Without changing locations, they talked right there in the Flavorful Bistro. Wang Yulou considerately ordered a table of fresh dishes for Fellow Daoist Yingxi, though he did not request any more spirit wine.
After all, he had already drunk through two rounds today. If he drank a third, even a cultivation base of the tenth layer of Qi Refining would not be able to withstand it.
Spirit wine could actually be viewed as a special kind of spiritual dicine or spiritual pill, just in the form of alcohol. The consequence of overindulging was that the dicinal potency would affect the body, ultimately causing the cultivator to beco drunk.
The Moon Splendor Sect established its foothold in Wunan by relying on a series of Moon Splendor spirit wines and the Bright Moon Night Inns that were opened all across Wunan. Among them, the grade-seven spirit wine, Flowing Splendor Nectar, even had the grade-six spiritual material Moon Splendor Condensed Light added to it, hence its na.
With such a precious wine, how could Wang Yulou not be drunk after downing seven or eight cups at the Qi Refining stage? Zhou Yingxi did not know where to begin, so Wang Yulou chose to take the initiative to speak.
"Co, Fellow Daoist Yingxi, try this."
Staring at the donkey intestines Wang Yulou pushed over, Zhou Yingxi did not say a word, only turning her face slightly to the side.
The two used to be very familiar, even counting as good friends. They had spent plenty of ti together in Clear Stream Market, and back then, Wang Yulou would often take her to eat and drink for free at the Flavorful Bistro. But now, tis had changed.
Ti was not a slaughterhouse knife; it rely altered everything silently, until finally leaving all things completely unrecognizable.
"I know you have grievances in your heart, Wang Yulou, but there are many things that even I do not have the power to decide. You know this."
Fellow Daoist Yingxi's voice was very cold, carrying a sense of aloofness that kept people thousands of miles away.
Clearly, the two were about to be married, yet they seed more like familiar strangers, unable to find even a single topic that could bring so joy.
The smile on Yulou's face stiffened slightly, and he leaned his body back just a bit. Since Zhou Yingxi harbored such a grievance that she showed it so clearly, how could he not have one too?
Having his head forced down by a Grand Cultivator to breed with Zhou Yingxi—for this kind of thing, Wang Jingyi hated Zhou Liangzhuo to the point of wanting to kill him. Did Wang Yulou not have his own thoughts about it in his heart?
He did.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi is a female immortal of devastating beauty, with skin like ice and bones like jade, and your clan is a prominent family within Hongdengzhao. True Person Fujiao has even promised the reward of taking as a disciple. In the mortal world, being able to marry a princess of a royal family is a grand, life-changing event. Fellow Daoist Yingxi is the princess of the Zhou Family, the princess of Hongdengzhao. To be able to marry you is a fortune that Yulou could hardly find in several lifetis. If I can bow to True Person Fujiao as my master, then Yulou's fortune will be even greater. Cultivators in the cultivation world are as nurous as the hairs on an ox. With a dao companion like Fellow Daoist Yingxi, I, Wang Yulou, can even be called first-rate—no, first-rate in Wunan. So... how could there be any grievances?"
Zhou Bojiao had attached his soul to a flood dragon corpse and remained half-dead every day, appearing sowhat unreliable. But this True Person was still a genuine Grand Cultivator, and moreover, a disciple of Mang Xiang.
By entering Zhou Bojiao's tutelage, Wang Yulou was, in a sense, promoted from a temporary worker behind Mang Xiang into a beast of burden with official status. Although a beast of burden with official status was still a beast of burden, and a small grotto-heaven could still be snatched away whenever they pleased, there was ultimately a difference—the Purple Mansion-tier Divine Ability Treasure Talisman, Sky River Escape, was a pri example.
A treasure talisman like that was impossible to buy. For a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator like Wang Jingyi, with the Sky River Escape talisman as a trump card, as long as a Grand Cultivator did not personally strike, she could roam anywhere within the Immortal Alliance's territory without any danger to her life.
If a Grand Cultivator did strike and went out of their way to kill a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator who had activated the Sky River Escape, traces would definitely be left behind. At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of one life; it would an forming a feud with the Mang Xiang lineage. It might not lead to an endless vendetta, but a massive amount of compensation would have to be paid regardless.
In other words, after becoming Zhou Bojiao's disciple, Wang Yulou's life would imdiately beco significantly more expensive. In this regard, it could indeed be called first-rate in Wunan.
"You have no grievances?"
Zhou Yingxi softly repeated Wang Yulou's final words, then added.
"How could you not have grievances? If I were you, there would be boundless hatred in my heart."
To be honest, with Zhou Yingxi acting like this, Wang Yulou was left a bit at a loss. He couldn't resist, and if he ran away, the price would be too high.
If he didn't endure, what else could he do? Shout a line like "my destiny is my own" and then get slaughtered by Zhou Bojiao, Mu Changze, Guo Baichi, or even Danri and Xuanzhuan?
Declaring "my destiny is my own" was easy to say, but after saying it and doing it, whether one could live long enough to see the tables turn thirty years later was a different story.
