Chapter 43

She turned around. Before she even saw the person's face, she recognized them by their uniquely vibrant colors.
"Ye Zinan?"
Ye Zinan truly hadn't expected to see Luo Han here.
When he first received the order to head to Western Sea for demon subjugation, his first reaction was to refuse. A weakling like him, who had spent a hundred thousand years idling away, was now being sent to such a dangerous place to fight such dangerous creatures? That was blatant bullying! But since it was a direct order from his family, he had no choice but to board the ship with great reluctance.
During the journey, he had guessed that Ling Qingxiao would definitely come, but Luo Han was another matter. She was too young, with low spiritual power and a mysterious background. Neither Ling Qingxiao nor the people supporting her would likely want her to take such a risk.
Ye Zinan had planned to coast along in the group, relying on his teammates to carry him. But without Luo Han to act as a buffer, he didn't even dare to speak to Ling Qingxiao. Now that she was here, however, everything was different.
The moment Ye Zinan saw Luo Han, he was so overjoyed he nearly took flight. He sprinted toward her, eager to pull her into a bear hug—but before he could get close, a cold, piercing sword aura rose in front of him, forcing him to a dead stop three steps away.
"..." Ye Zinan was speechless. Of course. Ling Qingxiao was here too.
After an awkward pause, he quickly brushed it off and, with teary eyes, looked at Luo Han. "My dear friend, I finally found you! You must be in the same team as Ling Qingxiao, right? Does your team have room for one more?"
Luo Han hadn't expected to run into an old acquaintance so soon after landing. She was pleasantly surprised and replied, "I'm not sure if we’re considered short on members. But right now, we only have three people. Star Lord Gu Xing did mention that our team is a bit small, so adding one more should be fine."
"Of course it's fine!" Ye Zinan was nearly moved to tears. "Please, you must let me join your team. I can, uh..."
He trailed off upon seeing Ling Qingxiao step out from the cabin, suddenly at a loss for words. He couldn't think of a single role he could play in Ling Qingxiao’s presence.
After a strange pause, Ye Zinan finally said, "I can pick herbs."
Luo Han thought for a moment before answering honestly, "This mission is different from the Biyun Secret Realm. I don't think we'll have much chance to gather herbs."
"Every team needs a laborer!" Ye Zinan quickly repositioned himself and cozied up to Luo Han. "I've wandered outside for over a hundred thousand years and picked up all sorts of miscellaneous skills. I'm also quick-witted and fast on my feet. If anything unexpected happens, I won't be a burden to you."
Having worked with Ye Zinan before, Luo Han didn’t mind bringing him along. Whether they had one burden or two didn’t really make a difference. She agreed, saying, "I don’t have a problem with it, but since this is a team decision, I need to ask my teammates first."
Ye Zinan turned his hopeful gaze to Ling Qingxiao. Ling Qingxiao had already heard everything and showed no objections—one more or less made no difference to him. Zou Jiubai, upon hearing that this was the Vermilion Bird Luo Han had mentioned before, agreed without hesitation.
With unanimous approval, Luo Han made the final call. "Alright, let’s go find Star Lord Gu Xing." She hesitated briefly before adding, "But...everyone on this mission was already assigned teams aboard the flying vessel. If you join us, what about your original team?"
"It’s fine." Ye Zinan waved it off nonchalantly. "Only the main combatants were assigned teams. My ship was full of flying beasts—each one weaker in battle and better at escaping than the last. Do we even need teams?"
...That actually made a lot of sense.
Luo Han was convinced. "Alright then. Let's go speak with Star Lord Gu Xing."
Luo Han took Ye Zinan to find Star Lord Gu Xing. Upon hearing that they wanted to add another member, Star Lord Gu Xing readily agreed. “Of course. Although Star Lord Tianyu and I trained you on the flying vessel, the decision of forming teams is ultimately yours to make. Since you already knew each other and have now met again, having an extra pair of hands to watch each other’s backs is a good thing.”
Luo Han and Ye Zinan thanked him in unison. Luo Han handed over their team's communication tokens, and Star Lord Gu Xing placed his palm over them. A moment later, he withdrew his hand and said, “It's done. Your tokens have been updated. Here are the new communication tokens—four in total. Keep them safe. As long as you don’t stray too far or enter areas with spatial overlaps, these tokens will allow you to stay in contact with each other within the Western Sea.”
