The blinding light faded. The charred corpses he'd expected to see weren't there.

  All three stood perfectly unharmed.

  The scene looked like a frozen frame from a stage play—Ling had activated "Scatters Flowers.exe" at full power. Countless soft yet resilient shields made of pink petals layered above them, dissolving that destructive lightning strike into nothing.

  Looking closer, it wasn't the petals blocking the rolling thunder.

  Rather, all the strikes—that violent, chaotic, disordered lightning force—seemed to be forcibly twisted and drawn by an invisible power, concentrated onto a single point. The petals spun frantically at that point like an endless vortex, devouring all the lightning.

  As the heavenly thunder dissipated and the petals scattered, a coin fell from the air.

  Ling bent down to pick it up, casually flipping it with her thumb. The coin rotated in the air, the intricate hexagram circuit etched on it leaving trails of blue-purple light in the dim room, still holding residual high-voltage energy that had just been "captured."

  "Thanks for treating. Really, you shouldn't have."

  Ling blew on the hot coin, grinning like a thug who'd just dined and dashed.

  Bai stared at that coin, eyes nearly popping out. His finger trembled as he pointed at Ling accusingly:

  "You… you're a heretic cultivator! Unauthorized interception! This is illegal spiritual energy storage! This… this is a serious crime! I… I'll report you to the Earth God!"

  Ling blinked, turning to look at the two employees behind her.

  Val and Mimi were also staring with disbelief, eyes full of fear, instinctively backing two steps away from Ling. In their understanding, "unauthorized energy interception" meant getting blasted on sight by the Thunder Department's celestial soldiers.

  "Is it really that serious? What kind of bullshit rule is that? What do you think you're doing when you practice breathing exercises?"

  Mimi answered weakly: "That’s just gleaning. Taking the leftovers under a certain amount for personal use is acceptable … but this… this is definitely enough for a sentence."

  Ling rolled her eyes, sneering at this insane energy monopoly.

  "Report to the Earth God? Fine. I'd like to see what that old fart can do."

  With that, Ling pressed the scalding hexagram coin directly against her forehead.

  "Sizzle—"

  A cool sensation with hints of tingling instantly flooded her entire body. The energy bar that had been flashing red visibly climbed back above the safety line.

  Knew it. That guy's craftsmanship couldn't possibly be 'just messing around.'

  Back when she'd visited Gann and Moye's copy shop, Ling had already scoped the place out thoroughly. Despite the couple claiming they'd washed their hands of the business, the lightning rod on their roof was strung with this same coin, connected by wire-like conduits to their meditation cushion and workbench.

  Obviously up to no good. Those two… hehe, after my own heart.

  Ling didn't give a damn about legal or illegal. Bai's attack had missed, most of his energy was depleted, and he was at the vulnerable moment of forming his Golden Core—perfect for practice.

  Seeing his strike fail, Bai gritted his teeth and pulled another spirit-slip from his sleeve, but held it in his palm without daring to unseal it.

  Ling laughed: "Go on, open it. Why'd you stop? This subsidy is yours to claim. But if it ends up in my 'illegal device'… whose fault would that be? Is this a robbery of mine? Or… are you just cashing out by aiding the enemy?"

  "Tell me—which version of the story do you think would earn the Earth God a bigger political capital?"

  Bai's beard quivered with rage, face turning liver-colored:

  "You… don't be so arrogant! The universe has it's own justice! The eyes of the Heavenly Dao are everywhere! Just wait—intercepting this much at once, divine punishment will come soon!"

  This was nothing but impotent rage. He didn't dare gamble. If that demoness didn't suffer immediate backlash like other illegal spirit-stone hoarders, then opening the spirit-slip now would just be delivering takeout to the enemy.

  With no other choice, he put away the spirit-slip and pulled out a smaller official-standard spirit stone, erecting a gleaming golden shield on the spot. He planned to first stabilize that volatile Golden Core inside him, then kill these three properly once his realm was secure.

  "So mortal cultivators have no concept of how things actually work. Still believing that 'the Heavenly Dao is mysterious' nonsense." Ling shook her head, pitying this brainwashed sheep waiting to be shorn.

  Mimi cautiously tugged at Ling's sleeve, voice trembling: "Sis Ling, um… you really can't keep this thing. Boss can't protect you…"

  Ling, in a prankish mood, pressed the highly charged coin directly onto Mimi's forehead.

  "Shut up, accomplice."

  "Mmph!"

  Mimi instantly fell silent. That pure energy surged into her body—this one hit was worth about three months of meditation without eating or drinking. The body was honest. Who could refuse this kind of freebie? Poor young yao, meeting the most shameless hungry ghost before her sense of right and wrong had even solidified.

