The announcement that Liu Qingxuan, the supervising officer of Green Wood Peak, would embark on an external mission with Zhang Xian spread through the Yunmiao Sect like wildfire.

“What? Supervisor Liu is going out alone with Zhang Xian?”

“Does a minor dispute really require a supervising officer’s personal attention? This reeks of a back-alley deal.”

“How is this any different from a honeymoon? Where is Green Wood Peak’s pride?”

A disciple from Green Wood Peak added tearfully, “Our senior brother was enlightened by Sister Zhiyin and has already switched to the ‘Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra.’ His progress is astonishingly fast, but now the rest of us are like a dragon without a head!”

When the news reached Spirit Sword Peak, Lin Yinyin nearly hit the ceiling.

“Master! Have you heard? That white lotus from Green Wood Peak is going out alone with Brother. I want to go too!”

“This is a sect mission. Don’t be ridiculous,” Li Fuxi said calmly. “Besides, you’ve just entered the late Foundation Establishment stage. You are at the critical juncture of perfecting your core with the ‘Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra.’ You aren’t going anywhere.”

“Absolutely not!” Lin Yinyin shook her head violently. “I’d rather give up the sutra and my core perfection than let them go!”

She tried to bolt toward Zhang Xian’s cottage, but Li Fuxi flicked a finger. Several water-binding spells wrapped around Lin Yinyin instantly.

“Stay put and behave.”

Thump. Lin Yinyin dropped to her knees and hugged Li Fuxi’s thigh, looking up with wide, watery eyes. “Master, you don’t want me to become a ‘gazing-at-husband’ stone, do you? I won’t be able to cultivate a lick like this.”

“I’m so miserable… by the time they come back, Liu Qingxuan might already be pregnant with Brother’s child!”

Li Fuxi looked at her disciple’s pitiful face, feeling both annoyed and amused. “You are not leaving. Period.”

“Then how about this—Master, you go keep an eye on Brother for me?”

“Me?”

“Yes! You’re the only one I trust,” Lin Yinyin said, spreading her hands. “Since you won’t let me go, you have to watch them for me.”

Li Fuxi hesitated. She knew Lin Yinyin well enough to know the girl wouldn’t find a moment’s peace if those two were left alone.

“Go! Your disciple’s future happiness depends on you!” Lin Yinyin began to wheedle and act coquettishly.

“Fine, fine.” Li Fuxi, pestered into a headache, finally relented. She completely missed the sly, triumphant smile that flashed across Yinyin’s face.

“Master is the best!”

The next morning, as light pierced the sea of clouds, three figures boarded the vessel.

Liu Qingxuan’s skirt brushed the gangway as she gave Zhang Xian a slight, nodding smile. Li Fuxi, dressed in her silver-edged white robes, maintained a solemn, icy expression.

As the vessel soared away, wails rose from the crowd below.

“Our Supervisor Liu has fallen!”

“Supervisor Fuxi is even more beautiful than I remembered… but wait, why is she going? She’s had zero romantic rumors for a century. She’s devoted solely to the sword.”

“That scoundrel Zhang Xian won’t be able to make a move with his master watching him. He’ll have to restrain himself.”

A young male cultivator of ordinary appearance patted the speaker on the shoulder. “Junior Brother, I’m afraid you’ve miscalculated.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have exclusive inside information,” the man said. This was Old Deng, the legendary intelligence chief of the Yunmiao Sect. His word was often more trusted than official sect notices. “Last night, someone spotted Supervisor Fuxi at Zhang Xian’s spirit spring. She had just finished bathing.”

“!!!” The crowd’s collective expression soured as if they had swallowed flies.

“Impossible! Wouldn’t Yinyin do something about that?”

Old Deng’s voice turned mournful. “The key point is… Yinyin was also there.”

“Beast!” several of Li Fuxi’s long-time admirers shouted, nearly fainting.

“Taking on two at once? This is utterly depraved!”

On that day, several more disciples gave up on romance and switched to studying the “Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra.”

Onboard the vessel, Zhang Xian gestured politely toward a cabin.

“Supervisor Liu, this room has an integrated spirit-gathering array. It should be quite comfortable.”

Liu Qingxuan bowed slightly. “Thank you for your trouble.” She entered her room to rest.

Zhang Xian then led Li Fuxi further into the inner cabin area. He pointed to another door. “Master, you’ll stay here. The hot spring room is right next door.”

Li Fuxi’s fair face instantly flushed. “You! How could I possibly… with you—”

She bit her tongue, realizing her slip, and stopped abruptly.

“Master has misunderstood,” Zhang Xian said, producing a jade vial. “I’ll be focusing on puppet research for the next few days and won’t be using the spring. Please accept this Dragon Saliva Jade Liquid as a humble gift.”

Li Fuxi stared at the shimmering vial. A flicker of Desire crossed her eyes before she hesitated. “No, you should keep it.”

“The debt I owe for your teachings cannot be repaid,” Zhang Xian said softly, placing the vial on a stone table by the door. “If you feel uneasy, consider it a simple offering from your disciple.”

“I’ll head to my room now. If you need anything, just summon a maidservant.”

He turned and left. Li Fuxi watched him walk away, struggling with herself, before finally taking the vial and retreating into her room with a long sigh.

[Ding! Successfully gifted Earth-grade Dragon Saliva Jade Liquid. Return triggered: 100 vials of Dragon Saliva Jade Liquid.]

Inside her quarters, Li Fuxi found the room luxuriously appointed. Sandalwood tables, a rosewood bed, and a meditation chamber with walls carved in intricate patterns. In the center lay a silk cushion, and on the back wall, a single character was inscribed: Stability.

She touched the wall; the spiritual energy here was even denser than at the peak of Spirit Sword Peak.

A maidservant puppet bowed at her door. “Honored Master, would you like to dine? The master has prepared Spirit Mist Tea and Crystal Ice Cakes. There are also fine dishes of spirit fowl.”

“Just something simple,” Li Fuxi replied. She rarely ate, but curiosity got the better of her.

When the puppet returned with the delicacies, Li Fuxi took a bite. Her eyes lit up. Mmm… delicious!

Once the plates were cleared, the puppet asked, “Honored Master, would you like your swords maintained? We have an artisan workshop aboard with equipment equivalent to the Cloud Raiment Pavilion’s premium services.”

Li Fuxi raised an eyebrow. “You have such equipment on a ship?”

“The master says sword cultivators treat their swords as their lives,” the puppet replied. “He modified a room specifically for this purpose.”

“Hmm…”