My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Lü Yang was even more confused:

"Room fee? To whom should it be paid?"

Miao Gui raised his hand and pointed to the center of the hall.

There is an altar there.

......

The altar was small, about three feet square, made of bluestone, and on it were placed three corpses in different poses.

They were not really corpses—they were shriveled and stiff, their skin a strange bluish-black color, like cured meat that had been dried for hundreds of years.

The one on the far left is an old man with white hair and beard, sitting cross-legged with his hands on his knees, his face serene, as if he were meditating.

But its eyes were open, with grayish-white pupils, staring straight ahead.

The one in the middle is a middle-aged man, burly and muscular, standing upright.

One hand was clenched into a fist, the other held a knife—the knife was rusted beyond recognition, yet it was still held tightly in his hand.

The one on the far right is a woman with long, flowing hair, delicate features, and a slightly upturned mouth, as if she were smiling.

But that smile looked eerie no matter how you looked at it, giving you the creeps.

In front of each of the three ancient corpses was a black pottery bowl.

The bowl was completely empty; there was nothing inside.

Miao Gui walked to the altar, bowed respectfully, and then turned to look at the three people:

"This is a feng shui formation set up by a feng shui master in the mountains, called 'using evil to suppress evil'."

He pointed to the three ancient corpses:

"I don't know much about the origins of these three. I heard that they were three great evil spirits in these mountains hundreds of years ago, who harmed many people."

Later, a wise man passed by and subdued them here, using their malevolent energy to suppress other evil spirits in this mountain.

Over time, they became the 'owners' of the inn.

Lü Yang felt a chill run down his spine:

"Master...Master?"

Miao Gui nodded:

"That's right. Everyone who comes here to rest has to pay them a 'room fee.' Otherwise, they'll be unhappy."

As he spoke, he pulled a small knife from his pocket and made a cut on his palm.

Blood gushed out.

Miao Gui reached his hand over the leftmost black pottery bowl and let the blood drip into it.

One drop, two drops, three drops.

The blood fell into the bowl with a soft "drip-drip" sound.

Then--

The blood in the bowl suddenly disappeared.

It was as if an invisible hand had wiped away those few drops of blood completely. The bottom of the bowl remained empty, without a trace left.

Lü Yang's eyes widened.

Miao Gui then reached into the middle bowl and dripped three drops of blood. The blood disappeared again.

Then drip the right one.

Three drops of blood disappeared completely.

Miao Gui withdrew his hand, wrapped the wound with a strip of cloth, and turned to look at the three of them:

"That's the rule. Three drops per person, paid for with blood. You guys come too."

"Alright. Each of you needs to be stabbed."

Lü Yang's face turned pale:

"One...one person, one knife?"

Miao Gui nodded:

"One bowl per person. That's the rule."

Lu Yang looked at his blood-soaked palms, then at the three eerie ancient corpses, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He looked at Shen Zhaoyue.

Shen Zhaoyue remained expressionless, her hand already resting on the hilt of her sword.

He then looked at Ye Qingfeng.

Ye Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, examining the three ancient corpses.

Lü Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

With a celestial master present, there's definitely no need for me to cut it myself...

Ye Qingfeng looked at it for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Bring me the wine flask."

Lu Yang was taken aback, then quickly untied the leather pouch from his waist and handed it over with both hands.

Ye Qingfeng took it and pulled out the stopper.

A strange aroma of wine instantly wafted through the air.

The fragrance was rich yet not pungent, refreshing with a hint of sweetness, and also subtly conveyed an indescribable... warmth.

Just one whiff of it makes you feel comfortable all over, and even this gloomy inn doesn't seem so scary anymore.

Miao Gui sniffed, then his eyes lit up:

"What kind of wine is this? It smells so good!"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer. He walked to the altar, tilted the wine bag, and poured a little into each of the three bowls.

A shallow layer, just covering the bottom of the bowl.

Miao Gui was stunned.

He looked at the wine in the three bowls, then at Ye Qingfeng, his face full of disbelief:

"You...you're going to use this as payment for the room?"

Ye Qingfeng carefully put away the wine pouch and said calmly:

"no?"

Miao Gui was anxious:

"Of course not! These three only recognize blood! They don't recognize anything else! If you pour wine in, they'll only think you're insulting them!"

He pointed to the three ancient corpses:

"When they get angry, the whole inn will tremble! Then none of us will be able to escape!"

Lu Yang couldn't help but say from the side:

"What kind of blood is that? Our immortal master's wine is no ordinary wine!"

Miao Gui glanced at him:

"It's not ordinary wine? What kind of wine is it?"

Lü Yang puffed out his chest:

"Two tiger demon cores were mixed into the immortal master's wine!"

Miao Gui was stunned.

He looked at Ye Qingfeng, then at the wine flask, his expression shifting constantly.

Two tiger demon inner cores?

Isn't this a huge exaggeration?

He had been working as a corpse driver for three years and had seen many boastful people, but he had never seen anyone dare to boast like this.

What is that tiger demon's inner core?

That's the essence of the tiger demon!

Tigers that transform into demons are among the most powerful in combat, after all, they were already the kings of beasts before they became spirits.

Even a fox demon with thirty years of cultivation might not be able to defeat a tiger demon that has just become a spirit.

There is a huge difference in strength between the two.

Just two?

Miao Gui noticed that this rich man always loved to joke, but he was too lazy to call him out on it.

Miao Gui was silent for a moment, then gave a dry laugh:

"Hehe... Your wine is indeed fragrant. However, these three don't appreciate it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the inn suddenly shook.

Lü Yang was startled:

"What's wrong?"

Miao Gui's expression changed:

"They're here! They're angry!"

The inn shook again, more violently than before.

The strips of cloth on the roof beams swayed wildly, the dilapidated tables and chairs creaked, and the coffin lid in the corner jumped a few times.

The thin layer of wine in the bowl in front of the three ancient corpses was disappearing at a visible speed.

It doesn't just seep in; it's actually "sucked" in.

The wine in the bowl dwindled until only a damp spot remained, and then even that disappeared.

Miao Gui stared at the three bowls, cold sweat beading on his forehead:

"Oh no, they're even angrier now..."

The inn shook even more violently.

The roof tiles came crashing down and shattered on the ground.

Miao Gui was so anxious that he stamped his feet and said to Ye Qingfeng:

"Taoist Master! Quick, quick, get a knife and cut your hand! It's not too late! Otherwise, those three will really..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a "clang".

It's Shen Zhaoyue.

She drew her sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

She stared at the three ancient corpses, her tone calm:

"I'll chop down the one on the right. The two on the left, please keep an eye on them, Taoist priest."

No matter how arrogant Shen Zhaoyue is, she wouldn't be so presumptuous as to try and take on all three of them by herself.