Ghost Hand Witch Doctor Die Wu (Part One)

"Your Majesty, what benefits are there to entering the Hall of Honored Guests? And what do we need to give in return?"

The so-called Hall of Honored Guests sounded very appealing, but Zhuge Xiang did not impulsively agree. Instead, he went straight to the point and asked the emperor if the effort and reward were sufficient. Zhuge Xiang would naturally not refuse.

"Good, such a direct personality is very good," the emperor nodded, appreciating that Zhuge Xiang had no time for formalities and had directly asked about the most essential benefits.

"The benefits? Hall of Honored Guests is a status; even if they see me, they don't need to kneel or bow. Secondly, worshippers in the Hall of Honored Guests receive unconditional assistance from the state, which provides all kinds of supplies needed for cultivation."

At this point, the emperor paused slightly, then continued, "As for what you need to give up, it's your Special Ability. The focus of the Hall of Honored Guests is not combat power, but rather your unique abilities. As Imperial Household Department members, you only need to contribute your strength to the country when your special abilities are needed."

"I see. Very well, I agree..." Upon hearing the emperor's words, Zhuge Xiang nodded in understanding and accepted the emperor's invitation to enter the Hall of Honored Guests. Following Zhuge Xiang's statement, Wu Zhao pondered for a moment and also expressed his acceptance of the emperor's invitation.

"Very well, since you two have agreed to enter my Hall of Honored Guests, there will be twenty officials in my Hall of Honored Guests, a testament to the prosperity of my Great Tang Dynasty." Seeing that Zhuge Xiang and Wu Zhao had both agreed, the emperor nodded and then instructed the Eunuch beside him to lead Zhuge Xiang and Wu Zhao to arrange matters within the Hall of Honored Guests.

A master from the Great Tang Dynasty, accompanied by the Fire Control King Ming Yan, went to transfer the Fire Control King from the Heaven-Piercing Tower to South Departure Mountain for confinement. Meanwhile, the Eunuch Zhuge Xiang Zhuge Xiang and the others to the Hall of Honored Guests, where he also introduced them to the affairs of the Hall of Honored Guests.

The Hall of Honored Guests, as the name suggests, is filled with high-ranking officials of the empire, each with their own unique abilities, making it almost the only remaining one of its kind in the world.

Of course, most of these extraordinary individuals have eccentric personalities, so it's best not to casually visit other worshippers when you first enter the community. Otherwise, you could easily find yourself in dangerous situations...

Following the introduction by the leading Eunuch, Zhuge Xiang and his group soon arrived at the Hall of Honored Guests.

The Hall of Honored Guests of the Great Tang Dynasty was not located elsewhere, but within the Imperial Palace. At a glance, the Hall of Honored Guests was not small, with about forty or fifty independent Courtyard scattered around. Each official could choose a Courtyard as their resting place.

"Gentlemen, this Hall of Honored Guests has forty-six Courtyard, but currently, including you, there are only twenty. Most of the Courtyard are vacant, so you can choose whichever you prefer." Behind them followed a long procession of people, all of whom were Imperial Palace servants carrying various daily necessities.

After the two randomly chose two adjacent small Courtyard, the servants of the Free Imperial Palace went to tidy them up, and soon, the Courtyard of Zhuge Xiang and his companion were ready.

After Zhuge Xiang finished tidying up his Courtyard, Lu Yuling and Mo Lingna naturally followed Zhuge Xiang in. Fortunately, the Courtyard was not small, about twenty or thirty feet in circumference, and had seven or eight rooms. The open space outside the Courtyard was planted with many Spiritual Root. At a glance, thousand-year-old Ginseng, Lingzhi and other plants were everywhere. These things would be very valuable if taken out.

"I need to meditate and recuperate, so please don't bother me for the next few days..." After choosing a room and leaving these words, Lu Yuling went straight in. She had gained a lot from this trip to the Heaven-Piercing Tower, and she needed some time to digest it.

"Husband, we should naturally choose the biggest room for us," said Mo Lingna, pulling Zhuge Xiang along as they looked at each room with great interest, as if the two were building their love nest together.

"We spend most of our time cultivating, so any room will do," Zhuge Xiang said nonchalantly after hearing Mo Lingna's words.

"That won't do. Now that we've finally calmed down, we should naturally find a nicer room. Don't you need me to serve you in bed, my husband?" Mo Lingna winked playfully at Zhuge Xiang, her eyes brimming with seductive charm, clearly hinting at something.

With Mo Lingna's blatant hints and seductive manner, how could Zhuge Xiang, no fool, not understand? A surge of Evil Fire rose within him...

To be honest, since my trip to the East Sea, I haven't been close to any woman for a long time. We've already been husband and wife in name only, so shouldn't we solidify our marital relationship?

