Chapter 62

As everyone knows, he is a sword enthusiast who loves to play with swords. Although his cultivation is not high, he cares more about his sword than his wife.

He spends his days meticulously dressing up and decorating. In addition to seeking novelty, he bought a bunch of useless sword manuals, almost depleting all his private funds.

When asked for compensation, he lacked money.

He only has a large pile of miscellaneous books like “Flirting Sword Technique,” “Mantis Steps in Three Days,” and “Sadness of Frost, Joy of Fire.”

Zheng Weiqi has a special communication skill and immediately took over. “Miss, are you looking for money? We rushed down the mountain and only brought a few hundred spirit stones with us. It may be difficult to satisfy you.”

He Zhizhou sneered at the words.

A few hundred spirit stones are nothing to him.

—This is fate!!!

It is evident that the main reason he agreed to come to the Floating Tower with Ning Ning was to make some private money. Unexpectedly, before the chance for an artifact even appeared, he had already lost all his belongings.

Feeling uneasy, he heard the green-dressed girl say hoarsely, “I don’t want money. Are you really cultivators?”

Zheng Weiqi nodded. “Indeed.”

The reputation of the Xuanxu Sword Sect is enormous, and sometimes revealing one’s identity can attract unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, she added in a low voice, “Although we come from a small sect, if the young lady has any difficulties, feel free to speak candidly.”

“Even if it’s a small sect, disciples should still suppress demons, help the people, and relieve suffering. Now, I have become your creditor. If I want to ask for a little favor, there’s no reason for you to refuse, right?”

With these words, the four of them showed a sudden realization.

Fortunately, the Floating Tower is not too stingy. Despite He Zhizhou’s disruptive actions, they can still provide clues without holding a grudge.

Since the green-dressed girl is an important character, her request for a “little favor” must be closely related to the main plot of this tower.

Seeing that they did not refuse, the green-dressed girl took a deep breath. She randomly wiped her wet face, and when she lowered her sleeve, it was unclear whether the water stains on her face were tears or raindrops.

She looked inexperienced and should have been a delicate girl, born into an affluent family. Her eyes were full of indulgence and innocence cultivated by pampering. “My name is Chen Lubai. The reason I want your help is that something strange happened in my family’s mansion.”

She didn’t use “house” but “mansion.”.

It seems that Miss Chen Lubai’s background is indeed not low.

“My father is the county magistrate of this city, and there is an elder brother in our family.”

Chen Lubai picked up the umbrella under the willow tree, and when she glanced at He Zhizhou, she couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her eye. “My brother and sister-in-law got married half a year ago, and usually, they are like glue. But just five days ago, a rumor suddenly spread in the mansion, claiming that a servant went to fetch water by the well at midnight and unexpectedly saw—”

Ning Ning focused and held her breath, listening carefully to her narration.

“He actually saw my sister-in-law standing alone by the well. With both hands behind her neck, with a gentle pull, all the flesh and skin on her body peeled off, falling down like clothes!”

Chen Lubai shuddered as she spoke, displaying an expression of extreme disgust. “And beneath that flesh, there was only a blood-stained, grotesque skeleton, moving its body while cleaning the flesh in the water— it was a complete demon!”

Ning Ning and He Zhizhou exchanged a glance and continued to ask her in a calm tone, “But this is just a rumor. Miss, do you have any conclusive evidence for what you’re claiming?”

“You may not know this, but my elder brother has a pure yin constitution. The fortune-teller said that such a constitution is most favored by demons and monsters.”

Chen Lubai seemed somewhat annoyed, gritting her teeth. “Since the rumors spread, my father has found the most trustworthy Taoist priest in the city. Although the priest’s rituals didn’t force the demon to reveal its true form, it caused her to be unconscious for a whole day and night. When she woke up yesterday, she couldn’t speak, and she was extremely weak. It must have been harmed by the Taoist methods.”

After saying this, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, and her voice, now with less sobbing, continued, “I wonder if you’ve heard of legends about this kind of demon?”

In this world, there are all sorts of strange creatures, but as young disciples who spend most of their time on the mountain, they naturally wouldn’t be familiar with the mysterious demons found in the mundane world.

After a moment of silent mutual gaze, Pei Ji was the one to break the silence.

“It might be the Painting Enchantment.”

His tone was light, and when he sensed Ning Ning’s astonished gaze, he pursed his lips slightly. After a pause, he continued, “I’ve only heard about it in my childhood. Legend has it that this type of demon was born from the obsession of a tragically deceased woman. If it encounters deeply in love couples, it will feel jealousy and, on thin skin, depict the appearance of the wife, accompanying the husband in her place.”

Ning Ning rarely heard him speak so much. She smiled and asked, “What about the original wife?”

“It will be hidden in a cold place so that the painting enchantment can compare and perfect the painting skin day after day. When the painting skin is exactly the same as the original body, it will be her death.”

Pei Ji added, “The painting enchantment not only absorbs the man’s yang energy but also brings disaster to the area, leading to the destruction of families and the death of people. However—”

He furrowed his brows lightly, his tone without much fluctuation. “The Painting Enchantment has low cultivation; it’s just a mundane demon.”

He didn’t say the following words, but Ning Ning understood the implication.

According to Zheng Weiqi’s explanation, this level of the tower had extremely high difficulty, causing many disciples to be in distress. If it were just an ordinary Painting Enchantment, it would be too simple.

As the situation became clearer, it seemed more and more bizarre and strange. Everything felt like the calm before a storm, hiding a turbulent tsunami beneath the deep sea, ready to swallow them at any time.

However, with minimal clues and being pushed forward by the plot, they could only agree to Chen Lubai’s request and accompany her to the Chen Mansion.

The little girl finally smiled at the words, no longer having the face that lost five million lottery tickets before. “It’s a deal! I’ll take you to see that demon now!”

Seeing her relaxed expression, He Zhizhou, in order to salvage his image in the NPC’s heart, stepped forward and pretended to be profound. “Miss Chen, I have noticed something very important. I’m afraid others haven’t thought about it.”

Chen Lubai still seemed a little wary of him. She unwillingly turned her head to look at him and listened to He Zhizhou’s solemn addition: “The servant once said that when the Painting Enchantment put the painted skin into the well for cleaning, the water you use in your daily life is—”

Chen Lubai’s face suddenly collapsed.

Like a pile of fallen building blocks, her features quickly crumbled into a messy and exhausted mess.

“Sister.”

Her scalp tingled, and she forcefully pulled Zheng Weiqi’s sleeve, trying hard not to look at him.

“Did you come down the mountain to eliminate demons and earn money to treat that young master’s brain illness?”