"Then... what about me?" Liu Yanyan raised her hand to ask, bold yet somewhat timid.
"Zhang Chulan." Lin Xian shouted upstairs. A college student in a black hoodie hurried down, smiling ingratiatingly. "Senior Lin, what do you need?"
"Take her to Nadutong and retrieve your grandfather's body for a proper reburial."
Pointing at Liu Yanyan, Lin Xian said calmly, "No supernatural abilities. Make her personally rebury every corpse she dug up, one handful of dirt at a time."
A warmth rose in Zhang Chulan's heart. He had gone through too much these past few days. Everyone had been forcing him to make choices, yet few had ever considered things from his perspective.
While the living fought over fame and profit, someone was actually thinking of the dead.
At that moment, Zhang Chulan began to believe that Senior Lin and his grandfather had indeed been old acquaintances.
After the two left, only two true Quanxing members remained in the room. Xia He grew even bolder.
"Senior, they both have jobs. What do I need to do?" She seemed born with a soul-snaring charm, like the nine-tailed fox from Legend, and said seductively, "Please command me as you please..."
Lin Xian felt his heartstrings being stirred. This was precisely the Bone-Scraping Blade's lust-inducing ability. Qi-State Origin-Flow circulated within him, and his gaze became clear and pure as an infant's. "Xia He, put away those tricks in front of me."
"No..." Xia He's voice was full of grievance. Her stunning body curled around him like a water snake, trying to kindle desire and intoxicate him.
Lu Liang's face immediately flushed at the sight. His mind was thrown into chaos by the provoked lust, and he could not help turning around to suppress his erection.
Smack!
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xian slapped her. With Qi-State Origin-Flow empowering him, how could he possibly be affected by a lust-inducing ability?
Besides, Lin Xian had seen the Desolate Slave's appearance. Compared to the Eastern Wasteland Holy Maiden's peerless beauty of old, Xia He carried far too much of a worldly, seductive air.
Xia He covered the red handprint on her left cheek. Rather than getting angry, she merely choked out in feigned sorrow, "Senior, am I truly worthless in your eyes...?"
"No." Lin Xian said calmly, "I simply don't like secondhand goods."
Such an average yet overconfident woman. What a turnoff.
Xia He's expression stiffened. Unwilling to accept this, she changed tactics. The alluring temptress became an angel with a touch of holiness, yet her charm did not diminish in the slightest, making one want to defile her.
"Senior, you're truly heartless. You just had me assist your cultivation. Open your eyes and look at me. I refuse to believe you feel nothing..."
She spoke softly and gently, striking the pose of a beauty clutching her heart, like a noble young lady from a Jiangnan water town.
Smack!
Seeing the symmetrical slap marks on Xia He's face, Lin Xian nodded in satisfaction. "Much neater. Feels better. Lu Liang, come take a photo."
"Understood!" Lu Liang moved with lightning speed. His phone clicked repeatedly as he smoothly captured a whole series of photos of Xia He.
"Senior." Seeing that seduction was useless, Xia He gave a mocking laugh and lazily sat on the floor. Pretending to be innocent, she said, "You've only just come down from the mountains, so I'm afraid you don't know Bone-Scraping Blade Xia He's reputation outside, do you?"
Slut, whore, shameless—those were Xia He's labels. The martial world called her the Bone-Scraping Blade precisely because of her Innate Supernatural Ability, which could control others' lust and drown them in their own desires until they became useless wrecks.
Using these photos to threaten Xia He was no different from trying to blackmail an AV actress with her nude pictures.
It simply would not work.
Lu Liang hesitated, wondering whether he should betray Xia He to gain this old monster's trust.
As for friendship between companions, sorry, there was no such thing among Quanxing.
"Lu Liang, go get these photos developed."
Lin Xian smiled faintly and sent Lu Liang away. Then he looked at Xia He and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, like the whisper of a god or demon from the Ninefold Netherworld. "Miss Xia He, you wouldn't want Perfected Lingyu on Mount Longhu to see these photos, would you?"
