Chapter 47 I have a book called "Eighteen Ways to Be a Wife," do you want it?
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm a snake demon, how could I be human?" Yin Yu patted her large snake tail. "Grandma, this is a real tail, more real than real gold."
After saying that, it stuck out its tongue again, its forked, slender tongue twitched, and then retracted into its mouth. Yin Yu said, "Look carefully, this is not a human tongue."
Ling Shu bluntly stated, "If you're not human, then who is? You were the first person we encountered in the Tongxuan Secret Realm."
Yin Yu said, "Yes, that's right, but I am a demon, there's no doubt about that. If you doubt me, ask Hu Shi and Dan Qi. They are cultivators, and cultivators can't possibly not distinguish between a human and a demon."
Ling Shu looked at Dan Qi and Hu Shi.
Hu Shi glanced at Yin Yu, while Dan Qi stepped forward and sensed the snake's tail's aura through the air before standing up. Hu Shi said first, "It's a demon." Dan Qi agreed, saying it was a demon as well.
Ling Shu looked at her with great suspicion.
“Yin Yu is indeed a demon,” Zhuang Jinfu said.
She spoke suddenly, her clear and melodious voice making Ling Shu's heart pound. The scene from just now lingered in Ling Shu's mind.
Soft breasts, slender white legs, flushed cheeks, and messy, jet-black hair—she endured her wanton actions, letting out soft, unbearable moans…
Ling Shu didn't dare turn around; her body was stiff. She was unconsciously nervous, but she forced herself to remain calm and turned to Dan Qi: "Tell the truth, when we first came to Xiaoyuan Village, were you secretly following us?"
Dan Qi pointed at himself in return: "Me? The first thing I did when I came here was to go up the mountain to find the 'Niewo' (a type of Taoist herbal remedy). I have no interest in people who don't want to be involved. I'm just an ordinary Taoist doctor. I can't predict the future and I didn't know you would come the next day."
Zhuang Jinfu also said, "At that time, we didn't have Dan Qi's presence around us."
Ling Shu couldn't figure it out. If it wasn't Yin Yu or Dan Qi, then who had the token?
Ling Shu said, "That's not right. When the incense burned out, none of the three of us were hurt, which means we met the first person in the Tongxuan Secret Realm. It wasn't Yin Yu or Dan Qi, so who could it be? It couldn't be Xiao Huang, could it?"
Dan Qi laughed heartily: "Xiao Huang is a dog, no doubt about it."
Yin Yu continued calmly eating sunflower seeds: "Yes, you met the first person in the Tongxuan Secret Realm."
Ling Shu pondered for a long time but couldn't find an answer. She paced back and forth in the room and said, "Grandma, stop keeping me in suspense. Just tell me who this person is."
Yin Yu said in a coaxing voice, "There are rules in the Tongxuan Secret Realm. Those who know the whereabouts of the token cannot tell the seeker. Otherwise, they will be expelled from the Tongxuan Secret Realm and wander in the mortal world until their souls dissipate. Baby, I can't tell you."
Ling Shu couldn't help but yell, "Besides Dan Qi and Hu Shi, where else is there?!"
Yin Yu looked at her and said, "Hmm."
Ling Shu saw the meaning in her eyes: "You mean Hu Shi?"
Yin Yu's tone rose: "I have no idea."
Ling Shu was speechless: "What kind of word games are you playing? Aren't our own people considered people too?"
Yin Yu said frankly, "Yes, my original words were, 'Before the three incense sticks burn out, you must find the first person in the Tongxuan Secret Realm.' I was talking to you."
Ling Shu: "..."
Ling Shu: "If someone comes alone, wouldn't they be destined to not find it?"
Yin Yu: "No, the rules for one person coming will change. It doesn't matter what they change to. In short, our original intention was not to make things difficult for people who come to do official business. Who knew you wouldn't expect this? Sigh."
Ling Shu: "It sounds like you're calling us stupid."
Yin Yu said, "The important matter is the most important matter."
Ling Shu looked at Hu Shi, and everyone's eyes turned to Hu Shi. Hu Shi was just stepping out of the room when a cold, ethereal force yanked her back in, and the door slammed shut. Hu Shi denied it, saying, "Why are you looking at me? I don't have a token."
"Why are you running without a token!" Ling Shu stomped over, and Hu Shi retreated repeatedly: "What are you doing? If you come any closer, I'll call it indecent assault!"
