At the heart of the ancient town.
Li Xianzong paused in front of a large manor. The mansion’s doors were painted with chipped, worm-eaten holes; the door plaque was old and draped in cobwebs.
Through the hazy plaque, the characters could be faintly discerned: Zhao Mansion.
Li Xianzong stepped onto the porch and approached the entrance, gently pushing it open.
"Whoosh—”
The door groaned with age, emitting a painful sound as it slowly opened.
The group crossed the threshold into the courtyard, taking in their surroundings. The courtyard was clearly long since abandoned—the flower beds had turned wild, overgrown with weeds.
At the eaves of the outer hall stood a tall water barrel, about half a person’s height. This type of barrel served as an emergency water source during fires and was standard for wealthy households—like modern fire extinguishers.
As they moved through the courtyard toward the outer hall, a foul odor began to waft out from the barrel, growing stronger with each step.
The young man missing his left ear furrowed his brow and approached slowly, bending down to inspect it in quiet frustration. He muttered under his breath, “Eh!”
Inside the barrel lay a rotten corpse.
"Be careful," Li Xianzong cautioned, "the things here might be more dangerous than Wang Iron Smith." With that, he pushed open the outer hall’s door.
Inside, the floor was littered with collapsed furniture—dust and decay everywhere.
Near the doorway stood another corpse, severely decomposed, dressed as a servant of the household.
Li Xianzong knelt beside it, unhesitant in using his butterfly blade to cut through the garments and carefully examine the body.
"Her heart and liver have been removed," he said.
The six members stepped past the corpse and moved deeper into the inner courtyard, where they found several more bodies—each with their hearts and livers taken away. These victims faced outward, as though killed during a hurried escape.
It seemed that Zhao Mansion had endured a terrible massacre.
The young man missing his left ear scanned the surroundings, then complained:
"This storyline isn’t making sense to me at all."
The town was quiet and empty—Wang Iron Smith’s curse was already established, while Zhao Mansion clearly faced its own misfortune. Though there was undoubtedly a reason behind this, the clues were sparse, leaving them feeling uneasy.
Nevertheless, they pressed on with the narrative. Based on current observations, Zhao Mansion had certainly been struck by evil forces, and their next mission—certainly—to resolve whatever malevolent entity resided here.
Yet, this uncertainty was sapping their morale, making them feel restless and insecure.
Li Xianzong calmly replied:
"This situation has only two possible explanations: either there’s a hidden task within the Yin-Yang Town instance, or an additional storyline reward is embedded in the narrative—offering enhanced benefits. But with both comes increased difficulty. For teams of average strength, simply following the story line is sufficient."
The thin middle-aged man asked, "What if we try to solve the hidden narrative?"
Li Xianzong thought for a moment before saying, "We can—but not now."
"How so?" the young man inquired.
"From information gathered on Wang Iron Smith’s body, it's clear that each character has their own corresponding story. Even if we collect all available data, we won’t be able to fully decrypt everything—because half of the information remains with the organization." Li Xianzong explained clearly:
"The Yin-Yang Town instance is symmetrical—one half resides here, the other half in the organization’s domain. To unlock the hidden narrative, we’ll likely have to wait until the final battle. At least that's how things stand on our side. As for whether the organization can independently decrypt their story—I'm not certain."
The thin man licked his lips: "I’ve been eager to find out—does the organization have any beautiful women?"
Others, meanwhile, were more concerned about whether among the organization’s Pilgrims there were any strong performers like Li Xianzong.
They didn’t hesitate and continued through the inner courtyard until they reached the entrance of the inner hall.
Li Xianzong stopped just outside, about to push open the door—then suddenly paused mid-motion.
From the crack in the door came a low, murmured chant: "No one shall take away my treasures. No one shall take away my treasures…"
Behind him, the captain reacted as though facing an imminent threat; the thin man lowered his voice: "It’s inside."
Li Xianzong took a deep breath and pushed open the inner hall’s door.
As the wooden door swung fully open, everyone gasped in astonishment at what they now saw.
The spacious inner hall was piled high with an enormous mound of gold—stacked with golden items: textiles, currency, paintings, porcelain—all forming a majestic mountain of wealth.
