Ye Qinglian didn’t notice Chen Qing’s gloating and continued sharing the information she knew.
“This remaining group of White Lotus Cultists has absorbed many eccentric experts from the Jianghu. That unusual Corpse Puppet from yesterday was the work of these Jianghu folks.”
“That Corpse Puppet’s strength far exceeded that of an ordinary one. It absolutely couldn’t have been achieved with a regular Puppet Refining Technique.”
“Senior indeed noticed it too. This group of White Lotus Cultists is hiding in the shadows without showing themselves, and their methods are quite mysterious. They’re even more troublesome than ordinary Jianghu forces.”
After Ye Qinglian finished speaking, Su Mu just happened to lift her head, which had been buried in her meal.
She couldn’t understand what Chen Qing and Ye Qinglian were talking about, but it seemed like the Villain was going to help this person.
If the Villain focused on helping her, then Su Mu might be able to take a temporary break.
Seeing the excited glint in Silly Shizun’s eyes, Chen Qing immediately guessed what she was thinking.
But before she could say anything, Su Mu’s attention was drawn by the System’s prompt in her mind.
【Ding! Plot Mission triggered: Assist Ye Qinglian in ‘exterminating’ the White Lotus Remnants. Mission reward: Martial Skill Talent.】
Su Mu glanced at the mission objective and then immediately fixed her gaze on the mission reward.
“System, what does this Martial Skill Talent do?”
Su Mu asked curiously and excitedly.
【This Martial Skill Talent will allow Su Mu to have higher comprehension when learning skills like swordsmanship or spearmanship, and faster cultivation speed.】
“Oh! It’s like adding several points to talent all around.”
【The Host can understand it that way.】
Hearing the System’s affirmative response, Su Mu’s clear little eyes instantly lit up.
Although this Scamming System pitted her every day, today it finally showed the proper function of a system.
Right now, she had the Internal Energy of a Second-Rate Warrior but no moves to back it up. Once she gained this Martial Skill Talent,
she could learn all kinds of sword, spear, halberd, and more. After mastering them, she would finally have some power to resist in front of Chen Qing.
Watching Su Mu fantasize about a bright future, the System hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to speak.
It really wanted to tell its Host that even if she learned every weapon skill in the world,
and multiplied her strength by ten times, she might have just a tiny bit of resistance against Chen Qing.
But to maintain the Host’s enthusiasm for the mission, the System obediently stayed silent.
After hearing the System’s reward explanation, Su Mu eagerly turned to Ye Qinglian.
“I, I can help too!”
Ye Qinglian looked at Su Mu’s slender frame and turned her gaze to Chen Qing.
After all, whether Su Mu could join was up to Chen Qing to decide.
Chen Qing found Silly Shizun’s drastic change in attitude a bit strange.
Given Silly Shizun’s usual timid and cowardly nature that feared death, how could she possibly volunteer for something like this? She would probably prefer to stay far away.
Being stared at by Chen Qing like this, Su Mu felt a flicker of uneasy guilt in her eyes.
“I, I really want to help.”
“No, this is very dangerous. You should stay obediently in the Inn.”
Seeing the guilt flashing in Silly Shizun’s eyes, Chen Qing became even more determined not to let her go.
She didn’t know why Silly Shizun suddenly wanted to join, but whenever she showed that look, she was definitely hiding something from her.
“I won’t hold you back!”
Seeing Chen Qing reject her so decisively, Su Mu was so annoyed her teeth itched.
Just you wait. Once I complete the mission and learn flying daggers, I’ll sneak up behind you and stab you to death!
“There are many unknown risks in this matter. To prevent accidents, the young lady and Highness should stay in the Inn together.”
Wu Ran glanced at Su Mu’s slender little frame and said tactfully.
Seeing Chen Qing and Wu Ran’s attitudes, Su Mu knew she couldn’t go with them. It seemed she could only stay in the Inn for now and look for another opportunity.
After the meal, Chen Qing and Wu Ran followed the existing intelligence and began searching for traces of the White Lotus Cultists around the Small Town.
Only Ye Qinglian and Su Mu were left in the Inn.
Looking at the empty room, Su Mu sneakily poked her head out and checked the doorway and windows.
Confirming that Chen Qing had left the Inn, she pulled a Small Porcelain Bottle from under the bed.
She carefully opened the porcelain bottle, revealing two pale blue Gu Worms inside, shimmering with crystalline blue light.
【Host, aren’t you afraid of the Villain’s warning to you?】
Seeing Su Mu’s actions, the System knew what she was up to.
But it could tell that Su Mu had always been somewhat afraid of the Gu Technique before. It seemed she had finally made up her mind now.
“Hmph! That mere Villain. Once I master the Gu Technique, I’ll feed her a bowl of shit and lock her alone in a dark room!”
Su Mu cursed Chen Qing fiercely in her heart a couple of times to bolster her courage.
She pulled out a small silver knife hidden in her bosom, gritted her teeth, and slashed her finger.
The sensation of her skin being cut made Su Mu involuntarily shrink her finger.
After watching the bright red liquid seep from her fingertip, she held her finger over the Small Porcelain Bottle.
Two drops of warm liquid fell onto the blue Gu Worms. The bloody scent instantly agitated the previously still worms, which crawled onto the blood drops and frantically devoured them.
Watching the bloodstained Gu Worms, Su Mu put her cut finger in her mouth to ease the pain and disinfect it at the same time.
Su Mu had avoided learning the Gu Technique before.
First, she was afraid of being discovered by Chen Qing. If Chen Qing found out she had ignored her warning and practiced this shady Gu Technique, the Villain absolutely wouldn’t let her off.
Second, it was because this self-mutilation-like cultivation method was at the core of the Gu Technique: feeding the Gu Worms with one’s own blood and then controlling them.
Slashing her finger like this and feeding a bit of blood was already quite gentle.
After the two drops of bright red blood were completely devoured by the Gu Worms in the bottle, Su Mu carefully sealed the bottle.
These Gu Worms needed to be tamed and fed daily. Thinking about having to cut herself every day, Su Mu’s pretty face fell.
To prevent Chen Qing from discovering her Gu Worm feeding, Su Mu knelt on the floor and hid the Small Porcelain Bottle under the bed.
She carefully adjusted its position to ensure it wouldn’t be easily found before standing up from the floor with relief.
Just as Su Mu stood up, there was a knock at the door.
“Hello, esteemed guest. Someone asked me to deliver something to you.”
“Deliver something to me?”
The waiter outside the door puzzled Su Mu.
The Villain was out searching for traces of the White Lotus Cult, so no one should be sending her anything.
Though suspicious, Su Mu still walked over and opened the door.
But as soon as Su Mu opened the door, a hard, cold dagger pressed against her abdomen.
“Esteemed guest, here’s your delivery.”
