Chapter 96 (096) - The Early Deployment of the Forced Sex Dungeon
This commotion involved the village's local thugs, so the villagers were initially hesitant to openly come and join the fun. But once they heard that the cultivators from Mount Shu had arrived, they were no longer afraid.
The news spread like wildfire, and people gathered in front of the thatched cottage.
Before dawn, those who had been instigated by Zeng Dayan to besiege the graves had scattered like birds and beasts. Only Aunt Tong, Zeng Dayan, and a few of his henchmen who usually loved to follow him in committing crimes remained, their faces grim as they were blocked by the three coffins in the thatched hut, some sitting and some standing.
"Upon examination, the neck and throat bones of all three members of the Qu family were found to be fractured. In other words, Qu Shan and his wife did not die of illness, and their daughter, Xiao Tao, did not fall to her death, but was cruelly strangled. Moreover, Xiao Tao was pregnant before her death, but due to her young age, she suffered a difficult childbirth and could not give birth." Jia Song said coldly, "At the time of her burial, she didn't even have a single intact piece of clothing. It's impossible that the people who arranged her funeral couldn't have seen that. Li Quanfu, Li Quangui, Zhang Mao, and Zeng Fan all lied about this."
A buzz of discussion arose from the crowd outside the thatched cottage:
"What a tragedy, Xiao Tao is only nine years old..."
"It must have been them! I figured it out a long time ago. They're scoundrels, old bachelors, always doing bad things, even murder to cover it up!"
"You know what, these four people were decapitated when they died. It's highly likely that they strangled the Qu family of three, and now the Qu family members have become vengeful ghosts seeking revenge!"
...
The veins on Aunt Tong's forehead throbbed visibly. She slammed her large hand on the table and retorted fiercely but weakly, "Slander! It's all slander! Why don't you say that the Qu family's daughter was young and didn't study hard, attracting other men outside, and when her mother found out she was pregnant, her mother strangled her in a fit of rage, and then, in a moment of despair, took the Qu family's man away so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore, and finally hanged herself?!"
Lu Yuanyuan said expressionlessly, "If the matter has absolutely nothing to do with Zhang Mao, Li Quanfu, Li Quangui, and Zeng Fan, why would they lie together and cover up the truth?"
Jia Song clenched his fist: "Exactly! Do you think we can't tell the difference between hanging and strangulation? The Qu couple both had a circular lividity on their backs, which was exactly the size of an adult's knee. The two ribs below the lividity were broken, but Xiao Tao's weren't. It's obvious that when the murderer strangled the two adults, he deliberately used a knee to press down on their backs from behind to prevent them from struggling and turning over. Xiao Tao is a child, she's not strong, so the murderer didn't need to use his knee to help her!"
Aunt Tong's face turned pale and then red, and she said, "Even if they were strangled to death, it doesn't mean it was my son who did it! My son only kept quiet because he thought their family died dishonorably and were harmed by villains, and he wanted to save them some face!"
Zeng Dayan, who had been silent until now, also chimed in with a harsh voice: "That's right, these are all just your side of the story, not evidence at all. I could say that the lividity was caused by the couple fighting before they died. If you ask me, the problem lies with that little brat. Her parents never care about her, and at such a young age she's been flirting with all sorts of shady characters in the village..."
After a pause, Zeng Dayan forced a mocking smile, his face contorted with deep wrinkles, like disgusting maggots writhing around him: "Otherwise, why is everyone else fine, but she's the only one heavily pregnant? It takes two to tango!"
Upon hearing such shameless words, the onlookers immediately erupted in clamor. Jia Song, young and impetuous, was clearly enraged.
Duan Lansheng said calmly, "Then what kind of evidence do you want?"
He was handsome and elegant, with an icy and graceful demeanor. His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a penetrating quality. Just now, when Zeng Dayan, a man with a fierce face, was speaking, the surroundings were still incredibly noisy. But when he spoke, the surroundings unconsciously quieted down.
