"I never would have guessed that Senior Sister Shen's husband was a madman. What a pity, what a pity," the white-robed young man sighed regretfully.
The Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Thunder Sect were competitors, but they were by no means at each other's throats. Instead, they served as the State of Ning's two stabilizing pillars. The disciples of both sects held mutual respect for one another. Seeing Shen Lingxuan's husband reduced to this state naturally stirred a deep sigh from the white-robed young man.
"Brother Tu, let us go. Talking to a lunatic is a pure waste of time," the white-robed man said, turning to Third Young Master Tu as he prepared to leave.
Yet Third Young Master Tu's reaction caught him entirely off guard.
Third Young Master Tu hesitated, a glimmer of excitement dancing in his eyes, and promptly declined the white-robed man's suggestion.
"Brother Mu, do not speak so carelessly. Young Master Qi is handsome, refined, and exceptionally distinguished. How could you call him mad?"
Beside him, Zhan Wenyu instantly formed a united front with Third Young Master Tu. "Mr. Qi is a transcendent recluse roaming the mortal realm. Only those of shallow vision fail to recognize a true dragon."
As Zhan Wenyu spoke, he oozed smug superiority and cast a look of utter disdain toward the white-robed man.
The white-robed man froze, staring at the two of them in sheer astonishment.
He felt utterly bewildered—just like when three close friends gossiped about someone behind their back, only for two of them to suddenly bow in awe and shower that same person with boundless veneration the moment they met face-to-face.
He was the only clown here.
A hundred thousand questions swirled in his mind, leaving him completely baffled, but what surged most of all was fury toward Third Young Master Tu and Zhan Wenyu.
"Hmph!" The white-robed man let out a cold snort and stalked off.
That indignant snort practically screamed: *Fine, I'm taking my toys and leaving!*
Watching the white-robed man depart, Zhan Wenyu hastily bowed in apology. "Mr. Qi, earlier I was blind and failed to recognize a true dragon. I beg for your forgiveness! How could I ever dare to slight you?"
Third Young Master Tu also lowered his head, asking tentatively, "Senior, I have brought tens of thousands of taels of silver with me. I wish to purchase... another lightsaber."
"I am not short on money for now, and magical artifacts... are only sold to those fated to have them," Qi Yuan refused outright. "You already have one lightsaber; that is enough. Leave the chance for others."
Hearing this, Third Young Master Tu felt a pang of disappointment.
Yet at the same time, he became entirely certain that the man before him was indeed the stall owner who had sold him the lightsaber.
"How did you recognize me?" Qi Yuan asked.
"I..." Third Young Master Tu hesitated for a brief moment before taking out a magical artifact. "Because Senior has slain certain people. As long as one draws within three paces of this artifact, it begins to glow."
"Oh, is that so?" Qi Yuan mused thoughtfully.
In an instant, he realized this was likely an artifact belonging to Thorn Blood.
"Off you go, then. Do not interrupt my fishing."
With a casual wave of his hand, Qi Yuan sank back into his lazy sprawl.
Seeing this, Zhan Wenyu and Third Young Master Tu bowed respectfully before taking their leave.
Before departing, the two exchanged a glance, sharing a meaningful smile.
Qi Yuan took out the Divine Wood Token and asked in the group chat, "Hey, I killed some people from Thorn Blood, and if I get too close, their magical artifacts light up. How do I get rid of this?"
Qi Yuan suffered from severe social anxiety and despised the feeling of being snooped on.
Ji Wuyun replied, "That is exceedingly difficult. You must seek out certain specialized Heaven-rank weapon wielders to dispel it with unique techniques. However, the process is agonizing and can cause permanent damage to your soul."
"Why make it so complicated? Knife Bro, you're overthinking it. Next time you visit Divine Wood Abyss, I'll hand you a bottle of Thorn Cleansing Dew. A single sip will wash away that mark completely." The Thorn Blood staff member was earnest and remarkably considerate.
"Can't you give me a bottle right now?"
"If Knife Bro comes over right now, I'll definitely give it to you."
