Chapter 289

Chapter 288

The plump woman felt a sudden brightness before her eyes, making her feel as if her humble abode had been illuminated.

She exclaimed with delight, "Oh, what handsome young ones you are! Your parents must be quite skilled at giving birth! Considering how good-looking your parents made you, I'll cut the price in half—three hundred thousand spirit stones."

Three hundred thousand spirit stones? And that's half?

This price is highway robbery! Even Tianzhen Alliance doesn't charge this much.

Before they could react, the plump woman waved her chubby hand. "Don't complain about the price. You should know the rules of Bone Town; safe places are scarce. My inn is one of the safest in Bone Town. If it weren't for how good-looking you are, Auntie Hua wouldn't let just anyone stay here."

Wen Qiao and Su Molan looked at her with serious expressions, seemingly understanding why Ning Yuzhou had pulled down his hood earlier.

This plump woman was indeed the owner of the inn, known as Auntie Hua. She claimed to be a coarse person, but who would believe she was simple, given that she ran an inn in Bone Town?

She had no particular hobbies, except for being exceptionally lenient towards those who were good-looking. Of course, good looks were only one condition; she also had to find them pleasing.

Clearly, these four pleased Auntie Hua greatly. Without hesitation, she allowed them to stay. For others, entry depended on her mood.

Ning Yuzhou said, "Since Auntie Hua is so kind, we'll return the favor. Would you accept spirit pills instead of spirit stones for the rent?"

Auntie Hua's gaze fell on him. Her eyes, squeezed into narrow slits by her face's flesh, conveyed a tangible presence.

"This young man, my shop doesn't accept just any spirit pills," Auntie Hua said with a smile.

Ning Yuzhou nodded. "I understand Auntie Hua's rules. Why don't you take a look first?"

With that, he flicked his sleeve, and a pill bottle landed lightly on the counter.

Seeing this, Auntie Hua became more interested. She grabbed the pill bottle with her plump hand. When she saw the spirit pills inside, the flesh on her face seemed to quiver.

"Fine!" Auntie Hua's voice grew more urgent. "Auntie Hua loves capable and straightforward people. Rest assured, as long as you stay here, I'll ensure your safety every day."

"Thank you, Auntie Hua," Ning Yuzhou replied warmly.

Hearing this, Wen Qiao and Su Molan finally understood Ning Yuzhou's intentions. Not only did they find a safe place to stay in Bone Town, but they also secured a bodyguard, which would make their next steps easier.

Auntie Hua extended her plump hand, retrieved two bone keys from a drawer behind the counter, and smiled. "Follow me, please."

The four followed Auntie Hua as she led them up the stairs on the left side of the hall.

These stairs were also made of bones, uneven and rough, and each step produced a creaking sound that was particularly eerie. Whether due to the bone house or Auntie Hua's bulky body blocking the light, the stairs were dimly lit, creating an ominous atmosphere.

Auntie Hua's bulk blocked the entire staircase.

Without any self-awareness, she climbed the stairs with a loud voice. "Your rooms are on the third floor. There happen to be two rooms available, both arranged for you. The rooms might be a bit noisy at night, but it's nothing to worry about..."

She continued with many warnings, making the inn sound full of problems, not a good place to stay. For normal people, it would be unappealing.

But this was Bone Town, where anything strange was normal.

Indeed, there were only two rooms on the third floor. Auntie Hua's bulk filled the corridor as she handed them the bone keys with a smile. "You're unfamiliar with Bone Town, aren't you?"

Ning Yuzhou replied warmly, "We are indeed here for the first time."

"No wonder. Finding my inn means someone gave you information," Auntie Hua said, covering her mouth with a laugh. Despite the comical nature of the gesture coming from a plump woman, it seemed natural, as if a graceful beauty stood before them.

Wen Qiao and Su Molan thought to themselves, "Not really; it was Pei Qiyu who gathered the information."

But they didn't need to tell Auntie Hua; let her continue her misunderstanding.

"In recent years, many cultivators have flocked to Bone Town, and many have died here, ending up in the mass graves outside town. Auntie advises caution. If your purpose is similar to theirs, be careful. Bone Town has many secrets, and deaths are common. Sometimes, hundreds die overnight."

How big is Bone Town? Hundreds dying overnight is ordinary here, yet alarming.

After saying this, Auntie Hua passed them and left.

Her body was so large that she pushed them aside as she moved.

