Chapter 63 The Yin-Yang Union: Little Beauty, Where Are You Going? ...
Zhu Ming's anxiety finally subsided when he saw Bi Tao break free from the dream.
The Eastern King Duke had long seen that Bitao was clear-headed and had not been bewitched by evil spirits.
However, every time he explained matters of official business to Zhu Ming, Zhu Ming was very convinced, but whenever this Little Fairy Bitao was involved, he would always become confused by her concern.
Looking at Zhu Ming, Dong Wanggong realized that he might not be experiencing intense sexual desire or love, and that his words were merely a joke.
But Dongwanggong, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, really didn't understand whether there were truly such close friends in this world.
They were clearly not related by blood, and their ages were so different that it was like an insurmountable chasm. The Fairy Bitao had only been in the celestial realm for a little over two hundred years. In the celestial realm, two hundred years old was equivalent to a child in the mortal world.
Therefore, from the very beginning, the Eastern King Duke felt that the selection of immortals was just something the immortals were "playing with children," and what was so interesting about it?
Although he had always found the Little Fairy of Peach Blossoms quite interesting, the relationship between Zhu Ming and her... truly puzzled him.
If we had to find some similarities between the two, it would be that they are both incredibly intelligent, adept at exploiting loopholes and taking shortcuts, and outwardly gentle but inwardly rebellious and unruly.
Furthermore, his overly human nature often leads to questions about his status as an immortal.
Several traits put together cannot even be called a virtue.
When the Eastern King Duke took Zhu Ming as his attendant, the various departments of the Heavenly Realm initially opposed it fiercely.
After all, the Eastern King Duke supervises the male immortals of the Nine Heavens, which is equivalent to holding half of the power to supervise the immortal positions in the Heavenly Realm. If his attendant succeeds him as an immortal in the future, wouldn't he be holding half of the sky?
Zhu Ming was the first meritorious immortal appointed by the Eastern King Duke, and also the first meritorious immortal to emerge in the Nine Heavens.
The controversy surrounding Zhu Ming's character finally subsided after nearly a thousand years.
But just as things were calming down, the Little Fairy of Peach Blossoms was thrown into turmoil once again.
Although the two were only joking servants, in the eyes of the Eastern King, their "unorthodox methods" were the true means of inheritance and continuous transmission.
The Eastern King cast a questioning glance at Zhu Ming, but Zhu Ming was unwilling to explain his relationship with Bi Tao.
Although Dongwang Gongqie's actions are somewhat outrageous now, he is upright and righteous. He was once an ancient immortal with a loyal heart and noble spirit.
He certainly didn't know that there's a kind of friendship in this world called "birds of a feather flock together."
It's called colluding with each other, it's called you killing someone and I burying them.
Compared to the detached and indifferent friendship between gentlemen, the upright and honest friendship is much more meaningful.
The true bond of brotherhood lies between two "little mice" who, in their humblest times, braved "storms and downpours" to lift each other up from the "gutter" to catch their breath.
Dong Wanggong got up somewhat bored, and Zhu Ming immediately stood up to see him off respectfully.
Dongwanggong waved his hand, releasing an invisible celestial aura that forced Zhu Ming to sit back down.
"Keep watching your Little Fairy Peach Blossom."
His tone was somewhat wistful, but not disapproving.
Instead, he felt envy; he was extremely envious, and a little bittersweet.
In the past... he must have had many friends and companions, but times have changed.
Today, people in Penglai regard him as their ancestor, showing him great respect but not much closeness.
Those old friends... most of them are now offering sacrifices.
The remaining group, too, lost their humanity on the long journey to immortality, becoming power-hungry and scheming "old-fashioned" individuals.
The cruelest words in this world are "things have changed, people are no longer the same"... How can life ever be the same as when we first met?
Zhu Ming bowed in the direction where the Eastern King had left, and after a moment sat back down to continue watching the Silver River Net with great interest.
Those who were tracking Bitao on the Silver River went crazy when they saw Bitao swinging her axe at Lü Youcai.
Now, seeing that Bitao had broken through the illusion in this way and even brought Lü Youcai out with her, everyone was incredulous.
"I thought the Fairy of the Peach Blossom was really going to eat that Lü Youcai..."
"Peach is awesome!"
"She also took Lü Youcai with her... You can only say that the fool is lucky, otherwise he would never have been able to break out of this dream. If he had eaten that bone, he would have been assimilated."
"To be honest, I didn't understand... I went back and watched it several times, but I still don't understand why this can break through the realm... Luckily I didn't participate in the competition, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have made it back... Trembling."
"To think that she could break through to the next realm even like that, I can only say... this Fairy Bitao is really something. I'm actually starting to like her a little."