Zeng Dayan arrogantly said, "Everything you're saying now is just conjecture. You think you're so capable of catching demons and exorcising monsters? If you have the guts, turn that girl from the Qu family into a ghost and come out to testify against us right now!"
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
She finally understood why this dungeon was considered easy; even the villains were incredibly stupid. Didn't they know that exorcising ghosts was part of a cultivator's job?
However, even if Zeng Dayan hadn't said that, they were still planning to do it anyway, and they had already made preparations before coming.
Xiao Tao is a ghost, but not very powerful. They dug up her remains at dawn, so capturing her would be quite easy.
As Zeng Dayan finished speaking, a chilling wind swept through the thatched cottage, lowering the temperature several degrees compared to outside. The straw curtains were whipped down by the wind. A faint black shadow appeared out of thin air. It was a little girl who looked only eight or nine years old, not at all like the one everyone had imagined when she died. She wore coarse cloth, her dry hair tied in a bundle, her face sallow and thin, but upon closer inspection, she was actually quite pretty and lovely. Her head was half-lowered. However, her pupils were large and black, with almost no whites visible, and she was dangling from the ground on her toes, making her look extremely eerie.
Those who die with their eyes open cannot find peace and are unable to be reincarnated, so they become wandering spirits.
The crowd gasped. Fortunately, this was, after all, the world of cultivation, where ordinary people were more familiar with supernatural phenomena. Seeing the ghost appear, although somewhat frightened, everyone stood there, eagerly waiting to see what would happen next, instead of turning and fleeing.
Standing opposite the crowd were Aunt Tong and Zeng Dayan, along with several of his henchmen. Upon seeing this blurry figure, their lips trembled and they quickly turned pale.
A trembling voice came from the crowd: "Immortal Master, is this Xiao Tao? Could she be lying?"
Lu Yuanyuan shook her head: "With us here, it won't happen."
Knowing they were cultivators from Mount Shu, the villagers already had a preconceived goodwill towards them. Having witnessed their righteous act of seeking justice for the Qu family of three, they weren't fools; they understood perfectly well and had already formed their own judgment. Seeing Lu Yuanyuan's unwavering conviction, they were all convinced, and no one raised any objections.
...
The truth became clear. All four men had participated in the abuse of Xiaotao, and shockingly, even Zhang Mao, who had the best reputation, was involved in many of them. Xiaotao told her mother what had happened, but her mother told her not to tell anyone. And so, once became twice, twice became three times… After discovering her pregnancy was progressing, Xiaotao tried to induce an abortion herself, but failed. Ultimately, due to her young age, she suffered a difficult childbirth. Hearing the news, the brothers Li Quanfu and Li Quangui, fearing exposure, decided to use their shared secret to blackmail the other two men and settle the matter.
Zhang Mao was the most likely of the four to do good deeds, so it was most reasonable for him to propose burying the family. This would prevent the Qu family members from seeing their unnatural deaths.
Throughout history, wherever there are people, orphans and widows have always been a group that is easily targeted and bullied.
Ah Hui and her mother could live a peaceful life, with no one daring to bully them, because He Zhao had become a disciple of Mount Shu. Even though He Zhao was currently missing, Mount Shu's prestige remained, so their situation was still relatively comfortable.
The Qu family consisted of a paralyzed man who was practically invisible, a sickly woman, and a nine-year-old child... their very existence screamed "at the mercy of others."
Aipozi Village was a peaceful little place ten years ago. It was only after Zeng Dayan and his group arrived that it gradually became what it is today. But before, he at most did some bad things like ganging up on his subordinates and bullying the weak. The first few people who resisted him all met a terrible end. But this was man-made disaster, not caused by evil spirits. They couldn't seek help from cultivation sects like Mount Shu, so everyone just endured it.
