"Clang."
Xiao Yin landed on her shoulder with a soft weight, its small talons gripping her robe as it rubbed affectionately against her temple. It let out a crisp, rhythmic chirp that echoed through the quiet courtyard.
Chen Jinshu turned around and picked up the warm bronze key resting on the stone table. Its surface felt smooth and pulsed with a faint, lingering spiritual residue.
She murmured something softly to Xiao Yin on her shoulder, her voice a low hum of comfort, and then she headed outside toward the gate.
"Let us go. This place isn't peaceful anymore."
The little bird nudged her temple again with its beak as if it were urging her on to better things, and the gesture made her break into a small, genuine smile.
…
A moment later, she arrived at Meiyun Residence in the inner market.
The instant she opened the heavy gate with the bronze key, a stream of pure and gentle wood aligned spiritual energy washed over her like a warm mountain spring. It was a tangible pressure, silently soaking into her skin and pores until it reached every corner of her entire body.
She instinctively drew in a deep breath of the revitalized air. It was cool and sweet, flowing straight into her lungs like a tonic, and the sharp tension she had carried for days finally loosened.
"This level of pure vegetation energy is rare. No wonder inner market residences cost so much. The price really does make sense."
Chen Jinshu let out a quiet sigh of admiration as she stepped further into the space.
Xiao Yin chirped happily in response, its blue-red tail feathers flashing in the light as it turned into a lively arc of color and darted into the courtyard ahead of her.
Compared to the cramped and dusty Boulder Residence, this place was worlds apart. The small courtyard was modest in size but meticulously designed, with dark green tiles and clean white walls that felt simple and elegant.
In one corner stood an old plum tree with gnarled, twisted branches. It wasn't yet the season for blossoms, but the trunk was sturdy and a faint spiritual light flowed beneath the bark, showing it was clearly no ordinary tree.
The stone tables and stools positioned beneath its shade were polished smooth and felt warm to the touch, having absorbed the afternoon sun.
A thin stream of spirit spring water trickled steadily from the crevice of a decorative rock. It gathered into a small, clear pool about a foot wide, where warm jade lined the bottom. A light mist rose gently from the surface, nourishing the entire courtyard with even purer spiritual energy.
Inside the cave residence, every surface was spotless. There was a quiet room for meditation, an alchemy room, and a dedicated cultivation chamber, all of which were fully equipped with everything she needed. Stable lighting array stones were embedded in the walls, casting a soft, golden glow over the rooms.
What delighted her most was the high-quality earth fire spirit drawing array found in the alchemy room. Its geometric patterns were complex and clear, carved deep into the stone floor, and the fire mouth was stable and robust. It was nothing like the crude, temporary furnace setup she had been forced to use back at Panstone Residence.
Almost all traces of the former owner, Elder Zhou, had been erased by the sect's servants, leaving only a few standard, high-quality furnishings behind.
It seemed Elder Liu had already given specific instructions before his departure. This favor was one she truly owed to the outer sect elder.
With just a bit of cleaning and the arrangement of her own belongings, this would be an excellent place to settle for the long term.
A few days later, Chen Jinshu had completely familiarized herself with every corner of her new residence and used Meiyun Residence's pure spiritual energy to further stabilize her cultivation.
Thinking back to the sinister and arrogant Lin Xiao, she couldn't help recalling her neighbor Zhou Wanning, who had been kind enough to give her the Cold Pool Condensed Dew. If Zhou Wanning hadn't warned her repeatedly back then about the dangers of the market, she might not have seen through Lin Xiao's polished, friendly disguise so easily.
She took out a small, intricately carved jade box from her storage. Inside were two full and glossy third-tier Life Creation Pills, each one brimming with pure vitality and smelling of fresh herbs. This specific pill worked wonders for healing internal injuries and stabilizing damaged foundations. It might offer Zhou Wanning some small measure of help with her severely damaged Dao foundation.
It was a return gift meant to express her sincere gratitude for the earlier warning.
After preparing the box, she took the Yinshan Sparrow and left Meiyun Residence, heading west along the familiar stone path toward the edge of the waste slag grounds.
Before she reached Zhou Wanning's humble place, she passed Lin Xiao's cold dwelling first.
A sudden wave of disgust surged in her heart at the sight of the building. If Liu Qingchen hadn't arrived in time to intervene, then given Elder Zhou's muddleheadedness and Lin Xiao's vicious nature, she would have been dragged into endless trouble even if she had escaped. The critical matter of the Hundred Herbs Token might have taken a turn for the worse.
"Interest should still be collected."
A smile without the slightest hint of warmth curled at Chen Jinshu's lips. She had no interest in the so-called Qingfu Seed he had offered up to frame her, but she didn't mind scraping a layer of profit off this den of thieves.
