Chapter 49: Famous Beauty

No wonder this old residence possesses a unique grandeur; it turns out it was the annex of a famous courtesan.

Luo Yuni.

This was Luo Yuni, the famous courtesan mentioned in the newspapers who tragically died in her annex.

Was she the old woman's house spirit?

Where did these newspapers come from?

What was Luo Yuni's connection to the old woman?

Seeing Li Banfeng hesitate to say her name, Luo Yuni seemed to understand his concerns.

"Do you want to know what happened next?"

The grandfather clock chimed eleven times consecutively. As the pendulum swayed, the scene shifted, and Luo Yuni continued her story.

Her killer was dead, his body sprawled on the ground.

Luo Yuni sat beside the corpse, meticulously continuing her grooming.

The man's body was taken away, but not long after, the man returned. Standing beside Luo Yuni, holding an eyebrow pencil, he seemed to want to draw her eyebrows.

This was clearly not the living man; it must have been his ghost.

Luo Yuni didn't even glance at him. With a casual wave of her hand, she sent the man flying out the window.

Outside the window stood a willow tree, and the man was left hanging from it.

Luo Yuni continued her grooming, her enchanting smile unwavering as time passed.

The man hanging from the tree, with an expression of obsession, watched Luo Yuni in the house day after day.

After an unknown period, a young couple moved into the residence.

The husband, dressed in a white shirt and black suspenders, left early and returned late, seemingly holding a respectable job.

The wife busied herself with daily chores, seemingly never noticing another woman in the house—a woman who meticulously groomed herself before the old grandfather clock.

She couldn't see her.

If Luo Yuni hadn't revealed herself, Li Banfeng wouldn't have seen her either.

Their days were uneventful yet sweet, until one day the husband saw Luo Yuni grooming herself, and he felt that everything was no longer so sweet.

He felt his wife wasn't as beautiful; compared to a true beauty, his wife might never have been considered beautiful.

Luo Yuni looked at the man with a sympathetic expression, gently extending her arm and handing him a comb.

The man was incredibly excited.

He cautiously took the comb from Luo Yuni's hand; being able to comb her hair once became his most cherished accomplishment in life.

Li Banfeng couldn't understand his thoughts, nor the man's expression of obsession and rapture.

The man repeatedly combed Luo Yuni's hair, seemingly unwilling to miss a single strand.

Only when Luo Yuni grew tired and gave him a glance did the man reluctantly put the comb down.

Putting down the comb, the man picked up the eyebrow pencil, wanting to draw Luo Yuni's eyebrows.

Luo Yuni shook her head, and her figure gradually faded.

She left, leaving the man standing there, holding the eyebrow pencil, bewildered and at a loss.

He stared blankly at the grandfather clock all day, indifferent to his wife's complaints and pleas.

One day, he stabbed his temple with the eyebrow pencil, piercing it again and again, his face contorted in a mixture of pain and a twisted smile.

He saw Luo Yuni again; as long as he kept stabbing his temple with the eyebrow pencil, he could be with her.

Holding the blood-stained eyebrow pencil, he wanted to draw Luo Yuni's eyebrows.

The wife witnessed this scene and, terrified, ran out of the house, but she couldn't escape the courtyard.

The departed spirit hanging from the tree waved its willow branches, entangling her and pulling her back into the house.

No wonder these willow trees prevented anyone from leaving the residence; they were laden with many departed souls, all slaves to Luo Yuni.

Her husband had literally stabbed himself to death with the eyebrow pencil.

She was bound by the willow branches until late into the night, then Luo Yuni slit her throat with a short blade.

The wife died, the blade stained with blood, which then quickly vanished.

The scene then froze. Luo Yuni gently said to Li Banfeng, "This blade enjoys drinking blood at midnight. The more it drinks, the sharper it becomes. I took three years to discern its secret, while that old woman spent thirty years and saw nothing. We've just met, and I've already told you the blade's secret. Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Luo Yuni's smile became even more captivating, but Li Banfeng's attention wasn't on her smile.

"You're lying," Li Banfeng shook his head. "That old woman knew the blade's secret. She didn't rush to kill me; she deliberately kept me until midnight so this blade could drink my blood."

