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

Shen Yifei walked to the pile of centipede torsos, squatted down, and used the tip of his sword to pry open a piece of the carapace. The flesh beneath the carapace was dark red and emitted a foul, fishy smell.

He took out the Cauldron of All Things and put the usable parts inside. The torso of the mid-Nascent Soul centipede demon, its shell could be used for refining weapons, and although the meat was smelly, the little monster wasn't picky about food.

The little monster poked its head out of the cauldron, its eyes lighting up at the sight of the pile of centipede meat. With a leap of its four short legs, it pounced on the meat, its mouth wide open, and took a bite.

"Crunch, crunch." It went down in a few bites.

Shen Yifei ignored it and stood up to look at Bai Lu.

How far is the icy pool?

"Pass through the black pine forest and go another hundred miles south."

The two continued south. The stench of the black pine forest was left behind, and the air gradually became crisp and cool.

After walking for more than an hour, the trees began to thin out.

The temperature was dropping. Shen Yifei's breath turned into white mist.

"We've arrived at the icy pool."

Bai Lu stopped walking.

Shen Yifei took two steps forward and parted a clump of silvery-white bushes.

Before me lay a frozen pool.

The pool water was deep blue, and a chill rose from its surface, condensing into a thin mist. No vegetation grew along its banks, and the stones were frozen a bluish-white.

A lotus flower grows in the center of the pool.

The petals are ice blue, and there are nine in total. The lotus seedpod in the center of the flower is silvery white, and the lotus seeds are faintly visible.

The flower hasn't bloomed yet. The petals are tightly closed together, like a clenched fist. But a pale golden light has already begun to shine through the edges of the petals, flickering on and off, like it's breathing.

"The flowering period will be in the next day or two." Bai Lu walked to the edge of the pool. "When the golden light at the edges of the petals connects, the flower will bloom. The flowering period is only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Shen Yifei stared at the lotus for a while, then his gaze shifted from the lotus to the pool, and then from the pool to the rocks on the edge of the pool.

"Where is the nine-tailed fox demon?"

"Here it is."

The sound came from the other side of the pool, and a person emerged from the mist on the other side.

She wore a bright red long dress, and her hair was as white as snow, flowing down to her waist.

Behind her, nine snow-white tails appeared and disappeared in the mist. Each tail was as long as her whole body, fluffy, and adorned with a red dot at the tip.

Bai Lu took a step forward and stood in front of Shen Yifei.

The nine-tailed fox demon stood on the opposite bank of the pool, her nine tails swaying slowly in the mist. Her face was extremely beautiful; every feature—nose, eyes, and eyebrows—was perfectly proportioned, making her irresistible to behold.

The nine-tailed fox recognized the snake demon and said, "Bai Lu, why aren't you staying on your own mountain? What are you doing here?"

Her voice was incredibly alluring; Shen Yifei felt his bones melt upon hearing it.

"Where's your man?" Bai Lu asked, her tone laced with mockery. "Didn't you say you were guarding the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus to save him? I haven't seen a soul in sight!"

The nine-tailed fox demon paused for a moment. She tilted her head, her red eyes darting over Bai Lu before settling on Shen Yifei.

"You brought a Golden Core cultivator to my Cold Pool just to ask this?"

"I'll ask you a question, and you just answer it."

The nine-tailed fox demon laughed. She strode across the pool, her feet barely touching the surface. She stopped three zhang away from the two, her nine tails spreading out behind her like a snow-white fan.

"There are no men."

Bai Lu frowned slightly.

"What?"

"I said, there are no men." The nine-tailed fox demon stretched, her tails unfurling. "There have never been any men. I made that up."

"Why did you make this up?"

"If I didn't make this up, would the demons in the Hundred Thousand Mountains ever be quiet?" The nine-tailed fox demon snorted. "The Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus blooms only once every three hundred years. Before it blooms each time, all sorts of monsters and demons flock to the Cold Pool. You drive one group away, and another group comes. It's so annoying. So I made up a story that the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus saved my man, and I'll fight anyone who tries to take it from me. After the story spread, most of the demons that came here disappeared."

"What about the rest?"

"The rest?" The red light at the tip of the nine-tailed fox demon's tail flashed. "The rest are those who don't believe in evil. We'll beat them until they do."

Bai Lu sneered after hearing the nine-tailed fox demon's words.

"Leng Shanyue, your storytelling skills have certainly improved. Three hundred years ago, you said your man lay at the bottom of a cold pool, describing it in great detail, even specifying the color of his favorite clothes. Now you're saying he didn't exist?"

Shen Yifei then realized that the nine-tailed fox demon actually had a name.

With a flick of its tail, Leng Shanyue unfurled and then retracted its nine snow-white tails behind it.

"I'll make it up if I want, what's it to you? You're a snake demon who's never even been with a man, what do you know?"

Bai Lu's face flushed red instantly.

She hadn't touched a man before, but last night she broke her vow and touched one, and quite thoroughly at that. From human to snake, from snake to human, they went back and forth all night. But she wouldn't tell anyone, especially not in front of Leng Shanyue.

Whether I understand men or not is none of your business.

"Oh, getting angry with me now." Leng Shanyue circled Bai Lu once, her nine tails swaying gracefully behind her. She sniffed Bai Lu's nose. "Bai Lu, why do you smell different than before?"

Bai Lu's body stiffened for a moment.

Tu Shanyue's nose twitched twice more, and her red eyes turned towards Shen Yifei.

She could also smell the scent of white dew on Shen Yifei. The two scents intertwined, creating a strange aroma.

"Bai Lu, you've lost your virginity."

Bai Lu's face turned from red to green.

"My affairs are none of your business."

"I didn't care." Leng Shanyue straightened up, her red eyes fixed on Shen Yifei. "I'm just curious, how did a Golden Core cultivator manage to get your hands on him? You've suppressed something for four hundred years, and even I don't dare touch it. How did he, a Golden Core cultivator, not get burned to death by you?"

Shen Yifei stood to the side, being stared at by two demon kings at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, feeling like a fish on a chopping board.

"Senior, this is a long story."

"Then let's get to the point." Leng Shanyue took a step forward. "I smelled the medicinal fragrance on you by the Cold Pool. Could it be that this scent caused Bai Lu to lose her virginity? Not only did she lose it, but her cultivation level also improved. No wonder you're so confident today."

Bai Lu grabbed Leng Shanyue's tail and dragged her back.

"Have you smelled enough?"

Leng Shanyue stumbled a step as she was pulled, and her tail broke free from Bai Lu's grasp.

"Bai Lu, why are you pulling my tail? It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh just by smelling it."

"The smell of medicine on him has nothing to do with you."

"It's okay? Heh, if it's okay, what are you doing on my turf?"

Shen Yifei stood between the two women. To his left was a snake demon at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and to his right was a fox demon at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. The two women were exchanging barbs across him, sparks flying in the air.

"Seniors, could we discuss business first?"

"What important business is it?" Leng Shanyue glanced at him sideways.

"My golden core has cracked, and I need flower petals to refine it. Senior Bai promised to help me get one."

Leng Shanyue smiled.

"She promised to help you? The Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus is mine, why would she agree to that?"

Bai Lu gave a cold laugh.

"Yours? The Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus grows in the Cold Pool, which belongs to the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The Hundred Thousand Mountains are not yours to own."

"I have guarded the Cold Pool for three hundred years. This is my territory, and the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus is mine."