But this tragedy involving the Qu family of three was truly outrageous. Even though Zeng Dayan wasn't directly involved, the villagers could no longer tolerate this scourge wreaking havoc in the village. Armed with sticks, hoes, and other weapons, the crowd menacingly surrounded him, forcing him and his men to leave.
As for Aunt Tong, considering that she was a widow and her only crime was protecting her son, the people did not kill her, but they all cast disgusted glances at her when they passed by.
Aunt Tong stood there dumbfounded, slumped to the ground, staring at the noisy crowd. Suddenly, she let out a wail, scrambled to her feet, and rushed towards Ah Hui, grabbing her leg: "Ah Hui, little girl... they're all slandering Ah Mao..."
From the moment Xiao Tao's ghost appeared, A Hui stood by, trembling as she listened to the entire story. Her face was deathly pale, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, but her demeanor gradually calmed. Faced with the old woman's persistent entanglement, she made a decisive move, firmly pulling her leg back and walking out of the thatched cottage without looking back.
Just then, an elderly man with white hair, who looked quite old, slowly walked into the thatched cottage, supported by several young people. He was the same man who had asked Xiao Tao whether she would lie earlier: "Immortal Master, after burying the Qu family, what do you plan to do with Xiao Tao's spirit?"
The group looked shaken and wary: "That's right. Although she died innocently, she did kill a few people. You should be able to perform a ritual to help her pass on to the afterlife, right?"
“I remember, Mrs. Qu came to our house to borrow rice before… They rarely interacted with others in the village, and we weren’t a wealthy family, nor were we familiar with them, so we didn’t agree. Who knows if she’ll hold a grudge against us.”
"I've heard that once a ghost gets blood on its hands, it can't stop. She'll definitely keep killing. For our safety, we can't let her out!"
...
After Xiao Tao was summoned out and identified her enemies, she was temporarily put back into the magic artifact and held by Jia Song.
Duan Lansheng frowned slightly, about to speak, when Lu Yuanyuan suddenly stepped forward, reached out and took the small jar from Jia Song's arms, saying without changing her expression, "Leave it to me, I will cleanse her soul."
Jia Song nodded: "Fellow villagers, rest assured, we will definitely act in accordance with the rules of the cultivation world."
Although I feel sorry for Xiaotao's past, any ghost that has killed someone, regardless of the reason, cannot be allowed to live. In particular, Xiaotao's power as a ghost is exceptionally strong because of her tragic death, so she cannot be let go.
The villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Master!"
Duan Lansheng glanced at Lu Yuanyuan, then looked away, seemingly lost in thought.
That night.
From the moment we arrived at the Qu family's house in the dark last night to search for clues, we worked tirelessly until evening, reburying the Qu family of three. Only then could we sit down and rest for a while. We went to bed early that night.
After midnight, confirming that Ah Hui beside her was fast asleep, facing the wall, Lu Yuanyuan tiptoed and quietly left the He family. She traveled swiftly along the wind to a desolate hillside outside Aipozi Village, shook her sleeves, placed the small jar with the yellow talisman on it on the ground, and whispered a few incantations.
A blurry figure appeared in mid-air. Unlike her eerie appearance during the day, where her eyes were completely filled with pupils, this figure was ragged, with her arms hanging down, and the whites of her eyes clearly defined. Upon seeing Lu Yuanyuan, she reacted with alertness and terror, attempting to flee. But she quickly screamed and was pulled back by an invisible force.
Finding herself confined to a two-meter radius around the artifact, Xiaotao finally stopped pushing against the boundary: "Are you going to help me pass on to the afterlife?"
Lu Yuanyuan said, "In principle, yes."
"Why did you have to come now of all times to meddle? I don't want to disappear! I want to kill Zeng Dayan! I want to kill the Tong family! I don't want to disappear so soon!"
The villagers all said that Xiaotao was a quiet and honest child. But after an unnatural death, especially one that has been so tragic, a person's personality cannot remain consistent with what they had in life. On the contrary, the unvented resentment and suppression can amplify the darker aspects of their personality.
