged behind. She rushed to the village’s edge, expecting Feng Yingbo to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies. Instead, she found only a field of corpses—every member of the Heavenly Cuisine Sect had been slaughtered.

Their deaths were peculiar. Each corpse had bulging eyes, staring fixedly ahead, their faces pale and lips stretched into ghastly grins, as if frozen in a state of extreme terror.

Surrounding many of the bodies were ordinary villagers, both young and old, their eyes bloodshot and faces contorted in anguish. Their low sobs mingled with anguished cries, forming a continuous, heartrending chorus. Bo Xuenong instinctively glanced at Shen Yanting, noticing the White Porcelain Doll’s eyes brimming with sorrow. A wave of pity washed over her own heart.

Feng Yingbo, her face taut, led Xiang Yu to Bo Xuenong’s side. Shen Yanting glanced at the unusually serious Feng Yingbo. “Junior Sister Feng, did you kill these people?”

Feng Yingbo shook her head honestly. “No, it was Village Chief Gui.”

“Village Chief Gui?” Bo Xuenong searched incredulously for Gui Nianqin’s figure, but strangely, she couldn’t find her. “Master, have you seen Village Chief Gui?”

Shen Yanting’s eyes meticulously scanned the crowd, but she too couldn’t locate Gui Nianqin. “No.”

Xiang Yu raised her hand, pointing southeast. “There. The person standing next to the Sect Leader is Village Chief Gui.”

Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting followed Xiang Yu’s gaze. They immediately spotted Fu Yunqing, her face etched with sorrow. Beside her stood a woman, but she hardly resembled Gui Nianqin. In fact, she wasn’t an elderly woman at all, but a young woman in her thirties, with gentle, refined features and a remarkably rosy complexion, standing in stark contrast to the grief-stricken, haggard faces around her.

The woman and Fu Yunqing stood beside an elderly man who cradled the corpse of an eight-year-old child in his arms.

Feng Yingbo saw through their confusion. “That’s Village Chief Gui. It seems that because so many villagers suddenly died, their spiritual power wasn’t absorbed but instead flowed back into the Spirit Gathering Talisman. The Village Chief looks much younger now, and the talisman itself seems to have changed. She suddenly gained the ability to pull people into illusions, and many here died from those illusions.”

What connection could a Seventh-Grade Spirit Gathering Talisman possibly have to Illusion Techniques?

Bo Xuenong couldn’t figure it out, nor could Shen Yanting. But among them was someone who understood.

The White Porcelain Doll opened her mouth. “Let’s wait for Aunt Shu to arrive and ask her.”

Feng Yingbo asked curiously, “Who’s Aunt Shu?”

Shen Yanting replied, “The Supreme Elder of the Cloudmist Sect, my former Grand Martial Aunt.”

Feng Yingbo exclaimed in awe, “Then she must be incredibly powerful!”

Wu Qingshu was indeed incredibly powerful, but that didn’t necessarily mean she understood Human Talismans. She had excelled at talisman crafting since her Dao Selection, achieving astonishingly high success rates. Uninterested in talisman paper that could be used indefinitely, Wu Qingshu’s creations, even high-grade ones, were mostly single-use consumables—after all, she could always craft another one.

In the end, Bo Xuenong and the others managed to pry the truth from Hua Jinshi: Gui Nianqin had likely undergone a mutation and leveled up.

The Spirit Gathering Talisman was merely a Seventh-Rank talisman paper, its sole function being to gather spiritual energy. According to traditional progression, her spirit gathering speed and capacity would gradually increase. However, Gui Nianqin had long been sharing her spiritual power with the villagers, nourishing their meridians and bodies, maintaining an unbroken connection. Today, the sudden mass deaths in the village meant the killers couldn’t have absorbed all the spiritual power at once. As a result, some of the spiritual energy from the deceased hosts dissipated, while the rest flowed back into the Human Talisman’s body through the lingering connection with Gui Nianqin.

The spiritual power within the hosts differed from ordinary Spiritual Qi. It was the refined essence of countless layers of compressed and accumulated spiritual energy. Suddenly receiving such a concentrated influx of pure spiritual power qualified the Human Talisman’s constitution for cultivation.

