Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

"If you try to escape again, I'll go back and kill that little girl!"

Shen Shanshui had never cultivated any speed-related supernatural abilities, so he simply couldn't catch up and could only resort to using Gu Meng'er as a threat.

Unfortunately, the woman pretended not to hear and remained silent, instead moving even faster than before, disappearing into a desolate primeval forest.

Shen Shanshui eventually lost track of him, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

As expected, a cultivator's bottom line shouldn't be too high; he was so decisive in betraying his teammates.

This woman was a seasoned veteran; she knew that only if she herself lived could Gu Meng'er be truly safe.

Shen Shanshui, filled with resentment, flew back the way he came.

After an unknown amount of time, as dusk fell, they found themselves in a thicket of bushes.

The woman staggered out, bright red blood continuously flowing from her mouth, her face pale and extremely weak.

However, just as she was about to sit cross-legged to heal her wounds, a voice suddenly came from behind her, which made her feel terrified.

"Finally, they fell for it..."

Before the woman could retaliate, a sharp pain shot through her mind, as if she had been struck by a giant hammer, and she collapsed instantly.

He hooked one arm around the woman's slender waist, looking at the unconscious woman in his arms. Shen Shanshui's fingers quickly and sharply pressed down, sealing several of her major acupoints.

"I've been waiting for ages."

Seeing that the other person was dressed in rags, Shen Shanshui hesitated for a moment before taking out a black robe from his storage bag and draping it over the other person.

Even if his Dao heart is firm, it is ultimately not appropriate to keep watching like this.

The reason Shen Shanshui spared Tang Yan's life was that he wanted to find out which force had its eye on him.

……

……

At the border between Qingyang County and Longshan County, the treasure ship lies quietly on the lake.

Tang Yan had been untied, and Gu Meng'er sat to the side, head down and lost in thought.

The two did not exchange a word, and the atmosphere was very quiet.

The magistrate of Longshan County had been gone for a long time, and Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan quietly awaited Shen Shanshui's return.

"Could something have gone wrong?"

Wu Lianshan frowned, already losing patience.

Liu Jiujiang shook his head: "It shouldn't be. I haven't sensed any fluctuations from the exchange of supernatural powers within a radius of ten thousand miles."

Just as the two were talking, Shen Shanshui finally returned with his men.

"This matter is truly thanks to the two of you; I now owe you another great favor!"

Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan, as the officials in charge of Qingyang County, certainly served the people well. But Shen Shanshui cannot take it for granted.

During the battle just now, a strange man suddenly appeared. Shen Shanshui naturally sensed the presence of this man.

His original intention was simply to have the two of them take Tang Yan away in time if a fight broke out, but he never expected that there were other people hiding in the shadows.

If it weren't for the two of them being there, something else might have happened.

"Young friend, you're too kind. Tang Yan is just a resident of Qingyang County, it's my duty."

Liu Jiujiang led Wu Lianshan over with a smile.

"this……"

When the two saw Shen Shanshui return with someone in his arms, they only glanced at him out of curiosity.

When that face came into view, Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan were momentarily stunned, as if infected by some invisible force, their breathing rhythm became disordered.

"Aunt Liu!"

Gu Meng'er saw the pale-faced woman wrapped in a black robe in Shen Shanshui's arms with her beautiful eyes closed, and ran over excitedly.

Shen Shanshui did not stop her, since he had already sealed several of the woman's major acupoints anyway, and directly handed the woman in his arms to Gu Meng'er.

Upon discovering that Aunt Liu was only injured and unconscious, Gu Meng'er breathed a sigh of relief and gave Shen Shanshui a slight bow: "Thank you for your mercy, senior."

Shen Shanshui nodded indifferently.

It wasn't until Gu Meng'er carried the woman to the side that Shen Shanshui turned his gaze back and noticed that the two people in front of him had strange expressions.