Pei Qiyu and Su Molan were near the stairwell, and Auntie Hua pushed them together. Then she turned and grinned at them. "Young ones, be careful at night. The bone houses have spirits watching you."

Pei Qiyu and Su Molan: "..."

The creaking sounds of the stairs gradually faded as Auntie Hua descended.

Pei Qiyu, with a dark expression, pulled Su Molan over and said to Ning Yuzhou, "That woman talks too much. You shouldn't have given her top-grade spirit pills."

Su Molan kept her head down, silent.

Ning Yuzhou calmly replied, "Auntie Hua is honest. Didn't you recommend her?"

Pei Qiyu was responsible for gathering information and always recommended the best options after successful inquiries. They chose Auntie Hua's inn based on his recommendation.

Pei Qiyu was speechless.

If he had known Auntie Hua talked so much, he would have chosen another inn.

Ning Yuzhou inserted the bone key into a slot on the door. It fit perfectly, and with a click, the closed bone door opened.

Living in a house made of human bones required strong adaptability, especially since these bone houses seemed to have their own consciousness.

So Auntie Hua's warning wasn't wrong. Being startled during nighttime activities could lead to psychological issues for male cultivators.

"We'll rest now. You should do the same," Ning Yuzhou said to Pei Qiyu and Su Molan.

Wen Qiao entered, glanced back at Pei Qiyu and Su Molan, and curiously asked, "Why did Auntie Hua warn only you?"

Pei Qiyu: "..."

Su Molan: "……"

Pei Qiyu sneered at her, his face dark as he dragged Su Molan into the next room. He slammed the bone key viciously into the slot on the door and strode in.

Wen Qiao followed Ning Yuzhou into their room with a puzzled look, asking, "Husband, why is he so angry?"

Ning Yuzhou cleared his throat, his pale ears tinged red. In a soft voice, he said, "Pei Qiyu and Miss Su have been living as husband and wife for some time now. Auntie Hua's cultivation is profound; she can easily tell that their primordial yang and yin have been broken."

Wen Qiao: "……"

She blinked, suddenly enlightened. "I see! No wonder Su Molan rushed to save Pei Qiyu in the Black Wind Desert. Hmm, could it be that they share a connection because of their dual cultivation?"

Ning Yuzhou felt a bit uneasy but didn't avoid the topic. "Probably! They made a marital pact, allowing them to sense each other's presence if they're not too far apart."

Wen Qiao finally understood why she and Ning Yuzhou couldn't establish such a bond—they hadn't practiced dual cultivation. So she no longer dwelled on it.

The room had a window facing the street, which was closed, making the room quite dim.

Wen Qiao walked over and opened the window, brightening the room slightly. This allowed her to clearly see the various bone walls, beams, and frames inside.

Wen Guangun clung tightly to one of Wen Qiao's shoulders, while Su Xing clung to the other.

Both the beast and the artifact found this place eerie and were a bit scared.

Wen Qiao, however, boldly inspected every corner of the room, even flipping over the bone table and chairs. She told Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, the aura here isn't as oppressive as in the tavern earlier."

Ning Yuzhou thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because the blood from those two men seeped into the bones of the floor, affecting the bone house."

In the tavern, the two burly men had killed recklessly, their blood dripping onto the ground and being absorbed by the bones. The more blood absorbed, the more oppressive the atmosphere became until it reached a critical point, and the bone house expelled them.

Wen Qiao pondered, "So these bone houses do have consciousness?"

"Perhaps."

As night fell, Auntie Hua brought them bone lamps.

The bone lamps were made from skulls, which looked rather unappealing—no normal person would like them. Inside the skulls was a colorless oil, with a short wick producing an eerie light that only made the bone house seem more sinister.

Even Wen Qiao, who was usually fearless, found it a bit unsettling and didn't want the bone lamp.

She politely accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."

Auntie Hua smiled warmly. "Such a polite young lady; I feel bad not offering you breakfast." With that, she left Wen Qiao confused and went to deliver lamps to the next room.

Wen Qiao returned with the bone lamp and asked Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, what did Auntie Hua mean just now?"

Ning Yuzhou sat by the window, thinking for a moment before saying, "Auntie Hua meant that the food in Bone Town should not be eaten lightly."

Wen Qiao nodded, understanding that Auntie Hua might have mistaken them for acquaintances introduced by someone else, or perhaps because of the top-grade spirit pills Ning Yuzhou used as rent.

Clearly, Auntie Hua needed those top-grade spirit pills.