Luo Han thanked him once again and handed Ye Zinan his new token. A faint spiritual glow flashed across the token, and a number appeared in the top right corner—it was their team’s assigned number. As long as they carried the tokens, they would be able to sense the location of the other three, even from a thousand miles away, and could send brief messages to one another.
It was an incredibly advanced piece of technology—said to be a military-grade artifact from the Celestial Palace, strictly prohibited for civilian use. If not for their current mission to assist the Celestial Palace in purging demons from the Western Sea, they wouldn’t have had the chance to use such a treasure.
Noticing Luo Han’s fascination with the token, Star Lord Gu Xing casually reminded her, “Take good care of it. You’ll have to return it once your mission is complete.”
“…”
The Celestial Palace was always so simple and straightforward.
After taking their leave, Luo Han lowered her voice and whispered to Ye Zinan, “Is this thing really that difficult to replicate? A token that allows instant messaging—if it were made widely available, just imagine how many lives could be saved during expeditions.”
“In terms of pure technology, sure, someone could replicate it if they wanted to. The problem is the Celestial Palace itself,” Ye Zinan murmured. “If they don’t allow it, who would dare go against them?”
Luo Han thought for a moment. “Fair point.”
She abandoned the idea of acquiring a knockoff communication token and instead caught up with Ye Zinan about what had happened during their time apart. “When I last sent you a message, I forgot to ask—why are you here too?”
“I didn’t want to come,” Ye Zinan groaned. “Really, I didn’t. But my clan leader insisted, so I had no choice. What about you? Why are you here?”
Luo Han sighed. “Because Ling Qingxiao wanted to come.”
The two exchanged a look and saw mutual helplessness in each other’s eyes. When Luo Han was with Zou Jibai, they always had plenty of things to discuss as fellow academic slackers. With Ye Zinan, they shared the unspoken camaraderie of being idle and unmotivated.
Suddenly, Ye Zinan switched to a secret voice transmission and asked, “About what you asked me last time—did something happen? Did you run into trouble?”
Luo Han shook her head. “Not really. I just saw something odd at an auction and wanted to check with you.”
Ye Zinan let out a thoughtful “hmm” before his expression turned into a mix of sympathy and schadenfreude. “And? Did someone buy it?”
“Mm.” The bird clan was loyal and trustworthy—Luo Han had no qualms about sharing gossip with Ye Zinan. “And it was someone you know.”
At first, Ye Zinan looked puzzled. Then, realization dawned on him, and his eyes widened. Luo Han gave him a small nod, confirming his guess.
It was Ling Zhongyu.
Back in the Biyun Secret Realm, Ling Zhongyu and Ye Zinan had clashed. At that time, Ling Zhongyu had already expressed interest in acquiring the Crane Orchid, so it wasn’t surprising that he had gotten his hands on it.
Ye Zinan made a vague, meaningful noise and leaned in closer. “So, has anything interesting happened with them lately? It feels like you guys have been through a lot since returning.”
“Plenty,” Luo Han admitted. But since they were now approaching others, she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she said, “I’ll tell you in detail later when we have time.”
Ye Zinan gestured in agreement. These were exactly the kinds of juicy conversations he enjoyed. Ling Qingxiao was too cold and indifferent, and Zou Jibai was too straightforward—only with Ye Zinan could Luo Han truly relish in discussing gossip.
Luo Han had always been indifferent to the tragic entanglements of the novel’s main characters. She wouldn’t interfere in personal fates—whether Yun Menghan suffered betrayal, public humiliation, and still ended up reconciling with Ling Zhongyu, that was Yun Menghan’s choice, not Luo Han’s concern. At most, she was just a little curious. However, when it came to forbidden arts, world destruction, and large-scale catastrophes, she absolutely had to step in.
That was why she was keeping a close eye on the future villain, Ling Qingxiao, while also paying attention to Ling Zhongyu. Whether Ling Zhongyu defected to the demons or not was none of her business. What she cared about was the forbidden techniques.
After all, in the original story, the protagonists and their group of male supporting characters resorted to forbidden techniques to fight Ling Qingxiao, but it was ultimately their reckless actions that set everything in motion. Luo Han needed to find out when and where they came into contact with those techniques—and stop it before it even began.
