Luo Yuni asked softly, "Do you want to cultivate a House Spirit? Why go through so much trouble? I am willing to be your House Spirit; there’s one right here. Why don’t you want me?"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why don’t you tell me the method for cultivating a House Spirit?"
Luo Yuni shook her head. "It’s time-consuming and laborious, really of no use."
Li Banfeng’s eyes drooped. "Your concealing things from me proves your sincerity is insufficient!"
Luo Yuni sighed lightly. "Very well, I will comply with your wishes."
The Clock Pendulum swayed, and the story within the Light Halo continued to unfold.
The Lost Souls of the couple were hung on a willow tree, watching Luo Yuni with infatuation.
Who knows how many years passed. One after another, about a dozen families moved into this house. None could stay long before they died at Luo Yuni’s hands, their Lost Souls filling up the willow trees surrounding the courtyard.
As the viewpoint shifted, Li Banfeng was surprised by the size of the courtyard. The courtyard in the scene was much larger than the one Li Banfeng had seen.
Another family moved in: a gaunt woman, looking to be in her thirties, with two children.
After the woman entered the house and lived there for a few days, her lean cheeks gradually filled out, and her pale skin regained some color.
Her once-dull gaze became spirited, and she seemed to have more energy while doing housework.
Li Banfeng thought.
While cleaning and dusting in the main room, she would sniff around, as if she could smell a different scent.
Standing in the courtyard to cool off, she would gaze up at the surrounding willow trees, as if she could sense the souls on them.
She frequently fell into deep thought. With her reflection, the entire house seemed to become quieter and more profound.
One day, she brought back several bundles of old newspapers and carefully flipped through them, one by one.
She picked out a dozen or so papers, scrutinizing the news and every photo in the articles.
She didn’t recognize many of the words, but she knew the photos.
she realized.
Late at night, after lulling her two children to sleep in an east-side room, she came to the main room alone.
She lit a candle and stared intensely at the old clock.
Holding her breath, the room fell silent.
Li Banfeng carefully watched the woman’s every move, realizing that staring at the clock was a key element.
In the woman’s pupils, the reflection of the clock was clearly visible.
Faintly, he could hear her heartbeat slowing. The entire house vibrated with her heartbeats, and the willow trees outside trembled in unison.
They fused.
Li Banfeng could sense from the light and shadows that the woman and this house had merged.
This was the power of Home Cultivation.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The clock chimed. The Spirit Attribute in the woman’s eyes came alive as she sensed the presence of the House Spirit.
The woman took a deep breath and called out her name, "Luo Yuni!"
DONG!
Eleven-thirty. A single chime of the clock.
Luo Yuni’s voice echoed in Li Banfeng’s ears, "She heard the clock chime. From that moment on, I became her House Spirit."
Li Banfeng asked, "Didn’t you confirm with her face to face?"
In the scenes Li Banfeng saw, Luo Yuni never appeared alongside the woman.
Luo Yuni’s laughter rang out. "For thirty long years, I never showed her my true face or let her hear my voice. At most, I would give her some hints. To even look at her once more would make me feel disgusted.
"She dedicated herself to pleasing me, and seventy percent of the Lost Souls hanging on the trees were gifts from her. I have never been grateful to her, not to mention that her livelihood depended on such practices.
"I had no choice but to cultivate with her. My comprehension is much better than hers, and my cultivation level is also much higher. I could have helped her reach a higher cultivation level, but I only let her cultivate to the First Layer because I detest her."
Li Banfeng was also curious about this. The old lady was so old, yet why had she only reached the First Layer of cultivation level? "Isn’t it said that ten years of cultivation can lead to advancing one layer? She has cultivated for thirty years, so why is she still at the First Layer?"
Hearing this, Luo Yuni shook her head slightly. "You’re a strange person," she said. "You kill like a hardened veteran, but you speak like a naive child.
"Cultivators follow the prescribed path. Without any mishaps or errors, it takes ten years to achieve one layer of cultivation level.
"How many Cultivators can claim they had no mishaps in those ten years? And how many can say they made no errors in that time? It’s extremely rare for a Cultivator to advance from the First Layer to the Second Layer in ten years."
Li Banfeng asked, "Then what errors did the old crone make that prevented her from reaching the Second Layer even after thirty years?"
Luo Yuni laughed. "Her errors concern me. If a Home Cultivator and the House Spirit do not resonate, the House Spirit will suppress the Home Cultivator. That old witch disgusted me so much that even if she cultivated for another hundred years, she would forever remain at the First Layer."
Both the Peddler and Ma Wu had said that the House Spirit was the key to Home Cultivation. If one did not get along with the House Spirit, their cultivation level would not improve.
At this point, Luo Yuni let out a long sigh. "You have no idea how repulsive that old woman is. For thirty years, she stayed away from men and didn’t allow her sons to touch any women. She would go crazy if I even spoke a single word to her two sons.
"She wouldn’t even let her sons leave the house, forcing them to spend their entire lives with her in this residence.
"Her eldest son, Decai, had practiced martial arts since he was young and wanted to buy medicine from the Peddler to pursue Martial Cultivation, but the old crone wouldn’t allow it. At thirty-five, she pressured him into Poison Cultivation. Decai, barely literate, randomly mixed medicines using a few old books and nearly poisoned himself to death.
"The second son, Demao, also trained in martial arts, which the old crone also forbade. He was somewhat luckier, having managed to buy Martial Cultivator’s medicines secretly with the help of the Jiang Xiang Gang. He reached the First Layer last year. But without proper guidance, he could only learn some routines by reading books. Against someone like you who doesn’t follow routines, he had no choice but to die.
"Encountering such a vile person, I’ve been longing for her to be gone from this residence. Why would I allow her cultivation level to progress?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "That is indeed repulsive. Even hearing about it is disgusting."
Li Banfeng held back from asking this question.
All the images disappeared, leaving only Luo Yuni applying makeup as she faced Li Banfeng. She smiled seductively at him and said,
"From the moment you entered this mansion, I knew you were my true master.
"If I were to exert my full strength, you wouldn’t stand a chance against that old woman. You wouldn’t have a sliver of hope for victory.
"But I’ve taken a liking to you. Just call out my name, and I’ll be yours. Come on, I’m waiting for you, Master!"
For any other man, that call of "Master!" would have made him abandon all resistance.
But Li Banfeng remained unmoved. He shook his head and said nothing.
Luo Yuni furrowed her brows slightly. "Don’t you want me?" she asked.
"It’s not that I don’t want you," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head.
Luo Yuni pondered for a moment, trying to gauge Li Banfeng’s thoughts. "You dislike this way of life. You saved that mother and daughter. You are a kindhearted person.
"I too detest this way of life. I’m sick of the days spent killing. I’m willing to disperse all the Lost Souls from this mansion. As long as you take me in, I am willing to live a humble life with you."
Luo Yuni slowly reached out her hand toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng did not take her hand. He silently moved away from his position directly facing the old clock.
The old clock was Luo Yuni’s true form, but her Soul was not necessarily always inside it.
Take now, for example.
Visually, it appeared that Li Banfeng was speaking directly to Luo Yuni.
But, judging from the reflection in the Clock Pendulum, Li Banfeng and Luo Yuni were in the same room, both facing the old clock.
To put it another way, they were likely sitting in the same spot, very close to one another.
At this moment, Luo Yuni’s Soul was by Li Banfeng’s side, or possibly just behind him.
PS: Today’s furious update is 8,000 words! Please vote and leave comments for Shala!