This was also information Pei Qiyu had gathered earlier—that spirit pills were more effective than spirit stones in impressing Auntie Hua.

As night deepened, Ning Yuzhou remained seated by the window, gazing outside.

Wen Qiao sat for a while, glancing at the bone bed. Unable to overcome her unease, she decided to meditate through the night instead.

Turning to Ning Yuzhou, she called out, "Husband, it's late. Aren't you going to rest?"

Ning Yuzhou remained silent, still staring out the window.

Wen Qiao wondered if there was something strange outside and joined him by the window.

Bone Town was lit up by countless bone lamps, almost every household hanging one at their door. The dim light barely illuminated the immediate area, casting an unreal glow over the entire town.

A night breeze blew, causing the bone house to creak as if it might collapse under the weight. Yet the bone lamps remained unaffected, quietly shining in the wind.

After watching for a while, Wen Qiao felt a strange sensation, as if Bone Town was shrouded in a false world at night.

Suddenly, a warm hand took hers.

Wen Qiao came back to her senses, realizing Ning Yuzhou had stood up and was smiling at her, softly saying, "Chui, let's rest."

Wen Qiao responded with an "Oh," watching him close the window and lead her toward the bed.

Seeing the white, skeletal bed, she felt a chill and whispered, "Husband, how about we meditate tonight?"

Ning Yuzhou glanced at her, then at the white skeletal bed, chuckling softly. "Chui, don't worry. Auntie Hua's inn is safe; we can sleep without fear of anything happening."

Wen Qiao: "……I'm not worried about that."

Ning Yuzhou looked at her with a puzzled expression, silently waiting for her response.

Feeling her face redden, Wen Qiao hesitated, "Well, let's rest, but there's nothing on the bed..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Yuzhou took out bedding and laid it over the skeletal bed, covering the white bones. However, the four bedposts and frame remained uncovered, still unsettling.

Ning Yuzhou pulled her closer, saying, "Chui, stay with me. This bone house... I'm a bit scared."

Hearing him say he was scared, Wen Qiao immediately felt braver, patting her chest. "Don't worry. We mean it no harm, so it shouldn't harm us either."

By "it," she meant the bone house.

At that moment, Wen Guangun and Su Xing climbed onto the bed, both expressing their fear and wanting to join them.

"Ning brother, let's not sleep on the floor tonight. We won't take up much space; let us join you on the bed."

"Hmm...!"

The two looked so pitiful that Wen Qiao picked them up and held them in her arms, looking at Ning Yuzhou and saying, "Husband, let them come up. If we all huddle together, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Ning Yuzhou: "...” He suddenly wanted to take back what he had just said.

After the two of them, one beast, and one spirit climbed into bed, Wen Qiao stared at the bone lamp on the table and asked Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, should we just let this bone lamp stay lit?"

Lying on the inside of the bed, Ning Yuzhou tried to ignore the spirit and the small iron-eating beast squeezed between them, saying, "Auntie Hua specifically brought it over; this bone lamp must have some purpose. Did you notice that every household in Bone Town has a bone lamp lit?"

Thinking about what she had seen earlier, Wen Qiao nodded and didn't pay any more attention to the bone lamp.

As night deepened, the world suddenly became eerily quiet.

"Creak... creak... creak..."

A strange sound echoed, and Wen Qiao opened her eyes, listening intently to determine where it was coming from. However, after listening for a long time, she still couldn't pinpoint its source—it seemed to be coming from outside the window, or perhaps the stairs, or even within the room...

Could this be what Auntie Hua mentioned earlier, that it would get a bit noisy at night?

Not only was it noisy, but the noise had a rhythmic pattern, making it hard to sleep.

Wen Qiao sighed and was about to turn over when an arm wrapped around her waist, followed by someone nuzzling against her neck, their warm breath brushing against her soft earlobe.

Lying on her back, Wen Qiao felt a slight tickle on her neck.

"Husband?" she called softly.

Ning Yuzhou responded indistinctly, "Chui, go to sleep..."

Wen Qiao kept her eyes open for a while, but eventually, with him by her side, she slowly relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

Only after she fell asleep did Ning Yuzhou open his eyes, looking at the girl who slept with her hands resting on her abdomen, her posture proper. The corners of his lips curved slightly, and he couldn't help but lean over to kiss her cheek.

Just as his lips touched her cheek, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes following him closely.

His movement paused, and he looked up towards the bone wall outside the bed, meeting a pair of large blood-red eyes that appeared on the bone wall.