Neither Ling Qingxiao nor the main characters were allowed to disrupt the peace of the Six Realms!
No one would stand in the way of Luo Han’s survival.
By the time Luo Han and Ye Zinan returned, Ling Qingxiao hadn’t followed them. Now that they were back, he gave Ye Zinan a cool nod.
Although Luo Han and Ye Zinan were close, Ling Qingxiao felt no jealousy at all. Perhaps because...their friendship radiated such strong “sisterly” energy.
Ye Zinan, on the other hand, was slightly flattered that Ling Qingxiao even acknowledged him. He sat up straighter in surprise as Luo Han introduced him to the rest of the team. “Ye Zinan is now an official member of our team. Let’s all introduce ourselves?”
Ye Zinan nodded and took the initiative. “I’m Ye Zinan, heir of Zhuque Clan. There’s not much else to say about me. My special skill...I suppose it’s being old?”
Luo Han suddenly felt the weight of time pressing down on her.
Zou Jibai was straightforward and trusting. Even though he had never met Ye Zinan before, he immediately treated him as one of their own. Curious, he asked directly, “How old are you?”
“One hundred and eight thousand years.”
Zou Jibai made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded repeatedly. “Fair enough. I’m Zou Jibai, of the Zouyu Clan. Nine hundred and eighty-eight years old. My specialty is fist techniques.”
Then, a cool, detached voice chimed in, “Ling Qingxiao, of the Ling Clan, one thousand years old.”
When it was Luo Han’s turn, she paused strangely for a moment before saying, “Luo Han. Around a thousand years old. My special skill...probably looking good?”
Ling Qingxiao raised an eyebrow slightly at that and glanced down at Luo Han. Ye Zinan, who hadn’t even had the chance to fight for the title of the team’s most attractive member, was so shocked that he blurted out, “How old did you say you were?”
Luo Han didn’t even blink. “Around a thousand years old.”
Give or take...nine hundred and eighty-two years. What was there to be so surprised about?
These people were all thousands of years old. If Luo Han, at eighteen, just blurted that out, wouldn’t the Heavenly Dao lose face?
Zou Jibai didn’t doubt her at all. He clapped his hands together and said casually, “So you’re about the same age as us. Before, whenever I asked, you were always vague, so I thought there was a big difference.”
Under the scrutinizing gazes of Ling Qingxiao and Ye Zinan, Luo Han remained perfectly composed and nodded solemnly. “That’s right.”
Ling Qingxiao withdrew his gaze without comment. Ye Zinan, on the other hand, looked between Luo Han and the utterly oblivious Zou Jibai with a complicated expression before giving up on enlightening the big idiot.
The flying vessels of the Celestial Palace picked up people based on their geographic locations. Ye Zinan’s vessel had arrived a day earlier, so they had already spent one night at the gathering point. The vessel led by Star Lord Gu Xing was one of the later arrivals. After they landed, several more vessels arrived in succession. By nightfall, all the disciples participating in this mission had gathered.
For the disciples, this day was quite lively. They were busy getting familiar with the environment, meeting new people, and making minor team adjustments. Ye Zinan wasn’t the only one who had been temporarily reassigned to another team.
That night, Star Lord Gu Xing once again reminded them of the precautions they needed to take when entering the Western Sea. Afterward, he dismissed them to rest. Since they would officially enter the Western Sea the next day, staying up late was pointless—it was better to get a good night’s sleep.
The sea was full of dangers, tonight might very well be their last peaceful night of sleep.
—
At dawn the next day, everyone gathered by the shore. Star Lord Gu Xing and several other Star Lords stood at the front. When the time was right, they exchanged nods and silently took their positions.
Gu Xing slowly rose into the air. At this hour, the sun had yet to rise, and the sea was eerily quiet. The wind caught his long sleeves, making them flutter wildly. The Star Lords each took their designated spots, then simultaneously unleashed their powers. A massive formation gradually took shape beneath their feet.
The young disciples on the shore watched without blinking. The formation beneath the Star Lords spun slowly, and the once-tranquil sea suddenly erupted into strong winds. The gusts grew fiercer and fiercer until standing upright became nearly impossible. In the midst of the howling wind, the vast ocean began to part, the waters surging to both sides, revealing a long, deep passage in the center.