Spiritual energy talismans were the most abundant type, with corresponding versions for nearly every rank, and often multiple variations within each rank.

Gui Nianqin would no longer be limited to Seventh-Rank talisman paper. Instead, she would advance through the ranks along the path of spiritual energy talismans. As her rank increased, her powers would coexist and grow synergistically—the Human Talisman’s ultimate method of self-advancement. This method was rarely documented in books; Hua Jinshi had only learned of it over five thousand years ago from a Talisman Cultivator who had lived for nearly ten thousand years.

Since she could now use Illusion Techniques, it was almost certain that Gui Nianqin had advanced to become a Sixth-Rank Illusion Spirit Talisman.

Gui Nianqin now possessed two abilities: Spirit Gathering and Spirit Gathering to create illusions.

Hua Jinshi grew increasingly smug, his voice tinged with madness. “She should thank me! It was me, me who gave her such immense power! It was me…”

Before he could finish, a stone struck him squarely in the face. It had been thrown by the elderly woman standing beside Gui Nianqin. Despite her age, the woman possessed spiritual power, making her movements swift and her strength considerable. The stone struck Hua Jinshi’s lip, the sharp edge tearing his flesh and knocking out two teeth. “You! You harmed Nianqin, harmed our entire village, harmed my grandson!”

The elderly woman seemed to be a respected elder in Lanshou Village. At her furious cry, the surviving villagers stirred. They surrounded Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi, whom Wu Qingshu had thrown to the ground, their eyes burning with fear and rage. Trembling, they rained blows on Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi.

The fists shattered Hua Jinshi’s arrogance and pride, crushing the arrogant thoughts in Wu Liangyi’s heart.

Bo Xuenong had originally intended to personally break every bone in Wu Liangyi’s body, this Otherworld Bone Cultivator. But with the people of Lanshou Village taking over, she couldn’t very well step in and steal their revenge.

The villagers had suffered under their oppression for over seven centuries. If not for Bo Xuenong and her companions accompanying Fu Yunqing back to the village, they would still be trapped in the Heavenly Cuisine Sect’s prison, enduring endless torment. In the original story, Fu Yunqing never returned to the village; instead, the Heavenly Cuisine Sect participated in the Scale Mountain County Cultivation Journey. This meant that by the end of the story, the sect had never faced retribution for its crimes.

It seemed the Divine Pavilion’s efficiency wasn’t as high as Bo Xuenong had imagined.

Though she remained composed and reserved, hiding her hatred and disgust deep within her heart, Si Xianling and Feng Yingbo openly cheered on the villagers, constantly urging them to strike harder and harder.

The sounds of bones cracking mingled with pained cries. Peeking through the crowd, Bo Xuenong saw that Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi had already been beaten into grotesque messes. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition, their noses and eyes twisted out of shape, their features utterly disfigured.

Bo Xuenong exhaled a harsh breath of pent-up anger, while Feng Jin unconsciously shrank behind her.

Bo Xuenong frowned but ultimately said nothing more.

Hua Jinshi and Wu Liangyi gradually lost their ability to cry out, but the Otherworld Soul’s inner thoughts were still screaming loudly.

What exactly did this body do? Why do these people hate him so much? I can’t use the Soul-Searching Technique now, or they’ll discover me. I… I should have chosen a different body. How could there be so many ordinary people with such abundant spiritual power? They’re all perfect candidates for Spirit Cultivators! If I could refine them into puppets to control, I could take down not just Shen Yanting, but Wu Qingshu as well!

Wishful thinking.

Bo Xuenong regarded this as the Otherworld Soul’s final delusion before death. She coldly watched as the soul endured the beating alongside Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi, silently opening the System Panel.

Assistant Bo Xuenong has killed the peerless villain Qi Bin. Points +100

Assistant Bo Xuenong has killed the peerless villain Sa Houhui. Points +100

The screen filled with bonus points, boosting Bo Xuenong’s System Points to three thousand. As she stared at the System Panel, a crucial realization struck her. Wu Liangyi had also mentioned the Soul-Searching Technique. When had this forbidden art become a common skill?