"Because this dream was created by the evil spirit based on the little girl's obsession. The little girl was trapped in a desperate situation where she would starve to death if she didn't eat her mother's corpse."
"The souls that entered this dream were trapped in a desperate situation of cannibalism in order to survive, just as Lü Youcai thought. But the Fairy of the Peach Blossom chose to eat herself, thus breaking the deadlock. This was equivalent to breaking the little girl's obsession, and thus breaking the dream."
"I understand! So the way to break free from this dream is to find a way to continue living besides eating one's own mother. That little girl is still unable to let go of the fact that she ate her mother and became a ghost... that's why she's crying."
"That's right... A person can starve to death in a short time, but losing a limb doesn't necessarily mean death in a short time. It is indeed the only way to break the deadlock."
"The Fairy of Peach Blossoms has fallen into the next level of the dream, and this time it seems to be quite tragic for her too... she's been sold..."
...
Bitao's hands were tied, and she was being pulled along by a hemp rope.
This wasn't the first time Bitao had been sold; the first time, she even sold herself.
Looking at her father and aunt whom she had killed in the previous dream, now old and frail with white hair and wrinkled skin, she saw that they were still wicked and unrepentant.
The evil spirit who arranged for Bitao's father spoke in a sinister tone: "Although my daughter looks thin, she has no ailments whatsoever. She only needs to stay in this Yuanyang Tower for a few days until the fifteenth of July, and I guarantee that buyers will scramble to snatch her up!"
The aunt next to her chimed in, "That's right, that's right! This girl's mother died early, and she did all the dirty and tiring work at home. If she marries into the 'Yin Po family,' she will definitely be a good wife who will serve her husband well and be filial to her parents-in-law and ancestors!"
The buyer stood on the steps at the entrance, barely able to stand straight. His temples were gray, his back was hunched, and he barely raised his chin, looking down at Bitao with the same eyes one would use to appraise a piece of livestock.
In stark contrast to his gaunt appearance was the five-story building behind him, with its vermilion roofs, green tiles, and fluttering colorful ribbons.
Above the main entrance on the first floor hangs a plaque with three large vermilion characters: Yuanyanglou (Mandarin Duck Tower).
At first glance, it looks like a medium-sized brothel.
However, there was no soft music coming from inside the building, and there were no pretty women soliciting customers from the windows.
These three old men, who should be enjoying their retirement, are forced to work hard to "trade people" and "force women into prostitution," which is truly ridiculous and ironic.
Bitao looked at the hemp rope in her hand; she knew it would be easy for her to break free.
Within this dream realm, her form was not suppressed; although she still could not mobilize spiritual energy, the power of her body itself remained.
But she didn't rush to break free. It wasn't a life-or-death situation right now; she needed to figure out what she was in first.
Moreover, she saw that behind the buyer who was standing high on the steps and had not come down, there was a group of thugs dressed in short clothes and carrying curved knives, standing silently in the doorway.
There are roughly a dozen or so. If she tries to run, she will be caught immediately.
Moreover, in this dream world, absurdities such as the one Bitao is now facing are everywhere.
In the short time she stood on the street, two families who had previously hung funeral banners above their doors met and whispered among themselves. Soon after, the red silk banners that were usually hung for weddings were hung next to the funeral banners.
Immediately afterwards, two women were hastily dressed in red by the families of both households, pushed and shoved out of the door, and then pushed into each other's doors as if exchanging items.
The two women were bound hand and foot like peach blossoms, and their mouths were probably gagged. Even with their heads covered, their muffled sobs could not be muffled and could be heard across the street.
From the occasional loud words they exchanged, Bitao understood that the two families had changed marriages in the blink of an eye.
The marriage arrangement wasn't an ordinary one; it was a marriage arranged in the afterlife.
Looking around, Bitao saw that the scene of both mourning and joy at the gates of these two families was not an isolated case.
The entire street was adorned with funeral banners that blotted out the sun and red silk that covered the sky.
Paper money flew like snowflakes, wedding candies littered the ground, plain carriages and white horses rode side by side with red flower sedan chairs, and mournful and joyful music resonated together.
Under a clear blue sky, the yin and yang energies unite in a ritual, with paper horses, incense, and candles, red and white intermingling.
Moreover, for some reason, Bitao felt a strange sense of familiarity with the direction the street faced and the layout of the rows of houses.
She tilted her head to look around, and soon her pupils suddenly contracted. She saw at the end of the long street in the distance, the only place without any funeral banners or red silks, with its imposing walls made of green bricks and blue tiles—the Prefect's Mansion.
This is—Kangquan City!
"Boss Qu, Boss Qu! A new batch of 'goods' has arrived! I've come to deliver them to you!"
