I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Li Hanshan's method of lifting Ye Feiyan was simple, brutal, and undisguised—like lifting a drowned chicken, he grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her directly off the rocks.

"You—" Ye Feiyan was both shocked and furious. She struggled instinctively, but the broken bone in her wrist caused her to gasp in pain.

"Save your energy." Li Hanshan said without turning his head, "You're not strong enough to withstand a second blow."

Having said that, he grabbed her with his left hand, while his right hand moved with lightning speed, striking Ye Feiyan's body several times. Each strike was infused with a warm, pure yang energy—unlike the Heavenly Demon Seal planted by Yin Yue, his method was different: one layer of restriction was placed on her dantian, completely enveloping the already dim demonic moon; another layer was placed outside her sea of ​​consciousness, cutting off the outward release of divine sense, leaving no room for communication; and a third layer locked down seventy-two major acupoints around her body, so that the spiritual energy in her meridians could only enter but not exit.

After making the last injection, he took out three silver needles about an inch long from his sleeve, flicked them with his finger, and inserted them into her Jianjing, Tanzhong, and Qihai acupoints respectively. The needles sank into her flesh, leaving only three barely visible tiny blood spots.

"These three Spirit-Locking Needles are something I learned by stealing from the Immortal Alliance's Array Hall back in the day," Li Hanshan clapped his hands. "The more demonic energy you use, the tighter they become. Don't try to pull them out—if you pull out the wrong one, the Spirit-Locking Needle will become a Soul-Locking Needle, and even a god couldn't save you."

Ye Feiyan hung stiffly in mid-air, her face drained of color.

The Heavenly Demon Seal bound her soul, and these three restrictions bound her body. She had grown up in the Heavenly Demon Sect since childhood and was used to the methods her father and the elders used to deal with prisoners. She considered herself to have a high level of experience—but the way this man set up restrictions was so skillful and efficient was as if he were building a fence in his own backyard.

"Who exactly are you..." she murmured involuntarily.

"Your master," Li Hanshan replied with a smile.

-

A silver-white flying boat descended from the clouds, its hull adorned with flowing patterns.

Li Hanshan carried Ye Feiyan onto the deck. He turned around to call out to Yin Yue, but when his gaze fell on her face, his brows furrowed slightly.

In the previous battle, Yin Yue appeared to be standing, but in reality, she was already at her limit. Months of relentless pursuit, a hundred days of storms, and the old injuries inflicted on her by numerous Void Refinement cultivators, coupled with the fact that she had personally planted the Heavenly Demon Seal again by the reef—her lips were an unnatural pale blue, and her fingers gripping the ship's railing were trembling very slightly, though she concealed it perfectly.

"Don't stand there with injuries like that." Li Hanshan took out a small jade bottle from his storage ring and tossed it over. "This is a sixth-grade, high-quality Purple Mansion Nourishing Spirit Pill. With your injuries, it would take half a year to heal if you just tough it out. Taking this will speed things up by twice as much."

Yin Yue took the jade bottle, her fingertips touching the bottle, and paused slightly.

Sixth-grade superior pills are extremely rare and expensive. Even the core elders of the Immortal Alliance only receive a few a year.

"What are you looking at?" Li Hanshan waved his hand. "If you're worried about me, just get well quickly. We'll need you for the rest of the journey."

Yin Yue did not refuse again, turned around and entered the top-floor cabin, the door closing silently.

"Xiao An," Li Hanshan called to the bow of the ship, "Steering, to Seagod Island."

"Here it comes!" Xiao An's eyes lit up. These past few days, Li Hanshan had meticulously taught her everything about flying boat control, route identification, and array maintenance, and now it was finally coming in handy. Barefoot, she floated to the helm, placed her hands on the steering wheel, and slowly channeled her azure soul power along the array patterns. The flying boat shuddered slightly, turned around, and headed in the direction Li Hanshan had indicated.