Bo Xuenong recalled how she had obtained this forbidden technique and felt a growing sense of unease.

She glanced down at Shen Yanting, who hadn’t noticed her. Seizing Feng Jin’s shoulder, she transmitted a silent message: “Where did you get the Soul-Searching Technique? And where did Guan Caimei and the others get theirs?”

Feng Jin lacked the cultivation to use telepathy. Bo Xuenong could only subtly suggest she exchange Points for the ability through the System.

Five hundred Points vanished from Bo Xuenong’s total as Feng Jin’s voice echoed in her mind: “It was part of the New World Survival Gift Pack from the System. The pack included ten forbidden arts, including the Soul-Searching Technique, and was distributed along with the full plot of the novel.”

Bo Xuenong understood.

The System quests had been mass-distributed, so the gift packs must have been mass-distributed as well.

These souls lacked a System and couldn’t physically access the gift packages like Feng Jin. However, upon awakening, they would find the book’s contents and forbidden arts like the Soul-Searching Technique implanted in their minds. They could kill Fu Yunqing’s soul at any time, just as Guan Caimei had slain her original host’s soul, completely becoming Fu Yunqing.

The chaos unleashed by this System was far greater than Bo Xuenong had imagined.

If these souls were all powerful beings from otherworlds, with millennia of cultivation experience, and had been gifted such potent forbidden arts… Remember, the Soul-Searching Technique was merely one method described in the Forbidden Art Manual.

Feng Jin lacked a complete life and couldn’t cultivate. But these souls who had seized others’ bodies were different.

If Bo Xuenong were a righteous person, she might now be condemning Feng Jin’s weakness and inaction. It was foolish to entrust all hope to others out of cowardice. Two centuries of inaction, squandering Points on a ‘feral beast’ with a tainted Bloodline… Alas, Bo Xuenong was no righteous person.

Her mind raced, but she could only offer a simple observation: “If they possess such methods, they’ll likely harm many people.”

Feng Jin: “Eldest Senior Sister, this Forbidden Art is incredibly difficult to learn. Not all of them can master it, right?”

Naive, Bo Xuenong thought with a sigh, continuing her telepathic message: “They were all powerful cultivators in their previous lives, so their innate talent must be exceptional. This Forbidden Art won’t pose much of a challenge for them.”

Feng Jin hadn’t yet gained the right to grow in this world. Her physical appearance and mental maturity remained at a relatively young age. Though far more mature than a ten-year-old, her grasp of the bigger picture was limited. She only understood that the System had caused trouble, without realizing the severity of the situation.

It was only after Bo Xuenong’s reminder that Feng Jin truly grasped the gravity of the crisis.

Feng Jin grew anxious: “Then what do we do? If this world is destroyed, the System will be destroyed too!”

Hearing Feng Jin’s urgent tone, Bo Xuenong felt a flicker of satisfaction.

She seemed to have finally found a way to motivate Feng Jin to actively earn Points. Feng Jin’s previous apathy might have stemmed from her lack of understanding of the situation’s severity, as well as the Imperial Tranquility Sect’s isolation. But now, things were different.

“Of course, we should kill them all as quickly as possible,” Bo Xuenong said, gently placing a hand on Feng Jin’s shoulder. Her tone softened considerably. “Xiao Jin, you want to help the System, right? You said the System operates on a strict points-based exchange system. If we accumulate enough points, we can exchange them for a Magical Artifact that can locate Otherworld Souls, making us stronger and allowing us to eliminate them all. Then the System will be saved, you can stay here, and your grandmother in the Otherworld can live a good life. I’m only earning half as many points as you—that’s so unfair.”

Feng Jin, easily swayed, instinctively asked, “Eldest Senior Sister, what can I do?”

“I don’t need you to kill anyone,” Bo Xuenong said, pressing down on Feng Jin’s shoulder and turning her toward Wu Qingshu. She then transmitted her thoughts: “Go interact with Wu Qingshu. Family bonds are also a form of affection, and affection earns points. Bl00d ties aren’t necessary for familial affection to develop. Wu Qingshu gave you a hundred points just because you reminded her of Yu Cenwan. You can definitely earn even more.”

