Chapter 135: The Grand Sacrificial Ceremony

"Little husband, I never thought I would return alive to see you again." Qin Xuanxi’s voice carried a pitiful, delicate tone. "Although I was in a comatose state, every time you came to keep me company, I could sense you by my side. Little husband, these past months have truly been hard on you."

Song Ye replied indifferently, "It wasn't hard."

"Then... how would you like me to reward you?" Qin Xuanxi asked again.

Song Ye said nonchalantly, "Whatever you like."

The truth was, he couldn't bring himself to say anything affectionate to a humanoid object that he didn't even know what it was made of. Moreover, the fact that this woman, Qin Xuanxi, had the nerve to deceive him with a mere mannequin made him unwilling to pour any genuine emotion into it.

At this moment, the real Qin Xuanxi, currently far away at Xuyu Mountain, could sense that Song Ye’s tone toward her had grown inexplicably cold. She was holding a book titled *How to Deceive High-Cultivation Male Practitioners into Dual Cultivation*. She had stumbled upon this book in the library of the Fanyuan Sect, authored by someone under the pseudonym "Wuyouzi." This was clearly a pen name; the author was likely some veteran senior of the Fanyuan Sect.

Qin Xuanxi had always disdained such literature. She had no need to rely on male practitioners to improve her cultivation. Yet, for some reason, she had suddenly developed a flicker of curiosity about it. After wandering in and out of the library several times, she finally couldn't resist picking it up and flipping through it.

The first few chapters focused on analyzing the male psyche and how to make a man fall for you step by step until he obeyed your every command. To Qin Xuanxi, this content felt like discovering a new continent. She had never imagined that the matters of love and affection between men and women could be summarized into such profound scholarship. As for the later chapters, which dealt with the technical aspects of dual cultivation, she had absolutely no interest. After all, Song Ye was not some high-level practitioner; what technique could there be to discuss between them?

The book stated that to fully control a man, one must give him a little sweetness from time to time, but never enough to satisfy him completely. It was precisely because she read this that Qin Xuanxi decided to reward Song Ye and offer him a taste of this "sweetness." To her surprise, Song Ye showed little interest.

Then, she noticed another line in the book: *Men have no resistance to a woman’s initiative; therefore, you might as well try being proactive.*

With that, Qin Xuanxi decided to try being proactive once more.

"As a token of my appreciation, little husband, how about I let you kiss me on the cheek?" Qin Xuanxi suggested to Song Ye. She remembered that three years ago, Song Ye had asked to "peck" her on the cheek, and she had refused him then. But now, she thought it wouldn't hurt to let him; after all, he would only be kissing the skin and bones of Bai Ruoling, not her own face.

"That... I suppose that would be fine," Song Ye said with a smile. But suddenly, a thought struck him: what if this humanoid object was made from peeled human skin? A ruthless female demon lord would surely be capable of such cruelty. At the thought of this, how could he ever bring himself to kiss it?

"However... since we have not yet completed the wedding rites, according to tradition, it is perhaps not appropriate to engage in such intimate contact," Song Ye immediately changed his tone, speaking with the solemnity of a saint.

Qin Xuanxi, on the other end, was stunned. He didn't even want to kiss her now? Could it be that he had changed his heart?

She quickly flipped through the book again to see how to deal with a man who had changed his heart. The text read: *If a man has changed his heart, do not waste time trying to win it back. The only thing you can do is take his body by force and exhaust him completely; see Chapter Seven for specific operations.*

Qin Xuanxi frowned. She really couldn't bring herself to follow the methods in the book. Besides, perhaps Song Ye hadn't changed his heart at all, and she was just overthinking things. She needed to have faith in her little husband!

Just then, a disciple reported from outside the hall, "Sect Master, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin!"

Qin Xuanxi immediately tucked the book into her storage space and straightened her expression. "Very well, I am aware."

The Fanyuan Sect’s sacrificial ceremony was held only once every decade and lasted for several months. Once the ceremony concluded, the "Demonic Night Hunt" would follow immediately after. Furthermore, Qin Xuanxi had to find time to "crack" the Profound World Stone of the Hongyang Ji clan. The days ahead would be incredibly busy; she only hoped that Song Ye would behave himself and not ruin his persona of being "honest, loyal, and unwavering." Once she was finished with this period, perhaps she could spend some time in Yan City and swap herself back into that humanoid skin.

...

In the modern world, on the planet Hailan, it was 9:00 PM.

Song Yao stepped out of the bathroom in slippers and loungewear shorts, then flopped onto the living room sofa. This house was left behind by her parents. After Song Ye disappeared, she was the only one left in the vast, empty space.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, Song Yao walked into her brother's room, hoping to find some trace of his whereabouts. After rummaging through everything, she found four words scrawled on the flyleaf of a book: "Xingsi Bar." The handwriting was messy and clearly her brother's, but the ink was faded, suggesting it had been written years ago. Therefore, it likely had no connection to his disappearance. Even so, Song Yao decided she would visit Xingsi Bar to try her luck. The bar was located on the outskirts of the city, far from the center.

Since she was starting her job at the Shenghao Group the next morning, Song Yao decided to check out the bar on Friday night, five days later.

...

Five days later at the Shenghao Group, it was Friday, the end of Song Yao’s fifth day of her internship. She was looking forward to her first weekend of working life, but more than that, she was concerned about the first test login for the *Xuan Ying World*.

After midnight tonight, the *Xuan Ying World* would officially open for its first test. This topic had topped the trending lists on every media platform. Rumors were everywhere: "Delivery driver Xiao Qi has obtained a test login qualification," "A middle-aged shut-in who has been living off his parents for ten years has suddenly been blessed with a login qualification," "A woman getting a prenatal check-up suddenly had her hand emit a dazzling light—she had received a login qualification!"

Such sensationalist news was everywhere, though most were fake. Seeing these reports made Song Yao feel inexplicably nervous. After all, she had registered too; she might also receive a qualification, however slim the chance. At midnight, everything would be revealed. Whether she could log into the *Xuan Ying World* would depend entirely on her own fortune.