Bitao stumbled from the impact, and the rope in her hand was pulled by someone, nearly causing her adoptive father and aunt, who were also being pulled down, to fall as well.
"What are you doing! What are you doing! Are you blind...?" the aunt complained shrilly, but quickly caught sight of the man who had bumped into her, and the words "dog eyes" stuck in her throat.
After Bitao regained her balance, she looked at the man... Huh? Another old man?
But judging from the voice, it was clearly a young man.
"Scarface, where did you catch this 'goods'? I don't accept people with proper credentials. Last time you delivered some law-abiding citizens from other towns, they reported you to the authorities. Do you know how much trouble that caused me?"
The buyer who had been scrutinizing the peach blossoms also spoke, but his voice sounded completely different from his description. He was even younger.
Bitao carefully examined him and found that the incongruous thing about this buyer, known as Boss Qu, was not only his voice, but also his eyes. Although his eyes had a somewhat sinister look, they were definitely not the cloudy eyes of an old man.
Bitao turned her head to look at her father and aunt again, and sure enough, their eyes didn't match their appearance.
Bitao had killed these two people in the previous dream, and for a moment she didn't realize that their voices were different.
The man called Lai Ba immediately said, "Don't worry, don't worry! This time the 'goods' definitely have no identity. Even if they do, they're already 'corpses'! Boss Qu, sell with confidence!"①
Boss Qu smiled and raised his hand to Lai Ba, saying, "Bring him in for inspection."
He turned back and took a step, then looked in the direction where Bitao was standing and said, "You all come in too."
Then Bitao was pulled into the Yuanyang Tower. As they walked inside, Bitao saw the scarred man, who really did have a scar on his face.
However, because he now looks extremely old, most of his scars are covered by wrinkles, so they are not immediately noticeable.
Lai Ba didn't come alone. When he heard Boss Qu say he wanted to inspect the goods, his eyes lit up. He waved to the men escorting the truck and said, "Unload the goods!"
Several people, all with thick eyebrows and white hair, jumped down from the funeral cart wrapped in white cloth.
Bitao turned her head to look, but found even more incongruous things about these people.
The boss of Nagqu, along with Lai Ba, and even Bi Tao's father and aunt, were all old and frail, except for their voices and eyes.
Although these people did not speak and it was impossible to tell whether their voices matched their appearances, in addition to their bright eyes, they were also very agile.
There were even three people whose backs were perfectly straight, with broad shoulders and long legs.
After they jumped down from the carriage, they opened the door, holding a noose like a lasso for livestock, and swung it inside, pulling a person out.
Everyone inside was tied up and gagged. After the gags were pulled out, they were pushed to the ground and dragged into the house one by one.
The eight men were all disheveled, with messy hair and covered in mud.
Since the other side had more people, Boss Qu naturally checked them first.
He seemed used to the group's disheveled appearance. Holding a damp towel in his hand, he walked up to one of them and wiped his face.
Of course, it wasn't out of any good intentions, but rather to get a clear look at these people's appearances.
Bitao, along with her father and aunt, stood to the side, looking at the group of people. When Boss Qu reached out and touched the first person, Bitao recognized him immediately.
The cultivator of Wenxin Pavilion.
Wipe again—Disciple of the Seven Star Palace.
—A body cultivator from the Thunder Sect.
—A cultivator from the Wenxin Pavilion.
—Tai Xu Lou Formation Cultivator.
...
All eight people were revealed to be real. Bitao had an excellent memory and recognized them all; they were all cultivators who had traveled with them on this trip.
This is really lively!
Some of them clearly recognized Bitao, their expressions contorted, but because her mouth was gagged, they couldn't make any noises other than muffled sounds.
After wiping the last one, Boss Qu stood there, clearly frowning.
"Why are they all men this time?"
He turned to look at Scarface and said, "The price for men will be halved."
Lai Ba was already hunched over, and now he was all smiles and obsequious.
He lowered his voice and said, "Half and half! It's not easy for women to survive on the road of famine. But Boss Qu, you've seen the appearance of these people. If they dressed up as women and had their makeup done, they would all be beauties! No one would be able to tell the difference!"
“But someone so tall and strong is hard to take action against,” Boss Qu said with a troubled expression.
The scarred man then said, "If someone is too tall, just cut off their legs below the calves before they get into the sedan chair."
"If Boss Qu is worried that they might say something that will cause trouble, I have some mute medicine here. I won't let Boss Qu lose money. These days... the market for 'ghost brides' is so tight."
As he spoke, Lai Ba took out several medicine packets from his sleeve and handed them to Boss Qu while bending over.
