I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

"!!! !!!" 

Pay Ling's heart jolted with heavy shock, cold sweat bursting forth like a torrential flood in an instant.

Willow tilted her head slightly, her icy little hand brushing against his cheek in a gesture that seemed almost affectionate. Her fingers crept upward, bit by bit, as she cooed in a soft, honeyed voice, "Young sir Pay Ling, didn't you say you'd tell me all and everything you know? So why haven't you said a word yet?"

As she spoke, her fingertip pressed against the center of his forehead. A chilling frost radiated outward, piercing straight to his marrow. With a saccharine smile, she added, "Or do I have to turn you into a lampshade like Sister Joanie said—rip out your soul and refine it into a lamplight—before you'll talk?"

"I—" Pay Ling tried to explain, but he'd barely choked out a single syllable when an invisible force pinned him in place. Helpless, he could only watch as Willow's finger trailed slowly downward from his brow, tracing a deliberate path. Her nails were impossibly long, pitch-black, and shimmered with a faint, eerie blue glow. They were razor-sharp, and though they hadn't yet touched his skin, the sensation that they'd peel it clean off in the next moment felt all too real.

His heart thundered in his chest, yet he couldn't force a sound past his lips. Just then, Willow let out a tinkling giggle, her tone softening. "And—, do you know why the Mistress didn't just slap you dead in the lodge earlier?"

What?!

Pay Ling's heartbeat skipped, and if he weren't bound by that invisible force, he'd have cried out in sheer panic.

This ghostress knew?!

She knew everything?!

Then why hadn't she stepped in to save her Mistress before? Or was it because the Bone Tomb vessel hadn't been summoned yet, leaving her unable to intervene?

Willow leisurely savored the terror etched across his face, the curve of her lips growing ever more pronounced. "How interesting… truly interesting. The Heart-Demon Chant Spell casted by the Doom Soul Eater Chime—even a Core Formation cultivator like Luo Ciao couldn't defend it. Yet you, a mere fourth-layer Qi Refinement stage nobody, shrugged it off like it was nothing. No wonder the Mistress took an interest in you. Even we poor gals, trapped within this chime, can't help but feel a spark of curiosity."

Her finger slid down to rest against the collar of his robe as she smiled sweetly. "So tell me—what's your secret? How is your soul solid so unshakable, even surpassing Luo Ciao?"

"Lady Willow…" At last, Pay Ling found his voice. His face was a mask of dread, but a sudden flash of inspiration sparked in his mind. Hoarsely, stumbling over his words, he stammered, "M-maybe… maybe it's my constitution? It might be… a little unique?"

Willow's finger, which had been idly tracing circles on his collar, paused. She lifted her head, her tone intrigued. "Huh?"

"When I was sent by Immortal Master Zheng to Mountain Yuan to search for Wu Tinshee," Pay Ling forced himself to calm down as he explained, "the guy once said I had a 'Perfect grade Iron Bone.' He even asked if I'd ever consumed some heavenly treasure. But with my humble background, I've never even touched a Bone-Tempering Pill, let alone rare treasures. So Wu Tinshee said there might be something unique about my constitution."

"Growing up in Deerspring, I'm just a small-town nobody with no real knowledge—I'm completely in the dark about this unique myself!"

"A unique constitution?" Willow's brow furrowed slightly as she murmured to herself, "A soul solidly stable, paired with a talent for physical cultivation… I don't recall anything like that among the special constitutions recorded by our Holy Sect."

She mulled it over for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. Clapping her hands, she exclaimed, "I got it!"

In an instant, her dark eye holes flared with a vivid blue light, lending her an otherworldly, sinister air. With a chilling smile, she drawled, "An unknown constitution—one so powerful, so exceptional. It's absolutely worth taking back to the Holy Sect for thorough study."

Before Pay Ling could react, Willow darted around him like a slippery fish, swift and graceful. In a flash, she tugged up his left sleeve to inspect his wound, only to frown in disappointment. "This injury heals fast, sure, but it's nowhere near the level of the Ten Thousand Roots Resurrection Physique Constitution obtained by the Holy Sect years ago."

