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

Seven or eight days passed, and although it was comfortable, Shen Yifei still felt uneasy.

There was no word from Su Yao, no news from Sun Yiran, and even Qin Wan wasn't coming.

That evening, Shen Yifei was practicing his boxing in the courtyard. Ever since he trained with that giant ape, he had had nowhere to use his strength; he felt restless if he didn't punch a few times every day. Each punch he threw sent a gust of wind through the air, quite imposing.

"Little guy, your boxing technique is too rough." Liu Mengli sat on the threshold, crossed her legs, and ate a spirit fruit in her hand.

Ever since she was released from the cauldron, this demoness has become more and more audacious. At first, she pretended to call him "master," but after a couple of days she changed her address to "little one," and now she just calls him "you."

Shen Yifei stopped punching and wiped his sweat: "I've never learned any boxing techniques, so it's fine if I'm rough."

"Why don't you find a martial arts manual to practice?"

"I don't have time." Shen Yifei sat down at the stone table, poured himself a cup of tea and gulped it down. "I'm busy all day long with alchemy, cultivation, and dealing with you people."

"Us?" Liu Mengli threw away the fruit pit, her green eyes fixed on him. "Who are we?"

"You, Qin Wan, Sun Yiran, and Liu'er, each one is more difficult to please than the last."

Liu Mengli scoffed: "I didn't ask you to serve me. I helped you kill Han Zhengli, and you wouldn't even buy me a piece of clothing. You have the nerve to talk about serving me?"

Shen Yifei was speechless. He had indeed promised to buy her clothes, but he had been putting it off.

"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you at the market tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? How many tomorrows have you mentioned?" Liu Mengli stood up. "Let's go, let's go today."

It's almost dark.

"It's good that I'm dark-skinned; there are fewer people around, so I won't be seen."

Shen Yifei thought about it and agreed. Liu Mengli's face was too eye-catching. If people saw him with a seductive woman in broad daylight, it would cause trouble again.

"Okay, let's go."

The two left the courtyard and walked along the path.

Liu Mengli tied her hair up and covered half of her face with a scarf, leaving only her eyes visible.

She was still wearing the robe that Shen Yifei had given her, with the sleeves rolled up three times and the hem dragging on the ground, making her look ridiculous.

Shen Yifei glanced at her and couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Liu Mengli glared at him.

"It's nothing, I just think your outfit is quite unique."

"Stop being so fancy. Hurry up and let's go back after we buy the clothes. I don't want to wear this tattered robe for even a day longer."

The market was located to the west of Hehuan Sect, not far away. By the time the two arrived, it was already dusk, and most of the shops and stalls had closed.

Shen Yifei led her toward a clothing shop.

There are three shops selling robes in the market. The largest one is called "Ni Chang Ge" and it specializes in serving female cultivators.

Pushing open the door, I saw that the shopkeeper was a female cultivator in her thirties, at the late stage of Qi Refining, with a round face and a rather amiable appearance.

"Senior brother, are you buying clothes for your Daoist partner?" The shopkeeper came up and looked Liu Mengli up and down.

Shen Yifei nodded: "Okay, let's see if there's anything suitable."

The shopkeeper led Liu Mengli inside, introducing the robes as they went: "Our robes are all woven from third-tier spirit silkworm silk. They are dustproof, waterproof, and fireproof, and also come with simple defensive formations. There are more than a dozen styles available; please take your time to choose."

Liu Mengli's eyes lit up when she saw those clothes.

She left Shen Yifei behind, followed the shopkeeper around inside, and came back with a pile of clothes. Moon-white long dresses, water-red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), light blue qixiong ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), pale yellow shanqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress)... a colorful pile of clothes covered the table.

"Try all of these." She pulled the clothes into her arms and followed the shopkeeper into the fitting room.

Shen Yifei sat outside waiting for a long time, when he heard Liu Mengli's voice coming from the fitting room: "This one is too big." "This one is too tight." "This color is not nice."

