Li Qiwen listened quietly as Zhou Kai and Li Youci shared their theories regarding the Cicada Scripture and its three derivative arts. He also took note of the feud between the Fu and Lin families.

After flipping through the Cicada Raiment and Cicada Tribulation booklets, he pondered for a long time before speaking.

“The battlefront near the Golden Copper Dock is under the jurisdiction of the Song Family. I cannot recklessly lead troops across their lines. Moreover, the Sect has strict rules regarding the defense of Crouching Tiger Mountain; asking the uncles and elders to leave their posts without authorization is out of the question.”

He shifted his tone, turning his gaze to his younger sister, Li Youci.

“In my opinion, these two arts—Cicada Raiment and Cicada Tribulation—and even the lost Cicada Cry Art, are indeed exquisite methods. However, they are not integral to the true scripture.”

He tapped the jade slip in his hand.

“The Delusional Dao Cicada Scripture is vast and profound. Its core lies in a single word: Comprehension.”

“The so-called Raiment, Tribulation, and Cry arts seem more like simplified insights recorded by a predecessor who gleaned fragments of the true scripture. They were likely created to provide a stepping stone for future generations. While they have their merits, they are not necessarily the only path to the true scripture, nor are they a prerequisite.”

He handed the booklets back to Li Youci.

“You possess a Heaven-grade Yin Spirit Root, and your comprehension far surpasses the ordinary. You may be able to divine a method from the true scripture that is perfectly tailored to you, without being constrained by these derivative branches.”

“The true scripture is the foundation, the source of living water. Once you comprehend it thoroughly, the techniques will follow naturally. You might even create arts superior to these. Do not neglect the root to chase the branches, lest you bind your own potential.”

This perspective differed completely from Zhou Kai’s conjecture. In Li Qiwen’s view, the scripture was the Great Dao, while the specific arts were merely minor techniques.

Having said his piece, he turned and returned to his cabin.

For a moment, only Zhou Kai and Li Youci remained on the deck.

The wind whistled at the bow, lifting strands of Li Youci’s hair. She stood silent for a moment before her gaze landed on Zhou Kai.

“Deep affection with several Dao Companions? Mutually encouraging each other?” Her red lips parted, her voice clear, cold, and dripping with sarcasm. “Pining day and night? Lovesickness turning into physical illness?”

She repeated Zhou Kai’s earlier righteous speech to her brother, word for word.

Zhou Kai met her gaze calmly, the corner of his mouth hooking upward. “Of course. Does the Young Miss find a problem with that?”

“Hmph.” Li Youci snorted, instinctively turning her face away, though the tips of her ears turned a shade of pink. “Hypocrite.”

“If it weren’t true, why would I risk angering the Young Miss to demand an explanation regarding the Spirit Platform Heart Fire?” Zhou Kai’s voice wasn’t loud, but every syllable was precise.

At the mention of “Spirit Platform Heart Fire,” Li Youci’s eyes visibly wavered. A flash of guilt crossed her face before she could hide it.

She forced herself to remain calm, but her voice involuntarily rose an octave. “Don’t think that just because you… you’ve made some contributions, you can act recklessly and disrespectfully in front of this Young Miss!”

Her words were fierce in appearance but weak in reality. The tail end of her sentence even carried a slight tremor, devoid of any real intimidation.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Kai chuckled inwardly.

The first bite: The Young Miss pretends to be an iceberg, keeping me a thousand miles away.

The second bite: She couldn’t hold back and actively chased me into the underground space.

And this third bite… she’s already leaking her true emotions. Flustered and confused. Cute.

Li Youci grew increasingly uncomfortable under his knowing gaze. She glared at him fiercely, spun around, and stomped away.

The following days on the ship were calm.

Fish Baibai and Shen Hanyi were busy with mysterious activities, staying in their cabins all day.

Zhou Kai grew a bit concerned, so he decided to check on them. He pushed open Fish Baibai’s cabin door first.

Creak.

As the door opened, a smell mixed with damp earth and overbearing demonic Qi rushed out.

The cabin was a disaster zone. In the center of the mess, Fish Baibai was locked in a standoff with a behemoth.

It was a giant scorpion, brownish-yellow from head to tail and standing as tall as a man even while prone. Its carapace was jagged and ferocious, gleaming with a metallic luster. Its two massive pincers snapped open and closed, the force of the movement cutting the air with a distinct whoosh.

“Shatter Armor Scorpion?” Zhou Kai recognized it immediately.

This scorpion’s venom wasn’t particularly potent, but its armor was incredibly dense, difficult to damage even with Dharma Treasures. Its pincers possessed immense strength, capable of splitting mountains and cracking stone. It was a top-tier close-combat spirit pet.

He looked at Fish Baibai. Her pale red dress was covered in dust, and her arms and legs were bruised black and blue. Clearly, she had just finished a brawl.

Yet, her small face showed not a trace of fear. Instead, it was filled with excitement and stubborn determination.

“Junior Brother!”

Seeing Zhou Kai, Fish Baibai’s eyes lit up. She pointed at the Shatter Armor Scorpion with animated glee. “Look! Originally, Sister Hanyi and I wanted to catch some Spirit Insects for you, but those were too ordinary. Not worthy of you at all. But this one? This one is good!”

She planted her hands on her hips, puffed out her small chest, and pouted her cheeks angrily.