Li Hanshan picked up Ye Feiyan and pushed open the door to the lower deck.

-

The hatch closed, shutting out the sound of the waves.

Ye Feiyan was laid down in the corner, curled up in a ball. But before Li Hanshan could sit down, she suddenly moved—she crawled two steps on her knees, pressed herself against his side, and raised her pale yet still beautiful face, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice soft and sweet:

"senior……"

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the back of his hand.

"Let me go, okay? I'll make you feel really comfortable... more comfortable than anyone else." As she spoke, she pressed herself a little closer, the collar of her soaked clothes slipping down to reveal a small patch of pale skin on her collarbone. "I may not have any other skills, but this face, this body, will surely satisfy you..."

Li Hanshan looked down at her, neither pushing her away nor replying.

He stared at her with a smile for a full three breaths, until Ye Feiyan's fingertips stiffened and her smile became weak, before slowly speaking:

"Oh?"

He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms.

"Then let me see how the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Sect serves people."

A flicker of joy flashed across Ye Feiyan's eyes. There was a chance! What she wanted was never to actually serve anyone—what she wanted was for him to lift one of the restrictions, even if it was just one.

She straightened up, walked around to face him, and reached out to undo his outer robe.

Then, she got stuck.

Li Hanshan's black robe was the standard ceremonial robe of the Immortal Alliance's stewards. The sash was hidden in the third fold under the lapel. She felt around for a long time, her fingertips tracing back and forth on his chest, but she couldn't find a clue. She tried to untie it for a long time, but the sash didn't budge.

"..."

"Go down three inches," Li Hanshan kindly reminded him.

Ye Feiyan's fingers paused, then moved down three inches, and sure enough, she touched the hidden clasp. Her ears inexplicably burned. She untied his belt and took off his outer robe, her movements stiff as if she were dismantling a magical artifact that could explode at any moment.

"Continue." Li Hanshan said with his eyes closed, his tone as if he were listening to music in a teahouse.

Ye Feiyan gritted her teeth, leaned down, and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, they part ways in an instant.

"Is this what you call serving?" Li Hanshan opened his eyes.

"..."

She leaned down again, this time aiming for his lips. But her kiss was pitifully awkward—her lips were taut, and when she touched him lightly, she froze for a moment, unsure of what to do next, and her teeth accidentally brushed against his lower lip.

Li Hanshan hissed, opened his eyes, and looked at her with a half-smile.

"You've never been with a man before, have you?"

There was a moment of silence inside the cabin.

Ye Feiyan knelt before him, then suddenly stopped moving. Her eyes were lowered, her long, wet hair falling down and obscuring half her face. After a long while, she chuckled softly, a laugh that, for the first time, was devoid of any sweet pretense.

"yes."

She raised her head, her peach blossom eyes curving, but her eyes held a self-deprecating sense of resignation.

"You're my first man."

Li Hanshan looked at her without saying a word.

This time, he observed her closely. She looked exceptionally soft and helpless, like a delicate woman ravaged by a storm. That hint of red on her earlobe just now wasn't acting.

So that's how it is. This woman who always talks about "serving others" as a bargaining chip, her skills as a manipulative woman are all just empty talk.

interesting.

Li Hanshan waved to her.

"come over."

Ye Feiyan's eyelashes trembled very slightly.

She remained kneeling, motionless. Her earlier fawning had been entirely her own calculation—but having calculated to this point, she suddenly realized the situation was no longer in her hands. Release a restriction? He had already made his position clear. Seize an opportunity? This man before her hadn't let her even touch the hem of his clothes twice.

Did she have a choice? Yes. The hatch to the lower deck was just three steps away. If she shouted "I don't want to," given this man's character, he would most likely let her shrink back into the corner and continue to act like a quail.

But then what? And before reaching Middle-earth, it transforms from a "still useful cargo" into a "used cargo"?

She sat there for a very long time, her eyes lowered.

Then, she slowly straightened up, stepped forward, and sat on his lap.