"I can't make it over. How about I have Yan Shuangying from my Debt Collection Sect go find you?"
Yan Shuangying of the Debt Collection Sect was an unmanned drone shaped through Myriad Transformations, composed of a swallow and a pair of hawks.
"Knife Bro lacks sincerity."
"I lack sincerity? Up until now, I haven't even discussed how to annihilate Thorn Blood with that other guy in the chat.
"Since you say I lack sincerity, I'll discuss it with him right now.
"Hey, how many experts does Thorn Blood have, and where is your headquarters? In a while, I'll pay a personal visit to your headquarters and wipe you all out," Qi Yuan declared overbearingly in the group.
Watching this exchange, Ji Wuyun was left utterly speechless.
*Why does this new holder of the Divine Wood Token seem so out of his mind?*
Ji Wuyun felt a sudden urge to stop chatting altogether.
"There's nothing fun at our headquarters. You'd be better off visiting Divine Wood Abyss instead. I'll have the Thorn Blood members stand in line and let you slaughter them," the Thorn Blood staff member replied nonchalantly.
"Fine. Once I'm done with my business, I'll head right over," Qi Yuan threatened.
Ji Wuyun rubbed his temples, a headache brewing as he stared at the messages.
He could not shake the feeling that these two were treating everything like child's play.
The Thorn Blood staff member didn't sound like an evil dragon at all, and Knife Bro's words sounded nothing like a heroic dragon slayer—if anything, he sounded like an arch-villain.
*This world... is beyond saving.*
The colossal ship surged forward, parting the waters of the Weishui River as it sailed toward Yeshan Lake.
Suddenly, the giant vessel ground to a halt.
Several weapon wielders flew down from the decks, scouring the river to retrieve floating corpses.
As it turned out, the Heavenly Sect had clashed once more with the Water Lord of Yeshan Lake a few days ago.
That violent encounter had resulted in the deaths of over a thousand innocent fishermen.
The raging floods had swept their bodies downstream, scattering them across unknown reaches.
Now, the vessel had stopped specifically to recover the drowned.
"Their remains should not be left to drift without a resting place."
"They were all people of our Great Ning, sigh..."
"That Water Lord is truly vile. This time, I will certainly repair the Weilong Xuanyuan and suppress it once and for all."
"We have recovered ninety-eight bodies in total. Sigh..."
Heavy sighs and laments rippled endlessly across the deck.
A somber gloom settled over the passengers. After this grim interlude drew to a close, the massive vessel finally reached the docks of Yeshan Lake on the afternoon of the following day.
Yeshan Lake spanned ten thousand li, boundless and shimmering as far as the eye could see.
The passengers disembarked in succession.
Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao followed the Shen family's procession toward their local outpost.
Exuding a cold aura, Zhishuang walked over and looked at Qi Yuan with a bizarre expression. "I never expected that you would actually come to Yeshan Lake, Son-in-law."
Those chosen by the Shen family to attend the implement master conference at Yeshan Lake were either formidable weapon wielders or figures gifted with extraordinary implement-crafting talent.
Someone like Qi Yuan was purely dead weight.
"Where is your young mistress?" Qi Yuan's eyes shone brightly. "I want to ride her."
The moment those words left his mouth, the chill on Zhishuang's face deepened drastically. "Son-in-law, do not speak such absurdities again!"
Had anyone else uttered those words, Zhishuang's sword would have cleared its scabbard long ago to slice the offender in two.
Even so, she answered stiffly, "The Water Lord has been stirring up unrest frequently of late. The young mistress accompanied the seniors of the Heavenly Sect to guard Yeshan Lake and will not return anytime soon."
Hearing that, Qi Yuan sighed in disappointment. "A tragic loss of a mount."
"You!" Zhishuang gritted her teeth and cast a wary glance at Chen Kangbao, stamping her foot in frustration.
Given what Qi Yuan had said, she would have dared to strike him even if he was the son-in-law.
However, she knew she was no match for Chen Kangbao.
