The morning sun burned away the lingering fog of the Grey Mist Forest, revealing the carnage of the previous night. But Kai and Lian were long gone.
By noon, the news of the Black Dog Gang's annihilation had spread through the slums like wildfire. Some said a righteous wandering swordsman had descended from the heavens. Others whispered about a demon who ate heads.
Kai didn't care about rumors. He cared about real estate.
The Vermilion Estate Agency was the most prestigious property dealer in the city. Located in the heart of the Noble District, the building was made of red mahogany and smelled of expensive incense.
When Kai and Lian walked in, the atmosphere shifted. Kai wore his black training robes, clean but simple. Lian wore her white silk dress and veil. They looked like young cultivation disciples, but they were unaccompanied by an elder.
A sales agent, a man with a perfectly oiled mustache and shrewd, beady eyes, approached them. His name tag read Agent Liu.
"Lost, children?" Agent Liu asked, his tone polite but his eyes dismissive. "The orphanage is three blocks east. This is a place of business."
Kai ignored the jab. He walked to the main counter and placed a heavy pouch on the wood. Thud. The sound of heavy coins clinking together silenced the room.
"I am looking to buy a residence," Kai said calmly. "Secluded. Large. And available immediately."
Agent Liu's eyes widened. He recognized the sound of gold. His demeanor changed instantly, transforming into a bowing servant.
"Ah! Young Master! My apologies! Please, have a seat. Tea! Bring the best tea!"
He hurriedly laid out a map of the city. "We have excellent villas in the Merchant District. Close to the market, very lively. Or perhaps a garden house near the City Lord's manor? Very safe."
Kai scanned the map. "Too noisy," Kai muttered. "Too crowded."
He pointed to a spot on the edge of the map, near the western wall of the city. It was a large estate, isolated from the neighbors by a small bamboo forest. But the icon on the map was marked in grey.
"What about this one?" Kai asked.
Agent Liu froze. He looked at where Kai was pointing and swallowed hard. "That... Young Master, that is the Mistwood Manor."
"Is it for sale?"
"Well, yes... but I cannot in good conscience sell it to you," Liu stammered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It is... unclean."
Lian tilted her head. "Unclean? Is it dirty?"
"No, Young Miss," Liu lowered his voice to a whisper. "It is cursed. Three families have bought it in the last ten years. All of them died within a month. They say at night, you can hear weeping from the dry well in the courtyard. And those who sleep there wake up with their life force drained."
Kai's eyes lit up. Cursed? Drained life force? To a normal person, that sounded like death. To a cultivator with a System, that sounded like Yin Qi.
"How much?" Kai asked.
"Young Master, please reconsider! The price is dirt cheap, only 50 Gold Coins because no one wants it, but—"
"I'll take it," Kai interrupted. He counted out 50 gold coins from Iron-Head's loot bag (which contained nearly 200 gold). "The deed. Now."
Agent Liu stared at the gold. Greed won over his conscience. "Very well. But... no refunds if you see ghosts."
An hour later, Kai and Lian stood before the iron gates of Mistwood Manor.
It was huge. A sprawling courtyard, a main hall, two side wings, and a backyard with a pond. But it was overgrown with weeds, and the air inside felt significantly colder than the street outside. The bamboo forest surrounding it blocked out most of the sunlight, casting the manor in perpetual twilight.
"It feels... lonely," Lian whispered, shivering slightly.
"It feels perfect," Kai said.
He pushed the gates open. The hinges screamed in protest. As soon as they stepped inside, Kai felt it. A cold, damp energy clinging to his skin.
[System Alert.] [Environmental Analysis: High concentration of Yin Qi detected.] [Source: Subterranean Spirit Vein (Corrupted).]
Kai smirked. 'I knew it. It's not a ghost. It's a Spirit Vein.' In the world of cultivation, Spirit Veins were natural sources of energy. Most were "Yang" or neutral. But sometimes, a vein could become blocked or corrupted, turning into a "Yin Vein." Yin Qi was harmful to normal humans—it drained their vitality and caused hallucinations. But for a cultivator? It was a resource.
"Lian, go to the main hall and start cleaning," Kai instructed. "Do not go into the backyard yet."
"Yes, Brother." Lian hurried off, eager to be inside a building and away from the eerie courtyard.
Kai walked straight to the backyard. In the center of the overgrown garden sat an old stone well, covered in moss and talisman papers that had long since faded.
The cold was intense here. Frost covered the grass around the well.
Kai approached it and looked down into the darkness. "Eye of Insight."
[Target: Corrupted Spirit Well.] [Depth: 30 meters.] [Status: Blocked by Resentful Soul Accumulation.] [Danger Level: High for Mortals.]
Suddenly, the Hidden Ghost Sect Token in his pocket vibrated. It grew hot.
Kai took it out. The black metal skull on the token was glowing with a faint purple light. A wisp of black smoke rose from the well, taking the vague shape of a screaming face. It lunged at Kai.
"Hmph!"
Kai didn't retreat. He channeled his Dragon Sutra. His Qi, domineering and tyrannical, flared up like a torch. Simultaneously, the Blood-Drinker's Jian on his back rattled.
"Submit!" Kai commanded, channeling Qi into the token.
The token released a pulse of purple energy. The screaming face froze, shrieked in terror, and was sucked into the token.
