The drizzle in Qingshui Town had not ceased; instead, as night approached, it became fine as silk threads, winding between the lantern lights of the alleyways.
“Chen Family Villa…”
Lin Yue stood before a rather secluded but exquisitely decorated vermilion gate, dragging that heavy black iron greatsword behind him.
This residence was called “Orchid Abode.”
Two white lanterns hung from the lintel, swaying gently in the rain, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation.
According to the ledger Mo Feng had tossed his way, this household owed the Nine Heavens Sect a full three years’ worth of “tribute.”
That fool Mo Feng was currently drinking flower wine at a tavern in town, claiming it was “observing the people’s condition,” but in reality, he was afraid of the Chen family’s so-called “husband-killing” misfortune.
After all, the reputation of this young widow of the Chen family was known far and wide, even more notorious than a vengeful spirit seeking life.
“There is a daughter of the Chen family, named Zhiyao. Married at seventeen, before the bridal veil was lifted, the groom died suddenly before the hall. Half a marriage contract left her with a lifetime of loneliness, half a life of purity.”
This was the rhyming jingle circulating in the town.
Lin Yue, carrying that iron pillar, stepped through the water that submerged his shoe tops, standing alone beneath the side wall of the Chen residence.
Lin Yue looked at the slightly glowing Book of Karmic Ties within his consciousness sea.
The ink on it was slowly coalescing into two words: “Repay the Vow.”
“Killed before even meeting?”
A strange smile touched the corner of Lin Yue’s mouth.
“This karma is a bit interesting.”
Lin Yue vaulted over the courtyard wall, his movements as light as a bird skimming the surface of a lake.
The courtyard was filled with orchids and jasmine.
Beaten by the rain, their delicate, pure fragrance became so rich it was almost tangible.
The door to the main hall was slightly ajar.
A sliver of warm yellow light leaked out through the crack.
Lin Yue felt his way along the corridor.
He intended to push the door open directly, but his hand paused the moment it touched the door latch.
A faint sound of water came from inside the room.
Through the thin window paper, Lin Yue could see a graceful figure sitting behind a screen.
It was a huge blue-and-white porcelain bathtub, steaming with heat, blurring the light and shadows in the room into a hazy outline.
“Who’s there?”
A clear voice, like a spring murmuring in a forest, carried a hint of coldness like early snow, yet it couldn’t hide the panic within.
Before Lin Yue could speak, the person behind the screen had already stood up.
A woman in white casually grabbed a piece of gauze and draped it over herself, stumbling out.
Her hair was wet, clinging to her slender shoulders.
A few strands wound around her swan-like neck, falling onto her heaving chest.
That white outer garment, damp from the steam, clung tightly to skin as fine and smooth as mutton-fat jade, outlining a breathtaking curve.
This was precisely the Chen family’s “widow,” famous throughout Qingshui Town—Chen Yao.
There was absolutely no one else like Chen Yao, who fused “innocence” and “sorrowful grace” so seamlessly.
Her eyes were extremely clear, as if never tainted by the mundane world’s worldly air.
It was the kind of lively, slightly timid purity only a virgin could possess.
“You are… an immortal master from the Nine Heavens Sect?”
Chen Yao took a step back, her slender fingers gripping her collar tightly.
Her fingernails, a pale pink, were turning slightly blue from the force.
Lin Yue cleared his throat, shifting his gaze away from that faintly visible glimpse of spring scenery.
He put on a serious face and patted the iron pillar on his back.
“Lin Yue of the Nine Heavens Sect’s outer sect, here for the routine tribute collection. Madam Chen, I’m afraid your family’s three-year account needs to be settled.”
Upon hearing the words “Madam Chen,” Chen Yao’s eyes instantly reddened.
It was a kind of fragility that made one want to give their life for her with just one look.
“Immortal Master… I have never been married.”
Her voice trembled.
Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? The whole town says you killed your groom.”