After all, the last time, she suspected Chen Kangbao had ambushed and knocked her unconscious. When she woke up, her entire body had been sore and aching, leaving her uncertain of what that scoundrel Qi Yuan had done to her.
Her maidenhood remained intact, so he likely hadn't done anything truly unforgivable, but... groping her all over... the thought crossed her mind from time to time.
She felt both mortified and furious, yet she had never voiced these suspicions to her mistress.
As the sword-bearing maidservant of her mistress, the man her mistress married was also her ultimate destination in life.
***
Deep within Yeshan Lake, sharp light glinted in the eyes of a Daoist woman.
A towering wave was cleaved cleanly in two by her single sword strike, though a flicker of vexation remained deep in her gaze.
"Water Lord, do you truly believe that the Heavenly Sect cannot touch you just because you hide in the lake's depths?
"If you cause trouble again, I will invite a Heaven-rank magical artifact to suppress you for good!"
The Water Lord was only at the peak of the Earth-rank, holding the strength of a grandmaster, which made it only slightly superior to this Daoist nun.
Yet Yeshan Lake was the Water Lord's home territory, granting it a tremendous advantage in battle.
More importantly, its mastery over water was terrifying!
It was a guiling that had fused completely with Yeshan Lake.
If it truly wished, it could unleash the boundless waters of Yeshan Lake to submerge the entire Jining Prefecture.
The Daoist nun shouted toward the depths of Yeshan Lake, but the Water Lord remained hidden beneath the waters, showing no inclination to answer her.
"Hmph!" The Daoist woman fumed with rage. With a flick of her sleeve, she skimmed across the surface of the water, landing lightly on a small skiff.
Aboard the skiff stood a woman in a blue dress, the blue petals adorning her collar accentuating her aloof, solitary grace.
A veil obscured her face, preventing anyone from catching a clear glimpse of her features, yet the exquisite contours of her silhouette alone were enough to mark her as a peerless beauty of the mortal world.
"Lingxuan, your husband should have arrived at Yeshan Lake by now. You do not need to stand guard here. Go see your family," the Daoist nun spoke.
She was an elder of the Heavenly Sect and Shen Lingxuan's master.
Shen Lingxuan shook her head. "With the Water Lord stirring up waves, I must remain here on guard."
The Daoist nun, Wang Qingyi, nodded. "That is fine as well. You must remain cautious. If you discover any trace of the Water Lord, send word immediately."
"Understood," Shen Lingxuan replied, quiet as an orchid.
Wang Qingyi looked at her disciple, an inexplicable surge of pity rising in her heart. *If only I were a Heaven-rank weapon wielder, how could I have ever let my disciple suffer such hardship and stoop to marry a mere mortal man?*
The thought left a bitter taste in Wang Qingyi's mouth.
Her disciple possessed the Mysterious Yin Physique, an object of desire coveted by countless ancient devils.
For this implement master conference at Yeshan Lake, wicked old monsters from other prefectures and neighboring nations had secretly arrived. Their target was not the Water Lord, but her disciple.
"How is marrying my husband a compromise?" Shen Lingxuan answered placidly. "All people in this world are born equal."
"You... you have truly grasped the essence of the Heavenly Sect. Were it not for your Mysterious Yin Physique, you would have stood a chance of attaining the Heaven-rank in this lifetime, perhaps even catching a glimpse of the legendary God-rank weapon wielder realm," Wang Qingyi sighed.
The founder and first Sect Master of the Heavenly Sect had been a God-rank weapon wielder, and the truth he passed down was that all living things were equal.
Yet among the Heavenly Sect's many elders and disciples, practically none took this truth to heart.
Only Shen Lingxuan seemed to embrace it from the depths of her soul.
"You... you should consummate your marriage with your husband as soon as possible. Losing your Mysterious Yin Physique will cost you some cultivation, but it should deter those old devils from fixing their gazes upon you.
"I have heard that Grandmaster Hengshan, the foremost serial defiler of the State of Moshan, has slipped into the State of Ning in secret. It seems he came specifically for you."
