In this world, what happens once may happen twice—and what happens twice will surely happen thrice.

  By now, Lu Qingmo had completely lost the ability to refuse Han’s requests.

  After tending to him, she checked his condition.

  "You’re recovering surprisingly fast," she said, a trace of astonishment in her voice.

  "Ordinarily, even with those medicines, this level of healing shouldn’t be possible."

  "Your body really is… quite unique."

  Of course, the medicine alone wouldn’t be enough.

  But I have a golden core in my heart and a divine stone in my mind.

  The sheer energy, the rapid restoration—unstoppable.

  The golden core and divine stone were among Han’s greatest hidden cards, the foundation that allowed him to fight with reckless abandon, to trade wounds for wounds, to gamble life for life.

  Without them, had he fought the Iron Brothers in such a brutal exchange, he would’ve been long dead.

  Lu Qingmo asked him to move his limbs to test his strength, then suddenly chuckled.

  "Aunt Yun, you’re laughing at me?"

  Han’s face darkened.

  Just you wait.

  Within three days, I’ll rise again.

  A body of iron—unbreakable!

  "It’s nothing to worry about," Lu Qingmo reassured him, though the amusement in her expression never faded.

  "There’s nothing wrong with being a little soft sometimes."

  Her smile only widened.

  Han had always been fierce and full of energy—seeing him so weak and helpless now was… unexpectedly amusing.

  The aftereffects of Shape and Spirit Annihilation didn’t prevent Han from cultivating. Even if he practiced martial arts, he could still move.

  It’s just that… his strikes would land soft as cotton.

  However, his injuries were a different matter—his body needed time.

  At least his soul remained unharmed.

  When Han’s spirit left his body, the moonlight still gathered to him as before.

  Even An Lang—his ghostly companion—was released, and she immediately sensed something was wrong.

  "Young Master, what happened?" An Lang floated in front of Han, her eyes wide with concern.

  "You’re injured! Who did this?!"

  "Tell me their name! I won’t let them get away with it!"

  Han smiled.

  "Good. I appreciate your loyalty," he said solemnly. "In that case, I have a task for you."

  "Go eliminate the leader of the Celestial Mother Sect for me."

  "…Huh? Me?"

  An Lang froze.

  After a long moment, she hesitantly said, "Young Master, I do think my current form still has some value… Perhaps we could postpone that task for now?"

  "Wuwuwu, I just want to stay by your side forever…"

  She covered her face in theatrical grief, though she deliberately left gaps between her fingers.

  Classic ghostly deception tactics.

  Han rolled his eyes.

  Useless ghost. What good are you?

  Nothing but talk.

  Still, he never expected An Lang to be a warrior—so it didn’t really bother him.

  Meanwhile, An Lang felt deeply wronged.

  What kind of battle-hardened ghost could possibly kill someone ranked on the Heaven and Earth Mortal Ranking?!

  Lu Qingmo observed the scene with amusement.

  Han’s ghostly companion was quite interesting—her temperament was far from ordinary.

  —

  Han stayed in the peach grove for three full days, all under Lu Qingmo’s care.

  Technically, An Lang could have helped as well—she had even offered.

  But Han had ignored her completely.

  "I fear ghosts. I can’t handle ghostly assistance."

  "Little An, you must understand—the paths of man and ghost must never intertwine."

  "Let’s not contact each other for a few days. I wouldn’t want Aunt Yun to misunderstand."

  And so, for three days, he rested.

  At last, the aftereffects of Shape and Spirit Annihilation completely vanished.

  Han stood up.

  His strength returned.

  Not only had he fully recovered from the aftereffects, but even his injuries had mostly healed.

  Lu Qingmo studied him with admiration.

  "Your ability to recover is terrifying," she remarked.

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  "You radiate pure vitality."

  "In a fight, your endurance and regeneration alone would drive your enemies to despair."

  Han chuckled.

  "That’s why I keep surviving these deadly encounters."

  That being said, he didn’t entirely agree with Lu Qingmo’s assessment.

  Would his endurance and stamina always drive his opponents to despair?

  That… depended on the battlefield.

  In certain special battlefields…

  Despair?

  Quite the opposite.

  Lu Qingmo seemed to be contemplating something.

  "You haven’t consumed any divine elixirs or trained in any specialized techniques," she mused.

  "And yet, your vitality surpasses that of an ordinary person by an astonishing degree. There’s only one explanation…"

  "Your life essence is inherently far more robust than that of ordinary people—to the point that your body itself has undergone some degree of transformation."

  Unintentionally, she was exactly right.

  Han’s life essence was indeed exceptionally deep—thanks to his special ‘medicine.’

  "And this is you after having part of your life essence eroded by ghosts," Lu Qingmo added in amazement.

  "If you had never suffered that misfortune, your potential would be even greater."

  "…"

  Why are we bringing that up again?

  My past was NOT my peak, alright?!

  "Aunt Yun, I’m thirsty," Han suddenly said.

  Without thinking, Lu Qingmo naturally picked up the cup of water on the table and lifted it to his lips.

  But just as Han started drinking, both of them froze.

  They looked at each other.

  And then—

  "Heh."

  Han let out an awkward chuckle, taking the cup from her and drinking on his own.

  Right.

  He was already fully recovered.

  Lu Qingmo lowered her gaze, feeling a little strange herself.

  Three days.

  It had become a habit.

  She hadn’t even realized what she was doing.

  He’s recovered. But I… might not recover so easily.

  —

  Han left the peach grove and returned to Black Cloud Town.

  When people saw him, they were stunned.

  "Wait… isn’t that Tai Bai Han?"

  "Didn’t they say he had lost all his cultivation?"

  "No, no, I heard that his arms and legs were broken and he was a cripple!"