His cheeks were flushed, but his expression was more one of annoyance and embarrassment. Wu Lianshan gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, looking like he wanted to chop someone down but didn't know who to chop.

"What are you two doing here...?"

Shen Shanshui was stunned for a moment. Everything was fine just now, so what happened?

Liu Jiujiang took a deep breath, coughed lightly, and quickly regained his composure, smiling as he remarked, "Truly, your reputation is well-deserved!"

"Um?"

Could these two be...? Shen Shanshui turned her head to look to the side.

Gu Meng'er laid the woman flat on the deck, fed her a few pills, and then tried to use her spiritual energy to heal her injuries.

Heart of beauty in everyone.

Worldly desires are not exempt for cultivators; in fact, some powerful cultivators are even more obsessed with power and beauty than ordinary people. However, compared to ordinary people, cultivators are better at self-control.

This woman is indeed quite beautiful, one might say she's a masterpiece of Nuwa's skill, but surely not enough to make two Foundation Establishment cultivators lose their composure?

Moreover, these two have gone extremely far on the path of proving the Dao through force, and are only one step away from reaching the Golden Core stage of Dao Integration at the peak of the Nourishing Intent stage.

"snort!"

Wu Lianshan was not good at expressing himself. He gave a cold snort as his last act of defiance and went to the bow of the boat to look at the river view.

"Um... what did you do to that woman, young friend?"

Liu Jiujiang's words were relatively tactful, but Shen Shanshui, being a man, certainly understood immediately.

But he didn't understand why Liu Jiujiang suddenly asked that question.

In their previous battle, neither side held back; they were fighting to the death. If Shen Shanshui hadn't wanted to extract some information, he wouldn't have spared the woman's life until now.

In this situation, why would he still have time to think about those things? Does he look very hungry?

"How about we rephrase the question? Young friend, is your virility still intact?"

"Magistrate, please don't joke around. I am not that kind of person!"

Shen Shanshui abruptly waved his Taoist robe, feeling that this was an insult to his dignity.

The atmosphere became awkward, but the smile on Liu Jiujiang's face disappeared, and his gaze was fixed on Shen Shanshui.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, it is precisely because I believe that I am so surprised."

"If I'm not mistaken, this woman's background is probably extraordinary, and there's something more to her than meets the eye."

Liu Jiujiang scrutinized Shen Shanshui, as if trying to see through him.

Shen Shanshui's expression hardened. Recalling the two people's outbursts earlier, could it be that the woman really had something strange about her?

After a moment of silence, Liu Jiujiang put his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in memories.

"About twenty-five years ago, a major event that shook Yunzhou occurred in Tianyang Prefecture, which borders Jiangnan Prefecture! Are you aware of it?"

Shen Shanshui shook his head. He wasn't even born yet, how would he know?

Liu Jiujiang was taken aback for a moment, then his face showed great surprise.

"Are you not even thirty yet?!"

Is this kid really that young? Judging from the other person's behavior, he judged that the other person's real age should not be very high, and in his opinion, he was still inexperienced in the ways of the world.

But to my surprise, he wasn't even thirty. A Foundation Establishment cultivator under thirty is terrifying; it's unheard of.

Is it something so important that you absolutely need to know?

Shen Shanshui scratched his head. He hadn't hidden his age; his household registration was in Qingyang County, which was verifiable.

Liu Jiujiang had of course investigated Shen Shanshui. How could he not investigate when a Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly appeared in his jurisdiction?

However, there are too many fake household registrations among cultivators. It is normal for many cultivators to buy a household registration in order to avoid enemies or to find a place to cultivate in seclusion without being disturbed.

Over time, the household registration system of the Immortal Dynasty became a complete mess.

Therefore, Liu Jiujiang initially thought that Shen Shanshui was in the same situation. Otherwise, who would dare to imagine that someone could reach the Foundation Establishment stage in their early twenties?

Both he and Wu Lianshan reached the Foundation Establishment stage in their fifties, which already makes them geniuses.