Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

Inside the dim and damp cave, the dim candlelight flickered, occasionally accompanied by the sound of dripping water.

"Cough cough..."

Liu Ruyan lay on the stone bed covered with a thin layer of dry grass, and slowly woke up after a clear cough. Qi Mei's face was still pale, and the wounds on her body had already scabbed over.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, being injured and forced to settle in such a dilapidated place is a truly desolate experience.

Since Tianyi Temple had limited rooms, after bringing her and Gu Meng'er back together, Shen Shanshui casually created a cave dwelling on the mountain to house the two of them.

If some male cultivators knew that Shen Shanshui treated two delicate beauties this way, they would surely criticize him for having no manners.

But Shen Shanshui didn't care about so-called manners. Did he expect to treat the captured enemy as a god?

"Aunt Liu, you're awake!"

Gu Meng'er was overjoyed to realize that Liu Ruyan had regained consciousness, and the weight in her heart was finally lifted.

She had previously given Liu Ruyan healing pills, but because Shen Shanshui had sealed many of Liu Ruyan's acupoints, the medicinal power remained trapped in her abdomen and could not be dissipated, so the effect was really limited.

"Meng'er, what's going on here?"

With Gu Meng'er's help, Liu Ruyan forced herself to sit up despite the pain. Her inability to mobilize her spiritual power left her extremely weak.

Her memory was still stuck on the time when she was being chased by Shen Shanshui, and she only remembered that she ultimately failed to escape.

Thinking of this, Liu Ruyan's heart skipped a beat, but the results of her self-examination left her with mixed feelings.

"Aunt Liu, you should get some rest. This time, it was Meng'er who caused you trouble."

Gu Meng'er never imagined things would develop to this point, and she felt guilty.

While the two were talking, Shen Shanshui appeared silently to their side without them noticing.

"Now that you're awake, we should have a chat."

Even though the cave was dark and the two couldn't see Shen Shanshui's expression, the faint killing intent emanating from him still sent chills down their spines.

Shen Shanshui wasn't just trying to scare the two women; he had indeed been considering how to deal with them for some time now.

There are only two choices: kill or not kill.

"Let Meng'er go, I'll stay... and do whatever you want with me!"

Liu Ruyan seemed to have made up her mind, her clear and cold voice carrying a hint of resigned desolation.

"No, Aunt Liu! Absolutely not!"

Gu Meng'er's eyes were already brimming with tears. She knew that Liu Ruyan possessed a special ability. If she were to leave her behind, she didn't know what kind of torment she would suffer.

"Meng'er, consider this me repaying a favor. This is my fate, I couldn't escape it. I'm already content with the freedom I've stolen over these past twenty years."

Watching the two put on a melodramatic show in front of him, Shen Shanshui was speechless. He hadn't said anything or made any unreasonable demands, so why was he being treated like a pervert?

Was it the murderous intent he displayed when he first appeared that was too oppressive?

If Lingxi saw this, wouldn't his seemingly tall and imposing senior brother be misunderstood as a lecher?

"cough……"

Shen Shanshui coughed lightly and said in a slightly gentler tone, "This humble Taoist is not interested in Fellow Taoist Liu's... that Dao Fruit, but I have a few questions I would like to ask."

Upon hearing this, neither Liu Ruyan nor Gu Meng'er believed it. Liu Ruyan's possession of the nascent Dao Fruit was not merely a source of madness for the cultivators of the Yin-Yang Dao in Tianyang Prefecture.

Before a cultivator has walked their own path and condensed their Dao fruit, they are like a blank sheet of paper, easily influenced by the morality of others.

Therefore, when Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan saw Liu Ruyan, it was not because they suddenly became lustful, but because their own Daoist hearts were instantly corrupted.

Fortunately, both of them were strong-willed and quickly recovered. However, prolonged contact with Liu Ruyan would still subtly influence them.