Xiao Tao's speech grew faster and faster, her voice became increasingly shrill, her eyes suddenly turned blood red, bloody tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, her fingernails grew rapidly, and thick blood began to seep from the hem of her clothes, making her look like she was on her deathbed, both wretched and pitiful: "I'm going to kill their whole family! I won't be satisfied until I kill them! I'm not convinced! You've never died like me, you just arrogantly eliminate us, what do you know!"
Lu Yuanyuan said, "I also think you did nothing wrong."
The volume was very low, as if he were talking to himself.
She raised her eyes and said, "So, if you go to be reincarnated, I will let you go."
Xiao Tao was stunned. The blood and tears in her eyes slowly faded a little. She looked at her with suspicion: "Then why didn't you let me kill Tong Shi and Zeng Dayan?"
"They are indeed not good people; they are villains who fanned the flames and protected the murderer. But after all, they weren't truly involved in this karma. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. If you kill someone unrelated, you will have committed an irreparable sin, and you will become a true vengeful ghost, wandering the world. Once you cross that line, you will never stop. Even if I release you, you will not escape the pursuit of other cultivators. Even if you manage to escape by chance and successfully enter the cycle of reincarnation, you will not be able to be reborn as a human in your next life. Is it worth paying such a price for them?"
As she spoke, Lu Yuanyuan raised her hand and gently touched its illusory image, her gaze containing a gentleness that Xiao Tao couldn't understand.
She felt nothing at all; her palm only touched a wisp of air. She traced the edge of the illusory image, imagining it was the top of a little girl's fluffy hair, and gently touched it twice before withdrawing her hand.
Xiao Tao thought for a while and said sullenly, "Being human isn't good either, I'm in so much pain."
“Yes.” Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and said, “But being released from the cycle of rebirth as a ghost is very, very painful. If you are reincarnated and enter the animal realm, you might be a pig, a chicken, or a calf in your next life. Zeng Dayan and the Tong family, on the other hand, can continue to live a life of luxury as humans. You were harmed terribly by them in your past life, and if you encounter them in your next life, you might even be eaten by them. How frustrating is that?”
She's still just a child. After only imagining the scenario she described, Xiaotao cried out, "I don't want to be eaten!"
Lu Yuanyuan said, "At least humans have teeth and fists, so they can fight back if they're bullied. If they're unlucky enough to die, they can become vengeful ghosts and take revenge. Compared to that, it seems better to be a human. What do you think?"
Xiao Tao seemed to be persuaded, looking at her hesitantly and uneasily: "If I go to be reincarnated, you really won't help me pass on to a better life?"
Lu Yuanyuan nodded.
Xiao Tao's eyes flickered slightly. She lowered her head, thought for a long time, and then said softly, "I believe you because you are a good person, sister."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Tao's ferocious face unconsciously changed. Her long fingernails retracted into her flesh, her eyes returned to their dark, lustrous black, and her blood-soaked trousers became clean again, transforming her back into the somewhat shy person she was in life.
The night wind was chilly, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Lu Yuanyuan glanced at the faintly brightening sky, waved her hand to release the restriction, and said, "Go quickly before dawn; you've already delayed for too long."
The illusory figure drifted away for a few steps, then suddenly drifted back in the opposite direction: "Sister, before I leave, can I hug you?"
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback, then nodded.
With permission, the phantom rushed into her arms, as if a gloomy, damp rain was pouring down on her face, much colder than the rain that drenched her neck.
This thin, solitary shadow had no physical form, yet it seemed to be straining with all its might to feel the warmth of this embrace. Accompanied by a faint sigh, the shadow slowly faded and dissipated into the wind.
"Sister... I left you a gift..."
Before disappearing completely, a faint child's voice left these words in her ear.
Gift?
