Li Lingsu, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect, bowed repeatedly, his face full of apology:

“This was to test your abilities. If this matter would have put you in danger, I wouldn’t have come to seek your help tonight. Moreover, Sister Qing isn’t bloodthirsty. Without a real feud between us, she only went as far as necessary during the day.”

“I could tell,” Xu Qi’an sat at the table, intending to pour himself a cup of tea, but then remembered this was a dream and gave up.

Li Lingsu said, “Two years ago, my junior fellow disciple and I left the mountain to experience the mortal world. While traveling through the East Sea Commandery, we met the East sisters, who are the First and Second Palace Mistresses of the East Sea Dragon Palace.”

Xu Qi’an nodded slowly, “The East Sea Commandery, the city of chaos.”

The East Sea Commandery bordered the East Sea and once belonged to Great Dafeng. It was later occupied by the Shaman God Cult, then recaptured by Great Dafeng… After years of back-and-forth, it became a city of chaos under the tacit understanding between Great Dafeng and the Shaman God Cult.

The nature of the East Sea Commandery was similar to Yunzhou, both being chaotic regions. But the latter was even more disorderly, filled with jianghu factions, independent cultivators, and wanted criminals from both the Shaman God Cult and Great Dafeng.

“The East Sea Dragon Palace must be one of the top powers in the East Sea Commandery, right?”

Xu Qi’an wasn’t very familiar with the East Sea Commandery, only knowing it by name.

Li Lingsu nodded:

“The elder sister is called Dong Fang Wanrong, a Peak Fourth-Rank shaman. The younger sister is Dong Fang Wanqing, a Peak Fourth-Rank martial artist. To be honest, the reason I got involved with them was entirely my junior fellow disciple’s fault.”

“She has a strong sense of justice. When cultivating in the mountains, the environment was simple, and we only interacted with fellow disciples. Heh, our Heavenly Sect has always been aloof from worldly desires, even too lazy to bully fellow disciples.”

“So at that time, we didn’t notice her strong sense of justice. After descending the mountain, she gradually revealed her true nature. She had to intervene in anything she found unacceptable.”

“You must have heard of the Flying Swallow Heroine in the jianghu. That’s my junior fellow disciple.”

Xu Qi’an mentally agreed with the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect’s complaint.

“It was also during one of her heroic acts that we met the East sisters. And due to some coincidences, I formed a deep bond with them…”

Is it a close friendship? It must be a close friendship… Xu Qi’an felt these words were too fitting to describe the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect.

He raised an eyebrow, giving a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “So, you became involved with both of them simultaneously?”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect nodded awkwardly.

Xu Qi’an inwardly exclaimed at his expertise. Peak Fourth-Rank, regardless of the system, was a pillar of strength, the pinnacle of mortal realm existence.

For such a pair of sisters to be willing to serve one man together.

He glanced at the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect, his gaze showing some recognition. He pondered, “From what you’re saying, the sisters should be deeply in love with you. Why do you want to escape from them?”

Hearing this, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect sighed, “Your cultivation is profound, so you must know about the Heavenly Sect…”

Seeing Xu Qi’an nod, he didn’t elaborate on the Heavenly Sect and spoke directly, “Our Heavenly Sect cultivates the Supreme Emotionlessness. What is Supreme Emotionlessness? My master says, ‘Still and unmoved by emotions, as if forgotten.'”

“My understanding is to be unmoved by emotions, untroubled by feelings. Forgetting emotions doesn’t mean being heartless. It means having emotions but not being constrained or troubled by them, reaching a level of detached observation.”

“To assimilate with heaven and earth, as they say, ‘Heaven’s selfishness is used with utmost fairness’…”

“This level can only be achieved through enlightenment, like a martial artist’s ‘intent’ stage, which requires self-realization.”

Xu Qi’an listened patiently, though he wasn’t absorbing any of it.

He raised his hand, interrupting the Holy Son’s rambling at an appropriate time, frowning, “What’s the connection between these two things?”

“Of course, there’s a connection,” Li Lingsu sighed, “To forget emotions, one must first experience love, so…”

He glanced at Xu Qi’an, seeing his expression of realization. He was about to continue when he heard this mysterious cyan-robed man sneer:

“So, you’re abandoning them after using them?”

Li Lingsu’s expression stiffened for a moment before he loudly refuted:

“It’s not abandonment! I still have duties to my sect, and I need to find my path. Moreover, as the Holy Son or Holy Daughter of the Heavenly Sect, one is destined to inherit the sect’s leadership in the future.”

“I bear the heavy responsibility of my sect. How can I indulge in romance? It’s better to part ways in the jianghu. So I followed my junior fellow disciple to travel far away, leaving the East Sea Commandery.”

What a ‘better to part ways in the jianghu,’ such a scumbag… Xu Qi’an thought to himself.

