Yu Sheng was taken aback by Xuan Che’s response. He asked once more, just to be sure, but Xuan Che seemed quite earnest.

“You’re just a visitor from out of town—you don’t need to get involved in investigating these local disasters, do you?” Yu Sheng said with a frown.

“To battle evil and shelter the innocent is the duty of every cultivator,” Xuan Che replied warmly, his eyes bright with pride. “Since our founding, we disciples of Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain have always held to the teachings: ‘Those with great power must aid humanity.’ Please don’t worry. Although our ‘outside world’ isn’t quite as special as Borderland, it too has Otherworlds. My fellow monks and I have considerable experience exploring these realms and combating entities. We won’t be a burden.”

“Ah, no, I wasn’t worried you’d hold us back…” Yu Sheng said reflexively. But since Xuan Che had spoken so earnestly, Yu Sheng paused, swallowing back any further protests. Instead, he just added a warning. “Alright then. Wait until I move the house into the Otherworld, then we’ll step out together. Mistbound City is strange—you’ll need to stay alert.”

Xuan Che: “…?”

He felt like he’d just heard another string of words that made no sense. But after hearing plenty of these odd phrases today, he simply gave up asking questions.

Ignoring Xuan Che’s peculiar expression, Yu Sheng stepped forward, placing his hand upon the great Door. As he had done before, he stilled his mind and guided the entirety of Wutong Road No. 66, shifting its position toward the coordinates of “Mistbound City.”

Xuan Che suddenly sensed a subtle shift around him. Deep within the mansion, a hollow rumble echoed faintly, like an immense, invisible creature slowly moving its limbs. For a brief moment, the house itself felt alive. Even the electric lights overhead, the wallpaper on the walls, and the innocent tissue box on a nearby table seemed to glance curiously at him—though without any malice.

But just as quickly, that sensation passed. Before Xuan Che could fully comprehend what had happened, everything settled into calm once more.

“Alright, we’re here,” Yu Sheng announced.

The great Door swung gently open, revealing a fog-laden street outside.

Xuan Che stared in amazement. The instant the Door opened, his Divine Sense, previously suppressed and isolated, now broke free. As he perceived the surroundings beyond Wutong Road No. 66 clearly for the first time, he finally understood what Yu Sheng had meant by “moving the house into the Otherworld.”

He gaped at Yu Sheng, a single phrase spiraling through his mind:

[Eminent One indeed!!!]

[…How in the heavens did Special Affairs Bureau come to accept this house and its entire bizarre, sentient-themed setting?]

But the Eminent One paid no attention to Xuan Che’s shocked expression. Instead, he was carefully selecting which Irenes to bring along.

“One damage-dealer and one crowd-control type should be enough. Pro and Steel-Bar Irene, you’ll come with me. The other two stay home,” Yu Sheng quickly decided. “If you notice anything strange through the windows, contact me or Foxy immediately.”

“You can bring one more!” Lotus Root Irene stood in the doorway, craning her neck upwards. “You never know when you’ll need extra fighters!”

“I’m running out of room,” Yu Sheng sighed helplessly, glancing at the two little dolls already sitting brazenly on each of his shoulders. “Unless you plan to walk on your own.”

Without hesitation, Lotus Root Irene stepped back, cheerfully waving. “Safe travels, take care, come home soon! I’ll contact you right away if there’s trouble!”

Yu Sheng: “…”

Moments later, Yu Sheng, carrying two Irenes, led Foxy and Xuan Che into the thick mist.

He still held the fearsome Tetanus Staff. During the last encounter with the Artificial Saintess, the Staff had been severely damaged—half its blades and spikes had been hacked away by the enemy’s blade-like fingertips. Fortunately, Foxy had reinforced and repaired it afterward, restoring its menacing appearance.

The two Irenes sitting on Yu Sheng’s shoulders kept nagging as they moved forward: “Don’t suddenly rest that thing on your shoulder! We’re both sitting here, remember?”

“I know, I know!” Yu Sheng snapped impatiently. “You’ve said that at least eight hundred times since we left the house.”

Xuan Che’s gaze kept drifting to the Tetanus Staff, his expression uneasy. Several times, he seemed to want to speak but held back.

Yu Sheng easily noticed his hesitation.

“Interested in the club?” he asked casually. “You’ve been staring at it quite a while.”

“Mist— Mr. Yu, please forgive my impertinence, but there is something troubling me,” Xuan Che finally spoke, his tone turning solemn. “Why does your weapon bear such heavy murderous intent? Moreover… it seems surrounded by layers of deathly qi?”

His expression was tense, filled with the determination of someone ready to risk death rather than compromise their Dao heart.

