Wait a minute, where is my master?

The Royal Uncle of Great Xia was attacked in his own residence in Shangjing City.

Even though the assassin had been killed on the spot.

It was still a serious dereliction of duty for those tasked with guarding the safety of Shangjing City. Moreover, Granny Meng and Commander Kui had even met him before.

"Royal Uncle."

"Commander Kui."

The two greeted each other, and then Commander Kui immediately began inquiring from those present about what had just happened.

At the same time, Yixiang Building had already been temporarily sealed off under the orders of another high-ranking patrol officer and his subordinates.

After a short while.

Commander Kui compared the information she had gathered with the messages sent by Manager Zhang, then entered the dining hall to approach the distraught proprietress who was slumped on the ground.

Looking at the woman's ghostly demeanor, Kui Lei internally sighed with a touch of regret, having failed to discern the old woman's unusual identity.

The two had been acquainted for some time, and for many troubles that arose during the establishment of Yixiang Building, which Xia Yunzhao could not handle personally, it had been Kui Lei who stepped in to resolve.

But past friendships are just that, and today's situation made such connections irrelevant.

Moreover, the foundation of their friendship was actually because of Taoist Jin Xu.

"Take these few back with you, but be gentle, she's injured," Kui Lei instructed her subordinates.

The pale, disheartened proprietress was lifted from the ground, and three panic-stricken maidservants were also handcuffed with magic restraints.

Commander Kui led the four people out of the dining hall and addressed the Taoist who still stood motionless at the entrance.

"Royal Uncle, I will take these people back first. If there is any news, Emperor Zhao will contact you.

"Ahem, remember to check the Sound Transmission Jade Token."

It must be said, Commander Kui truly was a close friend of Xia Yunzhao, even managing to subtly hint at Jin Xu's failure to respond to Yunzhao's messages at such a time.

"Hmm, thank you, Commander Kui," responded the Taoist in a gentle voice, his understanding of the implications unclear.

Seeing this, Kui Lei apologized and directed her people to leave.

As she walked out of the Royal venue, passing the place where the proprietress used to set up her bun stall,

a voice transmission suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Commander Kui, unless it's necessary, try not to make it too hard for them."

Commander Kui's steps faltered slightly. Upon realizing it was Jin Xu's voice, she nodded firmly.

....

...

The next morning, the sky was overcast.

It began to drizzle outside.

Jin Xu, along with two early rising women, opened the door planning to make a quick visit to the Shui Clan to thoroughly understand the effects of the "Strengthening Pills."

However,

as soon as he opened the door, he saw Senior Chi who lately seemed to be clocking into work regularly, walking into the courtyard.

"Jin Taoist, you are up early today. Seeing this weather, it is perfect for condensing Xuanyuan Spirit Water atop the mountain outside the city. Would you care to join, Taoist?"

Upon entering the courtyard this time, the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace, unlike seeing closed doors, encountered Jin Xu and the two women unexpectedly, which strangely felt slightly discomforting to him.

However, his adaptability was strong, and he quickly adjusted his expression, delivering the lines he had carefully prepared the night before to the Taoist.

"Good morning, Senior Chi. I'm off to visit the Shui Clan, so I won't be joining you to condense Xuanyuan Spirit Water,"

said Jin Xu, following his usual practice of declining the offer.

Upon hearing the young Taoist's words, Elder Chi suddenly stroked his beard and burst into hearty laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha, it is indeed a coincidence. I haven't seen Brother Yu for many days and I've dearly missed him. Since today you, Taoist Jin, are heading to the Shui Clan, it would be perfect for us to travel together," Elder Chi said without changing his expression, but reminded himself silently.

"In the future, when visiting the young Taoist in the morning, I must first ask what he plans to do!"

Jin Xu, hearing the sudden change in tone, fell silent for a while before finally uttering a word.

"...Okay."

Soon, a golden light rose from the outskirts of Shangjing City and headed towards the East Sea.

————————

One incense stick later.

Xia Yunzhao, wearing a veil, appeared outside the courtyard where Jin Xu lived.

Then... she caught nothing.

————————

Shui Clan.

Inside the alchemy room of the clan's territory.

The ground was randomly scattered with various spiritual medicines, looking quite chaotic.

At the end of these disordered spiritual medicines, three furnaces with their lids wide open stood quietly in place, each exuding wisps of black smoke from within.

On a red coral table naturally formed on the right side of the pill furnaces, a transparent crystal box was placed, containing seven perfectly round Strengthening Pills—the only pills the young Taoist had ever successfully concocted.

Grandma Yu sat casually in front of the coral table, draping her snow-white legs over it, her gaze shifting between the transparent crystal box and the three smoking pill furnaces beside it.

"It really is peculiar. I've been an expert in the Alchemy Dao all my life; within the Nine Provinces Realm, if I say I'm second in alchemy, no one dares claim to be first," she murmured to herself, puzzled.

"Yet even so, I've never been able to concoct several kinds of pills with different effects in the same furnace.

"How exactly did this young Taoist manage it?"

In an attempt to concoct different pills in the same furnace, Grandma Yu had already ruined three furnaces over the past few days but still couldn't figure out how he did it.

This result slightly bruised the pride of someone who had always been proud in the path of alchemy.

"Forget it; the young Taoist is coming today. I'll just ask him directly,"

"I refuse to believe that his cultivation is high, and his alchemy skills are also so extraordinarily gifted!" Grandma Yu mumbled to herself before springing up from her seat with a swift movement and shoved the crystal box on the table into her storage artifact.

"You guys, remember to clean the pill furnaces inside and leave the spiritual medicines on the ground untouched."

"Yes, Great Elder."

She left the alchemy room and casually instructed the Clam Elf and Pipi Shrimp Elf guarding the door before striding in the direction of the reception hall of the Shui Clan.

At that moment in the reception hall,

A gaunt old man and an old scholar dressed in a dark green Confucian robe sat next to each other, talking animatedly.

"In less than ten days, we'll be announcing the protagonist of our little tale about the crispy pork belly. To think that such a legend could be left in the Nine Provinces Realm by the current Elder of Kunlun Immortal Palace, it truly exhilarates the heart!" The gaunt old man said, producing a piece of wild crispy pork belly from nowhere and biting into it heavily.

"Hehe, Elder Chi must be searching for us all over the world right now, but he definitely won't guess that we never returned to land and instead came to the Shui Clan with Brother Yu," the Old Dean spoke with a steady expression. After concluding, he took a sip of tea, then voiced a slight worry.

"However, considering Elder Chi's unparalleled skill in fatalistic calculations, we must be careful to obscure our destinies, lest he deduces our whereabouts."

"Ha ha ha ha, Old Scholar, don't worry. With the Divine Sky Stone from Pan Shi Valley masking our tracks, even if Elder Chi breaks his fingers,

"he won't be able to deduce our presence here!"