Feng Jin blinked, gazing at Wu Qingshu, whose aura was as cold as the moon. She hesitated.

Seeing Feng Jin still unmoved, Bo Xuenong softened her tone further. “Feng Jin, if we don’t earn enough Points and let those Souls take over this world, we’ll all die. Yu Cenwan and I are the System’s designated Targets, so we might even be captured and forced into Dao Companion bonds.”

Feng Jin wisely refrained from asking if Shen Yanting would also be captured. She took two steps forward, then turned back to look at Bo Xuenong.

Noticing Feng Jin’s hesitation, Bo Xuenong immediately sent a telepathic message: “If you don’t go now, Yu Cenwan and I will die tomorrow.”

Feng Jin hunched her shoulders and shuffled forward, muttering under her breath, “Eldest Senior Sister, stop cursing yourself and Yu Cenwan… Yu Cenwan is Mo Tingshu’s beloved disciple. If she dies, Mo Tingshu will be devastated. Martial Aunt Shen respects her Master deeply and will be heartbroken too. You…”

Feng Jin’s words reminded Bo Xuenong of something.

Bo Xuenong’s face hardened, and she declared earnestly, “Mo Tingshu already has a beloved disciple in her Master. How can she have another one?”

Feng Jin froze, worried she had made things worse.

What if Bo Xuenong not only doesn’t want to help Yu Cenwan, but now wants to kill both Yu Cenwan and Mo Tingshu? That would be a disaster!

Just as Feng Jin was about to ask if Bo Xuenong harbored resentment toward Yu Cenwan and Mo Tingshu, Bo Xuenong suddenly said, “As expected, I love Master more than anyone else. There’s no one in this world who cares about Master more than I do.”

Thank goodness this is a telepathic communication.

If she had said that aloud, it would have terrified everyone!

Feng Jin was about to offer a few flattering words when Bo Xuenong’s thoughts abruptly shifted elsewhere. She suddenly proposed, “Xiao Jin, here’s what we’ll do… When we encounter Yu Cenwan, you’ll go up to her and say that Aunt Feng damaged her foundation giving birth to you. Then you don’t have to do anything else—just wait for her to come find you, coax you, and hand over Points for free.”

“This…” Feng Jin nearly bit her tongue. “Eldest Senior Sister, that’s not appropriate.”

Bo Xuenong: “What’s inappropriate about it? Isn’t Yu Cenwan being so good to Cheng Huaizhou out of guilt?”

Bo Xuenong felt no empathy for Feng Jin’s inner turmoil. She was still basking in Shen Yanting’s praise for her cleverness and wisdom, convinced she was indeed a brilliant strategist.

Losing one’s senses is pitiful, but isn’t being a weakling with Nascent Soul cultivation even more pitiful?

The more Bo Xuenong thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Feng Jin, however, disagreed. “Senior Sister, lying is wrong.”

“Is Yu Cenwan’s bl00d in your veins? Did Aunt Feng force her life force into you to ensure your birth, leaving you physically frail?”

“Yes… but…”

Bo Xuenong cut her off. “These are facts, not lies. I promised Master I’d be good, and you’re my soulmate, so you must be good too. We can’t do anything dishonest.”

Feng Jin’s delicate face twitched violently, but she ultimately dared not contradict Bo Xuenong.

She took tiny, hesitant steps toward Wu Qingshu, lingering before speaking. Instead, Wu Qingshu suddenly stroked her cheek. “You really do resemble Cen Wan.”

Host Feng Jin received Wu Qingshu’s affectionate touch: +50 Points

Host Feng Jin received Wu Qingshu’s affectionate gaze: +10 Points

A touch from Feng Jin earned her only five Points, while Wu Qingshu, also a Silver-Tier cultivator, could earn fifty.

Even a single glance from Wu Qingshu yielded more Points than Bo Xuenong’s efforts.

Bo Xuenong protested mildly, secretly admiring her own cleverness. Feng Jin was clearly far better at earning Points than she was.

Feng Yingbo, noticing Feng Jin approaching Wu Qingshu out of the corner of her eye, abandoned her attempts to rally the spirits of the Lanshou Village people and retreated to grab Feng Jin.

