Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The noise in the lobby receded like the tide, leaving only the pounding of Gu Xiang's heart.

Su Qing's face was inches away, her peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, reflecting Gu Xiang's pale face in her pupils.

Her pleasant scent wafted into Gu Xiang's nose, making him feel flustered and uneasy.

Gu Xiang stood there frozen, not daring to move her eyes even slightly.

Just when Su Qing thought this idiot was about to wet his pants in fright, Gu Xiang suddenly twitched his nose and sniffed at her twice like a wary little dog.

He then let out a long breath, slumped back into his chair, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Brother Su, that joke of yours is too scary." Gu Xiang grabbed the teacup on the table and took a big gulp, his hand still trembling slightly. "It almost scared the soul out of me."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, sat up straight, and toyed with her wine glass. "What, not scared anymore? Weren't you just swearing I was a vixen?"

"No way." Gu Xiang waved his hand, looking certain. "The book says that demons have a demonic aura, which is a fishy smell that can't be hidden. Brother Su, you not only don't have any demonic aura, but... you actually smell like rouge."

At this point, Gu Xiang blushed slightly, his eyes darting around: "Although it's a bit... a grown man using rouge... it seems like young masters in the capital all like it, so it's normal for Brother Su to be particular about it."

Su Qing's lips twitched.

That idiot, he certainly has a keen nose.

She looked down at her men's clothing and thought that she should change the scent of the incense next time so that the bookworm wouldn't notice her disguise.

"You're smart enough to know what's good for you." Su Qing snorted, picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. "Since you know I'm human, then hurry up and eat. After you're done, go back to your room and sleep."

Gu Xiang didn't touch his chopsticks.

He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, suddenly leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "Brother Su, although most of the story the storyteller told earlier was made up, there is one point that may not be false."

"Which part?" Su Qing asked casually, calculating in her mind how much money this meal cost and how she would have to find a way to squeeze it back from this idiot later.

Gu Xiang swallowed hard, lowering his voice even further, almost whispering, "A mind with seven orifices of exquisite intelligence."

Su Qing paused with her chopsticks, glancing at him sideways: "What, you want some too?"

"No, no, no!" Gu Xiang shook his head like a rattle drum. "I mean, there really are people in this world with seven orifices and exquisite minds."

Su Qing scoffed, "Nonsense, it's all recorded in the books, do you need to tell me?"

"It's not in the book." Gu Xiang took a deep breath, pointed to his chest, and looked as serious as if he were offering sacrifices to his ancestors. "I mean, I have it."

"puff--"

Su Qing spat out the mouthful of wine she had just taken a sip of. Luckily, she reacted quickly and turned her head to spray it on the ground; otherwise, the entire table of delicious food would have been ruined.

She didn't even bother to wipe her mouth, staring wide-eyed at Gu Xiang as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"What did you say?" Su Qing wondered if she had misheard.

Gu Xiang thought she didn't believe him, and got anxious, pointing to her chest again: "It's true! When I was a child, I met a wandering Taoist priest who said I was born with a seven-aperture exquisite heart, able to understand the spirit of all things, and a good seed for cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. He also gave me a jade pendant to suppress my aura, saying that I must never let anyone know, otherwise I would be captured and eaten by monsters."

Su Qing felt her head buzzing.

As a transmigrator who inherited the memories of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, she knew all too well what the "Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart" meant.

That's the ultimate "Tang Monk's Flesh" in the cultivation world!

Consuming it can not only extend one's lifespan by a thousand years, but also allow one to bypass bottlenecks and directly break through realms, and even comprehend the great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Let alone monsters, even those old monsters from reputable sects would be green with envy if they knew about it and came to snatch it.

If this thing appeared at an auction, it would cause an uproar throughout the entire Eastern Continent.

So this idiot just casually told her?

In the crowded and chaotic lobby of a dilapidated inn?

Su Qing put down her wine glass, her eyes instantly turning sharp.

She subtly made a hand seal under the table, and a barely perceptible golden light flashed deep in her eyes as she activated "Spiritual Vision".

His gaze pierced through Gu Xiang's faded coarse cloth gown, past his skin and bones, and looked straight into his chest cavity.

A crystal-clear heart, like a ruby, was beating powerfully.

Boom, boom, boom.

Each pulsation seemed to carry a peculiar rhythm, with faint golden runes flowing around it, and even the most subtle sounds of the Great Dao could be heard.

Genuine product at a fair price!

It's even the best of the best!

Su Qing gasped, quickly averting her gaze, feeling a chill run down her spine.

What kind of treasure did she pick up... no, what kind of bomb did she pick up!

Carrying such a walking "Tang Monk's flesh" to the capital, how many demons and monsters will it attract along the way?

Is her cultivation level as an avatar enough to fill the gaps?

"You..." Su Qing pointed at Gu Xiang, her finger trembling slightly, "Are you missing a screw in your head?"

Gu Xiang looked bewildered: "Brother Su, what makes you say that?"

Su Qing looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then grabbed Gu Xiang by the collar, pulled him close, and said through gritted teeth, "Didn't that Taoist priest tell you to keep it a secret? Did you ignore him? You're just telling me this deadly secret?"

Gu Xiang was struggling to breathe from being choked, but her eyes remained clear.

He reached out and pulled at Su Qing's hand, saying seriously, "Brother Su, let go first. It's an insult to scholarship, an insult to scholarship."

Su Qing released his grip, then gave him a sharp rap on the forehead, exasperated: "Civilized my ass! If you die, let's see how you remain civilized!"

