Chapter 50: Husband

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“You killed the lizard serpent beast by yourself. The assessment above rates it as a level five mission, which earns you two thousand contribution points, and the beast’s corpse is yours,” Nightingale said, drawing closer as she spoke, her eyes like autumn water burning as she gazed at me.

I caught the faint fragrance emanating from her, and her skin, white and delicate, looked like the finest porcelain. I could imagine how intoxicating it would feel to the touch.

Her gaze easily gave one the illusion that she adored and idolized you, that she was utterly fascinated by you.

“And then?” My eyes remained calm, but my heart was aflame. Yet I knew all too well—if you let slip even a hint of your desires before this woman, you’d lose. I had no intention of conquering such a woman, nor would I allow myself to be led by the nose.

“I discovered a demon core inside the lizard serpent beast. It’s worth about a thousand contribution points, and I happen to need it. But I’ve just upgraded my equipment, spent all my points, so I’ll take the demon core and owe you the points,” Nightingale said.

A sense of foreboding welled up within me. “And the demon core?” I asked.

“I’ve already used it,” Nightingale replied, her face innocent.

A thousand wild horses thundered through my mind. She’d used it and only now comes to ask me, and she’s even talking about owing me.

“When will you pay me back?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“When I have extra contribution points to spare,” Nightingale answered.

“And when will you have extra points?” I pressed.

“I don’t know. It’s been years since I’ve had any surplus points in my account,” she replied.

I understood then—she had never intended to pay me back. The antidote powder she claimed was worth three hundred points probably cost less than thirty, and then she’d stew a pot of meat for me, calling it even.

Forget it—what else could I say? The main issue was, I couldn’t beat her anyway.

When she brought up that pot of meat, I devoured it voraciously, not leaving even a drop of soup, hoping to at least recoup a bit.

...

Back home, I recalled the life-and-death battle with the lizard serpent beast, pondering over some combat techniques.

There’s a significant difference between demon beasts and spirits. Both are demons, but one remains a beast while the other has developed intelligence.

Ordinary spirits have intelligence far beyond their kind—like the hundred-year-old rat spirit in Zhang Family Village, disguised in human skin. Though only a level one demon, its imitation of humans made it impossible for me to distinguish at first glance.

Many great demons beyond level nine possess intelligence equal to humans, sometimes even surpassing ordinary people.

Demon beasts are different. No matter how intelligent, there’s a limit. Their demon power enhances their bodies, granting them extraordinary fighting prowess.

I remembered the green crystal I’d extracted from the serpent beast’s mouth and took it out to study.

“Come out,” I commanded silently, focusing my spiritual power into the crystal.

Instantly, the room grew cold and gloomy—the drowned ghost hiding within was forced out.

It screeched at me, but I slapped it with a Soul Suppression Seal, twisting its ghostly form. It dared not howl again.

Now that I was a level three Yin-Yang Master, my power had increased greatly. Last night, I needed the dragon soul’s help to deal with it because of the green light in its ghostly body. Now, dispatching it was effortless.

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I casually took a regular jade piece and sealed the drowned ghost inside.

After half a day of study, I found the green crystal’s energy leaned toward the soul. When I tried to absorb it, I could distinctly feel my spiritual waves grow stronger.

However, its energy had a cold, sinister quality—reminiscent of ghostly aura, though distinct from it. It was similar to the breath that emanated from the earth fissure in the Bagua Yin Array last time.

The drowned ghost, after absorbing this energy, had become extremely solid, proving it greatly benefited ghostly spirits.

I summoned Li Ling’er’s spirit, but to my surprise, she was extremely averse to the energy from the green crystal, preferring the Nether Crystal.

I understood—Li Ling’er was a pure spirit, while the green crystal’s energy carried ghostly cold, naturally repelling her.

Yet, for some reason, it worked wonders when used to nurture my own soul.

Just then, the television suddenly turned on—I realized Li Ling’er had turned it on herself and switched to a cartoon, watching with delight.

Sometimes I left the jade talisman at home. Clearly, this wasn’t her first time.

I sat on the sofa, opened the Ninth Bureau’s app on my phone, having learned the importance of equipment. If not for the Underworld Thunderstorm Talisman last night, I would have died.

But the Underworld Thunderstorm Talisman was a reward from the Eye of the Nether Dragon. Without an entanglement of karma, I couldn’t receive its rewards now.

So, I settled for exchanging contribution points in the Ninth Bureau.

I had two thousand five hundred points and over a dozen Nether Crystals—quite wealthy by any measure.

As a level three Yin-Yang Master, I could use up to level four or five disposable talismans. As for magical artifacts, most required sufficient power to activate.

