Azure Water Empress

Chen Heng and Wen Ning exchanged a glance, then stepped forward together, arriving beneath the relief sculpture.

Upon closer inspection, right beside the green cushion, lay three jade slips glowing with blue light!

A line of text remained on the ground nearby: "Regardless of life or death on this journey, I will never return to this place. I have left behind three jade slips for those destined to receive them."

Other than that, there was nothing else in the cave hall.

"It seems these three jade slips are the true inheritance left by that Water Wood Hermit," Chen Heng said softly.

As soon as he spoke, Wen Ning, with a sense of duty, proactively stepped forward, surging her mana to retrieve the three jade slips, and then presented them to Chen Heng with both hands.

Although they hadn't encountered any dangerous mechanisms, restrictions, or formations on their way through the cave dwelling above or the hall below, Wen Ning's action still pleased Chen Heng.

It seemed that after taking the Dao oath, she had a clear understanding of her own position.

Perhaps this was the way rogue cultivators survived.

Chen Heng took the three jade slips and, one by one, placed them against his forehead, probing their contents with his spiritual sense.

After reading them, he glanced at the delicate young married woman beside him with a strange expression.

Seeing this, Wen Ning couldn't help but fidget with the hem of her skirt. Although she was inexperienced, she had lived for a full thirty-two years, which was about a full cycle of the zodiac longer than this "young master" she had acquired.

That look just now clearly indicated he had developed some strange thoughts about her.

In this situation, she could only comply. As a mere servant, how could she resist?

Alas, if they were here, it would have to be under the open sky, a wild tryst...

Chen Heng coughed lightly, interrupting Wen Ning's wild thoughts, and said with feigned nonchalance, "The three inheritance jade slips left by the Water Wood Hermit each record a Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method suitable for cultivators with wood and water spirit roots, called the Azure Nether True Essence Art."

"One is a related text on water-based artifact forging, titled the Water Forging Secret Canon."

"And the last is a dual cultivation secret technique called the Gui Water Vitality Cultivation Art."

Wen Ning: "..."

When she had recounted her past earlier, she had already explained her situation: possessing a fifth-grade water spirit root. Both the Azure Nether True Essence Art and the Gui Water Vitality Cultivation Art should be quite compatible with her cultivation.

No wonder he looked at her like that after examining the jade slips...

So, he wanted her to be his cauldron.

A cauldron she would be, as long as she could survive in the future.

Chen Heng narrowed his eyes, instantly seeing through the thoughts of his "cheap maid." He explained, "The Gui Water Vitality Cultivation Art is a special dual cultivation method."

"When a woman with a water spirit root cultivates it, her Yuan Yin becomes more abundant. Dual cultivating with her can boost one's cultivation and even slightly increase the probability of breaking through realms."

"It's a legitimate dual cultivation secret technique, not what you were thinking."

Wen Ning listened, her beautiful eyes shifting, and she softly replied, "Whatever Young Master says goes."

Seeing this, Chen Heng said with a hint of annoyance, "You can copy and study these two jade slips yourself."

With that, he tossed the jade slips containing the Azure Nether True Essence Art and the Gui Water Vitality Cultivation Art to Wen Ning, who was still lost in thought, and paid her no further attention.

Allowing Wen Ning to cultivate these two methods was partly to enhance her strength, but also partly due to his own selfish intentions.

Having lived two lives, Chen Heng naturally understood that as a minor cultivator, one had to seize every opportunity to climb higher.

One must know that in the path of cultivation, falling behind by one step meant falling behind at every step.

Moreover, this dual cultivation secret technique was not a self-serving method of draining others.

If he needed it in the future, he would naturally not be polite to Wen Ning.

As for the water-based artifact forging recorded in the Water Forging Secret Canon, he was also very interested. He could study it in his spare time, and he could also submit it to his clan to earn merit points.

On Jade Spring Mountain, there were many cold springs, which were very suitable for water-based artifact forging.

Not long after.

Wen Ning, her cheeks flushed, returned the two jade slips to Chen Heng.

Then, she retreated to the side, her gaze focused inward, her expression unreadable, lost in thought.

"Wen Ning, does this relief sculpture look familiar to you? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before," Chen Heng asked, stroking his chin.

"Ah!?"

Wen Ning exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth. Seeing that Chen Heng didn't seem to mind her lapse, she then joined him in examining the relief sculpture intently.

"It does look a bit familiar, but I can't recall where I saw it. It feels like a distant memory?" she murmured softly.

After a while longer.

Chen Heng was already considering leaving. After all, if Luo Yu Lei were to wake up, things would become very troublesome.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy here was abundant, reaching the concentration of a second-tier spirit vein. It was likely that the Water Wood Hermit had set up a spirit gathering formation on the cave wall, channeling the spiritual energy of the entire Bamboo Branch Mountain to this one spot.

Currently, only he and Wen Ning knew the secret to entering and exiting this cave hall. They could leave it for later as a separate cultivation residence.

As for Luo Yu Lei, Chen Heng had a way to make him never want to return to Bamboo Branch Mountain again.

Simply selling the recording of him naked would likely make him avoid this place if he still cared about his reputation.

Of course, if he had been truly ambitious and invited his own Foundation Establishment Ancestor to investigate this place, they would have discovered this underground cave hall.