Yu Sheng paused briefly, caught off-guard by the question. Before he could respond, Irene burst out laughing from his shoulder:

“Hahaha, he thinks you’re a demonic cultivator~!”

Yu Sheng tugged helplessly at the corners of his mouth and waved the battle staff in his hand, explaining to Xuan Che, “Don’t worry. The blood scent on it is all mine—I coated it with my own blood. It gives it special effects against weaker Entities, though it makes the weapon look a bit strange. And the layers of deathly aura you mentioned… that’s probably from all the Entities it has slain.”

“Is that so?” Xuan Che muttered doubtfully but seemed to accept Yu Sheng’s explanation.

Irene, noticing his hesitation, quickly chimed in, “Hey, don’t overthink it. Our Hotel always acts with honor and fairness. Even if someone ends up dead, they probably deserved it anyway…”

Yu Sheng felt increasingly uneasy listening to this remark. “Wait, why do I feel you’re implying something?”

“Ah, you’re imagining things!” Irene patted Yu Sheng on the back of the head, swiftly and awkwardly changing the subject. “Anyway, why are we even exploring here ourselves? Didn’t the Special Affairs Bureau send plenty of people already? Can’t we just wait for their reports?”

“It’s not the same,” Yu Sheng slowly shook his head. “This fog appeared right outside Wutong Road No. 66, and that alone bothers me greatly. And besides, there’s still the matter of that artificial Saintess who got away last time…”

“Huh? What about her?”

“She was spotted nearby,” Yu Sheng said softly, eyes carefully scanning the dense mist around them. “And she still hasn’t strayed very far.”

Both Irenes instantly perked up. “C-type Buckle!”

At Yu Sheng’s words, Foxy’s ears immediately pricked up. She swiftly inspected their surroundings, vigilant and alert. “Benefactor, this place isn’t far from where we were ambushed before.”

“So, after all this circling around, the C-type Buckle returned close to the Old City District?” Irene clung tightly to Yu Sheng’s head, her small face growing grim. “Could there really be something hidden here?”

“It’s difficult not to suspect as much,” Yu Sheng frowned. “But the Special Affairs Bureau’s Deep Dive Squad already thoroughly searched the area and found nothing.”

Xuan Che, who had been quietly listening all this while, suddenly spoke up, “This ‘artificial Saintess’ you’re mentioning—it’s one of those mechanical dolls crafted by the Holy Revere Hermitage?”

“Exactly,” Yu Sheng nodded. “You’ve encountered those things too?”

“Not personally, but I’ve heard my sect brothers mention them. They’re very troublesome enemies,” Xuan Che said gravely. “Their fighting techniques are bizarre, they’re incredibly fast, can meld into shadows, and even teleport short distances. Ordinary monks are no match for them. You either need a true expert or overwhelming numbers to take them down.”

Yu Sheng looked at him with surprise. “Even cultivators like you, who fly around and vanish at will, find these metal dolls challenging?”

“Precisely because of their metal shells,” Xuan Che sighed. “From what I know, those shells are crafted from starship-grade armor—extremely tough, reinforced by strange and sinister methods. Most spells have practically no effect on them. Being mechanical constructs, they’re immune to curses, illusions, and restraints, which already renders many monks nearly powerless. That leaves only brute-force, close-range attacks. And when flesh-and-blood monks have to strike directly at starship-grade armor… it’s dangerously risky.”

He paused a moment before adding, “Of course, skilled monks do have ways to handle them, but it’ll always require extra effort.”

Yu Sheng listened intently, recalling something Bai Li Qing had mentioned in their recent conversations—

The Holy Revere Hermitage operated within a limited territory and had maintained a low profile over the last decade or more.

Frowning slightly, he recalled another detail from Bai Li Qing: Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain’s territory, “Featherwing-13b,” was an isolated star sector whose security, though perhaps not as strict as Borderland’s, was nonetheless formidable.

“Has the artificial Saintess ‘invaded’ your region as well?” Yu Sheng asked instinctively, brows furrowed. “When did this happen?”

“Within the past year or two, signs of the Hermitage appeared on some remote planets in our star sector. Twice, they deployed artificial Saintesses,” Xuan Che replied solemnly. “Though they didn’t cause significant damage—local monks swiftly repelled those heretics—their appearances were undeniably suspicious.”

“What were they doing in your territory?” Yu Sheng quickly pressed.

“Apparently smuggling something,” Xuan Che shook his head thoughtfully. “Sadly, those heretics are extremely cautious. When our guardian monks arrived, all they found were destroyed storage facilities and machinery. To this day, we still don’t know exactly what they were up to.”