He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

"Hey, I think I'm a little stronger than I was a few years ago. When I was in seclusion, body training was really something no human could do, but I persevered. Look at these muscles I have now!"

She finally opened her eyes, clenched her fist and gestured to Fu Xun to show off her muscles, her arm flexing and undulating, and asked him, "How is it?"

"..." After glancing at her slender "muscles," Fu Xun remained noncommittal. After a moment of contemplation, he asked:

"What level are those Yinshan Old Corpse, Electric Appliance Maniac, Mako Coming Out, Coffin Bride, Kayako Looking Back, Toilet Ghost...?"

Leng Huan rattled off a long string of nonsense, like reciting a menu, but to his surprise, Fu Xun was able to remember and repeat it all (although a few words were wrong), and was even seriously considering their strength to see if Leng Huan could beat them.

She also fell into deep thought: "They're all very impressive..."

After thinking for a while, she mumbled, "...Perhaps equivalent to a powerful late-stage Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivator, who would need a magical artifact specifically designed to subdue demons and evil spirits..."

Fu Xun thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded affirmatively: "Yes, if you can't beat them, just use talismans and magical artifacts to blast them!"

In his opinion, Leng Huan had made rapid progress; given her aptitude, her current cultivation level and strength were already quite impressive.

She is far more than just a pretty face. Although Fu Xun initially found it unbelievable, as there were many aspects of her that contradicted the rumors, Fu Xun now believes that anyone who has experienced her journey from north to south and from west to east will have their personality changed, and people will eventually grow.

So it's quite normal that she ended up like this after all the hardships she's faced.

———It is the mysterious young lady.

Even if there are the slightest unusual things, that doesn't matter anymore!

"Hey! I think so too. If you can't beat them, you can bomb them and then run away."

Leng Huan slapped his thigh happily, agreeing with Fu Xun's view that he shouldn't confront the boss head-on with ordinary sword cultivators.

After a moment of silence, Fu Xun quickly removed her hand with two fingers, thinking to himself that one should act according to one's ability, and it is understandable to seek help from external forces if one cannot win.

-

They chatted for a while, sat for a while, and finally, as dawn broke, Leng Huan yawned widely. Then she went out to find the servant on duty to lead her to the outhouse. It wasn't far, but she had to go around a rockery garden and then turn through a long corridor.

At the far end was a small side room that served as the latrine. The servant pointed there and said, "Young master, it's just ahead. Please go ahead..." Perhaps because Leng Huan and his companion were too young, the servants in the manor usually addressed them this way.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble. You can go ahead and get busy." Leng Huan nodded to him and went to the outhouse, lifting her clothes. Perhaps she wasn't quite clear-headed yet, because she reached into empty air with one hand before shaking her head to realize what was happening.

...Having resolved the problem, Leng Huan stepped out of the room. The sky was just beginning to lighten. She took a few steps up the stairs, about to walk towards the connecting corridor, when suddenly she felt a sharp, cold wind blow against the back of her neck. She instinctively turned her head—

All I could see was a blurry white figure that "whooshed" past and flew towards the outhouse. I jumped back in shock!

Leng Huan's scream caught in his throat, but the figure had vanished without a trace...

!!!

She felt a chill run down her spine as she struggled to catch her breath. She immediately turned and ran, nearly tripping on the steps. After running for a while, she remembered to gather her strength and leap away. As if being chased by a ghost, Leng Huan darted back to the guest room in a few breaths, slammed the door open, and only felt relieved when she saw Fu Xun. She ran over to him and patted his chest, still shaken, saying, "You... I, I saw it!"

Seeing her flustered expression, Fu Xun patted her back in confusion, put down the sword he had just wiped, and waited for her to calm down before asking, "What did you see?"

"ghost!"

She added: "The female ghost of the outhouse!"

The woman in white with disheveled hair must be a female ghost, right?

"..." Fu Xun frowned. "Could you be mistaken? It's still quite dark outside."

Leng Huan shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm sure I didn't see it wrong, it's real."

Fu Xun's eyes narrowed slightly: "That's strange. Ordinary demons and monsters wouldn't dare to approach a sect like the Wu family..."

That's why he thought Leng Huan was mistaken, but... he raised an eyebrow: "A female ghost in the outhouse?"

