The Lian family was a lineage of witch doctors and also one of the six great families. But unlike the other families, the Lian family stayed out of worldly affairs and was considered the most low-key among them.
Jiang Luo had met members of the Lian family before—specifically, the lead disciple of the witch doctor school and Zhuo Zhongqiu’s friend, Lian Xue.
The Heavenly Master Residence’s car drove deep into the mountains. The driver was Shen Ruma. Besides Jiang Luo and Feng Li, the funeral parlor owner also got into the car.
This journey was long. It wasn’t until the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky turned dusky that they finally arrived at the Lian family’s home built deep in the mountains.
Jiang Luo had already regained his composure along the way.
Because—even the funeral parlor owner said they didn’t know the exact details of the Chi family’s curse. That the Chi family’s direct bloodline couldn’t live past thirty was merely a conclusion people had inferred.
But Jiang Luo remembered something—something Chi You had once told him in secret.
Chi You said he carried a curse—one that all direct descendants of the Chi family bore. This curse restricted the direct line from harming the collateral branches of the Chi family.
The curse was: “Direct bloodline members cannot harm the collateral line”—not “The direct bloodline will die before thirty.”
Jiang Luo believed Chi You about this secret. A secret confessed under the rules of defeat in a confrontation—if it were false, it would be utterly meaningless.
If the curse on the Chi family’s direct line wasn’t actually “death before thirty,” then the meaning behind those three moles became all the more curious. And the fact that all Chi family direct heirs died before thirty only raised more questions.
Jiang Luo began to untangle the threads. Combined with his understanding of Chi You, he believed he most likely hadn’t inherited a death-before-thirty curse. But he had already prepared for the worst.
If he truly was going to die before thirty, then no matter what, Jiang Luo would force Chi You out and demand all the answers about the curse. If it could be broken before thirty, that would be ideal. If not—then he was determined to walk the same path as Chi You.
Death had allowed Chi You to break his shackles and grow stronger. If he could become like Chi You…
Jiang Luo’s gaze darkened. The nerves in his fingers tingled with excitement, making his fingertips tremble slightly.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile flashed across Jiang Luo’s lips. He turned his head to look at the scenery flashing by outside the window, eyes glinting.
If I could become as strong as him… then maybe death wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
His heart gave a faint, quicker beat.
When they arrived at the Lian estate, they got out of the car. The Lian family had already been informed of the Heavenly Master’s visit. Disciples were waiting at the gate and led them to the main hall.
The ancestral home of the Lian family was like a southern garden: babbling brooks, rock gardens, bamboo groves. Even in late autumn, it remained lush and vibrant. With each step, the scenery shifted—plants and flowers arranged with elegant precision, incredibly pleasing to the eye.
Walking through such a place, even Jiang Luo’s mood lifted a little. Soon, they met members of the Lian family.
The Lian elders were currently cultivating in seclusion in the back mountains. Only the younger generation remained to receive guests. The younger generation who lived at the ancestral estate all gathered, led by Lian Xue. She greeted Feng Li respectfully.
Feng Li gave a slight nod and asked, “Where is Daoist Wei He?”
“Daoist is in seclusion in the back mountain,” Lian Xue replied with a gentle smile, speaking on behalf of the juniors. “He will come out in seven days.”
Feng Li nodded. “When Daoist Wei He emerges, inform me at once.”
Lian Xue responded respectfully.
The Lian juniors behind her were all around eighteen or nineteen—lively and spirited. They snuck curious glances at the people brought by the Heavenly Master, their eyes landing on Jiang Luo more than once.
Jiang Luo let them look without concern.
The funeral parlor owner leaned close to Jiang Luo and said quietly, “Daoist Wei He is an expert in curse research. Since he’s not here, don’t mention the curse for now.”
Jiang Luo now had a clearer picture and wasn’t in a rush to deal with the curse. He nodded.
Lian Xue asked, “What brings the Heavenly Master here today?”
Feng Li turned and gestured for Jiang Luo to step forward.
Jiang Luo walked up and stood beside him. Feng Li said, “My disciple unfortunately engaged in yin-yang union with a malicious ghost. Examine his body and cleanse the filth—don’t let the ghostly aura corrupt his spirit.”
Feng Li truly didn’t mention the curse.
But he still bluntly said that Jiang Luo had slept with a malicious ghost. Jiang Luo’s eye twitched—he had to admit, he was impressed.
However, none of the Lian juniors showed any unusual expressions. Like doctors treating a patient, they remained composed and professional, asking detailed questions: “When did the yin-yang union happen? How many times? Are there any physical discomforts?”
Feng Li’s lips pressed into a thin, hard line. He turned to look at Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo lowered his eyes. “Can we speak privately?”
Lian Xue smiled. “Of course. Please follow me.”
Jiang Luo followed her into an inner chamber. After asking the questions in detail, Lian Xue took his pulse. Her brows furrowed. After a long pause, she got up and brought a bowl of clear water, asking Jiang Luo to soak the middle finger of his left hand in it.
The clear water quickly turned murky, and Lian Xue exclaimed in shock, “This ghostly aura is so heavy!”
Jiang Luo looked down and saw that the bowl of water was gradually turning pitch black under their gaze. It was so black it seemed to absorb light, like ink spreading in water—utterly eerie.
Lian Xue suddenly stood up, knocking over her chair in the process, but she seemed not to notice. Jiang Luo heard her mutter, “I’ve never seen anything like this…”
Her face showed panic and disbelief, but after a moment, she gradually calmed herself. After asking Jiang Luo to raise his hand, she poured the black water away. “It’s fine now. Let’s go out.”
Jiang Luo watched the bowl of black water disappear without a word. So this was the filth left by being deflowered?
Lian Xue brought him back to Feng Li. Feng Li was sitting in the main hall and looked up at their approach.
