Sumeru Bag! Cramming Together Is Healthier! (Two-in-One Chapter)

While it was still warm?

Warm my ass!

Looking at Yu'er's cheeks, darkened by the pallor of death, Chen Mo rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He hadn't expected the top courtesan of Qingya Pavilion to be the Heir Apparent's planted spy.

It made sense, though. His predecessor had torn up a marriage contract for the sake of a famous courtesan, disregarding the interests of his Lineage. Everyone in Heaven Capital City knew he was a hopeless romantic.

And Yu'er was stunning, with a graceful figure and a mastery of the qin. She was practically a lesser version of Gu Manzhi.

As for why she was lesser—

The bewitching, world-turning allure of an Extreme Yin Virgin Body was something no one else could imitate.

Even though Gu Manzhi's constitution hadn't fully matured and she usually kept her aura deliberately restrained, she still had countless admirers and had become the foremost of the Music Bureau's five great courtesans.

Yu'er's temperament was certainly elegant, but compared with that enchantress, she paled in every way.

"Honestly, I don't mind using a beauty trap. There's no need to sneak around like this..."

"But Yu'er is dead now. Who knows what the Heir Apparent might do next..."

Just as Chen Mo frowned in thought, "Yu'er" parted her cherry lips, and the Paper Doll poked its head out of her mouth.

"My dear, I'm still warm. Are you going to or not..."

"Shut up!"

Chen Mo barked.

The Paper Doll ducked its head and crawled back inside.

Chen Mo frowned at the sight. Crawling in and out of someone else's body was seriously rude!

Still, it gave him an idea.

Chen Mo turned to Gu Manzhi and asked, "If you use a Paper Doll to imitate Yu'er, how close could you get?"

"Why are you asking that... Oh~"

Gu Manzhi suddenly understood and smiled. "You want me to impersonate Yu'er, fool the Heir Apparent, and work as a double agent?"

Chen Mo spread his hands and answered frankly, "It's just mutually beneficial. Since you're staying at the Music Bureau, you need a decent identity. What information could a little maid possibly find out?"

Gu Manzhi blinked. "So you're not going to kill me anymore?"

Chen Mo snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it already. Why would I have kept you around this long?"

"But let me make one thing clear: if you dare target the Chen Family again, I'll cut you down without mercy!"

Hearing his fierce tone, Gu Manzhi's eyes grew a little hazy, and the corners of her lips lifted despite herself.

Hmph. All talk, that man. He clearly couldn't bear to...

Chen Mo had his own considerations.

Back when he was a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, he could injure Gu Manzhi as long as he struck first.

Now that his strength had changed so drastically, he figured she wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.

But if anything happened to Gu Manzhi, the Moon Radiance Sect might send a Grandmaster—or even have their Holy Lord come in person... That would be a real headache!

No matter how he looked at it, keeping her around for now was the best choice.

"I can even farm some favorability rewards in my spare time."

"But come to think of it, my predecessor fawned over her for so long without getting anywhere, yet one slap from me made it jump so much. Could she have the same kind of constitution as Li Yuan..."

[Gu Manzhi's favorability has increased.]

[Current progress: 47/100 (Regret not meeting sooner).]

Chen Mo: "..."

The Paper Puppet Technique had two variations.

One was "making something from nothing," similar to the method Gu Manzhi had used on Chen Mo before.

The prerequisite was to nurture the paper doll with the original person's blood essence. The longer it was nurtured, the more lifelike it became. It would take at least a month to achieve both the form and spirit of the original.

Yu'er was already cold, so that method was useless.

That left the second method: the Paper Doll crawled into a corpse, "came back to life" by borrowing its shell, and took its place.

"I followed Yu'er for a while, so I can imitate about seven or eight tenths of her words and actions. If I have a wandering soul attach itself to her and let it get used to the body, no one should spot the flaws easily."

"But the problem is that her soul has been destroyed. She's dead as a doornail, with not a trace of vitality..."

Before Gu Manzhi could finish, Chen Mo touched a finger to Yu'er's brow. Emerald light spread from the point of contact, and her formerly dark, ashen face quickly turned fair and rosy. The deathly aura vanished.

Lying there quietly, she looked as though she had merely fallen asleep.

"Will this do?"

Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi's lips moved, but no words came out.

Just how many tricks did this man have?

The more she learned about him, the more unfathomable he seemed...

Chen Mo said, "I left a wisp of Vitality Essence inside her. It should last about seven days. I'll come back and replenish it then."

A dead body couldn't retain vitality, so he would have to replenish it regularly.

Fortunately, he was only maintaining her outward appearance, so the Vitality Essence was being used up very slowly. His reserves in his acupoints could last a year or two.

"Yu'er" slowly sat up, adjusting her expressions and movements over and over.

At first she was stiff, but little by little, she began to look natural.

