Oh~~

Dusk was settling over Ziyang Manor, a misty dampness in the air promising a rainy night. Li Mo had just finished discussing the timing with the elders. They would gather at the Happy Hotpot Restaurant when the night was dark and the wind high.

Regarding the details, the elders had each offered their suggestions.

Sect Master Shangguan suggested that everyone should choose an alias in advance and agree on key information about the Ten Thousand Phenomena Immortal Sect beforehand, to avoid giving themselves away if questioned.

Elder Hanhe suggested using the shattering of a cup as the signal to act.

Elder Qian felt all the suggestions were excellent, and he proposed they should eat first.

Young Li was quite pleased after listening.

"The elders are completely different from my master."

"If they were all like her, would the Qingyuan Sect even exist today?" Shangguan Wencang, Qian Bufan, and Elder Hanhe sighed.

Xue Jing wanted to pat Li Mo's shoulder and say, "Child, you've suffered."

Unexpectedly, Li Mo also wore a face full of emotion: "The elders... have all grown up."

"You..." Xue Jing wanted to smack Li Mo, to subdue him on the spot, but he withdrew his hand. Broken bones take a hundred days to mend, and a fractured hand would need months to heal.

The corners of the other elders' mouths twitched.

Damn it, why is this so annoyingly irrefutable? Forget it, let's just eat first.

Of course, Young Li didn't know that after he left, Xue Jing proposed changing the Qingyuan Sect's most severe punishment.

Previously, the most severe punishment in the Qingyuan Sect wasn't expulsion, but being sent to clean Qunyu Peak. That meant spending two days with Shang Wu, which was utterly terrifying.

Now, Shang Wu no longer lived on Qunyu Peak.

So Elder Xue proposed that from now on, the punishment should be changed to eating Little Bing'er's new dishes.

Meanwhile.

Li Mo had just left the main peak, intending to meet up with Huang Donglai, who was undercover at the Happy Hotpot Restaurant.

However, upon reaching the waterfall outside the Qiushui Pavilion, he found Huang Donglai standing there looking extremely awkward, with a familiar figure lying in front of him... well, more accurately, a mermaid.

Lan Tian was a shapeshifted member of the merfolk, and now her original form was revealed.

She was unconscious, her fish tail twitching sporadically.

"Old Huang, I never knew you were this kind of person."

Li Mo was shocked.

"Let me explain..." Huang Donglai waved his hands in a fluster.

"So you like this type..." Li Mo wasn't surprised at all that Old Huang would knock someone out.

"...That makes it even worse."

Huang Donglai fell silent for a moment. "Brother Li, perhaps you should revive her first."

Li Mo nodded and took out a Five Auras Purple Spirit Pill.

It turned out that on his way back, near the Qiushui Pavilion, Huang Donglai had noticed someone following him. As everyone knew how vigilant he was, he decisively struck.

Fortunately, this was within the Qingyuan Sect, where all sorts of martial artists mingled, so he held back and didn't take the pursuer's life.

Li Mo fed the pill into Lan Tian's mouth and asked, "You've seen Lan Tian before, how could you make such a mistake?"

"I only recognized her after her original form appeared. I originally thought she was an informant disguised as a beggar tailing me," Huang Donglai said awkwardly.

Li Mo opened his mouth, finally remembering what he had forgotten.

But why was Lan Tian following Huang Donglai?

"Let's carry her to the Qiushui Pavilion first, then we can talk in detail." Huang Donglai cautiously looked around.

Although this place was remote, the Qingyuan Sect was crowded nowadays, and someone might notice.

Not long after.

The two returned to the Qiushui Pavilion.

After placing Lan Tian to soak in a water vat in the courtyard, Li Mo asked:

"What kind of information have you gathered?"

"The Summoning Demons Cult and the Lingxi Sect believe the Qingyuan Sect possesses a Great Shang Dynasty relic, and that it's currently on you, Brother Li. So their main target this time is actually you."

"Why does everyone think that..."

Li Mo wanted to say there was no Great Shang relic. If he had to name something, it would be the Phoenix Aura, which was already with the Ice Block.

But it was good that outsiders thought this way; it meant he didn't need to explain the source of his wealth.

"So how do they plan to deal with me?"

"The specific method, they said they'd discuss together once you arrived. I only know the time they chose to strike: when you are least on guard."

"When?" Li Mo became alert.

Huang Donglai said seriously, "During the wedding night."

"......?"

A question mark slowly appeared above Young Li's head.

Was there some difference between engagement customs in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and what he understood?

"Since when does an engagement involve a wedding night?"

"I was curious too and even kindly reminded them, but that Hall Master Luo from the Summoning Demons Cult insisted he had personally experienced a wedding night and was absolutely correct."

Huang Donglai said helplessly, "I don't think he has."

"Hmm, I feel the same way... wait."

Li Mo thought about it and felt something was off. "What about the others? Weren't there two Deputy Cult Leaders? Didn't they notice the problem?"

"No. From my observation, most of the cult members have never been married, have no plans to, and know nothing about this aspect. Many are still virgins."

"..."

It made sense that those mixed up in a demonic cult couldn't find wives. Reasonable.

“But their jumbled up theoretical knowledge is impressive, each one more eloquent than the last. Who knows if they learned it from brothels or somewhere else.”

Huang Donglai spoke while laughing.

"?" Li Mo pointed at himself. "What are you laughing at? You're one too."

Huang Donglai: "??"

What does this have to do with me?

After a moment of silence, Li Mo composed himself and said, "So they agreed with Luo Yexian to strike during my wedding night? They completely didn't realize that an engagement simply doesn't have a wedding night?"

"Exactly. Brother Li, maybe you should temporarily add one?"

"Alright." Li Mo nodded.

He really decided to add that scene and play along without hesitation.

But he couldn't agree to this alone; he had to ask the Ice Block.

.....

Meanwhile.

"Crunch, crunch..."

Xiao Qin had been in seclusion recently. After losing to Tang Liu not long ago, instead of being disheartened, he recognized his shortcomings and decided to seek answers in the library.

He hadn't even had time to eat, only bringing a piece of dry rations.

Now, he was deeply engrossed, reading while munching.

"Xiao Qin."

"Huh?"

Xiao Qin looked up, startled to see the library elder frowning at him.

"Elder, what is it?"

"The library must be quiet. Finish your food quickly and don't disturb others."

"Huh?"

Xiao Qin was taken aback and instinctively looked towards the not-so-distant area.

There, he saw the 'others' the library elder mentioned.

It was Ying Bing, along with Qin Yuzhi and Shang Qinqing. The former was writing something on a scroll with a brush, while the other two were chattering away.

"Uh..." Xiao Qin opened his mouth.

"Indeed, they are talking, but discussing martial arts is permitted."

No sooner had the library elder's words fallen.

Voices drifted over from that side.

"Little Bing'er, do you know what happens on the wedding night?"

"Little Bing'er, do you know how babies are made?"

No wonder one was the former leader of the Summoning Demons Cult and the other a former totem. They shared a strange, almost psychic connection with the demonic cult members in certain aspects.

"......"

Xiao Qin looked back at the library elder.

"What are you staring at? That martial arts manual in your hand was annotated by Little Bing'er herself. What's wrong with her saying a few words about it?"

"But that Qin..."

"She's a Grand Elder. You expect me to manage her? What if she has me removed from my post?"