Near this mountain stood one robust figure wearing official attire, bowing low to the ground as if unaware of the sudden visitors. He repeated the same chant over and over.
"Huff… huff…"
Li Xianzong heard a heavy breath from behind—his own.
The five companions now stared at the mountain with eager glances, each one showing clear signs of greed, pulling slightly apart to maintain mutual vigilance.
They all wanted the treasure—but none wished for their fellow teammates to obtain it.
Seeing this, Li Xianzong felt his heart sink suddenly.
These people were being enchanted…
The golden mountain itself possessed an enchantment power—his calm demeanor stemmed from the fact that he himself was a Wood Demon of Enchantment, thus possessing inherent immunity.
Now, the danger from Zhao Mansion had only just begun—their team faced both external threats and internal discord. A single misstep might lead to total collapse.
Then, the figure at the base of the mountain turned his head—his face was highly decomposed, covered in maggots, with hollowed-out eye sockets and dangling eyeballs.
"Eat! Eat!" he cried out, wide-eyed, his mouth stretched from cheekbone to earroot, roaring: "I want to devour your hearts and livers!"
…
The queen jolted, nearly rising from her seat, turning to find a slender infant with a dark blue-gray skin and luminous white eyes crawling upon her shoulder.
"I—I’ve actually seen a spirit of resentment! Am I already so weakened?" she murmured, growing pale.
As an official member of the organization, the queen had far greater experience than typical Spirit Realm Pilgrims—she knew that unless one was physically weak or deficient in yang energy, such spirits would not be visible.
Guan Ya spoke firmly: "Stay still!"
She reached into the air and pulled out a long, 1.2-meter step gun adorned with golden patterns—an artifact from the mid-20th century, elegant yet timeless.
Holding it by the stock against her shoulder, she spread her legs wide, her shoes firmly planted on the ground, aimed at the infant on the queen’s shoulder, and pressed down the trigger.
"Bang!"
The powerful recoil pushed Guan Ya’s right shoulder slightly off-kilter. The bullet pierced through the infant's head, leaving a deep crater in the wall behind, cracking it open. The infant tumbled from the queen’s shoulder and writhed on the ground—suffering significant injuries.
This injury came from the gun’s special effect—*break-sickness*, which counteracts malevolent spirits. This was an advanced-level Prop for the Scout class—a profession that, at higher levels, holds a clear, pure heart capable of piercing illusions and dispelling supernatural afflictions.
"Only treating symptoms—not addressing the root cause," Guan Ya observed as she pulled back the bolt and released the next round, aiming again. "To defeat these spirits of resentment, we must summon the Night Wandering Deity."
Just then, the infant on the ground began to cry out sharply—its cries sharp and piercing.
Within seconds, similar cries echoed from every corner—the riverbanks, alleyways, rooftops—several infants with dark gray skin emerged, one after another.
Soon, Guan Ya and the queen found themselves surrounded.
"Unsettling," the queen murmured, scanning the scene—she now saw at least seven such spirits.
"This is obvious," Guan Ya replied firmly, adjusting her stance as she kept the gun ready: "We’ve triggered the Xu Widow’s storyline—the infants clearly belong to her."
"You mean these are all hers?" the queen was startled. It didn’t seem plausible.
Then, one infant suddenly launched itself from the side and crawled swiftly toward Guan Ya.
The old Lao Si Ji spun around and delivered a precise thrust with her sword—cracking the stone floor, sending stones flying—and the infant screamed in agony.
The queen removed a circular pendant from her earlobe and flung it toward another infant, hoping to bind it with water—but the effort failed.
Water is tangible—it could not contain an intangible spirit.
"Useless," the queen exclaimed, urgently: "We’ll have to summon Yuan Shi Tian Zun—the Night Wandering Deity—to resolve these spirits."
These powerful and terrifying spirits were already at the level of a junior Spirit Servant—rare in real life, where such entities typically didn’t occur. In reality, there were fellow Night Wandering Deities and official allies present; even then, this kind of threat caused only minor complications—not fatal.
But in the instance—a true crisis.
Guan Ya remained composed, pulling back the bolt once more and extracting the spent cartridge as she said:
"Yuan Shi won’t arrive—should he have been fighting spirits, he would now be on his way to assist us. But he hasn't arrived, which means he is not facing spirit-based enemies. Rather, he is under threat himself. The spirits are specifically targeting us two."