[Ding!] [Hidden Ghost Token Activated.] [Absorbed: Wandering Yin Spirit (Stage 1).] [The Token grants access to the "Ghost Slave" feature (Locked - Requires higher cultivation).]
The cold pressure in the backyard vanished instantly. The frost on the grass began to melt. Without the resentful spirit blocking it, the natural energy of the vein began to flow properly. It was still cold Yin Qi, but it was pure now, not malicious.
"A Yin Spirit Vein," Kai mused. "This is perfect for growing Moon-Shadow Herbs. I can turn this garden into a gold mine."
He looked at the token in his hand. 'The previous owner of this token—Iron-Head's backer—probably created this ghost to guard something. Or maybe they were feeding it.'
He pocketed the token. The manor was cleansed.
That night, Mistwood Manor was transformed. Lian worked with the energy of ten servants. She had swept the main hall, dusted the furniture, and lit lanterns in every corridor. The gloomy haunted house now looked like a cozy, albeit empty, home.
They sat at a large rosewood table, eating a dinner Lian had cooked using the kitchen's old hearth.
"Brother," Lian said, putting down her chopsticks. "Are we... staying here forever?"
"For a while," Kai nodded. "This is our base."
He looked at her. The veil was off since they were alone. The scar was still there, angry and red. "Lian, come here."
She stood up and walked to him. Kai took out a small porcelain jar he had bought from the Alchemist shop earlier—the Healing Salve. It was basic, meant for cuts and bruises, but he had enhanced it in his Inner World.
[Item: Purified Healing Balm.] [Effect: Accelerates cell regeneration. Can reduce scarring over time.]
"Sit," Kai said.
He dipped his finger into the cool, green balm and gently applied it to her scar. Lian flinched at the cold touch, then relaxed. She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand.
"This won't cure it completely," Kai said softly. "To remove a scar caused by Spiritual Fire, I need a 'Face Restoring Pill'. The ingredients are rare. But this will stop the pain and make it fade."
"I don't mind the pain," Lian whispered. "As long as you don't look away."
Kai paused. He looked at this girl, who was barely thirteen but had the resolve of a veteran soldier. "I never look away," Kai promised.
[Trust Level: 100/100 (Maxed).] [Hidden Attribute Unlocked: "Yin Body Constitution" detected in Target Lian.] [System Note: The Yin Qi in this manor is resonating with her. She has the potential to cultivate the "Ice Phoenix Arts".]
Kai stared at the notification. 'Yin Body? Ice Phoenix?' In the game, that was a legendary constitution. If she cultivated, she would become a powerhouse capable of freezing oceans.
"Lian," Kai said, wiping the excess balm from her cheek. "Do you want to become strong? Strong like me?"
Lian opened her eyes. "Can I?"
"Yes. But it will be hard. Harder than starving."
"If I am strong..." Lian looked at the sword on his back. "Can I protect you, instead of you always protecting me?"
Kai smiled. "Yes."
"Then teach me."
Three Days Later.
Kai sat in the courtyard, near the well. The air was filled with the scent of alchemy. He had spent the last three days doing two things: teaching Lian the basics of meditation, and refining Explosive Qi Pills.
He now had 10 pills. He also had reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage 2.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone was hammering on the front gates.
Kai frowned. He opened his Eye of Insight. Through the layers of walls, he saw three distinct Qi signatures standing outside.
[Target: Steward Mo (Golden Cauldron Pavilion).] [Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 3.]
[Target: Unknown Guard x2.] [Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 5.]
'Steward Mo?' Kai stood up, dusting off his robes. 'He came personally? Greed must be eating him alive.'
Kai walked to the gate and opened it.
Steward Mo stood there, smiling nervously. He held a large wooden box. "Young Master Kai! My apologies for the intrusion! I found your new residence through... ah, channels. Congratulations on the purchase!"
He glanced nervously at the manor, expecting ghosts to jump out. When nothing happened, he relaxed.
"What do you want, Steward Mo?" Kai asked coldly, leaning against the gate.
"The herbs!" Mo beamed. "You asked for specific herbs. I have gathered them. Spirit-fire Leaf, Iron-Root, and Snake-Venom Grass."
Kai raised an eyebrow. Those were the ingredients for the Explosive Qi Pill. "You are efficient."
"Business is business," Mo rubbed his hands. "But... my Master is curious. These are dangerous ingredients. Volatile. He wonders... does your Master plan to blow up the city?"
Kai chuckled darkly. "My Master is refining a body-tempering bath for me. The fire and poison stimulate the skin."
It was a lie, but a plausible one in the cultivation world.
"Here is the payment," Kai tossed a vial of Pure Spirit Extract to Mo.
Mo caught it like it was a baby. "Excellent! Excellent! Oh, and one more thing..."
Mo's expression turned serious. "Be careful, Young Master. The Black Dog Gang... Iron-Head had a backer. A cultivator from the Blood Skull Hall. They found Iron-Head's body. They know someone killed him with a sword."
Mo pointed at the Blood-Drinker's Jian on Kai's back. "They are looking for a 'Short Swordsman'. Lie low."
Kai narrowed his eyes. Blood Skull Hall. A local dark sect affiliate. "Thank you for the warning, Steward Mo."
Mo bowed and left with his guards.
Kai watched him go, then looked at the box of explosive ingredients in his hands.
"Lie low?" Kai smirked. "I don't think so."
If the Blood Skull Hall was coming... he needed to prepare a welcome party. And Mistwood Manor was the perfect trap.