Lu Yuanyuan was momentarily stunned. The night was dark, with no stars or moon, and apart from the swaying weeds, there was nothing else on the earthen slope. She moved her body slightly, puzzled, but couldn't sense anything unusual.
The only person who knew the answer had already been reincarnated, so naturally, no one could be asked.
Fortunately, at least we can be sure it's not a curse.
More than the so-called gift, she was concerned about why the system hadn't given her any progress notifications even though she had successfully completed the dungeon.
Even if this mission is a combination of two parts, with the Qu family of three and the missing girl each accounting for half, the progress bar should at least be at least 50%, right?
I had only found a small clue before, and the progress bar skyrocketed to 40% like a rocket.
Lu Yuanyuan frowned, unable to come up with an answer.
Never mind. Let's wait until Fu Xinguang and Xu Rao return before discussing this further.
She squatted down, packed up the ritual implements, and planned to return to Ah Hui's house that night. If anyone asked her the next day, she would say that she was afraid things might change if she waited too long, so she had already performed a ritual to help Xiao Tao pass on to the afterlife.
This was indeed against the rules of Shushan, but the system did not forbid her from doing so.
Lu Yuanyuan reached out and brushed aside the leaves, took a few steps down the slope, and then suddenly stopped.
Just a dozen meters away, a tall, slender figure stood there with an umbrella, quietly watching her.
Lu Yuanyuan's throat tightened slightly.
Jia Song is easy to fool, but he is not. That's why she snatched the magic weapon into her own hands first.
If they met again tomorrow, she was confident she could keep it a secret. But Duan Lansheng's presence here at this moment likely meant he either saw what she was doing or guessed what she had done.
Duan Lansheng exchanged a glance with her, then strode over. The rain grew heavier, and the accumulated water droplets dripped down the winding grooves of the oil-paper umbrella, eventually settling above her head, creating a world of their own.
Lu Yuanyuan remained motionless, her mind racing as she tried to think of a response. Should she deny it outright? Or should she try to persuade him? Suddenly, she heard his question from above: "Why didn't you bring an umbrella in the rain?"
Unexpectedly, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly raised her eyes.
Duan Lansheng didn't ask her what she was doing there, but his dark blue eyes seemed to see through everything. He turned around and said, "Stop daydreaming, let's go back."
A strange feeling welled up in Lu Yuanyuan's heart, and the fingertips that were inserted into her palm relaxed slightly.
The next day was a sunny day.
When Jia Song woke up, he found the magic artifacts were empty. Sure enough, he asked Xiao Tao where she had gone, looking completely bewildered, without questioning her nonchalant explanation.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuanyuan discovered that when she woke up, the progress bar for [Snow Plum Blossom] had jumped to 80%. That same afternoon, Fu Xinguang and Xu Rao, who returned earlier than scheduled, revealed the answer.
It turned out that during their investigation in nearby villages over the past two days, they learned that the missing girls had one thing in common: they had all walked along the same mountain path and disappeared in the mountains. Upon discovering this clue, the progress bar jumped to 40%.
As luck would have it, a wedding was being held in a village the night before, so the two decided to play along, disguising themselves as attendants and hiding in the wedding procession to see if they could find any clues. Unexpectedly, their plan backfired spectacularly—the procession encountered a strange fog in the mountains, and if it weren't for the two cultivators hiding within, the young woman in the sedan chair would likely have been in grave danger.
The two pressed on, tracking the monster's trail until dawn, when they subdued it in the mountains, which is why the progress bar jumped to 80%. Next, all they need to do is find He Zhao and Xiao Ruo, and the remaining 20% will be filled.
Fu Xinguang and Xu Rao rushed back to Aipozi Village to gather everyone and search the mountains for any surviving hostages.
The dungeon's name, "Snow Plum Blossom," alludes to the monster's feeding method—it enjoys poking holes in the girl's body with its fingernails to draw blood, resembling red plum blossoms on the snow. Hence the name.
