In the end, everyone from the Taiyan Sect went.

After all, leaving Meng Ying alone at the inn would make it seem like they were isolating her. Meng Ying was just like Gu Baiying in the Taiyan Sect—very particular about food, clothing, and cultivation, never touching such mortal food under normal circumstances. Coming out tonight was already giving considerable face.

Of course, it was for Gu Baiying’s sake.

During the day in Li’er Kingdom, the sun blazed like fire with steaming sea and sky. The cultivators were unwilling to go out, hiding in rooms with ice blocks to cool off. At night, with cool sea breezes and bright moonlight, the beach became lively.

Each tree in the red mangrove forest had palm-sized lanterns hanging from it. The lantern paper was dark blue, and from a distance, it looked like a deep blue waterfall of light. Moonlight spread across the sandy ground, making the white sand look like snow. In the distance, tides surged forward, harmonizing with the waves to connect the night sky and the vast sea into one piece.

There were many vendors along the beach—some selling rock sugar syrup like those at the gambling house entrance during the day, some selling fruits, and others who had set up stoves on small boats moored near the seaside. Some people fished on the spot, grilling their catch until fragrant. It was said that cultivators could also board the boats to fish and grill themselves for fifty spirit stones per hour, similar to outdoor self-service.

For those who didn’t want to do it themselves, there were many specialized food stalls along the beach. Li’er Kingdom was rich in oysters and flower crabs, which didn’t need complex cooking—just steaming made them delicious. The sea breeze carried the aroma directly into people’s noses, making their mouths water. Mimi walked to a stall selling grilled oysters and couldn’t move, rubbing against the vendor’s leg coquettishly.

The vendor looked down in confusion and glanced around: “Whose pig escaped?”

Zanxing: “……”

She went over to pick up Mimi and asked the others: “How about we eat here?”

“Great!” Tian Fangfang looked into the distance: “I wonder how it tastes?”

“Rest assured, immortals,” the vendor said cheerfully, “I’m not bragging, but our Li’er Kingdom’s oysters and flower crabs are truly exceptional. You’ll regret not trying them. There are tables and chairs ahead—please wait a moment.”

Since Gu Baiying was treating, there was no reason to save money. Tian Fangfang enthusiastically ordered dishes, choosing oysters and flower crabs, plus some fish and shrimp. Not far from the small stall was a set-up pavilion; after the secret realm trial ended, all the pavilions on the beach would be dismantled. These few days were the best business of the year. Zanxing and the others sat down at the tables and chairs. The table even came with a small dish of honeydew melon—it looked exactly like a seafood food court.

This counted as team building, right? For a first team building at a seafood food court, how could they not have beer?

Zanxing suggested: “Are there any wine sellers nearby? How about we buy some wine to drink?”

“Great!” Tian Fangfang was the first to agree: “I knew something was missing. Junior Sister, you understand.”

“No.” Gu Baiying glared at Zanxing, “Sect rules state that when away from home, drinking leads to trouble.”

“This isn’t allowed either?” Zanxing said, “The sect manages things broadly.”

“Of course, our sect is a proper sect with strict rules.” Seeing this, Mendong added: “When away, not only can’t we drink, we also can’t gamble. We can’t go to gambling houses like the Liuli Sect and Chihua Sect do.”

Zanxing asked with interest: “What else?”

“Also…” Mendong thought for a moment, then suddenly said: “Dual cultivation isn’t allowed either!”

As soon as these words came out, everyone else fell silent for a moment. Zanxing laughed: “Junior Brother, when children lie, their noses grow long.”

“I’m not lying!” Mendong looked at her seriously: “Everything I said is true.”

Zanxing was unconvinced. If the sect didn’t allow dual cultivation, where did Mu Cengxiao’s eight wives come from? Seeing that Zanxing still didn’t believe him, Mendong became anxious and tugged at Gu Baiying’s sleeve: “If you don’t believe me, ask Master Uncle. Master Uncle, isn’t that right?”

Zanxing looked at Gu Baiying. Gu Baiying coughed lightly and said: “That’s right, the sect rules indeed forbid dual cultivation. So, Yang Zanxing,” he stared at Zanxing with an ambiguous warning, “you must focus all your thoughts on improving your cultivation and not think about things you shouldn’t think about!”

Zanxing: “?” How was she thinking about things she shouldn’t? And what was up with the Taiyan Sect—dual cultivation was disciples’ private life. Were they implementing “refuse gambling, drinking, and drugs”?

Meanwhile, Meng Ying looked at Gu Baiying thoughtfully.

Soon, the grilled oysters were served on silver plates, looking especially tender and fragrant. Mendong was young and greedy. Without thinking, he was about to use his chopsticks to put some in his bowl when he suddenly remembered something. He sneakily glanced at Gu Baiying and said seriously: “Raw oyster meat treats deficiency, relieves post-drinking irritation, and smooths the skin. Oyster shells dissolve phlegm and soften hardness, clear heat and remove dampness, stop heart and spleen qi pain, benefit the discharge of red and white turbidity, and eliminate hernia accumulations. Since we’re about to enter the secret realm, everyone should eat more oysters—it’s greatly beneficial for cultivation.”

The vendor bringing the food smiled upon hearing this: “The young immortal is truly knowledgeable. Indeed, these oysters paired with rock sugar syrup are also exceptional. The immortals can buy some rock sugar syrup from the small boats ahead—the taste will be even better.”

