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Having experienced the shopping mall, the cinema, and that dangerous joke, Si Teng was incredibly perceptive.

He had long noticed that in Su Ning's gaze, besides awe and helplessness, there was also a man's most primal appreciation and desire for a woman.

Moreover, his gaze was so intense that it was almost undisguised.

In a secluded spot, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared directly at Su Ning with her cool eyes. Her tone was unreadable: "Su Ning, do you like me?"

Su Ning's heart skipped a beat, and she almost choked on her saliva. She quickly waved her hand in denial: "Uh? Miss Si Teng, you've taken this joke way too far! How could I dare!"

Si Teng snorted coldly, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Hmph! The way you look at me is as greedy as a hungry wolf eyeing its prey, as if it wants to devour it whole. Do you think I can't sense it?"

Su Ning blushed, feeling embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed, but he still forced a defense: "Misunderstanding! Huge misunderstanding! It's just that Miss Si Teng, your figure is just too... too perfect, especially when you wear a cheongsam, those curves... I'm a normal man, it's normal to not be able to help but take a second look! It's purely for appreciation! Yes, appreciation!"

"Tch! Hypocrite!" Si Teng glanced at him disdainfully. "I've seen plenty of those kinds of looks from you. Men, after all, are visual creatures."

"Impressive! You even know this?"

She stopped pursuing the topic and instead ordered, "Prepare yourselves and leave Dana. We're going to Cangcheng Mountain."

……

Meanwhile, at the Xingyun Pavilion on Cangcheng Mountain.

The vines in that eerie ancient well grew wildly overnight, overflowing the well opening and spreading into the courtyard like living things!

Deeply influenced by his master Qiu Shan's teachings, Yan Furui was terrified when he saw this scene, feeling that a great disaster was about to befall him.

He hurriedly went to his senior brother Wang Qiankun to discuss countermeasures.

However, Wang Qiankun, who had received a modern scientific education, did not believe in these superstitious and supernatural tales at all. He dismissed Yan Furui's panic as nothing more than an overreaction and excessive superstition.

Yan Furui panicked and dragged Wang Qiankun back to Xingyun Pavilion.

Looking at the wriggling vines all over the yard, Yan Furui gritted his teeth, picked up an old chainsaw, and was about to cut them down.

When Wang Qiankun saw that he was serious, he thought that he was going to chop him up. He screamed in fright and scrambled out of the door!
……

Wang Qiankun rushed out of the Nebula Pavilion in shock, only to bump right into Su Ning, who had come looking for him as instructed by Si Teng!

"Ouch!"

Both of them cried out in pain at the same time.

Yan Furui also chased after them and quickly helped Wang Qiankun up, anxiously explaining to him the strangeness of the vines in the well and the warning left by his master.

Wang Qiankun remained skeptical.

It wasn't until Yan Furui, in desperation, invoked the name of his martial uncle Li Zhengyuan that he was barely persuaded to go back and take a look.

Hiding in the shadows, Si Teng clearly heard the name "Li Zhengyuan," and a cold glint and complex recollections flashed in his eyes.

She composed herself and gracefully emerged from the shadows, with Su Ning following closely behind.

With an impeccable, slightly aloof smile on his face, Si Teng exchanged a few pleasantries with the two younger men, Yan Furui and Wang Qiankun, subtly inquiring about Qiu Shan and Li Zhengyuan.

She concealed it well, as if she were just an elder interested in the past.

However, Su Ning could sense the suppressed undercurrent beneath her calm surface.

Upon learning that Yan Furui was likely Qiu Shan's disciple, Si Teng immediately devised a plan.

She gestured to Su Ning, and then the two of them followed Yan Furui and Wang Qiankun back to Xingyun Pavilion without making a sound.

……

Then Yan Furui and Wang Qiankun went down to the bottom of the well again to investigate.

Yan Furui sawed off a section of the vine, and looking at the thick, green sap flowing out, he became even more certain that this was no ordinary plant: "Senior brother, look! This sap! This is definitely not normal!"

Although Wang Qiankun also found it a bit strange, he still insisted on a scientific explanation: "It's probably some kind of rare species! Don't scare yourself!"

The two argued as they climbed back to the surface, only to be horrified to find Si Teng and Su Ning standing by the well, watching them with amusement.

What terrified them even more was that Si Teng made no attempt to hide it. With a slight movement of her fingers, several vines wrapped and swam around her fingertips like docile pets!
"A monster...a demon!" Wang Qiankun had never seen anything like this before. His long-held scientific worldview collapsed instantly. In extreme terror, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Ignoring the unconscious Wang Qiankun, Si Teng looked coldly at Yan Furui, who was trembling like a leaf: "What did your master, Qiu Shan, say about me?"

Yan Furui was so frightened that he could barely speak.

Just then, his young apprentice, Wafang, heard the commotion and ran out.

