My Host Only Marries the Strong

Tap.

Echo drew out a wooden stick, her legs dangling over the bed’s edge as she looked through the newly pasted window paper toward the kitchen.

Wisps of cooking smoke drifted across the sky, and meat aromas filled the small courtyard. The woman in the kitchen called, “Ya Ya.”

Liu Ya, who’d been playing building blocks with Echo at the small table, immediately jumped down from the bed, put on her new cloth shoes, and ran to the kitchen.

Echo took advantage of this moment to pull out letter paper. This time she used bamboo leaf paper—several pale green bamboo leaves embedded in the paper pulp, looking particularly elegant.

On this elegant paper, Echo wrote: “Seraphine, hello. Today I ate stewed goose and flatbread. Pingjin City’s flatbread is very thick and tastes exactly like flatbread should. Please try some.”

She gripped the brush handle, carefully drawing a circle on the letter paper and dotting it with many sesame seeds.

When Echo finished her “love letter” and looked up, Liu Ya’s honest father was coming out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of stewed iron goose, while Liu Ya’s mother stood in the kitchen doorway, smiling tenderly as she fed meat to LiuYa.

Liu Ya, standing on tiptoe, laughed happily and hugged her mother’s leg.

Echo watched intently. When Liu Ya’s father brought the meal to her room, she was even happier.

The Liu family didn’t eat with her—Echo sat cross-legged on the bed with no immortal dignity whatsoever, rolled up her sleeves, and engaged in battle with the goose.

“I should write Seraphine a love letter carefully describing the flavors of country cooking, then write the Main System a country cuisine taste analysis report.” Echo thought with satisfaction. Seraphine would surely be moved by her thoughtfulness, and she could earn points from the Main System too. Excellent!

After eating and drinking her fill, Echo carried her clean bowl outside. Liu Ya came out with a basin, planning to fetch water for washing dishes.

The water well was at the alley entrance. As a polite little system, she volunteered to help Liu Ya carry the wooden bucket, and the large and small figures headed out together.

Two people were already queuing at the well. Seeing Echo, they quickly moved aside, looking quite afraid of her. Echo didn’t care and set down the bucket, leaning over to peer into the well. She said, “Hello.”

The well was completely silent except for Echo’s echo.

Very interesting!

Echo raised her jade flute and played “Pffft pffft pffft” into the well. Liu Ya held onto the bucket, staring at Echo blankly before reaching out to push her.

Echo continued playing her flute as she stepped aside, standing behind Liu Ya and going “Pffft pffft pffft” as she watched Liu Ya hook the bucket onto the rope and drop it into the well.

Liu Ya turned back to look at Echo, her grape-like big eyes gazing expectantly at her. Echo nodded and snapped her fingers, using spiritual power to control the rope and slowly pull the water-filled bucket up.

Liu Ya, standing in front of Echo, raised her hands to cover her ears and stamped her feet.

Echo laughed heartily, putting down her flute to lift the bucket. Just as she bent over, sudden change struck—a black shadow burst from the well, attacking her. Without changing expression, she raised Nine Heavens.

The translucent long sword spun rapidly at her fingertips. The moment she drew it, the scabbard fell away, and icy energy spread, rushing toward the black shadow that had been hiding in the well for who knows how long.

Just as the sword light cut through the black shadow, a small palm came from behind Echo, striking toward her back.

Echo leaped up sharply, turned around, and swept her long sword. Liu Ya’s black eyes looked at Echo, showing a cruel smile.

Her body was struck by Echo’s sword energy and sent flying. The smile immediately disappeared from her face as she fell to the ground, making gurgling sounds that gradually faded to silence.

“Senior Xi!”

“Ya Ya!”

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

Not far away at the doorway, the woman who’d come out to collect her child let out a piercing scream. Her wooden basin crashed to the ground with a “bang” as she rushed forward in terror to embrace the fallen child.

Tan Yue and a man flew over, looking at Echo in shock.

“Senior Xi! How could you randomly attack an unarmed mortal, especially such a small child!” Tan Yue cried in panic. The man behind her drew his sword, pointing it warily at Echo.

“You’re an Insight Academy Palace disciple? Why do you trample on human life! Where are your righteous methods!”

“Why did you hurt my child!” Liu Ya’s mother screamed in anguish and fury. Her eyes filled with pain as she looked down at Liu Ya, whose eyes were tightly closed and whose body grew increasingly cold. Tears fell like rain.

“Ya Ya! Liu Ya!” The woman shouted frantically. “The immortal killed someone! She killed my child!”

Liu Ya’s honest-looking father ran out of the courtyard carrying a hoe, his eyes red with rage as he charged toward Echo.

Echo scratched her face, flew up to perch on the wall, and hefted Nine Heavens, looking somewhat curiously at Liu Ya’swailing mother and furious father.

People who’d heard the commotion poked their heads out, asking what had happened. The two people who’d been hiding aside to let Liu Ya and Echo draw water first had dropped to their knees in terror when Echo drew her sword.

They pointed at Echo in shock: “She suddenly went crazy and started slashing with her sword! Liu Ya got scared and patted her once, and she killed Liu Ya with one stroke!”

“She’d been staying at Liu Ya’s house and playing with Liu Ya all this time. Who would have thought she’d just up and kill Liu Ya like that!”

“Ya Ya!” Liu Ya’s mother cried so hard she nearly fainted, clutching Liu Ya’s ice-cold hand, lost in infinite grief.

The alley soon filled with people. Pingjin City’s mortals stared at Echo with panic, fear, and anger. Someone said, “Liu Ya was born mute—already pitiful enough. Their whole family was poor, but they thought the immortal’s arrival would bring good fortune. Who knew this wasn’t an immortal but the Grim Reaper!”

