Chapter 33 : You, a Heroic and Lovely Woman, Suit My Taste Perfectly

Chapter 33: You, a Heroic and Lovely Woman, Suit My Taste Perfectly

The ancestral hall was completely embedded within the secret realm.

The green bricks and black tiles were still intact, yet a ghostly blue glow that did not belong to the outside world seeped from the corners of the eaves.

No cracks.

No damage.

The entire ancestral hall seemed as though it had always grown here, from time immemorial until now.

“Se… secret realm?”

In Zhang Su’s distant-looking brows and eyes, panic filled them to the brim.

A half-transparent lingzhi mushroom broke through the bricks, its roots wrapping around the door, quietly creeping upward.

It extended its tendrils, slowly coiling toward Zhang Su’s neatly pinned hair.1

Bang!

Fang Chang kicked the door flying with a single strike.

The strange plant, along with the door panel, was sent soaring into the air before smashing to pieces against a distant rock wall.

The dome above hung low, yet it was not natural.

It had been polished into a smooth arc, its surface marked with orderly spiral patterns.

Beneath their feet lay layers upon layers of neatly arranged jade steps.

Fang Chang could not help but sigh again.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“Medicine Master Manor and the Nine Heavens Secret Realm overlapping within the void—once it manifests, everything around it will face total annihilation.”

Zhang Su looked at him, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

“But… Benefactor Fang… why are you… not surprised at all?”

“Is this really the time to question me? Your niece isn’t by your side.”

Fang Chang reminded her.

Zhang Su’s whole body trembled, panic visibly spreading across her face.

Her wide monk robes fluttered as she transformed into a streak of light, crashing into the only jade staircase ahead and disappearing at high speed.

Fang Chang watched her back, unmoved.

Zhao Yuntong had at some point put on a red veil, her peach blossom eyes sweeping over him coldly.

The faint blush of peach-red makeup around her brows made her appear even more poised and stunning.

“So, who is she?”

Previously, the two times Fang Chang met Lü Muxue, she had been forcibly stuffed into the Black Tortoise Square Cauldron due to being overly clingy while “extracting juice,” and had even had her “connection cut off.”

Thus, she neither recognized Lü Muxue nor knew Zhang Su.

“Lü Muxue’s aunt. I told you about her.”

Fang Chang turned to look at You Yuan.

The pitiful girl sat blankly in place, staring dumbly at the completely different scene outside the door.

Zhao Yuntong recalled it and narrowed her eyes.

“She first invited you to stay at the inn, and now she specifically chased after you? You two already knew each other, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t know her.”

“Really? I don’t believe you.”2

Fang Chang smiled. “Perhaps in a past life, I had a connection with her. We couldn’t become husband and wife then, and in this life we happened to meet again. Who would have thought she would become a senior aunt of the Guanyin Path—just a fated but unattainable confidante.”

“Good, very good!”

Zhao Yuntong’s eyes darkened, coldness radiating from them. “Then go chase your wife from your past life.”

“No rush. She won’t escape.”

Hearing that Fang Chang actually intended to go after her, Zhao Yuntong was so angry she laughed instead. She flung her sleeve and turned away, leaving only her back.

Fang Chang paid her no mind.

He walked over and removed the ropes and gag from You Yuan, who was still frozen in place.

The girl naturally carried a heroic air, dressed in tight, practical clothing like a wandering female swordswoman.

Even after being freed, she did not leave.

She slumped on the ground like a limp duck, staring blankly like a hollow, lifeless Yin Corpse.

Fang Chang picked up an unlit incense stick and poked her forehead.

You Yuan stiffly turned her head to look at him, murmuring in despair:

“There’s no more Medicine Master Manor… no more… the You family is finished too…”

“There may be no Medicine Master Manor, but the You family isn’t necessarily finished—you’re still here, aren’t you?”

“My father spent years building it in White Egret City… finally establishing Medicine Master Manor… all the wealth, medicinal fields, and manpower were swallowed by this secret realm… what use am I alone…”

“You may be useless alone now, but if one day your cultivation reaches the heavens, wouldn’t something like Medicine Master Manor be yours with just a word?”