Her interest piqued, she yanked open his robe to examine his other injuries, chattering excitedly. "At that time, the Holy Sect went all out studying that Resurrection Body. At first, they just sliced through skin and muscle, watching it heal in moments. Then they started..."

...

"Don't worry about the final step," she continued with glee. "Though the Mistress isn't a disciple that Sect Elder in charge, she did pick up a few knife techs from him. If we peel your skin alive, there won't be no blemishes"

"However, your healing speed's too slow—you're no match for that Resurrection Body guy."

Pay Ling's facial muscles twitched violently. A special constitution? Him?! The only thing "special" about him was the system! His so-called soul strength and body-refining talent? One hundred percent thanks to his cheat. If he ended up under the Holy Sect's "thorough study," with their downright infernal methods, he doubted he'd survive even the first round.

Damn it! After all that effort, I'm still screwed?!

He forced a weak laugh. "Lady Willow, you're right—I'm no Resurrection Body. Forget dozens of cuts; even a few shallow scratches would be too much for me…"

"No worries! Your strength must lie in your soul," Willow chirped happily. "Speaking of souls, we Holy Sect once obtained a pair of twins with exceptionally robust spirits—born with a telepathic bond! That time, they even invited a reclusive Grand Elder out of seclusion to personally extract their souls…"

She rattled off a few more examples of rare constitutions, each one meeting a grim fate in the Abyss Pit Sect's hands—dissected from flesh to spirit, their ends too horrific to dwell on.

Pay Ling's face grew paler with every word. Just as he began wondering if he should slit his own throat now to spare himself the torment, Willow's expression darkened. She spat venomously, "Damn that bastard Wu Winshee! Knowing you've got a rare constitution—a priceless specimen—and he still dared to harm you with his Five Poison Finger! If he weren't already dead, I'd personally roast his soul on a lampstand for three hundred years!!!"

With that, she abruptly raised her hand and slammed it down on the back of Pay Ling's neck.

Darkness swallowed his vision, and he fainted.

—————————

No idea how much time had slipped by? Pay Ling awoke groggily, his muscles aching as if he'd been lying still for ages. Yet as he glanced around, he was still in the cabin of the Bone Tomb's shadowy vessel cabin.

Confusion gnawed at him. Struggling to his feet, he quickly checked himself. The Five Poison Finger's wound had completely healed, his clothes were fresh, and it even seemed like he'd been bathed.

What sent a chill down his spine, though, was the Spirit Nourishing Pill still tucked safely in his robes.

What the hell is going on?

He pondered for a moment, stretched his stiff limbs, and crept to the door. Holding his breath, he listened intently. Silence reigned both within and without. Cautiously, he cracked the door open a sliver.

Seeing no one outside, Pay Ling slipped out on tiptoe and knocked on Pay Honine's door next cabin over.

Pay Honine opened it promptly. His face darkened at the sight of Pay Ling, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "What've you been up to in your room for half a month? I knocked, and you never answered—don't tell me you've been cultivating this whole time?"

"Half a month?" Pay Ling's heart lurched. "It's been half a month already?"

"Looks like you got so lost in cultivation you forgot the time," Pay Honine said, his tone a mix of envy and resentment. Glancing around to ensure they were alone, he lowered his voice. "How many Bone-Tempering Pills left from your theft on Senior Brother Zheng?"

Pay Ling had no patience for answering that. "How long until we reach the Abyss Pit Sect?"

"About to enter the mountain gate," Pay Honine replied offhandedly. "If you've got spare pills, sell me a few, eh? We're clan brothers, besides—"

Before he could finish, Pay Ling turned and walked back to his cabin without so much as a goodbye.

Willow's last words before he blacked out still echoed in his mind. He had no time to waste bantering with Pay Honine.

He had to figure something out—fast!

Back in his cabin, Pay Ling shut the door and whirled around—only to freeze, his face draining of color.

There, by the round table, sat a lady in a veiled hat, her black gauze gown trailing to the floor. It was none other than Fairy Lith!