By the time Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei caught up with Qiu Sheng's position, Qiu Sheng had already ridden his bicycle safely into the heart of Renjia Town.
Because of the stern warning from the Land God, Dong Xiaoyu did not continue to pursue Qiu Sheng during this particular night. Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei observed that Qiu Sheng had returned safely to his aunt's house, so they decided to return home themselves.
"Fellow Taoist Tiantong, do immortals like the Land God exist in your world?"
On the journey back, Gustave asked with genuine curiosity.
"Longhu Mountain once carefully recorded the definite existence of immortals and gods, but for some completely unknown reason, the immortals and gods suddenly vanished from our realm, and the path to achieving immortality was permanently severed."
Zhang Zhiwei shook his head gravely, indicating that gods and immortals were merely things of the distant past in his world.
"If you have available time, you could ask Master to investigate the matter. He may possess knowledge of the true reason."
"The sage will definitely be able to discern the truth, but for now, let's return and get some rest."
As they continued their conversation, Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei arrived back at the charity cemetery.
Lin Jiu and Wen Cai had not noticed that the two powerful visitors had just departed and returned.
The following day, Ren Fa dispatched his servants to invite Lin Jiu to his residence to discuss the optimal location for the new burial site.
When Lin Jiu prepared to depart, he called for Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei to accompany him, but the two were not particularly interested in such mundane matters, so Lin Jiu was forced to take only his two apprentices to keep the appointment.
Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai attached tremendous importance to this formal appointment and donned the elegant suits that had been generously given by Gustave.
It must be said that Qiu Sheng looked remarkably good. Although he was wearing a waiter's style suit, he appeared very energetic and spirited. Compared with Wen Cai standing beside him, he looked even more handsome and distinguished.
But Wen Cai certainly didn't share this assessment. He felt that he was extremely handsome, even more attractive than Qiu Sheng standing next to him. When Qiu Sheng came to his side, Wen Cai held his head high and chest out, displaying supreme confidence in his appearance.
Gustave couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hands and laugh quietly when he observed Wen Cai's display. It was indeed true that confident men possessed their own unique beauty. Gustave felt that with Wen Cai's shameless and unwavering attitude, it was still completely unknown who would ultimately emerge victorious between him and Qiu Sheng in their romantic pursuit.
After Master Lin Jiu and his two disciples departed, Gustave approached the coffin of Old Master Ren, wanting to check the current progress of the corpse transformation. However, after carefully sensing the situation with his advanced Observation Haki, Gustave discovered that not only had Old Master Ren failed to continue his transformation, but the progress had actually regressed somewhat.
"Strange? This corpse can actually retreat in its transformation? Could it be that Lin Jiu's protective methods last night were genuinely effective?"
Gustave was genuinely puzzled. Why wasn't Old Master Ren following the expected script?
Old Master Ren: Although I am destined to become a zombie, I am certainly not an idiot. You are radiating power like a miniature sun, so I must exercise patience around you, shouldn't I?
Unable to determine the true reason, Gustave could only depart with considerable confusion.
Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei, who had chosen not to follow Lin Jiu to the appointment, gathered some fishing equipment and went fishing at a peaceful river not far from Renjia Town. They did not return until the evening hours.
When Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei returned to the cemetery, Lin Jiu and his three friends had also come back. Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai were both smiling like blooming flowers. If you didn't know better, you might think they had consumed some extraordinary delicacy.
"Qiu Sheng, Wen Cai, why are you two so exceptionally happy? Have you made any significant progress in pursuing Ren Tingting?"
Gustave pulled Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai aside and inquired with interest.
"No, not at all."
Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai shook their heads in unison.
"If that's the case, what exactly are you so delighted about?"
Gustave continued to ask with growing curiosity.
"Master Gustave, let me tell you all about it..."
Qiu Sheng proceeded to share with Gustave everything that had transpired during the day.
It turned out that today when Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai had attempted to get closer to Ren Tingting, they were obstructed by that troublesome fellow Awei and were rudely insulted as country bumpkins.
The two angry disciples had cleverly pulled out a single hair from Awei, then cast a controlling spell to manipulate Awei and played an elaborate trick on him, causing Awei to look completely foolish in front of Ren Tingting and resulting in Ren Fa scolding Awei severely.
Although they were eventually discovered by the observant Lin Jiu, Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai remained extremely happy. They felt they had successfully vented their anger today.
After listening to Qiu Sheng's detailed description, Gustave finally understood why the two disciples were so thoroughly pleased with themselves.
...
Gustave did not approach Old Master Ren's coffin for direct observation during the night. Instead, he used his advanced Observation Haki to secretly monitor the situation. However, after waiting patiently for two full days, he still had not witnessed Old Master Ren breaking out of his coffin.
On the third night, Gustave still didn't successfully wait for Old Master Ren to emerge.
"Strange, why hasn't this old man Ren completed his transformation into a jiangshi yet?"
Gustave was becoming very confused by this unexpected delay.
"Could it be that someone has used some kind of substitution technique?"
Gustave wondered if someone had secretly replaced Old Master Ren's body, so he expanded the detection range of his Observation Haki significantly, but he unexpectedly encountered the beginning of a famous romantic scene.
