Xie Shuci involuntarily looked towards the window opposite.

Deng Xingsen sat by the window, one hand resting on the window frame, watching the stage with an unperturbed expression.

Perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's gaze, he looked up at Xie Shuci and then forced a stiff smile.

Just then, the person sitting opposite Deng Xingsen reached out and opened the other half of the window, revealing the true face behind it.

The person in the same room as Deng Xingsen was Sikong Ye, whom they had parted ways with not long ago.

"Sikong Ye!" Xie Shuci called out softly.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and gazed at the opposite side.

Sikong Ye leaned lazily against the window, his light brown eyes reflecting the dappled light from the Laiqu Building. His face was expressionless, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Xie Shuci and the others was very unfathomable.

Meanwhile, the cultivators in the Laiqu Tower had already been aroused by Meng Qi's words.

"Treasures within the Floating Pagoda Realm?"

"So, the main disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect are here?"

"What exactly do they want to do?" Xie Shuci asked, frowning.

Chu Guiyi looked thoughtfully at the people opposite him and shook his head, saying, "Things have come to this point. Whatever they want to do, we can only take it one step at a time."

If Xie Shuci had previously held onto hope that the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect might not have recognized Xie An, then Sikong Ye, that troublemaker, had appeared beside Deng Xingsen at this crucial moment. Even if Deng Xingsen hadn't recognized him at first, he must know Xie An's identity now. Wasn't Sikong Ye's earlier attempt to inflate the price because he had already recognized Xie An?

Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel nervous, leaning his back against Xie An's shoulder, his heart filled with unease.

If Deng Xingsen were to attack them here, Xie Shuci would be unable to retaliate. Xie An is currently in poor health and would probably be no match for them. Moreover, there are so many cultivators from the cultivation world present. It seems that Sikong Ye, that fool, is still on the side of the Xiaoyao Sect. If anything happens, it will also implicate Chu Guiyi and Du Pingsheng.

What to do? He could take Xie An with him and hide inside the Fulong magical artifact, but that's not a long-term solution.

Noticing Xie Shuci's unease, Xie An supported his waist from behind with his hand and reassured him, "Don't worry."

This time, Xie An's words of comfort did not ease Xie Shuci's mood. He had a strange intuition that Deng Xingsen was after Xie An. This intuition was just like when Xie An was still a useless little good-for-nothing, Xie Shuci instinctively felt that staying by his side was the safest thing to do.

"The item up for auction by the Xiaoyao Sect is the legendary flying boat that can condense qi into water! This flying boat is powered by spiritual energy and can travel anywhere. The starting bid is one million taels!" Meng Qi's loud voice rang out.

Xie Shuci was stunned, looking at the stage in disbelief. Meng Qi lifted the silk covering the flying boat, revealing a divine boat that was exactly the same as the one in Xie Shuci's hand.

Xie Shuci looked at the opposite side in confusion. Sikong Ye seemed to have expected this. He winked at Xie Shuci with his deep eyes and a teasing smile on his lips.

Xie Shuci stared at him blankly. Was she being too nervous and seeing threats everywhere? Did the Xiaoyao Sect actually not intend to fight Xie An here?

I must have guessed wrong. If the Xiaoyao Sect is so unwilling to let others know Xiao Xun's whereabouts, why would they fight him in public?

Despite understanding this, Xie Shuci's mood did not ease; instead, it became even heavier. He looked at Deng Xingsen with a probing gaze, wondering what Deng Xingsen was up to.

The Shenzhou was eventually auctioned off for eight million taels of silver. Contrary to Xie Shuci's expectations, there were no problems during the auction, and Deng Xingsen did not make any unnecessary moves. Everything remained calm until the end of the auction.

Xie Shuci gradually lowered his guard, realizing that he had been overthinking things.

After the auction, the Meng family disciples delivered the treasures auctioned by various immortal sects and families. As for who won the twelve top-grade pills, only the immortal sects that obtained them probably knew. Even Xie Shuci didn't know who had won his items.

Xie Shuci saw Sikong Ye and the people from Xiaoyao Sect leave Laiqulou together, while the rest of them were invited to the seventh floor by Elder Meng.

