"I've let you see everything," Feng Rugu sighed. "On such a beautiful day, why don't we bathe together?"

Ruyi turned and left.

After sending everyone away, Feng Rugu picked up a small pine branch and sat back down in the misty hot spring pool. He lay with his chest bared, casually crossing his long legs in the knee-deep spring water, and gazed up at the moon.

After a short while, the Xu hour arrived.

The hot spring automatically released from the sluice at the bottom of the pool on the hour. The golden toad mouth on the east side that poured in the steaming hot spring closed, while the silver toad mouth on the west side opened slightly and began pouring in cold spring water.

Feng Rugu watched all this with interest.

Looking around Wenshi Mountain, among the more than a dozen springs of various sizes, the design of the Shu Residence was the most exquisite and comfortable. Hot spring water poured in for one hour, then cold spring water for the next, alternating back and forth. The pine shade was lush, making it a great place to cool off in the summer.

Feng Rugu tapped the white rocks on the shore with the pine branch as if singing in harmony with someone.

Before long, his eyes closed again, looking drowsy.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

"Master," came Sang Luojiu's voice, "don't soak in the hot spring for too long. It's easy to get dizzy."

Feng Rugu grunted and stretched out his arms. "Help me up."

The person went to grab Feng Rugu's arm but unexpectedly had their collar yanked. They tumbled headfirst into the sulfurous pool.

To say "headfirst" was not quite accurate.

Because the "person" had no head.

A headless female corpse floated face down in the water, its skin as plump and fresh as the moment of death.

A figure hurriedly darted behind the screen, but after a couple of steps, had no choice but to halt.

"Nature of All Beings" silently pressed horizontally against his neck.

This wooden sword appeared to have no edge, but anyone with a bit of knowledge had heard that it was an ingenious work, made from a hundred-year-old ebony tree that grew in front of a Buddhist relic pagoda. Blessed by the Buddha's power, it could slay all evil spirits in the world.

Ruyi gripped the sword hilt, his gaze indifferent. Who knew how long he had been waiting behind the screen.

The man was unwilling to meet his end like this. He pretended to raise his hands in surrender, and when his hands lifted, he stirred up a strange gust to strike the sword, trying to turn and flee.

However, as soon as he turned around, a pine branch dipped in water slapped him across the face.

This prickly slap made the man's eyes sting fiercely. He cried out miserably, his head slamming into the stone screen.

Clutching his burning cheek, he knew there was no escape. He turned back in panic and got a terrible fright—

The cluster of pine needles, held horizontally before his eyes, had already been sliced in half by the sword energy of "Nature of All Beings", saving his life.

...If not for the pine branch blocking it, his head would have been severed on the spot by the wooden sword.

In fact, how could a mere pine branch stop Ruyi?

But he at least understood that Feng Rugu intentionally spared his life.

Therefore, he promptly retracted his sword energy, sheathing the sword behind his back. He silently chanted a Buddhist mantra: "This poor monk did not know, Lord Yunzhong actually possesses such a bodhisattva's compassionate heart."

"He didn't really want to kill me. If he truly wanted me dead, he wouldn't have sent a headless corpse to attack me while he himself only knew to turn tail and run."

With that said, Feng Rugu turned to the trembling man.

"No wonder you could tell, Luojiu is the most obedient, so you imitated Luojiu's voice and appearance to approach me." Feng Rugu patted the man's face with the pine branch that had been chopped in half and was still dripping with cold spring water. "Hurry up and remove the 'disguise spell' on your face. My disciple Luojiu has a flawless jade-like appearance, but you used it in such an obscene way, truly a waste."

The man no longer dared to flee. Shaking, he removed the spell on his body, revealing a child of eleven or twelve years old at most, wearing the attire of a Wenshi Mountain Sect disciple. He had an ordinary, unremarkable face.

Feng Rugu showed a hint of surprise at the child's appearance and glanced at Ruyi, but what came out of his mouth were still scoundrel words.

"You never left, huh." Feng Rugu sighed. "You really did want to peep at me bathing."

If it were earlier, Ruyi might have explained that when he came last time, he had sensed the main hall was empty and someone had snuck into the residence. After chasing away those reckless young disciples, he had kept his agreement with Chang Boning and stayed here to guard against anyone trying to harm Feng Rugu.

But with Feng Rugu saying that, he no longer had any intention of explaining.