As another main character in the original novel, Feng Li was naturally good-looking. But beyond his handsome appearance and noble family background, his personality was also quite intriguing.
He appeared detached from worldly desires, yet was deeply entangled in the mundane world. He seemed deeply entangled, yet also appeared to not care at all.
When his calm gaze landed on them, even Lian Xue, though not a disciple of the Heavenly Master, couldn’t help but tense up. She composed herself, smiled softly, and stepped forward as if addressing a senior of her own sect, “Heavenly Master, Senior Brother Jiang Luo would do best to recuperate quietly here for a month.”
“The water of Tianbi Pool in the Lian family can cleanse the filth he’s been tainted with,” Lian Xue said. “After bathing in the Tianbi Pool for a month, even if he has lost his yang energy and had intercourse with a ghost, it will no longer have much lasting impact.”
“Then let him stay here,” Feng Li pondered for a moment before speaking. “When Daoist Wei He finishes seclusion, take him to see Jiang Luo.”
Lian Xue smiled. “Understood.”
There was one more thing. Lian Xue thought about it, but for fear of scaring or upsetting Jiang Luo, she chose not to mention it to Feng Li.
Judging from the heavy evil intent the ghost had left in Senior Brother Jiang Luo, it was unlikely that a single yin-yang union would suffice. It would surely return again and again to have its way with him.
However, with the Lian family’s Daoists and holy water standing guard, there was no fear of ghosts or monsters. Whether she said it or not didn’t matter.
Once everything was explained, Feng Li did not linger further and prepared to leave. Shen Ruma, ever attentive, asked, “Junior Brother, looks like you can’t return to school for now. Which dorm do you stay in? I’ll go pack your things and bring them over.”
Lian Xue smiled gently. “No need for such trouble. Zhongqiu often visits me during holidays. Senior Brother Jiang Luo can just ask them.”
Jiang Luo also said, “Yes, let Zhongqiu come. No need for you to make a special trip, Senior Brother.”
Shen Ruma said no more, waved to them, and went out first to start the car.
The younger members of the Lian family were politely bidding farewell to Feng Li. Jiang Luo seized the moment to walk up beside the funeral parlor owner and said coolly, “Old Ji.”
The funeral parlor owner glared at him. “Mind your manners.”
Jiang Luo chuckled. “Some people really lie without even blinking.”
The funeral parlor owner showed a look of displeasure.
But inside, he was actually quite pleased. Ji Yaozi was fond of Jiang Luo’s personality. Ever since Jiang Luo risked death to activate the Yin-Yang hoop, he had remembered this kid and had lamented more than once to Dean Xu about how Feng Li managed to snatch such a good student.
But he was always good at keeping a straight face, holding back his thoughts. Even now, though he was feeling pleased, he didn’t show it one bit.
Jiang Luo didn’t care whether he was happy or not and continued calmly, “The curse you mentioned—the one where the direct line of the Chi family doesn’t live past thirty—was that acknowledged by a Chi family member, or is it just speculation?”
The funeral parlor owner said, “Of course it’s just speculation.”
A faint smile flickered in Jiang Luo’s eyes. He relaxed and said slowly, “Then why would anyone still be willing to marry into the Chi family, knowing they wouldn’t live past thirty?”
“As soon as you marry in, you become the matriarch of the Chi family and can bear highly gifted children to be heirs. Some might refuse, but others will be willing,” the funeral parlor owner said coldly. “The Chi family offered enough benefits. A few years of wealth and glory—there will always be someone not afraid to die.”
Jiang Luo narrowed his eyes. “Old Ji, I won’t ask why you lied to my master. But you have to tell me—why do you have a Yuan Tian Bead?”
This was too strange. There were only four Yuan Tian Beads in total. One went to the national competition champion, and the Qi family had another. The funeral parlor owner was just an obscure man running a small shop—why would he have one?
And when the bead was lost, he hadn’t reacted much—he simply kicked them out and closed the door.
The funeral parlor owner glanced at him and walked out. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Clearly an excuse. Probably afraid Jiang Luo would keep pressing, the funeral parlor owner sped up to walk beside Feng Li and exited the Lian family estate.
After seeing them off, Lian Xue introduced her siblings to Jiang Luo one by one, then led him to his room. “Senior Brother’s room is near the back mountain. It’s peaceful there. Each residence here is far from the others—it takes minutes to walk between them—so no one disturbs anyone else. Please feel at ease and rest here. A month from now, even if you are no longer ‘pure,’ it won’t affect anything except certain specific techniques that require complete virginity.”
Jiang Luo thought for a moment. “Did the water turn murky because there’s something wrong with my body?”
Unexpectedly, Lian Xue shook her head. “That’s what I found strange… It was clearly a malicious ghost, yet your body showed no damage. It’s just that the ghost was too filthy, so it tainted your body and spirit.”
Jiang Luo couldn’t help laughing and tried to suppress the curl of his lips. “Then what exactly counts as ‘pure’?”
“To rid oneself of all desire, live a calm life, and nourish the body and soul. One must not indulge in food, nor in lust. Otherwise, with prolonged poisoning, even your spirit will be thoroughly corrupted.”
Jiang Luo shrugged.
His way of thinking was completely opposite to the Lian family’s.
Living without any desires—what meaning could that kind of life possibly have? Jiang Luo liked excitement, liked everything that could stir his desires.
Including danger and the unknown.
He didn’t like this so-called “purity” devoid of desires, but he didn’t say it out loud. Everyone has their own way of living. As for sleeping with Chi You, since his body wasn’t harmed, that was already good enough. As for being tainted by lust and ghostly energy?
Heh. Jiang Luo thought the reason that bowl of water turned so black probably had a lot to do with his own wicked thoughts too.