The maid led the group to a door, knocked on the door, and said to the person inside, "Master, they have arrived."

"Come in."

The maid opened the door, gesturing that they could come in.

Xie Shuci and the others entered the room and found that only Elder Meng was inside. Xie Shuci asked, "Grandpa Meng, where are my senior brother... and the other fellow Daoists?"

Old Meng glanced at him sideways and asked, "What do you want with them?"

Xie Shuci touched the tip of his nose and said, "I want to thank them. Oh, and I also want to thank you. If it weren't for you and them, my things wouldn't have sold for so much silver. Thank you."

"No need. I called you here to discuss something with you," Old Man Meng said, waving his hand.

Xie Shuci and the others sat down inside the room and asked curiously, "What do you want to discuss with me?"

Old Meng stroked his white beard and said, "What do you plan to do with the money from the auction?"

Xie Shuci thought for a moment and said, "I would like to keep only the price we initially estimated for you. I will return the rest of the silver to you and those fellow Daoists. Also, I will pay you the twenty million taels for the Soul-Locking Chain."

Upon hearing this, Old Meng looked at him with surprise.

Du Pingsheng and his pageboy behind him widened their eyes and muttered under their breath, "If you don't want it, give it to me."

"I don't care about shame, I do."

Xie Shuci, who heard it clearly, said: "..."

Du Pingsheng, you are a scholar! Where is your scholarly integrity?!

"No need," Old Meng shook his head and said, "Consider this a small gift from me."

"But……"

"Shut up and let me continue."

Xie Shuci pouted, "Go ahead."

Old Master Meng said slowly, "This sum of money is not small. Even if it is converted into silver notes, it would still be a considerable amount. I wonder if you would be interested in becoming the owner of my Laiqulou Restaurant?"

Xie Shuci looked at him in confusion, wondering if she had misheard. "What?"

"Master."

"Me? The owner of Lai Qu Lou?" Xie Shuci pointed to himself incredulously.

"Well, besides myself, Laiqulou has another owner. If you are willing to give this money to me, you can become the first owner of Laiqulou, and I will give you a share of the profits."

Xie Shuci stared at him in disbelief. "Aren't you just giving me a share of the profits for nothing?"

Using the money obtained from the auction to invest in Laiqulou, buy out the profits, and become the first owner of Laiqulou, isn't that the same as Old Meng giving him money, inviting him to be the owner of Laiqulou, and then giving him profits for free?

"Grandpa Meng, are you...are you confused?" Xie Shuci asked anxiously.

Old Meng glared at him and said, "Those pills were a gift from your master and some other fellow Daoists. As for whether you are willing to become the owner of Laiqulou, we will not force you. Of course, if you are willing to become the owner of Laiqulou, I will not be without conditions."

Xie Shuci blinked and asked, "What are the conditions?" Old Meng glanced at him and said, "If you want to become the owner of Laiqulou, you have to become my apprentice. I have heard that you refined a low-grade pill after one failure. You are a rare talent, but in my opinion, if no one urges you on, you may waste your talent."

"Okay!" Xie Shuci nodded in agreement without thinking. After realizing what he had said, he looked at Xie An, who was silent beside him, and frowned, "But Grandpa Meng, do I have to stay in Jiyue City?"

Old Meng saw through his little scheme at a glance and sneered, "You want to stay in Jiyue City? I don't have time to teach you personally yet. Although I will take you as my disciple, I am getting old and don't have the energy to teach you by word of mouth. I can only give you a pill manual. As for where you are, I will not force you. However, you need to return to Jiyue City every six months so that I can see if you have become lazy."

"Alright! I promise you!" Xie Shuci readily agreed. Anyway, he planned to spend the time while Xie An was away making pills with the king every day, exhausting himself so that when Xie An came back, he would be completely transformed and give him a surprise.

Old Master Meng squinted and nodded, stroking his beard as he said, "Since that's the case, I will hand over this 'Meng Family Alchemy Manual' to you. Remember, it must not be passed on to anyone else!"