By mingling with the Mang Xiang lineage until today, the Wang Clan had gained a great deal. Even Wang Yulou having his head forced down to breed with Zhou Yingxi could be viewed as a form of bestowal—that was, after all, half a Purple Mansion.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi belongs to the direct lineage of True Person Fujiao and has lived in comfort since childhood. How does that saying go? Your heart is higher than the sky—no, your ambitions are far-reaching. I, Wang Yulou, cannot compare to you. You know that my family just raises donkeys. In the past, the Patriarch—oh, that is Wang Xianmao, Ancestor Xianmao—used to tell a story. When Ancestor Xianzhou first joined the Immortal Alliance as an Immortal Alliance Emissary, he attended the Ascension Feast held by the veteran Immortal Alliance Emissaries for their batch of newcors in Lotus Immortal City. At the feast, Ancestor Xianzhou very humbly said that our Wang Family just raises so spiritual donkeys and sells donkey at, and that he was very fortunate to beco an Immortal Alliance Emissary, so he hoped everyone would look after him. However, even though Ancestor Xianzhou was just being humble, a certain senior from Immortal Venerable Lianpeng's family smiled and teased, 'I was wondering why there was a stench of donkey sweat around here.' Instantly, everyone at the feast burst into roaring laughter. Immortal Alliance Emissaries report directly to the Immortal Alliance, yet every single one of those people who laughed at Ancestor Xianzhou had either this True Person or that Immortal Venerable backing them. And Ancestor Xianzhou could only laugh along with them. When the Patriarch told this story, he spoke with an air of treating it as an ordinary occurrence, but after I finished listening, I could never forget it in my heart. Later, I asked Ancestor Xianzhou how he viewed that matter now. Ancestor Xianzhou said it has always been thus. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, it has always been thus. Benefits are limited, and conflicts will always exist. No matter the place, one cannot escape strife. Only by accepting it can one continue along the Immortal Alliance-Ten Sects system and mingle within this cultivation world. If you don't accept it, you will only be ostracized by the rules and the collective, reduced to a marginal family and a marginal cultivator. Fellow Daoist Yingxi, look, I have married a great beauty like you and beco a disciple of True Person Fujiao. How is that not a good thing? In the future, if I encounter an Immortal Alliance Emissary who raises spiritual pigs, perhaps I can even laugh at him and say, 'I was wondering why there was a stench of pig manure around here,' hahaha."
Even though it was a little story fabricated on the spot, Wang Yulou delivered it very passionately, and Zhou Yingxi was sowhat moved as she listened.
This had nothing to do with lies; morality itself was rely a dinsion of evaluation, and actions served solely to achieve an objective.
Wang Yulou just wanted to express his acceptance of the current situation, as well as... his submission.
Submission to Patriarch Mangxiang.
Submission to True Person Fujiao.
Submission to the rules of this cultivation world.
Small cultivators enjoyed no freedom. The Grand Cultivators who had attained the Dao blocked the carriage doors, restricting the possibility of latecors moving forward. The rules of the entire Immortal Alliance were designed this way.
Wang Yulou could not single-handedly use his own life and the lives of his family to test whether the thods of a Grand Cultivator were tougher or if the lives of the Wang Clan were hardier. His heart was not ruthless enough to make a decision that would force Bai Xiaoyu, Lin Ying, Qin Churan, Wang Yu'an, Wang Rongyuan, Wang Xianmao, Wang Jingyi, Wang Xianzhou, and Wang Rongshi to gamble their lives alongside him.
Faced with the shifting of dragons and snakes, the timing of heaven, and the thousand-kilogram burden of his family, Wang Yulou could not bring himself to utter wildly arrogant words like "my destiny is my own." He had to endure.
This could perhaps be viewed as a form of grand composure that did not reveal its shape or form. It was silent and invisible, existing only in the hearts of a few. For Wang Yulou to be able to endure it was already quite remarkable.
"You've changed, Wang Yulou. You've changed." Finally, Zhou Yingxi spoke.
"That's right. People grow, and growth itself implies change. If the Wang Yulou at twenty years old were still the exact sa person as the Wang Yulou now, wouldn't I have lived these past years in vain?"
Would a cultivator change? To this question, Ancestor Jingyi had once given Wang Yulou an answer.
Ancestor Jingyi's answer wasn't necessarily correct, but it was quite interesting.
The so-called remaining true to one's original aspirations was itself a false proposition. When a cultivator's original aspiration was first ford, was it truly his own independent thought? It was hard to say.
As cultivators accumulated years, elevated their cultivation, and experienced changes in their circumstances and status, their hearts and behaviors were bound to change accordingly. Whether those so-called unaltered original aspirations were true or false was very difficult to determine for a special long-lived species like a cultivator.
Did Cui Dingyi, who had submitted to a Great Demon to beco a demon slave and spent so many years murmuring "I am just a poor kid who grew up in River Bend Fishing Port," let that stop him from presenting tributes to the Stone Ancestor year after year?
The human heart was the second hardest thing to see through, right after the Great Dao.
"No, that's not what I ant, Wang Yulou. Your past appearance was different from how you are now."
Zhou Yingxi's body did not move, but her next words struck a chord in Wang Yulou's heart.
"In the past, there was a kind of light in your eyes. Do you still rember? Back then, the racetrack would lose a sum of spirit stones every ti a race was held. You stood on the spectator stands of the racetrack, turned your head to , and said that this place would eventually break even one day. Now you lack that kind of spirit. You look mature, reliable, and steady. To keep a face as calm as still water while a tempest rages in one's chest is true composure, but it seems that kind of tempest no longer exists in your heart."
Wang Yulou was stunned for a mont. Just as his true emotions were about to beco impossible to conceal, he snapped out of his brief trance.
"Bang!"
