The dimly lit room creaked with the weight of Bubai's exhaustion as he slammed the wooden door shut behind him.

Leaning against the door, he rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the remnants of the bizarre encounter with WeiWei. His mind raced with the possibilities of what he had just experienced, and the fear of the unknown clung to him like a shroud.

"What in the world is she?" Bubai muttered to himself, his voice a hoarse whisper as he recalled the bewitching powers of the young, beautiful WeiWei.

As brief fragments of the event shadowed his mind once more, he abruptly straightened up, pushing himself away from the door, as if he was worried that in the next moment, his door would be kicked open and he would hear the iconic memes from a past life.

Unfortunately, his legs were shaky and he failed to get away from the door. Leaning back on the door, he weakly slid down and sank to the ground.

His eyes narrowed in contemplation, recalling his strange state not long ago, where he almost lost control of his own body. "If it wasn’t for the mysterious green qi… I’m afraid I would’ve become a puppet of pleasure already!"

He combed through his knowledge, fingers tapping rhythmically against the floor. "Either she awakened some special dual cultivation or charm physique, chanced upon a powerful dual cultivation technique, or..."

The worse case: WeiWei’s body had been possessed by some old monster or evil.

Rebirth? Reincarnation? Extraterrestrial? Who knows. Regardless, they were all recognized as the so-called ‘seizing the house’ or possession trope.

In this case, there is a high possibility that the other two uniqueness may also appear on WeiWei, and there might even be a full blown inheritance.

A shiver ran down Bubai's spine at the thought. "Fudge, I hope not because that’s something even Ling city could not deal with, let alone me, a mere early-stage Qi-refiner!"

Because there was a truth that held true in most cultivation novels, and perhaps even in this world: Possession is a signature ability of the Nascent Soul Stage or higher!

His worries didn’t end here...

Bubai drew a steadying breath, his gaze fixed on an unseen point of his body, where the hollow sensation radiated from. "What a loss! I’ve read about others being able to resist the charms of so and so demoness, and I thought my will was also strong enough, but it wasn’t until I enjoyed the real deal that I knew that all stories are a load of bull! What kind of will is required to resist that?!"

Although WeiWei was indeed beautiful, but it wasn’t to the point that Bubai would risk everything to indulge. He was not one to sacrifice his future for a woman.

Alas, he still fell because the truly dangerous part of the opponent was the strange unknown charm that radiated from her. It was unknown since when he had been affected, but this lesson was an awakening call.

Bubai recognized once more that he was a mere mortal, and there were many things he still can’t resist, even with his toughened mentality from years of endurance.

Blankly staring at the wall of his rather empty hut, Bubai shook his head in disbelief, his eyes widening slightly as if he could still see the haunting image of WeiWei. "No. This place I can’t stay much longer. Who knows if that evil fox will continue to target me. I have to find a way out as soon as possible!"

His thoughts instinctively went to the spirit rice grain stored in his seed space, "It seems I won’t be able to use them for cultivation after all."

The realization hit him like a wave. He couldn't rely solely on raising his cultivation to escape, not with the unknown threat that loomed in the form of WeiWei. He will have to find more clever means.

Pushing himself off the ground, Bubai staggered to his feet, determination etched on his face.

He pulled open his door and rushed out, just in time to see Manager Qin patrolling around, his eyes squinting as he scrutinized the men who were relaxing.

Bubai swiftly calmed himself, fixing his silly honest smile on his face. Walking up to Manager Qin, “Boss Qin-”

“Manager Qin.”

The man looked over, his eyes scanning Bubai up and down, “Do you happen to know where WeiWei is?”

Bubai’s heart lurched slightly, but his expression didn’t change, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, “I’m not sure Manager Qin.”

“Oh.” Manager Qin responded, his tone not betraying whether he believed it or not, “So, what are you coming to me for? Just saying, there can be no changes after the grains have been calculated.”

The corner of Bubai’s lips twitched slightly. “Manager Qin, I will never question your decision.”

“Oh… good. Good.” Manager Qin nodded in approval as he looked away, sweeping his gaze over the group of workers gathered up by Old Liu. The group seemed to be staring at Bubai with wary eyes, full of warning, and Manager Qin noticed this abnormality, “So…”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Bubai ignored the wary glares as he requested, “Manager Qin, I want to go to Ling City to make some purchases.”

Manager Qin swept his gaze over, staring at Bubai in silence for a moment before responding, “You have money?”

Ahem. Bubai cleared his throat before he awkwardly rubbed his belly, “I have some savings. Just didn’t want to waste them to fill my unending stomach.”

Manager Qin’s gaze rested on Bubai’s stomach as his lips twitched. In the end, he waved his hand in a magnanimous manner, “Go on, but be sure to be back by tonight or it will be considered that you are an escapee. At that time, the consequences…”

“Understood, understood.” Bubai patted his chest in confidence, “Don’t worry, Manager Qin, I will never disappoint you.”

Manager Qin nodded and walked past Bubai, heading towards the group of men. As Bubai turned away, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “Son of a gun. Another brewing disaster. This jerk probably wants to use me as a gun…”

Alas, he had no choice in these matters.

Approaching the edge of the farm, Bubai’s gaze sought out Ling City in the distance.

Manager Qin’s farm was located on the outskirts of Ling City, which could be considered one of the lower-quality ones.

