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

The more Shen Yifei thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

He then asked Shi San, "What realm is Di Yuan, the Palace Master of the Myriad Spirits Palace, at?"

Shi San said in a low voice, "Palace Master Di Yuan... is said to be at the peak of ascension, and has been stuck at that juncture for thousands of years."

"Ascension to the peak..." Shen Yifei repeated twice.

Wolf Slaughtering Heaven was a half-step ascendant. Although he had the upper hand in the fight, it was only because of the Soul Cleansing Grass and the Soul Locking Bell.

If he were to encounter a master at the early or mid-stage of ascension, he would likely face a difficult situation.

As for ascending to the peak, that's simply unthinkable.

"My lord..." Shi San saw Shen Yifei remain silent and advised, "How about... we lay low for a while? You've gotten your revenge at the Marquis of Beiyuan's residence. As for the Wanling Palace... let's reconsider?"

"Avoid what trouble?" Shen Yifei grinned. "I traveled all the way to Lingxu to cause trouble for Wanling Palace. Avoid trouble? Then what am I doing here?"

Shi San was speechless. He had said a long thing, thinking that his new master would back down, but he hadn't expected this...

Feeling frustrated, he had no choice but to continue leading Shen Yifei to the Marquis of Beiyuan's residence.

The two walked to the main gate of the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion. When Shi San saw the two menacing stone lions at the gate, his calves started to cramp again, and he couldn't move his legs.

The gate tower of the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion was extremely tall, and the gate was wide open. Two teams of black-armored guards stood at the entrance, each with a puffed-out chest and protruding belly, exuding a menacing aura.

Upon seeing Shen Yifei and Shi San, a guard in black armor raised his hand to stop them: "Who goes there? This is the Marquis's residence, a place of serious importance. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted!"

Shen Yifei smiled and glanced at the guard: "Go tell your lord that Shen Yifei, the Lord of Lingxu, has come to pay a visit."

The guard was stunned when he heard him give such a title.

Lord of the Spirit Ruins? Even Emperor Yuan, the Palace Master of the Myriad Spirits Palace, didn't dare to say that.

Just as the guards were at a loss, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe strode out of the gatehouse, followed by more than a dozen people.

Shen Yifei recognized the man as Hou Wanshan, the Marquis of Beiyuan!

Shen Yifei raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw Hou Wanshan.

The Hou Wanshan he saw at this moment had a completely different temperament from the person Lang Tutian remembered.

The newcomer had a friendly face and a smile in his eyes, looking like a wealthy businessman, showing no signs of being a mid-stage ascendant powerhouse.

"Oh dear, what a distinguished guest! I am so sorry for not greeting you properly!" Hou Wanshan said with a cupped hands and a smile.

Hou Wanshan's attitude greatly surprised Shen Yifei.

He had expected a fierce battle upon arrival, but the other side greeted him with smiles, which seemed suspicious.

He turned his head and glanced at Shi San, who was so frightened that he shrank behind him and didn't dare to raise his head.

"You're too kind, Lord Marquis." Shen Yifei cupped his hands in greeting, his smile as if he had met an old friend. "I was passing by your esteemed place and heard that something had happened to your family, so I came to take a look."

Hou Wanshan's lips twitched, knowing he was referring to the account books, but he pretended not to understand and gestured for him to come in: "Young Master Shen, please come in. Let's talk inside."

Seeing his respectful attitude, Shen Yifei knew it was because of the account book.

If this ledger were made public, one can imagine the impact it would have on the entire Northern Plains.

Wanling Palace will also push the whole thing onto Hou Wanqian.

Shen Yifei didn't stand on ceremony and strode into the Marquis's residence.

Shi San followed cautiously behind. He had finally managed to escape from the Marquis's mansion, but unexpectedly, he returned just one day later.

A sumptuous banquet was laid out in the main hall of the Marquis's mansion, with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and delicacies from land and sea all on display. The food looked delicious and smelled wonderful, making one's mouth water.