Xie Shuci stood up, bowed, and respectfully took the alchemy manual from Elder Meng's hands. "Thank you, Master!"

Xie Shuci has such a sweet tongue; he changed his tune in no time.

"By the way, Master, I found a copy of the 'Investiture of the Gods Pill Manual' in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. Is this manual very useful? Should I learn it?" Xie Shuci took out the Investiture of the Gods Pill Manual from his small pouch.

Old Master Meng was taken aback, his eyes widening suddenly. "What alchemy manual?"

Xie Shuci was taken aback by his strong reaction and said in a daze, "The Divine Conferring Pill Manual? I found it in a pit."

"Let me see!" Old Meng stretched out his hand to Xie Shuci.

"Oh." Xie Shuci respectfully handed over the alchemy manual.

However, Chu Wenfeng, Du Pingsheng, and the pageboy standing behind Xie Shuci looked as if they had swallowed a fly.

Xie Shuci's luck is unbelievable! It's just too damn good!

He inexplicably became a master, apprenticed under the most powerful alchemist in the cultivation world, and even obtained the "Meng Family Alchemy Manual." Did he eat dog poop at birth? That's why he's so lucky, right?

Master Meng immediately perked up. After flipping through a few pages of the Divine Consecration Elixir Manual, he suddenly closed the book and said in a serious tone, "This elixir manual is not suitable for you. I will keep it for you and return it to you after you have mastered it."

Xie Shuci: "..."

Old Master Meng had helped him so much, Xie Shuci would have given him the alchemy manual even if he asked for it. He just hadn't expected it to be so valuable.

"Oh, then you can take it," Xie Shuci said.

Old Master Meng seemed eager to study the alchemical manual, and impatiently waved his hand at Xie Shuci, saying, "If you have nothing else, hurry up and leave. Don't lose the token; you'll use it to collect your future dividends."

Xie Shuci nodded helplessly, "Oh, then we're leaving."

Xie Shuci put the Meng Family Elixir Manual back into his small pouch and left the room with the others.

As soon as Xie Shuci stepped out of the room, his steps were a little unsteady. He hadn't even come to his senses yet. In just a few words, he had become the owner of this building, had even taken on a very powerful master, and had obtained a manual on alchemy...

Xie Shuci is such a shallow person; his mouth is stretched almost to his ears, he just can't stop grinning. Fate... fate...

Xie Shuci burst out laughing. The person walking in front of him had been holding back his laughter for a long time, and seeing that he was so unrestrained, he finally couldn't help but turn around.

Suddenly, Xie Shuci felt several heavy shadows fall on him. The person in front of him seemed to have stopped. He looked ahead in confusion and immediately met a pair of sinister eyes.

"What are you doing... Holy crap! No, no! Let's talk this out! I'll never be arrogant again! I'll never be arrogant again!"

Xie Shuci was held captive and groped for a while, begging for mercy repeatedly. Finally, Xie An, who had had enough of the show, pulled him out by his clothes.

"Damn it, why do all the good things fall on you alone?" Du Pingsheng had lost all his scholarly integrity and felt extremely unbalanced.

The pageboy looked at Xie Shuci with a resentful expression, as if Xie Shuci were some heartless man who had abandoned his wife and children.

Chu Wenfeng crossed his arms and glared at Xie Shuci.

"You're all just jealous!" Xie Shuci muttered, rubbing his cheek that had been pinched so hard.

"Hmm?" The people in front heard his voice and turned their heads to look at Xie Shuci with unfriendly eyes.

Xie Shuci was a coward, so he quickly hid behind Xie An.

Xie An reluctantly pulled him out from behind, his tone full of affection, "Alright."

Chu Guiyi also said, "Wen Feng, stop fooling around."

Chu Wenfeng curled his lips.

They went down the same way they came up. Du Pingsheng and his page had flown over once and were much calmer now.

However, as soon as they landed, they heard a commotion outside.

Chu Guiyi and Xie An seemed to sense something and frowned at the same time.

Xie Shuci and Chu Wenfeng also vaguely sensed something.

The scent emanating from the air was very similar to what Xie Shuci had sensed at the Little Water God.