The prime farms were built on top of the branches of the spirit veins that ran under Ling City, reserved for growing higher quality herbs.

In contrast, the farms on the outskirts, like Manager Qin's, were used to grow the bulk of the spirit rice circulating in Ling City.

Jogging out from the farm, Bubai journeyed a good distance away from the farm before he hid himself into the nearby forest. Here, he took off his dirty rags and changed into his clean set.

Taking out a black hooded robe he acquired through the little beggar, he put it on top before covering his face with a plain mask, concealing his visage.

Sniffing himself, Bubai frowned, but he didn’t waste time washing. A good appearance was useful for making purchases, but a bad smell could also be of use to deter some low-level tracking.

If necessary, he could wash later to eliminate his traces.

With quick steps, Bubai sprinted towards Ling City.

Ling City. Black Market.

Cultivators naturally won’t be conducting their exchanges alongside the mortal stalls that spread across Ling City.

From the little beggar, Bubai learned most loose cultivators come to this designated black market to make trades.

Most of those roaming here were cultivators, many hiding their appearances similar to Bubai.

Naturally, there were also some mortals who managed to sneak in, but it mattered not. Here, as long as they could pay, they could naturally get what they wanted.

Of course, whether what they got was genuine would have to depend on their own luck, knowledge, and eyesight.

With a determined stride, Bubai made his way through the shadowy lanes of the black market, sweeping his gaze over the many single-person booths evenly arranged on both sides of the street.

The air was thick with the scent of various goods and the low hum of haggling echoed from every side with occasional flickers of energy from unknown artifacts.

Behind some of these booths were mundane-looking stores, but Bubai knew behind each one may be a powerful cultivator or organization, and unlike the booths with a scam-like appearance, each store had a variety of reputable goods.

After browsing the stalls and booths for a bit, Bubai walked away without purchasing anything. He honestly don’t believe he could pick up any leeks with his current knowledge and without using a Qi-sensing technique.

It is already very difficult to recognize the different products on display, and it is even harder to distinguish the fakes from the genuine.

During his eight years back in the Cloud Sword Sect, Bubai did spend some of his funds to acquire booklets detailing herbs and treasures to look out for when traveling.

Although these booklets came with an image, they were simply paintings.

Later, Bubai stopped purchasing these booklets because he learned joining the outer sect was the most important.

Once reaching the mid-stage of Qi-refining, a cultivator would finally be able to view the information engraved in jade slips, and it was in these jade where the realistic, detailed image of these booklets were engraved.

The booklets sold to the handyman disciples were ones that could be sold to mortals, and the quality… was rather questionable.

“Ha… The difficulties of not having a background.” Letting out a sigh, Bubai eventually came to a stop before a store named ‘Heavenly Path’.

Despite its grandiose name, Bubai had learned from the little beggar that this was one of the stores selling products that catered to mortals and low-level qi-refiners.

Entering the modest-looking shop, Bubai started browsing various items off the shelves, all the while keeping an eye on the entrance.

The shopkeeper, an elderly man with a long white beard, sat at the counter and watched him dubiously.

Basic pills, low-level martial arts techniques, mortal armor and weapons – refined to strengthen its toughness and durability…

All of these could be used by mortals and early-stage qi refiners because they do not require the input of Qi.

After checking the prices and noticing the coast was clear, Bubai approached the counter, placing a small pouch in front of the shopkeeper. “Any disguise techniques?”

Peering into the pouch to see the grains of spirit rice, the shopkeeper weighed the pouch in his hand to inspect the goods, then looked up at Bubai with a knowing smile. “Ah, I’ve got just the thing for you…”

The elderly man searched below the counter for a bit before pulling out a booklet and placing it on the table, “101 Ways to Disguise Your Appearance.”

Slap. Bubai’s hand reached out and calmly pressed down the sneakily retracting hand holding his pouch of spirit rice, “Does this actually work? My opponent may not be fooled by normal disguise techniques.”

The elderly man pried Bubai’s fingers off his wrist one by one, “And, what level of opponent are you looking to hide from?”

“Nascent Soul Stage.”

The elderly old man jumped slightly in his seat, sitting upright as he stared silently at Bubai. After a moment, he pushed the pouch of spirit rice back to Bubai and said in a solemn tone, “Lad, I would suggest you go prepare yourself a coffin instead. I’m afraid I can’t do your business.”

The corner of Bubai’s lips twitched as he replied, “I’m just saying, not really a Nascent Soul cultivator… do you think they would pay attention to an ant like me?”

Listening to him say this, the body of the elderly old man relaxed as his hand retrieved the pouch, “Well… I’ve seen cases like you. You want a better disguise technique, and I certainly have one. But…”

The duo fell into silence as the shopkeeper raised his hand, rubbing his thumb and finger together, a sly grin playing on his wrinkly face.

Coming out from the store with a box clamped in his arm, Bubai winced as he felt the empty pouches hidden in different spots on his body. “Does he have x-ray powers or something?”

Albeit reluctant, Bubai still decisively parted with his spirit rice because he felt it was definitely a gain this time.

When Bubai sensed the sparse grains of spirit rice still remaining in his storage space, he was still glad he didn’t bring them along. “Cursed capitalists.”

Licking his parched lips, Bubai then focused his gaze on the box, “With this, even if I can’t hide from powerful cultivators, I should still be able to escape from the pursuit of the catchers in charge of arresting mortals.”