In the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed since the battle at Cangya Mountain.


    On this day, a middle-aged Daoist arrived at the gates of the County Governor''s residence. The guards stationed at the gates had already noticed him and were on high alert.


    "Please convey a message to Miss Yi," the middle-aged Daoist said with a smile. "Tell her that a disciple of the Taiyi Sect seeks an audience."


    "Miss Yi?"


    The guards exchanged glances.


    "Wait here," one of the guards said before hurrying inside to deliver the message. Yi Xiao lived in a separate courtyard within the County Governor''s residence. The courtyard was elegant and refined, currently covered with a thin layer of frost. Despite the blazing summer heat, the frost melted slowly, and a faint chill lingered in the air.


    Dressed in a pale green robe, Yi Xiao was seated in the courtyard, leisurely reading a book.


    "Miss Yi," a guard respectfully announced from outside the courtyard gate. "A middle-aged Daoist claiming to be from the Taiyi Sect seeks to meet you."


    "A Taiyi Sect disciple?" Yi Xiao''s face lit up with joy, but she quickly furrowed her brow. "A middle-aged Daoist?" she asked.


    "Yes, a middle-aged Daoist," the guard confirmed.


    Yi Xiao frowned but eventually said, "Let him in."


    "Understood." The guard bowed and retreated.


    Sitting in her courtyard, Yi Xiao felt puzzled. "That''s strange. My master uncle has white hair. How could it be a middle-aged Daoist? Could it not be my master uncle?"


    Before long, the middle-aged Daoist was brought to the courtyard gate. Upon seeing Yi Xiao, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Tu Yu of the Taiyi Sect greets Senior Sister Yi."


    The Taiyi Sect was considered a second-rate Daoist sect, an affiliated branch of one of the three great Daoist holy lands—the Shenxiao Sect. The disciples of affiliated sects held a distinctly lower status than those of the Shenxiao Sect itself. Even if they were of the same generation, the affiliated disciples, regardless of age, would always address the Shenxiao Sect disciples as senior brothers and sisters.


    Even when of a higher generation, affiliated sect disciples would typically refrain from putting on airs in front of Shenxiao Sect disciples.


    Affiliated sects generally sought to curry favor with the holy lands!


    The Shenxiao Sect was most renowned for its mastery of lightning techniques.


    However, the Taiyi Sect was famous for its physical sanctification methods, which allowed practitioners to cultivate their bodies to extraordinary levels, surpassing even the physical strength of monsters. Nevertheless, the highest level of physical sanctification in the Taiyi Sect only reached the "Innate Solid Core" stage, making it a second-rate sect. To be considered a first-rate sect, one must have masters of the Innate Golden Core stage as its pillars—such as the Sword Pavilion in Shu Prefecture.


    "Why didn''t my master uncle come?" Yi Xiao asked solemnly.


    "My master was traveling the world when he received the summons from the Shenxiao Sect. He immediately set off to return to the Taiyi Sect but encountered a calamity along the way," Tu Yu explained. "He came across an innate tree demon wreaking havoc. The tree demon used countless roots to drain humans of their flesh and blood, leaving only empty skins behind. Many humans perished at the hands of this tree demon. Enraged, my master engaged the demon in a fierce battle. Though he ultimately slew the demon, he was severely injured, losing a leg, and suffering grave internal wounds."


    Tu Yu continued, "When my master received Senior Sister Yi''s letter, he promptly sent me to offer his apologies. It will likely take him a year or two to recover fully and regrow his leg."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Tu Yu then retrieved a letter from his robes and presented it to Yi Xiao. "Here is my master''s personal letter."


    Yi Xiao accepted the letter with a heavy expression and read it.


    "My master deeply regrets failing to assist you in your critical moment," Tu Yu said.


    "Master Uncle fought to slay a demon. Such innate tree demons are indeed terrifying, with countless roots of immense power. Even innate Void Core cultivators dare not approach them. Only my master uncle would risk his life to kill it. I admire him greatly. How could I possibly be angry?" Yi Xiao replied. "I understand. You may leave now."


    Tu Yu bowed respectfully and departed.


    Yi Xiao remained seated, her mood sour.


    "How could this happen?" she thought, anxiety rising in her chest. "Master Uncle is gravely injured and can''t help me at all."


    "The Water God demon is cunning and cautious. If an innate Void Core cultivator approaches, the Water God will be on high alert, staying near the riverbank and retreating into the water at the first sign of danger," Yi Xiao thought.


