Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Third Elder."

"I have seen the Third Elder."

The person who had arrived, wind-whipped and dusty, was none other than Yan Meishan.

After entering Qing State territory, she briefly contacted the Second Elder, who currently had important matters to attend to and was not available to receive her.

So he gave her the address of this cave, allowing Yan Meishan to use it as a temporary place to stay.

"Hmm, tell me, why do you want to move away from this place?"

The Third Elder of the Demon Sect hummed indifferently and stepped into the cave.

Both Hall Masters of the Twelve Halls, one with an ugly face and a short stature, the other very old and withered, were not within the aesthetic range of Yan Meishan.

Therefore, at this moment, she could hardly be described as enthusiastic.

Of course, given her wild nature, if you fell within her range of aesthetic preferences, then you should worry about your own safety.

Both Hall Masters waited respectfully until Yan Meishan picked out a chair that neither had touched and sat down without any rush.

Only then did the gaunt elder speak, "To report to the Third Elder, I just saw nearby what seemed to be the Golden Thunderbolt of the 'Imperial Uncle' of the Great Xia Dynasty. After hearing this, Brother Zhu seemed to be frightened and is considering moving."

After Monster Lang finished, he glanced subtly at the dwarf beside him.

The Zhu-surnamed cultivator with a large head and short stature was emotionally unstable, yet when he heard this, he knew the other was trying to eye him.

Just as he was about to explain it was a joke, the Third Elder in front of them suddenly sprang up.

Yan Meishan, feeling it was improper to lose composure in front of the Hall Masters, stood up and reverted to her graceful demeanor.

"...Cough, I suddenly received news of important matters to attend to, so I shall not stay here any longer, farewell!"

Having said that, she no longer cared about the matter of whether the two were moving or not, and with a flash, vanished inside the cave.

The gaunt elder: "?"

The Zhu-surnamed cultivator: "?"

In front of the two, only an empty chair remained, the air in the cave still held the scent of Yan Meishan's powder, as if to prove her brief visit.

Outside the cave, above a pool of water.

The Third Elder of the Demon Sect placed a hand on her chest, feeling her violently pounding heart, and muttered to herself.

"Has this little Taoist become entangled with me?"

Thinking of Jin Xu's appearance, having such a man under her skirt on any given day would be a great joy in life.

Yet, as Yan Meishan recalled the little Taoist's inscrutable strength and the unmatched power of the Golden Thunderbolt, she shuddered uncontrollably.

She surveyed the dense woods around her, and although her Spiritual Sense told her there was no one nearby, the Third Elder always felt that a Taoist might leap out of the woods at any moment.

"Sss~ No good, I cannot stay in this place, I'd better go meet up with the Second Elder at Qingmu City first."

Having decided, she discerned her direction, concealed her presence, and flew swiftly towards Qingmu City.

Inside the cave.

Monster Lang was now in an awkward situation; he sneered inwardly at the dwarf's fear and had intended to cause trouble for him by killing the beautiful woman, looking to teach him a lesson.

But before he could carry out his plan, the Third Elder had already fled.

The atmosphere within the cave became subtly charged.

The gaunt elder was unaware that Yan Meishan was even more afraid of that "Imperial Uncle."

The broadcast from Tingfeng Building hadn't captured the Third Elder's self-destruction; within the Demon Sect, except for the upper echelons, the rest of the members still believed the Third Elder escaped on her own strength.

After all, her ability to create avatars was unpredictable and nearly impossible to trace.

It seemed reasonable that she could escape.

Even among the middle ranks of the sect, a saying had begun to circulate: "The Third Elder is like the Spiritual Energy of the Nine Provinces Realm, omnipresent."

"Heh heh, Brother Zhu, are you going to move out of this cave or not?"

With a dry laugh, Monster Lang broke the silence in the cave.

...

The sun had climbed well above the horizon, blazing in the sky like a fiery ball.

An ox demon was casually tossed into a corner of the grand hall.

The young Taoist held a teacup, with two well-mannered girls standing behind him,

Opposite him were three Confucian practitioners, their faces ashen,

who, after a whole morning, had actually managed to finish eating the "food" prepared by Yu Yaoer. Jin Xu silently gave the trio a big thumbs-up in his heart.

Although the food was unappetizing, it wasn't without benefits. The broth prepared by the Little Fish Demon was made with well water from the Taoist temple, which was genuine spiritual liquid.

As a result, although the three Confucian practitioners looked pale, the aura of spiritual power around them had improved to various extents.

It might still be considered a blessing in disguise... perhaps?

"Young Taoist, we three have cleaned our plates of Miss Yu's cooking. May we now have the Water Spirit Chains removed from our feet?"

The leading Senior Brother Feng asked with a forced breath, speaking respectfully to Jin Xu.

The chains on their feet had been secured by Yu Yaoer, out of fear that the trio might try to flee. Positioned at the entrance earlier, the three had squatted down, their gowns covering the chains from the young Taoist's sight.

"No," said Jin Xu, shaking the teacup in his hand gently as he shook his head.

The expressions of the three Confucian practitioners changed, fearing that the other party wished to keep them for another meal.

"You might have eaten, but you haven't given your critique yet."

Yu Yaoer had transmitted a message to Jin Xu when she heard the trio mention leaving, requesting that they provide their critique before departing.

Upon hearing the latter half of the sentence, the trio let go of the rocks hanging in their hearts, feeling that as long as they weren't being forced to eat, any other matter was negotiable.

However...

"Ugh~"

"Ugh!"

"Ugh."

The thought of the food made all three involuntarily gag.

"Sigh~"

Jin Xu sighed deeply and ushered Yu Yaoer to the front.

The Little Fish Demon blinked her big, watery eyes, looking at the three Confucian practitioners with an expectant gaze.

Liu Ziliang: "Senior Yu, actually... I think you might want to try your hand at refining poisons, that... " He was cut off without finishing, as the bearded cultivator next to him quickly covered his mouth!

Senior Brother Feng: "Senior Yu, don't listen to his nonsense. Your culinary skills are not bad, but there is still a little distance from becoming a Food God."

This Golden Core realm senior brother, savvy with the ways of the world, lied without even batting an eye, for fear of upsetting Yu Yaoer by criticizing the food she had made.

After listening to the critiques from the first two men, the Little Fish Demon's expression remained unchanged, her big eyes still watery, as she shifted her gaze to the last person.

Liu Dongqing held a scroll in his hand and, after a moment of silence, looked up determinedly and said, "Senior, the spiritual energy in your dishes far surpasses that found in pre-made meals!"

The three Confucian practitioners had completed their critiques.

Yu Yaoer remained expressionless, unlocking the Water Spirit Chains from the trio's legs and retreating behind Jin Xu, her thoughts inscrutable.

The three Confucian practitioners, seeing the chains removed, breathed a sigh of relief, politely said their farewells to the young Taoist, and planned to make a swift departure from this sorrowful place.

But before they could finish their words of departure, they were once again called back by Jin Xu.

"Wait, do any of you recognize that ox demon in the corner?"

The young Taoist pointed a finger, and Little White dutifully trotted over to drag the demon forth.

Upon hearing this, the three Confucian practitioners took a closer look at the burly man with ox horns and then shook their heads.

"Young Taoist, none of us three recognize this demon. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, he claims he's an undercover agent you folks from Qingmu Academy sent over," Jin Xu stated emotionlessly, staring at the ox demon.