At worst, he wouldn't come here again in the future; he wouldn't suffer any losses anyway.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of an unlikely possibility and said with disbelief, "Could this relief carving be of the Azure Water Empress, one of the five True Persons of the Southern Profound Domain?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Ning also reacted. She looked closely and murmured, "It really seems to be that peerless Azure Water Empress."

The Southern Profound Domain had five major cultivation sects: the Azure Profound Sect, which occupied the Moon Gazing Mountain Range; the Myriad Beast Sect, which danced with Yao Beasts in the Myriad Monster Mountain Range; and the sword cultivator holy land, the Hidden Sword Pavilion, which cultivated diligently in the Tai Zhong Mountain Range.

Then there was the Nether Spring Sect, whose mountain gate bordered the South Sea, located at the confluence of three rivers in the complex terrain of the Long Ming Marsh. It was also the only Demonic Dao force in the Southern Profound Domain openly.

Finally, there was the Azure Water Palace, located at the mouth of the Li River, along the East Sea.

The five True Persons of the Southern Profound Domain referred to the strongest Golden Core cultivators of these five major cultivation sects: one sect, one gate, one pavilion, one palace, and one faction.

And the Azure Water Empress was currently the strongest Golden Core True Person of the Azure Water Palace.

Furthermore, she was the only female cultivator among the five True Persons of the Southern Profound Domain.

Regarding these five True Persons, the Southern Profound Domain was filled with all sorts of legends, rumors, and interesting anecdotes; the two of them had naturally heard of them.

They just hadn't thought of it in that direction at first.

After the shock, Chen Heng sighed, "I never expected this Water Wood Hermit to be a disciple of the Azure Water Empress. In that case, the three legacies he left behind should be his own."

"It's unlikely they came from the Azure Water Palace."

Most cultivation sects and families made their disciples and family members swear an oath not to privately pass on core Cultivation Methods. This was especially true for the Azure Water Palace, one of the five major sects.

After sighing, Chen Heng and Wen Ning carefully inspected the underground cave hall. They even dismantled the cushion to check, and after confirming that nothing was missed, They returned to the cave dwelling above. Luo Yu Lei and the other two had not yet woken up.

Seeing this, Chen Heng delivered a few more heavy blows.

To prevent her identity from being exposed, Wen Ning burned the remains of Wang Yi, Li Zheng, and the others to ashes.

This gave the impression that they were unwilling to offend the Luo family to the death.

After a brief discussion, the two exchanged tokens, agreed on a method of communication, and returned to the Southern Foothills Market from different directions.

Not long after the two left, Luo Yu Lei, who had been woken by the cold, slowly opened his eyes.

A biting chill spread from his back to his entire body, followed by a sharp, piercing pain, especially on the several large bumps on his head, which throbbed.

He instinctively tried to curl up, but felt his body was empty and cold.

He looked down.

"Ah—!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream, filled with shame, indignation, and fury, suddenly broke the tranquility of Bamboo Branch Mountain, located in a remote area.

Luo Yu Lei sat up abruptly, terrified to find himself completely naked, with only a pair of white socks precariously hanging on his feet!

The memories of the recent "treasure hunt" flooded back into his mind like a cold tide—the calculated ambush, the deaths of the guards, the chaotic fight... and then the unexpected blunt force in the hazy mist!

Who?! Who was so bold and malicious?! Humiliation! This was absolutely blatant, extreme humiliation!

He, the dignified direct descendant of the Luo family and a future disciple of the Azure Profound Sect, had been stripped naked and thrown in this corner!

"Ah—!"

Another roar filled with endless resentment.

Luo Yu Lei's eyes turned blood red, and he looked like a madman.

He frantically tried to cover himself with his dust-covered hands, but the humiliation of the cold air on his skin almost drove him insane. He suddenly looked at Luo San Shi, who was lying unconscious beside him but still had his clothes on, and kicked him fiercely.

"Trash! Useless! Get up!"

Luo San Shi was kicked awake. After a moment of confusion, he also let out a wail of mixed anger and shock.

Suppressing his overwhelming rage and the shame that penetrated to the bone, Luo Yu Lei quickly stripped off his guard's rough gray magic robe and wrapped it around himself.

Having calmed down, he immediately ordered Luo San Shi to quickly search for any traces the thieves might have left behind.

But unfortunately, Chen Heng and Wen Ning had left no traces. Even the bodies of Wang Yi, Li Zheng, and the others had been completely burned to ashes.

Luo Yu Lei mused, "I must have been set up. That old map was probably bait laid by Wang Yi and Li Zheng."

"But someone else, or rather, another group, found out about these people's plan."

"This scoundrel hid behind the scenes and watched the show, waiting until Li Zheng and I had a bloody fight before coming out to clean up the mess."

"What a brilliant tactic of the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole behind."

"This person didn't kill the two of us directly. Is it because they don't dare to offend our Luo family?"

"They're afraid that our Luo family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor, who is stationed in the Southern Foothills Market and Little Bamboo Peak, will come looking for them, thus drawing trouble upon themselves."

After an unknown amount of time.

Like two sinister winds, the two of them, covered in dirt and unable to vent their fury, rushed back to the Southern Foothills Market and went straight to the town guard's office.