Chapter 9: Do Not Open the Door

Gu Yi tipped the storyteller generously, and the server in a blue tunic and little cap couldn't take his eyes off Gu Yi. Seeing him stand up, the server hurried over with practiced enthusiasm.

"Young master, what can I do for you?"

Gu Yi replied, "I'm feeling a bit weary and would like to rest in my room."

"Of course, right this way, I'll show you to your room." Last night Gu Yi had traveled through the night; he needed to catch up on sleep. He couldn't afford to miss rest—his cultivation was a matter of health as much as spiritual pursuit.

"Mind your step, sir, the stairs here are a bit steep." The server's attitude now was entirely different from before; Gu Yi understood the reason. Making a living these days was no easy feat.

Before closing the door, Gu Yi handed over a piece of silver, making it easier to call for help should he need anything else.

The attendant was overjoyed, bowing deeply with the silver in hand. "Young master, you are truly a good man. Let me give you a bit of advice."

Gu Yi turned, "What is it? Speak."

The attendant craned his neck outside, glanced about, ensured no one was there, closed the door, and whispered, "Night is falling soon. Remember, if you hear a woman's voice at night, do not open the door!"

Gu Yi was momentarily taken aback; the server's serious expression and sincere gaze suggested this was not a joke.

"If you hear a woman's voice, don't open the door?"

"Exactly."

Trying to scare me, are you?

"Then let me ask, what if I hear a man's voice? Or if the voice is indistinguishable?"

The server was stumped. No one had ever asked that.

"Never mind, just go."

The attendant grinned obsequiously, "Thank you for your understanding, young master!"

"Wait, I see there's no pen or paper here. Bring me some, will you?"

"Right away, sir." He dashed off, returning with the requested items in under three minutes.

Alone in the room, Gu Yi undressed, pondering the server's warning and his demeanor. He pursed his lips in mimicry: Don't open the door? What could possibly happen if I did?

Still, curiosity lingered. Why was it a woman’s voice? What sort of voice?

For some reason... Gu Yi suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

...

He didn't know how much time had passed. In a hazy dream, he heard someone knocking at the door.

Bang bang bang—bang bang bang—

He lazily rolled over in bed, opened his eyes, which felt as though they hadn't opened at all. Life without electricity was truly miserable.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, sir."

Gu Yi rubbed his sleepy eyes; the voice sounded familiar and startled him.

"Canlian?!"

"How wonderful, sir still remembers your servant."

---

He fumbled in the dark until he managed to light the oil lamp, then carried it to the door, opening it with a headache. "Why did you follow me? Didn't you say you'd leave once your wounds were healed?"

"Forgive my forwardness, sir. This servant only wishes to follow you."

The chill of the wooden door banished the last traces of sleep from Gu Yi's body. Suddenly, he recalled the server's warning: If you hear a woman's voice, do not open the door!

Canlian was, by all accounts, a woman—even if not particularly attractive, her attributes classified her as such.

"Are you truly Canlian?"

Darkness shrouded everything save the flickering oil lamp in his palm. He’d slept since daylight, unable to tell how long he'd been out or even the hour.

Every second of silence seemed heavy with meaning. Though he was skilled and bold, caution was essential for survival when traveling alone.

"Why does sir ask? This servant is indeed Canlian."

With a swift motion, Gu Yi flung the door open, scrutinized the figure by the dim light, then slammed it shut.

The person outside was bewildered. "Sir?"

"Alright, come in."

He opened the door again, one hand behind his back, glancing once more to be sure.

"Why aren't you sleeping at this hour? What brings you here?"

Canlian quietly closed the door, smiled delicately at Gu Yi, bowed her head in bashful shyness. "This servant naturally has a matter to discuss."

Shyness... but truly not pleasant to look at—it was almost comical.

Shyness?!

A thunderous realization struck Gu Yi.

Something was wrong!

The real Canlian, unattractive though she was, was fiercely principled, enduring pain rather than compromising propriety. She would never, ever come in the dead of night to display feminine coyness.

Gu Yi's brow twitched, but his expression remained calm. "A matter? Isn't your back wound acting up again? Shall I lift your clothes and have a look?"

"Ah? How could you?" Canlian covered her mouth, "But my back does hurt a little..."

Gu Yi watched her feigned shyness, turning away from his gaze, reaching to unfasten his waist buckle as if to help.

In that instant,

One second.

He raised his foot and kicked with all his might!

"My pain be damned! Who are you really?!"

Gu Yi's strength was not the greatest among cultivators, but it was no joke. The "Canlian" went flying, slamming into the bedpost, then dropped to the floor.