For example, a level four artifact required one to reach the “qi flows like a river” state of a level four Yin-Yang Master. Otherwise, it couldn’t be driven.

Entry-level talismans for level three were cheap—one hundred points for a stack. But level four and above, the price soared ten to a hundred times.

One hundred points bought a single level four talisman; level six talismans were seven hundred eighty points each—outrageously expensive.

I checked—entry-level talismans could be made by most Yin-Yang Masters, but mid-level talismans required deep understanding of talisman arrays and delicate manipulation of Yin-Yang energies. A slight error would cause failure, and the materials for mid-level talismans were already costly. If you failed repeatedly, you couldn’t even recoup the costs.

Without counting Nether Crystals, my two thousand five hundred points would only buy three level six talismans—painful.

After some thought, I used eight hundred points for a level six Explosive Golden Flame Talisman, then five hundred points for five level four talismans—three for attack, two for defense.

Then, I spent a thousand points for a thin, cicada-wing-like mid-level defensive robe—survival first.

With the final two hundred points, I bought materials, mostly for talisman-making.

I resolved to master the art of talisman creation. If I faced an opponent I couldn't beat, I'd simply stack talismans to crush them. Besides, talismans were valuable and could be traded for resources.

Just then, I was caught off guard—Li Ling’er, watching a funny moment in the cartoon, burst into laughter, her semi-transparent hands hugging my arm.

She’d once been wary of me, but now, entirely at ease, she was quite affectionate.

At noon, I cooked a bowl of noodles for myself, while Li Ling’er contentedly absorbed energy from a Nether Crystal.

“Ling’er, what do you call me?” I teased, slurping my noodles.

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“Qin Feng,” Li Ling’er replied.

“No, you should call me ‘husband’,” I said solemnly.

“Husband? Is your surname ‘Husband’?” Li Ling’er asked. Without memories from her former life, she was pure as a blank page. Old Li probably kept her sealed in the jade talisman daily, so she knew little. But since following me, she watched TV, read news, gradually learning more, though still somewhat naive.

“I’m not surnamed ‘Husband.’ ‘Husband’ is a term for someone very close. I feel we’re at that level now,” I said, stifling a laugh, earnestly teasing her—a bit of my own mischief.

Li Ling’er considered it, seemingly accepting my explanation. “Mm, husband,” she said.

I laughed heartily, thinking, if Old Li knew, would he come after me with a knife?

Just then, I received a call from Chi Yun.

“Husband, where are you?” Chi Yun’s sweet voice gave me goosebumps. I’d just teased Li Ling’er into calling me ‘husband,’ and now Chi Yun was following suit.

“Wife, I’m at home. What’s up?” I thought for a moment, deciding to play along.

“Can you come to Daze Department Store?” Chi Yun said, then lowered her voice, “Qin Feng, come quick, save me.”

Save her? Who dared mess with Director Chi?

I thought it over, had Li Ling’er return to the jade talisman, and hurried downstairs, driving to Daze Department Store.

As soon as I entered, Chi Yun, meticulously dressed, strode quickly toward me in high heels.

Just as I was about to ask what nonsense she was up to, she opened her arms and gave me an intimate hug.

Then, she wrapped her arm around mine, leaning close like a delicate bird relying on me.

At that moment, I saw a dignified, elegant lady and a man in gold-rimmed glasses and a crisp suit, clearly a professional. Both wore sour expressions.

“Xiao Yun, who is he?” The lady scrutinized me, and when she saw my ordinary clothes, her discontent was palpable.

“Aunt, this is my boyfriend, Qin Feng. He’s a doctor,” Chi Yun said. Though usually strong-willed, she softened before this woman.

The lady wanted to flare up but held back, asking stiffly, “You’re Xiao Qin, right? May I ask what your parents do?”

“My parents are both deceased,” I replied calmly.

Her expression darkened further. She looked at Chi Yun, saying, “Xiao Yun, go shopping with Xiao Yu. If you like anything, let him buy it for you. I’ll have a word with Qin Feng.”

I reached out, pulled Chi Yun into my arms, and said lightly, “Chi Yun is my woman. She won’t go anywhere but my embrace.”

“You… how dare you! Do you know what kind of family the Chi family is? You’re just a doctor, how could you possibly be worthy?” The lady exploded, staring sharply at me.

I frowned, glanced at the conflicted Chi Yun, and said, “I don’t know what kind of family the Chi family is. Whether I’m worthy or not isn’t for an outsider like you to decide. Besides, you’re her aunt, not her mother. Even if you were her mother, you can’t treat her like an obedient dog.”