"Didn't you just give it a talisman?"

"...It...it disappeared so quickly, I didn't have time to..."

Knowing she was terrified, Fu Xun rubbed his forehead. She was really a worry for him: "Next time, don't worry about anything, just throw your marble!"

That thing is as powerful as a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator; it should not be underestimated.

"Okay," she said. She hadn't prepared many marbles, and every one she used was one less. But he was right; next time she needed to be calmer and just go for it. Her mental fortitude wasn't up to par.

Just then, Fu Xun spoke up, saying, "Brother Huan, you don't need to be afraid. The reason people are afraid is simply because they are afraid of the unknown. As long as you know that demons and monsters are afraid of cultivators who are more powerful than them, and you believe that you can deal with them, you won't be afraid."

He suddenly thought that next time he could take her to catch evil spirits and test her courage.

"Okay, okay, you have a point..."

Whether she can control her emotions is another matter; mainly, she's read too many horror stories and has a rather vivid imagination…

"Why are you so afraid of evil spirits?" Fu Xun found it interesting. Would cultivators be afraid of such things?

Cold, half-baked monk Huan: "Because it's scary... Think about it, when you're squatting in the outhouse, you suddenly look up and see a ghost perched on the wall or screen staring at you for who knows how long, wouldn't you be scared?"

Fu Xun: "......"

He refused to think about the question, remained silent for a long time, then pointed out the window and stood up with a sigh of relief: "It's dawn."

Leng Huan also felt a sense of relief: "It's finally dawn, so are you scared or not?"

"..."

Fu Xun ignored her and poured two cups of tea, one for himself and one for Leng Huan.

"Hey, I'm asking you something..." Her voice was cut off by him holding up a teacup. Fu Xun couldn't take it anymore: "Brother Huan, have a cup of tea to calm your nerves!"

Leng Huan finished his drink in one gulp, put down the cup, and continued, "Next time you're scared, you can call me to go with you to the toilet."

"..."

"real!"

Seeing that the topic was getting out of hand, Fu Xun suddenly sneered, grabbed the iron sword and held it horizontally in front of him, the five-colored gourd tassel swaying: "Don't worry, if we really encounter it, that thing should be afraid!"

That's true. It seems impossible for him to accompany me to the toilet. Leng Huan was disappointed.

Squeak—

Pretending not to know what she was thinking, Fu Xun opened the door and walked out, with Leng Huan quickly following: "Where are you going?"

Fu Xun didn't even turn his head: "Fengsheng Tower."

-

Under a clear blue sky, with the warm winter sun, at the end of the morning, there were not many people at Fengsheng Tower.

"Regarding the Wu family, the most recent major event is the sudden death of the patriarch a month ago... In addition, eight years ago, the eldest young master of the Wu family went into seclusion and suffered a qi deviation, losing his Qi Refining stage cultivation and becoming unable to walk properly, essentially becoming a cripple. All the noble families were unwilling to marry into the Wu family, and the daughters of all the noble families avoided him like the plague. However, six years ago, he married a commoner woman, and the couple is loving and harmonious."

"But this good fortune didn't last long. Four years ago, Madam Wu died in childbirth, along with her unborn child, and Young Master Wu was devastated. However, miraculously, not long after, Young Master Wu suddenly recovered! Not only did he regain his cultivation, but his leg ailment also healed, making him as healthy as a normal person. It's just a pity about Madam Wu, what a sad story!"

The blue-robed deacon sighed, then bowed to Leng Huan and the other man, saying, "That's basically it..."

Leng Huan tapped the table with his finger and asked, "How long has Young Master Wu been at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Deacon: "It's been more than three years..."

Fu Xun's heart stirred slightly: "What about Patriarch Wu?"

"Alas, ever since the last patriarch of the Wu family, neither the old patriarch nor the eldest young master of the Wu family have possessed particularly good aptitude. In the past few decades, the Wu family's descendants have suffered from a lack of promising young talents, and the family has been declining rapidly. The old patriarch had only just advanced to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, but unexpectedly, he died suddenly..."

It turned out to be the case.

The two bid farewell to the steward and left Fengsheng Tower. Leng Huan stood in the sunlight for a while, sighing inwardly. No wonder the Wu family was haunted by the young mistress... It seems the Wu family itself is haunted.

. . .