What?
He looked at the little ghost perched on the roof beam, cackling.
Lu Yuan seemed to understand something.
Now that this little ghost had found them...
He feared the Xingzi from the ravine would find this place very soon.
Just then, the Black Widow looked at Lu Yuan and said:
"I was originally thinking of giving you a few shops, or maybe a couple of houses, but on second thought, forget it.
Once I'm dead, they won't acknowledge it, and it'll just cause you more trouble.
You run toward the city. On the way, you'll meet our people coming to help. Tell them the truth.
If they still acknowledge me as their madam, have them come collect my body.
If they don't, then so be it. I won't blame them."
As the Black Widow spoke, she pressed a Jade Pendant into Lu Yuan's hand.
"Take this Jade Pendant. They'll believe anything you say."
Lu Yuan stared at the Jade Pendant in his hand, momentarily stunned.
'This...'
The Black Widow then stood up, patting Lu Yuan on the shoulder.
"Go, save yourself. They'll be here soon.
I know a few Magic Skills. I can buy you some time.
Run fast, keep your head down, and don't look back."
Lu Yuan looked at the Black Widow in astonishment, then glanced at the [Multiplication Factor: 8] above her head.
The text had already turned a dazzling, brilliant gold with the upgrade.
It was just one step away from the highest level, the rainbow glow of [Multiplication Factor: 9].
'How could I leave?!'
'There's no way I'm leaving!'
Putting the matter of the System aside...
Running was useless in this situation anyway.
It was like walking down the street when a large, unleashed wolfhound suddenly darted out of an alley.
It spots you and stares you down.
If you don't run and just stand your ground, it might even be a little afraid of you, hesitant to move.
But if you show fear first and turn to run, then you're done for.
Besides, why should Lu Yuan run?
For one, Lu Yuan had the Holy Body; these Xingzi couldn't harm him in the first place.
He just couldn't quite overcome his psychological fear of these filthy things.
And for another thing...
'Didn't I just get an Ink Pot as a reward?'
Ghosts were afraid of Ink Pots.
What's more, his Ink Pot was Lu Ban's Ink Pot!
'With this Divine Artifact on hand, what's there to be afraid of?!'
Right then, Lu Yuan shot to his feet. To the Black Widow's utter shock, he pushed her back down.
This sudden move caught the Black Widow completely off guard, and she fell right onto the floor.
Her voluptuous figure trembled twice.
As the Black Widow stared in astonishment, Lu Yuan puffed out his chest and declared:
"Since I saved you, there's no way I'm running.
It would've been a waste of effort otherwise. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I can definitely protect you!"
The Black Widow was completely baffled, unable to understand where Lu Yuan's sudden surge of confidence came from.
'If he was really that capable...'
'...why did he run with me just now?'
While the Black Widow was still in a daze, Lu Yuan reached into his robes and rummaged around.
Then, he pulled out an incredibly archaic-looking Ink Pot.
In reality, Lu Yuan had taken it from the System Space.
The moment Lu Yuan took out the Ink Pot, the little ghost cackling eerily on the roof beam looked as if it had seen something utterly terrifying.
It let out a terrified shriek, then shot away as if it were flying.
This confirmed Lu Yuan's earlier thoughts, and his confidence grew.
The Black Widow also knew some Magic Skills, and she could tell at a glance that the Ink Pot in Lu Yuan's hand was extraordinary.
Lu Yuan had already come up with a backstory for the item.
He immediately said:
"This was passed down from my ancestors. It's a treasure left behind from when my great-grandfather was a County Magistrate.
This is how I managed to avoid being harmed by the Xingzi in the village.
I didn't really want to use it before, since it's my life-saving treasure, after all.
But since you truly treat me as family, I'll truly treat you as family too!
From now on, you're my real aunt! And what kind of nephew wouldn't save his own aunt!"
Lu Yuan thought he was a real genius!
A genius at spinning lies.
In just a few moments, he'd fabricated a story that was perfectly seamless.
You couldn't find a single flaw in it.
Not only did it perfectly align with what he'd said before, but it also served as a bridge, allowing him to deliver such a righteous speech.
He had truly moved the Black Widow to no end.
She was on the verge of tears.
But people...
Sometimes, they're just contrary.
The more you try to do one thing, the more they insist on the opposite.
After speaking, Lu Yuan took the Ink Pot and began scrambling all over, like a spider weaving its web, preparing to seal off the room.
But seeing that Lu Yuan wasn't leaving, the Black Widow insisted that he go.
She said she couldn't let him get hurt, that he was still young and didn't need to do all this for someone he'd just met.
She even said Lu Yuan's item might not work, and so on and so forth.
In truth, Lu Yuan was panicking inside.
'The little ghost ran off scared just now, but that doesn't mean the big one coming later will be afraid...'
Besides, even if his Ink Pot could deal with Xingzi...
...what if the Xingzi used physical means?
For example, what if the Xingzi couldn't touch the Ink Pot Thread directly, but it knocked down a wall?
What if it used the falling wall to smash the Ink Pot Threads he was setting up?
Or what if it burrowed up from underground, or something else entirely?
Lu Yuan's mind was a complete mess.
With the Black Widow nagging him incessantly, Lu Yuan was starting to get really ticked off.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan spun around, glared at the anxious-looking Black Widow, and barked:
"What's with all the nagging?!
Can't you see a man is at work?!
What's a woman like you getting involved for?!
Go sit down over there!"
After Lu Yuan's outburst, the entire room fell silent.
Only the sound of their breathing remained.
When Lu Yuan came to his senses and saw the Black Widow frozen in place, he had only one thought.
'Crap!'
'This...'
'I'm so done for...'
This was the infamous Black Widow of Taiping City!
In this territory, who would dare be so aggressive with her...
You probably couldn't even find someone who dared to raise their voice at her...
'This... this...'
For a moment, Lu Yuan was in a panic.
He was just about to hastily apologize or say something, anything, when...
...the Multiplication Factor above the Black Widow's head, who was standing right in front of him, changed directly from [Multiplication Factor: 8] to [Multiplication Factor: 9].
In the instant the 8 became a 9, the color of the text changed from brilliant gold to a vibrant rainbow.
It was the same as his wife's.
The Black Widow, snapping back to reality, stomped her foot, her ripe and luscious figure quivering twice.
Then, she walked toward the corner of the room, saying aggrievedly:
"Why are you so fierce... I was just worried about you... You young man, you can't even recognize good intentions..."
After speaking, the Black Widow squatted down in the corner, refusing to look at Lu Yuan.
That aggrieved look on her face...
She looked exactly like a young wife who had just been scolded by her husband.
And you know what...
It was actually kind of cute.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Zhao Qiao'Er's Multiplication Factor has reached max level. Reward: Celestial Master Sword]
And seeing this, a "?" slowly appeared above Lu Yuan's head.
'This works too?'