Famous Courtesan

No wonder this house, despite its age, possesses a unique grandeur. It turns out it was the outer residence of a Famous Courtesan.

Luo Yuni.

This woman is the Luo Yuni mentioned in the newspaper, the Famous Courtesan who tragically died in her outer residence.

Is she the Home Spirit of the Old Grandfather Clock?

Where did these newspapers come from?

What connection does Luo Yuni have with the Old Grandfather Clock?

Seeing that Li Banfeng hadn't spoken her name for a long time, Luo Yuni seemed to understand his hesitation.

"You want to know what happened next?"

Dong! Dong! Dong! The clock struck eleven times. The pendulum swayed, the scene shifted, and Luo Yuni continued to tell her story.

The murderer who killed her was dead, his body lying on the ground.

Luo Yuni sat beside the corpse, continuing to meticulously apply her makeup.

The man's body was taken away, but not long after, the man returned. He stood beside Luo Yuni, holding an eyebrow pencil, wanting to draw her eyebrows.

This was clearly not a living man; it must have been the man's ghost.

Luo Yuni didn't even look at him. With a casual wave, she sent the man flying out the window.

There was a Willow Tree outside the window, and the man ended up hanging from it.

Luo Yuni continued her makeup, letting time pass, her smile always enchanting.

The man hanging from the tree looked on with infatuation, watching Luo Yuni in the house day after day.

After an unknown amount of time, a young couple moved into the house.

The husband wore a white shirt and black suspenders, leaving early and returning late, seemingly having a respectable job.

The wife was busy with housework every day, seemingly never noticing that there was another woman in the house, a woman who was always meticulously applying makeup in front of the Old Grandfather Clock.

She couldn't see her.

If Luo Yuni hadn't revealed herself, Li Banfeng wouldn't have been able to see her either.

Life was 평범, yet sweet, until one day the husband saw Luo Yuni applying makeup. He felt that everything wasn't so sweet anymore.

He felt that his wife wasn't that beautiful. Compared to a true beauty, his wife perhaps had never been beautiful.

Luo Yuni looked at the man with pity, gently extended her arm, and handed him the comb.

The man was incredibly excited.

He carefully took the comb from Luo Yuni's hand. Being able to comb Luo Yuni's hair once became the most cherished achievement of his life.

Li Banfeng couldn't understand his thoughts, couldn't understand the infatuation and intoxication on the man's face.

The man repeatedly combed Luo Yuni's hair, seemingly unwilling to miss a single strand.

It wasn't until Luo Yuni grew tired and glanced at the man that he reluctantly put down the comb.

After putting down the comb, the man picked up an eyebrow pencil, wanting to draw Luo Yuni's eyebrows.

Luo Yuni shook her head, her figure gradually fading.

She left, leaving the man standing there with the eyebrow pencil, lost and helpless.

He would stare blankly at the grandfather clock all day, indifferent to his wife's complaints and cries.

One day, he used the eyebrow pencil to stab his temple, stabbing it in again and again, the pain and smile on his face twisted together.

He saw Luo Yuni again; as long as he kept stabbing his temple with the eyebrow pencil, he could be with Luo Yuni.

He held the blood-stained eyebrow pencil, wanting to draw Luo Yuni's eyebrows.

His wife saw this scene and ran out of the house in fright, but she couldn't run out of the courtyard.

The departed souls hanging on the trees, waving willow branches, wrapped around her and dragged her back into the house.

No wonder these willow trees wouldn't let anyone leave the residence; there were many departed souls hanging on these trees, and they were all Luo Yuni's slaves.

Her husband had stabbed himself to death with an eyebrow pencil.

She was bound by the willow branches until late at night, and then Luo Yuni slit her throat with a short knife.

His wife died, the blade covered in blood, which quickly disappeared.

The scene then froze, and Luo Yuni said softly to Li Banfeng, "This knife likes to drink blood at Zi Time. The more blood it drinks, the sharper it becomes.

I spent three years figuring out the mystery of this knife, while that old woman spent thirty years and couldn't see anything.

We just met, and I've already told you the secret of this knife. Isn't that enough sincerity from me?"

Luo Yuni smiled even more charmingly, but Li Banfeng's attention wasn't on her smile.

"You're lying," Li Banfeng shook his head. "That old woman knew the mystery of this knife. She wasn't in a hurry to kill me; she deliberately kept me until Zi Time just to let this knife drink my blood."

Luo Yuni smiled and said, "That's because I told her this secret last night. Didn't you notice that her two sons also didn't understand why they had to keep you until Zi Time? It's because the old woman hadn't had time to tell them yet.