“Liu Ya was only five years old! They only had this one daughter, and now she’s dead!”

“What immortal? Get out of Pingjin City!”

“Grim Reaper!”

“Murderer!”

Tan Yue’s chest heaved as she said quietly, “My master and I just returned to Pingjin City and witnessed what happened. Senior Xi, I respectfully call you senior—please explain what just occurred, or don’t blame us for being impolite!”

“We treated you as an honored guest, and you killed my child! Give me back my Ya Ya!” Liu Ya’s mother also screamed, picking up stones from the ground and angrily hurling them at Echo.

Echo tilted her head to dodge the flying stones, glanced at Liu Ya’s hand hanging on the ground, and said calmly, “She attacked first. I was defending myself.”

“Ridiculous! How could such a small child attack you!” Tan Yue’s master said angrily. “She merely reached out to touch you and suffered such cruelty! Such behavior—how does it differ from demon cultivation!”

“Since you’re so stubbornly unrepentant, don’t blame me for reporting this to the Taiyan Sect Leader, requesting she contact Ink-Trace Venerable to hold you accountable!”

After speaking, he glared coldly at Echo.

Echo didn’t respond.

One minute passed. Echo still didn’t respond.

Tan Yue’s master frowned, sword tip still pointing at Echo, and urged, “Speak! Or do you have no explanation at all?”

How should she explain? Echo blinked and smiled. “I was just thinking—if I keep not talking, would you feel embarrassed?”

“Haha!”

“How dare you still laugh!” Liu Ya’s mother turned red with rage. “Ya Ya liked you so much, and you killed her without a word! Are you even human!”

Although I wasn’t human to begin with, you’re wrong about this. Echo remained completely calm.

At this point, Tan Yue looked at Echo and said, “Master, it seems she has no defense for her actions. Please guard her here while I go report to the Taiyan Sect!”

“Alright!” Tan Yue’s master nodded, raising his sword to block behind Tan Yue, apparently intending to protect her departure.

Echo scanned the ground, wondering: Where had she dropped Nine Heavens’ scabbard this time?

Whatever, forget it.

Echo snapped her fingers. In the air came crackling sounds. Everyone instinctively looked toward the noise, only to see ice fractures appear on the child Liu Ya’s mother held. Ice chunks fell with a “clatter” and Liu Ya’s chest began to rise and fall, though her eyes remained closed.

“I didn’t kill her,” Echo said. “I just temporarily froze her. She seems to have demonic energy in her body and was being controlled.”

Seeing the two people standing behind the well about to speak, Echo raised her sword to point at them, saying gently, “Please be quiet and let me speak first. You might not have seen that black shadow clearly, but I have evidence.”

Echo took a recording stone from her storage ring, smiling. “I happened to want to record my days in Pingjin City for my beloved to see, so everything that just happened was recorded in the recording stone.”

Everyone below the wall froze, staring in surprise at the stone in Echo’s hand.

She used spiritual power to suspend the recording stone in the air, saying calmly, “Before playing it, I just want to ask that demon cultivator one question: have you controlled everyone in this entire city?”

The surroundings grew very quiet, with only Echo’s clear, gentle voice: “The acting was quite poor.”

“Let’s look at the evidence first.”

Just as the recording stone began glowing, a stream of black spiritual power struck it, smashing it to pieces with a “bang.”

Liu Ya, who had been lying on the ground, slowly stood up. Her black eyes stared straight at Echo as she smiled coldly.

Echo clapped her hands. “That was perfectly timed.”

She smiled, looking toward Tan Yue and her master. They started, feeling Echo was implying something, but seeing her expressionless face, they only said awkwardly, “It seems we misunderstood you, fellow daoist.”

Liu Ya spoke, the child’s body producing a mature woman’s voice as she asked, “Where was the acting poor?”

Echo said, “Everywhere.”

Liu Ya laughed. “Liar.”

Echo shook her head. “No, you play Go better than Error. I don’t believe it.”

Hmph.

Liu Ya narrowed her eyes, thinking to herself that she’d only played two games with this person before being seen through? And after being discovered, this person had pretended nothing was wrong and watched her continue the charade?

The demon cultivator’s heart sank. She clapped her hands, and those people with fierce expressions collapsed. Streams of black mist floated over, forming human bodies.

Tan Yue’s master said in shock, “No wonder I couldn’t find this demon cultivator—she was actually hiding within so many mortals!”

Echo looked at this demon cultivator. She wore no clothes, with only a golden collar around her neck that seemed to be an artifact concealing her demonic aura.

The demon cultivator shook her head. “You’re more troublesome than I expected. Since you’ve discovered me, I’ll beat you half to death first, then steal your storage ring. When you have nothing, what evidence can you use?”

The demon cultivator smiled. “This entire city is under my control. I’ll kill everyone here and frame you for it. Tell me, who will believe you then?”

“We poor souls are all people devoted to the dao. Why should we be hunted by everyone? It’s time for privileged children of heaven like you to experience our miserable circumstances.”

This demon cultivator was quite strange, but then again, all demon cultivators were strange creatures. Echo accepted this, spinning Nine Heavens before gripping it firmly.

Echo sighed. “Since you’ve finally decided to come out, I’ll kill you quickly. Let’s make this fast—I’m in a hurry.”

She still had today’s love letter to finish, and it wouldn’t do to keep Seraphine waiting.

[Author’s Note]:

Work Log:

Lost one recording stone.

Did I kill a child? Am I a murderer? Did my enemies think they could actually frame me? You know the answer. Find out what chaos I stir up next—peek 20 chapters ahead at Pxtreon➡️LoveisLove520.