Feng Jin usually resisted Feng Yingbo’s advances, yet she allowed this unfamiliar senior to touch her face without complaint.

Bo Xuenong immediately noticed Feng Yingbo’s attempt to intervene. She swiftly seized Feng Yingbo’s arm, preventing her from disrupting Feng Jin’s Point-earning efforts with Wu Qingshu. She failed to notice the White Porcelain Doll’s peculiar gaze.

Feng Yingbo stared at Bo Xuenong with a strange expression. “What are you grabbing me for?”

“Aunt Feng,” Bo Xuenong said, still gripping Feng Yingbo’s arm, her tone earnest as she spun a blatant lie. “You’re injured. I’m just looking after you.”

Feng Yingbo scoffed, rolling her eyes at Bo Xuenong. “You weren’t looking after me earlier. Now that my injuries are almost healed, you suddenly remember to care?”

Bo Xuenong paused before continuing, “Aunt Feng’s health is remarkably good. Her injuries are healing so quickly.”

Feng Yingbo struggled. “Why do you sound so… disappointed?”

The more Feng Yingbo struggled, the tighter Bo Xuenong’s grip became. “That’s not true.”

After failing to break free for a long moment, Feng Yingbo finally noticed something amiss. “You’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage? Why didn’t you undergo the Thunder Tribulation?”

While Wu Qingshu and the others were unaware that Bo Xuenong had joined the Heavenly Cuisine Sect at the peak of the Golden Core stage, Feng Yingbo knew very well.

The aura left by a recent Thunder Tribulation was unmistakable. While those with lower cultivation levels like Fu Yunqing and the others couldn’t sense it, Feng Yingbo, who had also reached the Nascent Soul stage, should have been able to detect it. She was certain that Bo Xuenong carried no trace of Thunder Tribulation energy.

Bo Xuenong’s expression remained unchanged, but she instinctively glanced at Wu Qingshu, the most likely threat.

Wu Qingshu truly adored children, not just her own but also the younger generation of the sect. She alternated between patting Feng Jin’s head and pinching Yu Cenwan’s similar cheeks, completely oblivious to the situation unfolding nearby.

Shen Yanting was startled by Feng Yingbo’s outburst. She instinctively covered Feng Yingbo’s mouth, whispering urgently, “Junior Sister Feng, be quiet.”

Feng Yingbo froze, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. Though her confusion lingered, she chose not to press the matter further.

Just as Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi were on the verge of being beaten to death, a new group arrived at the village’s edge. More precisely, it was a young girl leading a horde of corpses under her control. The girl was Gui Nian’an, and the corpses were all former residents of Lanshou Village—both Spirit Supplements and the deceased Demonic Cultivator children.

Empowered by Gui Nian’an’s magic, they had regained a semblance of life.

But it was only a semblance.

Bl00d-red eyes, tattered crimson robes, and icy limbs betrayed their true state: their lives had long since ended. The attackers surrounding Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi abruptly halted, instinctively turning toward their kin. Tears streamed down their faces once more. Gui Nian’an separated the Demonic Cultivator children who had betrayed the village, positioning them opposite the villagers. In unison, the children knelt, bowing their heads three times in solemn repentance.

Gui Nian’an knelt down with them, feeling these children should repent to their waiting families in the village.

Including herself.

She had failed to protect the younger children, allowing them to become Demonic Cultivators. Even knowing they had long become beasts, she had been unable to expose their constant scheming against the villagers.

As the three resounding kowtows finished, Gui Nian’an withdrew the corpse qi, and the bodies of the deceased lost their animation once more.

She remained kneeling, her voice heavy: “All the bodies we could find are here. The others will likely need to be retrieved from the Heavenly Cuisine Sect in a few days.”

Liu Huairou hurried forward to help her up, guiding her to Gui Nianqin’s side.

Gui Nianqin gazed at her granddaughter’s lifeless, deathly pale face. Trembling, she reached out to touch Gui Nian’an’s cheek. Her fingers paused slightly at the contact: “An’er, why is your body so cold?”

Gui Nian’an glanced at Bo Xuenong.

Now the only surviving child in the village, with her body behaving so strangely, she feared no one would believe her.

