"Huh?" Lin Feng was stunned.

"Fourth son?" Tang Hong roared in anger.

Her jade-like eyes flashed with a fierce light.

“This…” Baoqing Fangzhu looked around, then shrank back and retreated to a chair.

"Ahem, accepting disciples, accepting disciples, this humble Taoist... Oh, right, this humble Taoist and his companions have some small targets for this trip. Tell us about all the evil monsters around here. Once we've eliminated them, it will be time for us to leave." Si Zang finished speaking amidst the crowd's anger, then grabbed the Golden Hammer and quickly stored it in his spatial storage.

"Three days..."

Baoqingfangzhu nodded tremblingly; she had no reason to refuse.

"No problem." Shizang readily agreed and then shut his mouth.

After Baoqing Fangzhu left, Tang Hong was the first to ask, "Si'er, when did you start liking this kind of forced buying and selling?"

"Is this a forced sale?" Si Zang immediately denied it: "I'm just taking on a disciple and teaching him some weapon-refining techniques. Even if he doesn't have the skill, I can still offer some advice. Isn't it good to expand in multiple ways?"

"Your demands on these two apprentices are like a human trafficker looking for a wife," Tang Hong said, even more furious.

Si Zang retorted, "Demons are more benevolent than humans... Fine, fine, then let me put it another way: let her find some spirited crane boys to give to me as my Daoist disciples. Is that alright now?"

"And you don't have to worry about being killed by the Buddhist sect. You have an endless supply of spiritual medicines and cultivation techniques. Is that alright?"

Yu glanced at him with disgust. Everyone knew what Si Zang was saying, and no matter how he tried to explain, it was all the same.

Lin Feng didn't say much, just glanced at it silently a few times, and then waited.

After Baoqingfangzhu delivered the list of evil monsters in the vicinity, Lin Feng and the other two, except for Sizang, divided the list and quickly left the bottom of the lake.

After a day of harvesting.

"Task 1: Survive for 20 days and obtain at least 1000 Nightmare Points before the mission ends. (Completed)"

"Mission Two: Slay the Monster (29/5). (Completed)"

When they returned, a woman dressed in white, with a foolish yet clear gaze, was sitting next to Si Zang. Her appearance was exactly as Si Zang had requested: both innocent and alluring.

“Fox Clan, Nian Youxue,” Si Zang stood up and introduced.

They are foxes, not fox demons.

Although it's a small title, it seems to have caused some significant changes.

"Not a bad name." Lin Feng chuckled to himself as he passed by Si Zang, noticing the other's somewhat apprehensive gaze.

At this moment, Tang Hong walked over, placed one hand firmly on Si Zang's shoulder, stared at Si Zang, and asked Nian Youxue with a smile: "If you leave with us, will you leave this world forever?"

“Immortal, the shopkeeper has already told me.” Nian Youxue answered very obediently, her voice soft and sweet without any sharpness: “I cultivate alone in the north of Hangzhou, and occasionally I help the shopkeeper pick some spiritual herbs and fruits.”

Lin Feng glanced at Si Cang from the side. This explanation... was probably from the Bishop of Baoqingfang: "Heavenly rules cannot be violated. No matter what he promised you, if you don't want to leave this place, he can't forcibly take you away."

This small reminder made Tang Hong suddenly sneer, pressing his fingers hard on Si Zang's shoulder: "That's right, if you don't want to leave, he can't take you away. That's the rule of heaven. As for the problem between you and Master Baoqing, it has nothing to do with you. After this matter is over, he won't cause you or Master Baoqing any more trouble."

"Um."

Lin Feng nodded in agreement, glanced at Si Zang's tearful expression, and shrugged.

As Nian Youxue left, Tang Hong finally couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Fourth Brother, if Master knew..."

"What master? Back then, Master raised a Naga sea monster, you're the only one who didn't know that!" Si Zang shut Tang Hong down with one sentence.

"real?"

"I saw it when I went home early for summer vacation."

Si Zang disdainfully shook off Tang Hong and plopped down on the stool: "Forget it, forcing things won't make them sweet, but I really like... sigh, you know, it's so hard to find someone who shares your interests. Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian were so much better. Forget it, I'd rather like someone soft and sweet..."

"What's wrong? Want to get married?" Lin Feng sat down curiously. Si Zang's thought process was quite peculiar.