“Reach the heavens?”

The despair in You Yuan’s eyes did not fade. “I’m only a Second Realm Spirit Preservation cultivator.”

Fang Chang continued poking her face with the incense stick—indeed, her skin was full of youthful elasticity.

“You are now, but that may not be the case in the future… within this secret realm lies a treasure extremely compatible with you. With its help, it’s not impossible for you to reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao.”

You Yuan froze for a moment.

In the cultivation world, there were countless tales about secret realms.

Among them, stories of “ordinary people accidentally entering and emerging later as highly gifted cultivators” were not unheard of.

A trace of light returned to her eyes as she looked at Fang Chang suspiciously.

“Then why don’t you take it for yourself? You’re only a First Realm Qi Absorption cultivator.”

As if I wouldn’t want to.

Fang Chang tossed away the incense stick and stood with his hands behind his back.

“As for me, I’ve always loved nurturing promising juniors. A heroic and lovely woman like you suits my taste perfectly.”

You Yuan frowned. “You sound so old-fashioned, yet you’re about the same age as me.”

“A bit older than you.”

Fang Chang paused. “Besides, we don’t really have a choice right now. I know a bit about this secret realm—consider it compensation for eating your family’s offerings. How about I give you this opportunity?”

You Yuan fell silent for a moment.

She slowly stood up, her gaze becoming steadier, going along with it:

“Since fellow Daoist has said so, I naturally have no objections… as for opportunities or not, fellow Daoist may take it yourself. I don’t particularly care, as long as we can get out…”

The female swordswoman had a tall figure, a high nose bridge, phoenix eyes slightly upturned, and a gaze as clear as frost.

She had regained some of her former demeanor.

Fang Chang smiled and snapped his fingers beside Zhao Yuntong’s ear.

“Let’s go.”

She remained unmoved.

Fang Chang ignored her anyway and led You Yuan out of the ancestral hall.

A moment later.

Zhao Yuntong’s shoulders trembled.

She turned to look at Fang Chang’s back, her eyes shimmering with mist.

So he has me completely figured out… doesn’t even treat me as a woman, Fang Chang… you really…

Only see me as a tool!

Hehe.

In that case, the relationship between object and master between us will become an unbreakable alliance!3

She bit her red lips, her cheeks flushed beneath the veil.

Her steps grew lighter as she lifted her skirt and followed along.

.

Naturally, Fang Chang had no idea about Zhao Yuntong’s thoughts.

After descending the white jade staircase, he soon encountered Zhang Su, who had left earlier.

She was blocked by a rock wall in the corridor, frowning in distress.

“A restriction?”

You Yuan asked. She knew Zhang Su’s identity and strength—an ordinary rock wall could not possibly stop her.

Zhang Su nodded, her gaze carrying a hint of reproach as she looked at Fang Chang.

“Benefactor Fang… you should be able to break it, right?”

“This restriction is something everyone here can pass—except you.”

“What do you mean, Benefactor?” Zhang Su’s expression changed.

Fang Chang shook his head.

Earlier, he had said that within the Nine Heavens Secret Realm there were three paths: the Martial Lecture Plaza, the ancestral hall, and the obscure corner where Luo Yi and Dai Bojun were located.

No matter which path one took, they would ultimately converge—it was only a matter of distance.

Among them, the obscure route had stronger monsters, but fewer in number.

Even so, Fang Chang had already pointed out the weaknesses beforehand, and with Dai Bojun, a man blessed with great fortune, it wouldn’t be a problem.

The Martial Lecture Plaza route was the longest, filled with hordes of monsters of moderate strength, but it could accommodate the largest number of NPCs and players.

As for the ancestral hall route Fang Chang was on—

It was the shortest.

But it required passing through the most dangerous Thought-Stealing Restriction, after which one could merge into the obscure route. This was also why Fang Chang had Luo Yi clear the path in advance.

You Yuan could pass—she did so in the original storyline.

As for Fang Chang—his secret techniques were the answer.

Even Zhao Yuntong…

Come on, she was a Corpse Puppet.

And the only anomaly—

Was Zhang Su.

She was never supposed to appear here in the first place.