âDo you want me to go alone?â Given Yun Jiugeâs current cultivation level, it would be very dangerous for her to head to the Yin Qi Graveyard by herself.
âItâll be fine. Youâll be able to handle it by yourself if you take the Xuan Yin White Bone Monkey with you.â Zi Shang, naturally, was not going to put Yun Jiuge in an unsafe situation.
âAre you sure that the little monkey will be able to do its job?â The White Bone Monkeyâs arms and legs were as thin as reeds. It would be a miracle if it avoided being slaughtered by the Yin Ghosts.
âDonât underestimate it. Itâs much stronger than you think.â How could a puppet that heâd refined himself be weak?
âI certainly hope so!â Zi Shang did not seem like he was going to change his mind. There was nothing else left for Yun Jiuge to do except to take up a mission to kill the Yin Ghosts at Mission Hall.
Yun Jiuge did not expect her neighbor, Little Fatty Jin Lin, to be the disciple on duty at Mission Hall that day.
She was certainly surprised to see him there. One needed inside connections to work in Mission Hall. She thought to herself: There is definitely a lot more to Little Fatty than meets the eye!
âSenior Brother Yun Jiu, have you found a team for this mission? Would you like me to introduce someone reliable?â Little Fatty asked enthusiastically after receiving the mission list from Yun Jiuge.
âThereâs no need for that,â Yun Jiuge refused him coldly.
Little Fatty was not enraged by Yun Jiugeâs coldness. Instead, he helped her with her registration before passing her an amulet that would allow her to enter the Yin Ghost Graveyard. He then asked, âWhat about the Yin Qi Bottle? Would you like to rent or buy one?â
âHow much does it cost to rent, and how much does it cost to buy?â Yun Jiuge knew that she would need the Yin Qi Bottles to collect the Yin Qi from the Yin Ghosts after killing them, but she did not know how much they cost.
âA single Rank One Yin Qi Bottle can hold up to a hundred Yin Ghosts. If you rent a bottle, itâll cost you one Contribution Point every three days. If you buy, thatâll be 50 Contribution Points for one. I suggest you buy one if you have enough Contribution Points right now. It would be much more worthwhile in the long run to have your own,â explained Little Fatty in detail.
âFine. Iâll buy one.â Yun Jiuge was planning to take on a mission to kill Yin Ghosts every single day from here on out. It would definitely be worthwhile to acquire a bottle for herself.
âOkay. Please hold on this.â Little Fatty deducted 50 Contribution Points from Yun Jiugeâs amulet. Then, he adeptly took one Yin Qi Bottle off the shelf. Then, he passed the bottle along with two Death Talismans to Yun Jiuge.
âIâll throw in these two things for you as well. Come and find me the next time you want to buy something! Iâll give you discounts and other perks!â said Little Fatty with a wink.
Yun Jiuge said nothing in response. She just took the items and left.
The Yin Qi Bottle was white. It was about the same size as the container typically used for flower arrangements.
The only difference was that the Yin Qi Bottle had a red Yin Gathering rune engraved on it.
âAll they did was engrave a rune on it! If Iâd known that it was this expensive, I would have just gotten you to help me make one,â Yun Jiuge ranted under her breath.
Yun Jiuge did not mean what she said, though. She would undoubtedly attract a lot of unwanted attention if she were to go around using a self-made Yin Qi Bottle.
âI told you to learn about runes. You didnât listen to me.â Zi Shang took this opportunity to chide Yun Jiuge.
âIâm so tired after training every single day. How could I possibly have the time or energy to learn anything else?â Yun Jiuge was just not cut out to practice the art of runes. Those tiny, winding lines looked just like tadpoles to her. Every time she looked at them, the squiggles made her lose all interest.
There was nothing Zi Shang could do about Yun Jiugeâs refusal to study the runes.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
After all, it was not like he could change the way she viewed them. It would undoubtedly be very difficult for Yun Jiuge to learn anything that she was not interested in. But it did not matter. They could just take it one step at a time. He would not force her to do anything she did not want to do.
Two massive stone doors stood at the entrance to the Yin Qi Graveyard. The doors opened once every hour.
Yun Jiuge thought that she would be the first to reach the entrance. But, to her surprise, there were already eight other secondary disciples standing before the stone doors by the time she arrived. They looked like they were on the same team.
They were all dressed in the same set of gray clothes. However, it was clear that the disciples were veterans who had been in the sect for quite some time.
The leader was a tall, skinny man with slanted eyes and broom-like eyebrows. It was clear that he was not a kind person. He had entered the sect when he was already at the third level of the Qi Refining stage.
