Burial Furnace

Unable to bear the teasing of her three rebellious disciples any longer, Hua Nongying stood up and strode out, saying, "I'm going to town to take a look and find out some information."

Her steps were hurried, as if she were fleeing something.

When she reached the door, she paused for a moment, as if she wanted to look back, but in the end she didn't, and pushed the door open and went out.

The door closed behind her with a soft sound.

"You're leaving already?"

"Master is too shy."

"Hehehe, the old man belongs to us tonight!"

The three traitors watched Hua Nongying's hasty departure and laughed triumphantly.

Immediately, Qi Jiaojiao peeked out from Zhang Yuan's arms, her eyes darting around, and said in a low voice, "Old man, let's talk in the room. It's safer and more private there, and we won't have to worry about being overheard."

Hua Jinhuan and Liu Mei exchanged a glance, both understanding each other perfectly.

"Yes, yes, let's talk in the room." Hua Jinhuan grabbed Zhang Yuan's arm and pulled him inside.

"There are always ears on the walls outside, it's safer inside." Liu Mei chimed in, pushing Zhang Yuan's back.

The three beautiful women pulled and dragged Zhang Yuan into the bedroom.

The room was spacious and kept very clean.

A large, carved bed occupies most of the space, covered with a soft brocade quilt.

The windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn, making it much more private than the living room.

Qi Jiaojiao was the first to jump onto the bed, sit cross-legged in the middle, and patted the spot in front of her: "Old man, come sit down."

Hua Jinhuan and Liu Mei also took off their shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat on either side of Qi Jiaojiao.

The three people sat side by side, all six eyes fixed on Zhang Yuan, like three kittens waiting to be fed.

Zhang Yuan smiled helplessly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"That's more like it." Qi Jiaojiao nodded in satisfaction, then moved closer to Zhang Yuan, leaned on his shoulder, and began to recount her experience in the secret realm.

They encountered all sorts of monsters.

Some are as huge as mountains; if you step on one, the ground will shake for a long time.

Some are as small as the palm of your hand, but they are incredibly fast, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Some can breathe fire, some can spit ice, and some can release poisonous mist. Each one is extremely ferocious, and a slight mistake can lead to death.

They encountered many powerful monks.

On one occasion, they witnessed two Golden Core cultivators fighting fiercely over a treasure, causing the sky to darken and the surrounding mountains and forests to be razed to the ground.

They saw many amazing treasures.

There is a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, whose cap is as large as a washbasin and emits a faint fluorescent light.

There is a thousand-year-old Zhu Fruit, whose fruit is as red as agate, crystal clear, and exudes a rich fruity fragrance.

There were also some things I couldn't name, some like crystal, some like jade, some like metal, and each one was very valuable.

"We also ran into Liu Ruxue," Qi Jiaojiao suddenly said, glancing at Zhang Yuan intentionally or unintentionally. "She's so beautiful, old man, what's her relation to you?"

Zhang Yuan's lips twitched; he really didn't know how to answer.

Liu Ruxue is the Holy Maiden of the Holy Maiden Sect. She and he are not related by blood or marriage. Their paths crossed only because of that accident. Now she is his Daoist partner.

"It's... a relative," he said vaguely.

"Just relatives?" Hua Jinhuan smiled meaningfully. "I don't think so."

"Old man, you don't have other women outside, do you?" Liu Mei asked, feigning sadness. "What about our master?"

Zhang Yuan, covered in sweat, quickly changed the subject: "What other interesting things happened to you? Tell us!"

Seeing his embarrassed look, the three beauties stopped asking questions and continued to talk about their experiences in the secret realm.

Strange formations, terrifying oddities, and some areas too dangerous to enter—piles of corpses, reeking of a nauseating stench.

It is said that there are even more precious treasures in those areas, but no one dares to go in, not even Golden Core cultivators dare to set foot there.

Night was falling.

Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting soft shadows on the floor.

The room fell silent, save for the soft sound of breathing, and the atmosphere grew increasingly ambiguous.

Hua Nongying, however, was sitting in a private room on the second floor of Qianli Tea Fragrance.

She concealed her presence, put on a veil, revealing only a pair of clear eyes.

She chose a seat by the window, sipping her tea and gazing at the street scene outside, but her mind was elsewhere.

Those rebellious disciples deliberately drove her away, so what are they doing with Zhang Yuan now?

They won't go into the room, will they?

I was planning to cultivate with him tonight, but it seems that's not going to happen.

From now on, I will absolutely not bring any of my traitors along, not even one.

Just then, Duan Tian and two friends walked in and sat down next to her.

They certainly noticed Hua Nongying.

Because she has such a great figure and such an elegant demeanor.

Such a female cultivator is extremely rare.

Even with a veil on, one could tell that she was exceptionally beautiful.

But they dared not provoke him, because they could tell from his aura that he was a Golden Core cultivator.

Golden Core cultivators are already top-tier beings in Qingmu Town; they are not people that Qi Refining cultivators like them can afford to offend.

After the three of them sat down, they ordered tea and snacks, and then began to talk excitedly.

"Senior Zhang Yuan is amazing!" Duan Tian slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming excitedly. "He killed five Foundation Establishment cultivators with a single sword strike, and five fireballs reduced them, armor and all, to ashes. You guys didn't see that scene; it was absolutely breathtaking!"

"I've heard about it," another cultivator said. "I also heard that Zhou Lie, the manager of the Lingfu Pavilion in Qingmu Town, was terrified last night because those five people were sent by him. He escaped using invisibility and concealment talismans, and I heard he fled to the Eastern Continent. The manager has also been replaced by a beautiful woman named Daiya, who went to deliver gifts to Senior Zhang Yuan early this morning."

"The price of cremation talismans has returned to what it used to be," the third cultivator chimed in. "The Spirit Talisman Pavilion Merchant Guild has finally bowed down. That's amazing."

"Hehehe, I told you long ago that he was a senior in the Mahayana stage, just playing around in the mortal world, but you didn't believe me. Now you believe me, right?" Duan Tian said smugly.

"Brother Tian, ​​you might still be wrong." The second cultivator shook his head and said, "Senior Zhang Yuan may not necessarily be a Mahayana cultivator; he might be an immortal descended to earth. I've already inquired, and even a Mahayana cultivator couldn't use a low-level fireball spell to turn a low-grade spiritual weapon into nothingness. What is the concept of nothingness? Only immortals can do that."

"It seems I underestimated Senior Zhang Yuan's strength." Duan Tian slapped his thigh, then said smugly, "Hehehe, to tell you the truth, the special move I used that day was also taught to me by him. That's why I was able to easily defeat Wolf Lone Walker, who was two levels higher."

"Brother Tian, ​​you're so lucky! You actually received instruction from Senior Zhang Yuan?" The two were dumbfounded, filled with envy and jealousy.

Hua Nongying was completely bewildered.

Unable to resist asking, "Fellow Daoists, I've just arrived in Qingmu Town and don't know what happened. Could you please tell me? Who is that Zhang Yuan?"