Heavenly Palace Star City

Zhou Xiao'an had no idea how long he had slept. When he slowly opened his eyes...

The sky was a deep blue, and the sunlight was somewhat dazzling.

Several magpies drifted lazily over the treetops.

They landed on a pristine white marble sculpture.

The sculpture stood along the central axis of the courtyard.

It was over three meters tall, imposing and majestic.

As for what it depicted, it was roughly a naked, muscular man battling a giant snake.

The strong man held a sharp sword, driving it through the snake's head and pinning it firmly to the ground.

Zhou Xiao'an blinked.

Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the outdoor light.

Then he saw Liu Shuangshuang lazily reclining on a lounge chair in front of him.

She wore fashionable sunglasses and metal headphones.

An American-style T-shirt and tiny shorts...

Her thighs and bare feet were exposed.

And there was also a man's hand!

It was painting her little toenails.

And on that man's hand was a bronze Ancient Ring that looked incredibly familiar to him!

"Fuck! Isn't that my hand?!"

"What the hell am I doing right now?"

Zhou Xiao'an suddenly realized that he seemed to be painting the nails of this little brat, Liu Shuangshuang!

"Damn it! Why am I painting your nails? Hey! Why won't my hand listen to me?!"

"Haha! You've already eaten my Crimson Mountain Corpse Gu. Whatever this young lady tells you to do, you have to do it."

"Hehe! Even if you're asleep, your body will still follow my commands."

Then Liu Shuangshuang raised her hand.

She made a shooting gesture at Zhou Xiao'an.

And said smugly:

"Now I permit you to move freely for a while!"

Only then did Zhou Xiao'an remember that there was something the size of a marble stuffed in his mouth.

He immediately squatted down and shoved his fingers down his throat, trying to vomit up the Crimson Mountain Corpse Gu.

"Hehe! Don't waste your effort. It's useless!"

"Shuangshuang's Crimson Mountain Corpse Gu is her heaven-given ability. Even if this old man ate it, I'd still have to obey her every command."

Zhou Xiao'an turned toward the voice and saw an old man with a long beard standing behind him.

From what he could see...

The old man was broad and powerfully built, his back ramrod straight. His silvery-white hair...

Had been braided into a thick, terrifyingly large plait.

Three long strands of beard hung down over his chest.

Above his bright, keen eagle eyes...

Were two sharp, upright brows like drawn swords.

His piercing gaze seemed weathered by hundreds of years.

As though it could see straight through a person's soul.

And at that moment, Zhou Xiao'an recalled having heard that bell-like voice not long ago.

He was probably Fatty Liu's grandfather.

"Sigh! Since the nail polish is all done, it's time for you to wash up and scrub someone's back!"

Liu Shuangshuang suddenly stood from her chair, stretched lazily at the side, and spoke.

"What did you say? Bathe? Scrub someone's back?"

Upon hearing that, Zhou Xiao'an's mind involuntarily conjured an image of himself scrubbing Liu Shuangshuang's back.

But he quickly shut that image down.

Then he pretended to remain calm, raised a hand in a stopping gesture, and said:

"Hold on! I'm not interested in underage girls like you. Find someone else to scrub your back!"

"What kind of joke is that? I'm your master now, so of course you're the one doing the scrubbing!"

"Before this, I always had to scrub myself! It's so damn annoying!"

Liu Shuangshuang paused, then said seriously:

"Let me tell you now! This isn't just a one-time thing. From now on, you'll scrub my back every time!"

A moment later, inside the Liu Family's bathroom.

Zhou Xiao'an stood wrapped in a bath towel, holding a bath sponge as he listlessly scrubbed a back with all his strength...

Overall, the bathroom was European in style.

Though it was for private use...

It was no smaller than a public bathhouse.

As for its level of luxury...

It was no less extravagant than many five-star hotels.

"Young man, put a little more strength into it!"

"This old man is about to fall asleep!"

At that moment, lying face-down on the scrubbing bed and receiving Zhou Xiao'an's services was Liu Shuangshuang's grandfather, Fifth Master Liu.

Then the old man grinned wickedly and said, "Hehe! You didn't think you were here to scrub my granddaughter's back, did you, kid?"

"Hahaha! How could that be?"

Hearing that, Zhou Xiao'an could only use a smile to hide the embarrassment in his heart.

"Hehe!"

"A young man like you..."

"Is at the peak of his physical vigor."

"It's a good thing Shuangshuang planted the Corpse Gu in you."

Zhou Xiao'an wanted to change the subject.

So he asked Fifth Master Liu:

"Sir, you're Fu Gui's grandfather, right?"

"Then how should I address you?"

"Hehe!"

"People in the martial world call me Fifth Master Liu!"

"You can just call me Fifth Master."

Fifth Master Liu replied with a smile.

"Alright! Fifth Master!"

"Then I want to know..."

"Why are you looking for Star City?" Zhou Xiao'an took the cue from Fifth Master Liu and voiced the question in his heart.

"Sigh...!"

Fifth Master Liu let out a long sigh.

He had only intended to use this back-scrubbing session...

To get a sense of Zhou Xiao'an's character.

He had originally thought that after being implanted with the Corpse Gu...

Zhou Xiao'an would keep dwelling on it.

But unexpectedly, Zhou Xiao'an did not mention the Corpse Gu again. Instead, he went straight to the heart of the matter.

Fifth Master Liu secretly admired the young man. Not only was he brave, but he was also straightforward.

"Let me put it this way. Ever since I was a child, I heard my elders speak of the legend of Heavenly Palace Star City."

"The legendary Star City..."

"Is like Lingxiao Palace in Journey to the West. As everyone knows, the one who resides in Lingxiao Palace..."

"Is the Jade Emperor, ruler of the world. But Heavenly Palace Star City is home to the Serpent God Clan, who created humanity. They possess supreme intelligence and are immortal."

After saying that, excitement flickered in the old man's eyes.

But his gaze quickly dimmed.

Turning as lifeless as death itself.

Then Fifth Master Liu paused.

And continued, "Before I became one of the Corpse Tribe, I was a doctor proud of my medical skills."

"And through practicing medicine everywhere, I saved many lives. But soon, I discovered..."

"Human life is simply too fragile!"

"No matter how skilled I was as a doctor, there were times when I still couldn't stop the god of death from taking my patients away."

Zhou Xiao'an's mother had been bedridden for years. Because of that, he understood illness far better than other young people his age.

Hearing this, he stopped what he was doing, set down the scrubbing board, and listened carefully to Fifth Master Liu.

"But after becoming one of the Corpse Tribe..."

"I developed a new perspective on life."

"I once believed that humans slaughtered one another..."

"Because resources were limited. Humans would wage wars over beautiful women, gold and silver treasures, even oil."

"But later, I realized I was completely wrong!"

"Isn't that why?" Zhou Xiao'an asked curiously.

"Hehe! Xiao'an!"

"Earth's resources may not be infinite."

"But there is still enough for humanity to use!"

"And the reason humans kill one another..."

"Is because human life is short."

"Short lives?" Zhou Xiao'an asked Fifth Master Liu beside him out of habit.