  …

  Just then, a rustling sound came from a hidden door in the corner of the room, accompanied by the grating screech of metal scraping against the floor.

  A pair of eyes seemed to be watching through the keyhole from the darkness.

  Mimi had just recovered her energy, her senses sharp to the extreme. Highly alert, she leaped from standing, kicked the rusty lock off the hidden door, and yanked it open.

  "Who's there?!"

  The door opened. The sight inside made the air freeze.

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  It was a cramped storage room, filled with cardboard boxes of various sizes, and… a harmless-looking little black dog.

  It was covered in wounds—especially blade wounds designed for bloodletting. Skin and bones. A heavy iron chain hung from its neck, the links having worn into the flesh, forming a thick ring of scabs. Its eyes were hollow, breathing merely mechanical.

  Bai's expression suddenly turned extremely nervous—more panicked than when he'd lost his spiritual power:

  "What are you doing! That's my spirit pet! Private property! Don't do anything rash!"

  Ling said coldly: "Oh, yours?"

  Mimi stood at the door, her usually lively eyes instantly turning red, her entire skeleton cracking and popping. The way she looked at Bai was no longer the playful curiosity of toying with prey—it was bone-deep hatred.

  "Say that again… spirit pet?"

  Mimi's voice was hoarse, like blood being squeezed from her throat:

  "You call this a spirit pet?!"

  Her claws tore open a cardboard box, scattering bloodletting equipment all over the floor.

  Only then did the black dog show any reaction, curling up in the corner and convulsing.

  Val hurried forward to hold Mimi back, trying to calm her. But Mimi only grew more frantic, struggling desperately as if about to cry:

  "Let me go! Did you hear that?! He said spirit pet! Spirit pet! He said it! He… I don't want to go back!! No!!"

  Mimi was trembling too hard to speak. Unbearable memories flooded back. Overwhelming grief and rage shattered her reason. She'd long forgotten she was still in a cold war with Val.

  "Shh… shh… it's okay… it's okay, we're all here. You're safe now."

  Under Val's clumsy but steadfast comfort, she huddled in his solid arms like a helpless child, shaking uncontrollably.

  Ling glanced at Mimi but didn't ask questions. She just walked silently to the black dog's side and crouched down.

  She reached out, picked up the iron chain, and carefully removed it from the dog's neck.

  The dog was well-behaved. Even though the unlocking process tugged at the scabs, tearing off chunks of flesh, it trembled with pain throughout but didn't make a single sound. Those eyes held no plea for rescue—only numb, dead stillness.

  Ling stood up, holding the chain smeared with the black dog's blood and pus.

  She swung it through the air, producing a low whistling sound.

  "Master Bai, cultivating like this—aren't you afraid of karmic retribution?"

  The question seemed to sting Bai. Face flushing red, he endured the pain of his true qi running wild as he justified himself: "What… what do you know! Black dog blood is ultimate yang blood, specifically counters yin evil! I keep it to draw blood for talismans—it's for the 'greater good' of slaying demons and exorcising evil!"

  The more he spoke, the more righteous he felt. His voice grew fervent, as if he'd found the most sacred footnote for his cruelty:

  "Sacrificing one animal in exchange for spirit talismans that protect homes, saving countless common people! This is merit! This is great love! What right do you demonic heretics have to judge my methods?!"

  "Ultimate yang blood?"

  Ling gave a light laugh, extending a finger to gently wipe the blood mixed with pus from the chain's edge.

  "Master Bai, fooling mortals is one thing. Don't fool yourself too."

  Ling stood up, looking down at Bai:

  "Know why your talismans work so well?"

  "Because this dog has lived a life worse than any ghost's."

  Bai froze: "Stop pretending to understand! This is pure yang…"

  "Pure yang my ass!"

  Ling cut him off sharply, presence overwhelming:

  "You kept it locked in darkness, bleeding it day after day, torturing it, denying it both life and death. You turned it into concentrated despair."

  "I'm guessing… you pamper each of your 'spirit pets' for a while first, before you start bleeding them? Know why that works better?"

  "Because that way… it won't understand why the person it trusted most would treat it like this… What flows in that blood isn't any yang energy—it's resentment a hundred times more potent than any vengeful ghost's, a stench even more pungent, suffering even more profound!"

  Ling leaned down, grabbed Bai's collar, and forced him to look at the dog's hollow eyes:

  "Those wandering spirits smell this and they're not 'purified'—they're scared off."

  "It's a victim more tortured than any ghost that's been doing your exorcisms for you."