Boss Qu glanced at the group of people again, and considering the "marriages" he had already taken on in advance, he had no better options, so he could only buy them first.
He took the medicine packet and said to his men inside the building, "Take it to the back and have them tidy it up."
Then he took off the money pouch from his waist, picked out two large pieces, stuffed them into his belt, and threw the rest to Scarface.
"I'll pay for any extra of your mute medicine. If you need to send any more in the future, try to send it to women..." Boss Qu paused and said, "It doesn't matter if they're dead or alive, as long as they don't smell bad."
"Okay, okay!" Lai Ba took the money bag, his face beaming with joy.
After taking the money, he told the people he had brought to leave.
Just then, one of the cultivators suddenly broke free from the ropes binding his hands.
Moreover, he quickly untied the ropes binding the two people next to him and started fighting with the men of Boss Qu who were escorting them.
They were on the stairs leading to the second floor, and Bitao was standing below, waiting for Boss Qu to give her an estimate.
The first person to break free was a disciple of the Seven Star Palace. He first untied the body cultivator next to him, and the body cultivator's advantage was brought to its extreme at this moment. Like a rampaging bull, he quickly knocked down Boss Qu's two men from the stairs.
The cultivator from the Seven Star Palace stood on the steps of the second floor and shouted at Boss Qu and the others: "You have all been bewitched by ghosts and spirits. We are cultivators, and we have come to save you and bring you back to life!"
The cultivators of the Seven Star Palace shouted, pulling out a stack of talismans drawn with paper money and blood scattered on the street from their sleeves, and scattering them downwards like a celestial maiden showering flowers—
"Wake up!"
However, the imagined scene of ghosts being corrupted by talismans did not occur.
The talisman landed on the faces of the group, briefly obscuring their vision, but it did not stop them from moving forward.
Bitao took a slight breath.
She knew why these talismans were useless; it wasn't because these living souls had any great power.
These souls were clearly in their prime, yet they all looked frail and old, obviously because their souls had been devoured by evil spirits and were about to burn out.
This disciple of the Seven Star Palace forgot that he had entered the dream realm of the evil spirits and was no longer able to use his spiritual power. It was like a mortal drawing a talisman; a talisman without the spiritual energy of the five elements was just a piece of waste paper.
The leader of Wenxin Pavilion, Zhu Xing, completely misjudged the power of this evil spirit. Sending them in was like handing the evil spirit a snack.
Bitao maliciously suspected that he might be colluding with the evil spirit Xi, intending to send all the cultivators here to the mouths of the monsters.
Bitao secretly exerted force with her hands, intending to break free of the ropes and join the battle.
She didn't try to break free when she was standing at the door earlier because she saw the thugs behind Boss Qu and guessed that she probably couldn't fight them alone.
Now that these cultivators have joined the ranks, we might not be without a chance of victory!
As a result, Boss Qu took a few steps back and shouted sharply, "Guards!"
A large group of old men came running out of the back door.
The scene was truly indescribable; for a moment, it seemed as if the stairs themselves were shaking, and the footsteps were perfectly synchronized, resembling the imposing presence of government officials and soldiers.
These old men were all in high spirits, with bright eyes, yet they were indeed old and hunched over.
However, they were not slow at all, and they clearly knew some martial arts. Before Bitao could break free of the ropes, they had already subdued the Seven Star Palace disciple and the two cultivators he had released...
Bitao: "..." Silently lowered her hands that had broken free of the rope.
The entire building was packed with people in an instant. Clearly, this Boss Qu was no ordinary person; he dared to open a building to run a business like trafficking people for ghost marriages.
Even though these thugs in the yard are all hunchbacked and have shrunk necks, they are not to be trifled with.
The subdued individuals were quickly brought down and presented to Boss Qu. The Seven Star Palace disciple who had just performed the "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers" attack was the most severely beaten; his handsome features were swollen and bruised, and his mouth was bleeding.
But he still wouldn't shut up, struggling violently and roaring, his voice fierce and his eyes bloodshot as he shouted, "We've come to save you! You're all possessed by ghostly energy! You're about to die!"
"Release us! Let us form an array to vanquish the evil, and perhaps you will have a sliver of hope—"
The other two cultivators beside him also spoke up: "Don't you guys look in the mirror? You've already had most of your souls sucked away by the evil spirit, and you're about to be completely destroyed!"
"Release us! We'll join forces to exorcise evil!"
The Seven Star Palace disciple looked down in disbelief, saw the curved knife stuck in his waist and abdomen, and then looked at Boss Qu opposite him through the hilt of the knife.
His lips trembled, as he was about to speak, but the curved blade at his waist twisted sharply and pulled upwards, turning his words into blood that flowed down the corner of his mouth.