Bo Xuenong stepped forward to explain the Corpse Cultivator to Gui Nian’an. After hearing about it, the crowd fell into a moment of silence. Fu Yunqing, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, her voice trembling as she gripped Gui Nian’an’s arm. “Does that mean you’ll become more like a corpse?”

“Yes,” Gui Nian’an replied, finally noticing Fu Yunqing’s face.

Compared to her memories, Fu Yunqing had aged considerably.

Gui Nian’an still managed to piece together this aged face with the image of the girl from her memories. Her lips moved slightly, the coldness in her eyes softening a fraction. “Xiao Hualuo.”

They had given each other those nicknames.

Fu Yunqing was an orphan who spent most of her time living with Village Chief Gui Nianqin, where she kept Gui Nian’an company. As a child, Fu Yunqing had a voracious appetite, especially for Aunt Lin’s savory pancakes. Gui Nianqin often took Fu Yunqing to Aunt Lin’s house for meals, where they would eat with Aunt Lin’s daughter, Lin Fangfei.

Lin Fangfei teased them, saying they were like flowers that didn’t drink dew or eat petals but instead came to her house every day for pancakes. Half-jokingly, half-reproachfully, she gave them nicknames: Gui Nian’an, being older, was called “Big Flower Cake,” while Fu Yunqing, being younger, was “Xiao Hualuo.”

Gui Nian’an remembered Lin Fangfei, and Fu Yunqing did too. “What happened to Fangfei?”

“She’s dead.” Gui Nian’an’s eyes turned cold again, her resentment barely concealed. “Becoming a Demonic Cultivator isn’t easy. She hesitated when trying to devour someone’s life and suffered a backlash. She died in her second year at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect.”

Her voice was flat, betraying little grief.

Yet Fu Yunqing sensed their hardships and suffering. She instinctively apologized, “I’m sorry.”

The thought of Gui Nian’an and the others enduring such trials while she idled away her days at the Imperial Tranquility Sect filled her with guilt.

Gui Nianqin patted Fu Yunqing’s head. “Aunty Qing, it’s not your fault. If you hadn’t brought help today, we might still be trapped in that formation. You saved us.”

Gui Nian’an didn’t offer such comfort. She pressed her lips into a thin line. “If you feel guilty, then stay in the village.”

Liu Huairou shook her head slightly in disapproval. “An’er.”

Gui Nian’an remained firm. Gazing at the weeping crowd, she felt their occasional envious glances. “They need something to cling to.”

The old woman who had spoken first opened her mouth again, still cradling the corpse of the eight-year-old child in her arms. “Xiao Yunqing, Third Aunt begs you to stay.”

All the children in the village had died, leaving only Gui Nian’an and Fu Yunqing alive.

Looking at them felt like looking at her own children.

Many villagers were related by bl00d or marriage, and Fu Yunqing’s presence would undoubtedly give some of them a stronger will to live.

Having finally escaped the formation and gained the chance to live normal lives, dying now would be a cruel twist of fate. The Heavenly Cuisine Sect had treated them like food on a plate, mere tools to enhance the sect’s prosperity. Now that the sect had been destroyed and they were still alive, it was the ultimate revenge.

They not only had to survive, but they had to thrive.

Fu Yunqing forced a bitter smile. “Third Aunt, I’m actually close to death myself. My spiritual root is too weak, and my lifespan is nearly exhausted.”

“You…” Gui Nian’an was clearly taken aback. She froze, overwhelmed by a fierce reluctance to let go.

Gui Nianqin glanced at her palm. “Yunqing, I might be able to extend your lifespan.”

Gui Nianqin’s words made many of them realize the truth. Her power had allowed so many villagers without cultivation to survive to this day, their appearances unchanged. Naturally, she could help Fu Yunqing as well. By slowly nourishing her with spiritual power, Fu Yunqing’s lifespan would not only be extended, but her spiritual root would likely improve as well.

Shen Yanting’s worry that Fu Yunqing would soon die began to fade.

As long as they eliminated the Otherworld Soul, Fu Yunqing could continue to live in Lanshou Village.

Gui Nianqin alone was more effective than ten spiritual formations combined, and Hua Jinshi finally had a chance to speak again. “You should thank me! Thank me!”

