Li Lingzhou

Taking a closer look, the woman appeared to be in her thirties. She had sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a faint flush of intoxication on her face, like pale moonlight tinged with red.

She wore a finely tailored blue-and-white men's martial robe, but her tall, graceful figure beneath it outlined a heroic silhouette. She was not especially voluptuous, yet anyone could tell at a glance that she was a woman.

The Prison Suppression Bureau's tiger tally was embroidered over her chest. A broad belt with black diamond patterns circled her waist, bamboo-woven flat boots covered her feet, and she carried an ordinary spirit sword along with a fine little jar of Purple Cloud Mountain wine.

Her hair was slicked back without being tied into a bun, instead gathered casually into a ponytail behind her head. Even though she staggered as she walked, she still possessed a dashing, heroic air.

Jiang Chen truly had not expected to see a single ponytail on a woman in the cultivation world.

The woman made no effort to conceal her aura or spiritual pressure, allowing Jiang Chen to see her cultivation level as well.

She was roughly in the Golden Core Realm, but her foundation was highly unstable, resembling a sort of liquid Golden Core. She was the type whose cultivation could easily explode, with both a very high ceiling and a very low floor.

She did not feel especially imposing, either. Even drunk, she maintained the simple stance of a martial artist.

Her gaze was calm, and her appearance carried the warmth of spring. She always gave off an easygoing sense of being in complete control.

It was precisely that carefree air, like that of a wandering rogue, along with the faint wine haze and sword intent in her eyes, that nearly made Jiang Chen overlook her beauty.

Her features were sharp without lacking elegance, her sword brows and starry eyes gleamed without losing their rippling charm. The wine in her eyes mingled with sword qi, stirring up a misty, painterly scene.

Jiang Chen suddenly had an illusion—

Ever since getting the system, it seemed that he ran into beauties everywhere, and all of them were peerless beauties capable of toppling the world.

There was Thousand-Faced Fox's pure yet seductive charm, Tian Mingye's dark and enchanting beauty, and this woman's dashing, immortal grace.

Still, Jiang Chen was not here to pick up women, and this woman did not look like the type who liked men.

To avoid conflict, Jiang Chen immediately got out of the bath, dressed amid the spring mist, left the poolside, and gave the drunken woman a slight cupped-fist salute before preparing to slip away.

At that moment, the old innkeeper hurried over and quickly introduced him to the drunken woman.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. This is Cao Mengde, a disciple of the Azure Mist Sect and an old fellow disciple of mine.

"Warden Li, weren't you invited by Sect Master Luo to relieve the Azure Mist Sect's crisis?

"The Azure Mist Sect has long since been safe. Aside from all the rumors going around, this young friend Cao only returned from the Azure Mist Sect yesterday and can testify to that."

Warden Li?

Jiang Chen was slightly startled. Could this be Li Lingzhou, whom the sect master had said he had hired at his own expense?

Sect Master Luo had said she would arrive in an hour, yet she had only shown up after an entire day?

And a Nascent Soul Heavenly Demon had attacked the mountain, yet the Azure Mist Sect had only hired a Golden Core Realm warden from the Prison Suppression Bureau. Wasn't that like trying to put out a wildfire with a cup of water?

At that moment, Li Lingzhou did not even glance at Jiang Chen. She staggered toward the poolside and muttered,

"You say there's nothing wrong, so there's nothing wrong? Go call Luo Qingzhou over. Even if everything's fine, I still need my appearance fee!"

When she reached the pool, she bent down, picked up the wine cup Jiang Chen had drunk half-empty, and drained it in one gulp.

Instantly, fragrance filled her mouth, and her eyes shimmered.

"Good wine!"

With that, she plunged headfirst into the pool.

She fell asleep.

Jiang Chen glanced back at her and thought, Fine, I'll indulge you tonight. Drink all the bathwater you want!

The old innkeeper glanced at his daughter-in-law by the poolside and knew that she had failed to latch onto another man.

"Sorry to disturb your cultivation... Fengxi, take Fellow Daoist Cao to another cultivation room."

Jiang Chen waved it off and merely asked curiously,

"How does Senior Zhang know Warden Li?"

The old innkeeper shook his head with a sigh and began to explain.

"Warden Li and Sect Master Luo were classmates at Great Qian Academy back then. Now that they both serve in Xihe Prefecture, they have frequent private dealings.

"As an old disciple of the Azure Mist Sect, I occasionally serve as half a middleman, passing messages between them or receiving Warden Li.

"Who knew I would be letting a wolf into my house... Not only has Warden Li racked up hundreds of spirit stones in unpaid credit at this inn, she teases my daughter-in-law every time she comes. People misunderstand when they see it. At this rate, won't Fengxi find it even harder to find a husband?"