The fully set table between the two was flipped over by Wang Yulou. Teacups and dining plates shattered all over the floor, and the little stone turtle that had been busily eating was also flipped over, flailing its four legs in the air on its back.
Under Zhou Yingxi's bewildered gaze, a slightly tipsy Wang Yulou stood up with a wobble, a trace of faint anger appearing on his face as he stepped in front of her.
As if his acting skills had suddenly erupted, Wang Yulou, with a slight reddish flush from the wine on his face, pressed his hands onto Zhou Yingxi's shoulders and questioned her in a suppressed voice.
"What else do you want from ? Zhou Yingxi, what else do you want to do? Kneel down and thank you, thank True Person Fujiao?"
Spurred by Zhou Yingxi's reminder just now, Yulou had finally realized the problem. He had suppressed himself too harshly; his posture had been too obedient.
A next-generation leading figure of the Mang Xiang lineage with outstanding talent and an impeccable background was having his destiny toyed with by True Persons to beco Zhou Yingxi's furnace. How could there be no grievances in his heart?
There ought to be grievances. With Wang Jingyi's small grotto-heaven snatched away and Wang Yulou's destiny arranged, it was only right for him to harbor grievances.
Acting too obedient would instead expose his true underlying strategies and composure. As for what Zhou Yingxi said about "you have no tempest," it was a joke in Wang Yulou's eyes.
Whatever Wang Yulou thought and felt in his heart, why would he ever need to disclose it to her, and why would he need her to define it? No matter how Zhou Yingxi or anyone else viewed Wang Yulou, Wang Yulou remained Wang Yulou.
His explosive display of acting and pouring out of anger at this mont was ant for Zhou Bojiao, who stood behind Zhou Yingxi, to see.
'True Person, look closely. I am just a fool who cannot suppress his anger and cannot hide his ambition.'
'True Person, there is no need to be wary of . I will submit, I will be obedient, and I do not possess that many profound, hidden thoughts.'
Wang Yulou harbored no resentnt. Resentnt was useless, and hatred was futile. Even if he hurled ten thousand curses, he could not curse Mang Xiang to death, nor could he curse Zhou Bojiao to death, nor could he curse those Grand Cultivators who stood atop the Gathering Immantals Platform and welded the path of advancent shut with their rules.
However, just because he couldn't curse the Grand Cultivators didn't an he couldn't scold Zhou Yingxi.
"Zhou Yingxi, you are impressive, you are extraordinary—your surna is Zhou, after all. You can stand safely on the shore, lift your noble countenance hidden behind your veil, and look askance at with sneering eyes. Laughing at how I, Wang Yulou, 'have changed.' Laughing at how I, Wang Yulou, 'have no tempest in my chest.' Laughing at how I, Wang Yulou, am a coward, laughing at how I, Wang Yulou, am a cowardly lackey. But my family just raises donkeys. We are just the ones acting like lackeys behind the ancestor. The True Person's Sacred Decree commands to marry you. What else can I, Wang Yulou, possibly do?"
Wang Yulou had drunk two rounds of wine today and was in a seemingly tipsy state. Speaking in this manner conveyed both resentnt and impulsiveness, hitting the exact right balance.
No matter how cold-hearted a Grand Cultivator was, they weren't brainless fools. When they forced a subordinate to perform a task, they expected the subordinate to have grievances in their heart. As long as the task was completed, they wouldn't place bla; they would only find it completely reasonable.
What Wang Yulou wanted was precisely to appear completely reasonable. Because he had acted too obediently just now, he had overdone it, and going too far was as bad as falling short—now, he was making ands.
Perhaps Wang Yulou's words were too cutting, or perhaps Zhou Yingxi had not witnessed enough of the ways of the world. Under Yulou's questioning, her eyes, which had been locked with his, averted once again.
Once, twice, three tis—how many tis had she avoided his direct gaze today?
Wang Yulou lowered his hands, his tone softening slightly. He harbored a sowhat uncertain guess in his heart; perhaps Zhou Yingxi didn't have a choice either. Just how much affection a Grand Cultivator like Zhou Bojiao still retained for his family and descendants was sothing no one could say for certain.
Removing his hands from Zhou Yingxi's shoulders, Wang Yulou assud a sowhat awkward expression, took two steps back, and said, "If there is nothing else, Fellow Daoist Yingxi, Yulou will take his leave first. Right, I am currently staying at the Gu Family Tea House in the immortal city. Whenever you and your Zhou Family are ready, send a transmission. I will be sure to obediently show up and participate in our wedding ceremony."
It was enough; the heat was just right. Everyone was a pitiful person, with Wang Yulou being the most pitiful, while Zhou Yingxi's degree of pitifulness was slightly lighter. Pitiful people shouldn't make things difficult for other pitiful people.
Of course, if the scope of comparison were widened further, the most pitiful ones weren't them, but those rogue cultivators who had no one to rely on.
Whether it was Wang Yulou, who hailed from the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan and started out as an inner disciple of Dripping Water Cave, or Zhou Yingxi, who ca from the Hongdengzhao Zhou Clan and would beco a Core Disciple upon reaching Foundation Establishnt, both already stood ahead of far too many people.
This "far too many people" likely accounted for ninety-nine percent. Regrettably, the cultivation world didn't care about relative rankings; it only cared about absolute strength.