“But Sister Qing and Sister Rong don’t see it that way. They think I’m heartless and ungrateful. Their love turned to hatred. A year ago, they finally tracked down my junior fellow disciple and me.”

“That junior fellow disciple of mine, completely disregarding our sect’s relationship, stood by and did nothing, leaving me to flee alone…”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect wore a pained expression, “In the end, I couldn’t escape their clutches. Now my cultivation is sealed, my divine soul is sealed, and I’m under house arrest by Sister Qing and Sister Rong.”

What a blessed situation… Xu Qi’an’s mind was full of retorts, not knowing how to express them. He slowly said:

“So you want me to help you escape from their ‘clutches’?”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect nodded repeatedly.

“Heh!” Xu Qi’an laughed, “Sorry, I’m powerless to help. They are both Peak Fourth-Rank. The martial artist might be manageable, but one of them is a shaman skilled in divination. You must have left some personal items like hair or blood in their possession. They only need to divine once to locate you.”

“They might even, out of hatred for your unfaithfulness, directly use a death curse on you.”

Of course, your “personal items” might not necessarily be in their hands; they could be inside their bodies.

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect remained calm and composed:

“Sister Qing and Sister Rong won’t bear to kill me, I can guarantee that. Of course, even if they choose to use a death curse, I have no complaints. After all, my love for them is sincere.”

Embracing two women at once, and you dare talk about love? Hmm, I might not be qualified to judge him… Xu Qi’an still shook his head:

“The point isn’t whether you’re prepared to die. The point is that while they might not bear to kill you, they will direct their anger at me. I’m no match for two Peak Fourth-Rank cultivators.”

“What do you mean?” The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect scrutinized him, frowning, “You can use the Celestial Insect’s star-shifting ability to conceal my aura. They won’t be able to find us. It’s very safe that way.”

How does he know I have the “star-shifting” technique… Xu Qi’an was startled, almost entering a combat state and flipping the table.

But considering that the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect was somewhat on his side, he held back.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ve witnessed the ‘star-shifting’ ability before and experienced it personally. When we met on the street earlier, I sensed the aura of the Celestial Insect. Only someone who has personally contained the power of the Celestial Insect can sense it.”

“However, your innate insects are strange. Besides the Celestial Insect, you also use the Shadow Insect, Strength Insect, and Poison Insect.”

There’s also the Heart Insect, Emotion Insect, and Corpse Insect. No, the essence of the question is, you’ve contained the power of the Celestial Insect’s star-shifting? Xu Qi’an voiced this doubt.

“Well, it’s a long story,” the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect said, “That day, to escape the East sisters, I fled southward to the Insect Clan territory. I was saved by a beautiful, lively, and cheerful girl.”

“She sympathized with me and took me to the Celestial Insect tribe, asking the Celestial Insect Grandmother to use the star-shifting power to conceal my aura and block Sister Rong’s divination tracking. You know about the Celestial Insect Grandmother, right? She’s an extremely powerful senior.”

Xu Qi’an asked, “Then how were you later found by the East sisters?”

Hearing this, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect showed a familiar, awkward smile:

“Later, I hit it off with that Insect Clan girl. On a moonlit night, I recklessly touched her, and she recklessly touched me back. We even made a vow never to separate…”

Xu Qi’an’s heart stirred, and he silently looked at him, “That girl was…?”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect said woodenly, “She was a girl from the Emotion Insect tribe.”

Pfft… Xu Qi’an almost covered his mouth to laugh. He maintained his cold demeanor:

“So, to escape her, you threw yourself into the lion’s den, letting the East sisters find you?”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect sighed:

“But I was truly happy with her, and I liked her. However, her possessiveness was even stronger than Sister Qing’s and Sister Rong’s. She even planted an Emotion Insect inside me.”

“Besides, with Sister Rong and Sister Qing, I still had a chance to escape. Staying with the Insect Clan, with their numerous spies, experts, and mysterious techniques, I had no hope of escaping.”

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect’s bizarre adventures were entangled with three women… Xu Qi’an crossed his hands on the table and said:

“What rank are you, and how much of your power can you use? This is crucial for my plan. Also, I can save you, but you need to offer a satisfactory reward.”

Li Lingsu was both surprised and delighted. He thought carefully and sincerely said:

“I’m just one step away from the Fourth Rank. When we left the mountain, my junior fellow disciple and I were both in the Yin Spirit realm. A year later, we both advanced to the Fifth Rank Golden Core.”

“During the half-year chase, I reached the peak of the Fifth Rank. In the subsequent half-year of confinement, my cultivation was sealed, and I’ve been stuck since then. Now I can at most exert power at the Seventh Rank level.”

“Seventh Rank Qi Absorption, barely able to manipulate some magical artifacts.”