Chu Wenfeng frowned and murmured, "Resentment?"

Chu Guiyi said in a deep voice, "Young Master Du, you should not move around here. Wen Feng, come with me to take a look."

"yes."

“I’ll go too,” Xie Shuci said.

The incident that happened to the Little Water God is still fresh in Xie Shuci's memory, and he does not want the same thing to happen to anyone else.

Xie Shuci turned around and instructed Du Pingsheng and Du Pingsheng: "Brother Du, you two stay here."

Du Pingsheng shook his head. "Oh."

Xie Shuci followed Chu Guiyi and the other two out, while Xie Anli ignored the remaining two and left with Xie Shuci.

Du Pingsheng and his companion dared not move, so they pressed themselves against the door frame and timidly peered outside.

As Xie Shuci and his companions approached, they discovered a dozen or so cultivators gathered together, seemingly engaged in a fight with someone.

"Be careful! This malevolent spirit is no ordinary being!"

"Except for it!"

Xie Shuci stepped forward and saw a blurry black figure trapped in the middle doorway. The figure seemed to be formed from a mass of mist, emanating a constant stream of oppressive resentment.

"Master... Master..." the evil spirit murmured, its voice hoarse and unpleasant, its gender indistinguishable.

"Master...why, why did you do this to me..."

The ghost's voice was choked with sobs, like the sound of sharp fingernails scratching against metal. Xie Shuci frowned deeply and involuntarily covered his ears with his hands.

"ah!"

The malevolent spirit seemed to have gone mad, and in an instant it appeared in front of a cultivator. One of its hands pierced through the cultivator's chest, and its resentment transformed into a black rope that coiled around the cultivator. The immense pain caused the cultivator to scream in agony.

Chu Guiyi frowned, drew the Nine-Section Flying Bird Whip from his waist, and lashed it at the evil spirit.

The whip was enveloped in a faint spiritual energy, and as it swept through the air, it left a trail like a galaxy, which was extremely clear in the night sky.

The whip struck the evil spirit hard, and the spirit cried out "Ah!" as Chu Guiyi nearly shattered its soul.

The cultivators who were fighting with it breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and made way for Chu Guiyi.

"Young Master Chu, please be careful."

Chu Guiyi stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

Xie Shuci followed closely behind.

One of them explained, "This malevolent spirit suddenly appeared and blocked our path. Moreover, the spirit was a cultivator in life with considerable power. We... we are no match for it!"

The evil spirit was lashed to the ground by a whip, and more than a dozen people were helpless against it. Chu Guiyi was able to beat it into submission with a single whip, which shows how high Chu Guiyi's cultivation level is!

"Master...save my master..."

"I don't want to kill anyone... I want to go home... I want to go home..."

Chu Guiyi held the Flying Bird Nine-Section Whip, about to lash out at its soul, when he suddenly heard the shrill and unpleasant voice of the evil spirit, and his steps faltered.

"Help me... I want to go home... Let me go home..."

"Master...Master...why are you doing this to me..."

Chu Guiyi walked up to the evil spirit, but instead of immediately wielding his whip, he slowly squatted down and asked, "If you don't harm anyone, I can take you home. Who were you in your previous life?"

"I……"

"I can't go home... My master doesn't want me anymore..."

Those who become vengeful spirits after death are usually those whose resentment runs too deep and who are unable to be reincarnated.

"Young Master Chu, it is a malevolent spirit. Kill it, lest it bring calamity to the human realm," someone said.

Hearing the cries of the evil spirit, Xie Shuci's heart was deeply moved, reminding him of the Little Water God. He stepped forward and said, "If it has no intention of harming people, just dispel its resentment; there's no need to exterminate it."

"Thank you, young master? But only an auspicious formation can dispel resentment. As everyone knows, an auspicious formation is not something that can be forged..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Shuci interrupted, "I have one."

But at that moment, the evil spirit seemed to sense something, and its voice became excited: "Master...it's Master..."

It got up from the ground, suddenly disappeared from the spot, and turned into the mist around its body, flying away into the distance.

Everyone looked closely and exclaimed, "It's an inn!"