Seeing Wang Yulou lift his foot to leave, Zhou Yingxi suddenly spoke to make him stay. "Wait, Wang Yulou. Before you married your Senior Martial Sister Lin, you specially selected matching male and female styles of robes. Now that you and I are marrying, it should be the sa."
Fellow Daoist Yingxi's face was turned away from Wang Yulou. He couldn't see the girl's expression clearly, but many thoughts swirled in his mind.
'How does she know what robes Lin Ying and I bought?'
This question twisted around inside Wang Yulou's heart, but when it finally left his mouth, it took a different form. "I don't have any spirit stones right now. I can't afford robes anymore, my apologies."
He offered an apology, but there wasn't much apologetic aning on Wang Yulou's face. He wore a calm expression completely devoid of any tempest—didn't you say I had no tempest?
Since his head was already being forced down to breed with Zhou Yingxi, Wang Yulou had long made up his mind. Aside from renting a residence to serve as the wedding house, the resources for Foundation Establishnt and the resources for cultivation would all have to co from the Zhou Family. As long as Zhou Bojiao didn't press him, he would absolutely not rashly touch his own spirit stones. Failing to take advantage of a situation was roughly equivalent to taking a loss.
Zhou Bojiao being half-dead didn't an the Zhou Family was finished. Because True Person Fujiao stayed in the Great Heaven every day, his influence was naturally imnse, and correspondingly, the Zhou Family's industries were exceptionally luxurious.
The small amount of resources Wang Yulou wanted might not even amount to a single hair from nine oxen to the Zhou Family, but was rely at the level of a tiny droplet leaking through the cracks of their fingers. If the Zhou Family wasn't even willing to provide this tiny amount of resources, then Wang Yulou would have to learn from his spiritual beasts and adopt a passive stance of non-cooperation. No matter how powerful Zhou Bojiao was, he couldn't possibly force Zhou Yingxi and Wang Yulou to perform dual cultivation, right?
"I will provide the spirit stones. Let's go, we will need them in two days. Regarding the robes, we must be quicker. Even if I hadn't run into you here today, I would have contacted you through other ans."
Zhou Yingxi ignored the ssy floor of the room and ignored the absurd sentints that had crashed to the ground between them before they could even form. She rely indicated for Wang Yulou to follow with words and steps that carried a semi-decisive tone.
With Zhou Yingxi paying the spirit stones, Wang Yulou naturally had no reason to refuse. He rely harbored so anxiety in his heart.
This wedding would count as his third marriage. Among his four dao companions, Zhou Yingxi possessed the highest family standing, the best talent, the highest cultivation, and the greatest prospects. It could be said that if one disregarded the factors of affection and coercion, and disregarded the arrangent to beco a furnace, being able to marry Zhou Yingxi was indeed Wang Yulou's good fortune.
However, right now... Don't forget, the bond between Wang Yulou and Lin Ying wasn't so simple combination of interests. Senior Martial Sister Lin had once nearly traded her life to save Yulou's. The two had crossed through a literal gate of life and death, achieving true affection.
What a ss, what a ss. How was he supposed to explain this to Senior Martial Sister Lin?
"What are you dazing off for? Let's go." Zhou Yingxi walked to the doorway of the private room. Seeing that Wang Yulou was still standing in place without moving, she urged him with a hint of confusion. "You've already submitted, you've already endured, and you also just had a satisfying outburst of anger. Now you're hesitating instead?"
"The West Sea doesn't have a robe shop directly operated by the Moon Splendor Sect like the one in Shanhai. Where are we going to buy matching male and female robes?" Wang Yulou caught up to Zhou Yingxi's footsteps and asked.
"The Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. Have you still not visited this treasure pagoda opened by Immortal Venerable Shenguang?"
"Correct. I have only been in the West Sea for two days, and matters have been complex. Only today did I officially take up my post at the Information Gathering Court, so I haven't had ti to properly explore the West Sea."
"Then let's go explore together. We haven't seen each other in years, and we are getting married in two days, so we should familiarize ourselves first."
These words from Zhou Yingxi were truly absurd to the extre. They were getting married in two days, yet the groom and bride weren't very familiar with each other, and they had just quarreled to the point of nearly falling out.
It could only be said that a cultivator's life was indeed extraordinarily splendid, and the manipulation of destiny would occasionally bring about an inevitable sense of drama.
However, what Yulou cared about more was Zhou Yingxi's bizarre attitude toward him—she couldn't actually harbor feelings for , could she?
This point could be discerned from two small details. One was Zhou Yingxi's dissatisfaction with Wang Yulou having "no tempest." Having expectations was a signal in its own right. The other was that Zhou Yingxi actually knew that Wang Yulou and Lin Ying had purchased matching male and female robes. This indicated that after she accidentally ran into the two of them that day, she had conducted an investigation into their purchases in Shanhai.
Mang Xiang treated Wang Yulou as a gift to hand over to Zhou Bojiao, and Zhou Bojiao treated Wang Yulou as a furnace to match with Zhou Yingxi to serve as her stepping stone—all for the sake of profit. Wang Yulou endured, also for the sake of his own profits and his family's profits. Yet now, beneath the profit-driven minds of so many people, Zhou Yingxi seemingly harbored a slice of special affection for Wang Yulou...
The sentints between the two were incredibly complex, and Yulou wasn't certain if he could comprehend them. Although he had three dao companions, Qin Churan had chosen her own path, Bai Xiaoyu was a case of Wang Yulou saving her life, and Lin Ying had spent several years interacting with Wang Yulou, only developing true affection after experiencing a gate of life and death together. Compared to those three, this kind of entanglent between Wang Yulou and Zhou Yingxi was sowhat too overly convoluted.
