Water Wood Hermit

Before long.

After refining the healing pill, Wen Ning rose and came to Chen Heng's side, standing prettily nearby. She did not dare speak and interrupt his train of thought.

At this moment.

Chen Heng was frantically pondering what connection the artifact pattern that fused water's pliancy with wood's solidity had to this cave residence.

After wracking his brains to no avail, he turned to look at Wen Ning, the charming young married woman.

Seeing this, Wen Ning hurried forward, knelt, and performed a grand salute. "This servant, Wen Ning, pays respects to Master!"

Her voice was exceedingly gentle and her manner exceedingly humble, for fear that a single misstep might provoke Chen Heng's wrath.

Her desire to survive was truly maxed out.

Seeing this, Chen Heng's expression softened slightly. He then took out the six storage pouches he had obtained from Luo Yu Lei and said calmly, "Wen Ning, which one is your storage pouch? Open it."

Most cultivators' storage pouches bore their spiritual sense imprints and mana restrictions, which could sometimes take considerable time to wear away.

But since the owner herself was here, Chen Heng naturally would not stand on ceremony.

Wen Ning actually possessed a second-rank talisman. Who could say whether she did not have other precious items in her possession?

Moreover, Rogue Cultivators generally kept their entire fortune together.

This made him quite eager to see the collection of this bargain maidservant of his.

Hearing this, Wen Ning raised her head and glanced at Chen Heng. She then got up, stepped forward, selected a rather delicate storage pouch, and brushed it lightly with her slender hand, opening it.

Then she solemnly presented it to him with both hands.

Chen Heng accepted the storage pouch and said casually, "Wen Ning, there is no need for you to be so nervous and afraid. Since you have already made a Dao Vow to serve me as your master, I am not some bloodthirsty man. Rest assured."

"Yes, Master," Wen Ning replied cautiously.

"You need not call me Master in the future. Just call me Young Master."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Tell me everything about your past, truthfully."

"Everything?"

"Mm."

Chen Heng nodded faintly and gave a soft hum. As he listened to Wen Ning recount her past, he also examined every item in her storage pouch.

Apart from several sets of clothes she carried with her.

The storage pouch mostly contained talisman-making supplies, along with various odds and ends.

There were no miraculous talismans like the Turtle Breath Talisman.

However, there was a second-rank talisman scripture worth mentioning, which recorded the methods for drawing quite a few second-rank talismans.

This was also evident from Wen Ning's account. Her father had been a Rogue Cultivator in the market, while her mother had merely been a mortal. She had lived in Southern Foothills Market since childhood.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about her upbringing. However, by a stroke of fortune, she had once obtained the inheritance of a second-rank talisman master—the nameless talisman scripture, along with several second-rank talismans.

Over the years, following Wang Yi, Li Zheng, and the others in their harmful schemes, she had nearly used them all up.

Only the last Turtle Breath Talisman, which she had kept to preserve her life, remained, and it had been completely expended in this incident as well.

But Wen Ning's talent for making talismans was actually quite good. She was already a high-grade first-rank talisman master, and her Spirit Stone income was quite substantial.

Chen Heng could verify the truth of that income from the roughly one thousand low-grade Spirit Stones in her storage pouch.

She had not wished to take part in these schemes, but she had another reason for doing so.

"This concubine once saw the carvings on this jade pillar in a cultivator's travelogue left behind by my father. They are artifact patterns created by a Water Wood Hermit at Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"This Water Wood Hermit was a high-grade second-rank artifact refiner. However, this senior followed the path of water-method artifact refinement, so the artifact patterns he inscribed upon his magical artifacts differed greatly from those of fire-method refinement."

"Without prior knowledge, ordinary people would be unable to distinguish them."

Hearing this, Chen Heng secretly thought, No wonder I could not identify the defensive artifact pattern on that shield. It had actually been refined through water methods.

