Chapter 1197: Chapter 357: Zhou Qingning’s Survival Method
Chapter 357: [Zhou Qingning’s Survival Method]
Absorbing human vitality—this charge was not falsely accused by Chen Yan.
Just look at that heap of used tissues in Hu Shangke’s bedroom trash can, and the strange smell filling the room; who wouldn’t know what’s going on?
Adding to that, Lao Hu’s complexion, pale with a hint of blue, clearly showed signs of being over-depleted.
The white-clad female ghost before him, dressing like a charming young widow in mourning, seemed delicate and pitiable, but she was definitely not a benign spirit.
Noticing Chen Yan’s cold gaze and tone, the white-clad female ghost looked up at him, still speaking in a gentle, weak manner, "Perhaps Lord Immortal Official is mistaken. I indeed used some methods to take some of his Yang Qi, but truly did not engage in any sordid or disgraceful act..."
Chen Yan laughed, "Oh, didn’t you? Then tell me, what did you do?"
The white-clad female ghost’s face tightened, and a struggle flashed in her eyes, but finally, she lowered her head and said, "I... I merely cast a spell on him, making him dream a few dreams."
"Dream manipulation?"
"...Mm! It was just within the dream that he prompted some fanciful imaginations himself. I never touched a single hair of his head; even when casting the spell to manipulate dreams, I always stood in the living room and never entered his bedroom."
As she spoke, this female ghost seemed a bit embarrassed, hesitating for a while before slowly continuing, "I know doing so isn’t right, but the magical artifact I reside in, its Spiritual Qi is depleting to the point of exhaustion, fearing that it can no longer sustain my Spirit Body. If I cannot find some Yang Qi to mend my deficiencies, once the artifact’s Spiritual Power runs out, I’ll be doomed to dissipate."
Chen Yan reached out, and immediately something flew out of the bedroom, landing in his palm with a swoosh.
It was the ornamental lamp base he saw in the bedroom earlier.
"The artifact you mentioned, is this it? It turns out to be crafted from Fire Copper Ore, a thing that doesn’t exist in this realm! Where did you get it?"
The female ghost’s lips quivered, "This, this thing was... brought by me from the Domain Realm."
Very well, indeed a female ghost from the Domain Realm.
Chen Yan waved his hand, "I’m not interested in this question-and-answer game. You are to truthfully recount your affairs, without any concealment. If explained clearly, I’ll naturally handle it according to the Inspection Bureau regulations. If not, it shows you’ve committed some transgression, and by the Inspection Bureau’s rules, I’ll apprehend you!"
The white-clad lady’s body trembled slightly, seeming very frightened and fearful, but Chen Yan, squinting at her, always felt that her delicate and fearful demeanor seemed somewhat insincere, as if it were put on.
Though her expression was one of fear, in the depths of her eyes, there was a steadiness, devoid of true panic.
With a strong Divine Sense, such minute details can be observed, making any disguise hard to be flawless, the subtle loopholes imperceptible to others.
However, before a powerful Divine Sense, everything becomes clear.
Chen Yan pretended not to notice, calmly saying, "Alright, you may begin speaking!"
·
This female ghost, named Qingning, claims her surname is Zhou.
She is a Loose Cultivator who escaped the Domain Realm.
Allegedly, she offended someone in the Domain Realm, stirring up trouble and leaving her unable to stay, hence she exhausted her assets for a chance to flee the realm, enduring life-and-death trials, crossing the World Wall to reach this world.
Upon arriving in this world, time must have passed—not a few years, but at least a decade or several decades.
Calling her a female ghost is somewhat inaccurate—there are no "ghosts" in the world.
But after escaping the realm to this world, she was already severely injured, her physical body near destruction, relying on her Cultivation to gather her Divine Sense, ultimately abandoning her physical form, infusing a wisp of her residual Soul into a fist-sized Fire Copper Ore for survival.
The Fire Copper is a kind of Domain Realm mineral, containing some degree of Li Fire substance, which is naturally capable of nourishing Spirit Bodies.
But a piece of Fire Copper Ore is conceptually different from a piece of Fire Copper.
A fist-sized ore mainly consists of stone impurities, the proportion of actual Fire Copper within is not significant.
And if speaking of the Li Fire content, it’s even lesser.
However, when it comes to her past, Zhou Qingning couldn’t provide clear answers.
For instance, her identity in the Domain Realm, who she offended, what trouble was stirred up, how she crossed the World Wall to this world, and how she got so injured that she had to abandon her physical form, relying on a Spirit Body to inhabit the Fire Copper.
Also, how she acquired this Fire Copper Magical Artifact.
—She couldn’t clarify any of these processes.
Because abandoning her physical form, gathering her Divine Sense, and residing her fragmented Soul in the Fire Copper led to her being a "fragmented Soul," leaving much of her past forgotten.
She now only remembers her name as Zhou Qingning, along with some cultivation techniques and spells, which she practiced her whole life and ingrained into her memory. Thus, even residing in the Fire Copper, she can still cultivate to maintain her existence.