At the mention of this rogue, worry clouded Wang Qingyi's face.
That man was a grandmaster-level Earth-rank weapon wielder.
In terms of raw combat strength, he was even a notch stronger than her.
Standing at the prow of the skiff, Shen Lingxuan looked as aloof as moonlight over frost. "I only hope the sect can offer Qi Yuan some protection."
To threaten her, there was no telling if someone might target Qi Yuan.
Even Shen Lingxuan had not expected Qi Yuan to travel all the way to Yeshan Lake for the implement master conference.
"Rest assured, I have already given orders. Earth-rank weapon wielders will watch over your Shen family members," Wang Qingyi said.
***
Meanwhile, within the Shen family's outpost.
Qi Yuan stretched lazily.
"How did the investigation go?"
Chen Kangbao wore a troubled expression. "Female cooks are too hard to find. A chef... father, on the other hand, is easy to come by."
"Forget it. I'm a bit of a neat freak," Qi Yuan refused.
After arriving at Yeshan Lake, Qi Yuan's strength had largely recovered.
He was currently considering the kitchen knife role-play.
To role-play a kitchen knife well, he needed to find a female cook and prepare the world's most exquisite delicacies.
Only through continuous cooking could the progression for the kitchen knife increase.
This promised substantial benefits for him.
After all, only by completing his current role-playing tasks could he unlock new personas.
Now that they were at Yeshan Lake, next to an immense body of water, they could prepare a Hundred Fish Feast.
At least, that was Qi Yuan's conjecture.
As for why he refused to look for a "chef father"... well, he simply followed his whims.
"Young Master, why don't we proceed with the original plan... and set up a stall?" Chen Kangbao suggested.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt a slight touch of gloom. "It seems we still have to wait for someone fated."
The so-called stall simply meant Chen Kangbao would put the "kitchen knife" up for sale.
"I'll leave a letter, and then we'll depart."
With that thought, Qi Yuan retrieved paper and brush and wrote:
*The old fellow Chen Kangbao is a glutton who longs to taste the world's greatest delicacies, so I am taking him on a search to find them. Do not worry about us.*
After writing the simple letter, Qi Yuan left it on the table and weighed it down with a teacup.
With that done, Qi Yuan immediately cast Myriad Transformations, turning into a kitchen knife.
Previously, this knife would have been massive, as tall as a full-grown person.
However, with the growth of his cultivation, his Myriad Transformations could now adjust his size to a degree.
He shrank himself down to the dimensions of an ordinary kitchen knife.
Then, he slipped into a sheath that was both firm and supple.
"Transform!"
Casting Myriad Transformations once more, Qi Yuan turned Chen Kangbao into a chameleon.
"Move. Carry me and let's go."
Qi Yuan took these precautions because the moment he arrived at the Shen family outpost, he noticed numerous gazes drifting toward them, consciously or otherwise.
To slip away unnoticed, Myriad Transformations was a necessity.
"Right away!"
Turned into a chameleon, Chen Kangbao shouldered Qi Yuan and scampered outside.
Their fleeting shapes caught the eye of a few servants at most, entirely escaping the notice of the Earth-rank weapon wielders.
"Young Master... are we safe now?"
Carrying Qi Yuan deep into a mountain forest, Chen Kangbao suddenly found himself facing the most harrowing danger of his life.
Directly ahead stood a large goose, glaring at him with predatory intent.
"Safe... yet not safe, because... someone seems to be following us," Qi Yuan said flatly.
Chen Kangbao grew anxious. "Someone is following us?"
He was utterly at a loss. Who on earth was bored enough to tail a chameleon?
Just then, a figure landed near Chen Kangbao—a burly man wearing a sinister, knowing smirk.
"Rumor has it that Grandmaster Hengshan possesses unmatched illusion arts, plucking a hundred blossoms without ever being detected. To think... you commanded such a method. Grandmaster Hengshan... show your human form!"
Evidently, the burly man had mistaken the chameleon for the notorious defiler, Grandmaster Hengshan.
Chapter 508