  Bai trembled all over but still held his neck stiff with righteous indignation:

  "So what! Being born a dog means its karmic debt is heavy! The pain in this blood is the price it pays to settle that debt! The Heavenly Dao is fair—if not for cruel men like this old Taoist willing to play the villain, how could it attain completion in its next life? This old Taoist takes its blood to save common people. This is using its negative karma to create positive fruit in the mortal world. This is called transforming cause and effect! This is called boundless merit!"

  Ling released her grip, wiping her hand on her clothes with disgust:

  "Master Bai, when it comes to being a demon, you're far more professional than I am. Now I understand why fate keeps bringing us together."

  Ling stopped wasting words on Bai and grabbed the iron chain again.

  "Ghost-Eye, you're up."

  "No problem."

  [Target locked: Master Bai]

  [Combat plan: Generated]

  Without any warning, Ling suddenly exploded into action.

  This was a deliberate, risky test—she wanted to probe exactly where this vessel's protective mechanisms drew the line.

  Mortals couldn't be harmed. But what about mortal cultivators?

  CRACK!

  The blood-soaked chain lashed against Master Bai's shield, sending violent ripples across its surface.

  [System Notice: Attack behavior detected.]

  [Target Classification: Registered Cultivator (Bai-0972)]

  [Verdict: Compliant.]

  [Note: Per Article 42 of the "Cultivator Discipline Protocol," divine personnel may administer "strict education" to misbehaving cultivators, but may not harm their life essence. Please submit "Guidance Explanation Form (Form-104)" within 100 business days.]

  Ling cursed internally. So goddamn annoying—even a fight required a self-criticism report. Good thing the Spirit-Net was glitching and the attack log failed to upload.

  So now—she could whip to her heart's content.

  "You shameless eunuch."

  Ling sneered, the chain in her hand lashing out again with a whooshing sound:

  "I was wondering—a pouch full of aphrodisiacs and virility pills, how's an old fart like you still so energetic? So you've been sucking this black dog's yang energy, huh?"

  CRACK! CRACK!

  Within a few strikes, the chain soaked in the resentful blood had worn down Bai's shield to almost nothing. And combined with the clanging racket, he simply couldn't enter meditation like a true master.

  At the end of the day, his fundamentals were lacking—all his cultivation was propped up by supplements.

  Cornered, Bai had no choice but to forcibly suppress the rampaging Golden Core energy inside him and stand to fight.

  "Demoness! Cease your arrogance!"

  However, the ensuing battle turned extremely bizarre.

  With Ghost-Eye's coordination, Ling was as slippery as an eel. Every time Bai's thunder technique seemed about to hit her, she dodged at some impossible angle.

  And Ling always found the gap at the exact instant between his moves, landing a lash on his head.

  Only… Ling's movements were rather provocative.

  Because this "Celestial Maiden" movement modules contained no combat arts whatsoever. The only thing with speed bonuses and agility attributes was—"Celestial Dance."

  Thus, during the duel, Ling had no choice but to sway her hips, step in lotus patterns, and twirl and leap with graceful posture.

  For aesthetics, the system even auto-optimized her hand-foot coordination, making every chain swing look like trailing silk sleeves, every dodge like a backbend.

  Bai had finally built up enough for his Thunderbolt Triple Strike, but Ling executed a "Swallow Skims the Water Thrice"—lean forward, arch back, then flip—three continuous dance moves that perfectly dodged all three bolts, while the iron chain whipped toward Master Bai's face like a lash.

  CRACK!

  Bai let out a wretched scream, a bloody welt appearing on his face.

  The scene was both seductive and absurdly violent.

  Even Mimi had unconsciously recovered from her triggered state, staring blankly at this bizarre "battle dance," forgetting to cry.

  "You… what kind of sorcery is this?!" Bai was gasping for air, the veins on his forehead bulging.

  Ling couldn't care less. Her toes touched off and her whole body spun into the air like a top—the standard opening of "Celestial Maiden's Heavenly Ascent," her body tracing an elegant parabola through space.

  Taking advantage of this grand spinning step, the iron chain in her hand coiled around Bai's ankle with snake-like precision.

  "Get…"

  She flipped in midair, both hands yanking hard—

  "DOWN!"

  Master Bai spun like a mouse on a wheel, unable to stop. Finally, amid Ling's dazzling afterimages, the dog chain bound him up like a dumpling.

  THUD!

  Bai crashed heavily to the ground. Shield shattered, Golden Core energy completely disrupted, he spat out a mouthful of thick blood—practically crippled.

  Ling stopped her dance, elegantly dusted off her hands, and straightened her somewhat disheveled skirt.

  "That's a wrap."

  She didn't spare another glance at groaning Bai on the ground, turning instead toward the pried-open safe.

  "You two, stop being so dramatic! Come on, time to stock up!"

  "Already wasted too much time here. Who knows if that coward Dax is throwing another fit."