Proving one's path through killing—this kind of merit is poisonous!

Chapter 24 The Secret of the Jade Pendant

Gu Jinhe lay in bed, smelling the scent of the blankets, and felt a long-lost sense of peace.

Before receiving the quilts, she was worried that they would smell musty because they had been stored for too long.

But when she actually hugged the blanket, she could smell the scent of it being dried in the sun.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep...

I realized I seemed to have forgotten something important, but my eyelids felt incredibly heavy, and I couldn't open them no matter what I did.

[The mission is about to expire. Please complete it as soon as possible.]

Gu Jinhe was startled by the sudden appearance of large blood-red characters and the system's voice in her mind, and her consciousness instantly returned.

She suddenly opened her eyes, sat up, and asked, "System, how much time do we have left?"

She looked out the window; it was pitch black outside, like a giant beast that would devour people.

She couldn't see the time at all!
The words had barely left her lips when a mechanical voice rang in her mind…

【59】

"Fifty-nine minutes? There's still time."

Gu Jinhe started to get up as she spoke.

She planned to sneak into Zhou Yue's room, leave the jade pendant there overnight, and retrieve it after the system determined that the task was completed.

【58】

Upon hearing the numbers announced, Gu Jinhe abruptly stopped in his tracks.

【57】

Realizing that the system's countdown was measured in seconds, she couldn't help but stomp her foot.

It's too late!

Gu Jinhe didn't have time to complain. Remembering that the system's mission was to find the true owner of the jade pendant, she took it off her waist.

Although the system never mentioned the consequences of failing the mission, she was unwilling to miss out on the reward.

The countdown in her mind felt like a death knell, making it difficult for her to calm down and think.

【38】

【37】

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Gu Jinhe's mind, and she gripped the jade pendant tightly in her hand.

Why can't she be the owner of this jade pendant?
Anyway, the jade pendant is in her hands now!

Thinking of this, she asked, "System, how can I become the owner of the jade pendant?"

[Blood Test to Become Master]

The system didn't say much, only uttering these four words.

However, these four words did not affect the countdown announcement.

【10】

Without thinking twice, Gu Jinhe placed the jade pendant on the table, bit her finger, and dripped blood onto the pendant.

【9】

【8】

After waiting for two seconds, the blood did disappear, but the jade pendant did not react at all.

Gu Jinhe asked again, "Why hasn't the jade pendant changed at all?"

[The reason for returning to the host is insufficient blood.]

【7】

The countdown and the system's voice sounded simultaneously, adding an extra layer of pressure to Gu Jinhe.

Not enough blood...

How much blood would that take?

Gu Jinhe frowned, watching the countdown turn into "5". She gritted her teeth and took out the dagger that Zhou Yue hadn't put away.

She picked up the dagger and painfully slashed her left palm, as if afraid there wouldn't be enough blood, adding extra force to the cut.

She then quickly reached her hand onto the jade pendant, clenched it, and then released it, repeating this several times until blood began to drip down.

The whole process was undoubtedly torture...

Just like before, the blood disappeared the moment it touched the jade pendant.

As it absorbed more and more blood, the jade pendant, which was originally a deep green color, gradually turned dark red.

【3】

not enough……

It's still not enough... Seeing that the jade pendant was still a little short before it would turn completely dark red, Gu Jinhe simply picked up a dagger and cut her right palm as well.

The smell of blood gradually filled the entire room...

She then placed both hands above the jade pendant, using both hands simultaneously, which was indeed much faster than before.

【2】

Not even close...

After the jade pendant absorbed enough blood, it emitted a dark red light. The light was not strong, but it was particularly conspicuous in the dark room.

【1】

Just as the countdown stopped at the last second, Gu Jinhe sighed. It seemed the mission had failed!

But just as this thought crossed her mind, the jade pendant flew towards her, finally landing between her eyebrows and disappearing...

Gu Jinhe raised her hand to touch her forehead, her heart filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Did she succeed or fail?

Fortunately, the system didn't confuse her for long and soon announced the mission results.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission: "Help the jade pendant find its true owner"]

Bichun flower seeds have been distributed and automatically stored in the system space.

Merit points +10, please check.

Hearing the system's voice, Gu Jinhe breathed a sigh of relief and quickly tore off strips of cloth from her old clothes to bandage her hands.

After her hands were properly bandaged, she used the towel she had soaked that afternoon to wipe the bloodstains off the table.

Originally, only one window was open in the room, but now that the smell of blood filled the air, she opened the other window as well.

A cool night breeze was blowing. Gu Jinhe sat by the window, gazing at the moonlight. Her head, which had been a little dizzy, was immediately refreshed by the breeze.

Thinking of the jade pendant, and realizing that the system wouldn't proactively answer her questions, she asked, "System, what is the use of this jade pendant?"

[Buddha Lotus Jade: Tier 1 magic artifact, upgradable, can increase the host's cultivation speed, can resist demonic curses, when upgraded to a spirit artifact, unlocks the flight function, other functions are unknown]

How do I upgrade?

Gu Jinhe immediately became interested; she found it hard to imagine that such a jade pendant could take her flying.

【unknown】

Upon hearing this answer, Gu Jinhe instantly deflated.

Oh well, she'll find out eventually!
Thinking of this, Gu Jinhe lay back down on the bed.

She thought she would have trouble sleeping tonight because of the blood loss, but she fell asleep very soon...

When Gu Jinhe opened her eyes again, she found herself standing on the water.

The water was calm and wide.

She tentatively stretched out her foot and found that although ripples appeared on the water, she did not sink. Only then did she feel relieved and continue walking forward.

Gu Jinhe stopped walking when she saw a few lotus leaves emerging from the water.

A few lotus leaves seemed to have found their place and soon stopped growing.

Then, a white lotus bud emerged from the water and slowly opened its petals.

Gu Jinhe felt much more relaxed as she watched this beautiful scene.

This white lotus has a power to purify the soul...

Just as she was about to step forward to investigate, the water beneath her feet began to sway.

Before she could react, she fell into the water and couldn't swim back up no matter how hard she struggled.

Hearing unfamiliar voices, Gu Jinhe let herself sink into the water.

"Junior Sister Gu..."

"Junior Sister Gu..."

Wait, that sounds like Senior Sister Zhou's voice...

Gu Jinhe seemed to suddenly remember the owner of the voice, snapping back to reality and pulling herself out of the illusion.

She sat up and turned her head to see Zhou Yue sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Sister?"

Gu Jinhe blinked and asked in confusion.

Seeing that she was awake, Zhou Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You're finally awake. I came to wake you up, but I called for a long time and you didn't respond, so I pushed the door open and came in."

She paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Strange, why do I smell blood in the room?"

(End of this chapter)