Chapter 142

Today marks the third day since Ning Xu arrived at the Valley of a Hundred Gu, as well as the third day since the Melon-Eating System temporarily went offline due to a system upgrade.

Three Days Ago

That day happened to be the one-year anniversary of Moon Laurel Pavilion’s grand reopening.

A year ago, its first-ever promotional event was a massive success. The place was bustling with noise and excitement, packed with guests coming and going. The revenue for that day alone reached a staggering eight-figure sum. The male and female models were fully booked, without a moment of rest.

One particularly wealthy patron—a rich lady—splurged a fortune to reserve Snake Bro for an entire day.

Snake Bro’s hourly rate was already high, and with this single transaction, the rich lady alone contributed more than half of that day’s total spirit stone earnings. Later, she even approached Ning Xu, offering a hefty price to buy Snake Bro’s freedom.

At the time, the Melon-Eating System burst into laughter, mockingly commenting that the rich lady must have found “true love” in a pleasure house. It even cruelly pointed out that, at her age, she was still naïve enough to believe in such things.

Cold-blooded creatures like snakes were naturally indifferent—how could Snake Bro possibly abandon his master and leave with a complete stranger?

As expected, the deal fell through. Once outside working hours, Snake Bro couldn’t even be bothered to smile at the rich lady, making it clear that he had no interest in her. Ironically, it was exactly this air of detached disdain that she found irresistible.

To Ning Xu’s surprise, the rich lady wasn’t the only one with such intentions.

That same day, a male cultivator also attempted to buy out Fox Yao’s contract—only to be fiercely scolded by the latter. Fox Yao, with a cold face, loudly declared his undying loyalty to Ning Xu, vowing to serve her for life.

As if that declaration had triggered something, the other male and female models quickly followed suit, all pledging their lifelong allegiance to Ning Xu.

It was only then that the customers realized how resolute they were, finally giving up on the idea of redeeming them.

At the time, the Melon-Eating System sneered, saying, “These people think they’re giving the models a stable future by buying them out, but in reality, they’re just blocking their path to wealth—and to ascension.”

Blocking one’s path to ascension was an unforgivable offense. Did these people really expect those demon clans to be grateful?

The demons working at Moon Laurel Pavilion were far from weak or pitiful. Ning Xu never forced them into unfair contracts—they were free to leave anytime.

But even if Ning Xu wanted them gone, they refused to leave.

They clung to the place stubbornly.

The Rise of Moon Laurel Pavilion

After that first promotional event, Moon Laurel Pavilion became an overnight sensation. The event had been such a resounding success that no other pleasure house could replicate it.

The Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area was flooded with posts praising Moon Laurel Pavilion. Ning Xu, as its owner, was frequently mentioned.

Cultivators who had missed the event were filled with regret, lamenting their misfortune on the forums. Some even spammed posts, declaring how foolish they felt for not attending. Eventually, Ning Xu had to personally reassure them, announcing that there would be another promotional event the following year. Only then did the complaints subside.

With the first year’s stellar reputation, attendance for the second year’s event doubled.

The entrance fee for Moon Laurel Pavilion’s main hall was far from cheap, yet cultivators rushed in as if possessed.

Over the past year, the number of demon models at Moon Laurel Pavilion had grown significantly, surpassing a hundred for both men and women. Their rates had also risen, yet there was no shortage of cultivators willing to spend lavishly on them.

At that time, the Melon-Eating System had clicked its tongue in amusement, remarking, “So many fools with too many spirit stones in the cultivation world.”

And indeed, there were plenty.

All of them practically threw their money at Ning Xu.

Even the Divine Maiden and Divine Prayer siblings had come this time, contributing to her revenue.

Elder Wu Lüchen’s grandfather also stopped by to join the festivities. After ensuring that Elder Wu took good care of their guests, Ning Xu departed with Si Yan for the Valley of a Hundred Gu.

Entering the Valley of a Hundred Gu

Over the past year, Ning Xu had successfully advanced to the Spirit Transformation Stage, meeting the minimum requirement to enter the Valley of a Hundred Gu.

Of course, this wasn’t a strict requirement—cultivators at or below the Nascent Soul Stage could enter as well. The only problem was that they would be highly susceptible to being controlled by gu worms. The Valley of a Hundred Gu housed not just a few hundred types of gu worms—some were so powerful that even Body Integration Stage cultivators found them troublesome.

For weaker cultivators, entering the valley was practically suicide.

At that time, the Melon-Eating System was on the verge of upgrading. It wanted Ning Xu to delay her journey until after its upgrade was complete.

But Ning Xu understood that sooner or later, she would have to explore new worlds on her own. She couldn’t rely on the Melon-Eating System forever.

Now that the system was temporarily offline for the upgrade, she saw it as an opportunity to sharpen her skills.

The Valley of a Hundred Gu was the perfect training ground.

For Ning Xu, being without the system wasn’t an immediate issue.

However, Si Yan, who had entered the valley with her, had encountered a problem.

He had been cursed with a gu worm by a powerful demon that had followed them into the valley.

For a Body Integration Stage cultivator, this gu worm was dangerous—but not life-threatening.

Under normal circumstances, Si Yan would have had no trouble suppressing it until he forced it out of his body. However, his divine sense was unstable, making the situation much more complicated.

And the reason for Si Yan’s unstable divine sense—

Was Si Cang.

Back then, Si Cang was besieged and killed in the Endless Sea. Unwilling to vanish completely, he left himself a way out.

No one knew exactly what method he used, but somehow, he was reborn within Si Yan’s body, merging his consciousness with Si Yan’s.

Although Si Yan was his reincarnation, they had distinct consciousnesses.

The process of merging their consciousnesses was extremely dangerous and not foolproof.

The most obvious side effect was—unstable divine sense, constantly at risk of collapsing.

Yet Si Yan was too good at pretending. He always acted as if nothing was wrong, which was why Ning Xu was only realizing the severity of his condition now. This was far from a minor issue—she had no idea how he had managed to act so unaffected all this time.

After being afflicted by the gu worm, his already unstable divine sense grew even more chaotic. His sea of consciousness was like an ocean caught in a Category 10 hurricane—violent waves surging, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Eliminating the “Divine Sense Gu” was now an urgent priority.

Ning Xu didn’t know why that powerful demon had targeted them, and with the Melon-Eating System offline, she had no choice but to set aside the question for now and focus on Si Yan.

At this moment, his eyes were shut tightly, his face calm, but Ning Xu knew that within his sea of consciousness, a storm was raging.

She spoke, her voice steady, carrying a reassuring strength.

“Si Yan, can you hear me?”

“If you can, I want you to know—I’m going to enter your sea of consciousness and help you eradicate the gu worm.”

A ripple of emotion flickered across Si Yan’s previously serene face.

Entering another person’s sea of consciousness was an intimate act—under normal circumstances, it was akin to a spiritual union.

But the current situation was anything but normal, and there was no room for such comparisons.

Si Yan’s sea of consciousness was now a chaotic, apocalyptic battlefield.

Ning Xu, however, didn’t dwell on it. She treated it as a routine matter, focusing solely on the urgency of the situation. In her mind, there was no room for any unnecessary thoughts—her only concern was eliminating the gu worm.

If the Melon-Eating System were online right now, it would undoubtedly be losing its mind, hyping this up as a major “ship moment.”

Not only would it be shipping them enthusiastically, but it would also be spouting all sorts of suggestive commentary, celebrating this “key development” in its favorite CP(Couple pairing).

Unfortunately, it was offline.

For now, there was no one around to indulge in sweet, romantic fantasies.