The space trembled, and a giant tree appeared, though it quickly shrank and took root in Zhuge Xiang's Courtyard. Crimson Wutong Tree danced in the wind like burning Flame, and a wooden face appeared on the tree. "The spiritual energy of this Great Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace is indeed abundant. Taking root here will bring ineffable benefits to my cultivation."

The giant tree that appeared was naturally the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood Heaven-Piercing Tower. It had received a branch of the Ascending Heaven Divine Tree from Zhuge Xiang, and the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood promised to protect Zhuge Xiang for a year. In addition, because of the Little Fire Phoenix, it no longer intended to stay in the Flame Mountain, but followed Zhuge Xiang and took root in this Hall of Honored Guests.

Chirp...

The spiritual energy of the Imperial Palace made the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood feel very comfortable and at ease. As the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood took root, the Little Fire Phoenix let out a joyful cry, flapped its beautiful phoenix wings, and landed on the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood. The phoenix perches on the Wutong tree; this Wutong Tree is the place where the Little Fire Phoenix should truly make its home.

"Alright, my husband, it's getting late. Even the Little Fire Phoenix is resting. Shall we go and rest too?" As the Little Fire Phoenix landed peacefully on the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood, Mo Lingna gently took Zhuge Xiang's hand and spoke, her breath sweet as orchids, as she gently led him towards the room.

"Is it getting late?" Zhuge Xiang glanced at the sky; it was still daytime, the sun high in the sky. He didn't object, chuckled, and swept Mo Lingna into his arms, heading towards the room. "Yes, it is getting late. We should get some rest."

Rustling sounds...

However, just as Zhuge Xiang picked up Mo Lingna and carried her towards the room, suddenly, a figure appeared in the corner of the Courtyard. The spiritual herbs in the corner trembled slightly, and then a woman crawled out from the corner...

The woman was disheveled and filthy, her features completely obscured. She wore a white dress, which looked unkempt and hadn't been tidied up in a long time.

Zhuge Xiang walked over and saw that there was a hole about the size of a dog hole in the corner of his Courtyard. The woman was crawling into his Courtyard through the hole, her eyes looking left and right, as if she was searching for something.

"Die Wu, level???" Zhuge Xiang looked at the disheveled woman who resembled Beggar, but the information fed back by his Data Eye surprised him.

Can't see the level? Is it beyond my detection range? Golden Core Stage? Or has it already entered the Void Returning Stage?

"Where did you come from, you little brat?" Zhuge Xiang put Mo Lingna down. Seeing his good time being ruined by some wild girl who had appeared out of nowhere, Mo Lingna's face naturally turned sour. However, when Mo Lingna asked her, the woman ignored her and continued to look around as if searching for something.

"Miss Die Wu Dance, what are you looking for? Perhaps we can help?" Zhuge Xiang asked kindly, looking at the disheveled woman.

The Emperor had previously stated that the eighteen consorts of the Hall of Honored Guests, though not selected based on strength, all possessed cultivation levels at the Void Returning Stage. This woman was beyond his detection range, and was most likely a consort with special abilities. Zhuge Xiang would not hesitate to cultivate good relationships with consorts who possessed Special Ability.

"Husband..." Mo Lingna said with dissatisfaction upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's words. She had finally managed to get Zhuge Xiang to agree to their intimate moments, but she was interrupted. Naturally, Mo Lingna was unhappy.

"Oh? Hasn't this Courtyard always been empty? You? Are you a new retainer?" Zhuge Xiang's words made the woman look at him in surprise, and then she belatedly exclaimed, "Wait, we've just met, how do you know my name?"

"Shouldn't this kind of surprise have been there from the beginning?" Zhuge Xiang was somewhat amused and exasperated that he only realized this so late. All eighteen of the retainers had eccentric personalities, but this one named Die Wu seemed to be a bit slow to react.

"Alright, alright, that's not the main point. Did you see a Treasure Seeking Rat? Hmm, you know, a rat with crimson-gold fur that ran in?" Soon, Die Wu waved her hand again, not dwelling on the issue, and instead asked.

"Treasure Seeking Rat? All reddish-gold? I've never seen one before," Zhuge Xiang shook his head, indicating that he hadn't seen one.

"That's impossible! I clearly saw it sneak into this Courtyard, how could I not find it?" Die Wu muttered to herself, scratching her messy hair in confusion.

Squeak squeak squeak...

However, at that moment, a shrill scream rang out, and Zhuge Xiang and the other two looked in the direction of the sound.

The beautiful crimson wings fluttered gently in the air as the Little Fire Phoenix danced gracefully. In its beak, however, lay a reddish-golden mouse, which was being carried by the Phoenix and was emitting a shrill, terrified scream.

"Oh? Phoenix Bird? There's actually a Juvenile Stage Phoenix Bird here?" Drawn by the sound, Die Wu exclaimed with delight upon seeing the Little Fire Phoenix's graceful flight, looking as if a miser had discovered a mountain of gold. (To be continued...)