Si Zang gave him a cold look: "Tch, who's like you? Is it wrong for this humble Taoist to have some emotions and desires?"

"Then how is it any different for you to deceive someone who has no self-will and only obeys you, and raise a robot?" Lin Feng didn't care.

"You don't understand," Si Zang said proudly.

"I know, I know, Si'er is just being horny." Tang Hong suddenly laughed, causing Lin Feng and Yu to look over sharply.

Si Zang cursed, "Get out of here, get out of here! You're the same, covered in nuclear radiation. Who would want to hang out with you?"

Looking at the sullen Si Zang in front of him, Lin Feng gradually softened his smile. It is indeed difficult to find like-minded people, but even if you are like-minded, you may not be able to go the distance.

The attraction between two different people lies in their perceptions, but as personal experiences change, a difference in perception arises. For example, one person keeps moving forward and changing, while the other stays in the same place. The final result is that the one person silently develops a feeling that something is missing.

This little bit of meaning, accumulated over time, becomes boring.

Of course, ordinary people don't study, think, and improve every day; most people are forced to, which makes the differences even more acute.

How difficult it is for two people to understand each other so easily.

If things don't finally erupt, who will stop and look behind them?

This reveals yet another new crisis.

But if two people are moving forward together... if they want to get closer, they have to give up some purely personal interests. No, these are not personal interests; there are trade-offs between gains and losses, which cannot be described in terms of interests.

This is like stating before even defining them that they are meaningless or even worthless.

Giving up the feelings between two people in exchange for personal gain is something only a profit-driven person would consider, especially when adding the word "personal" to the equation.

When did feelings become about self-interest...?

Of course, this is just one scenario...

Lin Feng quickly dispelled the distracting thoughts in his mind. Thinking about it this way, it might be better for a strong person to find someone soft and gentle and simply enjoy that affection. But... is that really a good idea?

Or... living in an environment full of profit-seekers, people have negative thoughts every time they see a failed relationship, not because they are disappointed, but because they are profit-seekers themselves, and they know they are the rat that spoils the whole pot of soup.

"Si'er, your master is your master. You don't learn anything else, only bad things. I suspect you've been going to the entertainment district and causing trouble, haven't you?" Tang Hong was too lazy to waste any more words and picked up Si Zang: "As your senior brother, I have to make sure you wake up!"

"Oh? Don't think I don't know. Back then, Master introduced you to a girl, and after you met her, you told me how bad she was. Was she there for a blind date?" Si Zang shook off Tang Hong's hand: "Tell me honestly, did you peek at those things in Master's formation back then?"

Tang Hong's arm stiffened, and he abruptly dropped Si Zang: "Don't go off on a tangent, let's stick to the facts today."

"Alright, alright, things have come to this, let Nian Youxue make her own decision." Lin Feng stepped forward to separate the two. They weren't really going to fight, but they could argue for days. "Aren't our weapons almost ready?"

Si Zang snorted: "That's about it. Master Baoqing told me to go inside and get it when you come back."

“Okay, let’s go take a look.” Lin Feng responded and walked towards a courtyard gate in front of him. The pattern on the gate rotated a few times like a tai chi symbol, opening a door to another space.

It's normal to have selfish desires...

The four of them walked in and immediately entered a large hall filled with all sorts of artifacts.

"Your weapons are ready." As soon as they entered, Master Baoqing stepped on the head of one of his lackeys and flew down from the bed above the main hall. He then kicked another lackey who was a step too slow and led Lin Feng to the large chest next to him. "Your weapon is truly awe-inspiring. We only added some star iron to the handle, and it triggered a sign of destruction."

As the sound faded, Lin Feng walked over, reached into the box, and grabbed the magic blade that was covered in a layer of hazy starlight.

Baoqingfang Master couldn't decipher or see through Wang Shan's techniques, but Baoqingfang was ultimately quite capable. After Lin Feng activated the Demon Blade, he slightly added Star Iron to some of its structures.

Demonic power emanated from his hand, flowing swiftly through the nine holes embedded with vortexes of star iron, encircling the entire demonic blade and creating an increasingly intense energy backflow.

good!

Lin Feng put it away with satisfaction, then looked at the other box that had been opened.

"Your gauntlets have been reforged. I added a little bit of refined iron to make them slightly heavier."

Bang!

Tang Honggang picked it up, but his arm couldn't adjust to the change in weight and slammed it hard against the edge of the box.