A Gruesome Retrieval and an Unwanted Admirer

“Take the money and run. That was the plan.”

Lin Xingjian finally escaped from Yu Linglong’s boudoir and hurriedly found a secluded spot.

Intricately interwoven branches and leaves of the surrounding lush trees formed a dense, natural net, expertly concealing his form within its verdant depths.

He held his breath, his hands moving swiftly and precisely to tap various acupoints across his body.

His technique was both practiced and unerring.

His slender fingers danced nimbly between the acupoints, and as spiritual power surged, a faint halo of light shimmered at their tips.

In a flash, a powerful wave of nausea surged through him, akin to a tumultuous tide.

Lin Xingjian’s stomach violently churned, forcing him to bend over, his throat convulsing with painful retches, as if he might expel even his bile.

“Damn it, where is it?”

He straightened, his eyes wide in disbelief.

‘How could it not be there?’

‘It’s been less than a third of an incense stick’s time (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of time, roughly 5-10 minutes) since I swallowed it. There’s no way it could have digested so quickly. Could there be something peculiar about the Gu-worm nurtured by the Five-Poison Saint Body?’

His brows furrowed deeply, a flicker of unease stirring within his heart.

Lin Xingjian took a deep breath, steadying himself.

He forcefully suppressed his inner turmoil, resolving to try once more.

This time, his eyes gleamed with determination, and his fingers pressed into the acupoints with greater force.

As his spiritual power circulated wildly, it wasn’t long before an even more intense wave of nausea crashed over him, a powerful sensation of a foreign object erupting from deep within his throat.

He fixed his gaze, and there it was—the Gu-worm, finally expelled.

It lay on the ground, its slender body writhing, its fuzzy hairs trembling gently in the breeze.

“Vile creature, you tormented me for half a year, and then you even came into my belly to frolic. You certainly know how to enjoy yourself, don’t you?”

Lin Xingjian spat, his eyes filled with utter revulsion.

He raised his foot, intending to crush the Gu-worm, but just as his toe was about to descend, he stopped himself.

That wouldn’t do. After all, this Gu-worm was crucial for completing his mission.

After careful consideration, he circulated his spiritual power, condensing it into a stream of pure spiritual water.

The water stream resembled a nimble serpent, coiling around the Gu-worm.

He manipulated the spiritual water stream to thoroughly clean the Gu-worm, then carefully retrieved the container he had used before.

He placed the Gu-worm back inside, intending to hand it over to the employer who had commissioned him.

Prior to this, to prevent a repeat of the incident with Bai Qingxue of the Sword Dao Sect, Lin Xingjian had already contacted his employer via secret sound transmission before delivering the mission.

–Boss, I have already won Miss Yu Linglong’s heart. The rest is up to you.

–Oh, and I’m also handing over this nurtured Gu-worm to you.

–With this Gu-worm, I doubt Miss Yu Linglong will ever suspect a thing.

After completing this set of procedures, he conjured his flying sword.

The flying sword, long and slender, shimmered with a cold light, resembling a crescent moon.

He carefully placed the container with the Gu-worm atop the sword and channeled his spiritual power.

The flying sword streaked away like a beam of light towards the employer’s location, leaving a faint afterimage in its wake.

–Splendid, truly splendid! As expected of the Shadow Sect, the efficiency with which missions are completed is truly exceptional.

–Once I swallow this Gu-worm, ah~ Miss Yu Linglong’s heart will surely be mine!

The employer’s voice, trembling with a mix of excitement and eagerness, emanated from the secret sound transmission.

Lin Xingjian listened, a wave of speechlessness washing over him, and he rolled his eyes.

This employer, despite being told he only needed to possess the Gu-worm, insisted on swallowing it.

In any case, he had no intention of informing the other party that he had already swallowed the Gu-worm once himself.

With the transaction complete, Lin Xingjian received five hundred spirit stones.

As the five hundred spirit stones settled into his storage pouch, a visible sigh of relief escaped him, and his entire body relaxed.

Lin Xingjian’s eyes darted about, and with renewed shamelessness, he once again demanded a reward from the system.

The system, exasperated by his ‘shamelessness,’ didn’t even bother with pleasantries this time, simply bestowing the reward upon him.

Gazing at the reward granted by the system, Lin Xingjian couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation.

“Minor Accomplishment in Disguise Technique?”

His eyes instantly lit up.

The Shadow Sect’s cultivation techniques were categorized by levels.

Although the system had granted him the complete technique, it hadn’t provided him with the method for cultivation.

In essence, for these techniques to be cultivated to perfection, Lin Xingjian needed to constantly complete various missions for the Shadow Sect.

This arrangement presented both advantages and disadvantages.

The benefit was that he didn’t need to spend time and effort cultivating the techniques, allowing him to dedicate more energy to other matters.

The drawback, however, was akin to opening a blind box: what he received depended entirely on luck, making it full of uncertainty.

He had no idea what kind of reward he would receive for his next completed mission.

‘Before, my Disguise Technique was at Initial Accomplishment. Minor Accomplishment is still an acceptable upgrade.’

Lin Xingjian muttered to himself, not at all displeased with the system’s reward.

As he often said, even a mosquito’s leg, though small, is still meat (TL Note: A Chinese proverb meaning even a small gain is still a gain.).

The Shadow Sect’s cultivation techniques were divided into five levels: Initial Accomplishment, Minor Accomplishment, Proficient, Major Accomplishment, and Perfected.

If one could cultivate a technique to the Perfected level, they would become truly masterful, possessing extraordinary abilities.

Originally, when cultivating Shadow Sect techniques, each major stage also had ten minor stages, such as Initial Accomplishment First Stage, or Minor Accomplishment Third Stage.

The system directly bypassed these minor steps for Lin Xingjian, saving him a considerable amount of trouble.

He opened the other messages in his secret sound transmission, and in an instant, countless messages surged forth like a tide, almost overwhelming him.

–Where are you?

–Where have you gone? Have you fled?

–You can’t escape. You belong to me!

–I know where you are. You’d best return obediently, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise…

–You are mine. Come back to me!

All these messages were from Bai Qingxue of the Sword Dao Sect.

There were dozens, even hundreds of them, each brimming with such intense emotion that they seemed poised to devour him.

As Lin Xingjian read these messages, his hairs instantly stood on end, and a chill snaked up his spine.

‘She’s insane. This woman is absolutely mad.’

His mouth twitched, and he inwardly groaned, then unhesitatingly blocked Bai Qingxue’s secret sound transmission.