Hot Springs Villa

"I know!"

Gu Sheng lay lazily on Liu Daimei’s thighs, the beauty’s natural fragrance filling his nose. Its faint, secluded scent helped him fall asleep in peace.

Liu Daimei asked curiously, "You know? Know what? Just how much more have you been hiding from me?"

"A lot. You know, some things are memories stored in the mind. You only remember them when you need them."

Gu Sheng tapped his temple. He had to admit that the Lord God Space’s "possession" mode was highly advantageous for him. His foresight would not arouse suspicion. After all, no one could possibly know what had originally been in Zhang Xianzong’s head.

"You might think Zhang Xianzong and Gu Xuanwu are brothers who share everything, but in truth, both of them have kept something in reserve."

Gu Sheng shifted into a more comfortable position and continued with his eyes closed. "Zhang Xianzong has been plotting to rebel against Gu Xuanwu for a long time, so he naturally investigated many things thoroughly. Gu Xuanwu buried a batch of gold bars on Pig Head Mountain. That was his capital for making a comeback.

"People! Sometimes, a person’s luck is truly incredible. That fellow ran into the Ghost Cave to hide gold bars for no reason and actually came back alive. Tell me, what kind of luck is that?"

"What? The Ghost Cave? You mean that Ghost Cave you mentioned—the one with something inside?"

Liu Daimei was startled as well. From Gu Sheng’s description, those things sounded extremely dangerous. Besides, hadn’t people said that the Ghost Cave was a place one entered but never left?

"Inside the Ghost Cave is a sleeping Taotie. Something went wrong with its lifespan, so it could only evade death by entering a deep sleep."

Gu Sheng spoke leisurely. "You should have heard of Taotie. It’s an ancient ferocious beast, incredibly greedy. Like Pixiu, it lets things in but never lets them out. Even while asleep, its body still needs nourishment, so it lies atop the Gold Vein and waits for unlucky fools to take the bait.

"The Ghost Cave is a trap. The moment a person or animal enters, it instinctively attacks. Once those vine-like things in the Ghost Cave wrap around them, anyone who cannot escape becomes food in its belly."

"Hiss…"

Liu Daimei drew in a sharp breath. There were legends of Taotie even in the real world. It was one of the ancient ferocious beasts, a creature that had once brought disaster upon the world.

Qingzhu Pavilion at Hot Springs Villa was located beside Wen County, less than half a day’s journey away. The villa’s owner was surnamed Yu and went by Yu Xiaozhu. Boss Yu had a beautiful wife named Chu Chu, but she seemed to have fallen ill recently. Worried about his wife, Boss Yu had also run into some problems managing the villa.

Qingzhu Pavilion drew visitors from all over with its hot springs, and tourists seeking its renowned baths arrived in an endless stream. However, several people had gone missing around Qingzhu Pavilion in recent days, and rumors claimed that an Evil Spirit was causing trouble.

"Boss Yu! I’m a clean freak, and my wife doesn’t like having outsiders around either. It shouldn’t be difficult to prepare a private hot-spring pool for us, right?"

Gu Sheng, dressed in a trench coat, arrived at Qingzhu Pavilion with Liu Daimei, who wore a qipao and fur stole. The owner, Yu Xiaozhu, personally came out to attend to them.

"Chief of Staff Zhang, rest assured. I’ll have the staff arrange it immediately!"

Yu Xiaozhu was a gentleman who looked quite refined. He did not take offense at Gu Sheng’s request. Having spent many years in society, he had picked up plenty of worldly experience and knew that some people disliked crowds. Gu Sheng’s status was not low—he was Wen County’s second-in-command, hardly someone ordinary people could afford to offend.

"Sorry for the trouble, Boss Yu!"

Gu Sheng smiled and nodded, then followed a worker to a more secluded section of Qingzhu Pavilion’s hot-spring area. It was quiet and tranquil, with beautiful surroundings and exquisitely arranged flowers and plants. It was obvious that the owner had put considerable thought into decorating it.

"Ahh, this is comfortable!"

Gu Sheng took off his clothes and placed them on the rack. With no one else nearby, he lay naked in the hot spring. The warm spring water soothed his entire body, sweeping away the fatigue brought on by the long journey. Reclining against the edge of the pool, Gu Sheng felt drowsy as he soaked.

"Splash!"

Before long, Liu Daimei, wearing sexy Republican-era lingerie, landed beside him amid a spray of water. She hooked her jade arms around his neck and leaned against him, then wrinkled her delicate nose and spat at him. "Shameless. You’re a grown man, yet you’re bathing naked."

"What’s wrong? Does my wife have a problem with it? It’s not as if you haven’t seen it before!"

Gu Sheng lay there lazily, without the slightest intention of moving. After obtaining the Bronze Mirror for subduing demons, he had kept his promise and taken Liu Daimei shopping along the major streets and through the stores of Shanghai. For seven days, they had carried bags upon bags all over town. Fortunately, he was a minor warlord with some money; otherwise, she would have bankrupted him long ago.

Women truly had boundless energy when shopping. After this round, Gu Sheng was exhausted, while Liu Daimei was perfectly fine and still eager for more. If Gu Sheng had not reminded her about the Lord God’s mission, she probably could have stayed in Shanghai until the time limit expired.

"Gu Sheng, you’re getting bolder and bolder! You actually dare talk to your sister like that now!"

Liu Daimei slipped a finger toward Gu Sheng’s waist. Her Two-Finger Zen skill was ready to strike, but she accidentally brushed against his awakened "little brother," and a flush spread across her pretty face.

"My wife!"

Gu Sheng opened his eyes, his throat slightly dry. He bent over and embraced Liu Daimei, giving her no chance to stop him as he made his move.

"You bastard…"

Liu Daimei bit down on her pearly teeth and wrapped her arms around Gu Sheng, cooperating with him.

Gu Sheng reclined lazily beside the hot-spring pool, his large hands stroking Liu Daimei’s exhausted body. The activity just now had not only sobered him up but also dispelled the Evil Fire he had accumulated over the past few days. After all, the train ride back would take several days!

He was indeed a minor warlord, but his status was nowhere near high enough for him to reserve an entire carriage. The soundproofing in this era was terrible, and he had no intention of letting anyone listen to a live broadcast. He had no choice but to endure it the whole way.

"You damned tiger, you always use so much force. Look, it’s all red!"

After resting for quite a while, Liu Daimei got up and immediately complained about Gu Sheng’s roughness.

"Mei-jie, who told you to be so beautiful? You make your little brother very energetic!"

As Gu Sheng spoke, his hands grew restless again. He had been a pure-hearted man for decades and had long looked forward to this sort of thing. Now that he had the chance, of course he was full of enthusiasm.

"Stop fooling around!"

Liu Daimei slapped Gu Sheng. "I’m still sore! You don’t even know how to be considerate, you lecherous tiger! Didn’t you say we came here to handle proper business? You’re using all your strength on me. Don’t go weak in the knees later!"

"Mei-jie, you’re joking. How could I possibly go weak in the knees?"

Gu Sheng certainly was not going to back down at a time like this. However, he knew that Liu Daimei really was unable to continue, so he merely took some advantage with his hands instead of making another move. After lying there a while longer, he began to feel tired and fell asleep right there in the water.

"Gu Sheng, Gu Sheng!"

After resting for a while longer, Liu Daimei felt more or less recovered. She called Gu Sheng several times without getting a response. When she turned around, she nearly laughed in exasperation. That mischievous little brother who had worn her out had actually fallen asleep leaning against the water.