Ling Shu approached with a sinister smile: "Go ahead and scream, even if you scream until your voice is hoarse, no one will come to save you."
Hu Shi looked at everyone: "Are you all just going to watch like this?"
Danqi looked around aimlessly, staring at the sky and the ground, and said, "Oh dear, my eyesight is terrible."
Ling Shu took out a hemp rope from her storage space, stretched it straight and loosened it to test its toughness, while Hu Shi drew his sword and pointed it at her: "You're not deaf, are you? Save me."
Hu Shi: "Don't come any closer."
Dan Qi: "I can't hear you."
Yin Yu, cracking sunflower seeds, said, "I can't hear either."
Dan Qi walked over to Zhuang Jinfu and tapped Zhuang Jinfu's shoulder with the back of his hand: "Hey, she was playing that game with you just now? Did you enjoy it?"
Zhuang Jinfu's aura suddenly intensified, radiating killing intent. Dan Qi withdrew his hand: "If you don't want to talk, then don't. Why are you being so fierce? Hey, does your Qingxi Palace accept outsiders in the summer?"
Zhuang Jinfu: "What do you mean?"
Dan Qi: "To cool off, why do you need ice cubes in the summer? One Zhuang Jinfu is enough."
Zhuang Jinfu angrily said, "Dan Qi!"
Dan Qi stroked her shoulder like he was petting a cat: "Okay, okay, if you don't welcome me, you don't welcome me. But speaking of which, your Path of Ruthlessness hasn't been broken, so it seems you can practice dual cultivation." Dan Qi leaned closer and whispered, "I'm very curious, is dual cultivation with someone really enjoyable for someone who cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness?"
Zhuang Jinfa's face flushed slightly: "Shut up, you foul language."
Dan Qi whispered, "Dual cultivation is good for physical and mental health. Don't be shy about talking about sex. It's normal for people to have desires. I have a book called 'Eighteen Styles for Wives,' do you want it?"
With a clang, Zhuang Jinfu drew his sword and roared, "Get out!"
"Get out!" Hu Shi shouted angrily. Hu Shi's hands were already tied. Ling Shu pressed her against the wall and searched her. He took out a storage jade pendant from his waist and asked her for the storage password. Hu Shi said righteously, "These are my personal belongings. You have no right to search them."
After she finished speaking, Ling Shu didn't reply. Turning around, she saw Ling Shu looking up at the roof beams above her head.
"What are you doing? Don't do anything reckless!"
With a wicked grin, Ling Shu threw a rope onto the roof beam and pulled it down hard, suspending Hu Shi in mid-air. She cursed Ling Shu for being unruly and unreasonable.
Ling Shu: "Tell me the password."
"Don't even think about it! I need to carry a token with me, so you won't abandon me when we leave."
Dan Qi rebuked Hu Shi, who was being spun around in the air by ropes, "Hey! Since you have a token, why are you forcing me to give it to you?"
The rope, suspended in the air, would automatically swing in circles. Hu Shi felt dizzy and lightheaded: "I just found out too."
Ling Shu continued to press Hu Shi for answers, but Hu Shi refused to compromise, resulting in a stalemate. Ling Shu then resorted to trickery, loosening and tightening the rope intermittently, causing Hu Shi to plummet and then rise again in the air. Hu Shi was about to vomit: "Give it to me, and I'll take it out for you."
The jade pendant was handed to Hu Shi, who recited the password and took out a wooden token.
The token was plain and unremarkable, square and upright, with the word "令" (command) written on the front and the words "通悬" (to be suspended) on the back. It had no decorations and no spiritual aura.
Ling Shu: "That's it?"
Yin Yu: "Oh dear, I'm poor."
Everyone remained silent and went back to their rooms to pack their belongings.
Hu Shi shouted, "You damned witch, put me down!"
Yin Yu cut the rope: "Who are you cursing?" Hu Shi fell straight down, landing on her butt. Hu Shi cursed: "You damned witch."
The four set off together. Danqi said she was going back to the human world to save lives, and that they would meet again next time. They parted ways thereafter.
Without a teleportation array, they walked to the town and arrived at a small inn along the way before dark. They stayed there for the night. The inn did not have any offerings for people to eat, so Ling Shu took out the food she had obtained from her grandmother's house, and the three of them shared it. Yin Yu also joined in to eat while they ate.