At that moment, the space seemed to shatter, the scene before his eyes cracking apart.

The surroundings shifted—the oil lamp vanished, the table disappeared, darkness was dispelled by four lanterns illuminating the room. Red decorations, a wedding bed, a wedding quilt, and a girl dressed in bright red.

He glanced at the window, where the "double happiness" character was pasted; Gu Yi was genuinely surprised at what his kick had revealed.

The girl, clutching her back, rose and turned her head, stunning the entire scene. Her lively, large eyes flickered as if shooting sparks, and her pupils were green.

Her face was free of Canlian's pockmarks, smooth and radiant—so tender it resembled a plump rice dumpling, flawless as white jade.

The little maiden's gaze was flirtatious. "You actually saw through me? But even if you did, what does it matter? I have entered the Heart Establishment Realm—you cannot escape my grasp."

She swept her sleeve in a gesture almost human.

Gu Yi was momentarily dazzled by her beauty and the pleasant sound of her voice.

---

Yet those pale green pupils... were unmistakable.

"Your pupils aren't fully black—just a minor demon, causing trouble in the human world with such meager cultivation?"

Once exposed, she instinctively covered her eyes and turned away, a reflex, but quickly gave up pretense, knowing she'd been seen.

She understood that when demonic beasts took human form, the color of their pupils revealed their success. Clearly, Gu Yi was no ordinary man.

"How did you discover me?" she asked, now more cautious.

Gu Yi sat down, poured himself tea, and replied leisurely, "You used demon magic, accurately reflecting what I desired, but that person is truly unattractive. Her feigned shyness nearly gave me heart palpitations. I'll hold you accountable for that!"

"Not... attractive?" A certain confusion flickered in her green eyes.

Gu Yi recognized that confusion well—beast in human form, yet lacking human nature. Clearly, her cultivation in the Heart Establishment Realm was incomplete.

"For humans, the world teems with wonders, yet childish playfulness is innate. Thus, entering the path of cultivation, the first realm—Meditation—is the hardest. Some restless souls don't reach it until their thirties. For demons, sensing the world comes easier, but the second realm, Heart Establishment, is far harder. Do you know why?"

Her green pupils now showed a shift.

Just then, a voice sounded from outside the door. "Miss Zhihua, it's about time... I feel uneasy. Young Master White Dragon sent me to ask—were you satisfied with the one I introduced today?"

It was the server again, apparently still looking out for Gu Yi.

Gu Yi's finger paused mid-movement, then resumed his relaxed manner.

"Get out!"

She shouted, sending the man outside fleeing in terror.

Then Zhihua dropped her act, becoming humble and respectful. "Earlier, I was ignorant—please enlighten me, sir."

Gu Yi mused for a moment. "...How many men have you ensnared here?"

"Not many, only three or five, but..."

"Insufficient cultivation—either you show your claws or your tail, and scare them off, right?" Gu Yi guessed.

Zhihua made no attempt to deny it.

"By the look of you, you’re about the right age. For demonic beasts, the Heart Establishment Realm is the hardest. Establishing the heart means standing firm in one's own mind, following one's own will; my heart is my immortality. But having never been properly taught, unable to distinguish right from wrong, beasts often turn heart establishment into desire establishment. At your age, you begin to yearn for spring... But are you aware that performing the rites of love will not help you enter the Heart Establishment Realm?"

As for her claim to have already reached the second realm—it was mere bravado in a confrontation.

Zhihua knelt down in supplication. "Please teach me, sir."

As she knelt, Gu Yi noticed something that stirred memories—a small plum blossom-shaped scar on the right shoulder.

He remembered, in the early days of peace, a mother fox had begged outside the array in the snowy night, holding her injured child. Gu Yi was engrossed in cultivation, in seclusion for three months. The mother fox was neither lucky nor unlucky, arriving in the second month. By the time Gu Yi emerged, she had knelt for over thirty days and nights.

At that instant, Gu Yi felt compassion for all sentient beings. That night, the mountain glowed all night, illuminating even the distant city of Luyang, and he broke through to the sixth realm, Sage of Clouds.

It was a special kind of fate.

"Where is your mother now?"

Zhihua’s face changed in shock. "You met my mother?!"

"Destiny is called nature; following nature is the Way; cultivating the Way is teaching. Your mother taught you, didn't she?" Gu Yi leaned forward, scolding with a touch of disappointment. "She taught you, yet you still haven't understood—your talent is worse than a pig's!"

With those three sentences, Zhihua suddenly looked up, her face full of terror.

This man—is he... this man is...!