She fired again, pushing back another spirit with the force of the shot.
"Why?" asked the queen, realizing she was now only watching from the sidelines—just a supporting figure.
Guan Ya paused and then said: "Perhaps it’s because we’re beautiful."
"Huh?" the queen was stunned.
"You haven’t noticed? The condition to trigger the Xu Widow’s storyline requires that men and women be separated. We’ve entered the narrative, yet instead of seeing her—we see a group of infants. This strongly suggests that the infants were dispatched specifically to eliminate us. As for the widow herself—she must now be engaged with the male members of our team."
Though deeply immersed in crisis, Guan Ya remained mentally sharp:
"How could one widow have so many infants? Did she leave them behind when her husband died? That would imply she’s like a pig, giving birth to eight at once. And consider that the widow only sees men—how could it be that she holds resentment toward them for losing her virtue? Wouldn’t she be overjoyed seeing such a devoted man?"
"Are you still driving now?" the queen exclaimed in frustration. "You mean… perhaps our male members have been having affairs with this widow? Men truly aren't reliable! So what do we do now?"
"We must wait for Yuan Shi to come and rescue us—we believe him, even though he's such a smooth operator." Guan Ya fired one final shot.
Eight infants now circled like hunting dogs, poised to pounce on their prey.
At that moment, the queen whispered: "Guan Ya, there’s another infant behind you."
Guan Ya turned in surprise—then saw it.
On the riverbank, a round, adorable infant lay nestled against the water's edge, its head submerged and its back arched upward, looking directly at them with gentle curiosity.
Unlike the dark-skinned, fierce infants, this one radiated a much purer aura—none of Guan Ya’s senses detected any ill-will.
When had it appeared? What was it searching for? Without hesitation, Guan Ya pivoted her gun and aimed it at the infant by the riverbank.
One dark-skinned infant seized its opportunity—quickly crawling across with limbs and grasping Guan Ya’s leg.
A cold aura surged over Guan Ya’s body—the energy flowed rapidly, and she felt her vital essence being drained. Her heart sank as she lowered her gun, pressing down on the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bullet struck the infant—shattering the stone beneath—and rebounded violently onto Guan Ya’s leg, tearing through flesh and exposing bone in a dramatic wound.
This gun has certainly brought me misfortune… Guan Ya guided the queen backward toward the riverbank as they staggered.
"How are you?" the queen asked, her face now showing concern.
"Not bad," Guan Ya replied, ignoring the bleeding wounds. "If Yuan Shi doesn’t arrive within five minutes, we’re in serious trouble."
...
Indeed, there existed such stunning beauty—such radiant women.
This was the only thought running through the minds of the four men present.
A subtle fragrance drifted through the air—the woman by the window wore a thin veil, her form partially veiled, her smile as graceful as peach blossoms. She turned and said softly:
"Esteemed gentlemen—my husband passed away years ago. I have long been lonely in this inner chamber. Might I ask your kind to show compassion and allow me to raise one or two children?"
The men’s breathing grew heavy—the Fire Deity murmured, "Yes! Yes!" yet their feet remained still, trembling slightly as they struggled to move forward.
The composed Wood Demon youth showed signs of hesitation—yet ultimately, his clear-eyed composure gradually gave way to desire.
Li Chunfeng softly repeated: “Giant sees giant…”
Yet his gaze remained locked on Xu Xiuyi—his growing admiration now burning with intensity, nearly overwhelming reason.
Zhang Yuanqing felt parched, his desires surging like waves—he longed to embrace the woman by the window and pour out all his passion without restraint.
But even this one thread of rationality was fighting hard to hold on.
He couldn’t go—his hidden task was to resist beauty. After all, nature itself is driven by desire; how could he miss such a captivating woman? Why bother with the hidden assignment then? He’d been enchanted. So, he swiftly transferred his desires onto the person_name.
Guan Ya and the Queen were still outside, caught in peril. He had to save them. But why save them when they didn’t offer him a chance to sleep? Be more awake—this challenge wasn't simply about beauty. Sleeping with her might cost the entire group’s survival. To die beneath a peony blossom is indeed romantic; as long as he could claim her, death would be worth it.