“This big guy is so domineering! Junior Brother, you have so many Spirit Insects, you don’t need this one. I want it! I want to tame it as my mount, but it just won’t listen! It insists on being stubborn with me!”

Zhou Kai looked at the scene and felt a laugh bubbling up. Fish Baibai’s obsession with being “domineering” was truly bone-deep.

He thought for a moment. Once his Split Back Katydids were cultivated, their combat effectiveness wouldn’t lose to this scorpion. He might as well let her have her fun.

“Don’t you have a method to subdue and control it?” Zhou Kai asked with a smile.

Fish Baibai shook her head like a rattle drum. “Didn’t learn it! Sister Hanyi said that the ones beaten into submission are the most obedient!”

As she spoke, she waved her small fist at the Shatter Armor Scorpion, adopting a stance that screamed, ‘I am going to beat you until you cry today.’

Zhou Kai chuckled and handed over the True Explanation of Spirit Controlling.

Fish Baibai glanced at the technique, then looked at the aggressive scorpion. She raised her chin and pushed the book back.

“Junior Brother, I appreciate the kindness! But beast-taming methods are too troublesome. Chanting spells, drawing talismans, controlling minds… how can that compare to simply beating it up? I’ll use my fists to let this guy know who the boss is!”

She cracked her knuckles. “Once I beat it honest, if it still doesn’t work, then I’ll learn your method!”

Alright. As long as you’re happy.

Zhou Kai put away the technique and rubbed his temples. “What about Hanyi? Why is she in seclusion too?”

Mentioning Shen Hanyi, Fish Baibai’s excitement deflated slightly. She pouted. “Sister Hanyi said she’s too weak.”

“Weak?” Zhou Kai blinked.

“Yeah,” Fish Baibai nodded as if it were obvious. “Last time, when we fought those three Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators and their Yin Corpse ghosts… although Sister Hanyi killed one instantly, she said there was a slight delay in her sword connection when dealing with the other two. She failed to achieve a ‘perfect kill,’ which frustrated her.”

“She said such strength is far from enough, so she went into seclusion to contemplate how to achieve victory with a single strike, leaving absolutely no room for error.”

Zhou Kai: “…”

A vein throbbed on his forehead.

Those were elite experts from the Yin Ruins Sect who had survived death trials to get where they were.

For Shen Hanyi, with her Spirit Shaping fifth-layer cultivation, to instantly kill a late-stage Foundation Establishment enemy was already earth-shattering.

And she actually thought she was weak?

Shen Hanyi’s devotion to the Sword Dao was pure to the point of being terrifying.

Several days later.

BOOM—

A prolonged, resonant roar echoed through the cloud layer.

The warship, having sailed continuously for seven days, finally began its descent.

Ahead, a stretch of undulating mountain ranges came into view. Crouching Tiger Mountain.

The market Zhou Kai remembered from his previous life had long vanished.

In its place, the settlement had been massively expanded. Countless buildings rose from the ground, row upon row, extending endlessly to form a true city of cultivators.

Unlike other strongholds, this city had no walls, appearing exceptionally open and grand. Countless streaks of Escape Light rose and fell within the city limits. Cultivators moved like a weaving tide, presenting a scene of prosperity that seemed ready to swallow the horizon.

The warship finally hovered above a cluster of mansions—the Chen Family’s clan grounds.

The cabin door opened.

Fish Baibai took the lead, her petite figure darting out with a whoosh.

She landed with a heavy thud, standing triumphantly on the ferocious stinger of her Shatter Armor Scorpion. Her hands were on her hips, and she balanced a giant warhammer—taller than she was—on her shoulder. The scorpion’s carapace gleamed like polished bronze, and the hammerhead shone with cold light.

The combination of the tiny girl, the massive hammer, and the giant scorpion was majestic, imposing, and incredibly proud.

Clearly, she had successfully beaten her new mount into submission.

Li Yunmian yawned, rubbing her eyes as she lazily wandered out. She looked as if she had slept through the entire week.

Li Qiwen addressed the group. “Alright, everyone. First, find a place to settle within the Chen Family estate.”

Gao Feiyang was vibrating with excitement. He cupped his hands to the group. “Everyone, my elder brother Gao Feihuang should be here. I’ll go find him first. Let’s gather again later!”

With that, he transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished into the crowd.

Zhou Kai turned to Fish Baibai and Shen Hanyi. “Let’s find a place to stay. I need somewhere spacious and quiet to raise my Spirit Insects.”

“Okay! But Junior Brother, my parents are here too. After we’re settled, I’ll take you to meet them,” Fish Baibai said cheerfully.

Shen Hanyi nodded slightly.

Li Qiwen turned his gaze to Zhou Kai, his expression sobering. “Zhou Kai. Come with me to pay respects to the Patriarch.”

Just as Zhou Kai was about to nod, a clear, cold voice cut through the air.

“Elder Brother!”

Li Youci, who had disembarked quietly, stepped forward quickly, blocking Li Qiwen’s path.

“Where are you taking him?”

Li Qiwen looked back at his younger sister. She was tense, poised as if facing a great enemy, terrified he was going to snatch her treasure away.

He couldn’t help but smile knowingly. “Relax. Even after meeting Father, Zhou Kai will still be your subordinate. He won’t run away.”