Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

As dusk fell.

Tang Xiao prepared an extremely lavish banquet with great enthusiasm.

On the large round table, there was a wide variety of dishes, including even the meat of a demon beast at the Qi Refining stage.

Shen Shanshui couldn't help but sigh, "It's good to be rich." It was just a little strange, though; Tang Xiao looked like an ordinary person, so how did he manage to maintain this family fortune?

Although the laws of the Qin Dynasty were relatively strict in controlling cultivators, unlike the novels of my previous life where cultivators killed ordinary people like dogs, strength was ultimately the most important factor.

"So...delicious..."

At the dinner table, Shen Shanshui ate with relative restraint.

The old man from Langya Sword Pavilion clearly had no appetite.

Gu Meng'er kept her brows furrowed, staring at Shen Shanshui with considerable apprehension.

As for the Tang family father and son, they looked at Shen Lingxi in amazement.

Girl, you have a good appetite! How did you manage to stuff that in?

"Have some water, don't choke."

"Senior brother, you don't understand, drinking water makes your stomach bloated."

Shen Lingxi, with the air of a seasoned gourmand, rejected her senior brother's concern without a second thought.

Shen Shanshui shook his head, looking at Tang Xiao awkwardly.

"Excuse me."

"Ahem... Junior Sister... You have a good appetite! Haha..." Tang Xiao said with an awkward laugh.

……

"Patriarch Tang, not only were we unable to help this time, but we almost caused harm to your son. I am truly sorry."

The white-haired old man really didn't want to stay any longer.

"Ah... Immortal Master, there's no need for that. It's getting late. Why don't you stay the night at my residence and leave tomorrow?"

Although Tang Xiao was somewhat displeased that the old man had almost harmed his son, he remained extremely polite on the surface.

After all, he was an elder of a cultivation sect, and the difference in their status was vast.

"No need. The sect is busy with affairs. Since your son has been taken a liking by that senior, there's nothing I can do to help. I won't stay any longer."

The old man was determined to leave. After speaking, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and bowed again to Tang Xiao's empty back. Then, he left the Gu residence with a reluctant-looking Gu Meng'er.

Once they were far away from the Tang residence, Gu Meng'er finally couldn't help but say, "Master, I absolutely cannot let Brother Tang Yan be left to that stinky Taoist priest to mess around with."

He has absolutely no idea what the root of Tang Yan's problem is.

"So... you knew from the start that your master was destined to fail? And that you would put that brat Tang Yan in such a precarious situation?"

A cold glint flashed in the white-haired old man's eyes, and his aura suddenly became imposing without anger.

He dared not be presumptuous in front of Shen Shanshui, but after all, he was a cultivator who had reached the pinnacle of Qi cultivation.

Having been tricked by his own disciple, the old man would probably have killed Gu Meng'er with a single blow if he hadn't been mindful of the disciple's status.

"I...did not mean to deceive Master, but Brother Tang Yan's condition can only be addressed by breaking through the barrier and establishing a new one. After that, there will be a way to save Brother Tang Yan's life."

Gu Meng'er looked extremely unwilling, her pretty face showing not only frustration but also resentment.

The old man took a deep look at the disciple in front of him and sighed.

"Meng'er, I know you have an extraordinary background. Your entry into my Langya Sword Pavilion and your becoming my disciple is probably just a casual matter."

"But you still call me Master, so I'll teach you a lesson: Don't be arrogant!"

"The strong cannot be humiliated!"

The old man suppressed his anger, his tone tinged with resentment. He was referring to Shen Shanshui, but also alluding to himself.

Gu Meng'er is taking advantage of him like this. Does she really think he has a good temper?

"That Taoist priest was definitely at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he looked to be only in his early twenties. If he weren't an old Foundation Establishment monster deliberately maintaining a youthful appearance, do you know how terrifying he would be?"

Recalling Shen Shanshui, the old man felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

His Langya Sword Pavilion was not without Foundation Establishment cultivators. If Shen Shanshui's cultivation was only higher than his, it wouldn't have caused him to be in such a sorry state that he had to rush back to his sect overnight.

"How could there be such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator? The Heavenly Dao Sect? Just an unknown, obscure sect."

Gu Meng'er looked incredulous. In fact, she possessed a secret treasure that concealed her cultivation level. Her cultivation level was not at the third level of Qi Refining, but at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Even so, to reach the third level of Qi Refining at her age is something that can be found in the entire Jiangnan Prefecture, and she is already a genius among geniuses.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator in their early twenties was completely beyond her comprehension.

"The unassuming little girl next to him looks about your age."

"Do you know she is... a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

The old man paused, as if even he himself couldn't believe it.

"Could such a prodigy truly originate from a rogue sect? And who is this person who could have trained such a disciple?"

The old man looked up at the sky.

The weather was beautiful today, the Milky Way was dazzling, like a celestial river hanging upside down, extremely magnificent. But the old man had no mood to appreciate it, only a deep sadness.

He was over fifty years old when he reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, and now that he has one foot in the ground, he has only just touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

"This... is impossible."

If Shen Shanshui might be a Foundation Establishment expert pretending to be young, then Shen Lingxi, at such a young age, reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining, is definitely a prodigy among prodigies!

……

At this moment, inside the Tang residence, Shen Lingxi, who had eaten and drunk her fill and was sent to a guest room to cultivate by her senior brother, was unaware that she had caused serious psychological damage to others.

As for Shen Shanshui on the other side, he didn't care what the two people who left thought.

If you want to strengthen your sect, how can you not make a name for yourself?

"Take this pill, and your problem will be solved. From now on, you must not be involved in any worldly pleasures or romantic relationships."

In Shen Shanshui's palm, a primordial crimson pill exuding a rich medicinal fragrance lay quietly.

Just by holding it in his hand, Shen Shanshui felt it was burning hot, and a surging aura was emanating from it.

If Shen Shanshui hadn't locked it down so tightly, cultivators from within a hundred miles would probably have been attracted here.

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

"Thank you, Master!"

Although the Tang father and son were just ordinary people, they could feel the scorching heat emanating from the pills even through the air.

This is absolutely a top-tier opportunity!

"Um……?"

Just as Tang Xiao was happy for his son, his expression changed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Daoist Master, what did you just say we shouldn't get involved with?"

Tang Yan, who had just been excited, was also taken aback.

"The reason Tang Yan couldn't cultivate before was because of his special physique. He had a rare pure Yang Dao body, but... for some reason, his primordial Yang was deficient."

Shen Shanshui touched his nose, a strange look on his face. Cultivators also have desires, let alone ordinary people; this is actually normal.

In the Qin Dynasty, it was common for women to have children in their teens.

These words immediately created an awkward atmosphere.

Tang Xiao looked at his son with a strange expression, as if he needed to re-evaluate him.

Tang Yan panicked, his face flushed, and hurriedly explained, "Father... don't look at me! I discovered I couldn't cultivate when I was six years old. I was just a child then! How... how could I possibly... do such a thing?"

After a long while, Tang Xiao seemed to have thought of something, and his expression became very complicated.

"Alas, I've just remembered something."

"I knew it! There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"

Tang Xiao gently stroked Tang Yan's still-healing wounds, his eyes filled with affection.

"So, our family fortune was obtained at the cost of your future."

Although Shen Shanshui didn't speak, he was curious. He wondered how Tang Xiao, an ordinary person, could have amassed such a large fortune.

Given that so many spirit stones were spent on Tang Yanhua, they should have been robbed long ago. Someone must be secretly protecting him.

"Father, what exactly happened?"

Tang Yan was increasingly confused. All he wanted to know was the truth: who had harmed him!

……