The moment she made her way over, Broom Eyebrows raised his eyebrows and scrutinized Yun Jiuge from top to bottom. He then let out a laugh and spat at her with contempt, âArenât you a gutsy one? You actually dare to go to the Yin Qi Graveyard alone even though you have only entered the second level of the Qi Refining stage?â
Yun Jiuge did not even spare him a look. She walked straight to a corner and waited for the stone doors to open.
âYouâve really got some nerve!â Broom Eyebrows was just about to lock horns with Yun Jiuge when another group of disciples made their way over toward the entrance. There were 13 people in this new group.
To Yun Jiugeâs surprise, the Liu Sisters were a part of the group.
They had also already entered the second level of the Qi Refining stage.
They were clad in the same gray clothes as everyone else, but it was clear that they had altered their garmentsâ waist, collar, and sleeves. The specially-tailored clothes clung tightly to their bodies and accentuated their curves.
Not only were the two sisters beautiful, but they also knew how to act coquettishly and pretend to be foolish in front of others. It was easy to see how they were able to surround themselves with veteran secondary disciples so quickly.
Broom Eyebrowsâ face darkened the moment he saw the group, and he did not think about picking a fight with Yun Jiuge after that.
âBroom Eyebrows Chen, I see that you have brought your buddies to be slaughtered by the Yin Ghosts once again!â The leader of this new group was a short man. He was probably as short as Tu Xingsun. [1]
He had a big, square face, small eyes, and thick lips. He was extremely ugly.
The short man might be ugly, but he had entered the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. His cultivation was the highest among all the people at the scene.
Broom Eyebrows Chen ignored the shorty and whistled at the Liu Sisters. A lewd smile appeared on his lips as he said, âLadies, Shortie Qiu may look pleasing to the eye, but he is a completely useless man. I donât think heâll be able to satisfy your desires at all. Why donât you join us instead? Iâll definitely show you a good time.â
Looks of bashfulness, helplessness, and anxiety emerged on the Liu Sistersâ faces after being teased by Broom Eyebrows Chen. The sight of the Liu Sisters in that state made Shortie Qiu very upset. He immediately pointed at Broom Eyebrows Chen and shouted angrily, âIt looks like I was too lenient with you last time! Do you actually have the guts to disparage me right now? Arenât you scared that Iâll kill you where you stand?â
âIâm talking to these two ladies over here. Why are you in such a hurry? Iâm sure itâs because you havenât gotten your hands on them just yet, right? Thatâs why you brought them along! You wanted to show them how amazing you are!â Broom Eyebrows Chen said with a laugh.
Broom Eyebrows Chenâs words had hit the nail on the head.
Shortie Qiu had spent a lot of his time trying to court the two sistersâ favor, but all he had gotten in return was a mere brush of their hands.
He thought about forcing himself on them, but the sisters were quite intelligent. He had not yet found an opportunity to try his luck.
The two sisters wanted him to help them finish their mission of killing Yin Ghosts, and they promised that they would reward him once everything was done and dusted.
Thus, heâd allowed the two sisters to join his team despite his teammatesâ objections.
The Liu Sisters noticed that Shortie Qiu did not look well. They quickly looked around the area and spotted Yun Jiuge standing in the corner.
Liu Tianâerâs eyes lit up, and she said in a sweet voice, âIsnât that Senior Brother Yun Jiu?â
âSenior Brother Yun Jiu, the Yin Ghosts in this Yin Qi Graveyard all appear in groups! Itâs too dangerous for you to go alone. Why donât you team up with us?â Liu Meiâer offered kindly.
âThatâs right!â Liu Tianâer immediately pulled on Shortie Qiuâs arm and said in a coquettish voice, âSenior Brother Qiu, canât you help out Senior Brother Yun Jiu?â
Shortie Qiu looked troubled. He did not dare to agree to Liu Tianâerâs request.
Danger lurked in all corners of the Yin Qi Graveyard. Not one place was safe in the vicinity. Shortie Qiu had already angered many of his teammates by letting two amateurs join his team and freeload off them.
He would just be dragging his entire team down further if he were to let another amateur onto the team.
At that moment, the Yin Qi Graveyard let out a clattering sound. The two large stone doors moved to the sides, and an eerily cold breeze blew at them from the other end of the graveyard.
Yun Jiuge acted as though she did not hear the Liu Sistersâ invitation. She clutched the amulet in one hand and walked straight into the graveyard.
Shortie Qiu heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, âWhat an unappreciative chap. We wonât bother with him, then. Letâs go!â
âOkay,â answered the Liu Sisters sweetly before following Shortie Qiu and the rest into the graveyard.
âTsk!â Broom Eyebrows Chen clicked his tongue before he made his way into the graveyard.
Tu Xingsun is a dwarf with a yellow face. He is a character that is used in the Chinese Opera.