“Thank you!” Gui Nian’an sneered, stepping up to Hua Jinshi and glaring at his swollen face. She drew her knife and swiftly severed both his hands. “These are the hands you used to refine my grandmother into a Human Talisman!”

To this day, only Gui Nian’an’s family remained fully reunited in Lanshou Village.

Though they appeared to be the only ones who had achieved a complete reunion, in truth, they had endured the most suffering.

In the tragedy of Lanshou Village, the most deeply tormented was Gui Nianqin, who had been forcibly transformed into a Human Talisman. Whether during the refining process or the subsequent forced servitude of nurturing spirits for the Heavenly Cuisine Sect, the suffering fell entirely on her shoulders. While others could worry only about their own families, Gui Nianqin had to care for everyone, even those she cherished most.

Second only to her was Gui Nian’an, who had survived within the Heavenly Cuisine Sect without ever submitting. Her tragedy mirrored Gui Nianqin’s, her heart tethered to every villager. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as the children betrayed their village, powerless to intervene, while enduring years of He Yongda’s abuse and humiliation.

Now, neither grandmother nor granddaughter resembled humans. One was an immortal Human Talisman, the other a Corpse Cultivator, her body steeped in corpse qi, nearly a living dead.

Yet Hua Jinshi still dared to delude himself that they should be grateful to him.

Even now, he refused to acknowledge his own wrongdoing.

Gui Nianqin snatched the knife from Gui Nian’an and slashed a deep gash across his back, tearing away a strip of skin. Hua Jinshi screamed, “Wu Qingshu! Look how vicious these people are! Your Cloudmist Sect claims to be righteous and honorable—aren’t you going to do something about this?”

“Me, malicious?” Gui Nianqin scoffed as if hearing a joke, then tore off another strip of his skin with brutal force. “Have you forgotten how you stripped my skin from me all those years ago? I’ve only taken two small pieces from you, yet you call me evil? What about you?”

Hua Jinshi, powerless to resist, glared at Gui Nianqin with seething hatred. “I was helping you achieve immortality! You—”

Liu Huairou, still clutching the spiritual blade given by Si Xianling, viciously sliced a chunk of flesh from Hua Jinshi’s arm before he could finish speaking.

The pain choked off his words, silencing his screams.

Bo Xuenong watched the scene with cold detachment, when suddenly she heard a voice in her mind, identical to Hua Jinshi’s.

Hiss! Whose body is this? Such abundant spiritual power, such formidable innate aptitude—how could it be beaten to such a state? How dare this wretched mortal carve flesh from a Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator? A death-seeking fool… infuriating! Who sealed this body’s cultivation? I can’t resist… No, I need to switch bodies.

Bo Xuenong’s eyes lit up as she tracked the voice to Hua Jinshi.

Hua Jinshi, despite his severe injuries, had also been targeted by an Otherworld Soul. These entities seemed only capable of sensing a host’s spiritual power and innate aptitude, oblivious to their physical condition or circumstances. Could I cripple the spiritual roots of several high-Cultivation individuals, leave them alive as bait, and wait for Otherworld Souls to possess them before finishing them off?

Bo Xuenong instantly recognized this as a brilliant idea. Before she could even turn to Feng Jin, Feng Jin’s telepathic message arrived: “Eldest Senior Sister, should we exchange for Soul-Devouring Gu to kill their souls? Otherwise, when their bodies die, their souls will escape.”

Just as Bo Xuenong was about to exchange for the Soul-Devouring Gu, she remembered to ask Feng Jin, “Would it be cheaper for you to exchange?”

“For one-time consumable items, the Points cost is the same. But for permanent items, my exchange rate is half the price.”

The Soul-Devouring Gu was a one-time consumable item.

Without hesitation, Bo Xuenong immediately exchanged for two Soul-Devouring Gu. She strode over to Wu Liangyi and Hua Jinshi, punched them in the abdomen, and secretly placed the Soul-Devouring Gu on their bodies.

Just as she was about to exchange for another Soul-Devouring Gu for Fu Yunqing, she suddenly remembered that the Soul-Devouring Gu couldn’t target specific souls.

