The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The central part of the Ten Thousand Mountains is much more gloomy than the outer part.

Shen Yifei had been walking for a long time when suddenly the sound of fighting came from the woods ahead.

The roar of a monster, and a woman's delicate shout.

He tiptoed behind a large tree and peeked out.

In a clearing in the woods, a woman was fighting with a black bear demon.

The woman was wearing a light blue long dress, and her features were not clearly visible from a distance.

The black bear demon was a full ten feet tall, and its two front paws swung with a whooshing sound, snapping a tree as thick as a bowl in half with a single slap. The woman was forced to retreat step by step, her skirt tearing in several places.

Shen Yifei judged at a glance that the woman was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, while the black bear demon was at the peak of the Golden Core realm. With a difference of two minor realms, the woman couldn't defeat him.

Following his principle of avoiding trouble, he was preparing to take a detour when the woman was suddenly slapped on the shoulder by the black bear demon, sending her flying and crashing into a tree trunk, not far from Shen Yifei.

Shen Yifei saw her clearly; the woman was extremely beautiful. Her beauty was pure, with an innocent and naive charm in her eyes.

She struggled to stand up, but the black bear demon pounced on her, its two front paws raised high, about to slap her head.

Shen Yifei cursed inwardly, then leaped away.

The Listening Tide Sword was drawn, and the Tide Rising Style was activated. Three waves of sword energy struck the Black Bear Demon's belly one after another, knocking it back three steps.

The black bear spirit looked down at the three bloody marks on its belly, then raised its head, staring at Shen Yifei with its two small eyes, and let out a roar.

Shen Yifei didn't care whether it roared or not, and summoned the little monster to handle it.

He turned around. The woman was still leaning against the tree trunk, clutching her shoulder, her face pale. She looked up at Shen Yifei, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life, young master." Her voice was soft and sweet, and Shen Yifei felt indescribably comfortable listening to it.

Shen Yifei stared at the woman, somewhat lost in thought.

"Young master?" the woman called out again.

Shen Yifei snapped out of his daze, walked over, squatted down, and reached out to examine the injury on her shoulder. Her scapula was fractured, and her meridians were also damaged, but it wasn't too serious.

"You're going into the Hundred Thousand Mountains alone?"

"Hmm." The woman lowered her head. "My name is Bai Lu, and I am a disciple of the Bai family in Qingmu City. My father is seriously ill and needs a certain medicinal ingredient, so I had no choice but to go into the mountains to gather herbs. I never expected to encounter this black bear spirit. If it weren't for your help, young master, I would have lost my life here."

She spoke with such sincerity that her eyes welled up with tears.

Shen Yifei took out a bottle of healing pills from his storage ring and handed it to her: "Take this, it will stop the pain."

Bai Lu took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and swallowed it. As the medicine took effect, the paleness on her face faded somewhat, and her lips regained their color.

"Young master, I have a favor to ask."

"explain."

"My injuries won't heal anytime soon, and I can't get out of these mountains by myself. Could you please take me with you, young master? I will definitely repay you handsomely once we get out of the mountains."

Shen Yifei thought to himself, "This woman is seriously injured. Her shoulder blade is fractured, and her meridians are damaged. Leaving her here alone is no different from killing her. The demons in the central part of the Ten Thousand Mountains can tear her to pieces and eat her in less than half an hour once they smell a living person."

Since I saved her, I should see this through to the end and take full responsibility.

He nodded. "I'm going deep into the mountains. If you can persevere, come with me. Once I get what I need, you can come down with me."

Bai Lu nodded repeatedly, struggled to stand up, and almost fell over again when her legs gave way.

Shen Yifei quickly reached out and helped her up; the woman, unsteady on her feet, fell directly into his arms.

The woman wasn't voluptuous, but her curves were just right.

"Young master, I'm sorry." Bai Lu broke free from his embrace, her face flushed red to the roots of her neck. "I was rude."

Shen Yifei smelled a faint fragrance on her body. It wasn't cosmetics or herbs; he couldn't quite describe the scent. It tickled his nose like a feather.

"It's alright." He released his grip and took a half-step back.

Liu Mengli's voice echoed in his mind: "Master, something's wrong with this woman."

"Something's not right?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it. It just feels too clean."

"You suspect her?"

I'm skeptical of all good-looking women.

Shen Yifei scoffed at Liu Mengli's words. This woman always had to argue with the Demon of Love, and now that she saw someone prettier than her, she started to doubt them.

This is a classic case of jealousy!

"Young master, what are you thinking about?" Bai Lu asked softly.

"Which way do you want to go? I'm going to the Cold Pool, and the way will take me through the Black Pine Forest. A centipede demon at the mid-Nascent Soul stage lives in the Black Pine Forest. It might be too dangerous for you to come with me."

Bai Lu lowered her head and bit her lip.

After a few breaths, she raised her head and said, "I am already extremely grateful that you would take me with you, young master."

Shen Yifei waved his hand and turned to walk deeper into the woods. Bai Lu followed behind him, her steps unsteady, needing to lean on a tree trunk to catch her breath every few steps.

After walking for about half an hour, Shen Yifei stopped and looked back at her. Bai Lu's forehead was covered in sweat, her lips were pale, and her hand covering her shoulder was trembling.

"Let's rest for a while." He sat down on a blue stone and took out a pot of water from his storage ring and handed it to him.

Bai Lu took the kettle and drank it in small sips.

"Miss Bai, what does your family do in Qingmu City?"

"They run a herbal medicine shop." Bai Lu looked up. "My father, Bai Shouye, has been running a herbal medicine shop in Qingmu City for two generations. If you've ever been to Qingmu City, you might have heard of it."

"Owns a medicinal herb shop?" Shen Yifei's heart skipped a beat. "There are quite a few medicinal herb shops in Qingmu City. Which one does your father own?"

"The Bai family pharmacy in the south of the city has a plaque hanging at the entrance that reads 'Hanging a gourd to save lives,' which has been passed down from my family." Bai Lu handed the water jug ​​back.

The old man was in the north of the city, so it seemed they weren't from the same family. Shen Yifei felt a little more at ease.

Shen Yifei put the water bottle back into his ring, stood up, and said, "Let's go. We need to find a place to stay before dark. The Ten Thousand Mountains are ten times more dangerous at night than during the day."

Bai Lu responded and followed behind him. After taking a few steps, she spoke again, "Young master, I still don't know your name."

"Shen Yifei".

"Which sect do you belong to, young master?"

"The Hehuan Sect".

Bai Lu paused for a moment, then quickly caught up, her tone tinged with curiosity: "The Joyous Union Sect? I've heard that the disciples of the Joyous Union Sect are all skilled in dual cultivation techniques, is that true?"

Shen Yifei turned around and glanced at her.

When Bai Lu said this, her eyes were clear, without any hint of teasing; it was purely out of curiosity.

"It depends on the person. Some are good at it, some are not."

"Is that something you're good at, young master?"

Shen Yifei continued walking: "It's alright."

Bai Lu said "Oh" and then quietly followed behind him without saying another word.

After walking for more than two hours, it got dark.

Shen Yifei found a small cave and prepared to spend the night there.