"It's also not like we haven't t in years. Didn't we catch a glimpse of each other in Lotus Immortal City last ti? Right, back during the Hongdengzhao period, you even gifted two green-furred rabbits. Speaking of which, not too much ti has passed."
In less than two months, too many things had occurred. Wang Yulou had been forced away to the West Sea by Yuan Daoshen, yet by a stroke of coincidences at Zhou Bojiao's discipleship ceremony, his cultivation had been elevated to the tenth layer of Qi Refining by Danri, and later he was actually delivered as a gift to Zhou Bojiao by the ancestor. Looking back now, it brought a heavy sensation as if days passed like years. Too many events had unfolded during this period.
Hearing Yulou's words, Zhou Yingxi did not respond imdiately. Instead, she reached out and pulled on Wang Yulou's arm, leaning her body against him.
"That man is nad Lian Chengxian, soone from Immortal Venerable Lianpeng's family. I have only t him twice."
Fellow Daoist Yingxi possessed a faint and lingering body fragrance. It wasn't the kind of scent that ca from costics, but was instead sowhat similar to the fragrance of flowers dampened by early morning dew in a forest, carrying a trace of trembling fragility. Her body pressed tightly against Wang Yulou, to the extent that Wang Yulou could feel her heartbeat, which was actually slightly nervous.
"That person is my senior martial sister, nad Lin Ying, and she is also my true dao companion with whom I share mutual affection. Fellow Daoist Yingxi, after you and I marry, I will not abandon her. This point must be made clear first. Even if True Person Fujiao cos over to tear us apart, it will be useless."
Whether Zhou Bojiao would tear him and Lin Ying apart was sothing Wang Yulou didn't know, but he had to at least strive for it.
"You might not know this yet, but I have cultivated a secret thod that allows to forget mories I wish to forget. Wang Yulou, do not ntion her again."
This was sothing Wang Yulou naturally couldn't have known, but it didn't matter. He understood Zhou Yingxi's aning and hurriedly nodded in agreent.
Thus, this was for the best. Although it still felt sowhat unfair to Lin Ying, what else could Wang Yulou accomplish when facing the wills of two True Persons, Mang Xiang and Fujiao? Go and die for the sake of lofty and magnificent love? Forget it, Wang Yulou was no fool.
Love was very important, but along a cultivator's path of pursuing the Dao, there were plenty of other important matters. If one foolishly placed love in the first position, they were destined not to walk far. Although that massive lover-boy Wang Yu'an was incredibly infatuated with Ningyao, if he were forced to choose between jumping into the water to save Wang Yulou or saving Ningyao, he would definitely choose to save Wang Yulou. Of course, Wang Yulou didn't really need his saving either.
"Wait a mont, let pack up these dishes to feed to this little turtle." Before leaving the Flavorful Bistro, Wang Yulou packed up the food on the floor for the little stone turtle. Ultimately, it was just a beast; it wasn't a picky eater.
Unlike Wang Yulou, who only possessed a single little turtle that couldn't run fast, Fellow Daoist Yingxi hailed from a great clan and possessed a mount. Nobody flew within Western Sea Immortal City, and hunting demons in the West Sea also required a mount capable of traversing the ground to serve as an assistant. Consequently, flaunting spirit beast mounts had replaced flaunting spiritual cranes, becoming the mainstream trend in the West Sea.
Zhou Yingxi's mount was a beautiful green-bristle fox, and its cultivation was at the peak of the Small Demon Realm. As it walked through Western Sea Immortal City, it made the surrounding crowd of cultivators feel ashad of their own inferiority. However, they didn't sigh in admiration because their mounts weren't as beautiful as the green-bristle fox, but rather felt envious because the fair immortal held in Wang Yulou's arms was far too dazzling.
Although this girl Zhou Yingxi wore a veil every single day—as if it were an innate companion item that she never removed, preventing people from seeing her true countenance—one could tell she was an absolute beauty just from her painting-like peach-blossom eyes and her peerless figure. As for the pig nose or deer nose that Wang Yulou speculated about in his heart, it was pure conjecture; even he himself didn't quite believe it.
When a male cultivator road the cultivation world, a low-end setup ant stepping on a dharma weapon to barely rush along; a mid-end setup ant having a spiritual crane or a spirit beast mount; while a high-end setup was exactly what Wang Yulou enjoyed right now.
A devastatingly beautiful lady held in his embrace, a top-tier spirit beast mount beneath his seat, and a mid-grade robe that was already extraordinary in the eyes of ordinary cultivators draped over his body. A first-rate Qi Refining cultivator in Wunan was precisely at this level.
The existence of people like Sword Immortal Feng, who used a Great Demon Black Dragon Steed to pull a golden carriage, belonged to the level of Foundation Establishnt stage cultivators. There was no point in comparing them to Qi Refining cultivators, so it didn't need to be considered.
As an enterprise personally founded by that legendary Immortal Venerable, the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda used to be located at the dead center of Western Sea Immortal City. Later, for the sake of developnt and expansion, it was moved from the immortal city into the Subsidiary City.
Now, the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda occupied an area of over a dozen mu. Its interior was a bustling little market town, selling exclusively items required for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishnt. Cultivators at the Qi Induction stage even had to shell out extra spirit stones to buy a ticket just to enter the doors.
