Raise a sword!

Ordinary days always fly by.

Before we knew it, it was the third year of junior high school, the day of the mutual aid society gathering.

As evening fell, Jiang Peng arrived outside the Yutanglou, a well-known establishment in Cangshan Market, with the token in hand.

Liu Quan was waiting outside the Jade Hall Tower. When he saw Jiang Peng arrive, he quickly went forward to greet her and led her inside.

Jiang Peng looked around.

In Cangshan Market, there are several places where only the wealthy and powerful frequent.

Yutanglou is one of them.

This place is similar to a music and dance brothel in the mortal world, and the owner behind it is a big shot in the Cangshan Sect.

Jiang Peng didn't know who the important person was.

However, Jiang Peng knew that all the women working as prostitutes in the Jade Hall Tower possessed cultivation, and some of them were even cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Most of these women came from extraordinary backgrounds, but for various reasons, they were all banished here by Cangshan Pavilion, their paths to enlightenment cut off, and they became playthings for others.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't feel sorry for them."

Liu Quan, standing beside her, seemed to have noticed Jiang Peng's thoughts, so he casually pointed to a scantily clad, alluring woman who revealed a large expanse of snow-white skin.

"This is Miss Feng'er, a disciple of the Hunyang Sect... Fellow Daoist, have you heard of the Hunyang Sect?"

"No." Jiang Peng shook her head blankly.

Liu Quan chuckled.

"The Hunyang Sect is not well-known, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it. To put it simply, the Hunyang Sect is full of people who practice evil arts and dual cultivation."

"The orthodox path of dual cultivation is the union of yin and yang, but the Hunyang Sect is different. Their dual cultivation always involves draining a person dry before they are satisfied."

"Don't be fooled by her beauty and charm... When we captured her, she had already harmed seven or eight of our disciples."

Seemingly feeling that he hadn't explained things clearly enough, Liu Quan lowered his voice slightly.

"Disciples who had intimate relations with her had their vital energy completely drained. At best, their cultivation level regressed; at worst, their foundation was damaged and they could no longer cultivate."

Jiang Peng's gaze towards Feng'er immediately changed.

What a ruthless woman!

Feng'er, who was standing to the side, had clearly heard Liu Quan and Jiang Peng's conversation, yet she still managed to throw a flirtatious wink at Jiang Peng.

"If my lord is willing, Feng'er is also willing to enjoy a moment of pleasure with him."

"No...no need."

Liu Quan, smiling, didn't stop her. Instead, he said, "Her path to cultivation was cut off by the Foundation Establishment Elder. Although she still has cultivation, she can no longer cause trouble. If you're interested, you might as well try the taste of this female demon."

Jiang Peng pursed her lips and shook her head in refusal.

It's not that he's indifferent to women.

The key issue was that he only had a pittance in his pocket, so he really didn't have the confidence to spend money at Yutanglou.

Seeing this, Liu Quan felt a pang of regret.

"Fellow Daoist's determination to pursue the Dao is admirable... However, this female demon does indeed have some tricks up her sleeve."

Jiang Peng looked at Liu Quan in surprise.

So you personally tried it and found it really good, which is why you recommended it to me?

Noticing Jiang Peng's scrutiny, Liu Quan blushed slightly and explained, "Ahem, when this female demon was captured, two disciples whose foundations had been damaged pleaded for her... That's why I said this female demon is quite capable."

"I see," Jiang Peng said, suddenly understanding.

Just as the two reached the top of the stairs, Feng'er suddenly smiled charmingly: "Senior Brother Liu, it's been so long since we've been intimate. Feng'er has missed you terribly."

"Ahem, Fellow Daoist Jiang, let's go upstairs." Liu Quan pulled Jiang Peng along, and they quickly went upstairs.

...

Compared to the noise on the first floor, the second floor is much quieter.

Liu Quan led Jiang Peng to a rather spacious private room, where several people were already chatting in small groups.

Upon seeing Liu Quan appear with an unfamiliar face, many people cast scrutinizing glances at Jiang Peng.

"This is Fellow Daoist Jiang Peng. Even Elder Qin has praised his alchemy skills," Liu Quan said succinctly.

Upon hearing this, the scrutiny immediately dissipated, but no one took the initiative to approach and strike up a conversation.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, who is Elder Qin?" Jiang Peng asked, puzzled.

"I am the Second Elder of my Pill Refining Hall." Liu Quan looked at Jiang Peng. "Brother Jiang...may I address you as such?"

"Brother Liu," Jiang Peng said, bowing.

Liu Quan smiled and continued, "Our sect has a total of seven elders, six of whom are Foundation Establishment cultivators, while Elder Qin is only at the peak of Qi Refining."

"Elder Qin's alchemy skills are excellent?" Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow.

If someone could be exceptionally promoted to elder based on their Qi Refining cultivation and also serve in the Pill Hall, then this is the only possible outcome.

Liu Quan nodded and said, "Our sect has two second-tier alchemists. One is the Grand Elder of the Pill Hall, and the other is Elder Qin."

"Among the rogue cultivators whose names were crossed out in advance during this beast tide, there were only three alchemists... The other two were familiar faces, but you were a stranger, so Elder Qin personally inspected the pills you submitted."

Jiang Peng finally understood the whole story.

No wonder Liu Quan, an inner disciple, was so polite to him.

This unusual mutual aid society suddenly opened its doors to him, a low-level cultivator.

It turns out that there was a benefactor secretly helping him.

Although this matter was probably just something a noble person mentioned casually, and it's even possible that Elder Qin couldn't even remember Jiang Peng's name.

But for Jiang Peng, it was a great help.

As they were talking, the door to the private room was pushed open once again.

A young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes strode into the private room.

The moment this person appeared, everyone in the private room stood up and bowed to the young man.

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to be so polite," the young man said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"Who is this?" Jiang Peng asked, lowering her voice slightly.

Before Liu Quan could answer, the young man chuckled and said, "I initiated this mutual aid association. Fellow Daoist Jiang, just call me Brother Liu."

Jiang Peng was taken aback.

His voice was very low, but it was still heard.

Brother Liu.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang." The young man returned the greeting, and then began to talk with the others.

Liu Quan whispered, "This is Senior Brother Liu Qinghe, ranked third among the true disciples of the sect, and the disciple in the Pill Hall with the best chance of advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"It was also thanks to Senior Brother Liu's recommendation that I was able to find you, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Peng suddenly realized.

It's likely that Senior Brother Liu overheard Elder Qin's words, which led to his current presence in the mutual aid association.

After chatting for a while, Senior Brother Liu coughed lightly twice.

The entire private room fell silent.

Senior Brother Liu found a chair, moved it to an empty spot, and casually said, "Last time, Fellow Daoist Zhang explained the Dao of Talismans, which greatly benefited us. This time, I'll talk about the problems that are easily encountered in the later stages of Qi Refining."

"This is also a bitter lesson I learned during my years of wasting time at the peak of Qi cultivation... I'm telling you all about it now so that you won't make the same mistakes I did, and by then it will be too late to turn back."