Bitao tilted her head slightly.
But she didn't actually close her eyes. Instead, she looked at the Seven Star Palace disciple with compassion and pity in her eyes, who died without understanding why he had given his life to save someone, only to end up like this.
Boss Qu's face was ashen, and his eyes, which were sunken and triangular in shape, revealed a venomous glint: "Nonsense, utter nonsense!"
After drawing his scimitar, he released the thugs from the Seven Star Palace who were flanking him.
The Seven Star Palace disciple instinctively clutched his abdomen, managing to stop his internal organs from spilling out, but he couldn't stop the blood gushing out wildly.
Bitao watched him fall to the ground, his head tilted back in a daze, blood gushing from his mouth—a question he couldn't voice.
Blood stained his front, and he collapsed to the ground as if a jade mountain had crumbled.
"Drag him out."
"Take the others to the back of the building."
Boss Qu bent his arm and rubbed the blood-stained curved knife against the sleeve of his arm, both sides.
Bitao's eyebrows twitched slightly as she watched his movements.
At this moment, Lai Ba, who had taken the money and left earlier, probably heard the noise and rushed back with his men.
"Boss Qu? Boss Xu, what happened!"
Boss Qu, holding a curved knife, looked at Scarface and sneered, "You sold me a madman."
"What...what are you talking about?!" Lai Ba was so frightened by Boss Qu that he almost knelt down.
"Okay, Mr. Qu! I...I'll give you a refund!"
As Lai Ba spoke, he shakily reached for the money pouch at his waist.
Boss Qu clearly didn't intend to make a fuss. He glanced at Lai Ba and said, "Fine, but you've dirtied my place. Have your men take the people to the back."
"There happens to be a wedding tonight, and the other party doesn't require the bride to be alive."
"Yes, yes!" Lai Ba answered repeatedly, nodding vigorously.
He immediately ordered his men to carry the person away.
Bitao then saw several tall, strong men, with aged faces, lifting up the Seven Star Palace disciple by his hands and feet.
The blood trailed across the ground alongside the corpses of the Seven Star Palace disciples, like a rope forged from blood, a righteous path that would never bow to evil spirits.
The unspoken words of the Seven Star Palace disciple, through this rope, not only bound the remaining few cultivators whose eyes were bloodshot and whose hearts were filled with pain.
The peach blossoms, too, were ignited by this dazzling crimson spark, their hearts burning with fervor.
She recalled the Taixu Tower cultivator in the previous dream who was devoured by the living soul.
At that time, Bitao was also in a life-or-death situation. She didn't have time to feel grateful for the cultivator who died so tragically, but he left an extremely deep impression on her.
Now, his death, overlapping with that of this cultivator from the Seven Star Palace, stirred a heart that even Bi Tao couldn't stir when she fell into the eighteenth level of hell.
They died, but one was to be devoured by the living soul, while the other was to be disguised as a woman and married off to a vengeful ghost.
They were all already at the semi-mortal level, risking their lives and going through countless hardships to come and save people, how could they end up like this?
How could we allow the souls they saved to be killed?
Those who help the world will always be helped; those who do not will have their hearts desolate and their principles abandoned, and the laws of Heaven will collapse!
Bitao stood there, her eyes dark and turbulent, brimming with murderous intent.
Their original plan was simply to delay the growth of the evil spirit and wait for the sect leaders and elders to come out of the mountains to suppress the evil and exorcise the ghost.
But... can't we just kill him?
Bitao stared intently at the Seven Star Palace cultivator who had already breathed his last, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
One of the unusually strong men carrying the Seven Star Palace cultivators towards the back of the building unexpectedly met Bi Tao's gaze.
Perhaps it was because Bitao's eyes were too eerie, and the blood-stained corpse was slippery.
One of the people was holding the hand of a Seven Star Palace cultivator and walking backwards. His hand slipped, and the Seven Star Palace cultivator's corpse head slammed into the door frame.
With a "thump," the Peach Blossom Goddess was brought back to her senses as she soared into the void.
Her icy gaze met lightly with that of the flustered man who had made a mistake, and the man, as if feeling guilty, abruptly lowered his head.
Bitao also lowered her eyes, concealing all her unusual behavior.
Soon, someone wiped the bloodstains in the hall clean, the thugs returned to the backyard, and the scarred man left with his men.
Bitao's adoptive father and aunt were already pale with fright and trembling.
If it weren't for the chaos just now, and the fear of being killed if they ran away, they probably would have already abandoned the peach and run away.
Now, the couple, Bitao and her husband, are huddled together by a table, pushing and shoving each other. No one dares to go up and "negotiate prices" with Boss Qu anymore.
