Although Song Miaozhu had just pulled off a major move—wiping out every last member of the Eternal Life Society who had been secretly working against her—she hadn't let up on her cultivation or the nurturing of her spiritual artifacts.
Her Spirit Paper Car had been infused with green spiritual energy for some time now. Even though she had recently diverted some attention to the Curse Society, the amount of green energy she had poured into the car wasn't insignificant.
Now that the Eternal Life Society was dealt with, she could fully refocus on nurturing her spiritual items.
After carefully channeling spiritual power into the large paper car parked in the cave, Song Miaozhu did her usual check with the Spirit-Appraising Bronze Mirror. She had seen the appraisal results so many times that she knew them by heart, so she noticed immediately when something new appeared at the end.
"A convertible paper-crafted vehicle powered by spiritual energy, driven like a normal car, resistant to fire and water..."
Those features had always been part of the Spirit Paper Car. But now, a new line had appeared: "Can switch between mini and full-size forms. Mini form cannot be driven."
Reading that, Song Miaozhu glanced at the car and gave a tentative command. "Shrink."
A flash of spiritual light burst forth from the vehicle, and the five-meter-long, nearly two-meter-wide car shrank into a palm-sized miniature.
"(o)!" One of the little paper servants immediately floated into the air and zipped toward the tiny car.
The one who managed to jump into the driver's seat had its pigtails sticking up from excitement, only to realize that pressing the gas pedal did absolutely nothing.
Song Miaozhu picked up the mini car and gently shook the eager paper servants off it. They clung stubbornly to the doors anyway. Amused, she reminded them, "This is just a portable version. It can't be driven."
The paper servants instantly lost interest.
If it couldn't move, it was no fun. The Spirit Paper Horse and Big Kitty were way better!
Sensing their disappointment, Song Miaozhu sighed inwardly.
"They really have gotten picky."
She waved her hand. "Come on. Stealth mode. Let's go for a ride!"
She had initially thought the Spirit Paper Car was too big to take around casually and would need to be parked in the ghost shop's warehouse when not in use.
She didn't expect the spiritual version of the car to be so practical—it could shrink on command.
Now, she could even stick the mini version in her pocket when walking through town. With so many strange spiritual items popping up these days, taking out a little paper car that could grow to full size wouldn't even seem out of place.
It had also been a long time since she'd left Yunwu Mountain.
The Eternal Life Society was gone, and for now, no one would be looking to mess with her. The cave deep in the mountain was a bit rough, but it was remote, safe, and perfect for solitary cultivation. Until she crafted a spirit house that could ensure complete security, she had no plans to rebuild her old home on Bamboo Hill.
Still, the ruins of her old house needed to be cleaned up. She couldn't just let them rot there forever. Since she was heading out anyway, she figured she might as well get that done and test how the Spirit Paper Car handled on the road.
She moved swiftly through the mountain forest and soon left the range of Yunwu Mountain, arriving at a narrow concrete road at the foot of the hills. Less than a kilometer ahead was the pig farm she had bought as a makeshift warehouse.
Now that her Anshou Hall Paper Shop had completely stopped trading in goods from the living world, the little paper servant workers had all been withdrawn, and the pig farm had been abandoned.
She took the mini car out of her pocket and tossed it to the ground. The moment it landed, it expanded into a full-sized vehicle. Under the sunlight, you could faintly see the paper texture if you looked closely, but the car was actually tougher and more durable than a real steel one.
After topping off the fuel tank with spiritual energy, Song Miaozhu took the driver's seat. She started the engine. The car, loaded with a bunch of little paper servants, headed toward Xiaozhu Hill.
Since the Spirit Paper Car was a spiritual artifact, there was a natural bond between it and its owner. The driving experience was even smoother than her old sports car, which had been lost in the fire.
For example, when she came to a flooded bridge during the rainy season, she sped up slightly, lifted the steering wheel, and the car responded by lifting its front end and soaring over the water, landing smoothly on the other side.
If she wanted some fresh air, she didn't need to press any buttons or speak to a car AI. The convertible roof would open by itself.
Windows, horn, acceleration, deceleration, brakes—everything responded intuitively to her intent.
Especially the brakes. She could stop the car instantly.
She could sense exactly where the front, back, and sides of the car were at all times, as if the vehicle had a built-in 360-degree camera. Any bumps or scrapes were immediately noticeable. But the car didn't really mind bumps. It wasn't even affected by dirt. Even if the wheels rolled through mud, they came out spotless. Completely unnatural, but very convenient.
Sometimes, when she didn't feel like holding the wheel, she could lean back in her seat and use her connection with the Spirit Paper Car to guide it in autopilot mode. It was the car of her dreams.
She drove in high spirits.
The little paper servants clung to the windows, one linked to another, hair and sleeves fluttering in the wind, leaving a long trail of white behind them. But since they were in stealth mode, no one could see them.
Soon they arrived at the base of Xiaozhu Hill. From afar, she could see a police line across the middle of the slope and a small security booth made from a container. When the car reached the checkpoint, it was blocked by a barrier.
"No entry beyond this point," said a security guard stepping out from the booth.
Song Miaozhu had already sent her paper servants to check earlier and knew this was a guard hired by the SEIU to prevent anyone from occupying her land or disturbing the site of her old home.
"It's me," she said, removing her sunglasses.
The guard gave her a glance, then quickly grabbed a photo from inside the booth to compare her face. "Master Song? Are you Master Song?"
Song Miaozhu nodded.
"I'll open the gate right away! Please wait just a moment!" The guard had been briefed not to block this person. After all, this had originally been her home.
Song Miaozhu drove all the way to the ruins of her house before shrinking the car and putting it away. Then she entered the wreckage to inspect the damage.
Everything above ground had been destroyed, except for the basement, which remained intact.
The old locust tree no longer had its lush canopy. Only half of its charred black trunk was still standing. Luckily, the fire had been put out in time, and the tree wasn't completely dead. Beneath the scorched bark, the inner wood was still alive.
With help from her ghost shop's delivery system, the paper servants from Anshou Hall Paper Shop had brought her spare phone over. She took it from her pocket and began snapping photos while sending them to a cleanup company the paper servants had contacted online.
Once the burnt debris was cleared, it would be easier to either rebuild the old house or repurpose the land for something else.