Reason remained like a small boat drifting in a vast sea of desire—it was often swallowed by waves and yet stubbornly rose again to the surface.
Zhang Yuanqing had lost nearly all his rationality amid internal struggle, making actual action difficult.
All four men were struggling against their own urges in different ways.
Xu Xiuyi glanced at the men standing motionless, then softly sighed, rising from her dressing table with graceful ease and walking slowly to the bedside where she sat down.
Throughout this moment, everyone’s gaze followed that vibrant, living form.
With eyes soft and glowing, Xu Xiuyi radiated gentle charm, her lips slightly parted as she murmured: “Why are you all still waiting? Surely you find me unimpressive—too plain, perhaps?”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand lightly to gently lift the thin silk sleeve from her shoulder, allowing it to slide down and reveal her smooth, fair skin.
Her beauty shone fully now.
“Gurrrl…” Zhang Yuanqing heard the sound of someone swallowing their saliva—could not tell whether it came from his teammates or himself.
His last shred of rationality vanished entirely. He rushed toward Xu Xiuyi with blazing eyes and pushed her down onto the carved, soft bed.
Behind him, his fellow men were equally flushed and desperate.
The men transformed into frenzied beasts of desire—driven by instinct rather than thought—and began to shed their clothes, shoes, and garments, scattering them across the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing removed his T-shirt, feeling overwhelmed. His head felt as large as a drum, his eyes greedily scanning over Xu Xiuyi’s body. As he looked at her rounded, full buttocks, an unbidden thought surged into his mind:
Why doesn’t this splendid backside have a pig's tail?
That thought surfaced, and suddenly, he found himself resentful—disliking the woman on the bed who no longer met his aesthetic standards. A human woman shouldn’t be so enchanted by someone without a pig’s tail.
The rising tide of desire instantly calmed. Zhang Yuanqing regained clarity with sudden awareness.
Xu Xiuyi breathed heavily, her cheeks flushed pink, reaching out with delicate arms to pull him close and urgently said: “Officer, hurry!”
Zhang Yuanqing’s restored rationality began to slip back into the depths once again.
Meanwhile, the Fire Deity Army had already stripped themselves bare, impatiently pushing Zhang Yuanqing around as if vying for mating rights.
Sensing this pressure, Zhang Yuanqing moved aside, attempting to transfer his passion onto the person_name—only to fail. There seemed to be a veil of mist between him and the person_name.
Was it because he was inside the story (the room), while the person_name remained outside? Zhang Yuanqing pondered, recalling the Artifact—the Artifact with purification and magical power that could break curses—but doubted whether it truly affected desire.
The sharp triangular tip of the Artifact pierced into his thigh, drawing thick streams of blood and radiating a pure, brilliant golden light.
With both purification and curse-breaking effects overlapping, the overwhelming allure faded—rationality reasserted itself.
Yet desire did not vanish entirely, because at its core, it wasn’t merely about an external object. The Artifact could cleanse and purify, but it couldn’t transform a man into a serene monk.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Zhang Yuanqing raised his blade swiftly, striking down three of his teammates, calming them before they lost themselves completely.
After clearing away the wildly passionate ones, Zhang Yuanqing waited quietly—yet no prompt appeared indicating completion of the hidden task.
Noticing this anomaly, Xu Xiuyi opened her eyes. Her cheeks now glowed with a deeper flush, her porcelain skin tinged red, her gaze bright and dripping with longing.
With soft lips parted, she emitted a sweet voice:
“Officer, officer—give me… please.”
Ah! The hidden task prompt hadn’t appeared at all. Why? He had clearly escaped the allure of beauty.
There must be some reason behind this—the hidden task hadn't been triggered. He decided to dig deeper into the narrative.
After a moment’s contemplation, Zhang Yuanqing avoided looking at her body and gently suppressed his lingering desire, saying:
“Madam Xu, let us talk.”
On hearing the word “widow,” a hint of longing faded from her eyes—but then surged again with passionate urgency as she responded softly:
“Officer, what would you like to know? Please—please give me… now!”
“I’ll satisfy your request once I’ve answered my questions,” Zhang Yuanqing promised, drawing an image of satisfaction. “Do you know the son of Madame Wang?”
Xu Xiuyi smiled gently and blushed: “Yes—I’m quite fond of him.”