Boss Qu sat in a grand chair not far from their table, drinking tea and deliberately ignoring them.
The stench of blood lingered in the room. Just as the couple beside Bitao were about to collapse from sheer terror, Boss Qu finally remembered them.
He lifted his eyelids and asked, "How much silver do you plan to sell this woman of yours for?"
The couple stammered for a moment, but in the end, it was the aunt who stepped forward, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said in a trembling voice, "We...we don't know anything about this...Boss Qu, please set a price!"
"Whatever Mr. Qu says, that's it!"
The cheap father chimed in from the side, "Yes, yes, yes..."
Boss Qu seemed very satisfied with the couple's pragmatism, and chuckled, saying, "My Yuanyanglou restaurant has always been fair in its prices, and honest in its dealings with both young and old."
"Twenty taels for girls under the age of sixteen, ten taels for those over sixteen, five taels for those who are disabled but still alive, and two taels for those who have passed away..."
Bitao now fully understands that this Yuanyang Tower is not a brothel at all, but a place that lives up to its name, a place for "mandarin ducks".
The person in charge of the place was not a madam, but Boss Qu. The couples being married were all yin-yang couples—this was a place for arranging ghost marriages.
In the end, Bitao was sold to Yuanyang Tower for ten taels of silver.
When Boss Qu saw that Bitao wasn't crying or trying to run away, and hadn't even screamed in fright at the scene just now, he looked at her with considerable surprise.
Then she promised her father and aunt, who had already run to the door, "If your daughter is sensible, I have plenty of options for arranging marriages for strangers..."
"It's all up to Boss Qu!" Auntie shouted this last sentence before pulling Father away and disappearing without a trace.
Bitao stood beside the table, looking thoughtfully at the two people who had died in the previous dream and were now "resurrected".
Why does she still have an identity in this dream, even though she didn't come from a famine?
Bitao's absent-mindedness was too inappropriate. No one could remain so calm after being sold, especially a woman sold into the Yuanyang Tower. Knowing what she was going to suffer, which one of them wouldn't cry and wail and want to die?
When Boss Qu saw that Bitao was still standing there dumbfounded, he couldn't help but walk over to her, stare at her, and ask, "Are you afraid that she might be mentally challenged?"
Bitao looked up and met the gaze of Boss Qu. All the strangeness in her eyes melted away, leaving only a clear and innocent look.
"I'm not stupid. My parents were unkind, and I was powerless to escape them."
“I know that life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are... Wealth and honor are now in Boss Qu’s hands.”
Bitao lowered her head, feigning obedience, her slender neck drooping, gentle and harmless.
He spoke in a gentle tone: "I'm afraid that making a big fuss will upset Boss Qu."
Boss Qu chuckled, thinking to himself that this young woman was just as sensible as her parents, probably frightened by the scene just now.
They wouldn't be fooled by Bitao's two kind words.
He waved for someone to take her away, a hint of amusement in his sunken eyes, and said, "I do have a marriage arranged for a stranger. Go and clean it up first, then give me her birth date and time. It's up to you whether you have the good fortune to do it."
There were no maids or old women serving people in this Yuanyang Tower, but there were many thugs inside and outside the tower, so there was no way to escape except by jumping off the building.
Even if they jump off a building and land on the street, they won't be able to run far without breaking their legs and being caught.
This was Bitao, who had just finished bathing and changed into a new lake-green dress, when she heard a noisy shouting and cursing downstairs. She opened the window to see it for herself.
One of the cultivators who was captured earlier was a body cultivator from the Thunder Sect. He was tall and strong, and although he was badly beaten, he was still strong.
He jumped from the building and luckily didn't break his leg, but he limped and couldn't run far before being discovered.
He was discovered not by the thugs inside the Yuanyang Tower, but by an "old man" passing by on the street.
The Thunder Sect cultivator, dressed in a red bridal gown, became the center of attention as soon as he stepped onto the street.
He learned his lesson from the death of the Seven Star Palace disciple. After landing, he didn't ask anyone for help or speak to anyone; he just ran away.
But the passing "living souls" immediately gathered around noisily.
Even a mighty tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves; the Thunder Sect cultivators were quickly subdued by the combined efforts of the group.
He let out a dying, blood-soaked laugh, like a cuckoo weeping blood.
Bitao looked down from her high perch, her eyes closed.
Clearly, all the living souls in this "Kangquan City," just like the living souls in Bitao's previous dream, have been completely corrupted by the evil spirit Xi.
Although they don't eat people, their evil intentions have been aroused to the extreme, permeating their souls and making them difficult to awaken.
The elderly people walking along the road worked together to escort the Thunder Sect cultivator back to the Mandarin Duck Tower.
