Night-time in the City of Destruction was still bustling.
Back at the inn, however, it was the opposite, rather quiet.
There weren’t many people inside. Ji Ruobing seemed to have already gone to rest, and only the innkeeper sat at the front desk, fiddling with an abacus.
“You’ve returned, honored guest,” the innkeeper greeted with a smile when he saw Xu Zimo walk in.
“Why is it so quiet today?” Xu Zimo asked casually.
“Someone rented out the place,” the innkeeper replied softly.
From the smile on his face, it was clear he had made good money.
When Xu Zimo was about to head upstairs, the innkeeper quickly stopped him and pointed toward the second floor. Smiling, he said, “The one who booked the place is waiting for you upstairs.”
“For me?” Xu Zimo asked in surprise. “You’re not mistaken?”
“Of course not,” the innkeeper insisted. “Go on up and take a look.”
Xu Zimo climbed the stairs with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
Just as he reached the turn of the stairway, he twitched his nose slightly.
A faint fragrance.
He already had a good idea of who it was.
At the street-facing window on the second floor, Miss Jing was sitting there.
She had changed her appearance.
Wearing a heavy red robe, she looked quite different from when he last saw her.
Her hair was now golden, her eyes surrounded by dark smoky makeup.
Her eyelashes were long, and this time her lips were painted a bright crimson.
Her aura was seductive.
Her figure was curvy, the red robe slipping to reveal glimpses of skin, already bordering on indecent.
She leaned lazily against the window, staring at Xu Zimo with a half-smile.
“Does Miss Jing need something?” Xu Zimo asked as he walked up.
“Why not call me Jing’er?” she teased with a smile.
“Not close enough,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
“Then let’s get more acquainted,” she laughed softly, sticking out her tongue to lick her red lips.
“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t act like a whore,” Xu Zimo said, waving his hand.
“What’s wrong? Is it because my status is lowly? I’d still be willing to be your lover, Zimo...”
Miss Jing looked pitiful.
“You’d better stick with calling me Young Master Xu. Hearing ‘Zimo’ gives me the creeps,” Xu Zimo flatly refused.
“But I like calling you Zimo,” Miss Jing’s big eyes shimmered as she stared at him, never once looking away.
Xu Zimo glanced at her calmly, then turned and prepared to leave.
“You heartless man, do you really not think of me?” Miss Jing’s expression suddenly turned sorrowful.
“Since yesterday, I’ve thought of nothing but you. I thought you disliked the way I looked then, so today I changed my makeup just for you. Who knew you’d still not even spare me a glance.”
“Too much overacting,” Xu Zimo said, still unmoved.
They had known each other only one day, there couldn’t possibly be such deep feelings.
“You’re so cold, no fun at all,” Miss Jing chuckled, pouring herself tea and then pouring a cup for Xu Zimo. “Let’s talk business then. Those so-called Martial Gods of the City of Destruction came to see you?”
“You’re well-informed,” Xu Zimo nodded.
“I came to warn you. Those people can’t be trusted. Be on guard,” Miss Jing said.
“I know,” Xu Zimo nodded slightly.
“No gratitude at all,” Miss Jing pouted. “Fine, then I’ll leave.”
She stood, walked over to Xu Zimo, and leaned close.
Whispering against his ear, she said, “If you really don’t want me to call you Zimo, I can change it. How about I call you... daddy? But only in bed.”
After saying that, Miss Jing gave him a flirtatious smile and walked downstairs.
Her faint fragrance still lingered in the air.
Light but persistent.
Her words did leave Xu Zimo in thought, though.
In the end, others couldn’t be relied upon, he would have to count on himself.
When he returned to his room, he noticed Ji Ruobing leaning against the railing outside her door.
She looked at him with a playful smile.
“Done meeting with your lover?”
“What? Jealous?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Ji Ruobing shot him a glare before returning to her room.
Xu Zimo also went back to his room.
Tonight, he didn’t plan to cultivate, but instead intended to use the Great Dream Scripture to temper his Dao Heart.
This technique could simulate the passing of time, evolving countless lifetimes.
Though in the end it was nothing more than an illusion, a fleeting dream, its impact on the Dao Heart was very real.
Now that even someone like Jing could sway his state of mind, he felt a sense of danger.
It was the perfect opportunity to sharpen his Dao Heart through her influence.
…
The night passed in silence. When Xu Zimo awoke from the dream, the sky outside was already bright.
His eyes carried a trace of fatigue.
In the outside world, only one night had passed, but in the dream he had experienced countless nights.
He sniffed the air, there was a faint scent of blood.
Opening his door, he found three corpses lying in the corridor.
He recognized them all, one was the innkeeper, the other two the inn’s attendants.
Ji Ruobing was sitting downstairs, waving him over. She had clearly been up early.
“What happened?” Xu Zimo asked in confusion.
“Last night at midnight, they tried to sneak into your room. You were sleeping soundly, so I dealt with them myself,” Ji Ruobing explained.
“More demons crawling out of the woodwork,” Xu Zimo muttered.
“What are you planning today?” Ji Ruobing asked.
Before Xu Zimo could answer, there was a loud “boom” as the inn’s main doors were blasted open.
A group of people in black-and-white robes stormed inside.
Their leader wore a mask divided into black and white halves.
He swept his gaze across the room before fixing on Xu Zimo.
“You are Xu Zimo?” he asked coldly.
“Moon Shadow Race?” Xu Zimo guessed from their clothing.
“You’ve got guts. You killed our people and didn’t even bother to run,” the masked man said harshly.
“Not worth running,” Xu Zimo waved with a smile.
Before he finished speaking, another explosion sounded, this one from beneath the ground.
Cracks spread across the floor as a colossal stone statue forced its way up from below the inn.
“The Mountain God descends, kneel before him,” a booming voice echoed throughout.