Bo Xuenong fell silent for a moment before immediately pressing the System for a solution.

System: Soul-Devouring Gu available for 2,000 Points each.

Glancing at her remaining 1,100 Points, Bo Xuenong instinctively looked at Feng Jin. Feng Jin had clearly heard the System notification. Hesitantly, she reached out toward Wu Qingshu, gritted her teeth, and suddenly made up her mind. She threw her arms around Wu Qingshu’s arm, pressing herself against her.

Wu Qingshu, always indulgent with children, gently stroked Feng Jin’s face without pulling away.

While clinging to Wu Qingshu’s arm, Feng Jin pointed to Wu Qingshu’s other arm, gesturing for Bo Xuenong to hug it as well.

Bo Xuenong didn’t understand at first, but then she remembered… Fu Yunqing had been trapped within Gui Nianqin’s formation. The Otherworld Soul hadn’t had a chance to target Fu Yunqing’s soul. Now that they were out of the formation, the Soul might have learned the Soul-Searching Technique and could strike at any moment.

If they didn’t eliminate the Soul quickly, Fu Yunqing would be the one eliminated.

After a moment’s thought, Bo Xuenong retreated to a more secluded spot and carefully brought out Shen Yanting again.

Gazing imploringly at the White Porcelain Doll, she opened her mouth, her voice filled with pleading: “Master, can you touch my face?”

Shen Yanting was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Shen Yanting’s confusion, Bo Xuenong pinched her voice, making herself sound even more pitiful. “Master,” she pleaded.

Shen Yanting reached out and gently stroked Bo Xuenong’s cheek. Bo Xuenong pressed her face against the White Porcelain Doll’s palm, rubbing softly.

Twenty points were added to her score.

Bo Xuenong didn’t want to exploit Shen Yanting for points, but the situation was urgent. She also couldn’t bear the thought of getting too close to anyone else. Just imagining Wu Qingshu’s hands pinching and squeezing her face filled her with terror.

If Shen Yanting found out that Bo Xuenong’s failure to earn enough points had led to Fu Yunqing being possessed by someone else, she might be furious.

She had to save Fu Yunqing.

Because Shen Yanting wanted Fu Yunqing to live.

Stroking her face earned points too slowly. She suspected that touching areas Shen Yanting normally wouldn’t would yield more points.

Bo Xuenong tilted her neck upward. “Master, could you touch my neck?”

Confused, Shen Yanting still reached out and touched the red cloth around her neck.

Bo Xuenong tore the cloth away, pressing her delicate, pale neck against Shen Yanting’s hand and rubbing vigorously.

The White Porcelain Doll’s hands were small, with slightly stiff fingertips that tickled her neck.

Bo Xuenong instinctively scratched her neck.

Thirty points added.

Bo Xuenong pointed to her ear again. “Master, can you touch my ear?”

Her human ears lacked the soft, downy fur of animal ears, smooth and delicate without a trace of fuzz. Shen Yanting’s fingertips recoiled the moment they brushed against it, but Bo Xuenong leaned forward, guiding her hand to successfully feel the soft, delicate lobe.

Shen Yanting lowered her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed. She pointed toward Fu Yunqing. “Nong’er, we should go back over there.”

As her finger extended, it was suddenly enveloped in a warm breath.

Bo Xuenong had brought her lips within a hair’s breadth of Shen Yanting’s fingertip.

Looking at Shen Yanting with a pitiful expression, Bo Xuenong pleaded, her tone full of longing, “Master, can you touch my lips?”

It was too close.

A slight tremor of Shen Yanting’s fingertip would bring it into contact with Bo Xuenong’s lips.

Shen Yanting dared not move. Yet, she often silenced Bo Xuenong by pressing her fingertip against her lips. Avoiding contact now would betray her unease, revealing her hidden thoughts. Afraid of exposing her feelings, she reluctantly reached out and touched them, intending to quickly brush them and withdraw. But when Bo Xuenong saw her move forward, she leaned in closer herself.

Shen Yanting’s fingertip slid along Bo Xuenong’s lower lip and into her mouth, touching the warm, moist tip of her tongue.