Perhaps her disposition differed from Sword Immortal Feng's, or perhaps because the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda wasn't a Bright Moon Night Inn. Of course, it was also possible that because the green-bristle fox was inherently a creature that could reproduce on its own, it had no needs in that regard. In short, Zhou Yingxi did not arrange several foxes for the green-bristle fox, but rather stored it away directly.
With the buffering provided by their shared embrace along the way, after entering the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, the two clever individuals had completely shed the awkwardness from just now. Within the bustling inner street of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, Yulou scanned the shops on both sides while sighing.
"In the past when I heard of the West Sea, it was always accompanied by the perils of this place, and I thought it was a barren wilderness. Only after arriving did I discover that it has absolutely nothing to do with a barren wilderness, but rather carries a fresh aura that is distinct from the Wunan hinterlands."
The Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda was nad a pagoda, but it was actually a special market town, sowhat resembling a cultivation world version of a 'high-end comrcial district.' Its interior was exceptionally prosperous.
"Over there is the demon-dividing ground. Co, I'll take you to participate in a demon-dividing auction at the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. It's very interesting."
Zhou Yingxi had already been in the West Sea for a period of ti and was slightly familiar with this place. She had claid she was taking Wang Yulou to procure robes, but after actually arriving, she was no longer in a hurry.
"Demon-dividing ground? Why does that sound similar to the demon-dividing court?"
"It's different. The demon-dividing court is the only place in the West Sea where military rit is settled in full. If a cultivator brings the complete corpse of a demonic beast by themselves, or if multiple people bring the mangled corpse of a demonic beast together, they can settle their military rit in full. Because it involves avoiding situations where rogue cultivators slaughter one another to fight over demonic beast spoils, advocating for cultivators to unite and cooperate over the long term, and so forth, the rules established are extrely complex. But the demon-dividing ground within the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda is different. The cultivators who hunt demons hand the demonic beasts over to this place, and it doesn't count toward military rit, but only toward spirit stones. The demons are divided on the spot, and the spiritual materials of the demonic beasts are auctioned off on the spot. Roughly every single hour, a small-scale demon-dividing auction will be held."
The fellow Daoist Yingxi finished explaining, but she didn't receive a reply from Wang Yulou. She turned her face slightly and saw that Wang Yulou's eyes were deep and lost in thought, so she waved her hand in front of his face.
"There are honey-glazed demon atball stalls over there. Do you want to eat so?" The girl with peach-blossom eyes asked with a smile.
Following the direction of her finger, Yulou discovered that Immortal Venerable Shenguang was indeed not simple. There was actually a row of roadside stalls at the corner of the inner street of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. The food sold at these roadside stalls consisted of spiritual food that carried spiritual energy or even special effects, yet the prices and portions were much cheaper than those in formal shops.
This allowed them to form a price gradient with the formal shops, fully satisfying the needs of cultivators with different financial capacities. For a cultivator, seeking the Dao and seeking great freedom were naturally of the highest priority, but the sea of bitterness was too difficult to cross. No one had beco an immortal, and everyone was struggling precariously within the sea of bitterness. Yet if they were asked to give up cultivation and return to the mortal world to beco a wealthy old man, they were unwilling.
Consequently, there would always be many cultivators who made the sa choice at different monts—to reward themselves. They might not afford formal spiritual food, but could it be that they couldn't even afford a honey-glazed demon atball from a roadside stall?
Seeing that Wang Yulou raised no objections, Zhou Yingxi pulled him along to buy various street snacks. From the springy and juicy honey-glazed demon atballs to the soft and sweet spirit rice black jujube cakes, and also the specially prepared fragrant ice spirit beverages—they bought a whole round, spending less than thirty spirit stones in total.
Holding these snacks, Wang Yulou arrived at the demon-dividing ground of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda just in ti to run into a small auction—one every hour, aning eight sessions of these auctions were held daily. Except for the evening hours when the foot traffic at the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda was slightly lower, they would be held at all other tis. Pulling Wang Yulou along to easily squeeze into the crowd of onlookers, they reached the front row.
Zhou Yingxi pointed at the densely packed seats ahead and began to educate Yulou. "An hourglass is placed on the small table in front of every seat. The hourglass contains one hundred grains of spirit sand. After the host of the demon-dividing ground auction announces the price, the spirit sand begins to trickle down. If soone is the first to flip the hourglass over and raise it, they are considered to have won the bid for this portion of demonic beast materials. The specific price will be the announced price minus the quantity of spirit sand that leaked out. Sotis, a single grain of spirit sand corresponds to dozens of spirit stones, and sotis a single grain of spirit sand is only worth two or three spirit stones. People of the West Sea call this the demon-suppressing strike. It tests both hand speed and one's degree of understanding regarding demonic beast materials. How about it? Are you interested in going up to try?"
"Let's watch first," he replied.
Only about a small half of the auction seats in the demon-dividing ground of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda were occupied. The auction had already been underway for a while. The auctioneer was a person who appeared highly shrewd and capable, and his cultivation was also at the peak of Qi Refining. He continuously received partitioned demonic beast materials from the hands of other demon-dividing ground cultivators, and then announced the prices for the auction.
In less than a quarter of a candle's ti, he had actually rapidly auctioned off over twenty portions of materials, with prices ranging from dozens of spirit stones to several hundred spirit stones. Among those who secured the bids, so were overjoyed, believing they had scored a bargain, while others felt vexed in their hearts, believing they had called out their bids too early. It was quite the spectacle of human nature.
