Yu Xiaozhu

"Snore~ snore~ snore~"

In one corner of Qingzhu Pavilion’s hot spring, a steady chorus of snores rang out. A handsome young man lay asleep in the pool, while a beautiful woman leaned against him, quietly holding his neck and watching him.

"Bad little brother, who would’ve thought you’d look pretty good when you’re asleep!"

Liu Daimei’s jade-like fingers brushed across Gu Sheng’s brows and eyes. She really liked him like this—quiet and peaceful, making her feel at ease.

"What is it~"

Suddenly, Liu Daimei’s delicate brows knitted together. She abruptly turned to look toward the waters on the other side. Asleep, Gu Sheng’s eyelids twitched slightly, as if he had also sensed that something was amiss.

In another hot spring on the other side of Qingzhu Pavilion, the night had grown deep. A burly man was soaking in the water.

He was the instructor at a martial arts school in a small town near Wen County. Years ago, he had injured himself in a fight, leaving behind an old ailment. Whenever the weather turned damp and chilly, his joints became unbearably painful. He had heard that hot springs were highly effective for his condition, so he had come all this way to soak properly.

"Ah, that feels great!"

The man submerged his entire body in the spring and held his breath. After enduring for quite a while, he finally burst back through the surface. His whole body felt comfortable and relaxed.

"Sir!"

A breeze brushed past, and a woman’s voice came from behind the burly man. At some point, a woman in white had appeared in the hot spring.

"Miss, you’re here to soak as well? Why don’t we do it together!"

When the burly man saw the woman, a broad smile spread across his face. He did not find her sudden appearance strange at all. Delighted, he suggested that they enjoy a romantic bath together.

"Sure!"

The woman whose face could not be seen suddenly spoke in a man’s voice. Before the burly man could react, she transformed into a stream of black air and swept toward him.

"Ahh~~"

Before the burly man could finish his startled cry, his entire body shuddered violently. Then he toppled headfirst into the hot spring and stopped moving. The black air vanished, revealing a figure—none other than Yu Xiaozhu, the owner of Qingzhu Pavilion.

"Whoosh~"

Yu Xiaozhu walked to the edge of the pool and suddenly extended his right hand, curling it into a claw. His hand transformed into a serpent’s head and bit down on the man’s neck. The man was lifted into the air, while streams of blood-red Essence Yuan energy were drawn out by Yu Xiaozhu.

"Boss Yu, doing this to your own guest in the middle of the night isn’t very appropriate, is it?"

Just as Yu Xiaozhu had absorbed most of the man’s Essence Yuan energy and was preparing to set him down, an abrupt male voice interrupted him.

"Who~"

Yu Xiaozhu withdrew his hand and stopped his technique. He suddenly turned around. With a "whoosh," the burly man fell back into the water, his lips blue and his face deathly pale.

"Chief of Staff Zhang, Madam Zhang. I never expected that I had misjudged you. The two of you are experts as well!"

Yu Xiaozhu was extremely surprised when he saw who had arrived. Gu Sheng was one thing, but Liu Daimei’s aura had changed drastically. Her eyes were ringed as if she were wearing smoky makeup, all ten of her fingers ended in sharp claws, and whenever she opened her mouth, faintly visible pointed fangs could be seen.

"Boss Yu!"

Gu Sheng glanced at the unfortunate man in the hot spring. He was still barely breathing and had not died. "Who would’ve thought? Everything at Qingzhu Pavilion was staged by you. There really is an Evil Spirit here, but who would’ve thought that the Evil Spirit was Boss Yu himself!

"Boss Yu, tell me—if I spread the word that you’re a monster that preys on people, what do you think will happen to Qingzhu Pavilion?"

"You’re threatening me!"

Yu Xiaozhu’s expression darkened at once. As he looked at Jiang Shaofeng, the hand hidden behind his back began gathering demonic power.

Gu Sheng replied naturally, "I’m merely stating a fact! Since you did it, why worry about people talking? Besides, this estate is important to you, isn’t it? Tell me, if the news gets out, will Qingzhu Pavilion still be able to survive?"

"How dare you!"

Yu Xiaozhu flew into a rage and shouted at Gu Sheng. With a movement of both hands, several streams of black air wound toward the two of them.

"Roar~"

Liu Daimei suddenly let out a roar. Moonlight illuminated her body, and with a sweep of both hands, she reached toward the strands of black air, her claws wrapped in silver radiance.

"Clang~ clang~ clang~"

Under the moonlight, Liu Daimei was even stronger. She easily shattered Yu Xiaozhu’s probing attack.

"You forced me into this!"

Yu Xiaozhu roared. A ring of black air swept over him, and his entire body transformed into a giant python more than ten meters long. With its jaws spread wide, it lunged toward Liu Daimei.

"Watch out!"

Seeing Yu Xiaozhu reveal his true form and attack, Gu Sheng hurriedly grabbed Liu Daimei’s small hand and pulled her behind him. Then he raised his hand, and the Demon-Sealing Mirror erupted with a burst of white light. Yu Xiaozhu had no time to dodge and was enveloped by it.

"What kind of demonic technique is this?!"

Yu Xiaozhu cried out in terror. He felt his body flying uncontrollably toward Gu Sheng. This was abnormal—far too abnormal.

"Roar~"

At the critical moment, Yu Xiaozhu suddenly let out an enraged roar. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth and spat out a stream of red air toward the Bronze Mirror. It was none other than the Essence Yuan energy he had just absorbed.

"So he really is a snake!"

Liu Daimei stared at Yu Xiaozhu, who had struggled free and escaped disaster. The shock in her eyes lingered. She had originally thought Gu Sheng was only joking. How could monsters possibly exist in this world? But what had she just seen? A living man had transformed directly into a snake.

"Roar~"

After Yu Xiaozhu spat out most of his Essence Blood Energy, his body moved, and he barely escaped the area illuminated by the white light. He transformed back into a man on the ground. "A Mystic Item? How could you possibly have such a powerful Mystic Item?!"

"There are plenty of things you don’t understand! Besides, I have no obligation to explain them to you!"

Gu Sheng reached out and touched the mass of Essence Blood Energy. With a rough sense of it, he could clearly feel the powerful energy contained within.

"What do you want?"

Yu Xiaozhu snorted. "As long as your conditions aren’t excessive, I’ll do whatever I can to fulfill them."

"Excellent!"

Gu Sheng chuckled. "Since Boss Yu is being so straightforward, I won’t beat around the bush. This method of yours was an Evil Spirit technique you learned from Pig Head Mountain, wasn’t it?"

"You know?"

Boss Yu’s tone was strange. After obtaining the inheritance of Pig Head Mountain, he had not been completely cut off from the outside world. He still knew the basic common sense of the cultivation world.

It was precisely because of that that he hesitated. Although he did evil, he was not a bad person. Not knowing Gu Sheng’s true identity, he did not dare reveal anything and attract unwanted attention.

"I know!"

Gu Sheng nodded. "What I want is simple. Everything you brought back from the cave at Pig Head Mountain—give it all to me, every last item. Then tell me how to get there and what else I’m missing."

Yu Xiaozhu’s eyes shifted. Testing the waters, he said, "Chief of Staff Zhang, forgive my bluntness, but Pig Head Mountain is dangerous. There’s no need for you to risk yourself. You’d best leave the things on Pig Head Mountain alone!"