Gu Xiang clutched his forehead, wincing in pain, but still straightened his back and said earnestly, "Brother Su, you are mistaken. As the sage said, 'A gentleman is magnanimous and at ease, while a petty person is always anxious and worried.' Brother Su not only saved my life but also treated me to meals and lodgings, and escorted me all the way. If I were to conceal this from Brother Su, wouldn't I be judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person?"

"Besides," Gu Xiang looked at Su Qing with a naive trust in his eyes, "Brother Su is a good person, I believe Brother Su would never harm me."

Looking into those clear, foolish eyes, Su Qing swallowed the profanity that was on the tip of her tongue.

nice guy?

Su Qing had never been given such a "nice guy" card in her entire life.

If this idiot knew that her true form was a nine-tailed celestial fox, the legendary demon who devours people without spitting out the bones, I wonder if he would still think she was a good person.

Su Qing felt a tightness in her chest, choked by the naivety of this fool.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to pry open this idiot's head to see if it was filled with glue.

"Gu Xiang, listen to me carefully." Su Qing stared into his eyes, her tone more serious than ever before. "From now on, keep this matter a secret. No one can tell anyone except me. Not even your own parents, not even the current Emperor himself, you must keep quiet!"

Gu Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with gratitude: "Brother Su, are you concerned about me? Don't worry, I know what's important. I haven't told anyone except Brother Su."

Su Qing rolled her eyes.

You have no idea what's important!

"Are you full?" Su Qing asked irritably.

"I'm...I'm full." Gu Xiang answered cautiously, looking at Su Qing's gloomy face.

"Go back to your room if you're full!" Su Qing stood up and slammed a silver ingot on the table. "Waiter, the bill!"

……

The highest-class room.

The room was large and tastefully decorated, with a carved bed and a soft couch by the window.

As soon as Gu Xiang entered the room, he consciously took the quilt and laid it on the floor.

"Brother Su, you can sleep on the bed; I'll just sleep on the floor." Gu Xiang muttered as he made his bed, "Men and women shouldn't touch each other... no, even men shouldn't touch each other, in case Brother Su sleepwalks tonight..."

Su Qing ignored his rambling and threw herself onto the bed, lying in a "spread-eagle" position, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She was considering whether to throw this idiot out now and let him fend for himself.

Carrying on such a burden is simply asking for trouble.

But then I thought, since the system has issued a strategy mission, if this idiot dies, the mission will definitely fail.

Moreover, this Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart is indeed a great opportunity. If we can protect him as he grows up, he might become a great help in the future.

Just then, Gu Xiang suddenly poked his head out from the ground.

"Brother Su, are you asleep?"

"I'm going to sleep." Su Qing closed her eyes.

"Oh..." Gu Xiang shrank back, then peeked out again after two seconds. "Um... Brother Su, why were you so angry just now?"

Su Qing's forehead vein throbbed, she opened her eyes, and turned to look at Gu Xiang on the ground.

"Because I want to eat human hearts," Su Qing said ominously, "especially the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, which I've heard has a crisp and tender texture and is crunchy when you chew it."

Gu Xiang shrank back and chuckled dryly, "Brother Su is joking again. If you wanted to eat, you would have done it earlier. Why wait until now?"

This idiot is sometimes silly, and sometimes as clever as a monkey.

Su Qing sighed, sat up, and looked at him cross-legged: "Gu Xiang, do you know how much your heart is worth?"

Gu Xiang thought for a moment: "Priceless treasure?"

"That's how it is for others," Su Qing sneered. "For cultivators and demons, it's a ladder to heaven. Just by eating your heart, they can save themselves thousands of years of arduous cultivation. Tell me, what would happen to you if those people found out?"

Gu Xiang's face paled, clearly recalling that scene.

"Then...then I won't say it again," Gu Xiang muttered softly. "But Brother Su, since you know, why don't you eat me?"

Su Qing was so angry she laughed.

She jumped out of bed, walked up to Gu Xiang, and looked down at him.

"Because I'm a picky eater." Su Qing used a folding fan to lift Gu Xiang's chin, looking at his panicked eyes. "Besides, I have a strange quirk; I particularly like protecting these kinds of odd and unusual things."

You can think of me as... a protector of the heart.

Gu Xiang blinked, her face turning red again.

The scent of rouge wafted over from Su Qing again, making his mind a jumbled mess.

"Alright, go to sleep." Su Qing put away the folding fan, turned around and went back to bed. "Be alert tonight. If you hear any noise, don't shout."

"Okay." Gu Xiang obediently lay down and pulled the blanket over her head.

The room fell silent.

Su Qing lay in bed, listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window, but she couldn't calm down.

Just then, that familiar mechanical voice suddenly rang in my mind.

[Ding! The system has detected that the host has discovered the hidden divine artifact, "The Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart."]

The danger level of the target "Gu Xiang" has been raised to MAX.

[Hidden quest activated.]

[Host must ensure the target survives to the capital city; otherwise, all of the host's cultivation will be deducted, and the host will be forced to revert to their original form and run naked for three thousand miles.]

Su Qing sat up abruptly, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Running naked for 3,000 miles?

Is this system malfunctioning?!

She looked at Gu Xiang, who was sleeping like a log on the ground, and wished she could go over and kick him right now.

This isn't just finding a treasure, it's like finding a god!

Su Qing gritted her teeth and lay back down.

This night is destined to be sleepless.

Meanwhile, on the ancient banyan tree outside the Qifeng Inn, several black crows were silently staring at the lit window, their eyes flashing with an eerie red light.

Deep within the tree roots, something seemed to be slowly awakening, emitting a teeth-grinding grinding sound.