Everyone knew that the Western Sea imprisoned terrifying beasts. Yet, despite years of searching, no one had ever found the Devourer Beast. This was because the Western Sea they saw...was not the true Western Sea.
Only by following this path could they enter the real forbidden zone.
Now that the seal had been lifted, Star Lord Gu Xing turned back. His voice cut through the roaring winds, echoing in the disciples’ ears. “This is the entrance to the Western Sea. We can only hold this passage open for a short time. Remember my warnings from yesterday. There’s no time to waste—go now!”
The disciples bowed deeply in unison before swiftly flying toward the seabed. Luo Han stepped onto her sword and transformed into a streak of light, diving into the sea.
On either side of the passage, towering walls of water loomed, held back only by an invisible barrier. The water was so deep a shade of blue that it almost appeared black, as though it could collapse at any moment. The glimmering reflections danced across Luo Han’s face, and even her breath was filled with the salty tang of the ocean.
They flew along the water walls for what felt like a long time until a glimmer of light appeared in the distance. As it grew closer, an island emerged before them.
Luo Han let out a breath of relief. “That’s it?”
Ling Qingxiao gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. The two of them passed through an invisible barrier and, in an instant, it was as if they had entered a completely different world. When Luo Han looked back, the dark water walls were nowhere to be seen.
Only when her feet touched solid ground did she finally feel safe. Flying through the submerged passage earlier, she had been on edge the entire time, worried that the barrier would suddenly disappear, allowing the ocean to crash down upon them. If that happened, no matter how many protective artifacts they had, they’d still be buried at sea.
Fortunately, that had just been her overthinking. No such disaster occurred.
More disciples emerged one after another, gathering on the island to regroup and conduct a final supply check.
Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao were the first to arrive, followed closely by Ye Zinan. Zou Jibai was the last. As soon as he landed, he gasped for breath and complained, “You guys were flying way too fast! Weren’t we supposed to slow down and stick together?”
Luo Han loved this kind of banter. Casually, she drawled, “But we did slow down. Right, Ye Zinan?”
Ye Zinan had been about to explain the truth, but when he met Luo Han’s gaze, some mysterious force compelled him otherwise. He swallowed his words and instead adopted an aloof, indifferent expression. “Yeah, I slowed down by about half.”
Luo Han raised an eyebrow, casting a look of disdain at Ye Zinan. He was taking this act way too far.
Ye Zinan discreetly glared back.
Only Ling Qingxiao remained unfazed, casting a calm glance at the two troublemakers.
It was expected of Luo Han to be childish, but Ye Zinan joining in too?
Meanwhile, Zou Jibai’s confidence took a devastating hit. It never even crossed his mind that his teammates had teamed up to trick him. He certainly wouldn’t have imagined that the supposedly most upstanding person in their group—Ling Qingxiao—would turn a blind eye to their antics. Zou Jibai mourned for himself, even his tone becoming despondent. “Weren’t we told the Western Sea has spatial formations that randomly shift the terrain? But this island seems pretty stable. Doesn’t look like it’s going to suddenly disappear…”
The moment he finished speaking, he noticed that everyone was staring at him in shock. Zou Jibai blinked. “What?”
Luo Han was about to scold him for jinxing them when Ling Qingxiao’s expression suddenly changed.
“Not good.”
Before Luo Han’s eyes, the scene before her twisted—right where Zou Jibai was standing, the island split in two. In an instant, half of their team was forcibly teleported away.
Luo Han: "......"
Zou Jibai was truly a black hole of bad luck. He shouldn’t be called Zou Jibai; he should change his name to Zou Jihei.
The spatial shift occurred without warning, catching everyone off guard. The disciples on the other half of the island stared in surprise as their fellow disciples were abruptly whisked away. Those who were unfortunately transferred were barely able to land without twisting their ankles.
Luo Han felt a brief sensation of weightlessness, then her feet sank into a soft pile of fallen leaves. She immediately grew cautious, but thankfully, there were no snakes, vines, or other hazards in the leaves.
Ling Qingxiao calculated something with his fingers, then looked up at the sky and said, "We’ve been transported to the inner zone."
