A woman said, "Carry her away, treat her well. Teach her the rules. Rest assured, no man will touch you during this ti."
"But... I’m just afraid you’ll end up begging a man to touch you."
Nangong Liuli coldly replied, "Such degradation, pfft! How could I, Nangong Liuli, succumb to your words?"
The four won chuckled, saying, "You just keep pretending. Let’s see how long you can act tough. We’ve seen plenty of girls like you."
"No matter how noble your background was, or how good your practice. Once you’re here, none of that matters."
Nangong Liuli gritted her teeth, turning her gaze away. She noticed Li Xian watching the whole ti, giving him a fierce glare, thinking, "You little flower thief, we’ve been through thick and thin together. They... they talk about like this, and you don’t even defend . They have four mouths, and I only have one, naturally I lose."
Flushed with anger, she thought, "They... they are going too far, how can they say such things about ! Saying I’m enjoying this."
But despite her resistance, she was carried away by the four won. Taken through the dark secret passageway, straight into a building.
Li Xian furrowed his brows, watching Nangong Liuli leave, thinking, "Though Nangong Liuli has been taken away, her life is not in danger, nor will she be humiliated. Since we’re at the Water Altar, I should explore this secret place."
He went to the deck, seeing many disciples all waiting there. The ship’s gangway was narrow, only allowing two people to pass. Impatiently, he jumped from the deck into the lake water, swimming to the shore.
Senior Brother Qiao said, "We have indeed arrived at the Water Altar, my Junior Brother." Li Xian asked, "Senior Brother Qiao, have you been here before?"
Senior Brother Qiao said, "Hehe... I ca here once before."
On the shore, Li Xian stepped on solid ground, having overco many hurdles to arrive here. Senior Brother Qiao said, "Junior Brother Hua, you did well on the journey here. Elder Ye praised you highly and specifically asked to show you around."
Li Xian smiled and said, "Then thank you, Senior Brother Qiao."
Senior Brother Qiao said, "It’s no trouble at all. Besides, I haven’t been back for a long ti and wanted to wander around too."
Leaving the docks, they walked a few miles along a small path. Flowers surrounded them on both sides, blooming brightly. The peach trees were neatly arranged.
This was a flower maze. It could trap people in a chaos of blooms, especially effective on won. With soone guiding through the maze, they suddenly saw a small town.
Li Xian said in surprise, "Our Flower Cage Sect disciples are so nurous to form a town?"
Senior Brother Qiao laughed, "Junior Brother Hua, you think the sa as I did. The first ti I arrived in this town, I was just as amazed."
"Actually, the residents of this town are not part of the Flower Cage Sect."
Li Xian felt very surprised. If they weren’t part of the sect, how could they live in such an important place? Senior Brother Qiao said, "Our Flower Cage Sect disciples travel far and wide, across the seas, and sotis there is no one on the island. This island is quite large, and leaving it empty would be a sha."
"Moreover, Dongran Lake’s surface is vast. Often there are fishern, tourists... drifting nearby by chance. Gradually, this evolved into a small town to maintain the island’s operation, bringing vitality to it."
Li Xian said thoughtfully, "Could the secret location be leaked?"
Senior Brother Qiao said, "Even if they did leave, they could hardly find their way back here. And once on this island, they’ll never set foot off it again."
As they talked, they walked into the small town. It was bustling with people, very lively. The town brewed wine from flowers, raised bees for honey, and appeared strangely peaceful.
Li Xian suddenly felt, "Who would have thought that the infamous Flower Cage Sect... the location of the Water Altar would be such a peach blossom paradise. The people here live peacefully, unaware of worldly affairs, truly enjoying their lives."
Senior Brother Qiao said, "Over generations, there are seven such small towns. In fact... the townsfolk and the Flower Cage Sect are deeply linked."
"Look over there."
In the distant mountains, a Copper Tripod stood tall.
Senior Brother Qiao said, "Boiling Essence Food requires a lot of water. The residents of these towns don’t have to pay a silver tax, but they do have to pay a [dew tax]."
Li Xian curiously asked, "Dew tax?"
Senior Brother Qiao said, "For boiling Essence Food, we use the ’flower and herb crystal dew,’ which is excellent water, highly suitable for boiling."
"But collecting it takes ti, requiring farrs to gather it drop by drop. The residents of the town collect dew and submit it to us to use for boiling Essence Food, saving the effort of transporting water."
"Moreover, the flower wine and honey from the towns are rare specialties. When we leave the altar, we sell them outside, earning money."
Li Xian reflected, "Every sect I know has its own business endeavors to maintain the flow of money. When the day cos for to establish my own base, how to generate wealth... will be of the utmost importance!"
Suddenly, Li Xian halted, his pupils narrowing. He saw a familiar figure.
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