Wait a minute, where is my master?

"...You three tried to get a little advantage, but ended up suffering a big loss."

Jin Xu figured out what had happened and couldn't help but find it amusing.

The three scholars looked at each other, and in unison, said, "We're ashamed, truly ashamed."

Just then, the gate of Xuanxu Temple suddenly opened.

Yu Yaoer popped her head out of the door, exclaiming with delight,

"Ah, Young Master, you're back!"

In the astonished gaze of the three men, Jin Xu stood up and greeted the Little Fish Demon.

"Yes, I'm back."

"Little Fish Sister~"

Little White dropped the Ox Demon from his shoulder onto the ground, leaped past the three at the doorway, and enthusiastically clung to Yu Yaoer.

Then he started chattering about what had happened the night before.

"Little Fish Sister, you wouldn't believe it, the temple master took me to fight last night, oh, and I met a Spider Demon, temple master..."

"Spider Demon? What Spider Demon? Oh, the 'Barely Comfortable' Spider Demon, ah, that's okay then. Continue, what happened last night?"

Yu Yaoer briefly concerned herself with the "health" of the Spider Demon before continuing to listen to Little White.

Jin Xu walked up, picked up the Ox Demon that had been thrown on the ground by the husky, and carried it into the temple.

Before entering, the little Daoist kindly addressed the three scholars at the gate,

"Gentlemen, hang in there, the sooner you finish eating, the sooner you'll be free."

With that, Jin Xu entered the temple with the Ox Demon.

He didn't wish to plead on behalf of these three men.

They weren't familiar after all, and the creatures made by Little Fish Demon were merely distasteful but not poisonous.

So eat, since it won't kill them.

The three at the gate were stunned for a long while before they finally reacted.

"Senior Brother Feng, is that young Daoist in cahoots with that fish demon?!"

...

Senior Brother Feng remained silent.

Beside him, Liu Dongqing put down the scroll and said somberly, "The dean once decreed that when students of Qingmu Academy encounter any Daoists outside, they should avoid provoking them, especially if the Daoists are young and good-looking.

Though that young Daoist wore a mask, he seemed extraordinary based on his aura. Let's just eat obediently.

We were the ones who coveted the chef's precooked dishes after all."

After speaking, he picked up a spoon, scooped up a pill-like ball from his bowl, and shoved it into his mouth.

After chewing for a moment...

Vomit!!!!

...

At the bottom of the pool, inside the serene cave dwelling,

a short, stout Cultivator with the surname Zhu paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

Next to him, a thin, frail old man sat on a chair, appearing indifferent. On his twig-like arms rested a winged centipede, while the golden silkworm was nowhere to be seen.

At his feet, the beautiful woman who was sent out to relay the message was desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy, her body uncontrollably shivering.

"Old immortal, please spare me, I am proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and I am very obedient. I will do anything you ask!"

Seeing the dry old man unmoved, the beautiful woman tearfully looked to the short Cultivator.

"Master, please let me return. In the future, Mei Er will surely be more obedient and serve you better."

The beautiful woman was terrified to the extreme, continuously pleading for mercy.

In the past, maids and servants had been delivered to this gray-robed, skinny old man by cultivators surnamed Zhu. However, those who were sent away never appeared again.

The outcome, needless to say, was grim.

They had all been abducted by this ugly, short cultivator, along with several others, both men and women.

Now, she was the only one still alive.

The beautiful woman had a special physique and dared to risk everything, thus she had always been the favorite of the Zhu surnamed cultivator. But now, having abandoned her dignity and humanity, she still faced an inevitable death, which made her feel utterly despairing.

"Silence!"

The ugly and short cultivator was in a state of unstable emotions,

He waved his hand in anger, shooting out a bone spike that pierced the woman's neck. Crimson blood slowly flowed down her pale skin, soaking the thin silk garment she was wearing.

"Heh... heh-heh..."

The beautiful woman clutched her throat, her gasps sounding like a black panther killed in the dense forest. Her eyes filled with deep unwillingness as she slowly fell to the ground.

The bright red blood bloomed under the feet of the skinny old man.

"Heh heh, Brother Zhu, you've killed this woman, you must find me a body of extreme yin to compensate me."

Having said that, the old man shook his arm and the winged centipede fell, burrowing into the woman's body.

"At this time, you still have the leisure to worry about this woman, and besides, you were only using her to feed the Gu Worms; early death or late death both amount to the same. Right now, the most urgent matter is that the 'uncle-in-law' of the Great Xia dynasty is near us! What should we do, has the Second Elder sent you any message yet?"

The ugly, short Zhu surnamed cultivator's face was fierce, but there was also a hint of panic in his eyes, adding a sleazy air to his entire demeanor.

He walked over to Monster Lang with his short legs, anxiously asking.

"Why panic, sit. I just saw something that might be the Golden Thunderbolt, but that person didn't notice me, and he couldn't possibly know that our Demon Sect has arrangements in Qing State; maybe he's just passing through."

The skinny old man seemed unconcerned, looking down at the crimson beneath his feet, casually playing with a teacup in his hand, his tone very leisurely.

"Did the Second Elder give any orders?"

The Zhu surnamed cultivator insisted on asking.

He was one of the Hall Masters of the Twelve Halls of the Demon Sect, but he hadn't been under the Second Elder's command previously; only in recent days had he been assigned to the management of the Second Elder.

The reasons were twofold: one, because his lair was in Qing State; and two, because his previous direct superior, Wuyang, was struck dead by a little Taoist...

"Haven't received a reply yet. The elder might still be with Miss Wei in the Ten Thousand Gu Pit at the moment."

Monster Lang shook his head, indicating that he too hadn't received a reply.

"No, I need to move out. I can't keep this cave anymore."

The Zhu surnamed cultivator had witnessed the entirety of Tingfeng Building's broadcast in Qingmu City, where Jin Xu struck the Four Elders' Wuyang, which had left a profoundly deep impression on him.

That was the new genius of the Demon Sect, a Great Master of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, hit by a little Taoist without even being able to fight back.

Moreover, according to internal reports within the sect, the Four Elder had been struck dead by that little Taoist at the borders of Great Xia, his body completely obliterated, without even traces of Wuyang's resistance found at the scene.

Truly terrifying!

With only his Void Refinement Realm arms and legs, he couldn't withstand a single blow from the opponent. Now, thinking that he was in the same area as the opponent, his heart couldn't help but wildly thump uncontrollably.

Monster Lang looked at the emotionally uncontrollable dwarf in front of him, disdain flickering deep in his eyes.

"The little Taoist is strong, but getting so terrified without even seeing his face is a bit too useless."

This thought revolved in his mind, but he did not say it aloud.

Just as the skinny old man decided to persuade him to not be so frightened, at the cave entrance, a woman dressed in purple robes with a cone-shaped bamboo hat and a graceful figure, leisurely walked in.

A soft, charming voice with a touch of skepticism resounded from the entrance of the cave.

"Why do you all want to move as soon as I arrive? Is it that I'm unwelcome?"

Upon hearing this voice, the ugly cultivator and the skinny old man hurriedly stood up and deeply bowed to the newcomer.