After the vendor left, Tian Fangfang urged everyone to quickly eat the oysters while hot, not mentioning the rock sugar syrup since it was quite expensive and would require their spirit stones—naturally, no one was willing.

Zanxing tasted one. The oysters had a special sauce that was indeed very fresh, with a hint of the unique sweetness of seafood. After eating two, she suddenly remembered something and pulled out an item from her chest, handing it to Gu Baiying: “Oh right, Master Uncle, here’s this back.”

It was a small azure bell that looked exquisite and delicate. Gu Baiying was stunned and instinctively touched his waist, as if only now realizing he had lost something. Mendong, whose mouth was stuffed full, saw this and said unclearly: “How did the Jiexin Bell end up in your hands?”

“Jiexin Bell?” Zanxing was puzzled: “Today at the gambling house, when Huang Fan from the Chihua Sect ambushed me and Master Uncle saved me, this fell from his body. I picked it up intending to return it to Master Uncle, but forgot for a moment.”

Seeing Gu Baiying take the azure bell, she asked: “Is this a bell? Why doesn’t it make any sound?”

She had shaken it after picking it up, but the bell made no sound at all.

“The Jiexin Bell doesn’t ring under normal circumstances.” It was Meng Ying who answered her, “And no one has ever heard the sound of the Jiexin Bell ringing.”

Tian Fangfang raised his head: “Why?”

Just then, Gu Baiying suddenly stood up. Everyone was startled, seeing displeasure in the young man’s brow. Mu Cengxiao asked: “What’s wrong, Master Uncle?”

“Didn’t you want rock sugar syrup?” He stood up: “I’ll go buy some.” With that, he left the table and walked toward the small boats on the beach.

“Is Master Uncle a bit unhappy?” Tian Fangfang asked: “What’s wrong with him?”

Meng Ying sighed and didn’t speak.

Zanxing looked at her: “Senior Sister, what did you mean just now when you said no one has heard the Jiexin Bell ring? What do you mean by ‘normal circumstances’—does it ring during abnormal circumstances?”

“Of course it rings.” Mendong’s face was smeared with oil, and while Tian Fangfang wiped his face with a handkerchief, he said: “It’s just that we can’t hear it.”

Meng Ying lowered her eyes: “The Jiexin Bell originally belonged to Qinghua Xianzi.”

Qinghua Xianzi of the Taiyan Sect—as the direct disciple of Yushan Shengren, fellow junior sister of Shaoyang Zhenren, and the great contributor who killed the Demon Lord in the human-demon war twenty years ago—was already full of legendary color, not to mention she was also a goddess fairy with stunning beauty and grace.

When the Demon Lord had not yet brought disaster to the mortal world, Qinghua Xianzi was already famous throughout the entire cultivation world for her beauty and cultivation. Everyone said that in today’s cultivation world, Meng Ying was a great beauty rarely seen in a thousand years, but compared to Qinghua Xianzi, she still couldn’t match even one-tenth of her divine charm.

Such an excellent woman, saying tens of thousands wanted to become her dao companion, wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Back then, eligible, talented men from various cultivation world sects nearly trampled the Taiyan Sect’s threshold with their marriage proposals. Unfortunately, the beauty had no interest in romance, single-mindedly pursuing the dao, only wishing to ascend as soon as possible.

Among the various major sects, some overly confident disciples always believed that the beauty’s indifference toward them must be playing hard to get, feigning aloofness. One such disciple, after being repeatedly rejected, angrily sent an azure bell to Qinghua Xianzi—this bell was the Jiexin Bell.

The Jiexin Bell was a top-grade spirit artifact. Once a contract was formed with this bell, one became the bell’s master. The Jiexin Bell normally wouldn’t ring—it would only make a sound when encountering someone one fancied, at the moment of heartbeat.

“What’s this?” Zanxing listened in amazement: “A heartbeat detector?” It seemed too intelligent.

Meng Ying shook her head: “That fellow cultivator intended to believe that Qinghua Xianzi couldn’t possibly not have fallen for him, wanting her to face her true feelings before everyone. The result…”

Everyone knew the result—no chance.

However, after this, the Jiexin Bell instead became a tool for testing the fairy’s true heart. Countless talented men spoke moving words of love to the fairy with deep affection, pointing to heaven and earth, making vows, while Qinghua Xianzi only maintained a cold, pretty face, the Jiexin Bell at her waist remaining silent.

All failed.

“The Jiexin Bell only rings when the heart is moved,” Mu Cengxiao wondered. “This means when Qinghua Xianzi faced Seventh Master Uncle’s father, the bell should have rung.”

“Probably.” Meng Ying said quietly: “But except for Qinghua Xianzi herself, no one knows who Seventh Master Uncle’s father is, so until now, no one has heard the Jiexin Bell’s sound.”

“Then how did the Jiexin Bell end up with Master Uncle?” Zanxing asked.

“Before Qinghua Xianzi disappeared, she left behind the Jiexin Bell and erased the contract on it—it should have been specifically left for Seventh Master Uncle. The sect leader later gave the Jiexin Bell to Seventh Master Uncle and had him form a new contract. If someday Seventh Master Uncle has someone he fancies, at the moment his heart is moved, we might be able to hear the sound of the Jiexin Bell.” Meng Ying answered.

Mendong wiped his mouth: “Forget it. My Master Uncle is so excellent that to make his heart flutter, it would have to be a fairy. I think, just like Qinghua Xianzi, we probably won’t hear what the Jiexin Bell sounds like in our lifetime.”