Holy Maiden, wait a minute. Why are you asking me to cultivate again?

Xu Baili, behind the curtain, blushed deeply and felt quite uneasy.

This was the first time in four or five months that her true gender had been revealed to her.

Song Zhao chuckled: "Your hands betray you; they're not as delicate as a man's."

"Oh... really?"

Xu Baili even turned his palm over to acknowledge that his hands were small and his fingers were thin, which did not conform to a man's palm.

"Then you must keep this a secret. I didn't even charge you spirit stones for lifting the restriction!"

Song Zhao smiled again: "Of course, how about a day?"

Through his Golden Elixir Eye, he could see the little girl behind the curtain looking flustered, and she quickly stuffed a letter into a drawer under her skirt.

But in that instant, the words on the envelope caught Song Zhao's attention.

The style of the characters above is exactly the same as the Grand Elder's handwriting!

Could it be that the Grand Elder is truly a member of the demonic path?

Song Zhao was shocked and used his Golden Core Eye again to see what was written in the envelope.

Unfortunately, there is a spiritual barrier on top, which even the most discerning eye cannot see through.

"The sect leader's guess was indeed reasonable and well-founded; the Grand Elder was definitely up to something!"

Song Zhao lowered his eyes, silently sorting things out in his mind: "If the Grand Elder has a problem, the barrier-breaking master in front of me is her informant."

"But why would she be so close to Tianwu Market? Could she just be a transit point?"

After speculating, he didn't dare to draw a conclusion.

If this person is friends with Elder Cui Yu or has some other relationship with him, it would be quite normal for him to send a letter.

Most importantly, what exactly was written inside the envelope?

After leaving the shop that had broken the rules, Song Zhao, still puzzled, headed towards the outside of the market and inquired about the man's identity and background.

"You're asking about that barrier-breaking master? I think he's been running it for about half a year, right? He basically never comes out for a break. He goes home when the market closes and comes back when it reopens. He must be making a lot of spirit stones!"

"He's different from other eccentric barrier breakers; he can unlock anything as long as you give him spirit stones..."

"However, he has a good reputation and never speaks carelessly. This is the rule of the barrier breakers. Once you become a barrier breaker, you make a heavenly oath to only break barriers and not to take a second look at what the item being broken is. Otherwise, you will suffer karmic retribution."

The owner of a nearby shop selling magical artifacts was quite talkative. He noticed Song Zhao's extraordinary bearing and asked, "Fellow Daoist, would you like to buy some magical artifacts?"

"The market has been rather unsettled lately, how about buying some religious items for protection?"

Song Zhao shook his head: "I do have a few magical artifacts to sell."

"Oh, that's fine too. What kind of magical artifacts are they? Don't worry, I won't offer a low price."

That's all.

He took out the magical artifacts he had obtained from the Blood Demon Sect, the Demon Slayer Division, and the two Du brothers, which he no longer needed, and placed them all in front of the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper stared wide-eyed at the twenty or thirty magical artifacts in front of him, giving Song Zhao a deep look.

Will we run into a calamity cultivator?

He carefully examined each item and finally bought them for a total of more than five thousand spirit stones.

Song Zhao did not haggle and readily agreed to the deal.

With this, including the spirit stones he had before, he now had over ten thousand spirit stones in his pocket, making him quite wealthy in the Xuanzhou region.

"Sir, I just heard you're going to Lanzhijiang?"

"I'm telling you, that place isn't very safe, so you'd better be careful."

Seeing that Song Zhao was so agreeable, the shop owner chatted with him for a few more minutes.

It turns out that a major demonic disaster has occurred in the Lanzhi River outside Tianwu Market. An old python in the river wanted to escape and become a dragon, causing harm to countless mortals.

Not only are many people from the Demon Slayer Division stationed there now, but large numbers of cultivators are also flocking there.

The reason was that when the old python swam across the river, it unearthed many treasures from the bottom of the river, which led to cultivators fighting and scrambling for them.