Confirming the child before him had lost all will to fight, Ruyi put away his sword, pressing it against his side, and shifted his gaze to Feng Rugu.

This time Feng Rugu had come directly out of the pool without changing into dry clothes. His bathrobe was completely soaked by the hot spring water.

The bathrobe was made of mermaid silk, the finest of all fabrics, costing one tael and three maces of gold per foot, showing how much Chang Boning doted on Feng Rugu.

Memories of his youth suddenly flooded Ruyi's mind.

The first time he went to the silk and satin shop was when Chang Boning took him there.

At that time, he couldn't tell the quality of the fabrics, so Chang Boning led him to identify them one by one. This one was Song brocade, that one was woven silk, another was Zhangzhou satin...

They browsed around without buying anything, annoying the shopkeeper who tried to shoo them away with a duster.

Chang Boning asked him, "Which one do you like?"

Back then, Ruyi didn't know good from bad and randomly pointed to a bolt of fabric hanging in the center.

As the shopkeeper showed a look of disdain, Chang Boning opened his money pouch and tossed two gold pieces on the counter. "Please make a set of summer robes for my little Hongchen."

That man smiled, his teeth white and eyes bright. His gaze seemed devoted, yet also flirtatious.

Who knew if he looked at Feng Rugu with the same expression?

...

Although the residence had three courtyards, it wasn't very large.

The commotion at the hot spring quickly drew over the three young disciples Luo Fuchun, Sang Luojiu, and Hai Jing.

Seeing a trembling young Wenshi disciple standing under the screen, Luo Fuchun was startled.

Turning to look at Feng Rugu who was focused on wringing out his hair, Luo Fuchun was even more shocked.

His bathrobe was completely soaked, dripping water.

The thin robe clung to his skin. The tattoo that was completely obscured by the mist earlier was now fully visible.

—Feng Rugu had half his body tattooed with lotus flowers.

Starting from his thighs, waist, and buttocks, the tattoo wound up along his straight spine and slender waist, all the way to his left chest.

But what he had tattooed was not blooming lotus flowers, but lotus buds waiting to blossom.

Clear water, green leaves, white rocks, green pistils.

A pond full of lifelike late spring lotus, making one suspect the tattoo would sway with the wind.

...But why was it so realistic?

The vines bulged here and there, vividly lifelike. It seemed it couldn't be explained by just "skillful brushwork".

"My senior brother drew it for me with his own hands." Noticing everyone's gazes, Feng Rugu shamelessly smiled and said, "Quite skillful, isn't he?"

Sang Luojiu hurriedly shifted his eyes away and took off his clothes to drape them over Feng Rugu.

Beside them, Ruyi's eyes darkened for a moment, and his fingers tightened their grip on his sword hilt.

... Buddhism warns against anger, and jealousy is an even greater karmic obstacle.

Realizing his thoughts were in turmoil, Ruyi silently recited a passage from the "Mahāyāna Sūtra of Great Adornment", and when he reached the line "In the end, there must be separation, for this reason...", his mind stirred again, but he did not show it on his face.

Surrounded by everyone, the child who had wanted to slip away turned red-eyed and trembled, on the verge of tears.

Luo Fuchun demanded, "Which hall's disciple are you? Why did you break into another residence in the middle of the night?"

The child was too frightened to speak and could only desperately shake his head, looking like he was about to face his demise.

To the side, Feng Rugu stretched lazily and said, "I waited so long for you. If you hadn't come out, I would have been soaked to a prune."

At these words, everyone was shocked.

Even Ruyi gave him an extra glance.

Sang Luojiu said in surprise, "Master, you said you wanted to stay overnight here, was it for..."

"Lady Wen's death was obviously aimed at me, just to force me down the mountain." Feng Rugu leaned against the screen and said lazily, "Since the killer who used the Tang saber has the ability to come and go freely on Mount Wenshi, and this is his last stop, if I stay here, I might be able to meet him."

In addition to being shocked, Luo Fuchun gradually understood and grabbed the young Daoist priest by the front of his robe, "Was it you who killed your family's Third Young Lady?"

Before he finished speaking, Feng Rugu slapped the back of his head.

"Fool." Feng Rugu said, "Instead of making wild guesses here, why don't you go in and fish out the corpse to take a look."

"...Corpse?"

