Chapter 44: The Corpse as the Coffin (1/2)

Yuying was already an immortal before her death. It was just that the thousand years since her passing had left her weakened, so she hadn’t recovered her full powers when she first became an Envoy of Samsara.

When she’d died again in the layout, she was returned to the Tome of Life and Death. Lu Yun’s subsequent breakthrough had tapped into the power of the tome and allowed her to resurrect earlier, this time with her cultivation recovered to its peak.

Imbued with the power of immortals, Yuying was now able to manipulate the Panorama of Clarity much more easily, letting her use its core power to seal away the Tiger Prince. In addition, Lu Yun’s breakthrough had bestowed upon him a powerful death art.

Spectral Eye!

This allowed him to witness all life and death within five hundred kilometers.

In other words, no dead folks within the area of effect could escape his eyes. He could even use the art to determine the dead’s identity, which was the most heaven-defying thing about it.

“It’s like a luopan—no, it’s even more useful!” [1] Lu Yun could barely contain his excitement once he understood his newly obtained death art; it would allow him to easily discover hidden tombs.

“How—how did she get here?” Qing Han blurted out. He’d been prepared to die with Lu Yun, but Yuying had arrived out of nowhere at the eleventh hour and sealed the tiger away.

“So this is where my house servant ran off to,” Lu Yun lied. “She exited in another direction at the layout of certain death. I didn’t expect her to end up in the same place as us.”

Qing Han wasn’t convinced. He’d seen Yuying disappear after cutting the arm off an undead hag and had pointed it out to the Dusk governor at the time. “But I saw—”

“The same happened with Yueshen. She was following us in Li Youcai’s body,” Lu Yun cut him off. “But when we left the layout, she was already waiting on the other side.”

“Oh, I see.” Now that he seemed to remember, Qing Han released his suspicions.

Lu Yun sighed in relief, but then a shudder ran down his spine. Wait a hot second, why do I care about his feelings? Am I——!!!

Lips trembling, color drained from his face. He recalled the glimpses of the stunning beauty back in the layout of certain death. Is that why? The layout is certainly powerful. It’s affecting me even now!

“What wouldn’t I give for that beautiful chick on my back to be real,” he muttered.

“What beautiful chick?” Qing Han lay against Lu Yun’s shoulders, his face heating up at the remark. Only he—no, she—knew that the starstone concealing her true appearance had been temporarily rendered ineffective in the layout of certain death, revealing her true self.

Did he see me? Her thoughts wandered, heart pounding.

“Hmph, the layout of certain death created the illusion of a beautiful girl. She’s fake, but she was truly the finest beauty.” Unsatiated, Lu Yun clucked his tongue. “It’d be wonderful if she were real. I’d make her mine. No, wait, that girl is actually the bony kid on my back.” Goosebumps broke out all over his body as the realization hit home.

“Put me down!” Qing Han raged when he heard Lu Yun’s whispering.

“Knock it off. If I drop you, the undead hags in the water will snatch you up.” Lu Yun unconsciously pinched Qing Han’s butt again. The envoy was so frustrated she could cry.

Hum—

Yuying blockaded the coming undead hags with the Panorama of Clarity, absorbing them into the painting and burning them to ashes upon entrance. Her Emerald Mistfire was at its most powerful when deployed within the painting.

The premises were now eerily silent as the Tiger Prince’s disappearance had sent the other shadows fleeing. It would seem that the panorama was a natural bane for the living layouts.

“Feng shui and formations…. The interplay of natural landscapes gave rise to the very first layout and formation. The Panorama of Clarity encompasses natural geographical terrain like mountains and rivers, so no wonder it can contain the layouts here.” Realization dawned on Lu Yun. The painting wouldn’t be effective, if the layouts hadn’t become sentient shadows. It could seal living layouts, but not dead ones.

“Humans really are strange,” Miao commented curiously as he heard Lu Yun and Qing Han bicker. “You have feelings for the ugly eyesore on your back, so why do you deny it?”

“Shut your stinking, putrid, useless mouth!” Lu Yun flew into a rage. He had feelings for Qing Han? A fecking man? Lu Yun was damn certain that he was as straight as the straightest fecking arrow!

Feeling awkward, Miao fell silent.

“What did he say?” Qing Han asked curiously, sensing Lu Yun’s anger.

“You shut up, too!” Lu Yun twisted Qing Han’s buttocks again, making the young man grimace in pain.

“I think that for my kind, touching each other’s tail is a gesture of affection,” Miao pointed out. “The ugly eyesore doesn’t have a tail, but doesn’t it mean you like him if you keep pinching his butt?”

Lu Yun balled his hands into fists and hoisted Qing Han higher. I really can’t touch his ass again! Why does a man’s ass feel better than a woman’s, anyway? He was getting confused himself and had absolutely no idea why he was acting like this.