THIP Chapter 74

While Mu Liuyin was busy thinking through these problems, neither she nor her system noticed that from the very moment she entered this mission world, deep within a place heavy with ghostly energy, a breathtaking girl in red slowly opened her eyes from slumber.

—

Since she had arrived at night, Mu Liuyin went to sleep right after reviewing the storyline.

It was summer break, so Qi Jue had been staying at home. Or rather, ever since he noticed his spiritual power gradually weakening, he had returned to the Qi family hoping to seek guidance from his elders. But even they couldn’t identify the root cause. As a result, he stayed home instead of returning to school, for now, at least, being with his family could help prevent further ambushes.

Although Qi Jue wasn’t keen on hiding out and being protected, he also knew there wasn’t much else he could do. What no one expected, however, was that even after Qi Jue was essentially crippled, Yin Che still didn’t let him go.

“Is there any way to break the curse Yin Che placed on the original host?” Mu Liuyin asked Little Nine in her mind while brushing her teeth.

That curse had been a reward Yin Che received after completing a system mission. It worked by siphoning off the cursed person’s spiritual energy, redirecting it into the caster’s body, while simultaneously destroying the cursed person’s foundation. In other words, within three months, all of Qi Jue’s spiritual energy would become Yin Che’s.

“Of course there is~” Little Nine replied with a hint of smugness. “I already lifted it yesterday for you, and he didn’t even notice.”

Mu Liuyin gave a soft hum in acknowledgment. Usually, when a curse like that is broken, the backlash affects the caster. If Yin Che found out, that could cause real trouble. After all, given her current strength, going head-to-head with Yin Che wasn’t a good idea.

Yin Che had access to a ghost-catching system and countless trump cards. On top of that, he had backing from the country’s paranormal department, the Ye family, and two other powerful metaphysical clans. Even the Qi family couldn’t do much against him.

Still, Mu Liuyin couldn’t help the disgust rising in her chest when she thought about how, in the original plot, Yin Che collected nearly twenty female love interests—and even entertained the idea of adding the Ghost King to his harem when they met.

She really couldn’t understand how those girls tolerated sharing the same man.

Was it love?
Mu Liuyin shook her head. No, they were just characters trapped in a storyline, unable to control their own fate.

And that ghost-catching system Yin Che had—was it just helping him out for free?

Her gaze sharpened slightly. She raised a palm and tried using the method from the original host’s memories to summon the remaining spiritual energy in her body. It was faint, but still there.

Little Nine blinked his big cat-like eyes and chirped, “Master, I’ve got an amazing cultivation manual! It’ll help you surpass the male lead!”

Seeing Little Nine looking at her with hopeful eyes but not handing over the technique right away, Mu Liuyin’s lips twitched. She praised, “You’re incredible, Little Nine.”

The next second, a full cultivation manual appeared in her mind. Mu Liuyin read through it carefully—it was indeed profound and even included ancient methods for exorcising spirits.

She originally wanted to ask if she could awaken the Ghost King early and exorcise her, but based on the manual, that was impossible. Given that she’d already lost more than half her strength, even exorcising a regular malicious ghost would be a challenge, let alone the Ghost King.

Besides, the Ghost King had lingered in the mortal realm for who knows how long. She didn’t want to reincarnate. If Mu Liuyin wanted to perform an exorcism, she’d have to be able to overpower her first.

Mu Liuyin sighed. For now, it was best to focus on regaining her strength.

And maybe find some minor ghosts along the way to practice on.

She sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed, and settled into her cultivation posture, skipping breakfast altogether. The Qi family knew Qi Jue had been moody lately and often locked himself in his room, so no one came to disturb her.

Spiritual energy in the modern world was weak—it was the tail end of the Age of Dharma—but Mu Liuyin still cultivated rapidly.

She spent nearly the whole day meditating, only pausing to eat lunch and dinner.

In about six months, Yin Che would act against the original host. Failing the mission wasn’t the worst part—but the thought of dying in such an embarrassing way, at the hands of some harem-collecting guy, made her more determined than ever to increase her power as fast as possible.

That night, although she wanted to keep training, her body couldn’t take any more. She had no choice but to go to bed and sleep soundly.

Mu Liuyin had no idea that while she slept, a stunning girl in red quietly passed through the wall and entered her room.

Aside from her ancient-style red robes and the terrifying act of walking through walls, she looked no different from any ordinary human.

Yet in the entire Qi family—a renowned metaphysical clan—not a single person, not even Mu Liuyin, noticed the girl’s presence.

Little Nine had already been forced into a dormant state the moment the girl appeared.

With seemingly slow and elegant steps, the girl crossed the room in just a few breaths and stood beside Mu Liuyin’s bed.

She paused, lowered her gaze, and stared into the face of the sleeping young woman. The face was different, the bloodline unfamiliar—but the soul inside told her everything she needed to know.

This was the person she had loved and hated in life—the one she still clung to in death, the reason she refused to enter reincarnation, the person she had been waiting for all this time.

She stared at Mu Liuyin for a long while. Yet even under that intense gaze, the sleeping Mu Liuyin remained completely unaware.

“Cousin…” the girl whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the center of Mu Liuyin’s brow.
“I’ve finally found you.”