Since the subject had turned to the widow finding a husband, Jiang Chen explained,

"I, Cao Mengde, love married women most of all. Senior's daughter-in-law is quite beautiful and exactly my type. Unfortunately, this junior is about to wander the world in search of opportunities and has no intention of settling in one place to marry a wife and raise children, so I dare not give her false hopes.

"As for returning to Shipo Forest... that can wait until she reaches Foundation Establishment."

It was rare to encounter such a promising fellow disciple, and the old innkeeper could only sigh helplessly.

"Alas."

Jiang Chen turned to look at the woman floating in the pool and drinking his bathwater.

"What kind of person is Warden Li?"

The old innkeeper thought for a moment, then answered seriously,

"Greedy for money, fond of gambling, borrows money without repaying it, drinks herself into trouble, breaks promises—though she may simply be forgetful—and despite being a woman, she lusts after women... Other than that, there really aren't many faults to pick out."

Jiang Chen frowned and asked in confusion,

"Then why did Sect Master Luo seek her out?"

The old innkeeper said helplessly,

"Because her cultivation is a mystery. As long as you pay her enough, she truly can defeat the female demon, even Chen Gongxing of the Spirit Severing Realm... I suppose that is Warden Li's only virtue."

Jiang Chen had still been considering clinging to her thigh, but suddenly came to his senses.

If I cling to her thigh, I'll probably end up penniless sooner or later.

"Then it is time for me to leave as well."

The young widow's eyes filled with disappointment at once.

It was rare for the old innkeeper to see his daughter-in-law so reluctant to part with someone, so he hurriedly reminded him,

"You still have one day left, young friend."

Jiang Chen cupped his fists toward the poolside and said,

"Then I shall give it to Warden Li."

With that, he turned and left the Spirit Spring Inn.

Walking along the bustling streets, Jiang Chen unexpectedly thought of Thousand-Faced Fox.

So far, the only rich woman he had managed to latch onto was that fox demon.

Moreover, of his three breakthroughs, one had relied on the Dragon-Blood Qi-Nourishing Pill she gave him, one on the Demi-Immortal's Book she helped him obtain, and one on the demon core she gave him.

Beyond that, she had provided other resources and guided a Demon Sect spy into letting him kill someone and seize their treasures...

Where exactly was that woman?

He hoped the simulator could guide him through the upcoming main storyline and help him find Thousand-Faced Fox.

At present, Jiang Chen was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and should not wander around recklessly. He had left the Spirit Spring Inn merely to avoid Li Lingzhou and the young widow's affection.

He needed to find a new place to stay.

It was noon, and the blazing sun hung high overhead.

Jiang Chen first went to the market.

He found a shop that bought used magical artifacts and, posing as an expelled disciple of the Azure Mist Sect, sold both sets of Azure Mist Sect disciple robes, an extra disciple sword, and the multipurpose chopping blade that had accompanied him for two years.

He received twenty spirit stones in total. Added to the eight he had left, he now had twenty-eight spirit stones altogether.

There was also—

Five Rapid Spirit-Healing Pills: to save his life in an emergency.

The Demon Shrine: it contained quite a bit of Heavenly Demon demonic qi, and he intended to keep it for upgrading.

A disciple sword pierced through by a flick of the finger: that strike had fused demon and monster qi and possessed extraordinary force. For safety's sake, it was better not to let it fall into someone else's hands.

An Azure Mist Sect disciple ring: cultivators always watched the hand wearing a Storage Ring during battle, lowering their guard against the other hand. Yet Jiang Chen could retrieve equipment from his inventory with his other hand, catching opponents off guard with a sneak attack.

A jade slip: Chen Gongxing's top student's notes, along with a Myriad Phenomena Resonance technique. Jiang Chen planned to cultivate seriously.

That was everything Jiang Chen owned.

The three simulated storylines had allowed him to obtain opportunities and advance repeatedly, but they had also left behind many hidden dangers, leaving him homeless and wandering the streets.

For now, his first choice was to join another sect, continue cultivating, and seek opportunities.

However, without guidance from the main storyline, Jiang Chen had become extremely cautious and did not want to take any risks.

He remembered that during the three years before he had the system, he had merely been a mortal. Even after transmigrating, he had been nothing but a worthless life. Barefoot and unafraid of those wearing shoes, he had dared to dream, dared to act, and charged forward.

Now that he was at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, however, he had become especially cowardly, trying to avoid every possible risk.

The reason was simple:

He had seen the world of true powerhouses.

Now that he had the simulator, as long as he had time, he would definitely grow stronger.

The only thing he needed to do was keep a low profile in reality, let himself run wild in simulations, and dare to take risks!

With that in mind, Jiang Chen bought a gray robe commonly worn by wandering cultivators and changed into it.

He settled down at an inn that catered to mortals and waited for the main storyline to come find him.

He slept in the inn for half a day and an entire night.

The main storyline still had not come.

Li Lingzhou came after following the scent of bathwater and dragged him out of his blanket.

"Where are you from?"