Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

Hiss!

Seeing the female cultivator's face full of shame and indignation, yet unwilling to let go, Jiang Ming didn't indulge her either, and with his strong and powerful hand, he pulled her away as if peeling peanuts.

The thin gauze skirt suddenly ripped open, revealing a beautiful spring scene.

"What's the rush? You're so flirtatious. I thought you picked her up from a brothel."

"You bastard, say that again and see what happens!" Hearing his partner's painful groans, the gray-clad swordsman felt extremely distressed, but he had not yet achieved his goal.

They could only grit their teeth and watch Jiang Ming make his move.

"Stop touching it! Open your storage bag right now and hand over all your treasures, or I'll call my men over."

In this situation, even if we accuse you of rape, you won't be able to prove your innocence.

"Don't worry, I can explain it clearly. Thank you for your hospitality."

With a kick, Jiang Ming sent the female cultivator flying. His gaze turned cold and piercing as he flashed over, wiping the water off his hands on the swordsman's face.

He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help! Someone come here!"

Staring at Jiang Ming in astonishment, the gray-clad swordsman rubbed his mouth, his face contorted with disgust, and demanded sharply, "You bastard, aren't you afraid of going to jail?!"

Upon hearing the roar, Cheng Ya arrived with lightning speed.

Upon entering the room and seeing the female cultivator's bare body, he instantly blushed and quickly threw her a piece of clothing to cover her up.

His brows trembled with rage. "You call yourselves disciples of the Iron Saber Sect? You're shameless!"

"Miss Cheng, you've misunderstood. He took advantage of my vulnerability and tried to humiliate my Daoist partner!" Upon hearing Cheng Ya's rebuke, the gray-clad swordsman's mood sank, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Just as she was about to start arguing, Jiang Ming nimbly hid behind Cheng Ya and handed her a golden talisman.

"Idiot, I took a picture. Besides, I don't have a storage bag, and I didn't bring the treasure with me at all."

Jiang Ming casually tossed aside the fake item wrapped around his waist, his eyes filled with mockery, his calm and collected demeanor making the gray-clad swordsman feel a pang of pain in his heart.

So all his sacrifices were in vain!

"Meiniang, quickly escape from this place with me!" With a roar, her body flashed with an eerie red light, and the gray-clad swordsman dared not linger.

He wanted to tell his Daoist partner to escape, but when he turned around and saw the female cultivator kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, clutching her stomach in pain, he immediately realized something was wrong.

"You beast! When you defiled Meiniang, you used the Furnace Fire spell on her!" Hearing his furious shout, Jiang Ming thought this man was about to fly into a rage for the sake of a beautiful woman.

He immediately hid behind Cheng Ya, his expression extremely cautious.

Unexpectedly, the gray-clad swordsman abandoned the female cultivator and fled the next second.

Cheng Ya glanced at him with a cold smile, but didn't chase after him. She stayed where she was, silently watching the image-recording talisman...

With a whoosh, he put the talisman away.

Cheng Ya's pretty face flushed crimson. She glared at Jiang Ming with embarrassment and snapped, "I misjudged you! You're shameless!"

With a wail, flames erupted from the female cultivator's body.

Seeing this, Cheng Ya made a hand seal, and instantly, a wisp of water vapor extinguished the scorching flames, then condensed into a ball, tightly covering the female cultivator's cheeks.

"Miss Cheng, what's going on?" she asked in surprise.

Before Jiang Ming could finish speaking, Cheng Ya calmly explained, "Your methods are too ruthless; I can't bear to do it."

"Just drown her, at least she'll have a whole body."

"..."

"Miss, the person who escaped has been caught. What should we do with him?" The Cheng family guards bowed respectfully.

"Kill him. How can we forgive him for such despicable acts in the Cheng family?"

Despite being only at the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, she listens to Cheng Ya's every word, which suggests that this girl holds a very high position in her family.