Shen Shanshui was unaware of these things, after all, his foundation was shallow, how could he understand the terrifying power of the Dao Fruit that only a Dao Venerable could condense.

"Please ask, senior. If I can answer, I won't hide anything."

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Gu Meng'er is a bit stubborn, but she's not stupid. She knows that only by cooperating with Shen Shanshui can she and Liu Ruyan possibly survive.

"This humble Taoist would like to know which forces have their eyes on my disciple?"

This is what Shen Shanshui most urgently wants to know right now.

The enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light. You can only be a thief for a thousand days, not a thief for a thousand days. He dislikes being passive.

"So what if the senior finds out?"

Gu Meng'er wasn't mocking Shen Shanshui for his low strength, but genuinely felt that a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a rural area couldn't handle this matter.

If it were really that easy, Gu Meng'er wouldn't have thought of kidnapping Tang Yan to Tianyang Mansion.

"This humble Taoist priest asks you a question; simply answer it!"

Shen Shanshui's tone became a bit harsher; he was now being patient.

He wasn't made of clay either; he had just taken in a disciple with exceptional talent, which resulted in a series of troubles, and he was equally angry.

"Tianyang Prefecture, Xiaoxiang Sword Pavilion."

"The Demon Clan of Qianlong River, the Dragon Lord's Palace."

"Dragon Lord? Are there really real dragons in this world?"

Shen Shanshui raised an eyebrow. He wasn't intimidated by the names; they were all forces he didn't recognize anyway.

However, the title "Dragon Lord" carries profound implications, and Shen Shanshui, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, vaguely sensed them.

"Dragons are inherently lustful. They are extremely interested in Brother Tang Yan and want to... well, they also want to harm people."

Gu Meng'er seemed to want to stop talking halfway through her sentence.

Shen Shanshui understood; the demon cultivator from the Dragon Lord's Mansion probably wanted to test the strength of the Pure Yang Dao Body. Even if it didn't harm Tang Yan's life, it would still harm Tang Yan's cultivation.

It's hard to tell whether it's a male or female dragon. Dragons are mythical creatures, and anything is possible, which really tests one's imagination.

"So, you're from Xiaoxiang Sword Pavilion, young lady?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Meng'er's emotions fluctuated instantly, and she quickly retorted:

"How could I possibly associate with those vixens? Their desire for Brother Tang Yan is purely lustful."

"Tsk..."

Seeing Gu Meng'er's reaction, Shen Shanshui knew there was no need to ask any more questions.

According to Gu Meng'er, these two forces are interested in Tang Yan, but they shouldn't be overly enthusiastic.

The gray-haired old man and the person injured by Wu Lianshan earlier did not seem to be cultivators from these two forces.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Shanshui asked again, "Then where are you and Fellow Daoist Liu from?"

Gu Meng'er turned her gaze away, clearly not wanting to speak.

"Senior, I would never harm Brother Tang Yan."

When my father first found Tang Yan, he wanted to exchange wealth for the opportunity to obtain the Pure Yang Dao Body.

But by then, Yuanyang had already been beaten to it, and their efforts were in vain. Even so, they have kept their promise all these years, quietly protecting the Tang family.

Gu Meng'er was emotionally agitated, and there was no sign of her faking it.

However, upon hearing this answer, Shen Shanshui became even more uneasy. It was clear that other forces were involved.

According to Gu Meng'er's account, it was Gu Meng'er's father who proposed the deal with Tang Xiao, but it wasn't him who actually took Yuan Yang.

A moment of silence followed.

Shen Shanshui abruptly changed the subject, a smile inexplicably appearing on his lips as he stared at Gu Meng'er.

Gu Meng'er felt a chill run down her spine; being stared at like that by a Foundation Establishment cultivator was not a pleasant feeling.

"You actually have a way to escape from here, right?"

"I don't think I'll take things seriously if you just tell me nicely; I only take things seriously if you force me to tell you."

……