"It's an inn prepared by the Meng family for the immortal sects who came to participate in the auction!"

"Shu Ci, let's go," Chu Guiyi said, turning back.

Xie Shuci nodded. "Mm."

Everyone rushed towards the inn, and the door was instantly empty.

Du Pingsheng and his companion looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Young master, we..."

Du Pingsheng steeled his resolve and said, "Have you forgotten what Brother Chu and Brother Xie said? They told us to stay where we are and not to move."

"But……"

"But what is it? It's a malevolent spirit. What can we do there? What if we get caught in the crossfire?"

"oh……"

Xie Shuci and his group rushed to the inn and followed the aura of the evil spirit into the backyard, where screams echoed continuously.

"ah!"

"There's a ghost!"

Many of the cooks in the inn were ordinary people who were terrified by the evil spirit and screamed repeatedly.

As Xie Shuci listened to their screams and saw the night sky deepening with a few scattered stars, and the dim light in the inn, he felt as if something heavy was pressing on his heart.

I had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen.

He turned around and grabbed Xie An's hand tightly, instructing him, "Xie An, stay close to me."

Xie An's long eyelashes trembled. Looking at Xie Shuci's hurried back, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he responded softly, "Mm."

When they arrived at the backyard, the evil spirit was already trapped inside a cage formed by spiritual energy.

It didn't seem to be feeling well; its body was curled up on the ground, one hand pressed against the cage, facing one direction, struggling to climb out of the cage.

Xie Shuci noticed that there were several people standing in the direction the evil spirit was facing. In the dim light around them, he could vaguely make out that they were the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Deng Xingsen approached the evil spirit, his expression exposed to the light, carrying a faint sorrow, and looked at Xie Shuci and the group of cultivators behind him, "You've come to capture it?"

Xie Shuci asked, "Do you recognize it?"

Deng Xingsen glanced at Xie Shuci, then lowered his gaze to the malevolent spirit, and said, "He was originally a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. Not long ago, he committed a grave error and was ordered to be strangled by the sect leader. However, his resentment did not dissipate after death, and he became a vengeful ghost, which actually followed him to the cultivation world."

The group of cultivators behind Xie Shuci looked at each other in bewilderment. They had originally intended to scatter the evil spirit's soul, but it had been a disciple of the main branch of the Xiaoyao Sect in its previous life. Even if it were to be dealt with, it was up to the Xiaoyao Sect to decide, and the others were not allowed to interfere.

Xie Shuci noticed that Sikong Ye was sitting on a tree in the backyard. Xie Shuci wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Sikong Ye's gaze was somewhat somber.

"I wonder how Senior intends to handle this?" Chu Guiyi asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

Deng Xingsen looked at the struggling evil spirit at his feet, but unfortunately the cage formed by spiritual energy blocked all the sounds he made, and no one knew what he was saying.

Deng Xingsen remained silent for a long time before sighing, "He was a good boy when he was alive. He cultivated diligently and was kind-hearted. I had high hopes for him. But not long ago, he actually tried to steal a magic treasure from the Xiaoyao Sect, the Sunset Longbow. This was a serious crime in the Xiaoyao Sect, and the sect leader ordered him to be strangled. But in my opinion, he was a good boy. He would never do such a thing."

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, and his gaze toward the malevolent spirit became tender. "If the sect leader discovers that he has become a malevolent spirit and is harming the human sect, he will have no chance of being reincarnated. I... I want to help him resolve his resentment and enter the cycle of reincarnation again."

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.

Deng Xingsen continued, "He died at less than seventeen years old, the prime of his life, yet..."

Seeing the sadness in his eyes, Xie Shuci felt very complicated. He had thought this old bastard was as ruthless as Sikong Ye had said, but he didn't expect him to still have a bit of humanity.

Xie Shuci was initially a little uncomfortable seeing him, after all, this person had been arguing with him not long ago, and Xie Shuci didn't want to help him.

However, the child was not yet seventeen years old when he died, the same age as Xie An. Even if he made a mistake, he should not be punished in such a cruel way.