The sea was a place where fierce beasts were exiled. It was vast, surrounded by the sea, with landmasses scattered within. Based on its distance from the center, the Western Sea could be divided into three zones: the outer, middle, and inner zones. The outer zone was where they had just landed, with fewer beasts and relatively lower danger. In contrast, the deeper into the inner zones one went, the more complex the environment became, with a higher likelihood of encountering the Devourer Beast, and the beasts growing increasingly troublesome.
They had just entered and were already sent straight into the beasts’ lair. Luo Han’s face grew cold as she shot a frosty look at Zou Jibai.
Zou Jibai was startled and asked, "What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Little Black, next time we deal with anything related to luck, please keep your mouth shut."
Zou Jibai opened his mouth to argue but finally just closed it sulkily.
As soon as they entered, they realized that the real Western Sea was far more difficult than the simulated one in the formation. For example, the terrain they were currently facing was unlike anything they had seen in any formation.
The sea was full of marshes and swamps, with the outside being vast oceans and the inside fragmented into pieces of land. Since the water and swamps were nearby, the area was perpetually damp, resulting in highly complex landforms with dense vegetation, mist-filled air, and numerous toxic hazards.
The forests were nothing like those outside. Here, one had to be alert at all times.
Luo Han walked with Ling Qingxiao for a while before quietly asking, "Where is this? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before."
Ling Qingxiao cut through some thorny bushes with his sword and said, "The formation set by Lord Gu Xing can simulate the Western Sea, but it hasn’t been opened in tens of thousands of years. Tens of thousands of years is enough for the environment inside to undergo major changes."
Luo Han sighed, understanding now. What they had trained for on the flying vessel was just the basic version, but what they were actually facing was the evolved, mixed version.
Tens of thousands of years sealed off—no one knew what kind of monsters had emerged during that time.
After walking for a while, the four of them began encountering other disciples who had also been transferred. On the flying vessel, they were competitors, but now that they were in the sea, they were teammates. Naturally, Luo Han’s group teamed up with some other disciples they met on the way to explore the area outside the forest.
The forest here was so dense that the sky was barely visible, and walking beneath the canopy offered no sunlight. As time passed, a thick, white mist began to rise from the depths of the forest.
The mist was spreading—it would only get harder to navigate from here on. Ling Qingxiao checked the time and said, "It’s the time of the You hour. The enemy is hidden, and we are exposed. Now is not the time to take risks. It’s best to find a place to settle down first, then plan our next steps."
Ling Qingxiao’s words resonated with many of the others. Everyone agreed, deciding to find a flat area to set up camp and discuss their plans for the next phase.
Soon, they found a dry, flat area. Though small, it was certainly better than spending the night on a damp patch of grass. Not far off, there was a lake, which also provided a convenient water source.
Once free to move around, the group immediately split into smaller clusters. After all, they were still strangers to each other, and there wasn’t much trust built yet. Once they had some free time, everyone naturally gravitated toward their own teammates.
Luo Han quickly took out a cushion, carpet, and blankets from her space ring and made the camp as comfortable as possible for the night. Zou Jibai was shocked when he saw this and exclaimed, "You brought all this with you for training?"
Luo Han looked at him in surprise, "Is this a lot?"
Zou Jibai was speechless, staring as Ye Zinan pulled out various bottles and jars, kindly sharing them with Luo Han. "This sachet repels mosquitoes, this one’s for snakes, and this one, when applied to the skin, keeps it from drying out. This kind of dense forest is the worst; it may look like a jungle, but it’s basically a desert."
The leaves above them blocked out most of the sunlight, moisture, and nutrients. Walking under the canopy wasn’t exactly comfortable.
Luo Han silently gave Ye Zinan a thumbs up. They were happily sharing their supplies with each other. Zou Jibai began to question his life, eventually giving up on trying to interact with these two teammates. Gathering his courage, he called out to Ling Qingxiao, "Since we have nothing to do tonight, how about we chat?"
"No," Ling Qingxiao replied coldly without a second thought, rejecting him. "I’m going to meditate."
Zou Jibai stared in disbelief, and to make matters worse, Ling Qingxiao wasn’t even joking. He had barely finished speaking when he closed his eyes and began meditating.
...Living in a group and used to maintaining close relationships with his people, Zou Jibai felt depressed. It seemed like his teammates were all a bit abnormal.