After a moment of reflection, while Cheng Ya was giving instructions, Jiang Ming quickly searched for spoils of war, and in no time he had looted two hundred spirit notes and a black iron longsword.

"You scoundrel." Noticing Jiang Ming's little trick, Cheng Ya turned around and stared at him intently, seemingly too lazy to say anything, and turned away sullenly.

He returned shortly afterward, leaving behind a bulging storage bag. He glanced down at Jiang Ming with a disdainful look and said in a magnanimous manner.

"The Cheng family doesn't need these few things. You can keep these two people's belongings yourself."

Although you are cunning in your actions, you do have some good fortune. If it were anyone else, they would most likely have fallen into your trap if they were not on guard.

"I won't charge you spirit stones for the image-recording talisman. How about we make a good connection and you become a guest retainer of the Cheng family?"

"What's the pay like?" Jiang Ming asked, scratching his head with a curious look.

"You're really straightforward," Cheng Ya said, rubbing her temples. She didn't keep them in suspense and patiently explained the situation.

"Your cultivation level is a bit low. Logically speaking, you are not qualified to be a guest elder. This time, I am making an exception and hiring you."

The Cheng family's white-robed retainer receives an annual salary of two hundred spirit stones, plus miscellaneous benefits, totaling about three hundred spirit stones a year.

"I am willing to serve Miss Cheng!" Jiang Ming bowed formally and readily agreed, "Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Otherwise, I won't feel at ease holding onto these spirit stones."

"...We don't need you for now. Let's talk about it later. Are you a disciple of the Myriad Laws Sect?"

"From the outer sect." The power of money forced Jiang Ming to lower his proud head and answer respectfully.

"It's alright. I believe that with your abilities, entering the inner sect will not be difficult."

The Wanfa Sect has a strong foundation and ranks among the top three in strength in Tongzhou.

It's a bit messy, but it's definitely a good place for you.

"I will heed Miss Cheng's teachings!" he roared, full of energy.

"Can you stop being so deliberately respectful? It's so awkward..." She raised her fair little hand and slapped Jiang Ming unhappily.

Seeing that his fawning expression had faded, Cheng Ya finally smiled slightly and walked briskly, "The banquet isn't over yet. Do you want to socialize with me and make some connections?"

"Miss Cheng is broad-minded and makes friends with me without being bound by conventions. Others may not have this magnanimity."

"I won't go and humiliate myself," Jiang Ming said tactfully.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ya's lips curled up slightly.

"That's a nice thing to say. Alright then, I'll send you the spirit stones and guest token later."

Watching her departing figure, Jiang Ming silently returned to the banquet and enjoyed a great deal of spiritual fruits and wine.

With his current abilities, it's far more practical for him to acquire more resources than to build connections.

Networking is reciprocal; if you don't demonstrate enough value, who will sincerely help you?

……

In the evening, he sat cross-legged in his guest room, concentrating on refining the spirit stones.

Outside the door, Cheng Ya gently knocked, her soft voice coming through the doorway, "Are you asleep?"

"Please come in." I got up and opened the door. A strong smell of alcohol hit me, mixed with the fragrance of perfume. The smell was quite strange.

"Given the size of the Cheng family, does Miss Cheng really need to entertain them like this?" Jiang Ming looked at him with a puzzled expression, his mind full of doubts.

"In the end, we have to rely on ourselves. The family is strong, not me. The Cheng family is prosperous and its descendants are numerous."

I'm just an ordinary person. If I want to stand out from the crowd, I naturally have to work harder.

Otherwise, when they reach a certain age, they'll be forced into arranged marriages by their families, becoming mere tools for procreation...

Perhaps slightly tipsy, Cheng Ya looked troubled and dejected as she spoke of the difficulties she had faced. However, she quickly regained her composure and said in a clear voice, "Here are the spirit stones and the guest token."

The promised perk, I took it upon myself to change it to a storage bag.

It's quite a coincidence, but I actually do need your help with something..."