Bitao closed the window and stood by it for a long time without moving.
They tried to ignore the dull thud of sticks striking bodies coming from downstairs, but they didn't hear the Thunder Sect cultivator utter another cry of pain or plead for mercy.
Even if its mouth is gagged, it will still let out a muffled howl, but not a single sound.
He probably lost his Daoist heart when the very soul he saved was caught by his own hands and sent back to the "ghost cave".
Bitao shifted her legs and sat down in front of the dressing table.
She took a deep breath, grabbed the pen on the table, picked up the invitation that someone had given her earlier, and prepared to write down her birth date and time.
But she found herself trembling. She wasn't hungry at all, yet the burning, unbearable flames within her abdomen ignited once more.
Her malice was aroused, and she thought that since these people were beyond saving, why bother to find the true form of the evil spirit?
Why set up an evil-slaying formation? What's the point of delaying?
If we simply kill all the people in Kangquan City, the evil spirits existing in their consciousness will naturally disappear. Wouldn't that be cleaner?
In any case, once they return to their original forms, their consciousness will be in chaos, and their hearts will be filled with evil thoughts, making it difficult for them to regain their true selves.
Bitao's hands trembled more and more violently, and a huge ink blot fell on the post.
Bitao grabbed her right hand with her left hand with a "snap," stopping her trembling.
Put down the pen, form a mudra, and silently recite a calming mantra.
Once the trembling subsided, she let out a soft sigh of relief and picked up her pen again.
Bitao lightly touched the huge ink dot with the tip of her brush, spreading the ink and sketching a branch of ink-colored peach blossoms with a few strokes.
Recalling Boss Qu's meaningful smile, and considering the business of arranging ghost marriages at the Yuanyang Tower, Bitao guessed that the "marriage agreement for the living" sent here was definitely not a good match.
She hesitated for a moment, and based on what her father and aunt had told her about her birth year, she came up with a birth chart with all four pillars being Yang.
Instead of writing it down himself, he gave the flower drawing to the person at the door, dictated it to them, and asked them to hand it in.
Then he closed the door again, walked to the bedside, and lay down to sleep.
Conserve your energy and build up your strength.
There was no further movement from inside the building, and Bitao slept soundly until evening.
She didn't dream; she slept soundly.
If the evil spirit truly realized that the lingering obsession of the living soul could be used to help cultivators in the dream realm break through, it must have concealed or directly annihilated the lingering consciousness of the living soul.
Someone knocked on the door, and Bitao answered. The thug spoke in a gruff voice, saying to put the food at the door.
Bitao opened the door and brought in the food, which was surprisingly plentiful, including several meat dishes.
But just as she placed the food on the table, before she even ate, she heard noises coming from downstairs again.
It was the sound of plates and bowls shattering, and a person screaming at the top of their lungs, "I won't eat! You evil apostles, don't try to trick me into joining you!"
Bitao's hand, gripping the edge of the plate, trembled instinctively again—this must also be a cultivator.
Fortunately, the monk soon fell silent, and the building returned to deathly silence.
The occasional sounds of funeral and wedding ceremonies drifted in from downstairs, like the "morning bell and evening drum" echoing from deep in the mountains.
Bitao didn't eat anything in the end. She pressed down the food, stirred it, and pretended that she had eaten but had no appetite, then left it at the door.
In this dream, one must be extremely careful about what one puts in their mouth.
She was unwilling to give up, and after sitting for a short while, she went to sleep again.
She was still fast asleep and dreamless. When she woke up, she was choked by a puff of smoke.
"Fire!"
"Fire has broken out!"
Someone was screaming, and flames shot into the sky with the night wind.
Bitao got up and pushed open the door, only to be immediately pushed back by the blazing flames.
The sounds of fighting could be heard outside the door. The Boss Qu screamed hoarsely and frantically, "Kill them! They've ruined my business, kill them!"
Through the firelight, Bitao saw a group of men dressed in wedding gowns and women's attire, along with some slender women, standing back to back, gathered together, stepping through the flames and heading downstairs.
Each of them wielded a flaming weapon and fought fiercely against the thugs of the Mandarin Duck Tower, becoming virtually invincible.
The figure at the head of the group looked somewhat familiar.
Her long hair was disheveled and charred by the flames, and her figure was covered by her bright red wedding dress, but it could not hide his straight shoulders and neck, nor could it hinder his unstoppable posture with his sword.
"Bring all the 'brides' out of the house!"
The man turned his head, his face adorned with exquisite red makeup, which softened his originally handsome features, yet could not conceal his fierce and heroic spirit!
For a moment, Bitao was even stunned—it was Binglun!
