When Jiang Wen returned to his residence, Li Yunshang's matter had already concluded.
She saw Jiang Wen return and immediately thrust her sword towards him.
Faced with this situation, Jiang Wen was not afraid in the slightest. He raised his fist and directly struck the sword's body.
Only a few 'bang' sounds were heard, and a look of horror appeared on Li Yunshang's face. Her hand almost lost its grip on the long sword, and she steadied herself, taking a few steps back.
"Your fist technique is so strange! It can contain such force," Li Yunshang said strangely.
"This fist technique is called叠浪 (Diélàng - Layered Waves), and I unintentionally developed it. This is the first time I've used it in a fight, and I didn't expect it to be so useful," Jiang Wen said, explaining the origins of his fist technique. Li Yunshang listened attentively.
Learning that he had entered the spirit spring with the white fox, she was even more envious.
"I didn't expect you to have such an extraordinary encounter; it's truly like a protagonist in a storybook," Li Yunshang exclaimed.
"Good and evil in this world are ultimately rewarded, so it's always good to do good deeds," Jiang Wen said with a smile. "How is your injury recovering?"
"It's much better than before; I'll be fully recovered in a few more days. This young lady feels like I can take it a step further, and entering the Life Fire realm isn't far off," Li Yunshang said happily. Then, she looked at Jiang Wen, her expression grateful, and said, "I still have to thank you for your strange treasure. If it weren't for the monastery master's help, I don't know when my injury would have recovered."
"There's a statue in that cave, shaped like a demonic snake, very similar to the tiger spirit statue I encountered outside of Taicang City. I suspect that the appearance of this group of fox demons may be related to that God-Worshipping Society. Perhaps even the gathering of ten thousand demons in Su City by the Hidden Fox is for the God-Worshipping Society," Jiang Wen continued Yan Gongli's words, expressing his own speculation.
Hearing this, Li Yunshang couldn't help but widen her eyes and ask, "Are you saying that Su Mu actually went to a jade shop to buy jewelry?! I didn't expect him to be such a person; it's truly surprising."
After all, the water of the spirit spring wasn't rare to him, and the Tears of Graceful Specter were temporarily useless to him.
"Is it really useful to you?" Jiang Wen was surprised. After all, he had also tried the Scripture of Purity, but it didn't have much effect. It only made his heart clearer when he recited it, allowing him to preserve himself amidst the cosmic cycle, preventing his mind from wandering.
Li Yunshang listened from the side, understanding only vaguely, and finally understood where the direction of investigation lay.
"No, I've never heard of this name," Yan Gongli shook her head. "It's been seven hundred years since I last woke up, and many things are no longer as I once knew them."
"God-Worshipping Society," Yan Gongli murmured.
"That's good. Speaking of which, I just encountered Su Mu," Jiang Wen said, recounting what he had encountered with Su Mu.
"I didn't expect this demon den to be only twenty miles outside of Su City, and it's gathered so many fox demons," Li Yunshang said sullenly. "The situation in Su City is more serious than this young lady imagined."
"Yes, I didn't expect to encounter him either," Jiang Wen said with a smile. "Later, we encountered a murder on the street and eventually tracked it down to that fox demon's cave."
Li Yunshang's words also stunned Jiang Wen for a moment. He exchanged glances with Yan Gongli, and they both smiled: "I didn't expect Miss Yunshang to have her moments of intelligence. As for how many famous brothels there are, just ask some people in Su City and you'll know."
"The gathering of ten thousand demons is not normal," Yan Gongli said. "It's strange that none of the immortal sects have discovered any anomalies."
"This young lady is determined to display her great power this time, and let the monastery master see my abilities!"
"I still have a question in my mind: why do these fox demons only choose brothels to commit crimes?" Yan Gongli said, resting her chin on her hand. "There must be some connection here."
"When friends are near, distance disappears. It is only natural that Miss Yunshang and I, as friends, should help each other," Jiang Wen said nonchalantly.
"So, as long as we thoroughly investigate a few brothels in Su City, we can find that snake woman? But how many famous brothels are there in Su City?"
"The monastery master's scripture last time made me feel like the cosmic cycle was running faster," Li Yunshang said.
"It would be good if I could help you," Jiang Wen said. "But what will happen if your Life Fire boils over?"
"Naturally," Li Yunshang praised. "I originally thought that the monastery master discussing Dao with the real people in my sect was just boasting, but only after cultivating this Scripture of Purity did I realize that what the monastery master said was true. Such a profound cultivation method would be hard to find an equal to, even in the Scripture Repository of the Supreme Divinity Palace. I only had to recite the scripture once to feel my boiling, fiery Life Fire cool down."
Li Yunshang was full of confidence. Being injured hadn't affected her; on the contrary, it had made her Dao heart clearer.
"Seven hundred years?! You, you're that senior from the Immeasurable Pavilion?!" Li Yunshang asked in surprise.
"Then our plan is to find out where the snake woman is, and also figure out what connection she has with the God-Worshipping Society, and what conspiracy the God-Worshipping Society has in Su City. I always feel that these people, making such a big display, are probably not just trying to hide in the mortal world," Jiang Wen explained the direction of the group, and Li Yunshang smiled in response.
"Doesn't Monastery Master Jiang know?" Li Yunshang asked curiously.
"Let's not talk about these things for now; let's think about what to do next," Jiang Wen asked.
"If you put it that way, it makes sense," Yan Gongli said with a smile. "And the one standing in the fox demon's cave is the snake woman, doesn't that mean that the one leading the demons in Su City is this snake woman? To take it a step further, perhaps this snake woman is acting as a madam in a brothel in Su City."
"Are you saying that there must be someone in the brothels of Su City acting on behalf of these fox demons?" Jiang Wen nodded thoughtfully. "If that's the speculation, it makes some sense. These fox demons don't look for ordinary women; they specialize in targeting famous courtesans in brothels, which is more suitable for selecting targets. This way, it's easier to succeed and even easier to cover it up."
"There must be someone helping this group of fox demons conceal their aura so that they can slip past the detection of immortal cultivators. And the only ones who can do this are people within the immortal sects."
Being able to help Li Yunshang could be considered making the most of the treasure.
"Know what?" Jiang Wen was also a little surprised because he didn't know what Li Yunshang was going to say.
"The biggest difference between the Lighting Lamp realm and the Life Fire realm is that the Life Fire realm can withstand the heat of the Life Fire, but even the most powerful Life Fire cultivator must stop cultivating once they feel that their Qi Sea is unbearably hot. This is why it's difficult to circulate the cosmic cycle and advance the Life Fire. If one forcibly circulates the cultivation method, the flourishing Life Fire will burn the body, damaging consciousness, eventually turning into a human-like, ghost-like, living firewood."
After Li Yunshang finished speaking, Jiang Wen didn't regain his senses for a long time. Only then did he realize that this world seemed to be somewhat different from what he had thought.