While they were having unsuccessful group interactions, other teams were also settling in. Yun Menghan had also been transferred to the inner zone and teamed up with a female cultivator she wasn’t familiar with. She had no friends in her team to begin with, and when she turned around, she saw Su Yinyue clinging to Ling Zhongyu, feigning innocence and asking him to help her set up a formation.
Her heart ached too much, and Yun Menghan had grown numb to it. She stood up, unable to help herself from looking in another direction.
However, she saw nothing. Ling Qingxiao had set up a formation outside their camp, allowing them to see the outside world, but preventing anyone from seeing them from the outside.
Yun Menghan felt disappointed, and her mood turned sour. She didn’t want to stay in the crowded area, so she lowered her head and walked in the opposite direction.
After she left, Ling Zhongyu quickly glanced at her, but Su Yinyue was still clinging to him, and he couldn’t get away.
Yun Menghan wandered aimlessly, and without realizing it, she reached the edge of the lake. Staring at the mirror-like lake in the forest, her mood plummeted, and she stood by the lake, lost in thought.
After a while, she lowered her head, wanting to wash her face. After a long day’s journey, even though cultivators were pure, Yun Menghan still felt uncomfortable with her hands and face.
She lowered her head, and immediately a reflection of a woman appeared on the water's surface—it was her own face. Yun Menghan was about to splash the water, but her hand froze inexplicably.
The water rippled, and in the reflection, her expression seemed strange. Yun Menghan was slow to react and instinctively reached up to touch the corner of her mouth.
Was she smiling?
In that instant, the reflection suddenly stretched into a wide grin, and with a whoosh, a sharp claw reached out from the water. Its fingers were unnervingly thin, pale, and devoid of any color, with long, curved nails at the tips.
It lunged from the water, its claws aimed directly at Yun Menghan's neck. Startled, Yun Menghan instinctively blocked it. Luckily, she reacted quickly, and the attack didn’t land fully, but the side of her neck was still scratched, leaving a long trail of blood.
The commotion by the lake alerted the nearby camp. The others quickly rushed over, and upon seeing the monster crawling out of the water, they immediately drew their magic tools and launched spells, causing a flurry of activity.
Luo Han also arrived and immediately spotted a beautiful yet pale female demon floating on the water's surface. Against the backdrop of the dark green forest, it did give off an eerie, ghostly feeling.
Luo Han asked, “What is this?”
Usually quick to answer, Ling Qingxiao surprisingly didn’t offer an immediate explanation this time. Ye Zinan whispered to Luo Han, “It’s a Charm Demon.”
A Charm Demon? Luo Han was surprised. This type of monster hadn’t appeared in the simulation, so it must have been a new species that had emerged over the last few thousand years. Luo Han continued, “What exactly is a Charm Demon?”
Ye Zinan glanced quickly at Ling Qingxiao, deliberately saying, “You should ask him. He knows more than I do.”
Luo Han looked at Ye Zinan curiously and then at the inexplicably cold-faced Ling Qingxiao. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she remembered a plotline.
She recalled that the first encounter between the male and female leads took place in the wilderness, in a scene full of beauty and the scent of flowers, overflowing with girlish emotions. Of course, that wasn't the main point; the real focus was that the female lead had been poisoned by the Charm Poison.
Right, the kind of poison that requires physical contact to be cured. Without timely or sufficient contact, the person would die from the poison.
“Oh, I get it now,” Luo Han muttered
Luo Han had been here for nine months, but how could she remember all the names and locations from a book she read nine months ago? She could only rely on the emotional changes between the male and female leads to guess which part of the story they had reached.
In the wilderness, Charm Poison, the male and female lead in a cold war, and by coincidence, they reconciled through physical contact due to the poison, leading to a brief honeymoon period before entering a new phase of troubled love...Based on the clues and environment, all signs pointed to their first significant interaction happening in the Western Sea.
Luo Han was at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected that such a demon really existed in this world. She was also puzzled about how such a creature, which only spread Charm Poison and tirelessly encouraged the birthrate in the immortal world, survived. Could they really live on?
Ling Qingxiao pressed his fingers to his temple, feeling a slight headache. “Why do you keep knowing these things?”
First the furnace cauldron, now the Charm Demon. Where was she learning all this strange stuff?