"Taoist Tiantong, come with me quickly, the entertainment is about to begin over at Qiu Sheng's location!"
Gustave hurried to Zhang Zhiwei's room and called out with excitement.
When Gustave and Zhang Zhiwei arrived at the scene, they witnessed Dong Xiaoyu using her supernatural magic to control an innocent night watchman, making him appear to molest her.
"Help me, someone help me!"
Dong Xiaoyu's frightened screams echoed dramatically throughout the entire street.
Qiu Sheng happened to be riding his bicycle past and witnessed what appeared to be a wretched night watchman molesting a young woman late at night. How could such injustice be tolerated? Qiu Sheng's sense of righteous justice was overflowing, he stopped his bicycle immediately, and rushed forward with his fists raised in anger.
Qiu Sheng grabbed the unlucky night watchman and began beating him so thoroughly that the poor man became completely dizzy and disoriented.
"That night watchman is experiencing terrible luck tonight!"
Gustave floating in the sky shook his head and sighed with sympathy.
"This little spirit is quite cunning and scheming. Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist the temptation of beautiful women. This clever ghost is using the classic tactic of a damsel in distress, and Qiu Sheng cannot possibly resist such an appeal."
Zhang Zhiwei also shook his head knowingly. He understood perfectly the inherent weaknesses of a passionate young man like Qiu Sheng.
As expected, Dong Xiaoyu pretended to be completely powerless and vulnerable, and Qiu Sheng was thoroughly fooled and moved forward to embrace Dong Xiaoyu protectively.
Dong Xiaoyu begged Qiu Sheng with tears in her eyes to escort her safely home. Seeing how delicate and weak Dong Xiaoyu appeared, Qiu Sheng was genuinely afraid that she would encounter additional danger. Therefore, with his masculine instincts fully activated, he patted his chest confidently and declared it would be no problem whatsoever.
On the journey to escort Dong Xiaoyu to her supposed home, Qiu Sheng felt the pleasant warmth radiating from the woman in his arms and his heart was pounding like thunder. Although he had encountered many girls before, this was absolutely the first time he had experienced such intimate close contact with a woman.
When Dong Xiaoyu heard Qiu Sheng's strong, rapid heartbeat, she knew that her plan was progressing excellently, but it was not quite sufficient at the moment, so Dong Xiaoyu decided to add additional fuel to the fire.
"Kind sir, I'm feeling so terribly cold."
Dong Xiaoyu spoke with pitiful vulnerability.
"Cold? Then please hold me tighter for warmth."
"Yes, thank you!"
Dong Xiaoyu embraced Qiu Sheng with increased tightness.
Feeling the contact of two soft, warm forms pressing against his body, Qiu Sheng's breathing became noticeably heavier and more labored.
In this manner, Qiu Sheng carried Dong Xiaoyu all the way to what she claimed was her home. This was actually Dong Xiaoyu's supernatural den, and everything visible inside was merely an elaborate illusion created by Dong Xiaoyu's ghostly powers.
At this critical moment, Qiu Sheng still retained some measure of rational thinking. After successfully delivering Dong Xiaoyu to her supposed home, he prepared to take his polite leave.
But Dong Xiaoyu would never allow Qiu Sheng to escape so easily from her carefully laid trap. Dong Xiaoyu waved her ethereal hand, and immediately heavy rain began falling outside, accompanied by dramatic bursts of thunder and lightning.
"Kind sir, it's raining so heavily outside. Why don't you wait here for a while until it passes? I'll go prepare you a glass of warming wine."
Dong Xiaoyu was wearing only a light, translucent veil, which made her appear extraordinarily seductive and alluring.
"Haha, thank you for your generous hospitality."
Qiu Sheng was far too embarrassed to look directly at Dong Xiaoyu's enticing figure, so he could only blush deeply and lower his head while expressing his gratitude.
"Qiu Sheng is going to lose his virginity to this cunning spirit tonight. I should rescue him immediately."
Zhang Zhiwei wanted to intervene and save Qiu Sheng from this supernatural seduction.
"Taoist Tiantong, as the ancient saying goes, a night of spring passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You and I should not disturb Qiu Sheng's unexpected good fortune. Besides, Qiu Sheng is Taoist Lin Jiu's disciple. Let Taoist Lin Jiu resolve this matter when he discovers it later."
"Let's not interfere and get in the way here!"
Gustave knew that Qiu Sheng would not face any genuine danger with Dong Xiaoyu. At most, he would simply lose some yang energy. With Qiu Sheng's robust physical constitution, he would be able to recover it completely within a few days.
Therefore Gustave forcibly pulled Zhang Zhiwei away from the scene.
As for Qiu Sheng, after drinking the enchanted wine poured by Dong Xiaoyu, his mind became noticeably fuzzy and his eyes grew somewhat unfocused. Looking at Dong Xiaoyu's tantalizingly revealing figure, Qiu Sheng, a young and virile man, could no longer restrain himself, so he stepped forward and embraced Dong Xiaoyu passionately.
Seeing that her seduction was completely successful, Dong Xiaoyu waved her supernatural hand and the door closed firmly. Soon afterward, alluring and intimate sounds could be heard emanating from within the room.