Her limpid eyes turned to Chen Mo, and her red lips parted.

"My dear, how about..."

"Get lost."

"..."

Chen Mo couldn't be bothered with her. He went to the Faceless Man's corpse and searched through it.

He found a black pouch the size of his palm inside the man's abdominal cavity.

Golden thread embroidered a shrouded mountain amid swirling clouds on it. He couldn't tell what it was made of. It felt as smooth as silk, yet as supple as animal hide.

He opened it and peered inside. It was empty.

"A ghost cultivator carrying such an exquisite pouch... By the way, where did that Bronze Lamp he was holding go?"

Gu Manzhi caught sight of it, surprise flickering in her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, that should be a Sumeru Bag... Try putting a drop of your blood on it."

"A Sumeru Bag?"

Chen Mo froze.

Without hesitation, he used True Essence to force a drop of blood from his fingertip. It landed on the pouch.

Like water soaking into a sponge, the blood was quickly absorbed. He sensed a faint connection forming between himself and the pouch.

He turned it upside down and gave it a shake.

Clink, clank—

A heap of odds and ends tumbled out, scattering across the floor.

"This is... a video game inventory?!"

Chen Mo's eyes lit up.

Gu Manzhi sighed. "I can't believe that ghost cultivator had such a treasure on him. You really are lucky."

Chen Mo asked curiously, "Is this thing rare?"

"Of course."

Gu Manzhi said, "It's more precious than any ordinary magical treasure. A mustard seed can contain Mount Sumeru; a mote of dust can conceal a boundless world. It involves the great principles of the Dao, and even ordinary master artifact-makers can't forge one... I've only ever seen one on my master."

Chen Mo supposed that was true.

This was a "spatial treasure," after all. It couldn't possibly be a common item.

He tried sinking his mind into it. His vision went black, and he seemed to enter another space.

It was pitch-black and deep, but he could sense its boundaries. It was about seven feet square—not very large, but big enough for personal belongings.

Chen Mo picked up the teacup on the table. With a thought, it vanished.

With another thought, it reappeared in his hand.

After testing the teacup, he started testing the tables, chairs, and stools... He was having the time of his life.

His tests showed that anything within a foot of him could be stored away, except for living creatures.

What a treasure!

Searching corpses really was a good habit!

Once he'd had his fill, Chen Mo began sorting through Daoist You's remaining belongings.

[Earth Tier Superior-grade magical treasure: Soul-Guiding Lamp.]

[Uses living souls as wicks and human fat as fuel, attracting wandering souls and strengthening ghostly beings.]

Looking at the Bronze Lamp in his hand, Chen Mo was surprised.

A spatial treasure like the Sumeru Bag, a Heaven Tier middle-grade Soul-Summoning Banner, and now an Earth Tier superior-grade magical treasure... Daoist You really was loaded!

What kind of outfit was the Ghost Devouring Sect, anyway?

"By the way, you said the Ghost Devouring Sect was wiped out. What happened?"

Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi replied coolly, "Like the Moon Radiance Sect, its entire lineage was slaughtered by Imperial Concubine Yu."

Chen Mo: "..."

In the original story, the Moon Radiance Sect had been a great sect in Qing Province, ruling its own territory and relying on its martial strength. They'd refused to submit to Imperial Concubine Yu and had publicly killed the envoy who'd come to negotiate.

Three days later, the sect had been wiped out!

Only the Sect Master, who had been in seclusion at the time, and several disciples who had been away on training survived.

It was no exaggeration to call it a blood feud.

That was why they were so relentless in opposing Yu Youhan, and the Chen Family had been the first opening they'd chosen...

Seeing Gu Manzhi's expression turn troubled, Chen Mo tactfully dropped the subject.

He continued checking the man's belongings.

Aside from the Bronze Lamp, there was also an old, battered book. The cover bore the hasty characters "Ghost Book."

He flipped through it. It was all about refining living souls and controlling ghosts—dark, twisted arts. Chen Mo wasn't interested, so he tossed it straight into the Sumeru Bag.

All that remained were bones, human fat, blood beads... things ghost cultivators used.

There wasn't even a single tael of silver...

Chen Mo stuffed the odds and ends and Daoist You's corpse into the bag, dismissed the soundproofing formation, and cleaned up the scene.

Then he walked to the bed and lay down on it fully clothed.

Gu Manzhi stared at him in confusion. "What are you..."

"Sleeping."

Chen Mo shut his eyes and answered in a muffled voice.

He'd absorbed too much soul power earlier, and now he felt light as a feather. His senses were razor-sharp, but his movements lagged half a beat behind, as though there were a delay.

He didn't know how to refine souls, so all he could do was relax and let his body get used to the "delay."

"Looks like advancing too quickly isn't always a good thing."

"When I get the chance, I'll go to Her Highness and squeeze a soul-refining method out of her..."

