txolops A patch for Chapter 64 in advance
A patch for Chapter 64 in advance
Inside the main hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and a faint spiritual light emanated from it.
Han Xiaoliu leaned back on the wide chair carved from a blue phoenix wood in the main seat, his robe half-open, one hand lazily resting on the armrest, the other hand picking up a crystal-clear spirit frost grape and slowly putting it into his mouth.
His lips curled slightly, and his eyes held a smile, giving him the air of a lazy nobleman, yet he couldn't hide the unfathomable shrewdness in his eyes.
Two women stood on his left and right sides.
On the left is Lady Yu—wearing a plain white dress adorned with dark blue patterns, her hair styled in a high bun, adorned with a cold jade butterfly hairpin, her face as cold as frost, yet a faint smile playing on her lips.
Although she was a ghost cultivator, she had already formed a physical body. Her spiritual energy was contained within her, and her brows revealed a calm and composed demeanor, as if she had seen through the mortal world and remained detached from it.
On the right is Long Kui—wearing a flowing crimson dress with wide sleeves, a gold silk belt around her waist, and cascading black hair over her shoulders. Her eyes, as they sparkle, convey both girlish charm and an unyielding dignity.
At this moment, she stood with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, glaring at the restless little girl opposite her: "Little Milkie, stand still and don't look around!"
When her name was called, Lu Xueqi immediately straightened up, her little face puffed out, and she muttered softly, "My name is Lu Xueqi!" She was clearly very dissatisfied with the nickname "Little Milk Qi", but there was still a hint of anticipation and nervousness hidden in her eyes.
Opposite the three stood the taciturn Shen Gongbao.
He wore a faded gray Taoist robe, was slightly thin, and had an ordinary face, except for his eyes which were as deep as ancient wells.
At this moment, he lowered his eyes, his fingers slightly clenching his cuffs, his expression complex—both shocked by the opportunity before him and feeling inferior and fearful because of his own four spiritual roots.
Han Xiaoliu took in everyone's expressions, and with a wave of his hand, two round wild boar summon spirits appeared out of thin air.
They were all yellow with fur that shimmered with a faint spiritual light. As soon as they landed, they sniffed the air and rushed excitedly toward the fruit plate on the table. They hopped and climbed onto the tabletop and buried their heads in the peaches and pears, but kept their distance from the plate of grapes.
Shen Gongbao's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in them. This spirit beast had no ferocity whatsoever; on the contrary, it was rather endearing, even more intimidating than Longkui's imposing mantis shrimp.
He thought to himself: This thing... can it really fight?
Lu Xueqi's eyes lit up, and she secretly clenched the hem of her clothes with her small hands.
Sister Longkui said that by contracting a summoned spirit, she would gain the young master's approval! With it, she would no longer be an outsider!
"Young Master, I possess a secret realm!" Han Xiaoliu suddenly spoke, his voice low but each word ringing out, "Opening only once every seven years, it contains a thousand kinds of spiritual herbs, ten thousand kinds of demonic beasts, and countless opportunities. But—one must be qualified to enter." He lightly tapped the two wild boars with his fingertips, "These are the keys."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Gongbao knelt heavily on the ground with a thud, his forehead almost touching the earth. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Young Master... I am of dull talent and fear I will fail to live up to your expectations. I dare not accept such a great favor!"
Lu Xueqi's eyes widened, inwardly rolling her eyes: Is this person stupid? If she refuses now, she'll probably be kicked out of the team!
Without hesitation, she knelt down with a thud, pointed her small hand at the wild boar that was burying its head in a peach, and said in a clear voice, "Young master, I want that one!"
Seeing this, Longkui's face immediately lit up with a smile, her anger vanishing completely. She secretly praised her, "The one I raised is so sensible! She really is the 'thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket' the young master spoke of!"
Han Xiaoliu's lips curled slightly; he had expected this. He tapped the table lightly, his tone suddenly turning serious: "Listen carefully—to summon a spirit through a contract, a wisp of your original soul must be extracted. This soul will enter the secret realm of the underworld, never to be retrieved. From this day forward, your lives will no longer belong solely to yourselves. Your life and death will be entirely in my hands."
The hall fell silent instantly.
Shen Gongbao shuddered, slowly raising his head. The struggle in his eyes faded, leaving only determination: "Young Master... you gave me my life. If I can serve you, I will die without regret! It's just... I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to help you."
"Yes, yes! I want to help the young master too!" Lu Xueqi nodded frantically, her little face full of determination.
"Let's begin then." Han Xiaoliu looked toward the corner—there, a plump bubble was dozing on a soft cushion, its whole body radiating spiritual light, clearly having soaked extremely comfortably in the bathhouse of Miaoyin Sect these past few days.
"Wake up," Han Xiaoliu transmitted his voice, "Let them sign the contract."
Bubble didn't even lift its eyelids, but lazily transmitted a thought. The two wild boars immediately stopped eating, turned around, and trotted to the two people.
In an instant, two beams of silver light burst forth from the wild boar's forehead, transforming into intricate and profound contract array patterns, which swirled like a river of stars, suspended in mid-air. At the center of the array patterns, a point of dark light drew them in, disappearing into the brows of Shen Gongbao and Lu Xueqi respectively.