Lu Yuanyuan: "So, the tragedy in Aipozi Village doesn't belong to this instance, and this instance is so difficult that only two people are needed to complete it?"
System: "I already said, this is a simple task. The focus of this plot is not on completing tasks, but simply on creating an environment for Xiao Ruo and Duan Lansheng to develop their relationship."
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Who could have imagined that the progress bar's changes would be so coincidental? They split into two groups; while she and Duan Lansheng discovered clues at the Qu family's residence, Fu Xinguang and Xu Rao also discovered crucial clues in the girl's disappearance case. It was precisely this that misled her, making her believe that the Qu family's tragedy was related to the "Snow Plum Blossom" instance.
If the story had followed the original plot, they wouldn't have gotten involved in the tragedy in Aipozi Village in the first place. Because after Duan Lansheng and Xiao Ru met at A Hui's house, the focus of the plot would have shifted to the love triangle between the bickering lovers.
The five of them, along with Xiao Ruo, the fox demon, would set off together that very day to solve the mystery in a nearby village, and they would not be able to glean any clues unrelated to the dungeon from A Hui.
However, despite the huge misunderstanding, Lu Yuanyuan didn't regret it. After all, if they hadn't intervened, Xiao Tao's ultimate fate would have been to become a vengeful ghost after killing Tong Shi and Zeng Dayan, only to be slain by cultivators and never be reincarnated. The truth behind the Qu family's tragic death would never have come to light. Things were better than they were before, weren't they?
That afternoon, the five of them arrived at the place where Fu Xinguang and Xu Rao had killed the monster and mobilized the villagers to search the mountain. Because people had been going missing recently, the villagers tried to avoid going to sparsely populated areas. Now that they heard the monster had been killed, they all eagerly signed up to be able to help.
A day later, they successfully found He Zhao and five girls still alive in a remote bat cave. These five girls were the monster's food supplies, captured by the monster and taken to its lair.
He Zhao had previously gone up the mountain alone to investigate clues and found the monster's lair. He wanted to escape with the hostages, but instead, he himself fell into the monster's hands.
Lu Yuanyuan: "Didn't you say the mission was very simple?"
System: "The dungeon difficulty is easy for you. He Zhao is just a newbie who has just entered Shu Mountain."
Fortunately, the person is still alive, and the dungeon progress has been increased to 100%.
However, when Lu Yuanyuan arrived outside the bat cave, she found that Xiao Ruo was not among the hostages.
The cave entrance, riddled with jagged rocks, was brightly lit by the firelight. The frail girl was carried out and reunited with her family. Lu Yuanyuan stood under the tree, her eyelids twitching unusually, as if sensing some ominous sign approaching.
From the very beginning, this story was flawed because Xiao Ru didn't appear at A Hui's house.
In the end, Xiao Ru did not show up at all.
Is this a bug? But what kind of bug would cause the most important female lead to be absent throughout the entire film?
Yes, there were bugs in the love triangle storyline in the mortal realm. But at least Xiao Ruo didn't stray from the main plot.
After disappearing in Yong Kingdom, where did Xiao Ru go?
Lu Yuanyuan's thoughts were racing. She flexed her knuckles and suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Duan Lansheng's somewhat solemn face: "Yuanyuan, an urgent message has come from Shu Mountain, asking us not to return to the sect yet, but to stay in Dingchan."
"What's wrong?"
What Duan Lansheng said next was completely unexpected: "Master Xugu secretly went to the Lingbao Secret Realm a few days ago. We don't know the specifics. Three days ago, she sent out a distress signal. Shushan has already sent people here. They told us to stay here, probably because they want us to join them."
Lu Yuanyuan was startled.
System: "Ding! Congratulations, host, for triggering the main storyline dungeon [Bone Corrosion]."
She knew what the [Bone Erosion] instance was.
This instance was a turning point in the original owner's life—in the instance, she would take advantage of Duan Lansheng's inability to resist the snake venom entering his bloodstream, attempting to force herself on him. However, her evil plan failed, and after the failure, the original owner was slinked out of Mount Shu.
