Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

"Master, this island is extremely far from the shore. There are no bridges for people to walk on, nor are there any boats to take."

Tang Yan felt that this was the legendary test that the strong put on young geniuses.

The headmaster of Donglou Academy must be quite capable, and the other party, being a headmaster, must also be a highly accomplished and refined individual.

"Um……"

Shen Shanshui frowned slightly, remaining silent. He simply grabbed his junior sister and the eager Tang Yan with one hand each and walked across the water. In a few breaths, they reached the island.

Tang Yan was stunned; this was not what he had expected.

When a genius emerges from seclusion, he is bound to encounter some hardships, being tested or even targeted by cultivators who embarked on the path of cultivation before him. Then, he rises against all odds, sweeping all before him, and becomes famous throughout the world.

Is Master trying to prevent him from becoming famous?

Shen Shanshui was unaware of, and did not want to know, the chaotic thoughts in Tang Yan's mind.

"I have been entrusted by Liu Jiujiang, the magistrate of Qingyang County, to request that the libationer appear in person."

Shen Shanshui was not reckless and pushed the door open to go in directly, still showing the proper etiquette.

"Liu Jiujiang? Are you sure?"

A clear and ethereal voice drifted from the courtyard.

In the blink of an eye, a woman dressed in a scholar's robe appeared before the three of them.

Tang Yan and Shen Lingxi never expected that the headmaster of the East Tower Academy would be such an incredibly beautiful woman, though she dressed in a way that didn't resemble a woman at all.

Although the Qin Dynasty did not prohibit women from wearing men's clothing, women dressed like the one before them were extremely rare.

dong dong...

Two soft sounds rang out on Shen Lingxi and Tang Yan's foreheads.

"Waaah~ (Senior brother, why did you hit me?)" Shen Lingxi covered her head, unable to speak, but that didn't stop her from expressing her dissatisfaction.

Her senior brother seemed to have a bit of a temper lately. Could it be that he fell out of favor after taking on a disciple? But seeing Tang Yan covering his head as well, she felt relieved.

Tang Yan rubbed his head, not daring to voice his opinion. It was only right for a master to beat his disciple.

"My junior sister and disciple are ignorant of etiquette, please forgive them, fellow Daoist."

"It was indeed Magistrate Liu who asked me to deliver a jade slip."

Shen Shanshui bowed in greeting. He regretted leaving the two at the inn instead of bringing them along.

This female priestess didn't even hide her Foundation Establishment fluctuations, and these two were staring at her up and down. Weren't they afraid of being slapped to death?

Li Dongzhu's expression remained aloof, revealing no emotion. She turned and waved her sleeve, then ran off, saying, "Come with me."

He led the three into the courtyard.

The courtyard is not large, with only one side room, and some common flowers and plants that you would see in an ordinary household.

Li Dongzhu sat down on the mat, then gestured for the three of them to sit down and talk as well.

Shen Shanshui took the jade slip out of his storage bag, used his spiritual power to drag it over and hand it over, and then sat down.

"Is it really Liu Jiujiang's divine sense?"

A strange smile appeared on Li Dongzhu's cool face, which, combined with her stunning profile, was indeed quite amazing.

Of course, Shen Shanshui had no other thoughts. Cultivators with high cultivation levels are almost never ugly as long as they are willing to maintain their youthful appearance.

After reading the jade slip, Li Dongzhu looked up at Shen Shanshui, who had kept his eyes closed.

"What is your relationship with those two people?"

The two people Li Dongzhu mentioned were naturally Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan.

Shen Shanshui sensed that the female priestess knew the two of them, and that their relationship was quite close. However… it didn't seem like they were friends.

"These two seniors have helped me."

"Not a disciple of those two."

"My master has already passed away."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere fell silent again, with a strange sense of tension.

Tang Yan and Shen Lingxi didn't dare to say a word, afraid that Shen Shanshui would hit them both again.

"I understand now... You were sent by those two to provoke me?"

Li Dongzhu suddenly let out a cold snort.

Shen Shanshui's heart skipped a beat, and in a flash, he hurriedly grabbed his junior sister and Tang Yan's arms.

"Want to leave?"

"Stay!"

A massive fist-shaped aura of spiritual energy crashed down from nowhere!

Shen Shanshui was already in danger of the Bifeng calamity, and with Shen Lingxi and Tang Yan by his side, he forcibly activated his spiritual energy to resist it. The Bifeng in his Qi Sea immediately surged, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!"

"Senior brother!"

The spiritual energy of Shen Shanshui was disordered, and the silencing spell cast on Shen Lingxi automatically became ineffective.

"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?"

Shen Shanshui forcefully suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body. He shielded the two behind him, his eyes still closed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his sword pointing out the crisscrossing sword energy.

Seeing that Shen Shanshui was so fragile that he spat out blood with just a simple punch, Li Dongzhu did not press her advantage but stared at him strangely.

"Are you experiencing a disaster?"

"So what if it is? If you think you can easily manipulate me like this, feel free to try!"

Although Shen Shanshui spoke calmly, he was furious inside. He wasn't made of clay, and if he weren't in such a bad state, he would have definitely fought this eccentric woman.

"Hmph! Haven't you ever seen the jade slip?"

"You're being unreasonable, woman! How could my senior brother possibly be spying on someone else's communication jade slip?"

Shen Lingxi's eyes were practically spitting fire. If Shen Shanshui hadn't stopped her, she would have taken a big bite even if she couldn't beat the other party.

Li Dongzhu clearly didn't want to take advantage of someone's misfortune, and coldly snorted as she tossed the jade slip over.

Shen Shanshui coldly accepted the jade slip.

[To my dear sister Dongzhu, it is as if we are meeting in person upon reading this letter.]

Brother and Lianshan benefited greatly from what happened back then. I still admire Dongzhu's extraordinary wisdom to this day.

Over the years, we have both gained some insights. I wonder if you will be able to witness Dongzhu's astonishing strength next time, rather than his astonishing wisdom?

My brother has a young friend who is going to Jiangling City soon, and I would like to ask Dongzhu to take care of him and provide him with accommodation.

The jade slip contained few words, yet every word was piercing to the heart.

Shen Shanshui smiled bitterly to himself. Wasn't Magistrate Liu deliberately setting him up?

They'll provide lodging for this? You injured yourself and then try to extort money from them?

Although it is unclear what the grudges were between the three, it is likely that they were rivals among peers.

Moreover, it seems that Li Dongzhu has won, but it wasn't a glorious victory.

What incredible wisdom! It's utterly sarcastic, no wonder Li Dongzhu was angry, who could stand it?

Is this the victor in that battle of egos?

Based on the feeling from that punch just now... he didn't know how good Liu Jiujiang was, but he was definitely no match for Wu Lianshan.

Even if Li Dongzhu was only testing the waters, the momentum and artistic conception contained within were far from sufficient.

Sweep Li Dongzhu with your divine sense. The other party's angry and out-of-control appearance doesn't seem to indicate any extraordinary wisdom.

"lecher!"

Upon sensing Shen Shanshui's divine sense sweeping over, Li Dongzhu was immediately jolted back.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Shanshui cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist, I am unaware of your personal grievances and have no intention of getting involved."

This is just a misunderstanding. May the three of us leave on our own?

"You've offended me and you think you can just leave? Didn't that bastard Liu Jiujiang tell me to find you a place to stay? Well, then you can stay here!"

Li Dongzhu was confident that Shen Shanshui was safe from her; he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator going through a disaster, and she didn't take him seriously.

……