Chapter 273 The Eighteenth Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel

Chapter 273: Day 18 of Transmigrating into a Xuanhuan Novel

Comment section:

"Oh my, oh my! Heart swap? That's totally unscientific!"

"? You do realize the world they're in isn't scientific, right?"

"So what?!"

"I~ w~a~n~t~ y~o~u~ t~o~ c~o~m~e~ w~i~t~h~ m~e~"

"This author's an idiot!"

"I'm genuinely scared now—the proud straight guy isn't gonna end up bending too, is he? (puppy trembling.jpg)"

"...No way, don't scare me. Then us readers really can't get into the story anymore!"

"You can still get into it!"

"? Something's off with the person above!"

"If the male lead's got an ass, then use it to take a proper shit! (booming voice)"

"I wouldn't be so sure!"

"Don't worry, it won't happen. The MC already admitted he's a proud straight guy. Even if he bends, at least he was straight once!"

"Thanks for the comfort. I feel way worse now. (puppy crying.jpg)"

"The person above has such a cute sticker—I wanna mommy you."

"Screaming!! (screaming.jpg)"

"Damn! @Author, if you're gonna write gay romance, can you cut down on their screen time? I'm dropping this!"

"..."

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Afterward, with the help of the Ceng family, Gan Feng used the reversal technique he'd learned from that book, Miscellaneous Strange Arts, to successfully swap Ceng Wendong's and the beggar's bodies back.

The real Ceng Wendong returned to his own body—shaken, but ultimately unharmed.

As for the beggar who'd tried to steal another man's life, the Ceng family handed him over to the authorities, where the law would deal with him.

The Taoist's corpse was left for Gan Feng to deal with.

Over the past three months, he'd successfully gotten in with the Demon Suppression Bureau—the imperial agency that handled such matters—and become a provisional member.

Gan Feng deftly frisked the body, pocketing anything valuable, then disposed of the corpse per protocol.

Having done his deed without fanfare, he left—the Ceng family's endless gratitude was a given.

An Yi and Xie Xuandu left town once more. Gan Feng watched them go, his heart full of mixed emotions, then continued his long journey of leveling up through his system.

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After the Ceng family matter was settled, An Yi and Xie Xuandu headed north.

Along the way, the landscapes and customs varied—vast misty marshes, towering peaks that pierced the clouds, and towns and villages each with their own distinct character. It gave him a glimpse of this world's unique sights and strange tales.

Yet the more he saw, the deeper the sigh in An Yi's heart became.

The ordinary people of this world really had it rough.

Demons and monsters weren't just in deep mountains and old forests—they often lurked in bustling streets, remote villages, and desolate inns.

Many demons acted without restraint, harming people with no regard for karma or consequences, driven only by momentary whims or the desire to boost their cultivation, wantonly snatching mortal lives.

An Yi had seen young people drained of their essence and dumped in mass graves, entire villages shrouded in miasma spread by plague spirits as villagers wailed and died in agony, and water ghosts dragging innocent passersby into rivers to drown as their replacements...

He was no savior, nor did he harbor grand ambitions to save all sentient beings, but since he came across such things and had the power to act, he did so as a matter of course.

Along the way, he saved many who were on the brink of death, and either eliminated or sealed into the Juxing Tulu those demons that harmed wantonly and were steeped in malice.

That book he'd gotten from the previous world proved useful here.

When An Yi first used the Juxing Tulu to turn a ferocious mountain spirit into a lifelike yet motionless ink painting on its pages, Xie Xuandu showed undisguised astonishment.

He was well-read and had seen many sealing techniques.

But one like this—that didn't harm the creature's essence, yet could seal its form and power entirely within a painting, and was simple to use, requiring only to be held up and pointed—was something he'd never encountered before.

It touched on extremely profound magic.

What stirred even deeper ripples in Xie Xuandu's heart was the way An Yi acted to save people each time.

He himself was indifferent to the lives and deaths of mortals, viewing them as ants—if they died, they died; what was it to him?

Yet every time he saw An Yi's eyes flicker with emotion at the suffering of the innocent, then move to rescue them or seal away the demon that had harmed them, an indescribable feeling welled up inside him.

He felt An Yi... was too soft-hearted.

Someone like An Yi, who could feel compassion for strangers and act against injustice, seemed to him to be light itself—so radiant, so pure it couldn't be sullied.

Utterly different from someone like himself, who treated human life as mere grass, with no kindness in his heart—as if they stood at opposite extremes of light and dark.

But... what of it?

Xie Xuandu gazed at An Yi's cool profile, the smile on his lips deepening.

Even if he was tainted, he'd never let go.

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He would cling on, like a vine winding around a great tree, until he was utterly fused into the other's very bones and blood—never to be separated.

That day, the pair arrived at a bustling metropolis called Luzhou.

The city walls towered high, and traffic flowed like a river. Before even entering the city, you could sense a clamorous energy distinct from the countryside.

However, right by the main road, an untimely commotion of shouts and weeping shattered the facade of prosperity.

A crowd had gathered, pointing and whispering. In the center were several yamen runners in official uniforms, roughly shoving a disheveled, haggard woman.

She clutched a swaddled baby tightly to her chest, weeping hoarsely, nearly out of breath:

"Officers! Please! I beg you, have mercy! The county magistrate's young master's heart ailment has nothing to do with my child! He's just an innocent babe who knows nothing!"

A head constable in the lead, face full of impatience, waved his hand and barked: "Cut the crap! The magistrate's young master is precious as gold—ever since he drank the milk your family delivered, he was struck by a sudden heart ailment and fell unconscious! Even the physicians can't find the cause! If not for your 'ghost baby' causing mischief, what else could it be? Come with us to the yamen to await judgment!"

"Ghost baby?"

An Yi's gaze fell upon the swaddled infant in the woman's arms. After a moment, he gave a slight shake of his head: "The child is innocent. Its aura is pure and steady—not tainted by evil." "Oh?" Xie Xuandu's smile deepened at this, carrying a knowing, worldly amusement. "Then someone is framing her... or perhaps, some other dark scheme is afoot."

He couldn't care less about the matter itself, but since An Yi was paying attention, it became intriguing.

An Yi nodded and looked at the chaotic scene. "We've got nothing better to do—why not check it out?"

They both stepped closer.

An Yi walked with calm composure, directly stepping into the midst of the scuffle, and with almost effortless ease, snatched the swaddled infant from the yamen runner who was desperately grabbing for it.

The runner, suddenly empty-handed, was about to blow his top when he looked up and met the eyes of An Yi and Xie Xuandu.

The moment he took in their bearing and appearance, he choked back the curses on the tip of his tongue.

These two—one cool and ethereal like the bright moon in the heavens, the other gentle and smiling yet unfathomably deep, and the latter even clad in a Daoist robe...

There are some people in this world that small-time runners like him absolutely must not mess with!