Wait? This surprised Zhang Yuanqing—he hadn’t expected such a close relationship between them, given how Madame Wang had always disliked her.
“What happened to him? And why are you here?” he asked.
She remained silent, choosing not to answer.
For a moment both stood still—then she sighed softly and yielded, saying:
“It was that woman—Officer, please don’t tease me anymore—treat me well.”
Zhang Yuanqing remained unmoved. “Who is she?”
Her eyes suddenly flashed with resentment and hatred as she bit her lower lip.
“She’s a descendant of the Yin-Yang Healer—the actual steward of the Yin-Yang Village.”
“Why did she curse the son of Madame Wang?”
Xu Xiuyi hesitated again, holding firmly onto Zhang Yuanqing’s trousers, pleading: “Officer, I’m in so much pain—please, please help me now!”
The Artifact had purified her aura from temptation—but aside from that overwhelming enchantment, a beautiful woman who remained graceful and elegant asking for intimacy could not help but stir desire in any ordinary man.
Compare your stamina? The Artifact’s effects only lasted minutes—so at most he’d have to pierce himself several times. Zhang Yuanqing kept his eyes fixed on her body without blinking, expression neutral.
Seeing that he no longer responded to her entreaties, she finally surrendered and cried out:
“I grew up beautiful but was married to a sickly man. A few years after marriage, he passed away. For those years, I lived alone, treated with disdain and humiliation.
“The son of Madame Wang was just a rough fellow in the village—lazily idle all day. One night, he sneaked into my home and abused me. How could I resist such a man? Over time, I stayed by myself, and gradually, we grew close. Yet eventually, that ungrateful man grew tired of me—and kept talking about her as if she were perfect.”
She bit her teeth, tears flowing: “Didn’t he see what kind of woman I was? She’s a descendant of the Yin-Yang Healer, skilled in magic—held in high regard by all villagers and considered almost divine. How could such a man possibly challenge her?”
Her words sounded complimentary, yet her eyes brimmed with deep jealousy.
“One day, he came again, bringing me a bottle of medicine—and asked that I secretly add it to her tea. She was my childhood friend—so close in age—I found it easy to approach her.
“At first, I hesitated—but he assured me he had already negotiated behind the scenes with Mr. Zhao and would ensure everything was settled perfectly so she couldn’t retaliate.”
“So you gave her the medicine?” Zhang Yuanqing asked, frowning slightly.
“Yes!” Xu Xiuyi affirmed without hesitation—her resentment and envy surged anew as she said:
“After my husband passed, she came to see me daily, comforting me. The more she showed kindness, the more I resented her. My beauty wasn’t inferior to hers—I had suffered so much—yet she remained untouched by hardship. While I was worn down by neglect and criticized for every small thing, she stayed elegant and pure.
“How could it be otherwise? She deserved to remain untouchable—why should I endure being manipulated and scorned like a mere servant?”
“What happened next?” Zhang Yuanqing asked.
“Next…” Xu Xiuyi chuckled softly: “Then I never saw her again. That man claimed she had passed away—and how well it was done! Truly, how beautifully she died!”
Now everything made sense—both their curses became clear. And Madame Wang’s deep hostility toward Xu Xiuyi could be understood—after all, the son had been unfaithful; it was only the widow who had drawn him into his current state of being, a creature half-man, half-cat—a perspective wholly consistent with a mother’s position.
Yet, if Xu Xiuyi wasn’t a Wu Gu Master herself, then whose hand had designed the arrangements within Madame Wang’s household?
Madame Wang’s son had forged alliances with Mr. Zhao—and Mr. Zhao had summoned a priest… What roles did Mr. Zhao, the Iron Blacksmith, and the Priest play in this matter?
How cruel—driven by jealousy, they had lost their sense of justice. Zhang Yuanqing looked down at the woman whose body now shimmered with passion, no longer feeling any desire within himself.
