The root of everything

This was the first time I truly saw her face, and in that instant, I felt as if my soul had been stripped away, my mind a complete blank.

What kind of beauty was this?

Phrases like "skin fairer than snow," "beauty that could overthrow states," and "peerless elegance" were insufficient to describe the profound impression she made on me at first sight. It's not that our traditional Chinese language lacks richness, but rather that I regret not paying attention during Chinese class, where I spent my time secretly admiring the class beauty instead of studying. Now, at this moment, I couldn't even think of the right words to describe her beauty, and I could only regret it silently...

The class beauty I had secretly adored for over ten years, for whom I had secretly bought breakfast for over a decade, only to be swept away by a tall, rich, and handsome guy with a Western meal, paled in comparison to the woman before me. It was like comparing a common chicken to a phoenix.

Her beauty was three parts appearance and seven parts temperament. Even clad in armor, she stood there with an ethereal and cold elegance that resonated in my heart like a sound in a quiet valley, leaving an indelible mark.

If I had to describe my feelings at that moment, I could only use a phrase that sounded incredibly cheesy and melodramatic: none of her acclaimed beauty compared to the heart-fluttering moment I first met her. She might just be the dream I had long buried in the dust of time.

Yes, I had fallen in love with her, and perhaps for the rest of my life, I would never forget those eyes that shone like cold stars.

It might sound cheesy and shameless, and as many women would say—love at first sight is nothing but a stimulation of a man's hormones by a certain part of the other's body. Linking it to emotions is a desecration of the sacred word "love." In the end, it's nothing but the mating instinct of a male animal.

But this was truly what I felt.

I had never really believed in the cheesy concept of love at first sight, but who can understand the fatal and irresistible temptation of emotion without experiencing it?

At least, I couldn't deny my own heart.

Perhaps because my gaze was too direct, the woman standing gracefully before me showed a moment of unease. Her face, which seemed too pale, even to the point of making me feel pity, suddenly flushed with a light blush. She quickly put her black veil back on and gave me a fierce glare, "Have you seen enough? If you keep staring, I'll gouge out your eyeballs!"

Uh...

I was suddenly jolted back to reality, and a fine sweat broke out on my forehead. Indeed, lust can be as dangerous as a knife to the throat. I was so absorbed in admiring her beauty that I forgot about her capabilities!

This woman... in her previous life, she was a ruthless killer!

The murals in the previous room depicted several scenes of her slaughtering prisoners of war to avenge her comrades!

Not to mention her past deeds, her current presence was frightening enough.

After possessing my body, she swept through the shadow soldiers, and in my shop, she merely had to beckon the smiling corpse, and it would immediately follow her. Sitting in this ancient tomb, she made the tens of thousands of souls in the Soul Suppressing Tower dare not take half a step closer...

Putting all this together, it seemed I really couldn't afford to provoke this woman before me...

To prevent her from gouging out my eyes, I reluctantly withdrew my gaze. However, I still felt a bit regretful in my heart. Why did such a beautiful face always have to be covered by a black veil? The thought patterns of ancient women were indeed unique. If it were the girls of today with such good genes, wouldn't they be showing off their beauty on the streets every day? Those with beautiful faces would show their faces, those without would show their legs, and those without either... don't worry, in this era where men are scarce, there's no shortage of marriage prospects, so just go for it...

After I averted my gaze, the eyes of Hua Mulan, which were like cold stars, slightly narrowed, as if she was smiling, revealing a different kind of charm. She looked at me and said, "You really are something. If it weren't for me calling you here, you would probably be dead by now. Yet here you are, unconcerned about your own affairs, greedily lusting after beauty. Your lazy demeanor is exactly the same as before. After all these years, you haven't changed a bit."

After all these years... I haven't changed?

I'm only twenty years old this year!!!

Hua Mulan's words left me completely confused. From her tone, it seemed as if she knew me from before, and not just as an acquaintance, but as an old friend. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember ever meeting her.

However, Hua Mulan only mentioned this in passing and didn't elaborate further. She sat back down on her cushion and patted the spot next to her, indicating for me to sit down.

Would I refuse such an invitation?

I hurried over without hesitation. Don't laugh at a nerd like me; every man has a goddess in his heart that he cannot resist. Since meeting Hua Mulan, the goddess in my heart had shifted from Teacher Cang directly to her. When the goddess beckoned, could I refuse? I moved closer to her, and the fragrance that filled my nostrils made me sigh inwardly—damn, a goddess is still a goddess, even as a ghost she smells so good...

It seemed she sensed the dirty thoughts in my mind, as Hua Mulan turned her head and glared at me fiercely. However, this time she didn't threaten to gouge out my eyes if I looked again. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed somewhat regretfully and asked me, "Aren't you curious about what's going on with you?"

I scratched my head somewhat embarrassedly, "Curious, of course. It's the reason I ventured into the Qinling Mountains, risking life and death. It's just that after seeing you, I forgot..."

"You..."

Hua Mulan glared at me, her beautiful eyebrows raising sharply, which genuinely startled me. I thought my words were a bit ambiguous, and she was about to hit me. But in the end, she seemed to think of something and didn't act on it. Instead, she let out a wry smile and sighed, "Forget it, I see you'll never change your lazy ways."

After that, she began to explain in detail the situation concerning me.

This matter had to start with the Ten Dire Tombs. As I had suspected, Hua Mulan's tomb was also one of the Ten Dire Tombs! According to her, the entity enshrined in the main tomb had a certain karma with me and had always wanted to kill me. However, as long as the Ten Dire Tombs were not destroyed, it couldn't leave the main tomb. In other words, the Ten Dire Tombs allowed the entity in the main tomb to continue growing stronger, but at the same time, they were a prison restraining it, ultimately creating a delicate balance. Therefore, the Ten Dire Tombs had existed for many years without causing harm to the living world. Until a few months ago, a group of tomb robbers discovered these ancient tombs in the Qinling Mountains.