"Next, we will auction Great Demon materials. Only four Great Demons have been brought in today up until now, and this is currently the fourth one. The species of the Great Demon is the Host-Poison Toad. Are there any other fellow Daoists who wish to join in?" The auctioneer called out loudly to attract clients.
Instantly, multiple individuals stepped out from the crowd and walked into the auction seats, appearing to have been specifically waiting for Great Demon materials.
"Let's go, let's go inside and try."
Wang Yulou felt sowhat eager to try. This place, the West Sea, was indeed excellent. Materials from a Great Demon—back in the Wunan hinterlands, such things could be considered rare items that could be encountered but not sought after. Yet in the West Sea, they were actually placed right by the roadside for sale—the demon-dividing ground was constructed right beside the street inside the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, and the small auctions themselves were open-air.
"Oh? Wang Yulou, didn't you say you had no spirit stones left?"
As soon as Zhou Yingxi asked this, Wang Yulou instantly smiled with a trace of embarrassnt. "Haha, go ahead. How does that saying go? A male cultivator without any private spirit stones isn't a normal male cultivator. Go on."
Seeing that her goal of teasing Wang Yulou had been achieved, Zhou Yingxi didn't dwell on it either, smiling as she pushed Wang Yulou into the venue. Seeing this extraordinary new face enter the venue, the auctioneer smiled and nodded to him, and then comnced the auction of Great Demon materials.
"Host-Poison Toad at—inedible, but can be used for alchemy, dicine manufacturing, and feeding spirit beasts. Five kilograms per portion, seven portions in total, each portion starts at five hundred spirit stones. Each grain of spirit sand is worth five. The first portion, begin!"
Wang Yulou stared sowhat nervously at the spirit sand before him, while also not forgetting to observe the dynamics of the other participants. He discovered that auctioning Great Demon materials was indeed different; the nurous cultivators participating in the bidding had all sharpened their spirits.
Considering what the auctioneer had just said, it appeared that even in the West Sea, materials of the Great Demon tier weren't particularly abundant. Perhaps the military rit court took the lion's share, the frontline demon-dividing stations could collect so, the demon-dividing ground received another portion, and after considering what people divided privately, there might be dozens of beasts per month? Dozens of beasts was already a massive amount.
"Good, twenty-three grains of spirit sand, three hundred and eighty-five spirit stones. Five kilograms of Host-Poison Toad at. The second portion, starting price five hundred, each grain of spirit sand is worth five, begin!"
A mont later, the seven portions totaling thirty-five kilograms of Host-Poison Toad at were fully auctioned off, and the auction finally reached the core section.
"Half a hide of the Host-Poison Toad, an excellent base material for talisman crafting. The first half-hide, starting price two thousand four hundred spirit stones, each grain of spirit sand is worth ten, begin!"
The two half-hides of Host-Poison Toad hide: the first hide fetched one thousand nine hundred and eighty, while the second hide fetched two thousand zero sixty. A Great Demon was just worth this many spirit stones. From the Host-Poison Toad at to the Host-Poison Toad hide, six thousand spirit stones had already been generated. Wang Yulou did not practice talisman crafting, so he naturally had no intention of competing. What he was waiting for was the venom sac at the back.
"Host-Poison Toad venom—a top-grade alchemy material, a top-grade poison material. There are unfamiliar faces among you fellow Daoists, so let speak plainly—among the individuals seated today, multiple are managers of alchemy shops within the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, all of whom ca to bid precisely because they knew of this venom. Everyone will abide by the Immortal Alliance's rules, but those who want it must strike quickly." As he spoke, the auctioneer even cast a glance at Wang Yulou, his aning self-evident.
'Fellow Daoist, we don't have any underhanded dealings, but there is real demand. If you want it, don't hesitate, otherwise you will truly just be a participant.'
"Host-Poison Toad venom, a top-grade alchemy material. Fifty grams per portion, three portions in total. Each portion starts at five thousand spirit stones, each grain of spirit sand is worth twenty! Begin!"
The three portions of Host-Poison Toad venom fetched over thirteen thousand spirit stones. By this point, the total value generated from the Great Demon Host-Poison Toad had already reached twenty thousand spirit stones. Wang Yulou still did not make a move. What he was waiting for was the venom sac; the venom sac of a Host-Poison Toad could be used to refine auxiliary spiritual pills for Foundation Establishnt!
The venom sacs of Great Demon-tier poisonous monsters were an important base material for a special kind of auxiliary spiritual pill for Foundation Establishnt. Wang Yulou's sudden entry into the venue was precisely for this purpose. Once this auxiliary spiritual pill for Foundation Establishnt was refined, he, Wang Yulou, might not necessarily use it, but the Wang Clan still had other mbers. Perhaps soone would use it in the future.
"Host-Poison Toad venom sac, a top-grade alchemy material, a top-grade poison material. Four venom sacs in total, two per portion, each portion starts at six thousand spirit stones, each grain of spirit sand is worth twenty! Begin!"
The spirit sand in the hourglass began to trickle down slowly. The target price Wang Yulou set in his heart was five thousand; any more would be too expensive. Poisonous monsters belonged to a major category among demonic beasts, and many demonic beasts possessed venom sacs. The Host-Poison Toad belonged to the relatively weaker variety among Great Demons. Even when factoring in these venom sacs, its total value was only around thirty thousand spirit stones, which illustrated that its strength was quite ordinary. Consequently, even if he missed it, Wang Yulou wouldn't find it too regrettable.
