Chapter 221: Offering Herself in Gratitude

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three bolts fired in unison, each carrying a terrifying momentum.

Earlier, Gongshu Peiyu hadn’t meant to kill Ding Rou; he only wanted to seize her primordial yin, so the divine crossbow hadn’t been pushed to its full power.

Now it was different.

Li Yanchu’s blood and qi surged, and with one breath, he channeled his inner force into the Jiaoslayer.

Clang!

A brilliant arc of saber qi flashed, and Gongshu Peiyu’s head was instantly severed! Blood spurted like a fountain everywhere, and his headless corpse crashed heavily to the ground.

Earlier, Li Yanchu hadn’t fought back; he only endured with his qi shield.

But now? One strike was all it took to kill Gongshu Peiyu.

Just a single move!

Li Yanchu stepped forward and, with practiced ease, looted his body.

He found three fragments of jade, two Daoist temple artifacts—one stone bead, and one stone tablet. He also found a precisely crafted divine crossbow, a shattered bronze arm, and an ancient-looking copper coin.

The rest of the items didn’t draw much of Li Yanchu’s attention, but that ancient coin made his eyes light up.

It was slightly larger than a typical copper coin. The characters inscribed on it were extremely old and too worn to decipher clearly.

Li Yanchu focused and sensed it carefully, only to discover that it actually contained Dao resonance.

Is this a magical artifact too?

he thought to himself.

In Daoist tradition, there were indeed coin-swords made from real copper coins, as such coins, imbued with human essence from handling, were used to ward off evil and block malevolent forces.

This ancient coin carried the resonance of the Dao, and it was clearly no ordinary trinket.

He casually wrapped all the items up and stuffed them into his travel bundle. Though he’d shown others his Telekinetic Retrieval, he had yet to reveal the existence of a Universe Pouch, so he instinctively kept a low profile.

Ding Rou was long used to this sort of behavior from him. If not for that, she might not even have the artifact she used to cross the river.

She walked over, her gaze complicated.

Li Yanchu sighed and said, “I’m probably not some fated benefactor in your life... more like the guy destined to block all your misfortune.”

Ding Rou blushed slightly. “I didn’t come back on purpose to look for you earlier,” she explained, “I ran into Gongshu Peiyu and retreated here while fighting him.”

Li Yanchu glanced at her and activated his Qi Sight. The dark qi in Ding Rou’s fortune had thinned significantly, but heavy clouds still loomed.

He told her the truth, and Ding Rou was stunned. Could such a calamity really be overcome?

Li Yanchu clicked his tongue and said, “There really is something strange about this Daoist temple... Seems like this is the place your misfortune was meant to unfold. Can’t even step outside without bumping into a scumbag.”

A faint blush crept across Ding Rou’s face.

“Let’s go. I give up. I really don’t want to be exploring this ruin only to suddenly walk into a room and find you being chased by some evil spirit again,” Li Yanchu said.

Ding Rou froze slightly, her expression a bit complicated. In the end, she said nothing and followed after him.

The two walked side by side. After a moment, Ding Rou suddenly spoke up, “Fellow Daoist Li, you’ve saved me multiple times now. I truly don’t know how to thank you... I, I have nothing to offer in return.”

Her eyes shimmered as she glanced at him, her cheeks flushed, exuding a soft, indescribable allure.

Li Yanchu cut her off. “Ding, don’t be so formal, and don’t even think about offering yourself in gratitude. It’s not that serious.”

Li Yanchu chuckled lightly. “Even if it were a stray cat or dog on the roadside, if it was about to be killed, I’d still step in and help, let alone a fellow Daoist cultivator.”

Ding Rou was speechless at his words, and the slightly tender, ambiguous atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Her rosy cheeks gradually lost color, returning to normal.

“Hah, don’t go thinking everything’s about romance between men and women. Let’s just get along well. If it doesn’t work out, maybe the issue is on your end,” Li Yanchu joked.

Ding Rou gave him a sideways glare, then spat, “What nonsense are you saying! Who said I was thinking... about romance between men and women!?”

Li Yanchu simply smiled. “You’re covered in bad luck, beset with deadly tribulations, and born with a pure yin constitution. Yet, your master sent you into a Blissful Land like this, was she trying to kill you? Maybe if you went somewhere else, the deadly tribulations would lighten up,” he said casually.

Ding Rou huffed softly. “My master has treated me like her own since I was little. How could she possibly want to harm me? Don’t speak ill of her!”

Li Yanchu nodded. “That’s true. Ding, only when you get all stern and serious like that do you resemble the cool, composed Daoist nun I first met. Just now, you were practically like some lovestruck little girl!”

As he spoke, he waved his hand and conjured up a jujube fruit, handing it to her.

Ding Rou couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Still, she took the jujube without hesitation.

“You’re the one who’s lovestruck! Don’t flatter yourself!” Ding Rou let out a soft snort.

Li Yanchu gave a mischievous grin. “What, not being all polite with me anymore?”

Ding Rou let her guard down and popped the jujube into her mouth before chewing it. Immediately, she felt a rich sweetness spread across her tongue.

A surge of powerful vitality spread through her chest and abdomen, and the wound on her arm healed quickly. At the same time, all her fatigue vanished.

Even the spirit qi in her body had mostly recovered and almost fully restored.

Ding Rou smiled. “You saved my life, what’s the point of being polite?”

Her tone had noticeably relaxed, and Li Yanchu nodded slightly.

“The way you are now... reminds me of a friend of mine.” He was talking about Bai Hongtu, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Ding Rou asked, “A woman?”

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but laugh, nodding. “Yep. Her name’s Bai Hongtu.”

“Bai Hongtu?” Ding Rou frowned. “That sounds like a man’s name.”

As they talked, they arrived at the side hall of the Daoist temple that Li Yanchu had previously entered.

A trace of unease appeared in Ding Rou’s eyes.

Li Yanchu said slowly, “Think it through, there might be unseen corpses in this side hall too. When ghostly shadows start flitting about, one of them might just latch onto you and drag you down as a scapegoat.”

His voice was low and somber. At the entrance of this vast, imposing side hall, his words made Ding Rou feel a little spooked.

She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled brightly. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? You’ve saved me so many times already, what’s a few more? Worst case, I’ll offer myself to you in gratitude. If that’s not enough, I’ll become your servant or maid to repay your great kindness!”

Li Yanchu fell silent at her words.

Good grief.

But, he didn’t take it to heart.

In such a vast Blissful Land, Ding Rou had repeatedly fallen into danger and every time, it was Li Yanchu who happened to come across her. He had even told her to leave earlier, yet after all the twists and turns, they ended up running into each other again.

Maybe there really was some kind of karmic connection between them. Might as well travel together.

Besides, he had just figured something out. Ding Rou was so unlucky... she was basically a walking

yin-gathering vessel

. Maybe he could use her as bait to lure out more evil creatures and rack up some extra merit points by slaying them.

The two stepped into the side hall, and Ding Rou stayed alert. But this time, she didn’t feel that eerie sensation of being watched, and she also noticed the neatly arranged ancient bells.

“Huh? Why are there so many bells lined up so perfectly?” She was curious.

Li Yanchu replied, “The bells were already here. It’s just that when I came in, they’d all fallen over. I stood them back up.”

Sure, this was the cultivation ground of Daoist immortals, and as juniors, they should show some respect. But did he really have to go as far as tidying up the relic site? And each of these bells must weigh several thousand jin at least...

Ding Rou asked, “Did you figure something out?”

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod and pointed at the towering, heavy bells. “This is the Eastern Azure Dragon Formation!”