Luo Yuni chuckled, "That's because I told her the secret last night. Didn't you notice her two sons didn't understand why you were kept until midnight? It's because the old woman hadn't had a chance to tell them yet. That old woman is so foolish. If I hadn't told her, she probably would never have figured it out in her entire life. Cultivating with her is an insult and torture to me."

Li Banfeng asked, "Then why did you choose her?"

Luo Yuni shook her head. "I didn't choose her; she chose me. She was the only house cultivator I ever encountered, and she called out my name. Before meeting her, I was merely a vengeful spirit. Only with her summoning did I become a house spirit."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "How can one summon a house spirit?"

Luo Yuni raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know how? Aren't you a house cultivator yourself?"

Li Banfeng also raised an eyebrow. "You noticed?"

Luo Yuni burst out laughing. "How could I not? Your every move in this residence cannot escape my sight. You have a unique residence, one that ordinary people cannot see, and even ordinary house spirits cannot perceive. But I am extraordinary; I can see it. I know you have a key to open your residence, and it's precisely because you returned to your residence that you were able to quickly cure the poison Decai administered to you."

Hearing this, Li Banfeng realized that, unless absolutely necessary, he should never easily enter a house cultivator's residence in the future.

Luo Yuni asked softly, "Do you want to cultivate a house spirit? Why go to all that trouble? I am willing to be your house spirit. Since I'm already here, why don't you want me?"

Li Banfeng frowned. "Why won't you tell me how to cultivate a house spirit?"

Luo Yuni shook her head. "It's time-consuming, laborious, and truly useless."

Li Banfeng lowered his gaze. "Your concealment proves your lack of sincerity towards me!"

Luo Yuni sighed softly. "Very well, I will do as you wish."

The pendulum swayed, and the story within the halo of light continued to unfold.

The departed souls of the couple were hung on the willow tree, both gazing obsessively at Luo Yuni.

Many years later, over a dozen families moved into the residence, but none stayed long before dying by Luo Yuni's hand. One by one, their spirits filled the willow trees surrounding the courtyard.

As the perspective shifted, Li Banfeng was astonished by the courtyard's size. It was vast, and the courtyard in the vision was much larger than the one Li Banfeng had seen.

Another family moved in: a gaunt woman, appearing to be in her thirties, accompanied by two children.

The old woman?

After the woman entered the residence and stayed for a few days, her gaunt cheeks gradually filled out, and her pale skin regained some color.

Her formerly dull gaze became lively, and she had more energy for household chores.

She had become attuned to the residence, an experience Li Banfeng had encountered before.

While cleaning and sweeping the main hall, she would constantly sniff around, as if sensing a different aura.

When standing in the courtyard seeking coolness, she would gaze up at the surrounding willow trees, as if she could perceive the departed spirits on them.

She often fell into deep thought, and the entire residence seemed to grow more serene and profound with her contemplation.

One day, she brought back several bundles of old newspapers and meticulously read them page by page.

She selected over a dozen pages, carefully examining the news articles and every photograph within them.

She couldn't read many of the words, but she recognized the photographs.

This was the residence featured in the newspapers.

Late at night, after putting her two children to sleep in the east room, she came alone to the main hall.

She lit a candle and stared intently at the old grandfather clock.

She held her breath, and the room was silent.

Li Banfeng carefully observed the woman's every action and realized that staring at the grandfather clock was a crucial element.

The reflection of the grandfather clock was clearly visible in the woman's pupils.

He faintly heard her slowing heartbeat; the entire house vibrated with her pulse, and the willow trees outside the house trembled along with it.

They had merged.

Li Banfeng could perceive from the light and shadows that the woman and the residence had merged.

This was the power of a house cultivator.

The clock chimed.

As the clock chimed, the grandfather clock in the woman's eyes gained sentience, and she sensed the presence of the house spirit.

The woman took a deep breath and called out her name: "Luo Yuni!"

The clock chimed.

Half past eleven.

A single chime.

Luo Yuni's voice resonated in Li Banfeng's ear: "She heard the chime, and from that moment on, I became her house spirit."

Li Banfeng asked, "Didn't you confirm it with her in person?"

In the scenes Li Banfeng had witnessed, Luo Yuni had never appeared simultaneously with the woman.

