Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

```Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Big brother, Grandpa is gone."

Little Hua Hua, hugging her legs, squatted beside the corpse of the old man, her tone wistful, her eyes filled with tears.

Language is powerful, yet sometimes it is also extremely feeble.

Yi Chen could only sigh at this; he couldn't possibly bring her grandfather back to life.

Even True Monarchs would find such a thought audaciously bold!

A short half-hour later, Yi Chen led the little girl away from Muyang County.

Little Hua Hua clutched an ancient porcelain jar, refusing to let go no matter what, leaving Yi Chen no choice but to let her be.

The moonlight stretched the shadows of the pair and the cat far out.

A pair of eyes, brilliant as morning stars, watched this scene from afar before suddenly disappearing into the night.

Wujang Prefecture · Jiangxin Pavilion.

This was the largest inn in Wujang Prefecture and the place the Ma family had arranged for Yi Chen and the others to stay.

Naturally, Yi Chen, along with the delirious monk and the sword Immortal, stayed in the best rooms of Jiangxin Pavilion.

Upon entering, the furniture was of rosewood with silver trim, intricately carved and hollowed out, with precious tea sets on the tea tables and root sculptures and porcelain antiques on display shelves; there was a tea room, a living room, bedrooms, a secondary bedroom, and a terrace – all arrangements were the height of luxury.

Yi Chen touched every antique in the room, but sadly not a single hair from a Deep Red Point could be seen.

Although he had anticipated this result, he still felt a pang of disappointment when he indeed didn't manage to obtain even a single benefit.

Perhaps due to overwhelming sadness, Little Hua Hua had fallen asleep; her complexion pale, her jaws clenching tightly, as if beset by nightmares.

Yi Chen then covered her with a blanket after laying her on the bed.

At that moment, a series of knocks on the door sounded.

Standing outside were none other than Ma Tianyuan and a middle-aged man resembling him to some extent.

"Taoist priest, the accommodations at Jiangxin Pavilion are modest, and I've been remiss in my hospitality. If there's anything the priest needs, please feel free to ask," came Ma Tianyuan's hearty voice.

"The Family Head Ma is too kind; everything is fine. However, I indeed have a modest request. I wonder if the Family Head could help me with a small favor?"

"There is no harm in asking, Taoist priest. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely do it. If not, I'll explain my difficulties to the Taoist priest," Ma Tianyuan spoke quite candidly.

Thus, Yi Chen briefly explained Little Hua Hua's situation.

"I promised this little girl a lifetime of peace and happiness; can the Family Head help me with this small favor?"

"The Taoist priest is compassionate. Since the priest has personally decreed the girl's fate, she is naturally bound for peace and happiness,"

"I can adopt her as my goddaughter, or find a well-regarded and wealthy family in the city that cannot bear children to adopt her. My Ma family will look after her in secret; we'll ensure the priest's reputation isn't tarnished."

Upon hearing this, Ma Tianyuan immediately agreed wholeheartedly and thoughtfully provided two options.

Yi Chen pondered for a moment and then chose the second option.

Yi Chen had heard Zhu Buqun's final questioning of Ma Tianyuan; true or not, the thoughts of this Elder Bi Deng were too profound.

How would they cope if the next time was not as successful?

In the game of predators, who could guarantee victory from beginning to end?

He had won big in his previous life, aiming to surpass even the heavens, yet at the pinnacle of his life, was he not unexpectedly crushed by a dump truck?

As Ma Tianyuan's goddaughter, Hua Hua would gain the Ma family's influence but also bear their karma.

Choosing the second option was, at least, a layer of risk isolation.

It was more appropriate that way.

Yi Chen had promised peace and joy, not riches and power.

"I'll have my son Dao Rong take care of this matter later. Rest assured, Taoist priest. Now that we have some time, shall we discuss matters pertaining to the Yin Manor?"

Ma Tianyuan was perceptive, not waiting for Yi Chen to make inquiries but instead taking the initiative to visit with his son.

On this night when Zhu Buqun was neutralized, Ma Tianyuan needed to communicate with various parties, a task that kept him busy. Yet, he still showed utmost respect for Yi Chen.

They took their seats and drank tea.

Ma Tianyuan began speaking in a low voice.

"My Ma family knows little of the Yin Manor's origins, only that its existence dates back a very long time."

"According to the information I have, it's easy to enter the Yin Manor, but extremely difficult to leave."

"Once targeted by the Yin Manor, one is generally called back to enter again after a year, ten years, or thirty years."

"Each successful return results in the ascension of one's spiritual tablet in the Yin Manor's Hall of Spirits. If unsuccessful, the tablet turns to ash-grey and remains there forever."

"Based on records left by an ancestor who stumbled into the Yin Manor two or three hundred years ago, each time one survives the summons of the Yin Manor, the next time becomes increasingly perilous, and everyone faces different challenges."

"Most commonly, there are various dangerous survival secret realms where one must stay for a set period to escape, fraught with peril but also filled with treasures and opportunities."

"Please forgive me, Taoist priest; it seems my ancestor had certain taboos and dared not speak more on the matter. These fragments of information are all that's left."

Ma Tianyuan spoke apologetically.

"How often after thirty years would the summons occur? Is your ancestor still alive?" Yi Chen asked, furrowing his brows.

"It was during the third summons from the Yin Manor that my ancestor died, then at the sixth layer of the True Person Realm."

"All this is from centuries-old records; whether they still apply, I'm not certain," Ma Tianyuan sighed, seemingly lamenting the loss of that brilliant ancestor in his family line.

"Taoist priest, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now."

Yi Chen naturally nodded his agreement and saw Ma Tianyuan out the door.

At this moment, Yi Chen felt a sigh of relief. With his current strength, at the very least, he should be almost certain to survive the first summons from the Yin Manor.

```