Once she had made up her mind, her figure flickered with spiritual movement, and she was already standing before the cold dwelling's door. Without any hesitation or courtesy, she lifted her foot and kicked hard at the clearly flimsy stone door.
Boom.
With a thunderous crash that echoed through the alley, the stone door exploded inward, breaking into several large chunks.
The dust that had accumulated over many years was whipped up by the force of the impact. It danced wildly in the beam of light shining from outside and revealed the dim, filthy scene within.
A nauseating stench rushed out of the opening instantly. It was a mixture of cheap powder, the salty tang of stale sweat, and the unmistakable metallic scent of blood. The odor was overwhelmingly foul.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally for the squalor, the suffocating odor made her frown deeply as nausea churned in her stomach.
Xiao Yin on her shoulder bristled its feathers instantly, letting out a sharp, unhappy squawk.
The interior was dim and cramped, barely lit by a few low-quality glowing stones embedded in the ceiling.
Facing the entrance was a wide stone bed covered with mottled, greasy beast hides that were already filthy beyond description. Several brightly colored but torn women's garments lay scattered across the surface.
A rose-red chest wrap hung limply from a rough, unworked bedpost.
A pale yellow gauze skirt had been ripped with a long, jagged tear down the middle.
Several pairs of embroidered shoes lay scattered haphazardly in the corner.
Chen Jinshu's gaze swept over the discarded women's clothing, noticing that each piece carried the lingering traces of different powders. The chill in her heart deepened as she looked around.
These garments were undeniable proof of Lin Xiao's accumulated crimes over the years. Who knew how many women had suffered humiliation here, only to vanish without a trace into the waste slag grounds in the end.
She forced down the sudden urge to destroy this foul place on the spot. Her divine sense spread out instantly, covering every corner of the small dwelling. She wasn't just searching for valuables; she intended to strip the place clean of anything useful. Anything of worth was a debt Lin Xiao owed her for his treachery.
Yet the crude cave was almost entirely bare.
Aside from the filthy stone bed and the broken vanity in the corner, there was little else of note.
Lin Xiao was clearly a cunning man who kept multiple hideouts. Anything of significant value had likely already been moved elsewhere. Still, her sharp eyes caught something unusual where the rough stone wall met the back panel of the vanity.
There was a raised spot with a slightly different texture than the surrounding stone. She gathered a trace of spiritual power in her fingertips and pressed lightly against the mechanism.
Click.
A stone slab about a foot wide slid inward from the inside of the vanity's back panel, revealing a hidden compartment tucked away from view.
The compartment was small and cramped, holding only two items.
One was a scroll made from some unknown, grey beast hide, its edges tattered and yellowed with age.
Beside it were several fist-sized pieces of wood emitting a heavy, cold yin aura that made the air feel brittle. They were dark purple, appearing almost black, with a incredibly dense grain. They felt heavy and icy to the touch.
"Could this be Shadowheart Timber for refining yin-aligned artifacts?"
Chen Jinshu picked up the beast hide scroll and slowly unrolled it, her eyes scanning the faded ink.
"Yin Fiend Corpse Puppet Art. So that is what he learned—a corpse control method and the corpse ignition technique."
A look of understanding dawned on her face, though her brows furrowed slightly as she read the descriptions.
The text detailed how to draw underground yin fiend energy through secret methods to temper the corpse of a recently deceased cultivator. It explained how to erase residual souls and preserve the meridians from decay, then refine the body with one's own blood essence and soul marks. In the end, it created an invulnerable yin fiend corpse puppet that obeyed every command.
"Evil heresy."
Chen Jinshu snorted coldly to herself.
This art was sinister and cruel, harming the balance of heaven, and was far inferior to the orthodox Puppet Forging Art she had obtained long ago in a Xuanyin Sect secret realm.
That orthodox art used rare heavenly materials combined with ingenious mechanisms and secret runes to forge battle puppets that could grow and develop their own spirits. It had limitless potential.
This Yin Fiend Corpse Puppet Art was nothing more than stolen scraps—a low-tier, evil method of controlling dead bodies. It only mimicked the true form of puppetry, lacked real power, and was prone to sudden backlash against the user.
Still, these pieces of Shadowheart Timber were old enough to possess pure yin energy. They were excellent materials for the main framework of a substitute puppet.
They were far inferior to the best material described in the Puppet Forging Art, the Soul Nurturing Wood, but as the core of a basic substitute puppet, they were barely sufficient.
"An unexpected gain after all."
Chen Jinshu's brows finally relaxed at the thought, a hint of youthful liveliness returning to her expression.