At that very moment, he heard a subtle voice from within the Spirit Realm:
【Beep! You’ve triggered the hidden task—Unquenchable Desire (2/3).】
【Unquenchable Desire: Jealousy and passion have driven her to fall into darkness, committing unforgivable deeds. Do not let yourself be enchanted by her—or you will sink deep into despair.】
【Note: I wish for her to become a woman who is always pursued—someone every man wants, yet never truly belongs to any one.】
【Task Item: A broken jade piece】
Ah! Only when he completely resisted the beauty could he earn recognition—and that was exactly what the Artifact couldn’t assist with. Zhang Yuanqing checked his inventory—he now had two pieces of broken jade—combined together, they formed a complete jade pendant.
The hidden task item had been collected—but one step remained unfinished.
Xu Xiuyi laughed nervously, her desire re-emerging, gently rubbing her thighs and clutching tightly at Zhang Yuanqing’s trousers, pleading: “Officer, I can’t bear it anymore—please, please do something!”
This is the very curse you’ve placed upon me! Zhang Yuanqing said: “One final question—I noticed that before we arrived, there was another man who came up. Was he a fat man?”
Xu Xiuyi hesitated, then looked down at the bedside.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately bent low and found him—indeed, eating lotus roots.
Underneath the bed lay a frame of slender form—a body now gaunt, face thin as though enduring prolonged hunger.
He pulled him out carefully, inspected him—and exhaled in relief: although frail, he was still alive, breathing weakly but steadily.
Xu Xiuyi scoffed: “A useless man—only managed to raise his arms a few times on my body and then collapsed.”
…Zhang Yuanqing silently murmured an apology to his brother-in-arms.
He had originally sent the man to explore—to use the high endurance and strong defenses of the Earth Oddity—and because the Demon King still managed to overcome the beauty, he assumed this challenge wouldn’t be as intense as the one with Madame Wang’s situation.
Indeed, that was true—the man had survived.
But now it became clear—his judgment had been flawed—he had underestimated the power of the Demon King and overestimated the strength of the person_name.
Thankfully, he had arrived in time—otherwise, this once-robust man might have succumbed to exhaustion.
Zhang Yuanqing bent down, lifting each teammate’s ankles one by one, and gently tossed them out through the window.
“Don’t go! Don’t go!” Xu Xiuyi rolled off the bed, scrambling after him with both arms raised.
It was clear she was in deep pain—longing for male presence to ease her suffering.
“You’ll continue to bear this curse here.”
He didn’t even glance at her body once—he placed his hands on the window frame and leapt down.
Her cry echoed behind him.
“What happened to me?” the Fire Deity Army member murmured as he slowly regained consciousness, touching the back of his neck: “I feel bruised—like I’ve been beaten.”
Lí Lí Yuán Shàng Cǎo and Li Chunfeng awoke soon after, softly moaning.
After a moment of dazed awareness, they gradually remembered their previous state—then looked around, stunned by what had just occurred.
Zhang Yuanqing said: “Madam Xu’s story is now complete.”
Facing the three men’s puzzled expressions, he briefly summarized the events, expressing deep regret:
“You three—have you never seen a woman before? A mere widow has utterly captivated all of you!”
The three felt deeply embarrassed.
“How did you manage it?” Li Chunfeng asked, filled with gratitude and surprise.
As long as my experience level was extreme, no woman could ever sway me… Zhang Yuanqing didn’t know whether to be happy or sad—only gently replied: “I have my own methods.”
At that moment, the Fire Deity Army member turned toward the now-skinny person_name, asking: “Who is this?”
“Eating lotus roots,” Zhang Yuanqing answered.
Li Chunfeng and Lí Lí Yuán Shàng Cǎo gasped in astonishment, bending down to examine him carefully—then exclaimed together: “How could he have become so thin?”
“This is what happens when you’re tempted by beauty.” Zhang Yuanqing shook his head and sighed.
This… watching Guan Ya unconscious, still eating lotus root, the three fell into silence.
They finally realized that they had truly come close to dying just now.
If it weren’t for Yuan Shi Tian Zun holding them steady, guiding them away from the scene, they would have been left there—devoured by the lotus root, as it were. No wonder the players who consistently cleared S-rank challenges are so outstanding; having such teammates truly brings peace of mind… Li Chunfeng felt this deeply.
The Fire Deity Army and Lili Yuan Shang Cao looked at Zhang Yuanqing with heartfelt gratitude.
“We should go find Guan Ya and the Queen.”
Zhang Yuanqing closed his eyes, calmed himself, and sensed the presence of person_name.
…