Chapter 406: I Still Don't Know if That Person Likes Me?

Lu Yang retracted his gaze. The Valley of Seven Emotions' services were truly extensive. Besides lifting curses, they also sold mosquito coils, issued loans, and even apprehended murderers. Their diverse functions were truly eye-opening for him.

Luo Yu explained from the side, "There's simply no other way. Most people find it hard to distinguish whether they've encountered a genuine problem or if they're cursed. So, they all rush to us, loudly claiming they've been cursed and asking for our help."

"We feel it's not right to send people away empty-handed after they've traveled so far. So, we have no choice but to approach the problem from other angles to help them."

"For example, the loan service is a recent addition."

"A while ago, someone approached us. He said he was short on money and wanted to apply for a loan from a merchant guild. However, no matter which guild he went to, he was told he had already taken out a loan and couldn't get another until it was repaid. He then asked us if he was cursed, perhaps with a curse that made him sleepwalk to the merchant guild to get a loan?"

"We checked multiple times and confirmed he wasn't cursed. Finally, we looked up the legal regulations and found that an annual interest rate exceeding thirty-six percent is considered usury. With no other option, we had to offer him a loan at an annual interest rate of thirty-six percent."

"It was after this incident that we started our loan business."

Lu Yang was speechless.

"What a convenient 'no other way'," he thought.

"Forget ordinary people; even those with some knowledge of curses can't always distinguish them. Zhao Po is a perfect example. As a disciple of the Corpse-Driving Sect, at the early Golden Core stage, he often can't tell what's a curse and what's a normal occurrence."

At this, Luo Yu rolled her eyes at Zhao Po, who chuckled sheepishly.

Finding the scene amusing, Lu Yang sent a telepathic message to Zhao Po: "Does Junior Sister Luo like you?"

"No way! You don't know what she's done to me to think that."

"Once, after leaving the Valley of Seven Emotions, I felt restless and couldn't stop thinking about Luo Yu. I lost my appetite, couldn't sleep, and tossed and turned all night. So, I went to her, described my condition, and asked if she had cursed me."

"She said yes."

"When I described my situation to her, she even blushed. And when she admitted to casting the curse, she stomped her foot hard, probably out of anger and embarrassment because I'd seen through it," Zhao Po declared confidently.

"It's infuriating! I considered her a friend, but she did this to me. I asked her to lift the curse, but she refused!"

"Are you sure she doesn't like you?"

Zhao Po waved his hand dismissively, a deep-seated confidence radiating from his smile. "Please, I've been roaming the martial world for two or three years. I'm a seasoned veteran. Wouldn't I know if someone likes me?"

In the spiritual space, Immortal Fairy nodded vigorously. "What a hateful girl! This boy is already foolish, and she curses him too? It's true what they say: you can know a face, but not a heart!"

Lu Yang was speechless.

"You two are making me doubt my own judgment," he thought.

"How did you and Junior Sister Luo meet?"

"That was about a year ago. I had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and heard there was a large snake causing trouble in a cold pond, harming the local area. So I went to eliminate it. Coincidentally, Luo Yu was also looking for that snake, but she intended to kill it for its gallbladder, which she needed to create a curse medium."

"We hit it off immediately and decided to team up. After an intense struggle, the two of us killed the great snake."

"Inside the snake's belly was a poisonous mist, a love poison. When the great snake died, its body swelled and exploded, releasing the love poison, which enveloped both of us."

"Fortunately, I was prepared. I had both Luo Yu and myself take antidote pills beforehand, which saved us from harm."

The three people and one corpse walked down a long corridor and arrived at the Valley Master's cultivation retreat, where the stone door was tightly shut.

"Based on past experience, Master should have finished her seclusion by now."

"What experience? Is the Valley Master's seclusion time fixed?"

"No, not really. It's just that whenever Master says she's in seclusion, she's actually just being lazy in her cave, avoiding sect duties. So, if there's something, you can just go directly to her, regardless of whether she claims to be in seclusion or not."

Luo Yu knocked on the stone door.

"Master, we have visitors."

A faint voice came from behind the stone door, "Your master is currently in seclusion."

"They are from the Dao-Seeking Sect."

The moment she spoke, the three felt their eyes blur, and a delicate fragrance filled the air. A female cultivator wearing a white veil appeared before them.

Although she wore a veil, it offered little concealment. Lu Yang could clearly see the Valley Master's true face through it; she was a stunningly beautiful female cultivator.

"Master, aren't you in seclusion anymore?" Luo Yu stifled a laugh behind her hand.

"My seclusion has ended."

The Valley Master, dressed in white, exuded an elegant and composed aura. She assessed Zhao Po and Lu Yang, quickly dismissing Zhao Po from her consideration.

"I can't discern what kind of Golden Core you've formed. Are you a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect?"

Lu Yang cupped his fists and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Valley Master. I am Lu Yang, a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect, and a student of Daoist Bu Yu."

"So you're the apprentice of that old scoundrel Bu Yu. You're certainly much more pleasing to the eye than he is. You can call me Valley Master Shuang. Did Xie Shanren send you to find me?"

Lu Yang sensed a hidden menace beneath the Valley Master's calm tone. Unsure of the situation, he bravely replied, "I was preparing to go to the Corpse-Driving Sect. However, having long heard of the Valley of Seven Emotions' renown, I decided to pay my respects to the Valley Master."

"The Corpse-Driving Sect? What do you want with them? Did that old scoundrel Bu Yu die, and you want to refine him into a living corpse?"

"I have a friend who is afflicted with an extremely difficult curse. The Fourth Elder advised us to go to the Corpse-Driving Sect to resolve this matter."

"Give it to me," Valley Master Shuang suddenly said, extending her hand.

"What?" Lu Yang was confused.

"Xie Shanren surely wrote a letter of recommendation for your visit to the Corpse-Driving Sect, confirming your identities. It must also describe your friend's curse. Let me see the letter."

Lu Yang took out the recommendation letter the Fourth Elder had written for him before his departure from his identity jade token and presented it with both hands.

With a thought from the Valley Master, the recommendation letter floated into the air and unfolded itself.

She read the letter silently, appearing quite interested, and murmured to herself, "A curse born from karmic backlash, and its content is something I've never seen before. Interesting."

But as she continued reading, her brows furrowed, and her expression subtly changed, as if she were getting angry. She let out a cold snort and threw the letter to the ground.

Lu Yang secretly thought, "This is not good," and discreetly glanced at the letter's contents.

The Fourth Elder was indeed a Confucian cultivator; his handwriting was beautiful, grand, and pleasing to the eye.

The letter's content was straightforward, simply confirming his and Meng Jingzhou's identities to the Corpse-Driving Sect and describing the cause and effects of Meng Jingzhou's curse.

However, the last sentence posed a major problem.

The last sentence read: "Remember, absolutely do not suggest Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou go to the Valley of Seven Emotions for a solution. If they insist on going, under no circumstances should they seek out that demoness, Shuang Feiyan!"

Lu Yang was speechless.

"Will I even make it out of the Valley of Seven Emotions alive today?" he wondered.