The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The old man put the second spirit stone into the drawer and pulled out a crumpled leather map from under the counter, spreading it on the table.

"Three hundred miles south of Qingmu City lies the outer edge of the Ten Thousand Mountains. The demons there are not very powerful, with few even at the Golden Core stage, so you can handle them. Five hundred miles further south is the central region. The demons there are more numerous, with Golden Core cultivators being common, and occasionally you might encounter early Nascent Soul cultivators. What you need to be careful of is the Black Pine Forest in the central region, where a mid-Nascent Soul centipede demon lives, preying on lone cultivators."

The old man's finger continued moving south on the map: "After passing the Black Pine Forest, another two hundred miles south, you'll reach the outer edge of the Cold Pool. That's the core of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's territory, where there are fewer demons. A demon king at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage wields pressure that covers an area of ​​a hundred miles, so low-level demons don't dare to enter. Therefore, the most difficult part isn't the Cold Pool, but the Black Pine Forest along the way."

Shen Yifei folded the map and put it in his pocket.

Thank you.

"Don't thank me." The old man waved his hand. "If you die in the mountains, remember to tell me in a dream where you died. So I can sell the location where this top-grade spiritual artifact of yours was lost."

It was already dark when Shen Yifei left the herbal medicine shop. He found an inn on the street to stay in, planning to go into the mountains first thing the next morning.

Shen Yifei sat on the bed and carefully examined the map the old man had given him. The location of the Black Pine Forest was in the very center of the map, marked with three words—"Centipede Spotted." Next to it was a crookedly drawn centipede.

"Young Master," the voice of the Demon of Love echoed in his mind, "that old man from earlier that day is suspicious."

"What's the problem?"

"His heartbeat didn't change at all while he was talking to you. Not even for a second."

Shen Yifei's finger stopped on the map.

"The owner of a herbal medicine shop didn't even flinch when someone inquired about the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus. Either he was asked about it every day and was sick of it, or he already knew you were coming."

Shen Yifei put the map away.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the hallway outside the door. Very light, stepping on the wooden floor, one step at a time, unhurried and unhurried.

The footsteps stopped at the door of his room.

"Knock knock knock".

Three knocks on the door, neither too loud nor too soft.

"Who?"

"Sir, here's some hot water for you." It was the waiter's voice.

Shen Yifei didn't move: "I didn't want hot water."

There was a moment of silence outside the door. Then the door opened.

There was a person standing at the door.

a woman.

She was dressed in white, her hair loose, covering half her face. The exposed half of her face had no eyes, only dark eye sockets. Her mouth was smiling, the corners of her mouth stretching to her ears, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

"Young master, the innkeeper sent me to ask if you would like to spend the night with someone?"

Shen Yifei drew his Tingchao Sword, the tip pointing at the woman at the door.

The woman tilted her head, her dark, hollow eyes meeting his. She took a step forward, her foot landing on the fallen door panel without making a sound.

"Young master, don't be afraid, I don't want your life. I only want one thing from you."

"What is it?"

"The young master's shadow."

Shen Yifei looked down. The light from the oil lamp shone on him, casting a long shadow on the wall behind him. But the shadow was wrong. His shadow should have been a person, but the shadow on the wall had two heads.

The extra head was pressed against his own shadow's shoulder, like someone clinging to his back.

Shen Yifei swung his sword backhand, slashing at the shadow behind him. The Listening Tide Sword sliced ​​through the wall, sparks flying, and a large piece of plaster was torn off. The shadow, however, was unharmed. The extra head had moved from the shadow's left shoulder to its right, as if playing hide-and-seek with him.

"Young master, you can't cut through shadows." The woman stood at the door, her smile widening. "I am a shadow demon. I live in people's shadows. When you were inquiring about the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus at the herbal medicine shop during the day, I slipped into your shadow."

Shen Yifei sheathed the Listening Tide Sword. Since he couldn't strike the shadow, he would strike the shadow's owner. He pushed off with his foot, and the tip of the sword, wrapped in a layer of dark golden spiritual energy, thrust towards the woman at the door.

The woman didn't dodge. The instant the sword tip pierced her chest, her body swayed like a reflection on water. The sword passed right through, without striking anything.

"Young master, I have no physical form. You cannot harm me."

Shen Yifei sheathed his sword and retreated. The woman stood at the doorway, her white robes fluttering even without wind. She stretched out her pale hand, her five fingers bearing frighteningly long fingernails, like five small, curved sickles.

"Young master, please give me your shadow. Without a shadow, you can only bask in the sun. Without a shadow, I won't survive the night."

"What does it matter to me if you don't survive tonight?"

"Young master, you have such a cruel heart." The woman's lips drooped, and a tear of blood streamed from her dark eye socket. "Since you won't give it to me, I'll have no choice but to take it myself."

After saying that, the Shadow Demon's five scythe-like fingernails reached out to grab Shen Yifei's shadow.

Shen Yifei dodged to the left, and his shadow followed suit. But the shadow demon was faster; its fingernails had already touched the edge of his shadow.

Just then, a surge of heat suddenly welled up in his chest.

The voice of the Demon of Passion echoed in his mind, tinged with impatience: "Young Master, I just moved in, and the furniture isn't even set up yet, and someone's already banging on the door. Who does this Shadow Demon think she's bullying?"

"Can you handle her?"

"The Shadow Demon lives in the shadows, and I live in the threads of love. She can't touch me, but I can touch her." The Demon of Love's tone carried a hint of smugness. "May I borrow your threads of love, young master?"

Before Shen Yifei could react, he felt something being pulled out of his chest cavity.

A thin strand of red thread emerged from the wound on his chest, floated in the air for a moment, and then darted toward the Shadow Demon.

The shadow demon was bending over, trying to catch Shen Yifei's shadow, when she suddenly sensed something was wrong and abruptly looked up. The red thread had already wrapped around her wrist.

"Love Threads?" The shadow demon's dark eyes widened. "How come you have Love Demon's power on you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, his emotions tightened suddenly.

A deep mark was left on the shadow demon's wrist, from which wisps of white smoke rose and hissed. She screamed and tried to pull her hand back, but the love threads were tightly bound, tightening the more she struggled.

"The young master's love threads are mixed with the pure essence and yin energy of a snake demon, which is especially effective against you incorporeal demons." The Demon of Love's voice carried a hint of smugness. "Didn't you want the young master's shadow? Here, I'll give you some more good stuff."

Suddenly, countless finer red threads branched off from the Love Threads, climbing up the Shadow Demon's wrist like capillaries. In the blink of an eye, they covered her entire arm.

The Shadow Demon looked down at its arm covered in red threads, and the smile that stretched from its lips to its ears vanished.

She tried to shake off the red threads, but they kept drilling into her skin. With each thread that went in, her body became a little more transparent.

"No...no..." Her voice began to tremble, "I only wanted your shadow, not your life..."

"You want his shadow, which means you want my life. I just moved in, and you're already causing trouble. Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

The red threads tightened suddenly. The Shadow Demon's body felt as if its bones had been removed, and it slumped down limply.

She struggled desperately, but the more she struggled, the tighter the red threads entangled her. Those red threads, burrowing into her skin, acted like straws, drawing out the demonic power from her body.

Shen Yifei could feel the Demon of Passion trembling with excitement in her chest. With each breath of the Shadow Demon's demonic power she inhaled, her heart beat faster.

"Suck gently," Shen Yifei pressed his chest. "Don't overdo it."

"Don't worry, young master, I have a very good appetite. Although this shadow demon's cultivation is not high, its demonic power is pure, which is just right to nourish my body."