Chapter 1: The Killing Through Time

The pain in his chest has disappeared, but his head has begun to throb intermittently. Once that throbbing subsides, Gu Cheng suddenly raises his head and surveys his surroundings.

What are you saying

The Taoist chuckled and said, "I haven't said anything, madam, your money is in place, and I have taken care of the matter for you. Just wait and see."

Gu Cheng tossed and turned in bed, like a fish out of water, struggling and gasping for breath. Memories surged in his mind, causing his vision to darken, rendering everything unclear.

That is also a bedroom, but it is much more luxurious than the one where Gu Cheng resides

Its body is only the size of a palm, yet its head is the same size as that of a normal person. However, it resembles a bloody and fleshy heart, with two black eyes the size of green beans and a large mouth full of sharp teeth faintly visible.

The memories flooding his mind have already informed Gu Cheng that he has traversed time, not to the ancient past, but to a dynasty called Da Qian

If we do not kill him now, in two months when that little beast undergoes the coming-of-age ceremony, the old lady will formally request the court to confer a title upon him

Gu Cheng saw and immediately ran away, but this space seemed to be centered around him; no matter how he ran, he remained in the same place.

After the heart demon kills, there are no external injuries, yet it can cause a pain so profound that it leads to death. The coroner would absolutely not detect any abnormalities and would only assume that the person died from a sudden illness

Moments later, a strange expression appeared in the Taoist's eyes as he murmured, "Why is there still no movement? It shouldn't be the case; even a strong and robust man could not endure for such a long time.

Gu Cheng did not expect this monster to speak; he was merely talking to himself

To be precise, that thing is not a little person; it is fundamentally a monster

To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that your maternal uncle's friend's second uncle is my junior disciple, I wouldn't even bother taking this order from you

Pain

Stumbling to his feet, Gu Cheng looked at the bronze mirror on the table, and the face of a handsome young man came into view, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Just now, when I bit that cursed thing, a black light swallowed it up. Is this the work of that thing?

Zhang is usually sharp-tongued and unkind to him as well

Gu Cheng's thought process is somewhat peculiar; his first reaction at this moment is surprisingly that he is fairer than in his previous life

As he spoke, the Taoist quickly wove his hair into a thread, his hands forming seals. Strangely, his emaciated body began to swell up.

A woman in her early forties, strikingly beautiful yet with sharp features that give her a somewhat acerbic appearance, stood there and asked a Taoist priest beside her, who was dressed in a blood-red robe and had a thin, wiry frame with a pointed face, "Can you hurry up? Why are you so slow?"

The last scene in Gu Cheng's memory is that he had just completed a major deal, and the bonus was enough to buy half a square meter of housing locally. Therefore, he was wandering the streets, preparing to find a restaurant to celebrate with a good meal. As a result, accompanied by a harsh screech of brakes and the screams of the crowd, everything before his eyes went dark.

However, relying solely on loyalty to attain nobility ultimately lacks a certain depth. By the time of Gu Cheng's generation, the Duke of Loyalty and Valor's estate had completely fallen into decline

The place he is currently in resembles an ancient bedroom, with a wooden loft and antique decorative carvings.

At that time, the entire Da Qian was filled with talented individuals and exceptional figures, among whom Gu Cheng's ancestors were one. However, they did not attain nobility through military achievements, but rather through loyalty

The excruciating pain in Gu Cheng's chest nearly caused him to faint, and his rationality descended into madness, prompting him to open his mouth and bite at the monster.

A thing the size of a human head surged from his chest and abdomen into his throat, stretching his face outwards, causing the corners of his mouth to split into a terrifying arc, and finally, he expelled a heart-like monster the size of a human head

This space is devoid of any structures, with darkness enveloping both the sky and the ground, and the only thing present is that monster with a heart-shaped head!

The Gu family can trace its ancestry back to one of the guards of Emperor Taizu, who once sustained sixteen arrows while protecting the Crown Prince, enduring the onslaught without retreating. Such loyalty and bravery deeply moved Emperor Taizu, who subsequently granted the title of Loyal and Brave Marquis to his descendants, with the title being hereditary and unchangeable

Therefore, the highest-ranking official in the entire Zhongyong Marquis residence is his second uncle, who serves as a deputy general in the Western Frontier

The Black Prison of Jingye Si is certainly not a place for humans to linger, bah! Even ghosts would not wish to stay there

Grass grass grass

Saying this, the Taoist fed the woven strands of hair to the heart demon, and with a wave of his hand, the heart demon vanished without a trace

The old lady is biased

The sharp-nosed, monkey-faced Taoist said lightly: "It is indeed correct that I require three thousand taels, but my junior disciple also needs one thousand taels. Furthermore, my junior disciple's nephew, who is also your brother's friend, requires one thousand taels as well. Have you never heard of a brokerage fee?"