Driven by his eagerness to protect his disciple, Yan Furui lost his mind in fear and grabbed a chainsaw from the ground, intending to rush over to protect the tiled house. However, he tripped over the vines on the ground, and the out-of-control chainsaw swung towards the tiled house!
"Watch out!" Su Ning, who had been on high alert, reacted quickly upon seeing the situation. He rushed forward and tackled the terrified Wafang to the ground, narrowly avoiding the chainsaw.

At the same time, Si Teng flicked his fingers, and several vines flew out instantly, binding the fallen Yan Furui firmly and taking away the chainsaw.

After this fright and Si Teng's genuine "life-saving grace," Yan Furui became completely obedient and dared not disobey Si Teng's words in the slightest.

He cautiously took out the booklet left by his master, Qiu Shan, and read it to Si Teng word by word.

When Si Teng read the sentence, "In 1946, the army was deployed to Qiushan and Si Teng was killed in Shenyang," the color drained from Si Teng's face instantly, his aura suddenly turned icy cold, and his eyes surged with overwhelming hatred and indescribable complex emotions!

The long-buried truth has been revealed once again in such a cruel way, revealing a bloody corner of it.

……

Upon hearing Yan Furui recite the phrase "In 1946, the army was deployed to Qiushan and Si Teng was defeated in Shenyang," Su Ning was startled and looked at Si Teng beside her in surprise.

He clearly remembered that Sito had told him personally that she died in 1939.

What happened during the seven-year gap?

However, Si Teng's reaction was beyond his expectations.

She didn't angrily refute or explain the difference in time; instead, her aura became even colder and more obscure.

She was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Well done."

His tone was calm, yet it conveyed a chilling sense of resolve and self-mockery, as if he had accepted the killing.

Then, ignoring the trembling Yan Furui and the unconscious Wang Qiankun, she said to Su Ning, "Come down with me and take a look."

"..."

When the two of them descended to the bottom of the cold, damp well...

Si Teng's gaze was immediately drawn to the unusually thick, seemingly alive, pulsating vine root in the center of the well wall.

She had Su Ning hold the lamp while she slowly pressed her forehead against the center of the vine.

In an instant, long-forgotten fragments of memories surged forth!

She saw her younger self, who had just taken human form, innocent and ignorant, being taken away from the deep mountains by the hypocritical Qiu Shan.

She also saw in Qiu Shan's eyes not affection, but exploitation and indifference. Then, the memory shifted; Qiu Shan, holding sharp scissors, coldly cut off a lock of her hair imbued with primal demonic power…

As the memories returned, all the vines at the bottom of the well seemed to be summoned by the original body, wriggling wildly, and then, like rivers flowing into the sea, quickly retracted and merged into Si Teng's body!

The return of that immense demonic power caused her to radiate a faint white glow, and her aura steadily increased!
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze became even deeper and sharper, and the demonic power flowing from her fingertips was solid and powerful.

She gently raised her hand, and the strand of hair that Qiu Shan had cut off and sealed here slowly emerged from the remnants of the vines and drifted into her palm.

The moment it touches the source, it transforms into specks of light and merges into it.

At this point, the portion of Si Teng's original demonic power that had been separated and sealed by Qiu Shan has completely returned!
Her power has been restored to an unprecedented state of completeness.

……

When Si Teng and Su Ning emerged from the well, it was already the next morning.

Sunlight streamed into the dilapidated courtyard of Xingyun Pavilion, but it couldn't dispel the gloomy atmosphere of the place.

Si Teng ordered Yan Furui to splash cold water on Wang Qiankun, who was still in a daze, to wake him up.

Before Wang Qiankun could scream again, Si Teng flicked his finger, and a vine as thin as a hair instantly pierced Wang Qiankun's arm and disappeared.

"This is a vine formed from my demonic power, residing beside your heart meridian." Si Teng's voice was cold and ruthless. "If you behave obediently, it will remain peaceful. If you make any unusual movements, or try to find someone to remove it, you can imagine the pain of your heart meridian shattering."

Wang Qiankun was so frightened that he turned pale and collapsed to the ground. After his faith in science collapsed, he was now being implanted with something so terrifying. He felt that his life was over.

Si Teng then gave the order: "Yan Furui, Wang Qiankun, I want you two to set off immediately and, in the name of Xingyun Pavilion and Li Zhengyuan, summon all the prominent figures from the various sects of Xuanmen to gather at Cangcheng Mountain. Tell them that I, Si Teng, have something to ask of you."

She spoke the phrase "I have something to ask of you" in a meaningful way.

Hearing that Si Teng and his companion were not only leaving, but also leaving their young apprentice Wa Fang behind, Yan Furui felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

Wafang was so frightened that she burst into tears and clung tightly to Yan Furui's legs, refusing to let go.

"Don't cry, don't cry..." Yan Furui, with tears streaming down his face, squatted down to comfort his apprentice, but knew he had no other choice.

He looked at Su Ning beside him, his eyes pleading: "Mr. Su... Wafang is still young and doesn't understand anything... Please... please take better care of him..."

Seeing this scene of life and death, Su Ning felt a pang of sadness.

He nodded: "Mr. Yan, rest assured, I will take good care of Wafang and make sure he doesn't lose a single hair."

