Lian Yunzhi fell into a blood-red swamp.
Something dragged at his ankle, constantly pulling him downward, making it hard for him to struggle or even breathe.
“Get off!”
Lian Yunzhi began to resist desperately.
“Don’t touch me! It’s filthy!”
The pulling force paused for a moment, then suddenly yanked Lian Yunzhi down with even greater strength! Seizing the opportunity, Lian Yunzhi slashed his sword through the swamp!
Red rain drizzled down from above. Lian Yunzhi discovered that the swamp had vanished, and he now stood in a blood-red river.
No, it wasn’t a river—the entire land as far as his eyes could see was covered in fresh red blood.
…What the hell was this place? So disgusting.
Lian Yunzhi summoned his flying sword and cast a rain avoidance spell to envelop himself tightly. He charged straight ahead.
He had no idea where the exit was, so whenever he spotted something strange, he swung his sword wildly.
After he chopped down a large tree, a crack suddenly split open in the blood-red world. Through that rift, he saw Mu Cheng’s face twisted in rage when his grandfather extracted his Myriad Absorption Spiritual Root.
Lian Yunzhi froze for a moment. Once he realized what it was, he immediately thrust his sword toward the crack!
But he was too late. The rift closed rapidly, and he failed to escape.
Even so, he learned one thing.
—This was Mu Cheng’s soul consciousness.
He had heard that forming a contract with a high-tier demon beast would allow one to receive the other party’s soul consciousness. Before being crippled, Mu Cheng had been at the Golden Core stage, which barely qualified him as a high-tier demon beast… Yes, it matched.
Lian Yunzhi’s eyes lit up immediately. High-tier demon beasts were rare encounters. It was said that successfully contracting with one would greatly advance one’s cultivation. He was now at Foundation Establishment Mid Stage—did that mean he’d reach Foundation Establishment Peak after getting out?!
Overjoyed, Lian Yunzhi twirled a sword flower in the air. Then he sheathed his sword behind his back and casually commanded, “I am your master. I’ll count to three. Release me right now, or I’ll tear you to shreds! Three, two, one—”
Seeing no reaction, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he raised his head high, gripped his longsword, and cleaved toward this domain with unstoppable momentum—
.
Mu Cheng dreamed of lying in the winter snow, sleeping peacefully.
When he woke, the sky had brightened, and Lian Yunzhi, cradled in his arms, was advancing in cultivation.
Mu Cheng gazed at this “master” who had saved him yet forced him to sign the Beast Taming Contract, his eyes filled with complex emotions. In the end, he closed his eyes and forced himself to accept it all.
This wasn’t a good place for advancing. Mu Cheng picked up Lian Yunzhi and headed toward another cave mansion.
Lian Yunzhi’s cave mansion was lavishly decorated, with even the floor covered in pale carpets that made it hard to step anywhere.
Mu Cheng glanced down at his dusty feet, then looked up and walked in without changing expression.
At the edge of Lian Yunzhi’s bed, piled high with brocades, he expressionlessly tossed the person in his arms onto it.
But after standing there for a while, he bent down again, fished Lian Yunzhi off the bed, and positioned him in a cross-legged meditation pose. He then retrieved several spirit stones from a treasure chest in the room and set up a Spirit Gathering Array around Lian Yunzhi.
Once finished, he opened Lian Yunzhi’s wardrobe, picked out a set of clothes that could cover the body, and left the cave mansion.
.
When Lian Yunzhi woke, he felt utterly refreshed—never so relaxed before. He checked his cultivation and found he had indeed reached Foundation Establishment Peak!
Delighted, Lian Yunzhi stretched lazily. Only then did he realize he was sitting cross-legged on his bed in his cave mansion, surrounded by several dull gray spirit stones. He poked one lightly with his finger, and it crumbled to dust instantly.
Could this be the Spirit Gathering Array from the books?
Set up by Mu Cheng?
It seemed that useless waste wasn’t entirely worthless.
Lian Yunzhi wanted to get out of bed to change clothes, but before his feet touched the ground, he saw a neat set of clean clothes, shoes, and socks laid out on a chair beside the bed.
His moon-white carpet was pristine as ever, with only faint traces of scrubbing visible.
.
Guided by the Beast Taming Contract, Lian Yunzhi found Mu Cheng by a nearby stream.
Mu Cheng wore an old shirt Lian Yunzhi had been about to discard. He sat on a large rock by the stream, washing… clothes.
Yes, washing clothes.
The former Mu Family Eldest Young Master now sat by the water, sleeves rolled up, bent over scrubbing the dirty clothes Lian Yunzhi had casually stripped off the night before and planned to throw away.
And he did it quite properly.
Upon closer inspection, the shoes and socks from yesterday had already been washed and were neatly displayed, clean and dry, on another rock.
Lian Yunzhi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Mu Cheng’s washing motions stopped. He turned his head quietly.
“Not bad,” Lian Yunzhi suppressed his laughter, coughed lightly, and praised him like one would a pet. “Looks like you’ve adapted well to your new role.”
Mu Cheng lowered his eyes, his tone calm. “Mu Cheng is now just a useless cripple. All he can do is wash Young Master Lian’s clothes.”
“Call me Master.” Lian Yunzhi corrected.
Mu Cheng: “…Yes, Master.”