The shopkeeper was very patient, smiling and changing the items again and again.

A little while later, the fitting room door opened.

Liu Mengli walked out from inside, and Shen Yifei looked up and was stunned.

She changed into a light red, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair styled with a silver hairpin, revealing a section of her fair neck. The dress fit her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made, with fullness where it should be full, narrowness where it should be narrow, and curves where they should curve.

Her green eyes shimmered with an unusual brilliance under the light, and paired with her alluring face, she looked as if she had stepped out of a painting.

"Does it look good?" She twirled around, her skirt billowing, making her appear light and ethereal.

Shen Yifei swallowed hard: "It looks good."

"This one will do." Liu Mengli looked at herself in the mirror again and nodded in satisfaction. "I'll also get two more to alternate wearing."

The shopkeeper beamed: "Three robes, a total of six hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Shen Yifei is now capable and doesn't think it's too expensive.

After paying the spirit stones, Liu Mengli left the shop wearing her new dress.

"Little guy, the way you looked at me just now was exactly the same way Han Zhengli looked at me in his dream." Liu Mengli walked ahead, turned around and smiled at him.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm not lying. Your eyes are practically popping out of their sockets." She giggled. "Want to try it on? I look just as good as any of your lovers in this outfit, don't I?"

Shen Yifei ignored her and quickened his pace toward the Hehuan Sect.

Halfway there, Liu Mengli suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"There are three people ahead of us, all at the Golden Core stage."

Shen Yifei paused. Golden Core stage? Guarding a path so late at night, that's definitely not a good thing.

"I'll take a detour." He turned and left.

"It's too late." Liu Mengli tugged at his sleeve. "They're here."

After saying that, Liu Mengli disappeared!

Just then, three people emerged from around the corner. The one in the lead was a man in his thirties, wearing a Taoist robe from the Qingyun Sect, followed by a man and a woman, both at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

Shen Yifei was startled; it was someone from the Qingyun Sect!

"You're Shen Yifei?" The leading man looked him up and down.

"It's me. Fellow Daoists, what brings you here?"

"My name is Zhao Qingshan, an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect." The man introduced himself, took out a jade token from his pocket, and waved it in front of him. "We are here on the orders of our sect leader to have you come with us."

Shen Yifei glanced at the jade tablet, which had the character "令" (command) engraved on it and emitted a faint golden light.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I have no connection with your sect. What does your sect leader want with me?"

"You don't need to worry about that, just come with us." Zhao Qingshan put away the jade pendant, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Shen Yifei's mind raced. The Qingyun Sect people came to the Hehuan Sect in the middle of the night to arrest him, which must mean that what happened in the secret realm had been discovered.

Now, he's only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while his opponents are three Golden Core stage cultivators. He can't escape, and he can't win either.

"Fellow Daoists, this is the territory of the Joyful Union Sect. You've come to arrest people in the middle of the night; you should have an explanation!"

Zhao Qingshan's face darkened: "Shen Yifei, our sect leader invited you because he thinks highly of you. Don't refuse a toast only to suffer the consequences."

He took a step forward, his Golden Core stage aura pressing down on Shen Yifei. Shen Yifei felt a tightness in his chest, but the force was quickly dissipated by the spiritual energy within his body.

Zhao Qingshan was taken aback when he saw that he didn't react. A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator withstanding the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator—this kid is indeed extraordinary!

He sneered and reached out to grab Shen Yifei's shoulder.

Shen Yifei tried to dodge, but failed.

The claw struck his shoulder, but Zhao Qingshan's claw only broke through the skin and flesh, without damaging the bones or tendons.

Zhao Qingshan's expression changed. He was a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator; even a Golden Core cultivator would have five bloody holes from that claw strike. Yet, it only managed to break the skin of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

"What exactly are you?" He stared at Shen Yifei, a hint of fear in his eyes.

Shen Yifei chuckled: "I'm just a woodcutter."