Seeing that Chen Mo didn't move, Gu Manzhi thought he really had fallen asleep.

She sat on the edge of the bed, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed at his handsome, rugged face.

Her hazy eyes were a little wet, and a faint blush rose on her pretty cheeks. Who knew what was going through her mind?

Midnight had already passed its halfway point.

All the customers had left the tavern, each taking a girl along to sleep with.

Only Li Yuan remained, drinking alone. Empty wine flasks covered the table and floor around her.

Her bold features had grown hazy, like the misty spring rain over Jiangnan. The vermilion of her lightly rouged lips looked even brighter, and a rosy flush shone through her fair skin, like dawn light on snow.

She was drunk.

As a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist, Li Yuan could have used True Essence to dispel the alcohol, but she hadn't. It seemed that numbing herself this way might ease the restlessness in her heart.

For some reason, though, that lecher's face kept flashing before her eyes, growing clearer and clearer.

Gulp, gulp, gulp~

Li Yuan lifted her flask and tipped her head back, drinking heavily. Wine dribbled from the corner of her mouth, then ran down her neck and into the valley between her breasts.

"I'm out again... Someone, bring me more wine!"

After a while, no one answered.

Li Yuan frowned, stood up, and staggered toward the inner rooms.

She lifted the curtain, crossed the covered corridor, and entered a tea room with a soft carpet.

Soothing incense drifted through the air, and a full set of white jade tea ware sat on the tea table.

Li Yuan had come looking for wine, not tea.

There was another door behind the tea room. She walked over, pushed it open, and entered a lavishly decorated bedroom. The most eye-catching thing inside was a huge bed, large enough to sleep four people.

Though Li Yuan's head was spinning, she still realized whose room she had entered.

She instinctively started to back out.

Then her feet stopped. She turned toward the bed, a trace of sorrow flashing in her eyes.

She bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, then slowly walked over.

She lifted the bed curtains and found three people lying in the bed.

Li Yuan rubbed her eyes and muttered, "I must've drunk too much. Everyone's doubled..."

Squinting, she examined them carefully. When she recognized Chen Mo on the outside, she reached out, grabbed his wrist, and tried to pull him up.

"Chen Mo, get up... I, I have something I want to tell you..."

"Mm..."

Under alcohol's numbing influence, Li Yuan's whole body went limp. She failed to pull Chen Mo up and instead toppled onto the bed herself.

Just as she was about to struggle back to her feet, he drew her into his arms. One arm lay across her, pinning her so she couldn't move.

Heat radiated from his strong embrace. Even through their clothes, it made Li Yuan burn all over. Her drunkenness surged, and the last of her awareness and strength faded away together.

Chen Mo had a dream.

He dreamed he was buying steamed buns on the street.

The vendor lifted the lid of the steamer, revealing freshly cooked buns still billowing with steam. Chen Mo began carefully picking them out.

"These buns are nicely steamed—soft and fluffy, and just the right size."

"These are a little small, but light and delicate, with plenty of air in them. They should taste pretty good, too."

"Stop it... That tickles..."

The vendor gazed at him, bashful and coy.

"?"

Chen Mo came back to his senses and slowly opened his eyes.

Bright morning sunlight spilled into the room, filtering through the gauzy curtains and falling across the bed. As his vision came into focus, Chen Mo's expression gradually stiffened.

Li Yuan was tightly hugging his arm, sleeping soundly. The sunlight fell across her rosy cheeks, lending her the innocent charm of the girl next door.

Her lips were slightly pursed as she murmured, "No, three people won't do..."

Chen Mo: "..."

He turned to look to his right.

Gu Manzhi had somehow shed her disguise and was nestled in his arms.

Her breathtaking face was flawless as jade. In sleep, without her alluring, bewitching air, she instead looked pure and endearing.

She was resting her head on Chen Mo's arm, and his hand happened to be resting on...

Chen Mo took a deep breath and carefully pulled his hand out from between their collars.

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan's lashes fluttered faintly as she woke from her dream.

Her dazed eyes slowly cleared. She looked at the man beside her, then lowered her gaze to her chest.

Her face flushed bright red, like a fiery sunset!

"You lecher! You actually, you actually..."

Last time, groping me there wasn't enough for you, and now you've gone and picked a different spot!

Before Chen Mo could explain, Gu Manzhi, lying on his other side, rubbed her eyes and murmured,

"What time is it... Hm!?"

The three of them stared at one another, and the air instantly froze.

"You lecher, where did she come from?"

"Chen Mo, who is she?!"

Li Yuan and Gu Manzhi asked almost in unison.

Just then, "Yu'er," curled up in the corner, sat bolt upright and stretched her back. She turned to Chen Mo.

"My lord, it's really warm this time. Are you sure you don't want to try?"

"..."