That old woman is just that stupid. If I hadn't told her, I'm afraid she would never have figured it out in her lifetime. Cultivating with her was an insult and torture to me."

Li Banfeng asked, "Then why did you choose her?"

Luo Yuni shook her head, "It wasn't me who chose her, it was her who chose me. She was the only Shut-in Cultivator I met, and she called out my name.

Before meeting her, I was just a Vengeful Spirit. It was her summoning that turned me into a Home Spirit."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up, "How can I summon a Home Spirit?"

Luo Yuni raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know how? Aren't you also a Shut-in Cultivator?"

Li Banfeng also raised his eyebrows, "You can tell?"

Luo Yuni burst into laughter, "How could I not tell? Your every move in this house can't escape my eyes.

You have a special house, a house that ordinary people can't see, a house that even ordinary Home Spirits can't see.

But I'm not ordinary, I can see it. I know you have a key that can open the house, and it's precisely because you returned to the house that you were able to quickly resolve the poison De Cai gave you."

Hearing these words, Li Banfeng came to a realization: unless absolutely necessary, he should not easily enter a Shut-in Cultivator's residence in the future.

Luo Yuni asked softly, "You want to cultivate a Home Spirit? Why go through so much trouble? I am willing to be your Home Spirit. There's one readily available, why don't you want me?"

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Why don't you tell me the method for cultivating a Home Spirit?"

Luo Yuni shook her head, "It's time-consuming and laborious, truly useless."

Li Banfeng lowered his gaze, "Your concealment from me proves that your sincerity towards me is insufficient!"

Luo Yuni sighed lightly, "Alright, I'll do as you wish."

The pendulum swayed, and the story within the halo continued to unfold.

The souls of that couple were hung on the Willow Tree, both gazing at Luo Yuni with infatuation.

After an unknown number of years, more than a dozen families moved into this residence one after another. They didn't live long before they all died at Luo Yuni's hands. One by one, their souls filled the Willow Trees surrounding the courtyard.

As the perspective shifted, Li Banfeng was surprised by the size of the courtyard. This courtyard was very large; the courtyard in the image was much larger than the one Li Banfeng had seen.

Another family moved in, a haggard woman who looked to be around thirty, bringing two children with her.

The old woman?

The woman entered the residence and lived there for a few days. Her gaunt cheeks gradually became full, and her pale skin regained some color.

Her originally dull eyes became spirited, and she had more strength when doing housework.

She has become attuned to the residence. Li Banfeng had a similar experience.

When wiping and sweeping in the main house, she would always sniff around, as if she could smell a different aura.

When cooling off in the courtyard, she would look up at the surrounding Willow Trees, as if she could sense the souls on the trees.

She often fell into deep thought, and the entire residence, along with her contemplation, seemed to become more serene and profound.

One day, she brought back several bundles of old newspapers and carefully read through them page by page.

She selected more than a dozen pages, carefully looking at the news on the newspapers and every photo in the news.

She didn't recognize many words, but she recognized the photos.

This is the residence from the newspaper.

Late at night, she coaxed her two children to sleep in the east room and came to the main house alone.

She lit a candle and stared intently at the Old Grandfather Clock.

She held her breath, and the room was silent.

Li Banfeng carefully observed the woman's every move. He discovered that staring at the clock was a key element.

In the woman's pupils, the reflection of the clock could be clearly seen.

He could faintly hear her slowing heartbeat. The entire house trembled with her heartbeat, and the Willow Trees outside the house trembled with the house.

They have merged.

Li Banfeng could sense from the light and shadow that the woman had merged with this residence.

This is the power of a Shut-in Cultivator.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell chimed. The grandfather clock in the woman's eyes became sentient. She sensed the presence of the Home Spirit.

The woman took a deep breath and called out her name: "Luo Yuni!"

Dong!

Eleven-thirty.

A chime.

Luo Yuni's voice echoed in Li Banfeng's ears: "She heard the bell. From that moment on, I became her Home Spirit."

Li Banfeng asked, "Didn't you confirm it with her in person?"

In the scene Li Banfeng saw, Luo Yuni never appeared at the same time as that woman.

Luo Yuni's laughter rang out: "For thirty whole years, I never let her see my true face, nor let her hear my voice. At most, I would give her some hints. Even looking at her for an extra moment made me feel disgusted.

She wholeheartedly tried to please me. Seventy percent of the departed souls hanging on that tree were given to me by her. I never felt any gratitude towards her. Besides, she already made a living doing this.

