28: Chapter 28 A New Target, the Killer Widow

The hustle and bustle of the full-month banquet faded away, and life in the Gu Family returned to peace and warmth.

With the birth of his son, Gu Fan, the entire mansion seemed to be infused with new vitality; the servants walked with smiles, and their brows were filled with anticipation for the future.

Every day, apart from his fixed time to Cultivate, Gu Yan's greatest joy was holding his tiny, soft son.

Watching Gu Fan grow day by day and feeling the wondrous bond of shared Bloodline, the sense of belonging that he called "home" became stronger than ever before.

However, these warm days did not wear away the sense of urgency in his heart.

Luoyun Town was, after all, just a newbie village.

The "Black Fiend Sect" mentioned by Chief before he died was like an invisible thorn, constantly hanging over his heart.

He needed to move faster and become stronger!

And the most direct and efficient way to become stronger was to continue... expanding the family tree!

A Low Grade Spiritual Root had allowed him to break through two stages, leaping from Qi Refining Stage 2 to Qi Refining Stage 4.

What if... he could have a descendant with an even higher level?

Earth-Grade?

Or even the legendary Heaven-Grade?

At that time, how generous would the System's rewards be?

Gu Yan's ambition, like a flame doused in oil, began to burn fiercely.

He needed a new target.

A target who was "more special" and had "superior" Aptitude than Shen Qingxue and Bai Linger!

That day, he called the steward of the mansion, Steward Gu Zhong, an old man who had followed him for nearly forty years, into the study.

"Uncle Zhong, I ask you, in this Luoyun Town, are there any unmarried women with a clean background?" Gu Yan asked straightforwardly.

Steward Gu Zhong was taken aback upon hearing this, then revealed a knowing smile.

The Old Ancestor was... going to expand the Gu Family's lineage again!

This was a wonderful thing!

He hurriedly went through all the unmarried women in town in his mind.

"Replying to the Old Ancestor, the Town Master's youngest daughter is sixteen years old and is said to be well-educated and sensible."

"The daughter of the Li Family's fabric shop in town is also not yet betrothed."

"And there is..."

Gu Yan listened, but slowly shook his head.

These noble ladies were certainly fine. But ultimately, they were just ordinary Mortals, and compared to Shen Qingxue and Bai Linger, they didn't have much that was special.

If he were to take them as concubines, the System's rewards probably wouldn't be very high.

"Is there anyone... more special?" Gu Yan changed his way of asking, "Status, family background, and reputation do not matter. I only want... someone special."

"Special?"

Steward Gu Zhong frowned and thought hard.

Suddenly, as if he had remembered something, a strange and somewhat wary expression appeared on his face.

"Old Ancestor, if you want someone special... there really is one." He lowered his voice and said cautiously, "It's just that this person's... reputation... is truly a bit... shocking."

"Oh?" Gu Yan's interest was piqued, "Tell me about it."

Steward Gu Zhong hesitated for a moment before continuing: "This woman's name is Liu Ruyan, and she lives at the end of Willow Leaf Lane on the far west side of town. Speaking of her appearance and figure, well... tsk tsk, in the entire Luoyun Town, no one can surpass her. She is even three points better than the most famous courtesan in town."

"It's just that..." Steward Gu Zhong changed the subject, his voice filled with intense fear, "It's just that this woman's destiny is too hard, too evil!"

"She was originally an outsider who drifted into our Luoyun Town three years ago. Her first husband was a blacksmith in town; less than three months after marrying her, he was scalded to death by splashing molten iron while forging."

"She remained a widow for half a year before marrying a peddler in town. As a result, less than two months after the wedding, the peddler encountered mountain bandits while out doing business and was hacked to death; not even his bones remained."

"At this point, rumors started in town that she... curses her husbands."

"But there was a butcher in town who didn't believe in such things. Relying on his strong Physique and heavy Evil Qi, he insisted on marrying her. And the result... heh, guess what happened? On the night of the wedding, the butcher drank too much, got up in the middle of the night to relieve himself, slipped, fell down the stairs, and broke his neck on the spot!"

As Steward Gu Zhong spoke, he couldn't help but shudder.

"Three husbands, all died unnatural deaths, and none of them lived more than three months! Since then, no one has dared to have any ideas about her. Everyone says she is a 'Cursed Lone Star,' a 'life-taking beauty ghost,' and whoever gets involved with her will have bad luck. She herself gave up, living alone in Willow Leaf Lane, barely getting by on needlework."

"Old Ancestor, this woman... is too ominous, you must... you must not have any ideas about her!"

Steward Gu Zhong looked terrified.

However, after he finished speaking, he noticed that instead of fear, Gu Yan's eyes lit up with an unprecedented glow, like a hunter discovering rare prey!

Curses her husbands?

A cursed star?

Ordinary people would naturally avoid such things out of fear.

But who was Gu Yan?

He was a cultivator!

He knew deeply that in this world, there were too many strange things that Mortals could not understand.

The so-called "husband-cursing" was seen as an ominous curse by Mortals.

But in the eyes of a cultivator, it was highly likely to be some kind of... rare, special Physique that Mortals could not withstand!

The more peculiar and mysterious it was, the more precious it was!

The greater the possibility of giving birth to a descendant with high Aptitude!

"Interesting, truly interesting." Gu Yan whispered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk.

He developed a strong interest in this "cursed widow" he had never met.

[System, do you know what a 'husband-cursing' Physique is?] He asked tentatively in his mind.

There was silence in his mind.

Just when Gu Yan thought the System had gone offline to watch a livestream again, a voice as thin as a mosquito, as if afraid of being heard, cautiously rang out.

[...I don't know...]

[...Go see for yourself...]

[...Don't ask me, I have social anxiety...]

After saying this, the System played dead again, no matter how Gu Yan called, there was no response.

Gu Yan shook his head helplessly.

It seemed that everything still depended on himself.

He stood up and, facing the worried Steward Gu Zhong, calmly ordered: "Prepare the carriage, I am going out."

"Old Ancestor, you... you aren't really going to..." Steward Gu Zhong's face turned pale.

"I will be back shortly."

Gu Yan did not explain much.

He knew that he had to personally meet this legendary "cursed widow."

He wanted to see what kind of person this woman, who was regarded as a flood and a beast by the whole town, really was.

And what kind of secret was hidden behind her so-called "husband-cursing" Physique.