Just as he counted the spirit sand dropping to the thirty-seventh grain, soone flipped their hourglass over.
"Five thousand three hundred and sixty, deal!"
It was slightly expensive, and the seated crowd all murmured a bit in their hearts. Wang Yulou likewise failed to secure the second portion, which was snatched away by soone at the price of five thousand four hundred and twenty.
"Clang!" The auctioneer struck the brass gong, cupped his fists, and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your patronage. The demon-suppressing strike will continue in one hour. Right, fellow Daoists whose annual total auction amount at the demon-suppressing strike exceeds two thousand spirit stones can unlock the 'Great Demon Expert' service. As long as Great Demon spiritual materials arrive at our venue, we will notify you via transmission talisman at the very first mont. If you happen to be in the immortal city or Subsidiary City, you will not miss the auction of Great Demon materials. Are there any fellow Daoists who have reached the standard but haven't registered for the 'Great Demon Expert' service yet?"
The auctioneer appeared to be asking the crowd, but his eyes were directed toward Wang Yulou, his aning self-evident. The robe on Wang Yulou's body was extraordinary, the belt at his waist was also extraordinary, and the female cultivator he brought along was beautifully extraordinary. The demon-dividing ground naturally wanted to vigorously develop this type of client.
With a slight smile, Wang Yulou didn't move, but sent a transmission to ask, 'I only recently arrived in the immortal city and took up my post as an information gathering emissary of the Information Gathering Court. Today is my first ti visiting the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. Can I register for a Great Demon auction first, and fulfill the requirent of a two thousand spirit stone auction amount later?'
The auctioneer's eyes instantly lit up, and he hurriedly replied, 'Fellow Daoist, you are too polite. You must be under the tutelage of Hongdengzhao, correct?'
After Zhou Bojiao and Li Haikuo took office, they arranged a flock of Hongdengzhao newcors—Wondrous Peak Mountain was also under the tutelage of Hongdengzhao—into various courts and platforms within the immortal city. As an auctioneer within the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, he was naturally well aware of this matter.
'Yes, Wang Yulou of Hongdengzhao.'
Having confird that this was indeed a Hongdengzhao newcor who had followed the two True Persons into office, the auctioneer's attitude beca even warr, 'Where is your residence, fellow Daoist? You only need to provide your residence address. There is no need to ntion anything about fulfilling requirents; you will forever be an honored guest of our demon-dividing ground.'
That total annual auction amount of two thousand spirit stones served to filter ordinary rogue cultivators, not this class of newcors. Yulou gave it so thought, and then reported the address of the residence Mo Yunshu had rented to him.
The Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda naturally lacked no robe shops. Fellow Daoist Yingxi took Wang Yulou along and forced him to accompany her in playing a small cultivation-style dress-up ga. Ultimately, she directly gifted Wang Yulou three robes. One high-grade and two mid-grade. Although the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda didn't carry the matching male and female styles she had been yearning for, by sending out three robes, she felt in her heart that she didn't lose out to Lin Ying.
Perhaps the advantage of a wealthy woman lay precisely in this. Facing the generous Zhou Yingxi, only one question popped up in Wang Yulou's mind—did Mu Changze take all the water he diluted into the spiritual spring and convert it into spirit stones to give to his daughter? Old Mu was such a ticulous person; how was Zhou Yingxi so generous?
However, right in front of the man's daughter, Wang Yulou naturally didn't dare to bring up the matter of Senior Mu Changze diluting water into the spring back then, and rely accepted the three robes silently. After all, his chastity had already been sacrificed under the forced coercion of a Grand Cultivator. If he didn't even receive so material compensation, wouldn't he, Wang Yulou, be taking too massive of a loss?
"Hmm, the Gu Family Tea House... so it's located here. It truly is remote. However, I've heard that this is a place for buying and selling intelligence. Are you certain there won't be any issues with you staying here?" Having escorted Wang Yulou back to the Gu Family Tea House, Zhou Yingxi asked with concern.
"Haha, Yingxi, there are things you don't know. The person in charge of the West Sea Immortal City's Gu Family is a close friend of Ancestor Jingyi." Wang Yulou replied with a smile.
Nodding her head, Zhou Yingxi once again avoided Wang Yulou's gaze before bidding farewell.
"Then, see you the day after tomorrow?"
Yulou understood that the girl's current state of mind must be incredibly complex, but he truly had one more question he needed to ask.
"See you the day after tomorrow. However, are we marrying at noon or in the evening?"
Zhou Yingxi was stunned, replying sowhat uncertainly, "Ah, it should be in the evening. I will send you a transmission later."
"Alright," Wang Yulou nodded with so helplessness. What a strange turn of events...
Mounting her green-bristle fox, Zhou Yingxi was about to leave. Yulou hesitated, but ultimately called out to stop her.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi!"
The female immortal riding on the fox's back turned around, looking at Wang Yulou with confusion.
"Today, so of the words I spoke weren't very appropriate. My apologies, it was Yulou who misunderstood you."
Wang Yulou could see that Zhou Yingxi's eyes crinkled with a smile, but her reply was incredibly calm.
"No matter. See you the day after tomorrow."
"Mm, see you the day after tomorrow."
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