Ling Shu sensed something was wrong. She clearly saw the guests praise the restaurant's cooking skills, but Yin Yu didn't eat the fresh food. Instead, she ate food that had been kept fresh for two days. Ling Shu said, "The restaurant's home-style cooking skills are quite good. Why don't you eat, Great-Grandma?"
Yin Yu's eyes darted away as she said, "I don't want to eat alone."
Ling Shu: "Why don't you just order the food and bring it over together?"
Yin Yu: "I'm afraid you'll be tempted."
Ling Shu nodded, agreeing that it made sense, and stopped dwelling on the issue.
We set off for Dayuan Town the next day.
Upon entering the town, they first found an inn to stay in. Then, Ling Shu was pulled out by Yin Yu, who said that the long journey and the fighting were too tiring, and everyone should relax.
So Yinyu took Lingshu to the brothel.
Standing at the door, before even entering, the fragrance and music were already wafting out. The female guests all came out with happy faces. Ling Shu stared blankly at the three words "Chunlan Pavilion" and froze. She said to Yin Yu, "Grandma, isn't it a bit... bad to visit a brothel? Didn't you say you didn't like visiting brothels?"
Yin Yu tapped her on the forehead: "This is a place to listen to music. The women inside only sell their art, not their bodies."
"That's not really a good idea..."
With a tug from Yin Yu, Ling Shu was pulled inside.
Yin Yu, familiar with the place, asked the owner for a private room and ordered a pipa piece called "Yangchun Baixue" (White Snow in Spring). Fine wine and food were served, and the beautiful woman who played the pipa arrived. Graceful and elegant, she walked in with a fragrant breeze. She bowed to the two men as she entered, then walked to the small table, sat down, and tuned the pipa. Only when she played the first note did she look up at the guests.
She spotted Ling Shu at a glance, lowered her eyes shyly, and began to play a tune.
Ling Shu didn't appreciate music; he just sat there and felt like he'd only heard a loud noise. When the piece ended, the pipa player asked in a sweet voice, "Was the guest satisfied?"
Yin Yu was very supportive, clapping and saying, "Great!"
The pipa player glanced at Ling Shu, then looked calmly at Yin Yu and asked, "What else would you like to hear, sir?"
Yin Yu handed the playlist to Ling Shu and asked, "My dear grandson, what do you want to hear?"
Ling Shu felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she had a thorn in her side: "Great-Grandma, just ask for whatever you want to hear."
Yin Yu: "Me? I'm fine. Today, I mainly want to invite you to listen to some music. Be bold and listen to whatever you want. Your great-grandmother is not short of money."
It wasn't about the money; the main problem was that she couldn't tell the difference between good and bad music and just randomly picked a guqin piece called "Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute."
Yin Yu: "So you like this."
The pipa player put down her pipa, walked to the guqin, sat down, and began to play.
The melody was mournful and poignant, filled with sorrow, bringing tears to the eyes of all who heard it. Her technique was superb, and Ling Shu felt a pang of sadness upon hearing it. All the painful memories flooded her mind: being bullied, being trapped in a killing formation, her mother's death, and her mother's disownment. She couldn't bear it any longer and cried out, "Stop!"
The pipa player was startled: "But, but I didn't play well, I'm sorry."
Ling Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief, her worries dispelled, and said, "You played very well, but it brought up some painful memories. I don't want to listen anymore. You sit down and stop playing."
These words were a compliment to the pipa player. She wasn't very good at the guqin, and she had practiced this piece for a long time. Today was her first performance, and she received such praise. She felt warm inside and regarded Ling Shu as a kindred spirit.
Yin Yu served her some food: "If you're tired of listening, have some food. The Red Jade Wine from Chunlan Tower is quite good." Just as Yin Yu was about to pour, the pipa player came over, gently took the wine pot, and poured wine for Ling Shu: "Please, guest."
Yin Yu: "Try it." Ling Shu nodded and drank it. The wine had a lingering aroma and wasn't too harsh on the throat, not bad. The pipa player poured her another cup, and after three cups in a row, Ling Shu felt a little dizzy.
He stood up, staggered a step, and the pipa player helped him up. Ling Shu was on high alert and quickly shook her off. Unexpectedly, the pipa player fell down. Ling Shu was afraid that she would fall, so he subconsciously reached out to stop her.
The door opened at that moment.
Zhuang Jinfu stood in front of the door, his face frighteningly dark.
"They've already hugged? That's great."
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