Luo Yuni's laughter rang out. "For thirty whole years, I never let her see my true form or hear my voice. At most, I would give her some hints. Even looking at her for too long would fill me with disgust. She dedicated herself wholeheartedly to pleasing me, and seventy percent of the spirits hanging on those trees were gifts from her. I never felt any gratitude towards her, especially since she relied on this livelihood herself. Cultivating with her was purely out of necessity. My comprehension is far superior to hers, and my spiritual level is much higher. I could have granted her higher cultivation, but I only allowed her to reach the first level because I loathe her."

Li Banfeng was also curious about this. Why was the old woman still only at the first level of cultivation at her age? "Isn't it said that you gain one level of cultivation every ten years? She's cultivated for thirty years, so why is she still only at the first level?"

Hearing this, Luo Yuni shook her head slightly. "You are a strange one. When you kill, you seem like an old hand, but when you speak, you're like a novice. A cultivator progresses one level every ten years if they follow the steps diligently without any setbacks or mistakes. How many cultivators can claim to have had no setbacks in a decade? How many can claim to have made no mistakes in a decade? Very few cultivators manage to advance from the first to the second level within ten years."

Li Banfeng asked, "What mistakes did that old woman make, preventing her from reaching the second level even after thirty years?"

Luo Yuni smiled. "Her mistakes lie with me. If a house cultivator and a house spirit are not in harmony, the house spirit will suppress the cultivator. That old woman disgusts me; even if I let her cultivate for a hundred more years, she would still remain at the first level."

Indeed!

It turns out that cultivating while lounging at home isn't so easy after all.

The Peddler and Ma Wu had both mentioned that the house spirit is crucial for a house cultivator, and if their relationship is strained, the cultivator's progress will stagnate.

At this point, Luo Yuni sighed deeply. "You have no idea how disgusting that old hag is. She hasn't sought a man in thirty years, nor does she allow her sons to touch women. Even if I exchange a single word with her sons, she'd go mad. She doesn't even let her two sons leave the residence, forcing them to spend their entire lives with her here. Her eldest son, Decai, practiced martial arts from a young age and wanted to buy medicine from the peddler to become a martial cultivator, but the old woman forbade it. By the time he was thirty-five, she forced him into poison cultivation. Decai, who could barely read, randomly mixed potions from old books and nearly poisoned himself to death. Her second son, Demao, also practiced martial arts, which the old woman also disallowed. He was relatively lucky; he secretly bought martial cultivation medicine through people from the Jiangxiang Gang and reached the first level last year. Unfortunately, with no one to guide him, he only learned some moves from books. Encountering someone like you, who doesn't follow patterns, he was simply doomed. Encountering such a disgusting person, I longed every day for her to get out of this residence. Why would I let her advance in cultivation?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "That is indeed disgusting. Just hearing about it makes me feel ill."

But why didn't she just kill the old woman directly?

Wasn't there a precedent for a house spirit killing its master?

Li Banfeng refrained from asking this question.

All the visions disappeared, leaving only Luo Yuni, who was grooming herself and facing Li Banfeng. She smiled enchantingly and said to him:

"From the moment you entered this residence, I knew you were my true master. If I had unleashed my full power, you wouldn't have stood a chance against that old woman; you had no hope of winning. But I favor you. Call out my name, and I will be yours. Come, I'm waiting for you, Master!"

Any other man would have instantly abandoned all resistance at the sound of "Master."

But Li Banfeng was unmoved. He shook his head and remained silent.

Luo Yuni frowned slightly and asked, "You don't want me?"

"It's not that I don't want you," Li Banfeng shook his head.

Luo Yuni pondered for a moment, trying to guess Li Banfeng's thoughts. "You don't want this kind of life. You saved the mother and daughter; you are a kind person. I also detest this livelihood, and I've grown tired of killing. I am willing to disperse all the departed spirits in this residence. As long as you take me in, I am willing to live a humble life with you."

Luo Yuni slowly extended her hand towards Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng did not take her hand. He silently moved away from the spot directly in front of the old grandfather clock.

The old grandfather clock was Luo Yuni's true form, but her spirit wasn't necessarily inside it at all times.

For example, now.

Visually, Li Banfeng appeared to be speaking directly to Luo Yuni.

However, from the reflection of the pendulum, both Li Banfeng and Luo Yuni were in the same room, facing the old grandfather clock.

In other words, they were very likely sitting in the same spot, extremely close to each other.

At that moment, Luo Yuni's spirit was either beside or behind Li Banfeng.

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