    Innate Void Core cultivators, after all, could be extraordinarily powerful.


    For example, sword immortals, known for their offensive prowess, could be terrifying even at this stage. With a top-tier inheritance and an immensely destructive life-bound flying sword, they could rival or even kill innate Solid Core cultivators.


    Thus—


    The Water God would not stray far from the river if an innate Void Core cultivator approached, exercising extreme caution.


    Such prudence was the key to the Water God''s long survival.


    "My master uncle''s mastery of physical sanctification places him among the strongest close-combat practitioners under the Shenxiao Sect and its affiliates. His physical strength rivals that of the White Tiger demon, and he wields a powerful magical treasure while being highly skilled in spear techniques. His strength surpasses even the White Tiger demon''s. Compared to him, Qin Yun is still far too inexperienced," Yi Xiao thought, shaking her head. "My master uncle is the strongest close-combat practitioner among all postnatal cultivators under the Shenxiao Sect and its affiliates."


    "Without my master uncle''s help, what can I do?"


    Yi Xiao furrowed her brows.


    Killing the Water God demon was always going to be dangerous. Some elders in the Shenxiao Sect had tried to dissuade her when she accepted this mission, but she had insisted.


    If an innate cultivator went, the Water God would be too cautious.


    But if a postnatal cultivator went, the Water God would instead seize the opportunity to kill them. After all, being overly cautious would be cowardly, even by the Water God''s standards. Over the past two centuries, many postnatal cultivators had tried to take on the Water God, only to either barely escape with their lives or die in the attempt.


    "Should I go or not?"


    "If I go, I must find a skilled close-combat practitioner to assist me."


    "I''ll have to ask Qin Yun."


    After a moment of deliberation, Yi Xiao made her decision—she would go!


    "Although Qin Yun isn''t as strong as my master uncle, he has solid defensive capabilities. With some Daoist talismans to aid him, he should be able to stall the Water God demon."


    Without further hesitation, Yi Xiao rose and left the County Governor''s residence, heading for the Qin estate.


    Qin Estate.


    In his study, Qin Yun was practicing his calligraphy, each stroke an extension of his sword practice.


    "Second Young Master, Second Young Master," a servant called from outside. "A Miss Yi is here to see you."


    "Miss Yi? Didn''t I just visit the County Governor''s residence to see her a few days ago? Why is she here? This is her first time visiting me, isn''t it?" Qin Yun set down his brush and hurried out. For a lady to visit alone was quite rare, though cultivators rarely cared for worldly conventions.


    At the gate, he saw the pale green-robed woman standing quietly to one side.


    "Miss Yi, what an unexpected surprise! You’ve caught me unprepared," Qin Yun greeted her with a smile.


    "What’s there to prepare?" Yi Xiao turned toward him and smiled faintly. Accompanied by Qin Yun, she entered the estate.


    "Yun’er, do we have a guest?" Qin Yun’s mother, Chang Lan, approached with a few maidservants.


    Yi Xiao immediately dispelled her enchantment spell. Normally, she maintained it to avoid drawing undue attention with her beauty. But before Qin Yun’s mother, she deemed it disrespectful, especially with Qin Yun present.


    "This young lady..." Chang Lan began, initially seeing an ordinary woman, but the moment their eyes met, she froze.


    Such beauty.


    She looked like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world.


    "And you are?" Chang Lan asked, somewhat flustered. In her lifetime in Guangling County, she had never seen such a stunning figure. Even the renowned courtesans paled in comparison, their worldly charm far removed from the ethereal aura of this woman.


    "Greetings, Madam," Yi Xiao said with a smile. "My name is Yi Xiao. I accompanied Qin Yun to Cangya Mountain not long ago."


    Hearing this, Chang Lan immediately understood.


    Her demeanor, her speech—it was clear she was no ordinary woman. A fellow cultivator, then.


    "Mother, I have something to discuss with Miss Yi. Please excuse us," Qin Yun said quickly.


    Yi Xiao offered Chang Lan a slight bow before following Qin Yun along the garden path.


    Chang Lan watched them go, still somewhat dazed.


    "Madam, is she a celestial maiden?" one of the maid servants murmured.


    Touching her chest as if to steady herself, Chang Lan’s eyes glimmered. "Yi Xiao, was it?" she muttered to herself.