  "Wait—wasn’t he already dead? I swear, someone said he was buried days ago!"

  "…Could it be a corpse that came back to life? We should call the Ghost Division to investigate!"

  "You idiot, he literally just walked out of the Ghost Division’s governor’s house!"

  "…"

  Han’s face darkened.

  WHO THE HELL had been spreading these ridiculous rumors?!

  When I get back, I swear I’m going to curse the Gao family with misfortune for a month.

  —

  With Han’s safe return, everyone felt relieved.

  Even though Bai Ruoyue had been sulking about something for the past three days, she still couldn’t help but feel glad.

  When Han was finally alone, he took out his Punish Evil Token and checked its status.

  The moment he saw the numbers, his heart leapt with satisfaction.

  If he settled his rewards now, his merit multiplier was at 100%!

  Previously, his virtue points had been stuck at 499.

  Now, they had increased to 500.

  Perfect completion.

  It seemed the investigation and punishment of the corrupt officials in Qinghua County had concluded.

  Han had not made the trip in vain.

  Now that he had reached the maximum threshold, there was no reason to wait.

  He cashed in.

  His 500 virtue points instantly doubled to 1,000.

  And because of the perfect completion, he received an additional reward.

  A new message from the Punish Evil Token surfaced in his mind.

  Perfect Punishment Reward:

  "Good deeds beget good fortune."

  The reward was special—if Han ever faced a life-threatening crisis, he could use it to miraculously survive through a reasonable means.

  The seeds of virtue he had sown…

  Would one day bear fruit.

  The difference was huge.

  Han took a deep breath and scratched his head.

  This so-called “Good Deeds Beget Good Fortune” had no clear limits, making it difficult to judge its effectiveness.

  If he miscalculated and relied on it to take risks, only to encounter a crisis beyond the scope of reason, then wouldn't he be completely doomed?

  And unlike his Punish Evil Token, this ability hadn't been acquired during a bonus period—it was merely a Level One Token.

  Brother Shu had no limits, but Han did.

  Still, having an ability like this was a good thing.

  At the very least, it provided another layer of security.

  Even if the extra reward wasn’t immediately useful, he still had his virtue points to spend.

  [Special Item: Level One Punish Evil Token]

  [Eliminate evil, accumulate virtue. Virtue can grant enlightenment, repel demonic forces, and increase fortune. Its uses are endless. (One-time-use item)]

  The real benefit of the token wasn’t the bonus reward—it was the virtue points earned through acts of justice.

  Enlightenment, demon suppression, fortune enhancement—any one of these was already an incredible ability.

  But even though 1,000 virtue points sounded like a lot, they could disappear fast.

  For example, increasing fortune required a flat 500 points per use—Han could use it twice, and it would be gone.

  And while the effect was permanent, it wasn’t like it would instantly turn him into a Child of Destiny.

  The description was clear—it would slightly enhance his luck.

  As for enlightenment, that was adjustable.

  The lowest tier required 100 points, and each additional 100 would increase the depth and duration of the enlightenment.

  Demon suppression, on the other hand, depended entirely on the strength of the demon.

  For a minor demon, a few points might be enough.

  For a true demon lord, even if Han burned all 1,000 points, he might not survive.

  So, when it came down to it…

  1,000 virtue points weren’t much at all.

  Han needed to plan carefully to make the most of them.

  How should I use them…?

  —

  "Junior Brother, why are you just sitting there? Why aren’t you training?"

  Bai Ruoyue strode into the room, arms crossed, her expression stern.

  "What, is the martial hall too small for you now? You don’t feel challenged anymore?"

  "Should I ask my father to give you special permission so you never have to come back? You can just wander off and train wherever you like?"

  "Hmph. I guess my little martial hall just isn’t big enough compared to Aunt Yun’s place. No wonder you like it better there."

  "…"

  This Yin-Yang Senior Sister…

  Han’s mouth twitched.

  All because he had told her not to visit the peach grove too often and interrupt his time with Aunt Yun, she was still holding a grudge?!

  Senior Sister, I swear, I was only thinking of you! I just didn’t want you to wear yourself out. I didn’t want to trouble you!

  But alas, my kindness was misplaced. My good intentions… wasted.

  A deep sigh escaped him.

  Then—

  "Master!" Han suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

  "Senior Sister wants to kick me out! She says she doesn’t want to see me at the martial hall anymore!"

  Bai Ruoyue’s expression changed instantly.

  She rushed forward in a panic, slapping a hand over his mouth.

  "Han, you’re a grown man! How can you still be tattling?! You’re shameless!"

  "Mmph! Mmph!"

  "What do you mean 'mmph'?"

  Bai Ruoyue glared daggers at him.

  "If you keep running your mouth, I’ll sew it shut. Do you hear me?"

  Han nodded obediently, signaling that he understood.

  Only then did Bai Ruoyue let go.

  It was only then that she realized—

  Her hand was wet.

  "Master!" Han immediately shouted again.

  "Senior Sister just said as long as she’s in the martial hall, I’m not allowed to talk! She won’t even let me eat!"

  "She even threatened to sew my mouth shut and make me her personal servant!"

  "AHHHH!"

  Bai Ruoyue screamed in frustration, grabbing Han and shoving him backward, her hands once again clamping down over his mouth.

  "You still want to talk?! You STILL want to talk?!"

  Han’s chair tilted backward, nearly toppling over.

  Fortunately, his waist was strong.

  "You’re driving me crazy!"

  Bai Ruoyue raised a fist and gave Han two solid punches to the arm.

  Her face was right in front of his, her breath warm against his skin.

  Her large, bright eyes locked onto him as she put on her fiercest expression.

  "If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll beat you to death!"

  Ah.

  I’m dead.