Chapter 923: Who Can Stand This?

Ye Wenxin rummaged through her mental library, trying to figure out who Han Shanxue had been before the possession. Unfortunately, she had never taken much interest in such things. The memories she inherited from Celestial Master Zhong contained extensive information on supernatural beings but nothing about cultivators.

She sipped her tea and saw the storyteller chatting with Ghost Mother again. She interrupted him, saying, “By the way, do you know which cultivation method consumes the most spirit stones, Senior Brother Mei?”

The storyteller seemed thrown off by the sudden question. He thought for a full three minutes, then gave his fan a snap. “Ah, I remember now,” he said. “That would be Tundra Demesne.”

“Oh? What kind of cultivation method is that?” Ye Wenxin asked.

“It’s been lost for who knows how long, but I’ve heard it was incredibly powerful. A wave of the hand leaves not a single living thing within ten thousand miles.”

The storyteller described the concept of this cultivation method. Not even Ye Wenxin’s Flower Burial had such an exaggerated area of effect. The more she listened, the more intrigued she became.

“Do you know the senior who practiced Tundra Demesne?”

The storyteller drank his tea. “Well, calling her a ‘senior’ might not be fitting. Word is that she died very young.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Tundra Demesne was glorious for a time. But its cost was just too high. The young lady practicing it couldn’t keep up with the resource demands and starved to death.”

Ye Wenxin had seen people die in various ways, but this was her first time hearing of someone going down in history as having starved to death. Considering Han Shanxue’s face, attitude, and speaking style, she did seem like the type who would rather die than beg.

“Honestly, starving to death does seem entirely possible.”

Ye Wenxin felt that the senior had to be Han Shanxue. If not, she might at least be a descendant. Either way, Han Shanxue harbored an unknown secret that had transformed her golden luck into a qilin. Ye Wenxin knew she must cling tightly to this powerful ally.

Ye Wenxin intended to use the power of money.

“Senior Brother Mei, Young Master Fei, do you two have plans after lunch?” she asked. She didn’t have spare money, so she planned to check out the Cozy Pavilion, the Cozy Gang’s Golden Age Dynasty branch.

“What about Miss Gu?”

“Yes, yes, I was just about to ask the same.”

Even though Ye Wenxin had asked, both men looked toward Ghost Mother instead. Were they planning to act as her flower guardians on the one day Han Shanxue wasn’t around?

Ghost Mother smiled and tentatively said, “If you need company, Miss Ye, I suppose I can reluctantly go with—”

“No.”

Ye Wenxin immediately rejected her. She asked the storyteller and Fei Chai because she knew Ghost Mother would come along anyway.

“You—”

Ghost Mother was annoyed but then considered Ye Wenxin’s straightforward thinking. It would be bizarre if she started flirting back. Ghost Mother also wasn’t fond of overly clingy relationships with her master.

After confirming Ye Wenxin wasn’t playing hard-to-get, she became curious. “Then what are you planning to do, Miss Ye?”

“I checked my coin purse earlier today and realized I’m running low on funds. So, I’m going to see if there’s a way to make money.”

Ye Wenxin casually came up with an excuse. Everyone had different reactions, but no one asked her more about it. She quickly left after paying for breakfast.

The storyteller and Fei Chai exchanged glances, also considering whether to look for some odd jobs.

Ghost Mother looked worried. She suddenly remembered spending Ye Wenxin’s money on shopping and wondered if she had made her poor.

For a moment, the three fell silent.

……

Ye Wenxin had no idea that her offhand comment had triggered self-reflection in the others. While walking down the street, she suddenly felt someone grab her hand.

Ye Wenxin didn’t look, but everyone stared at the space beside her.

“Liuli, Gui Gui is a bad influence on you,” Ye Wenxin said helplessly. She finally turned her head to look at Liuli. The girl had changed her eye color, though it did nothing to conceal her beauty.

If Ghost Mother was the flirtatious and charming type, Liuli was pure and guileless. The excesses of human nature didn’t taint her eyes, yet they sparkled with intelligence.

Liuli explained why she had shown up.

“Master, if you can give your blood to Ghost Mother, you can give some to me too, right?”

The eight furballs had been unhappy about being used to protect Ghost Mother last night. Now that they knew Ye Wenxin’s blood had some special power, how could they let the opportunity slip by?

“Um… I lost a lot yesterday,” Ye Wenxin coughed. “Let me recover for a few days first.” She inwardly groaned. She had forgotten that similar scenarios would follow if something happened once.

Still, Ye Wenxin considered both Ghost Mother and Liuli hers. She didn’t think it was wrong to help them grow stronger. Yet, a faint voice kept reminding her how precious her blood was. So, Ye Wenxin decided to rest and recover for a while. Once Flower Burial had absorbed enough, she’d help Liuli evolve next.

When Liuli saw the vulnerability on Ye Wenxin’s face, she immediately wanted to transform back into the furballs. “Master, let me carry you on my back,” she said.

Ye Wenxin hurried to stop her. Her efforts to keep a low profile would go up in smoke if a stunning girl suddenly turned into eight furballs in the middle of the street.

“No, no, I’m not that weakened. But thank you, Liuli. That’s very thoughtful of you.” Seeing the worried expression on Liuli’s face, Ye Wenxin gently patted her head.

Liuli clung to her arm, enjoying their alone time. Ye Wenxin felt warmth in her heart but noticed the piercing stares around them.

After all, while Ye Wenxin could barely be considered a beauty, she had no allure. In contrast, Liuli was captivating. They hadn’t even walked past three streets when Ye Wenxin sensed someone tailing them.

She asked a passerby for directions to the market. Before long, they arrived at a bustling marketplace.

This marketplace was five times bigger than those Ye Wenxin had seen in the small towns she visited. The area was full of people and stalls selling every kind of item imaginable. It was noisy, vibrant, and full of life. Liuli let Ye Wenxin pull her along, but her eyes constantly shifted from one thing to another, curious about the world seen from this perspective.

Suddenly, she heard a bell tinkling. The sound was hard for a feline creature to ignore. Liuli abruptly let go of Ye Wenxin’s hand and darted toward the source of the sound.