Cultivating with her was purely out of necessity. My comprehension is much better than hers, and my level is much higher than hers. I could give her higher cultivation, but I only let her cultivate to the first level because I detested her."

Li Banfeng was also curious about this. Why was the old woman still only at the first level at her age? "Didn't you say that cultivating for ten years can add one level of cultivation? She's cultivated for thirty years, so how is she still at the first level?"

Hearing this, Luo Yuni shook her head slightly and said, "You are a strange person. When you kill, you're like a seasoned veteran, but when you speak, you're like a novice.

A cultivator who cultivates step by step, without any mishaps or mistakes, can only gain one level of cultivation in ten years.

How many cultivators can say they haven't had a single mishap in those ten years? How many cultivators can say they haven't made a single mistake in those ten years? The number of cultivators who can cultivate from the first level to the second level in ten years is very few."

Li Banfeng asked, "Then what mistake did that old woman make that prevented her from reaching the second level in thirty years?"

Luo Yuni smiled and said, "Her mistake lies with me. If the Shut-in Cultivator and the Home Spirit are not in sync, the Home Spirit will suppress the Shut-in Cultivator. That old woman disgusts me. Even if I let her cultivate for another hundred years, she will always be at the first level."

Indeed!

Indeed, cultivating while lying at home wasn't that easy either.

Both the Peddler and Ma Wu had said that the Home Spirit was the key for a Shut-in Cultivator. If they didn't get along well with the Home Spirit, the Shut-in Cultivator's cultivation wouldn't improve.

Speaking of this, Luo Yuni sighed deeply: "You don't know how disgusting that old woman is. She hasn't looked for a man in thirty years, nor has she allowed her sons to touch women. Even if I say a word to her two sons, she goes crazy.

She doesn't even let her two sons leave the house, forcing them to live with her in this compound for their entire lives.

Her eldest son, De Cai, practiced martial arts from a young age and wanted to buy medicine from the Peddler to become a Martial Cultivator, but the old woman wouldn't allow it. When he turned thirty-five, the old woman forced him into Poison Cultivation. De Cai didn't know many characters and randomly mixed medicine using some old books, almost poisoning himself to death.

Her second son, De Mao, also practiced martial arts, but the old woman wouldn't allow it either. He was relatively lucky and secretly bought Martial Cultivation medicine through someone from the Jiang Xiang Gang. He reached the first level last year. Unfortunately, he had no one to guide him and could only learn some routines by reading books. When he encountered someone like you who doesn't follow routines, he was just asking for death.

Encountering such a disgusting person, I wished every day for her to get out of this compound. Why should I let her improve her cultivation?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "That is indeed disgusting. Just hearing about it feels disgusting."

But why didn't she just kill the old woman?

Weren't there precedents of Home Spirits killing their masters?

Li Banfeng held back from asking that question.

All the images vanished, leaving only Luo Yuni facing Li Banfeng and doing her makeup. She smiled charmingly and said to Li Banfeng:

"From the moment you entered this manor, I knew that my true master was you.

If I had gone all out, you wouldn't have been able to defeat that old woman at all. You wouldn't have had a single chance of winning.

But I just like you. Call out my name, and I'll be yours. Come on, I'm waiting for you, Master!"

For any other man, that single word "Master" would have made him abandon all resistance.

But Li Banfeng remained unmoved. He shook his head and didn't speak.

Luo Yuni furrowed her brow slightly and asked, "You don't want me?"

"It's not that I don't want you," Li Banfeng shook his head.

Luo Yuni pondered for a long time, trying to guess Li Banfeng's thoughts: "You don't want this kind of life. You saved that mother and daughter, you are a kind person.

I also detest this kind of life, and I'm tired of killing. I'm willing to dispel all the lingering souls in this manor. As long as you take me in, I'm willing to live a simple life with you."

Luo Yuni slowly extended her hand towards Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng didn't take her hand. He silently moved away from the position directly facing the Old Grandfather Clock.

The Old Grandfather Clock was Luo Yuni's true form, but Luo Yuni's soul wasn't necessarily inside the Old Grandfather Clock at all times.

For example, now.

Visually, Li Banfeng was facing Luo Yuni and speaking to her.

But judging from the reflection in the pendulum, Li Banfeng and Luo Yuni were in the same room, both facing the Old Grandfather Clock.

In other words, the two of them were very likely sitting in the same position, sitting very close to each other.

At this moment, Luo Yuni's soul was right beside Li Banfeng, or behind him.

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