"Follow me and form a sword formation!" Binglun instructed the crowd. "Even without spiritual energy, we can still annihilate them without leaving a single survivor!"
"Fellow Daoist! Fires have broken out in front of some rooms, and people can't be rescued. Boss Qu has brought help, so we must leave as soon as possible!"
"Fellow Daoist, it's really time to leave. All the living souls in the entire Kangquan City have lost their minds and are now their helpers. Seeing that this place is on fire, they have already surrounded it!"
Binglun turned around, a look of conflicted resentment flashing across her face, but she quickly said, "Let's go according to the original plan!"
Bitao was one of the people who were blocked from opening the door by the fire, but she did not call for her fourth junior brother to save her.
He simply watched silently as Binglun led the group downstairs, routing the Boss Naqu's thugs.
She was still in the group when she saw the other cultivators who had been sent into the building with her.
There were even people carrying a person covered in wounds, who was the Thunder Sect cultivator who jumped off the building last night.
Bitao secretly praised Binglun—well done!
He had obviously arrived here first and fallen into this predicament.
Unlike the disciples of the Seven Star Palace, who impulsively exposed their identities and did things that were beyond the comprehension of the already irrational souls present, they joined forces with the captured people, lay in wait, and set fire to break out together.
Sure enough, as long as he doesn't talk about culture, Lei Bu, who was trained by the successor of the Thunder Emperor to become an immortal, is naturally very sensitive to crises and battlefields.
Whether it's formations or leading troops in battle, they are far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Seeing Binglun lead the charge out, Bitao retreated back into the house, walked to the bedside, shook out the quilt, tore off the covers and tied them in knots.
Secured to the beams and pillars, then thrown out of the window, holding your breath and closing your eyes, quickly escape by following the rope knots made of the blankets and landing!
At this moment, almost all the "living souls" gathered on the street, a huge crowd of people, dressed in mourning clothes or red clothes.
Without exception, they were all old and frail, their lives hanging by a thread.
However, they all had ferocious expressions and surged towards the main gate of the Mandarin Duck Building, trying to stop the "brides" who were trying to break through and escape.
After the peach blossoms fell to the ground, some of her robes were smeared by the fire.
She silently disappeared into the darkness, watching from afar as Binglun and the others fought their way out of the encirclement and retreated towards the city's outskirts.
These living souls were even more frenzied than in the previous dream, relentlessly pursuing their prey and showing no fear of death.
Bitao secretly followed them through the streets and alleys until she discovered that Binglun and the others had clearly planned ahead, and after leaving the main street, they dispersed and disappeared into the alleys.
The living souls didn't know which one to chase for a moment, and after they scattered, they were quickly shaken off.
Binglun was with several people, all of whom had difficulty moving around.
Even without his spiritual power, his combat strength was still quite strong, so he covered the rear when they entered the pre-selected dark alley.
He held his sword and looked back at the distant fire, a cold smile playing on his lips, exuding a murderous aura.
But the next moment, a hand reached out from the darkness, grabbed his collar, pulled him into a dead end, and slammed him against the wall.
He reacted extremely quickly, instinctively trying to break free by raising his elbow and sweeping his sword horizontally—
However, the man seemed extremely familiar with his swordsmanship and movements. After releasing his grip on his collar, he bent back to dodge the horizontal sword strike.
With a shift of the feet, she moved like a snake behind him, her arm moving up from behind his armpit to directly choke his throat, suppressing any possibility of him making a sound.
With his other hand, he grabbed his wrist, causing him to turn around and raise his sword, making a half-circle motion, and then slammed his wrist against the wall, causing the sword to fall from his hand to the ground.
With a push of her toes, Bitao's sword, which had been lying horizontally, was plunged straight and silently into the crack between the bricks and stones in the ground.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. She had restrained Binglun, who was much taller and stronger than her, and when he turned his head to look at her, their astonished gazes met in the dark alley.
Bitao smiled.
Cultivators are naturally sharp of their five senses, but now their souls are trapped in the dream realm of evil spirits, their bodies are like those of ordinary people, and their five senses are obscured.
Binglun failed to recognize Bitao, who was hidden in the darkness, at first glance. Her expression was sharp and cold, and her eyes were like knives when she looked over.
But she was dressed in an exquisitely beautiful red dress, for tonight she had a "husband" to marry.
It's really...
Bitao is inherently wicked, and he has always been at odds with her, so it's rare to see him describe her like this.
He even used his knee to deflect a back kick to the groin.
The thought that he would be filled with shame and indignation if he regained his memories made her think of him.
Out of sheer malice, she couldn't resist blowing on the tassel of his hairpin that dangled from his cheek, and said flirtatiously, "Little beauty, where are you going?"
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