Chapter 87 : Twin Su Manor

Chapter 87: Twin Su Manor

Twin Su Manor was situated atop a mountain.

The mountain itself was an ordinary mortal mountain.

But the stronghold was far from ordinary.

This place had once been a bandit den—

and not just any bandit den, but one formed entirely by cultivators.

The local mortal dynasty was weak, even weaker than Yan Kingdom back in Tai Prefecture.

Those bandits feared Imperial Dragon Fortune and thus did not provoke the dynasty.

Occupying the mountain as kings and robbing travelers made them nearly impossible to oppose.

As their influence expanded,

the mortal dynasty suffered greatly and eventually sent a plea for aid to a nearby cultivation sect.

That sect was not one of the Twelve Orthodox Paths like Canglan Mountain, merely a small dependent sect surviving under greater powers.

Their strength was only slightly greater than the Twin Su Manor bandits.

Yet for some unknown reason, they ended up accepting the bandits’ surrender.

From that point onward,

Twin Su Manor’s operations were effectively legitimized. After many years of change, the small sect that had accepted them was long since destroyed, while the former mountain bandit den gradually transformed into today’s ordinary village stronghold and continued developing to this day.

All of this had happened several hundred years ago.

Even the nearby mortal dynasty had already changed ruling houses twice.

Cultivators naturally had no interest in such matters and thus knew nothing about them.

The people living within the stronghold knew even less, since the older generation had always wanted to whitewash their identity as bandits.

As for Fang Chang—

as a player who had experienced the storyline in the game, he was one of the few who knew the truth.

A group of people stood before the stronghold.

The settlement stretched downward along the mountainside. Thick yellow-earth walls enclosed an enormous area, while rows upon rows of houses layered together inside.

Chen You surveyed the surroundings.

“This place isn’t small. It’s more spacious than the several villages we passed below the mountain combined. High walls, deep courtyards, and intersecting alleyways throughout. Easy to defend, easy to hide within. It’s a place suitable for settling down.”

After speaking,

he regretfully looked toward Fang Chang.

“Brother Fang, are you really certain you won’t come with us? More people means more support.”

The female disciple from Taiyi Talisman Palace standing beside Lü Shu also tried persuading him.

“That’s right, Senior Brother Fang. We could first help you complete your commission, then afterward investigate the strange Spiritual Light and Earth-Dragon Upheaval phenomena together.”

The two groups had spent quite some time together aboard the flying boat.

Naturally, they had exchanged the purposes of their respective journeys.

Fang Chang had not revealed his identity as a disciple of Canglan Mountain. He merely claimed to have accepted a commission to deal with troublesome ghost monkeys at the medicinal garden east of Twin Su Manor.

As for the Grand White Sword Sect and Taiyi Talisman Palace group—

they were more like a self-organized investigation team without fixed goals or time constraints.

In truth, they resembled a sightseeing travel group more than anything else.

As for what they intended to investigate—

it was the nightly Earth-Dragon Upheaval phenomenon within the northern forest of Twin Su Manor, as well as the grayish-red heaven-and-earth Spiritual Light appearing there.

That Spiritual Light was visible to the naked eye, surging like thick fog, sticky and viscous in appearance. Even its scent carried a rusty sweetness.

Utterly bizarre.

This matter was actually somewhat distant from Twin Su Manor itself. Furthermore, cultivators had already investigated it before and concluded there “didn’t seem to be any major problem.”

The local residents likewise did not seem especially concerned.

Fang Chang smiled and shook his head.

“There’s no need to trouble yourselves. A trivial matter like this is more than manageable for me alone.”

This was not the first time he had refused.

The sword sect and talisman palace disciples all revealed disappointed expressions.

Except for Lü Shu.

Her eyes lit up as she hurriedly said:

“Senior Brother Chen, perhaps Senior Brother Fang has important matters to handle that are inconvenient to explain. Though we h-have become close at first sight, we shouldn’t cling to him this much.”

Fang Chang looked at her with a half-smile.

Lü Shu truly was timid.

The moment she finished speaking, she shrank back behind the female talisman palace disciple, timidly peeking out at him with half her face exposed.

“That’s true as well.”

Chen You cupped his hands and nodded.

“We’ll first stay at the inn within the stronghold and relax for two days before beginning the investigation. If Brother Fang changes his mind, you may come find us.”

“Certainly.”

“There is no banquet in this world that does not eventually end. Brother Fang, until fate brings us together again.”

“Until fate brings us together again. I have a feeling this fate won’t remain distant for long.”

“Hahahaha—excellent, excellent indeed!”

Amid farewell voices,

the two groups parted ways.

Strong winds whistled through the air as dusk spread across the horizon.

Watching Fang Chang’s departing figure, Lü Shu finally let out a sigh of relief.

