Time slipped away unnoticed. By the time news reached Zhang Xian that Nangong Yao had fled the sect without permission—her injuries still unhealed—a full month had passed.

“Ruthless. She is certainly ruthless—especially to herself,” Zhang Xian mused, a flicker of regret crossing his eyes.

Escaping with a damaged foundation while still heavily injured was a desperate gamble. It disrupted his plans to seize the opportunity and eliminate that hidden threat once and for all.

“She ran fast. Who knows when I’ll see her again.”

But he quickly let it go. He had seen with his own eyes that her Destiny Points were zero.

Moreover, he now sat on a mountain of spiritual treasures and possessed Earth-grade talismans. A mere seventh-stage Golden Core cultivator like Nangong Yao, poor as she was, no longer posed a threat to his wealth.

As for the Sect Leader? His indifference, bordering on annoyance at “losing a bargaining chip,” was entirely expected. Cold-blooded profit-seekers were all the same.

Life gradually returned to a surface-level calm. Cultivation, insights, and soaking in the bath once again became Zhang Xian’s daily routine. After all, the [Demon Nest]—a formidable Nascent Soul-level enemy—still loomed over him.

Occasionally, news of demon suppression trickled in from the outside world. Most were minor victories, until one specific event sent shockwaves through the cultivation world.

It was confirmed that the investigators under Inspector Zhiyin, while hunting the [Demon Nest], had accidentally killed a long-renowned cultivator.

The shock came from his identity: a Great Xia Dynasty master who had been missing for over a century! His soul lamp had never extinguished, leading everyone to believe he was trapped in some secret realm, alive but unreachable.

Who would have thought that a century later, he would reappear as a demonic pawn, his cultivation bizarrely skyrocketing?

In just a hundred years, he had broken through from the mid-Golden Core stage to the peak. It took the combined might of Inspector Zhiyin and Han Yichen just to put him down.

The news that a “missing person” with a lit soul lamp had become an evil remnant hit the cultivation world like a boulder crashing into a calm lake.

Panic spread instantly. Major sects began frantically re-examining their internal lists of disciples whose “soul lamps still burned, but their persons were nowhere to be found.” Strict investigations were launched, and suspicion festered in the shadows.

This dark cloud inevitably settled over the heart of Yun Wanqing, the Lord of Cloud Raiment Pavilion.

The pressure on her didn’t just increase; it suffocated her. Everyone knew that her husband, True Person Xuanzhou, was one of the most prominent names on the current “Missing List” of the major sects!

Countless messages carrying inquiry, doubt, and even ill intent pierced toward the former Number One Beauty of the Southern Region.

Yun Wanqing grew silent.

Yet, amidst this oppressive storm, the little courier Zhiyin still delivered a jade box from Yun Wanqing.

Zhang Xian opened the box. Instantly, an extraordinarily refreshing and exotic medicinal fragrance permeated the air. Resting inside was a single pill, glowing with a lustrous sheen.

A Nascent Formation Pill!

This was the pill Zhang Xian had commissioned Yun Wanqing to find half a year ago. That she remembered to send it, despite drowning in immense pressure herself, moved him deeply.

Lin Yinyin leaned in, her eyes lighting up. “Is that…”

“A Nascent Formation Pill.”

“For Master, right?” Lin Yinyin recalled their bet from a few days ago. Then, she spotted the character “Yun” carved on the jade box and immediately understood.

Her face twisted into a mischievous, sly grin as she nudged Zhang Xian’s arm.

“Tsk. Your little mistress really keeps you in her heart, doesn’t she? She’s in hot water herself, yet she still remembers to send you pills. How romantic.”

“Nonsense!” Zhang Xian chuckled, raising a finger to flick her forehead. “What mistress? Show some respect!”

Lin Yinyin nimbly jumped away. “Hmph, stop making excuses! I’ve seen through you, Brother! At first, I thought you only liked young, pretty ones like me!”

“Then I saw you caring for pure types like Senior Sister Liu Qingxuan. And now? Oh ho! You’re even into Master—someone big…” She gestured a massive curve over her chest. “…and full of conquerable dominance.”

She planted her hands on her hips, wearing an “I see everything” expression. “I read Wild History of Great Liang recently. I realized you, Brother, are just a pure lecher! You only care about beauty, nothing else!”

“You little brat, you’re getting bold! Let’s see how I handle you!”

Zhang Xian suddenly reached out, grabbing the smug Lin Yinyin and pulling her into his arms. Ignoring her squeals and laughter, he tossed her onto the jade couch behind him.

“Mmph! Impudent! What are you trying to do to this Pavilion Lord?!” Lin Yinyin feigned panic, pretending to escape.

Meanwhile, inside the quiet hot spring chamber.

Li Fuxi leaned lazily against the white jade pool wall, letting the warm, spirit-infused spring water envelop her body.

She closed her eyes, attempting to circulate her Qi, but her mind drifted.

Hmph! Where are they? They must be fooling around again!

Li Fuxi pursed her lips, feeling an inexplicable irritation. The feeling struck even her as strange.

Suddenly, a memory flashed unbidden through her mind. Two years ago, right here. Deeply afflicted by love poison, she had aggressively demanded a kiss from Zhang Xian. The heat of their skin pressed together seemed to still linger on her lips.

“Ah!”

Li Fuxi jolted as if scalded, shaking her head violently. Her long, jet-black hair whipped across the water’s surface, sending spray everywhere.

This wasn’t the first time she had recalled that scene!

Li Fuxi! What are you thinking? You are his Master! This is improper!!

Her cheeks burned red in the rising steam, making her look even more captivating.

To dispel these annoying thoughts, her gaze drifted toward a book lying by the poolside. It was one of the many novels Lin Yinyin had imported from the outside world recently—reportedly from the Spirit Ruins Sword Sect—titled The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Unlike the sect’s usual trashy power fantasies about crushing enemies for cheap thrills, this book was filled with delicate emotion and tragic destiny. Unexpectedly, it suited Li Fuxi’s taste perfectly.

She couldn’t help but reach out and pick up the book again, her fingertips tracing the exquisite cover. The pages were slightly curled, evidence that it had been read many times.

“This protagonist is good in every way—devoted, resilient, talented. But he is too indecisive regarding the affections of the women around him. A bit promiscuous in his heart…” Li Fuxi murmured to herself.

She gazed into the misty steam, lost in reverie, the curve of her lips deepening.

Swish.

The stone door of the hot spring chamber was pushed open by spiritual energy.

“Master! We’re here!” Zhang Xian’s hearty voice and Lin Yinyin’s cheerful laughter filled the room.

Guilt exploded in Li Fuxi’s chest. She nearly threw the book into the water!

Panic-stricken, she shoved The Return of the Condor Heroes into her storage ring and instantly snapped into a proper, meditative posture with her eyes closed.

“Eh? Master, your face is so red,” Lin Yinyin chirped, full of curiosity.

Li Fuxi opened her eyes, feigning calm. “It is a bit hot.”

Lin Yinyin’s eyes darted around. “Master, why are you meditating? In the water? I’ve never seen you do that before.”

Li Fuxi’s embarrassment peaked, her face so red it looked ready to drip blood. She had been so nervous she forgot she was still in the hot spring.

“This master was… trying out a new cultivation method…” Her voice lacked confidence.

“Oh?” Lin Yinyin pressed, intrigued.

Silently, Li Fuxi sank into the spring water until her head disappeared.

Glub, glub.

A few defeated bubbles floated to the surface.