Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Entering a Dream to Seek the Truth, Fact or Fiction

In the hazy "Immortal Realm," Yu Shu was of course unaware that this "Yellow-robed Immortal" was in fact Song Ciwan in disguise.

Song Ciwan said, "You are stained with sin, yet you have blundered into this place. Why have you not departed?"

That final word, "departed," was no ordinary sound. As it left her lips, it was accompanied by thunder.

In an instant, thunderclouds gathered and howled in the sky. The sound of muffled thunder rolled in, shaking Yu Shu so violently it felt as if his very organs were being displaced.

Yu Shu stumbled and fell to the ground in a panic, then hastily scrambled back up. In his heart, he felt both awe and envy for the Immortal Master’s power.

He rushed to defend himself. "Immortal Master, I have always been diligent and good... goo..."

For some reason, as he tried to say the word "good," Yu Shu’s tongue seemed to tie itself in knots.

He was actually trying to say he was diligent and good, but after stammering for a good while, he found he simply couldn’t finish the word.

At this point, how could Yu Shu fail to understand? The Immortal could perceive the smallest detail; there was nothing about a mortal’s life that They couldn’t see through.

What was the use of his empty denials?

The thought that he had clearly been blessed with an immortal encounter, only for it to slip through his fingers, filled Yu Shu with a sudden, deep sorrow, a mix of pain and regret.

He had a certain crafty cunning, so he opened his mouth again, this time to let out a loud wail. "Immortal Master, I never wanted to do evil! It’s just... I’ve been in the manor since I was a child, born a servant. When the master gives an order, how could I possibly disobey? I was truly forced into it!"

"Immortal Master, I know I was wrong! Please, grant me a chance to repent. From this day forward, I swear I will turn over a new leaf and become a new man!"

The "Yellow-robed Immortal" nodded slightly. "If you wish to repent, you must first understand your sins. You say you were wrong, so tell me—where, precisely, did you err?"

"I..." Yu Shu opened his mouth, but then he froze.

In Song Ciwan’s vision, the Heaven and Earth Scale slowly materialized.

[Human Desires: Greed, obsession, joy. Weight: two jin, three taels. Tradable.]

[Human Desires: Sorrow, fear, regret. Weight: one jin, eight taels. Tradable.]

Song Ciwan looked at the two clouds of energy. She wasn’t surprised, but she did feel a touch of delight.

She had originally just wanted to grab a suitable person and plunder their life experiences to make it easier for her to infiltrate the manor.

This person, however, was providing her with a wealth of emotional energy. That was just an added bonus. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

An added bonus was something not just to be taken, but to be milked for all it was worth.

And so, Song Ciwan threw herself into the role of the "Yellow-robed Immortal."

She carefully guided Yu Shu’s emotions, making him joyful one moment, anxious the next, and then utterly terrified.

One moment, he was beating his chest and stamping his feet, filled with regret; the next, he was weeping and wailing, hating the capriciousness of fate.

’How could a person’s emotions be so rich?’

’No, a person’s emotions could be richer still.’

’It’s all because this man before me is truly evil!’

’Just listen to the things he’s saying.’

"That Xiaoya was just a fool herself. I... I just gave her some candy, and she followed me to the manor."

"I couldn’t bear to do it, really. But him, Young Master Xu... he has a preference for the tender ones. He doesn’t like buying them for the manor, and he finds the ones brought in through proper betrothals sickening. Only the ones around ten years old, abducted or tricked—he says those are the ones that are ’exciting’..."

"SOB, I really couldn’t bear to do it! But if I hadn’t done it, the Young Master would have gone after my own little sister!"

"I had no choice! I didn’t want to, I really didn’t want to!"

He wept until his face was contorted, pounding his hands on the ground until the skin was torn and blood dripped from his ruined flesh. Another cluster of intense emotion was collected by the Heaven and Earth Scale.

But at this very moment, Song Ciwan’s emotions were even more intense than his!

A torrent of rage, like a volcano in the Abyss, erupted violently, surging straight to the crown of her head.

Song Ciwan had never been as furious as she was at this moment!

She practiced the Cultivation of the Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting, and her emotions had grown increasingly stable. For someone to anger her to this degree... that Young Master Xu was the absolute first!

After battering his hands raw, Yu Shu continued, "The Young Master loves fresh ’skins.’ After he’s... finished with someone, he has them skinned. He makes their skin into beautiful clothes to hang in his secret chamber. I’m only responsible for taking the bodies to the Zhi Garden..."

Song Ciwan didn’t understand the term at first, so she asked, "What is the Zhi Garden?"

Yu Shu said cautiously, "It’s a place the Young Master set up specifically to raise various insects and vermin. The creatures feed on human flesh to increase their malevolent aura. They also devour each other to create Gu worms. I... I have never personally seen the Zhi Garden, I’ve only heard things. The people responsible for raising the creatures there are all the Young Master’s most trusted confidants..."

Song Ciwan said, "And you are not one of his confidants?"

Yu Shu faltered, a sheepish look on his face.

’Of course I’m considered a confidant. If I weren’t, how could I know so many secrets?’

Song Ciwan said, "Continue."

This time her tone was much calmer and more detached. Yet, the inferno of her fury was only being compressed, growing deeper and heavier within her.

Yu Shu said, "Our Young Mistress was actually pregnant once. The manor’s physician had just found out, but the Young Master forbade him from saying anything. He then ordered me to deliver a censer of incense. After it was used, the Young Mistress miscarried. She never found out; she just thought she was feeling unwell that month."

This sin was certainly an inhuman one, but compared to what he had confessed before, it almost seemed to pale in comparison.

As such, Yu Shu recounted it matter-of-factly, mentioning it only in passing.

He continued, "After that, the Young Mistress found it difficult to conceive and hasn’t been pregnant in all the years since. The Young Master often orders me to deliver the incense..."

"The Yan Family was originally in decline. Then one day, the uncle of the Yan Family obtained a recipe for something called Essence of Flavor. That Essence of Flavor is miraculous. Any dish, cooked simply, becomes incredibly savory just by adding a pinch. Even an ordinary cook with no real skill can make an extraordinary meal with it. Because of this, the Yan Family gradually started to recover..."

"After Young Master Xu learned about this Essence of Flavor, he ordered me to stop delivering the incense to the Young Mistress."

"Later, the Young Master said that the Yan Family uncle’s recipe actually came from some Divine Dao Cultivator."

"Then the Young Master ordered me to deliver a Talisman to the Yan Family uncle."

"I knew... that Talisman wasn’t for anything good. It was probably meant to spy on the Yan Family uncle."

"The Young Master is very interested in the Divine Dao Cultivator who gave the recipe to the Yan Family uncle."

"I... I am powerless to do anything!"

At this, Yu Shu started wiping his tears again.

This time, however, his tears were somewhat insincere; after all, the Heaven and Earth Scale didn’t stir.

Perhaps from Yu Shu’s perspective, his master plotting against a "Divine Dao Cultivator" didn’t really count as a serious evil act.

If Song Ciwan hadn’t demanded he explain every single "evil deed" he had ever done in minute detail, Yu Shu probably wouldn’t have bothered to rack his brain and mention it.

Of course, Yu Shu couldn’t see that as he spoke of the Yan Family uncle, the Essence of Flavor recipe, and the Divine Dao Cultivator, the "Immortal" before him—so high and mighty, riding a crane through the air—was feeling both shock and a dawning comprehension behind her illusory facade.