Then the female talisman palace disciple beside her suddenly leaned over and whispered:

“Junior Sister Lü, do you like Senior Brother Fang or something?”

Lü Shu froze blankly.

“What?”

“Look at yourself. Whenever you make eye contact with him, your gaze starts drifting and your limbs go weak. Several times, I even saw you pressing your chest afterward to calm yourself down after speaking with him... You may fool others, but you can’t fool me.”

The female disciple giggled, wearing a smug “I totally understand you” expression.

Lü Shu somewhat resembled Lü Muxue.

Both possessed slightly babyish cheeks and full chests.

At this moment, she was so shocked that her small mouth parted slightly, faintly revealing a tender pink tongue, making her appear even cuter.

‘How is this me liking him? I’m obviously terrified!’

She did not say it aloud.

Nor did she dare.

If these people discovered that Fang Chang was a Corpse Refinement Path cultivator—and moreover someone being hunted by Lü Muxue—

there was a ninety percent chance they would slam the table in outrage and rush off to capture him.

They really were that excessively upright in personality.

Otherwise, Lü Shu would not have traveled down the mountain with them for experience.

Watching Fang Chang’s gradually disappearing figure from afar, Lü Shu suddenly recalled his gaze.

For some reason, she felt this person was even scarier than Sister Muxue had described.

She shrank her shoulders.

This was already the best possible outcome.

As long as she waited for Sister Muxue to arrive with people and capture him, everything would finally be over.

...

...

By the time Fang Chang arrived at the medicinal garden, it was already night.

Naturally, the medicinal garden owner did not dare force a sect disciple to work overnight.

He prepared a welcoming banquet instead, serving fine wine and rich food.

The matter could be handled tomorrow.

One extra day made no difference anyway.

The important thing was properly serving the boss collecting protection fees!

Thus, that very night,

he stuffed two young girls—tender and soft—into Fang Chang’s room.

The medicinal garden owner grinned smugly, inwardly convinced his arrangements were flawless.

Then the two young girls were kicked right back out.

And at the doorway appeared a dazzlingly beautiful woman with sharp and arrogant features. She wore crimson robes, while her skin was bluish-white like jade without the slightest trace of blood color. Yet her phoenix eyes shone blood-red, bizarre beyond measure.

“Scram.”

The woman spoke as sinister Yin aura spread wildly outward.

Yin Corpse.

These two words instantly appeared in the medicinal garden owner’s mind.

His hair stood on end in terror. Screaming miserably, he fled on all fours.

Zhao Yuntong coldly watched the two disheveled girls run away.

Then she turned her gaze back—

only to see Fang Chang teasing a dog again...

No, not teasing a dog.

Teasing Tai Sui.

Fang Chang sat at the bedside holding a foxtail grass stem in his hand.

Yet Little Tai Sui refused to stand up, insisting on crouching on the ground and leaping upward to catch it instead.

She was already tall to begin with, and though her chest was slightly inferior in scale to Zhao Yuntong’s, her body still possessed a creamy, supple softness. As she bounced up and down, the sight was extremely lively.

Zhao Yuntong snorted coldly.

“You stayed on the mountain for so long, yet now you suddenly travel far away just to capture some insignificant ghost monkey disturbing a medicine shop?”

“There are no other cultivators within Twin Su Manor?”

Fang Chang tossed the foxtail grass into the distance.

Little Tai Sui immediately let out a howl and rushed after it. Fang Chang smiled and shook his head.

“There are cultivators, but this medicinal garden lies in the eastern outskirts beyond the stronghold, and the owner is an outsider. Naturally, he isn’t well liked.”

“The Twelve Orthodox Paths even care about matters like this?”

“Why wouldn’t they? Within Canglan Mountain’s territory, as long as something can be reported and passes inspection, it must be handled... As for the Twelve Orthodox Paths, the disciples inside may complain and feel dissatisfied, but the upper echelons overall are actually quite idealistic.”

Zhao Yuntong snorted coldly, unwilling to show the Twelve Orthodox Paths any favorable expression.

The candlelight flickered faintly, causing Fang Chang’s face to appear increasingly handsome beneath the shifting light and shadows.

They had spent these past days traveling without her getting to “eat” him.

Zhao Yuntong slowly extended her tongue and licked across her red lips. Moist crimson shimmered beneath the candlelight as her gaze grew sticky and seductive.

Lifting her hips, she pressed herself onto the bed and rubbed gently against Fang Chang’s thigh.

“What?”

Fang Chang asked.

Zhao Yuntong had just opened her mouth to speak—

when she suddenly paused.

Turning her head toward the window,

she saw crimson moonlight trembling.

The beams and pillars creaked noisily.

The teacups upon the table rattled violently, lids knocking against rims as tea rippled within.

—The Earth-Dragon Upheaval had begun.