Although she knew the timeline was compressed when the anomalies first appeared in the Ghost Realm, this instance arrived much faster than she had worst fears. The tasks that should have preceded it were all skipped; it just appeared without warning.
She had thought that at worst, she would have at least a few months to slowly but surely improve. However, reality did not give her that chance.
The drizzle we shared under the same umbrella was nothing but a mirage. What truly loomed before us was the cold glint of death's blade.
In this scenario where she's forced into marriage, she has to follow the plot. With many preconditions changed, the future has become unpredictable.
If she succeeds, she will be repeating the same path she took in her past life. She doesn't want to.
Otherwise, she would most likely be expelled from Mount Shu. She was unwilling to accept this.
She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes, nor was she willing to let all her previous efforts go to waste. She couldn't wait any longer; she had to take a gamble.
.
Having received a notification from Mount Shu, Lu Yuanyuan, Duan Lansheng, and Fu Xinguang stayed in Dingchan. Xu Rao and Jia Song, being newbies, couldn't offer much help either, so after settling He Zhao's family in, they took He Zhao back to Mount Shu.
The three who remained stayed at an inn in Dingchan City.
There are few large inns in Dingchan Village, and this is already the best one available. Because there are not many guests, the corridor is so quiet at night that you could hear a pin drop, and the lantern light cannot penetrate the pitch-black end.
Duan Lansheng was wiping his sword when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. He opened it and saw Lu Yuanyuan.
Lu Yuanyuan seemed to have just taken a shower; her hair was still a little damp. She looked up, glanced into his room, and asked softly, "Lansheng, are you free now? I need your help with something."
Duan Lansheng did not hesitate: "Okay."
Lu Yuanyuan was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you going to ask what it is first?"
What is it?
“It’s just…” She bit her lip in frustration, then suddenly waved her hand: “Never mind, I’d better not bother you for now.”
She took a step back, but her wrist was grabbed. Duan Lansheng frowned and pulled her into the room: "Let's talk inside."
The door closed, and the room fell silent, leaving only the two of them standing facing each other.
The candlelight flickered weakly. Lu Yuanyuan seemed a little flustered and ashamed, and dared not look him in the eye.
“I told you, no matter what trouble you encounter, you can come to me.” Duan Lansheng paused, observing her expression, and softened his tone: “Is it something difficult to say?”
Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then hummed in agreement.
"It's okay, take your time."
Lu Yuanyuan mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and said, "Actually, it's related to the cultivation technique I told you about last time that was brought out of the imperial tomb."
Duan Lansheng stiffened, staring at her, waiting for her to continue.
“Since that day, I have been practicing this technique regularly. But I have found that every time I finish practicing, I feel something is not right. At first, I thought I might be overthinking it, because Yuanjun also said that I was very well-behaved during practice and there was nothing unusual. But... recently, after practicing... I feel uncomfortable, and... it hurts a little.”
As she spoke certain words, her voice became barely audible, only the words "pain" and "uncomfortable" could be heard. Duan Lansheng's expression grew more serious, and he asked with concern, "Where does it hurt?"
"that is……"
She hesitated, holding back for a long time, as if she wanted to say something but had some reservations.
Are you still worried about whether he is trustworthy?
Even mere speculation displeased him. Duan Lansheng's eyes darkened slightly, and he pursed his lips, saying, "You are a pill cultivator; you should know that you cannot hide your illness from medical treatment."
As soon as he finished speaking, his hand, which was hanging down under his sleeve, was suddenly gently grabbed and slowly led to her back, touching a soft spot.
Duan Lansheng was taken aback.
The girl in front of him had her eyes downcast and her ears bright red, as if she was so ashamed she was about to burst into flames. She hesitated for a long time, too embarrassed to say it, so she gave up and guided his hand to point: "It's just... this place feels uncomfortable."
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