Following Yun Li’s memories, they arrived at the end of a deserted lane. An old house stood before them, its cracked walls riddled with age and its roof half-collapsed from years of neglect.Shen Wuyin let out a sharp breath.Mei and Qing hurried through the front door, he followed behind them.The air reeked of damp wood and stale meat.A frail figure lay on a small mat, covered with an old fabric.“Mother.” Mei’s voice cracked with emotion.A wave of Yun Li’s memories flooded Shen Wuyin’s mind. This time, it centered only on Yun Li’s mother, Wang Jun.Three years ago, she had been diagnosed with Life Essence Depletion, a rare affliction that slowly consumed her vitality.Since then, her condition had worsened with every passing season, driving Yun Li deep into debt with Shan Lian.“Mei…” Wang Jun muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Where… is Yun Li?”“I’m here.” Shen Wuyin stepped forward and crouched beside her.Her face was lined with wrinkles and dark spots. Her bloodshot

“Tianji Hall. Every secret has a buyer.”The store sign shone brightly under the morning sun.A few steps into the store, two young men stepped into his path.“Didn’t you read the sign?” one of them said, his gaze dragging over Shen Wuyin’s worn sandals with open disgust. “Filth isn’t allowed in here.”Shen Wuyin barely acknowledged them. He turned to the reception counter.“Good day, miss. I have information on the location of an ancient hidden gem deposit.”The receptionist leaned forward. She adjusted her glasses, letting them sit low on her nose, then ran her eyes over him from head to toe.“This is Tianji Hall,” she said, lowering her gaze to his sandals. “False information is punishable by soul sealing. Though your soul isn’t worth the hassle.”Shen Wuyin shook his head slightly.“Elegance is all that matters to these mortals,” he muttered in his thoughts.“Ignore him, Miss Bai Xue. He must have crawled out of some homeless shelter,” one of the young men jeered.“What a waste of

Thoom!!!Shen Wuyin vanished beneath the southern sea, sending a towering plume of water soaring into the air.His body sank through the ocean's depths, descending farther into the deep. The moonlight above gradually faded into pitch-black darkness. The ocean’s pressure bore down on him, splitting his skin.The ocean's depth was equivalent to the height of mount Runyu.“I... can't die,” he muttered within his soul.The dark veins marring his skin thickened with every passing second, spreading across his body until they covered nearly every inch of his flesh.“The Guixin beast can't end me like this. Not when I finally have the chance to live again.”He struggled to move his arms and legs, desperately trying to swim back toward the surface, but his limbs remained stiff and unyielding.The poison had completely paralyzed his body.The harder he fought for control over his limbs, the deeper he sank.The Guixin Beast's poison was designed to transfigure mortal souls into grotesque beasts o

“Father, please,” Chen Ruoxi’s voice broke into a plea. Tears streamed down her cheeks.Mei, Qing, and Yun Li’s mother were forcefully dragged out of the house and thrown to their knees before Chen Guowei, Ruoxi’s father.Yun Li’s mother winced as pain shot through her knees. She leaned backward, trembling as her vision began to blur.“Ma…” Mei gasped. She crawled behind her mother and wrapped her arms around her, supporting her with her little figure.Ruoxi knelt beside her father, gripping his leg as she pleaded, her voice cracking.“Please… let them go… please, Aunty Wang Jun is terribly ill, please,” she cried.Chen Guowei kicked her aside, slamming his foot into her stomach, hurling her into a nearby shrub.Ruoxi’s face twisted in pain.People gathered in large numbers, watching not with pity but with scorn and mockery.“At least now our clan will be cleansed of the Li’s bad luck,” one of the onlookers said.Beside Chen Guowei stood three well-built men. Their faces were expressio

The young woman stirred, her lashes fluttering before her eyes snapped open. The moment they met Shen Wuyin's calm gaze, she lurched upright and shoved him aside.He staggered back a step.A sharp pain shot through her shoulder. She winced and looked down to find the wound tightly wrapped in a strip of bloodstained cloth."Where did you bring me?" she demanded, clutching her injured shoulder.Her gaze swept across the room."Cracked walls... an algae-covered ceiling..." she muttered, her face twisting with disgust.A faint smirk tugged at Shen Wuyin's lips."You were struck by my spike technique," he said. She glared at him."So you dragged me into this shithole without my permission?"Manners, Shen Wuyin thought.Without another word, he walked to the door, pulled it open, and stepped aside."You seem fully recovered," he said calmly. "Please excuse us and our shithole."The young woman stared at him for several seconds, studying him in silence."So he isn't the rookie I thought he