At this moment, a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect said, "Senior brother, dispelling the resentment on his body requires an auspicious formation, which we simply cannot do."

Deng Xingsen hesitated before turning his gaze to Xie Shuci and said, "Young Master Xie, I apologize for my previous offense. I once read in a book that you possess a Dragon-Subduing Formation. May I borrow it for your use?"

Xie Shuci tightened his grip on Xie An's hand. He stared at Deng Xingsen's face, worried that this was some kind of trick he was playing, and did not immediately nod in agreement.

Deng Xingsen seemed to sense his concerns and said, "If you are worried, young master, the disciples of Xiaoyao Sect and I can wait outside the inn for the time being."

Xie Shuci thought for a moment and said, "Then you can go out."

Deng Xingsen bowed and thanked Xie Shuci solemnly.

After everyone left, Xie Shuci took out the Dragon-Subduing Magic Weapon from his small pouch and walked up to the evil spirit.

The evil spirit was trapped in the cage and had no offensive power; it simply gripped the cage with its fingers, one grip after another.

Xie Shuci looked at him and was reminded of the Little Water God. In the end, he was completely consumed by resentment and became an existence banished by the Heavenly Dao. In the end, he even sacrificed himself.

Xie Shuci sat cross-legged, using his spiritual power to lift the Fulong magical artifact into the air. He then closed his eyes, separating a wisp of spiritual power to merge with the Fulong magical artifact. After gaining experience the first time, Xie Shuci became more and more adept at releasing the Fulong magical artifact. In no time, a golden array appeared under the Fulong, constantly rotating and expanding. In the blink of an eye, the array spread to the side of the evil spirit.

A surge of auspicious energy emanated from the formation. Some of the cultivators present felt this energy and sat down on the ground to take advantage of the opportunity to cultivate.

Sikong Ye sat on a tree branch, looking down at the scene, and sighed for no reason.

Deng Xingsen is truly despicable and shameless. He actually used such methods, even going so far as to personally kill his own disciple, to achieve his goal.

Xie Shuci, being a cultivator of alchemy, was pure-hearted and kind, and possessed the Dragon-Subduing Magic Artifact, making it incredibly easy for him to dispel the resentment of the evil spirit.

He used this to lure Xie Shuci into activating the Hidden Dragon Formation.

In fact, it's not just Xie Shuci; most people would fall for this trick.

Deng Xingsen's move, though cruel, was very effective.

Xie Shuci could feel that the resentment on the evil spirit was being gradually expelled by the auspicious energy continuously released by the Fulong Formation.

Just then, Xie Shuci clearly felt the ground beneath him tremble and faintly heard the sound of stones moving. Before Xie Shuci could think about it, he suddenly felt that the Fulong Formation was no longer under his control, and the patterns formed by spiritual energy were actually moving in the air!

Xie Shuci was startled and tried his best to restore the formation, but it was no use. The formation seemed to have been forcibly altered and no longer obeyed Xie Shuci's commands.

At the same moment, Xie Shuci's connection with the Fulong artifact was forcibly severed. Xie Shuci felt as if he had been severely injured in the chest. A huge energy was squeezing his chest. He suddenly opened his eyes, and everything went black. The intense pain felt as if his internal organs were being ripped apart. Xie Shuci tried to suppress it with his spiritual power, but it was to no avail. In the end, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body lost its strength and fell backward.

"Thank you for your resignation!"

"Letter of Resignation!"

Xie An appeared behind Xie Shuci with lightning speed, catching his limp body, his face extremely cold.

At the same time, the cultivators who were meditating in place opened their eyes and looked at the Dragon Subduing Formation in horror.

Xie Shuci realized something, turned around and grabbed Xie An's arm, "Let's go..."

"Xie An...you should leave quickly..." Xie Shuci said haltingly.

Xie An's eyes turned sinister. "He hurt you."

Chu Guiyi looked at the constantly changing formation in mid-air, his face instantly turning grim, and he almost gritted his teeth as he said, "It's the Demon-Subduing Formation."

Xie Shuci had seen this demon-subduing formation before.

On the day Helian Zhu offered sacrifices in Luofang City.