The two felt a slight tremor in their souls as a drop of crimson blood slowly seeped from the top of their heads, floated up, and merged into the array patterns. The blood light and the spiritual patterns intertwined, transforming into two illusory images of crimson-gold chains, one end of which was wrapped around the wild boar's soul core, and the other end disappeared into the depths of their sea of consciousness.
"Buzz—"
Heaven and earth seemed to resonate with each other, and a pact was made!
As the light faded, the wild boar affectionately rubbed against its new owner's leg, its eyes becoming much more intelligent.
Shen Gongbao and Lu Xueqi felt their minds were faintly connected to the spirit beast, as if they had an additional bond beyond their bloodline.
Han Xiaoliu nodded in satisfaction, leaned back in his chair, picked up the last grape, and chuckled, "From today onwards, you are my 'players'."
"Alright, you two go back to your rooms and familiarize yourselves with your summoned spirits." Han Xiaoliu's tone softened as he took out several small jade bottles from his sleeve. The bottles were engraved with fine runes and faintly emitted a medicinal fragrance. He handed them the pills and instructed, "Feed them all—not a single one left, until they can't eat anymore!"
Shen Gongbao accepted the bottle respectfully with both hands, his expression solemn; Lu Xueqi, holding the bottle, stared intently at the still hiccuping wild boar in her arms, muttering softly, "Won't it choke to death...?"
The two bowed in unison and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Longkui immediately stepped forward, her fingertips twitching as if to grab Lu Xueqi's wrist, and said softly, "Little Qi, let me teach you how to activate the wild boar's supernatural powers, this is the key—"
Before he could finish speaking, Han Xiaoliu interrupted him with a soft call:
"Da Ya, stay. I have something to tell you."
Longkui paused, and when she turned around, the smile on her face hadn't faded, but there was a hint of suspicion in it.
She gently patted Lu Xueqi's shoulder, whispered "I'll come find you later," and obediently turned back.
Han Xiaoliu then turned to Yu Niangzi, and with a flick of his wrist, a warm and lustrous white jade token appeared out of thin air.
He casually tossed the jade pendant, and it traced a gentle arc before landing steadily in the palm of Lady Yu's hand.
"This is a token of the Myriad Sounds Sect," he said casually, but his eyes were serious. "Go and find Left Envoy Fan and retrieve the batch of architectural artifacts I ordered. Be quick, the secret realm is about to open, and we need to set up the formation in advance."
Lady Yu glanced down at the jade pendant; her fingertips felt slightly cool, yet her resolve was as firm as a rock.
She nodded slightly, her voice clear and firm: "Yes, young master." Before she finished speaking, her figure had already disappeared like a thin mist, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering in the hall.
The main hall suddenly became empty.
Han Xiaoliu leaned back in his chair, a sly smile playing on his lips. He gazed intently at Long Kui, his voice suddenly becoming soft and sweet: "Little Long Kui...would you like to warm the young master's bed every day?"
"Okay, okay!" Longkui blurted out, her eyes instantly shining, her cheeks slightly flushed, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with pink—this long-awaited "personal task" had finally come her way!
But the next moment, her smile froze.
Something is wrong!
The young master's eyes, though smiling and curved, revealed a cunning "coaxing a child" quality, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, making him look like a fox who had stolen honey and was now pretending to be innocent.
"...You lied to me again?" Alarm bells rang in her mind, and she instinctively took a half step back, wanting to escape.
But his feet seemed rooted to the spot, remaining completely still.
A little voice inside me screamed: What if it's true? It's not like I'm going to lose a chunk of flesh! Listen to what he's saying!
Seeing her ever-changing expressions—sometimes shy, sometimes wary, sometimes conflicted—Han Xiaoliu couldn't help but cough twice to hide his barely suppressed laughter.
He looked around to make sure no one was there before quietly approaching, lowering his voice, and gently pulling Longkui's sleeve towards him.
"Ahem... Actually," he said, feigning seriousness but with a glint in his eyes, "we'll be entering the secret realm in a few days. This time... there might be other outsiders going in with us."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning serious, and gently tapped her forehead with his finger: "You need to behave well, be dignified, be composed, and don't give anyone any leverage over you, understand?"
Longkui had just nodded, thinking it was just another tired lesson on "self-cultivation," when Han Xiaoliu's tone suddenly changed—
He abruptly lowered his voice, almost whispering in her ear, each word deliberate and carrying an undeniable warning:
"Most importantly—"
"Absolutely, you must not, mention to anyone that I went to the Miaoyin Sect!"
"Not a single word! Not a single one can be missed! Do you hear me?!"
Longkui froze, blinked, and then suddenly realized—the "warming the bed" comment was just a smokescreen! The real point was here!
She couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly covered her mouth, her eyes full of mischief: "Young Master, have you... been spending too much time at Miaoyin Sect and are afraid the Young Madam will find out?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Han Xiaoliu's ears turned slightly red. He glared at her feigned anger, but couldn't hide the fleeting panic in his eyes. "I'm still a virgin, how could I have a young mistress!"
The main reason is that I'm afraid my master will find out, and I still want to curry favor with him!
Longkui smiled and curtsied, then turned and left, her skirt fluttering as she walked with light, quick steps, like a frolicking bird.
A strange smile played on her lips.
As for why Han Xiaoliu didn't explain it to the others...
Han Xiaoliu said that everyone else is smart and knows what can and cannot be said!