A dark look crossed Xu Lai's face.

"Stinky kid," Luo Chu chided, "the word 'like' is a very serious one. You don't understand what it means yet, so don't say it so carelessly. You're making Yiyi blush."

"Oh."

Qian Xiao seemed to understand, more or less, but he still snuck a couple of silly grins at his little boss.

Xu Yiyi blinked her large eyes.

"Qian Xiao, you won't get any candy for the next month," Xu Lai said grimly.

"Huh?"

Qian Xiao was baffled. "Why?"

"It's bad for your teeth."

"..."

Qian Xiao was still baffled.

That's just a cloud, isn't it? How could eating a cloud be bad for my teeth?

The two families didn't continue their outing with the children, choosing instead to head home for dinner.

Of course, the location was Haitang Court.

On the way back, Ruan Tang called Xu Yaoyao ahead of time. The trio of best friends planned to have a proper get-together over dinner that evening.

Xu Lai felt helpless.

He knew Ruan Tang was definitely going to get drunk again. Whenever those three got together, not one of them ever stayed sober!

...

...

Meanwhile, at the East Sea Wushu Association.

A few Eighth Grade Martial Artists, led by the association's director, Gao He, stood respectfully at the gate, watching the old man step out of the black van.

He had the face of a youth but the hair of a crane.

A long white robe.

The bearing of an Immortal.

It was none other than Southeast Asia's number one Feng Shui Taoist, Li Sanbai!

"Senior Li, please."

After Gao He and the others performed the Martial Dao salutation, they spoke respectfully. "A banquet has been prepared inside to welcome you."

Gao He's face was filled with excitement.

He truly hadn't expected the legendary figure to accept. He had only sent the invitation to create a Spirit Vein for Jiangnan on a whim.

And yet, Li Sanbai had flown in from Harbour City to East Sea the very next day!

"Hmph."

Li Sanbai responded indifferently.

Although he was arrogant, none of the Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors present dared to take offense.

Not to mention Li Sanbai's profound mastery of Feng Shui and Formations, this old man, who looked to have one foot in the grave, was actually a terrifying expert comparable to a peak Ninth Grade Great Martial Sect.

A living legend! Isn't it normal for someone like him to be a bit arrogant? It'd be stranger if he weren't!

"Where are the items I requested you prepare?" Li Sanbai asked in a deep voice.

"In the warehouse."

Gao He hurried to lead the way.

The warehouse held countless treasures, but after a brief inspection, Li Sanbai frowned. "You're missing far too many materials and Spirit Plants."

"Senior Li, some of the materials for the Formation are extremely rare. They are being dispatched from various locations and should all be here within three days at the most!" Gao He explained.

"Three days..."

Li Sanbai closed his eyes. Three days was more or less enough time to choose a good mountain range.

He stated lightly, "The Jiangnan Spirit Vein will be built here in East Sea."

"This..."

The few Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors exchanged surprised glances, confused as to why Senior Li would suddenly say such a thing.

"Senior Li, there is already a Spirit Vein in East Sea," Gao He said after a moment of thought. "The Martial Dao Association suggested choosing Hangcheng or Hua City. Those two cities..."

"The Feng Shui here is good."

Those five simple words from Li Sanbai thoroughly silenced him.

"Or are you saying that I'm not the one leading this Formation?" Li Sanbai said coolly. "Why don't you do it, then?"

Gao He's face turned green. He hastily waved his hands. "No, no, no... Senior, everything will be as you arrange. I spoke out of turn."

"Hmph."

Li Sanbai said, displeased, "I'll be back in three days. Do not disturb me until then. I'm going to select a site!"

With that, he turned and left, not even staying for the welcome feast.

"Did Senior Li get angry?" an Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor asked nervously. After all, it's only natural for an expert to get angry when a layman presumes to instruct them.

Gao He, somewhat regretting his meddling words, consoled himself, "Senior Li isn't that petty. Let's not overthink it."

Li Sanbai's arrival swept through Jiangnan and Jiangbei like a tornado. Countless eyes were now fixated on East Sea City.

Even the spokespeople for the One Faction, Three Sects, and Nine Pavilions sent envoys to request a meeting with Li Sanbai.

But...

Li Sanbai refused all invitations, giving no one face as he sequestered himself in his hotel room for closed-door cultivation.

This attitude earned him resounding applause from the Taoist priests who had gathered from all over the country, all of whom revered him as a god.

No one knew that this Li Sanbai, so transcendent in the eyes of others, was at this very moment kneeling humbly on the spotless floor of his room.

On the bay window sat a stunningly beautiful woman in a red dress. It was the monster from the blood pool, No-Face, and this was yet another one of her avatars.

However, this avatar possessed no combat strength. It merely occupied a woman's body, its consciousness having invaded it, rendering it nothing more than a shell.

No-Face propped her chin on her hand and gazed through the window at the skyscrapers of East Sea City. She couldn't help but sigh emotionally, "Back then, this place was just a small dock. This is where I met him. In the blink of an eye, two thousand years have passed, and the seas have turned to mulberry fields..."

Him, from two thousand years ago... Who was he?

Li Sanbai's heart pounded, vaguely aware that this must involve some profound secret.

But he didn't dare to ask, nor did he dare to disturb his master's reminiscence.

No-Face suddenly snapped back to the present. She looked at Li Sanbai and asked, "Where do you think is the best place to build the Spirit Vein? Give me your opinion."

"Sea Temple Island is the best choice. A great number of Sea Demons were once suppressed there, leaving behind an abundance of spiritual energy," Li Sanbai said respectfully.

"Indeed, that's not bad."

No-Face's two snow-white legs dangled over the edge, swinging back and forth like a little girl's. "There, then," she said with a grin.

"But, Master... I've heard that Sea Temple Island is now the territory of the Su Family of Hangcheng and the Jiang Family of Liu City, both of whom are backed by Xu Lai," Li Sanbai said, then hesitated. "Might that prove to be... troublesome?"

Fearing his master's anger, Li Sanbai quickly added, "But rest assured, Master, any trouble can be resolved through the Martial Dao Association. We can have them step forward and demand the island."

"Xu Lai..."

No-Face's smile gradually faded.

Her avatar, which had cost her three hundred years of cultivation to create, had been destroyed at the hands of that very man!

She felt a mixture of dread, curiosity, and a sliver of greed toward him. He clearly understood Artifact Refining and also possessed significant knowledge of Formations.

He... could he be the one to help me escape this prison?

Freedom. That was what No-Face craved above all else. She refused to be trapped for all eternity in that tiny cage.

After all, such methods—whether expending her cultivation to create an avatar or stripping away a wisp of her soul to possess a body—were not sustainable in the long run.

The master and servant continued their conversation in the room.

Meanwhile, in Haitang Court, Xu Lai was unaware that someone had their sights on Sea Temple Island. His own forehead was covered in dark lines, because Ruan Tang was, as expected, drunk again!

She had roped in Xu Yaoyao and Luo Chu, who were also drunk, and the three of them were now belting out karaoke songs with a microphone connected to the living room TV.

Needless to say, each of the three women was a "soulful songstress" whose singing was so bad it made one's scalp crawl. At least, Qian Xiao and Yiyi were certainly terrified.

Even Beibei, hiding in his seashell, couldn't bear the terrible noise and leaped from the cliff into the sea below, continuing home to visit his family.

Xiao Hei wasn't so lucky.

The cute and plump pet was being used as a cushion by Xu Yaoyao...

Although it was still in the Spirit Awakening phase, Xu Lai could see a look of pure innocence and misery in its eyes, an expression that seemed to say:

Save me!

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