After nodding and thanking him, Song Zhao hurried towards Lanzhi River.

The name Lanzhi River comes from a medicinal herb called "Lanzhi" that grows abundantly on both sides of the river. This herb can be used as medicine by ordinary people, and cultivators can also use it as a potted plant for calming the mind and concentrating the spirit.

The Lanzhi River before us is clear and blue-white, with the stone patterns on the bottom clearly visible.

Giant waves surged toward the shore, crashing against the rocks and bursting into large plumes of white mist. As the waves churned, a faint blue hue floated in the shimmering water.

At this moment, along both banks of the river, many cultivators are entering and leaving the river, and along the thousand-mile-long riverbank, the aura of fierce battles is spreading out.

In the very heart of the Lanzhi River, a noble-looking female general, clad in silver armor, is stationed, calmly watching the surging waters.

Song Zhao activated his divine eye and happened to see the female general's profile.

"The people from the Demon Slayer Bureau..."

"It's her!"

"Sixty years have passed, and she still looks exactly the same as she did back then; time has taken nothing away from her."

He considered his aged appearance and ultimately didn't look at the noble female general a second time.

"I'll find a secluded corner and quietly gather the energy of the river."

Song Zhao flew around on his flying sword, and just as he found a secluded spot, he saw a familiar face.

On the opposite bank, a handsome young man, seemingly having found the perfect spot, stood by the riverbank, fishing rod in hand: "The water here is calm, perfect for fishing!"

"With this giant python traversing the river, there will surely be many treasure fish emerging. I hope Junior Sister Wan'er will like them!"

Wang Yushu was hanging a spirit insect on the black iron hook when he happened to see Song Zhao on the opposite bank.

"Huh? Is that the handyman?"

He was somewhat taken aback. After a moment's thought, he removed the spirit insect from the iron hook and used his magic to cross the river.

Song Zhao frowned slightly when he saw Wang Yushu flying towards him.

He had just taken the Great Star Mystic Pill, and his meridians were still a little sore; it wasn't the right time for a fight.

The opponent was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Although he had the strength to fight in his weakened state, he could not win easily.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Yushu showed no sign of hostility. Instead, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Fellow Daoist Song, what a coincidence!"

Song Zhao paused for a moment, then bowed and asked, "Fellow Daoist Wang, have you come here to fish for the precious fish?"

"That's right." Wang Yushu sighed, "I never thought that the junior sister I pursued for so long would end up with you."

Although it was difficult to admit, he could only acknowledge that Lin Shuangwan and Song Zhao had a close relationship.

Song Zhao shook his head and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, why say that? Fairy Lin is not just my person. She is a disciple of the Tianwu Sect and also a cultivator from Xuanzhou."

Wang Yushu laughed heartily: "Fellow Daoist Song has a truly broad perspective."

"I do have a favor to ask of you, Brother Song."

As he said this, Wang Yushu suddenly choked up, his heart bleeding.

Song Zhao looked puzzled: "Brother, please speak."

"That means Brother Song, please treat Junior Sister Lin well and don't let her down..."

"Her birthday is the twelfth day of the first lunar month. She likes to eat plums and loves wearing that green shirt and short skirt. It's made of Lingxiu Pavilion fabric. You could give her one for her birthday. Oh, by the way, she's allergic to gold and doesn't like to eat greasy food in the morning..."

As he spoke, Wang Yushu seemed about to cry.

Song Zhao:......

He stepped forward and patted Wang Yushu on the shoulder to reassure him: "Brother Wang, you're very kind."

"Hmm." Wang Yushu forced back his sorrow and smiled again, "I'll catch some treasure fish later to give to Junior Sister Lin, but I doubt she'll accept them."

"If I give it to you, and you give it to her, she will definitely accept it."

Song Zhao was speechless for a moment before saying, "Do I need to tell her it's your feeling?"

"No, no need. She'll think I'm threatening you."

"I just want to watch her be happy from the sidelines."