Feng Rugu once again said something shocking, "Lady Wen's fragrant body is right inside. Watch over it carefully, and don't be rash."

Luo Fuchun hurriedly turned to the other side of the screen.

Under the moonlight, there really was a headless female corpse, face down in the cold spring, all the blood drained from her body, and large patches of blood staining the front of her robe.

The corpse was wearing a bathrobe with delicate knotted buttons and silver phoenixes embroidered on it.

This was definitely not an outfit for going out.

But when Luo Fuchun squeezed the corpse's limbs, he was shocked.

Although the body was cold, it was exceptionally soft, like the body of someone who had just died.

Luo Fuchun abruptly stood up, strode out from behind the stone screen, and without a word, grabbed the young man's wrist. After testing his spiritual pulse, his anger rose, "You're a demon cultivator?!"

Before he finished speaking, he heard Feng Rugu beside him mocking, "Are you a firecracker?"

Having his thunder stolen, Luo Fuchun was both furious and anxious, "Master! Lady Wen has been refined into a jiangshi!"

"What are you shouting about." Feng Rugu glanced at him, "It can't see, can't speak, can't hold a weapon, and can only reach out to pounce on people - if a demon cultivator refined such a crude jiangshi in the hopes of harming others, they should quit cultivating and go home to grow sweet potatoes instead."

A jiangshi is a corpse that has transformed, able to speak and act as it did in life, but with reversed good and evil, unable to distinguish cold from hot or black from white.

The jiangshi that Lady Wen had become was extremely crude. A light tug and it toppled over, indicating that the corpse's owner had low cultivation and could only allow it to move for a short time even after exhausting all their power.

Ruyi said calmly, "The question now should be, why would a demon cultivator, wearing the clothes of a Mount Wenshi disciple, manipulate Lady Wen's headless corpse and find their way here."

The young demon cultivator in Daoist robes trembled, unable to say a word. He looked quite pitiful, making Hai Jing feel a bit of compassion. He hurriedly chanted a few quiet "Amitabha"s.

At this moment, Feng Rugu suddenly said, "You came to deliver this corpse to me, right?"

The young demon cultivator raised his head, tears brimming in his eyes and on the verge of falling as his body lightly shook.

"I was originally waiting for the murderer, but I didn't expect you to come instead. You delivered the corpse, but turned to run away... Interesting."

Feng Rugu squatted down and looked directly at him. The residual water from his hair slid down his eyelashes and chin, but he was too lazy to wipe it away. He just slightly tilted his head and stared at him.

"You're a low-level disciple." Feng Rugu pulled over his Daoist robe to examine it and lowered his head to sniff. "You're familiar with the way in and out, and there's a sulfuric smell on you. You're usually in charge of cleaning this side residence. But today, you weren't here. The disciple who came to serve was clumsy and unfamiliar with this place."

Ordinary people couldn't tell that there was anything wrong with the disciple who led them into the side residence, but Feng Rugu was different.

He knew best how to enjoy himself. With just a few words, he knew it was a novice, because he wasn't even very clear about where to place the floating wine cups.

Luo Fuchun speculated, "Could it be that when Lady Wen came here to bathe, he took the opportunity to..."

Feng Rugu glanced at him, "Even at her worst, Lady Wen had the cultivation of third stage Qi Refining. With his bit of crude unorthodox techniques, even if he launched a sneak attack, he couldn't have beheaded her with one stroke."

Luo Fuchun couldn't help but recall that Lady Wen's corpse had an intact bathrobe, not even a single button missing. Except for the fatal wound on her neck, there were indeed no other injuries. Looking at the young demon cultivator before him, he also became suspicious.

Feng Rugu looked at the young demon cultivator, his gaze and tone both softening, his low voice almost a whisper, "...What did you see? By delivering the corpse, what did you want to let me know? Why did you appear here instead of staying put in 'Forgotten World'?"

Feng Rugu had saved his life from Ruyi's sword and protected him at every turn. Now with such gentle words, the young demon cultivator finally found the courage to open his mouth and stammered, "...Y-Young Master."

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

But no one expected that what followed would be so shocking-

"Young Master Wen Chen beheaded Third Miss in the hot spring of the side residence. I saw it with my own eyes..." The young demon cultivator prostrated on the ground and kowtowed three times with loud thumps. "Please, Lord Yunzhong, capture Young Master and save me..."