Inside the Shen clan estate, Shen Xian was leisurely basking in the sun.

Outside the courtyard gate, Shen Lingyue, dressed in a long robe and wearing a solemn expression, called out respectfully, “Third Young Master.”

“Come in,” Shen Xian replied.

Shen Lingyue entered the courtyard and stood before him with the utmost deference.

Following the incident with the monthly allowance, and thanks to Shen Xian’s backing, he had successfully risen to the position of Head of Accounts. His status had soared, and his sister, whom he had always worried about, was now receiving preferential treatment from the family. He was profoundly grateful.

Thus, his respect for Shen Xian came from the bottom of his heart.

“Third Young Master, this is your monthly allowance.” He presented a storage ring with both hands. “Per the Madam’s instructions, it has been raised by a tier.”

The fact that the Head of Accounts personally delivered the allowance spoke volumes about its importance.

Shen Xian accepted it and asked casually, “How is the situation at the ancient cave abode?”

Recently, the biggest news in Azure Province was the Shen clan’s occupation of an ancient cave abode. Rumors claimed it held a legacy capable of defying the heavens and changing one’s fate.

Unfortunately, this cave abode possessed a restriction that only allowed cultivators below the Golden Core realm to enter.

Currently, the family was making intensive arrangements to send people inside for exploration.

Previously, Ye Qingxian had made a rare request for him to gather information about this ancient cave abode. He had no choice but to help, so he had tasked Shen Lingyue with making inquiries.

After all, Shen Lingyue was practically his only usable “connection” within the family.

“Third Young Master, I heard the clan has already sent three waves of people inside, but… they all returned in defeat,” Shen Lingyue reported.

As the Head of Accounts responsible for the family’s daily expenditures, he naturally knew exactly how much the clan had spent over the past month attempting to secure the cave’s legacy.

Sadly, up to now, all they had found were some scattered treasures.

However, one thing was certain—the master of this cave abode was an incredibly powerful figure.

The Shen clan had discovered a drop of Divine Beast Essence Blood.

Although somewhat impure, it still possessed extraordinary efficacy. They had even found the skeletal remains of powerful spirit beasts that could be used to forge formidable magical artifacts.

After finishing his report, Shen Lingyue added, “Third Young Master, there is intelligence regarding the cave abode inside the ring. I gathered it myself. Please take a look.”

Shen Xian had assigned him this task earlier, so he had naturally put his heart into it. The information he held came from the family’s own scouts.

Shen Xian nodded slightly and retrieved a booklet from the ring, flipping through it idly.

He wasn’t particularly interested himself. However, if this could pique the interest of that Empress, then this cave abode likely concealed an extraordinary opportunity.

That was fine.

If Ye Qingxian obtained that opportunity, he would benefit as well through their connection.

“Third Young Master, I shall take my leave.” Shen Lingyue bowed with cupped fists and withdrew.

Shortly after he left, Ye Qingxian emerged from her room and sat down beside Shen Xian. Clearly, she had overheard their conversation.

Shen Xian handed her the booklet. “Here is the information regarding that cave abode.”

Ye Qingxian took it and began to read.

Her recent cultivation had hit a bottleneck.

The main issue was her current body in this reincarnation. Although its aptitude was decent, its foundation was still somewhat shallow and insufficient to support her advancement to higher realms.

That was why she wanted to seek out opportunities to solidify her foundation ahead of time.

Coincidentally, this ancient cave abode had appeared recently and was under the Shen clan’s control. She wanted to see if it could help improve her foundation.

“It’s actually him!”

As she read the intelligence report line by line, a flicker of recognition passed through Ye Qingxian’s beautiful eyes. A name surfaced in her memories.

Though it was from another continent—in this world, continents could communicate via high-level teleportation arrays—she had heard of this cave abode’s master in her previous life.

After unifying the Tianyuan Continent and becoming an Empress revered by countless people in her past life, she had attempted to learn about the surrounding continents.

The master of this cave abode was one of the rare Mahayana Divine Venerables of the Abyssal Continent.

He called himself the Purple Sun Divine Venerable. His mastery over beast-taming techniques was truly awe-inspiring!

Within a Mahayana Divine Venerable’s cave abode… there might just be the opportunity she sought.

With this thought, Ye Qingxian closed the booklet and decided she would go see for herself.

“Well?” Shen Xian asked, seeing she had finished reading. He could tell she was quite interested in the place.

Ye Qingxian did not deny it. She stated directly, “There is something inside that I need.”

A Mahayana Divine Venerable’s cave abode would undoubtedly contain legacy treasures capable of strengthening her foundation. Moreover, she knew something about this Purple Sun Divine Venerable and felt confident she could obtain his legacy.

However… this cave abode was now under Shen clan management.

If she went alone, it would inevitably cause unnecessary complications.

So, after saying this, Ye Qingxian fixed her clear eyes on Shen Xian and said seriously, “You will take me there.”

He was a direct descendant of the Shen family. Having him as cover would make things much easier for her.

Shen Xian was taken aback.

She wanted him to take her?

This seemed to be the first time this Empress had ever requested anything from him.

It appeared this cave abode was extremely important to her.

But… the place was fraught with danger. Even Foundation Establishment realm experts at their peak from his family had returned defeated. Was she confident she could secure an opportunity there?

“How confident are you?” Shen Xian couldn’t help but ask.

A place that interested her must be extraordinary. But it was also perilous; even peak Foundation Establishment experts from his family had failed.

Although she was an Empress in essence, her current strength was only at the Qi Refining realm. If something went wrong…

Since his own cultivation progress depended on hers through their bond as Dao Companions via the Marriage Blessing System, he felt compelled to ask. Their fates were intertwined; any significant change affecting one could ripple onto the other. Therefore, caution was necessary when venturing into unknown territories like ancient caves filled with hidden dangers.

Ye Qingxian’s gaze darkened slightly. She replied coolly, “If you do not wish to go, I will go alone.”

She assumed he was worried about encountering danger, causing her tone to turn cold.

Bringing him along was merely for the sake of convenience. If that wasn’t possible, she could certainly proceed on her own. However… in that case, her true cultivation level would most likely be exposed.

“Going alone would only be more dangerous for you,” Shen Xian said, offering no further explanation.

He truly didn’t want to go, but letting her go alone was absolutely out of the question.

He pondered for a moment before continuing, “I will discuss this with Mother. Perhaps we can bring a group of guards inside with us.”

Although he didn’t doubt this Empress’s capabilities, there was safety in numbers; having more people along would naturally be better.

“As you wish.” Ye Qingxian stood up and walked out.

She still needed to make some preparations for this trip to the cave abode.

Shen Xian watched her receding figure, lost in thought.

Should he go on this trip to the cave abode or not?

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the dragon-shaped jade pendant at his waist. Finally, Shen Xian made up his mind to accompany her.

For one thing, requesting guards would require his personal presence. For another, this Empress likely wouldn’t attempt something she wasn’t confident in. With his current Foundation Establishment cultivation, it wouldn’t hurt to tag along and take a look.

In any case, his family had already scouted the path. As long as he didn’t recklessly chase after so-called “opportunities,” he should be fine.

Besides, he wasn’t particularly interested in those opportunities anyway. He absolutely would not recklessly endanger himself.