Having received Su Ning's promise, Yan Furui, with tears in his eyes, dragged the distraught Wang Qiankun away from Xingyun Pavilion, embarking on the uncertain journey of summoning the Suspended Gate.

After leaving Si Teng's sight, Wang Qiankun looked at his arm, still unable to accept reality, muttering to himself, "This is not scientific... This is impossible... It must be mass hypnosis... Hallucination..." His worldview was undergoing a shattering reconstruction or rather, a collapse.

In the Nebula Pavilion, only Si Teng, who had recovered all his strength, Su Ning, who was in charge of taking care of the child, and Wa Fang, the child who had cried himself to sleep and was sobbing.

An even greater storm is quietly brewing as Sito's power is restored and the summons is issued.

……

At this moment, Yan Furui, dragging the half-believing and nearly mentally broken Wang Qiankun along, did not go directly to summon the Suspended Gate, but instead rushed into the city's largest hospital.

Because Wang Qiankun insisted on a comprehensive physical examination, especially of the heart, he firmly believed that the so-called "vine silk" must be hypnosis or hallucination.

After a series of expensive tests, the results left Wang Qiankun even more bewildered...

All CT scans, MRIs, and electrocardiograms showed that his heart and all his organs were perfectly healthy, with no foreign objects or abnormal signs.

"Look! I told you it was fake! It's just psychological suggestion! Science proves everything!" Wang Qiankun held the test results, as if he had grasped a lifeline, and excitedly said to Yan Furui, trying to rebuild his collapsed worldview.

Yan Furui, however, looked utterly dejected: "Senior brother! What time is it! That's the demonic art of the Kai clan! It's demonic power! It's no wonder modern instruments can't detect it! Have you forgotten the vines in the well? Have you forgotten how she controlled the vines? Wake up!"

Wang Qiankun stubbornly shook his head.

However, the moment he finished speaking, Si Teng, who was far away in Cangcheng Mountain, seemed to sense something and his thoughts stirred slightly across the distance.

Wang Qiankun, who was talking incessantly, suddenly felt a pang in his heart, his vision went black, and he fainted without warning, scattering the test results in his hand all over the ground.

"Senior brother!" Yan Furui was terrified and hurriedly helped Wang Qiankun up. He checked his breathing and found that he was just unconscious, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

He was utterly desperate and dared not harbor any more illusions. He carried the heavy Wang Qiankun on his back and embarked on the arduous journey to the residence of the Xuanmen Guild Master, Canghong, on Changming Mountain.

After several twists and turns, Yan Furui finally met Chairman Cang Hong, who had white hair and beard and a somewhat otherworldly air about him.

He breathlessly laid the unconscious Wang Qiankun down, disregarding etiquette, and hurriedly recounted how Si Teng had revived, displayed his demonic power, controlled Wang Qiankun, and requested the summoning of the Suspended Gate.

The once composed and calm President Cang Hong turned deathly pale the moment he heard the name "Si Teng".

The agarwood bracelet that he had been playing with for many years fell to the ground with a "thud".

He seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slumped into the armchair.

His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Fear, like the deepest chill, instantly enveloped the entire hall.

……

On the other hand, Suning did not stay in the gloomy Nebula Pavilion.

He rented a quiet and elegant house with a small courtyard at the foot of Cangcheng Mountain, settled Si Teng and Wa Fang there, and quietly waited for news from Yan Furui.

Wafang was young, and after crying until he was tired, he forgot his fear and soon started complaining that he was hungry.

After several days of intensive study, Suning has basically mastered the use of smartphones and skillfully opened a food delivery app to order a children's meal for Wafang.

Watching Wafang munching on a hamburger and fries, Su Ning looked at Si Teng, who was sitting quietly by the window, seemingly detached from worldly affairs, and tentatively asked, "Miss Si Teng, would you like to eat something too? I don't think you've eaten anything."

Sito didn't even lift his eyelids.

Remembering her original form, Su Ning cleverly guessed, "Or should I prepare some fresh soil for you? What kind? Black soil? Red soil? Do you need some fertilizer? Organic fertilizer is fine too."

Si Teng finally turned her head and gave him a cold glance, as if she were looking at a hopeless fool.

Su Ning immediately shut up, realizing he had made a foolish mistake again.

He chuckled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject: "Well... is there anything you need? I see you seem to really enjoy making your own clothes. Would you like me to buy some good fabric and sewing tools?"

This time, Si Teng did not refuse. He gave a light "hmm" and named several extremely exquisite silk fabrics and special needlework that are now very difficult to find.

Suning felt like he'd been granted a pardon, quickly made a note of it, and went out to find a way to purchase it.

Taking care of this old monster's daily needs is even more challenging in terms of emotional intelligence and adaptability than completing system tasks.

Inside the courtyard, a semblance of peace was temporarily restored, with only the smacking sounds of eating in the tiled houses and the occasional whistling of the wind outside the windows foreshadowing the brief calm before the storm.

...(End of chapter)