The previously careless Xia He instantly sharpened her gaze. The flush faded from her face, and her willow-leaf brows drew together. "You... what exactly do you know?"
"I don't know anything."
Looking toward the door, Lin Xian said leisurely, "But Zhang Chulan has caused such a huge stir. Mount Longhu will surely send someone. Why don't you guess who the Old Celestial Master will send?"
"Damn it..." A trace of wariness flashed through Xia He's eyes. At first, she had thought Lin Xian was an immortal Daoist who had cultivated for many years and rejuvenated himself, someone with exceptional mental cultivation. Since he had not killed her yesterday, he surely would not kill her now. That was why she had dared to be so reckless.
But now, what immortal bullshit? He was plainly a devil who toyed with people's hearts!
He even resembled the legendary previous Quanxing leader, Wugensheng—the man who acted without restraint and whose origins were unknown.
"Now, are you willing to cooperate?" Lin Xian asked with a smile.
Afraid that Lin Xian would see the killing intent in her eyes, Xia He bent forward in a bow and replied in a gentle, utterly respectful voice, "Yes."
In an instant, the lust-inducing ability receded like the tide and no longer stirred anyone's heartstrings.
"That's more like it. The martial world isn't about fighting and killing; it's about connections and social graces." Lin Xian smiled slightly, pinched Xia He's fair cheek, and raised one finger. "I only need you to do one thing: find Barren Greer for me."
"Find him and bring him here, and I'll let you off."
"Barren Greer?" Xia He froze, then quickly found information about this foreigner in her memories.
He was a foreigner proficient in many languages. He should have been completely out of place among the domestic Otherworlder circles, but Baron had forged a deep friendship with Quanxing elder Xia Liuqing, and the two often appeared together on operations.
Thus, Quanxing members also knew of the existence of this foreign Otherworlder.
"What do you need him for?" Xia He's eyes shifted as she asked tentatively, trying to probe Lin Xian's true purpose.
Lin Xian countered, "Does that concern you?"
Xia He lowered her eyes and said hesitantly, "I'm not very familiar with Baron. He is only close to Elder Xia Liuqing. I'm afraid I won't be able to summon him, which would delay the task you assigned me."
"If he refuses to come, tell him two things." Lin Xian held up two fingers. "First, Six Vaults Immortal Thief. Second, I can cure his illness."
"Six Vaults Immortal Thief, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills!"
Xia He was shocked. Quanxing had kidnapped Zhang Chulan and dug up Zhang Xilin's grave precisely for the Eight Extraordinary Skills.
Yet she had never expected that one of those extraordinary skills was right beside them.
Last century, Quanxing had produced an unconventional leader named Wugensheng. Acting without restraint, he formed sworn bonds with many elite disciples from the orthodox sects and created a group later known as the Thirty-Six Thieves.
The Eight Extraordinary Skills were eight heaven-given arts comprehended by eight of the Thirty-Six Thieves under Wugensheng's leadership in Twenty-Four Solar Terms Tongtian Valley, where they touched the World Origin and grasped the secret of Immortality.
They were Qi-State Origin-Flow, Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, Connecting Heaven Talisman, Fenghou Qimen, Perfect Hands, Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, Six Vaults Immortal Thief, and Grand Luo Grotto Vision.
These eight abilities were too powerful, like the arts of immortals. They attracted countless covetous eyes and ultimately triggered the Jia Shen Turmoil.
After Wugensheng vanished, Quanxing had continued pursuing the Eight Extraordinary Skills and the source of their birth—the legendary Immortal Secret.
"Senior is also looking for the Eight Extraordinary Skills. You must be seeking immortality. Perhaps we can cooperate and search for that thing together."
Xia He narrowed her eyes and asked tentatively. Secretly, she thought that this old monster was over a hundred years old yet still so youthful. Perhaps he had truly touched upon the threshold of Immortality and knew some hidden secrets.
"Cooperate? Forget it."
Lin Xian shook his head and laughed. "Do you Quanxing lot even understand what the Immortal Dao is? You're just a bunch of shit-stirrers. Put the Eight Extraordinary Skills in your hands, and all you can do is stir shit."
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