“The wedding procession hadn’t even entered the gate when he fell from his horse and died outside the city walls.”
Chen Yao lowered her head.
Her long, slender neck bent slightly, like a white jasmine flower weighed down by rain.
“I don’t even know his name or what he looked like… I only entered this house to keep watch to repay my father’s gambling debt. Immortal Master, I am… pure.”
When she uttered the last two words, her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, yet her cheeks rapidly flushed with a captivating blush.
Ding! Special debt triggered: [The Flawless Jade Prisoner].
Task Requirement: Investigate the truth behind the disappearance of the ‘tribute’ at the Chen Family Villa.
Protect Chen Yao from being corrupted by the ‘Shadow Ghost’ lurking in the darkness.
Task Reward: Unlock the greatsword’s third level of power—’Mountain Quake’.
Evaluation: Since she’s an innocent widow, this debt must be repaid with care.
Lin Yue looked at the prompt in his consciousness sea, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
“If you are pure, then where did the spirit stones from these three years go?”
Lin Yue took half a step forward.
A steady, imposing aura instantly enveloped the entire room.
“There’s something filthy… in this courtyard.”
Chen Yao let out a sharp cry, seemingly frightened.
Instinctively, she threw herself toward the person nearest to her—Lin Yue.
A warm, fragrant, soft jade crashed into his embrace.
Lin Yue felt as if a piece of warm, smooth jade had been stuffed into his arms.
Chen Yao’s damp hair brushed against the tip of his nose, carrying the pleasant scent of soap pods and a woman’s subtle fragrance.
Her small hands, like tender lotus roots, clutched Lin Yue’s sweat-stained shirt tightly.
Her delicate body trembled slightly.
Through the thin fabric, Lin Yue could clearly feel that astonishing elasticity.
“Immortal Master, save me… Every night, the sound of scratching walls always comes from the dry well in the backyard…”
Chen Yao lifted her head.
Crystal teardrops hung from her eyelashes, trembling on the verge of falling.
From this angle, her rosy little mouth was slightly open.
Her breath sprayed against Lin Yue’s neck, sending a tingling itch.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Lin Yue took a deep breath, pressed down on her rounded shoulders, and forcefully suppressed the restlessness within his body.
“With me here, that thing in the well won’t come out.”
Lin Yue carried the greatsword to the backyard.
The backyard was overgrown with weeds.
Only a dry well built of bluestone emitted a strong aura of death amidst the fine rain.
“Come out. Something that hides near a woman, are you even worthy of being called a ghost?”
Lin Yue sneered and suddenly planted his greatsword into the ground with a thud.
Boom!
Using the deafening sound of the greatsword striking the earth, a visible shockwave swept outwards with Lin Yue at its center.
From the dry well, a plume of black smoke instantly shot into the sky, transforming into a blurred humanoid shape.
The shadow emitted a piercing laugh.
“A junior from the Nine Heavens Sect… This supreme Yin ‘virgin primordial Yin,’ I have nurtured it for three years. It’s about to mature, and you dare to covet it?”
“Nurture your mother.”
Without another word, Lin Yue pushed off with his feet, propelling himself forward like a cannonball.
In mid-air, the muscles in his arms bulged.
That pitch-black iron pillar seemed to weigh a thousand jun.
Carrying a force that could topple mountains and drain seas, it smashed down directly onto the shadow’s head.
“Greatsword First Form—Mountain Splitter!”
The shadow clearly hadn’t expected this outer sect disciple to possess such terrifying brute force.
It wanted to transform into black smoke and escape, but found the surrounding air seemed locked down by the heavy sword intent, unable to move.
Thud!
A dull thud.
The shadow was directly smashed into the mud by Lin Yue’s strike.
“With just this little skill, you dare to imitate others in nurturing?”
Lin Yue curled his lip disdainfully.
Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, he heard a scream from behind.
“Immortal Master, be careful!”