The Taoist, feeling pleased, said: "Madam, do not be afraid. This is the spirit of the Five Organs Temple that I, a humble Taoist, have summoned through my rituals. The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are all connected to the spirit world, and by using them as offerings to nurture the spirits, one can kill without shedding blood.

Gu Cheng shouted in anger, instinctively wanting to pull the monster off his chest, but it seemed to be glued to him. No matter how much he pulled, punched, or kicked, he could not tear it away.

In the capital, there are countless hounds of the Jingye Division; if they were to discover me, I would be in dire straits

Five thousand taels of silver, no bargaining, payment in advance, services rendered afterward, fair to all, no deception between humans and spirits, guaranteed satisfaction

Five hundred years ago, during the era of the Ten Kingdoms, chaos reigned and smoke from battle rose high. With the assistance of various talented individuals and extraordinary figures, Emperor Taizu of the Great Qian swept across the six directions and unified the eight regions, ultimately establishing the Great Qian and unifying the world

However, the one currently in charge of the Gu family is his grandmother, Lady Gu, who dotes on her eldest grandson, Gu Cheng. Therefore, Zhang does not dare to openly confront Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng struggled to get up, gasping for breath.

The Taoist priest, holding a few strands of hair, scoffed and said, "Madam, why are you in such a hurry? Good work takes time."

It bit into Gu Cheng's chest, with no visible wounds or blood on the flesh, yet each bite caused excruciating pain in Gu Cheng's heart, as if it could devour his heart through the flesh.

One could see a small figure, no larger than a human head, clinging to his chest and gnawing through the flesh.

Upon witnessing such a terrifying scene, Zhang's face turned pale with fear, and he struggled to cover his mouth, refraining from screaming out loud

In this lifetime, he is also known as Gu Cheng, with the courtesy name Chang'an. His identity is that of the eldest son of the loyal and brave marquisate of the Great Qian dynasty. While it sounds like he is a scion of nobility, in reality, he is a fallen aristocrat

After a round of haggling, the deal was concluded at eighty yuan

A piercing pain

At that moment, the Taoist suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and let out a tragic cry: "My heart!"

Zhang gritted his teeth and took out a banknote of five thousand taels: "Here you go! But I want to see that little beast die today!"

This object is entirely pitch black, adorned with some peculiar patterns, and features two seal characters. Gu Cheng checked and it seems to be the characters '通幽'.

As Gu Cheng bit down, the bloody and viscous sensation erupted in his mouth, and before he could begin to vomit, a streak of pitch-black radiance suddenly blossomed from his chest, engulfing the monster.

The Taoist took the silver note, gently shook his head, and muttered, "The heart of a woman is the most poisonous."

The monster quickly leaped onto his body, and just as Gu Cheng was contemplating whether to bite it again, the monster merely nudged Gu Cheng with its heart-sized head, behaving as if it were a pet, gentle and docile

In a place like the capital of Daqian, where one could casually throw a brick and hit a noble or aristocrat, bearing a hollow title of nobility, with the highest-ranking official in the family being merely a deputy general stationed in a remote border area, it can be said that they have fallen into utter decline

When the monster saw Gu Cheng, it unexpectedly bounced and hopped towards him, and its movements were somewhat clumsily cute.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, the scene before him nearly drove him to the brink of collapse

This is something from his previous life

Of course, none of this is important; what matters is, what was that thing just now? Was it a ghost or a demon

However, the monster seemed to understand, shaking its brain that resembled a heart, and from its blood vessels, a mist of blood sprayed out, transforming into an image, accompanied by sounds.

But why does my chest hurt so much after being hit by the car? Is he alive or dead? I can feel the pain, Gu Cheng thinks that he can still be saved

Gu Cheng frowned slightly; this woman was familiar to him, she was his second uncle's wife, Zhang, who was also his aunt.

Gu Cheng instinctively touched his chest, where there was unexpectedly a black jade pendant, which left him momentarily stunned

This jade pendant was purchased by Gu Cheng while wandering in the ghost market. The owner quoted a price of 800, claiming it was from the Zhou Dynasty. Gu Cheng immediately retorted, "Zhou Dynasty? It might as well be from last week."

For so many years, it has been my second branch managing the family business, while the entire Hou family has only my husband serving as an official outside. Why should the old lady pass the title to that little beast!

His father was said to be talented and promising, but he died young, falling in battle. His mother also succumbed to illness due to accumulated grief and passed away shortly thereafter

Zhang exclaimed immediately: "Five thousand taels! Wasn't it said before that it was three thousand taels?"

Although she vaguely knew that such evil sorcery existed in the martial world, and even had relatives in her family who had dealings with these people, this was the first time she had actually witnessed it.

Go, kill the owner of that strand of hair

Gu Cheng subconsciously stroked the black jade pendant, but in the next moment, a flash of black light appeared before him, and Gu Cheng found himself in a pitch-black space

Seeing that the monster no longer harbored any hostility, Gu Cheng lifted it aside and frowned, saying: "What is this thing?"