Chapter 998: That Woman

Ruyi stayed at the tavern to rest and recuperate. The North Desert People had already entered the city and begun ransacking it. There was bound to be some wealth left, or at the very least, some livestock. As long as something was valuable or useful, they would strip the place clean.

The tavern's doors were closed, but trouble would inevitably come knocking anyway.

"That tavern—do not enter..."

The High Priest took one look at the tavern and knew he could not afford to offend the people inside.

"Observe the surroundings for now. No one goes in!"

He left some men scattered along the streets around the tavern.

The High Priest was still anxious, not daring to advance rashly.

He knew his own limits perfectly well. Those who could not be offended must absolutely be left alone. He had reached his current position precisely because of this caution.

Ruyi was resting in a room on the second floor of the tavern.

Chen Changsheng, meanwhile, sat in the tavern chatting with Du Aniang.

They spoke of the events of recent years.

Du Aniang lamented that the affairs of the world are impermanent. In the blink of an eye, Prince Kang fell from power and the Prince of Yan took his place. Barely two years had passed before the North Desert People invaded. Who knew when it would all end.

That was just how Du Aniang was. She despised the chaos of war, much preferring peaceful, leisurely days. Speaking of such matters naturally loosened her tongue.

Chen Changsheng chimed in, nodding from time to time.

Du Aniang hardly seemed like someone who had cultivated for hundreds of years.

To her, the mortal affairs of the past were never mere fleeting clouds; she, too, was a soul entangled in the mortal dust.

After chatting for a short while, Du Aniang went upstairs to check on Ruyi's injuries.

Chen Changsheng then pulled Mao'er into his arms.

Lihua had been in the middle of grooming its fur, only to be dragged over in the blink of an eye.

"Eh?"

Lihua looked up at Mister Chen.

Chen Changsheng patted its head and smiled. "I want to ask you a few things."

Hearing this, Lihua tilted its head up and huffed, "Lihua knows everything. Just ask."

It looked quite the little rogue—likely the result of following Ruyi around for so long.

Chen Changsheng smiled. "It's nothing important. Just about the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord."

Lihua blinked. "What Divine Lord? What is that?"

Chen Changsheng asked, "Do you not remember?"

Lihua thought for a moment but shook its head.

Chen Changsheng paused. He didn't harbor any suspicions; as he saw it, Lihua was so simple-minded that if it actually remembered, it would have blurted it out long ago.

"I see..."

Chen Changsheng didn't press the matter. After a moment of thought, he patted Lihua's head and asked, "Are you sleepy, Lihua?"

Lihua was a little confused. "Lihua isn't sleepy..."

Even as it spoke, however, it let out a yawn.

Its sharp teeth showed, and it immediately muttered, "Now I'm sleepy."

"Mmm..."

"Lihua is so sleepy."

As it grumbled, Lihua lay down and immediately fell fast asleep.

Chen Changsheng's gaze fell on Lihua again.

He said softly, "Will you come out yourself, or should This Chen invite you out?"

Chen Changsheng's voice faded.

A phantom image separated from Lihua's body, drifting to the side like a Dharma Manifestation or a soul.

This was neither a soul nor a Dharma Manifestation, however.

It was a wisp of divine sense, or perhaps Lihua's spirit—a memory hidden deep within its subconscious.

Chen Changsheng had noticed this long ago, back when they faced Gu Jiangshi at the foot of Quanshan.

This figure looked exactly like Lihua, but its eyes lacked that foolish innocence. Instead, they held an eerily strange calmness. It was likely because Lihua itself was so simple-minded that this calmness felt so incredibly bizarre.

"I haven't caused any trouble. Don't come bothering me," Mao'er said.

Chen Changsheng looked at this different Lihua and said, "This Chen isn't here to bother you either."

Mao'er's whiskers twitched. "Then why did you call me out?"

"To ask about a few things," Chen Changsheng said.

Mao'er blinked, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I don't do losing trades. What benefit do I get?"

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng asked, "What do you want?"

Mao'er thought about it and said, "Ah..."

It couldn't quite think of anything.

So Mao'er said, "Just ask. Anyway, remember that you owe me a favor."

Chen Changsheng smiled at this and said, "That works."

The man and the cat looked at each other.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a while, Mao'er said, "Why are you staring at me? Ask! If you don't ask, I'm leaving! If heaven and earth catch me, I'll probably get struck by lightning."

"Hmm..."

Chen Changsheng said, "How much do you know about the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord?"

Mao'er said, "I know what others don't, and I know what others do. Mmm, that sounds like nonsense. Sigh, whatever, I just know things."

Chen Changsheng froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

In this regard, it was exactly like Lihua—not very smart.

Mao'er said, "My deepest memory is that he stank..."

"But he wasn't a bad person. He just talked too much, chattering on and on without end, like an idiot."

Hearing this evaluation, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Is that description really so fitting?"

He paused, then asked, "This Chen previously heard someone mention that the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord would disappear every now and then, only to reappear after a stretch of time. Is this true?"

Mao'er thought for a moment and said, "That did happen."

Chen Changsheng understood and nodded. "Did he mention why to you?"

Mao'er thought about it and said, "Not really. He always just said he was going on a long trip, and no one could ever find him."

"I see..."

Chen Changsheng then asked, "You've seen him. What does he look like?"

Mao'er pondered for a moment but shook its head. "I haven't seen his face. He always wore a mask, and I never saw him take it off."

"Wearing a mask?"

"Right."

"What kind of mask?"

"Pretty ugly, like a painted face from an opera."

"Oh..."

"I heard people say he isn't dead."

Hearing this, Mao'er snorted and said, "Of course he isn't dead."

Chen Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. "He isn't dead?"

Mao'er said, "He won't die. That woman only suppressed his physical body; the real him is still alive and well."

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "It's been thousands of years. He's still alive?"

"Practitioners of ghost cultivation have very long lifespans. What's so strange about that?"

Mao'er continued, "Anyway, I don't believe he's dead."

Chen Changsheng continued, "I heard that he has already returned, and has even caused some trouble."

Mao'er paused, then shook its head. "I don't know about that. He hasn't come looking for me."

Chen Changsheng asked, "Then do you know what he wants to do?"

Mao'er shook its head, knowing little about this.

Chen Changsheng didn't pry further, but instead asked, "What is his relationship with Yu Xuan like?"

"That woman..."

Mao'er thought for a moment, wanting to speak yet holding back.