Water-method artifact refinement was quite particular. Compared with fire refinement, its success rate was higher, but producing a finished artifact was exceedingly slow. One had to possess an excellent cold spring or frigid spring to carry it out.

It greatly tested an artifact refiner's patience in grinding away at a task.

"Therefore, this place is very likely the cave residence of the Water Wood Hermit. That was also why this concubine participated in those schemes!"

Wen Ning recounted all of her past in one breath without concealing anything, and immediately felt her mouth grow dry and parched.

Yet she did not dare harbor the slightest complaint in her heart. After all, she had already sworn a Dao Vow.

After listening, Chen Heng took out five hundred Spirit Stones from her storage pouch and returned it to her. He then asked calmly, "Do you have a method to open it?"

At this, Wen Ning's beautiful eyes shifted. Covering her mouth, she smiled. "This concubine does have a way. If Li Zheng and the others had not been convinced that fish would take the bait and refused to leave..."

"This cave residence would have long since been opened by this concubine."

Seeing that Chen Heng was calm and even-tempered, with an unhurried tone, she relaxed completely.

The mature charm she revealed in that instant was indeed pleasing to the eye.

Having lived two lives, Chen Heng was certain of it.

A moment later.

Wen Ning formed a mysterious hand seal with her slender jade-like hands, then tapped the jade pillar several times in succession.

Rumble!

The exquisite jade pillar at the center of the cave residence trembled slightly, then sank down with a roar!

Chen Heng raised his brows. He secretly thought that this truly was a method arranged by a Foundation Establishment true cultivator. Just now, he had carefully swept the entire hall with his spiritual sense.

Yet he had completely failed to discover that there was another mystery beneath the jade pillar.

Wen Ning truly was a capable woman. Fortunately, he had spared her life, or he would not have gained this additional harvest...

Better still, she had already sworn a Dao Vow and would be at his disposal from now on.

Chen Heng gave Wen Ning a deep look. Without saying anything, he merely broke into a smile to show his approval.

Before long.

Once the jade pillar had completely sunk, it revealed an opening. Water-and-wood radiance shone out from below, extraordinary indeed.

"Young Master, this servant will go down first and scout the way for you."

Wen Ning smiled sweetly and leaped gracefully, dropping straight into the opening.

Chen Heng calculated briefly in his heart. After sensing the surroundings for several breaths, he finally flew down as well.

Beneath the cave residence lay another world!

An even more exquisite and magnificent cavern hall appeared before Chen Heng's eyes.

This cavern hall was only about thirty feet square, not as grand as the cave residence above, yet it was more exquisite and magnificent.

A soft blue glow flickered throughout the hall, gentle and not at all glaring.

Its ceiling had been cast from a kind of deep-blue metal. Numerous unknown azure shells were embedded along the northern and southern walls, and the blue light within the cavern came from these shells.

There was also a small opening in the dome, which was precisely the entrance revealed when the jade pillar had sunk.

To the west of the cavern hall stood a crystal wall of unknown thickness, separating this cavern from the underground dark lake outside.

Through the crystal wall, the emerald waves were clear and limpid, while the lakebed sand lay undisturbed, leaving the scene utterly pure and empty.

Strange fish and bizarre shrimp drifted through the lake as though suspended in empty space with nothing to rely on, entirely at ease.

To the east of the cavern hall, however, was a stone wall utterly different from the crystal wall. An exquisite relief carving was engraved upon it.

The relief depicted a celestial beauty holding a pure vase, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall. Her jade-like face was dignified, her brows and eyes as tender as water. She appeared as though carved from flawless jade, displaying beauty in its utmost splendor.

A pool of cold spring water surrounded her, yet her gaze was fixed upon the underground dark lake directly before her.

Beside it was a small line of writing—Respectfully offered by the unworthy disciple, Water Wood!

Beneath the relief sat a green meditation cushion, with three clusters of radiance flickering unsteadily beside it.