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

Shen Yifei looked down at the young man, then at the soldiers of the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion standing on his feet, and seven or eight thoughts were already running through his mind.

This Lingxu is indeed no benevolent place. We've only been here for half a day, and we've already stumbled upon a major case.

"Where is the ledger?" Shen Yifei asked, looking at the young man covered in blood.

The young man pulled a booklet from his pocket; the cover was mostly soaked with blood. He held it out to Shen Yifei with both hands.

Shen Yifei took the ledger, casually flipped through a few pages, and felt increasingly chilled as he read.

The ledger was filled with entries, each one detailing "goods" collected by the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion. From spirit beast cubs and rare medicinal herbs to, and mostly female cultivators, everything was marked "sent to the Wanling Palace."

One page was circled in red and read: "Three hundred and twenty-seven spirit beasts and forty-eight female cultivators will be sent to the Myriad Spirits Palace on the eighth day of this month. The guide is: Xuanming, the steward of the Myriad Spirits Palace."

"Xuanming..." Shen Yifei murmured, closed the ledger, and put it into his ring.

"Sir...you..." The young man was somewhat at a loss when he saw Shen Yifei take the account book away. "That account book...you can't take it away."

"If this happened to you, it would be a death sentence." Shen Yifei smiled. "No matter where you go now, you're doomed. You might as well come with me; at least I can save your life."

The young man hesitated for a moment, then kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you so much for saving my life, sir! My name is Shi San, and I used to be a servant in the Marquis of Beiyuan's household. I've done all sorts of hard and tiring work. As long as you don't mind, my life is yours!"

"Alright, alright, get up." Shen Yifei waved his hand. "Wipe the blood off your face first, I have something to ask you."

Shi San hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve. He looked to be in his early twenties, with a clever look in his eyes.

Shen Yifei then said to the three captured men, "As you can see, the account book is in my hands now. My name is Shen Yifei. Tell your master to come to me if you need anything. I'm easy to talk to."

After saying that, Liu Mengli and Hongxiu released their legs, and also let go of the other two.

The three men knew they were no match for the three people in front of them, and dared not utter any more threats, lest the other party change their minds and their lives be in danger.

At the leader's signal, the three of them took off running and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Shi San quickly said, "Sir, they'll definitely need to call for reinforcements when they get back. There are many powerful experts in Beiyuan City, so let's hurry up and leave!"

Shen Yifei chuckled and said, "No rush. What's the background of this Wanling Palace?"

Upon hearing the words "Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits," Shi San's expression changed. "My lord, you...you don't even know about the Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits?"

Shen Yifei shook his head. "I've been in seclusion for hundreds of years and just came out."

Shi San knew it was just a made-up excuse and didn't dare to ask further. He said, "The Myriad Spirits Palace is the largest power in the Spirit Ruins. It's said that the Palace Master, Di Yuan, has lived for ten thousand years. Several major cities in the Spirit Ruins—Beiyuan City, Qingyang City, and Bailu City—are all controlled by the Myriad Spirits Palace. Even the marquises were appointed by the Myriad Spirits Palace..."

"Oh? Then why did the Marquis of Beiyuan send so many female cultivators?" Shen Yifei continued to ask.

"How could a lowly servant like me know too much?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yifei's lips curled into a slight smile. He turned to look at Liu Mengli, who was tilting her head to examine Shi San. Seeing him looking over, she winked at him and transmitted her voice, "Master, this kid wasn't lying. However, his causal connections are a bit strange, as if someone tampered with them. He might not be just a simple servant."

Shen Yifei nodded slightly, remaining silent. He beckoned to Shi San, "Let's go, let's go into the city first."

Beiyuan City was not far from here. Shen Yifei and the other two followed Shi San through a dense forest and saw a city standing on the plain in the distance.

The city was even larger than Demon Abyss City, with walls reaching tens of feet high. A black flag with a soaring black eagle embroidered on it was planted on the city wall.

"My lord, that is Beiyuan City." Shi San pointed to the city and said, "The Beiyuan Marquis's mansion is in the center of the city; it's a very large residence."

Shen Yifei nodded, then asked, "Where is the Wanling Palace located?"

"At the easternmost part of Lingxu is a place called Wanling Mountain, the most sacred place in Lingxu." Shi San said, then lowered his voice, "Sir, you...you wouldn't be thinking of taking over Wanling Palace, would you?"

"I wouldn't dare," Shen Yifei laughed. "I was just asking out of curiosity."

He said this aloud, but in his heart he had already made up his mind: since his mother's aura was pointing east, it should be towards the Wanling Palace. However, before going, he had to find out the details of the Lingxu beforehand, so as not to walk into someone's trap.

When they entered Beiyuan City, it was already dark. The shops on both sides of the street lit up with lanterns of various colors, and the streets were bustling with people, with cultivators in all sorts of strange clothes walking around.

There were barbarians with strange markings painted on their faces, human sword cultivators carrying long swords, and several alluring female cultivators dressed in thin gauze, soliciting customers on the street. They were surrounded by a group of drunken cultivators who groped them, and they let out a series of coquettish complaints.

To Shen Yifei and his group's surprise, the cultivators here were generally of very high cultivation levels. There were cultivators at the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm everywhere, and even the female cultivators who engaged in prostitution had cultivation levels above the Nascent Soul stage.

Shen Yifei couldn't help but glance at the women a few more times.

Liu Mengli found a scarf, covered her face, and then blew a breath into Shen Yifei's ear: "Master, what are you looking at? Have you taken a fancy to that little vixen at the door?"

Hongxiu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Young Master, these women don't seem like easy to mess with!"

Shen Yifei coughed lightly, "Shi San, look at all these experts on the street, why are you such a coward?"

Shi San looked aggrieved: "My lord, I've been a servant in the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion since I was a child, doing menial tasks like serving tea, pouring water, and emptying chamber pots. Where would I find the time to cultivate? Even if I did have the time, I couldn't cultivate..."

"Can't you cultivate? Why?" Liu Mengli asked curiously. "This Spirit Ruins is full of spiritual energy; even breathing is cultivation. Why can't you cultivate?"

"Madam, you are unaware of this, but I remember when I was a child, the Marquis of Beiyuan personally examined me and said that I had no foundation for cultivation and could only be an ordinary person!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yifei sensed something was amiss. Why would a marquis, the ruler of Beiyuan City, care about the cultivation of an ordinary child?

Liu Mengli circled around Shi San, then lightly pointed her finger in the air, and a pale golden light shone, drawing a circle in front of him.

After a short while, Liu Mengli withdrew her hand. "Master, this kid has been sealed. The method is very special. His bloodline... has been deliberately concealed."

"Your bloodline has been concealed?" Shen Yifei looked at Shi San. "Who are your parents?"

Shi San looked bewildered: "I've been an orphan since I was a child, growing up in the Beiyuan Marquis's mansion. I don't know who my parents are."

Liu Mengli said slowly, "This is interesting. Your bloodline is very special. If you really are an orphan servant, I'll stand upside down and serve you tea and water."