A weakling… Xu Qi’an made his assessment internally.

Li Lingsu continued, “As for the reward, I’m currently penniless. My… um, everything is with my junior fellow disciple, including gold, silver, magical artifacts, and some rare treasures.”

“After you rescue me, I’ll take you to find her. I’ll give you half of all my savings. Hehe, it’s quite a fortune. If you don’t trust me, you should at least trust the Flying Swallow Heroine’s reputation.”

He wore an expression of “my junior fellow disciple is a big shot,” and in terms of jianghu status, Li Miaozhen was indeed at the big shot level.

Xu Qi’an pondered for a long time: “I’ll try to help you, but I can’t guarantee success.”

Immediately, the two began to discuss in low voices.

…

The next day, Li Lingsu woke up feeling exhausted, accompanied by a slight soreness in his waist.

Before reaching high ranks, the Daoist system’s physical enhancement wasn’t strong, far inferior to martial artists of the same level.

The wind whistled in the courtyard as Sister Qing was tempering her fist intent.

In the warm bedroom, in front of the dressing mirror, a seductive woman with a slender waist, wrapped in gauze, was doing her makeup. She turned back gracefully:

“Young Master Li, you’re awake?”

Li Lingsu threw off the covers and got out of bed, hugging the seductive woman from behind, saying:

“Dearest sister, let me help you with your eyebrows.”

Dong Fang Wanrong smiled gracefully, slightly raising her face and closing her eyes.

As Li Lingsu drew her eyebrows, he said, “The porcelain in Pingzhou is so smooth. I’d like to go browse around.”

Dong Fang Wanrong frowned, “Our schedule is very tight.”

Li Lingsu smoothed out the frown between her brows with his fingertip, saying softly, “Don’t frown, it mars Sister Rong’s heavenly beauty.”

Dong Fang Wanrong’s face flushed red as she said, “Well, alright. Half a day at most. We must depart by lunchtime.”

After breakfast, the East Sea Dragon Palace group went out, showing off and attracting attention. Unlike last time, they walked on foot instead of riding in a large sedan chair.

Two Peak Fourth-Rank cultivators on the street couldn’t help but be conspicuous.

As they strolled, buying quite a few porcelain pieces, Li Lingsu deliberately drank a belly full of tea and said in a low voice:

“Dear sisters, I need to relieve myself.”

Dong Fang Wanqing nodded, her beautiful face expressionless, and said, “I’ll accompany you.”

She immediately led a few maids to accompany Li Lingsu to the latrine in the back courtyard of a shop.

Dong Fang Wanqing and the maids stopped at a distance, not approaching, but watching from afar.

Li Lingsu relieved the pressure on his bladder. Looking down, he saw a fat rat in the sewage pit, half of its body submerged in the filthy water, raising its head with beady eyes looking at him.

“I’m in the latrine. The sisters are temporarily separated,” he said in a low voice.

The big rat turned and left. A few seconds later, a chaotic “squeak squeak” sound came, and a swarm of rats appeared in the sewage pit. Using their strong jumping ability, they leaped out of the pit.

They rushed into the courtyard, covered in filth, pouncing towards Dong Fang Wanqing and the few guards.

At the same time, dog barks were heard as more than a dozen dogs, big and small, charged into the courtyard, baring their teeth and lunging at Dong Fang Wanqing.

These animals couldn’t harm a martial artist, but the chaos they caused left Dong Fang Wanqing and the other women bewildered. Their first reaction wasn’t to break through the “encirclement” to catch Li Lingsu.

Instead, they unleashed their qi to disperse the foul-smelling rat swarm and the frenzied dog pack.

This gave Li Lingsu a precious opportunity to escape.

Xu Qi’an emerged from Li Lingsu’s shadow, grasped his shoulder, and calmly looked at Dong Fang Wanqing in the distance, seeing this ethereally beautiful woman’s face change dramatically.

He withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, “Let’s go!”

The two immediately vanished.

“Damn it!” Dong Fang Wanqing leaped up, briefly floating in the air, surveying from above. With houses densely packed and people bustling about, how could she still see any trace of the two?

Her face ashen, she gathered her qi and descended in front of the shop. Stepping over the threshold, she looked at her sister and said in a low voice:

“Young Master Li has been abducted.”

The alluring Dong Fang Wanrong frowned slightly, calmly taking out a talisman paper with a lock of hair tucked inside.

She closed her eyes, brought her hands together, formed a hand seal, and performed a divination. Finally losing her composure, her beautiful face paled: “The divination is ineffective…”

Dong Fang Wanqing’s delicate eyebrows furrowed as she said in a low voice, “It’s that cyan-robed man from yesterday.”

That mysterious cyan-robed man from yesterday… Dong Fang Wanrong turned her head to look at her sister, her tone somewhat urgent: “Why would he take Young Master Li?”