Hou Wanshan invited Shen Yifei to take a seat, and seeing Shi San standing behind Shen Yifei, he quickly went over and pushed Shi San to sit next to Shen Yifei.

Hou Wanshan personally poured Shen Yifei a cup of wine and said with a smile, "Young Master Shen, my son is ignorant and offended you last night. I apologize on his behalf. I have already locked up that unfilial son and punished him by not allowing him to leave the manor for three months."

Hou Wanshan's "welcoming with a smile" left Shen Yifei somewhat at a loss for what to do.

The saying "you can't hit a smiling face" perfectly describes Shen Yifei's feelings at this moment.

He had assumed that Marquis Beiyuan, as the henchman of Wanling Palace in Lingxu, would be an arrogant and domineering person.

Looking back now, it's clear that everyone who's in that position is incredibly shrewd.

His son was slapped, his guards were beaten, and his retainers were dealt with, yet he could still smile and offer wine to apologize. This is not something an ordinary person can do.

Shen Yifei picked up his wine cup. "My lord, I'm new here and don't know the rules of Lingxu. But I have a problem: I can't stand seeing good things being wasted."

Hou Wanshan's eyelids twitched. "Young Master Shen is joking. There are too many good things in this Spirit Ruins. If you take a fancy to anything, just ask. The Marquis of Beiyuan will do its best to get it for you."

Shen Yifei put down his wine cup and chuckled, "The good stuff I'm talking about is those girls listed in this account. If you really want to get me something good, why not give me all these girls and see if there's any I like?"

"Oh?...So Young Master Shen is a man of principle." Hou Wanshan sighed. "This account book has been a source of worry for me. The Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion is large and powerful, and the people under them are not always honest. I apologize for the embarrassment, Young Master. These female cultivators... are not, as the rumors suggest, all ordered by the Wanling Palace. We are merely acting as their purchasing agents."

"Purchasing?" Shen Yifei raised an eyebrow. "My lord, you call selling female cultivators 'purchasing'?"

Hou Wanshan finally stopped laughing.

He remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Shen Yifei, his eyes revealing weariness and helplessness: "Young Master, you are unaware of this. The Wanling Palace never says 'no' to what it wants. The Beiyuan Marquis's Mansion may be called a regional power in the Spirit Ruins, but in reality, it's nothing more than the Wanling Palace's treasury. If the Palace Master wants a spirit beast today, we have to capture one. If the Palace Master wants a female cultivator tomorrow, we have to capture one. If we can't deliver the goods… the entire Beiyuan will be wiped out!"

Shen Yifei snorted: "Just to protect yourselves, you can comfortably harm other people's daughters?"

Hou Wanshan gave a bitter smile. "My Northern Plains Marquis's Mansion is not weak, but the Myriad Spirits Palace is even stronger. In this Spirit Ruins, who isn't struggling to survive? If given a choice, who would willingly engage in such a despicable act that would lead to the extinction of their lineage?"

"To be childless and without descendants? You know that doing such a despicable thing will bring retribution?"

Listening to Hou Wanshan's explanation, Shen Yifei really wanted to slap him twice.

In his eyes, everything he did was still what he should and should do, for the sake of the survival of the entire Northern Plains.

"Young Master Shen, I know you're furious. But you're right, the Marquis of Beiyuan's mansion did indeed commit such a heinous act, and I admit it." He put down his wine cup, looked into Shen Yifei's eyes, "But I'll only ask you one question: if I were truly afraid of that ledger, what I did to you last night wouldn't have been a test, but a fatal blow."

Shen Yifei was well aware of Hou Wanshan's intentions.

Upon arriving in Beiyuan City, Hou Feng first led four guards to the inn. It's likely that Hou Feng sought trouble on his own initiative, rather than Hou Wanshan's arrangement.

If we're talking about testing, last night's Wolf Slaughter Mountain was at his behest.

Seeing that Shen Yifei didn't respond, Hou Wanshan raised his wine glass, "Young Master Shen, this glass is to thank you for helping me get rid of Wolf Slaughter Mountain!"