The Rise of the Witch

The lady walked straight over and sat down gracefully next to Xing Yang, her delicate fragrance filling the air.

She picked up the wine pot, poured two cups of clear wine, and gracefully lifted one cup with her delicate hand, presenting it to Xing Yang. With a smile, she said, "Brother Xing, your presence is an honor to my humble shop. I've come especially to invite you for a drink."

Xing Yang, holding his wine glass, smiled and said, "Madam, you're too kind."

The lady faced him, propped her cheek with one hand, and held up a glass of wine in the other as a gesture. Then she tilted her head back and slowly gulped it down into her mouth.

That movement, that uniquely feminine charm and boldness, all the myriad of emotions were revealed in that one drink.

Xing Yang made no attempt to hide his admiration, and immediately downed his drink, showing her the empty glass.

The lady rose with satisfaction and said, "Since there are other people around today, I won't disturb your meal. Please remember to come again in the future."

Know your limits and when to advance or retreat.

Xing Yang smiled and said, "Definitely... By the way, I haven't yet asked your name, Madam?"

The lady walked to the door, turned around and said, "Cangyunqiu, Cang as in Cangjie, Yun as in clouds, Qiu as in autumn."

After everyone left, Ren Yanzhu and Su Qiantong finally came to their senses. Even though they were both women, they were speechless under Cang Yunqiu's aura and were completely ignored.

Only then did Su Qiantong urgently ask, "Cang! Is it the Cang from the Shi Huang family? My lord, what is your relationship with her?"

  

Xing Yang asked curiously, "As mentioned before, we met once... Is there any particular custom regarding the Shi Huang family's granaries?"

Su Qiantong exclaimed in amazement, "Cangjie, the right-hand historian of the ancient Yellow Emperor! He observed the changes in celestial bodies, examined the shells of tortoises, bird feathers, mountains and rivers, and the lines on the palms of fingers, and created characters. He is hailed as one of the Four Sages!"

Ren Yanzhu added, "The Shi Huang clan is a lineage descended from Cangjie, and it is the main lineage."

Su Qiantong said, "Legend has it that Cangjie had four eyes, which allowed him to observe the ultimate principles of heaven and earth and perceive the essence of all things. However, his bloodline has degenerated now..."

At this point, as if remembering something, she turned her head and asked, "Leng Bingbing, I remember there was a rumor that a woman from the Shi Huang clan had a bloodline that had reverted to her ancestral form, inheriting top-grade witch blood. She was born with three eyes on her forehead and was taken in by a man from the Xiling clan... Could it be her?"

"It must be her!"

Ren Yanzhu said calmly, "However, before she even entered the sect, that person disappeared without a trace. It is said that he died, and since then, no one has dared to marry this woman."

Su Qiantong nodded and sighed, "That's true. Who would dare to marry a woman the Xiling Clan has their eye on? Besides, she has top-grade witch blood; how could an ordinary person be worthy of her?"

Ren Yanzhu shook her head and said, "The Shi Huang clan has fallen, but it still possesses top-grade witch blood. It's like a child carrying gold through a bustling market. Possessing such a treasure is a crime, and there are quite a few people eyeing it."

Su Qiantong said with a charming smile, "My lord, you must take it easy."

Xing Yang shook his head with a smile, about to speak, when the waiter Li Si squeezed in with a tray. There were four dishes and a soup. After putting down three sets of bowls and chopsticks, he quickly retreated with a silly grin.

Xing Yang didn't say anything more, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "Try it first, eat."

As he spoke, he picked up a small piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed and savored it.

It's still a meat demon raised specifically for meat consumption, but compared to the casual cooking at the ferry last time, this time I've clearly put in more effort. The meat is delicate, and the texture is smooth and tender...

Each has its own merits compared to Lan Nu's craftsmanship.

Lan Nu's culinary skills emphasize the original flavor, striving to bring out the natural taste of the ingredients.

The chef at this restaurant, Wang Er, focuses more on the human palate, emphasizing multiple layers and textures, even at the cost of masking the original flavor of the ingredients.

Xing Yang nodded in satisfaction. It was best to give the delicate, high-end ingredients to Lan Nu, while Wang Er could cook delicious dishes from the tough, low-end ingredients.

Xing Yang didn't eat much at the meal; he just tasted it. The rest was devoured by Ren Yanzhu and Su Qiantong.

The two women wiped their mouths seemingly nonchalantly. Su Qiantong was alright, with a thick skin, but Ren Yanzhu's ear tips were noticeably red.

Xing Yang didn't bother with the jokes and stood up, saying, "Alright, you two go back and report. Come find me if you have any missions."

"Yes, sir!"

The three of them went downstairs, greeted Cang Yunqiu behind the counter, and then went their separate ways after leaving the building.

……

In the days that followed, Xing Yang would occasionally take on a task from the Demon Suppression Division, but spent most of his time wandering around Chaoge City, absorbing the mortal energy.

Life was peaceful and uneventful.

As for his nominal wife, Su Wenling, she was genuinely busy. Although it was unclear what she was busy with, Xing Yang rarely saw her... mainly because he wouldn't take the initiative to seek her out.

The five top experts of Yanzi Kingdom's Pillar Mansion—Rongyan, skilled in medicine; Louju, the head steward; and Jieming, skilled in planting—quietly returned to the Great Wilderness Xuan Su Valley, leaving only Lan Nu and Jiang Bing to protect Su Wenling.

On this day, while Xing Yang was in his small courtyard tidying up the revised version of the War Dance, Lou Ju returned from the Great Wilderness.

Upon seeing him, Xing Yang immediately sensed the spiritual energy he had left in Xuan Su Valley. Finding that it had not been triggered, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Traveling between the Great Wilderness and the Nine Provinces via the fragments of Buzhou Mountain requires coordinates; without coordinates, one can only be teleported randomly.

When Xing Yang first went to the Great Wilderness, he had no coordinates and ended up crashing into the battlefield of two demon saints.

Later, it was Wa Xin who taught him that he needed to retain his own spirituality and then use his spirituality to achieve purposeful teleportation.

However, depending on their strength, the duration of the spiritual energy they leave behind varies. For example, Lou Ju and others cannot stay in the Nine Provinces for long. Once the spiritual energy they left in Xuan Su Valley dissipates, they can only be randomly teleported or taken away by someone else.

In any case, if Lan Nu wanted to return to the Great Wilderness, she could only have someone take her there; otherwise, after being randomly teleported, she wouldn't even have a chance to reach Xuan Su Valley.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Lou Ju's appearance, Xing Yang asked, "Why are you back again? Did something happen in Xuan Su Valley?"

Lou Ju took a breath and said, "No, it's from the Great Wilderness. I heard that someone discovered a Primordial Gourd Vine, so I came here specifically to inform you, my son-in-law."

Xing Yang was initially bewildered, but then he realized what was happening.

All things in the Great Wilderness possess a spirit, but some things are born with extremely powerful spirituality. Whether these things are refined into magical treasures or remain as they are, they are rare treasures.

These things, which possess powerful spirituality, are collectively known as innate spiritual treasures because they are born with spiritual energy.

The innate gourd vine that Lou Ju mentioned is an innate spiritual treasure, especially the gourd that it produces. With a little refinement, it becomes a powerful magic weapon.

Such a good thing will naturally attract competition.

Xing Yang thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Let's go back to the Great Wilderness."

Unfortunately, he was very poor and often couldn't even afford a small gift when they met. He could only offer his wife a single hair as a token of his affection.

He might as well go to the Great Wilderness and plunder a few treasures. He might not need them himself, but they would be impressive to give as gifts.