The woman in red smiled radiantly, her voice like the clear cry of an oriole, crisp and sweet, like listening to celestial music, the sound of the heavens themselves, lending one a feeling of utter clarity throughout the body.

The burly man seemed utterly captivated by the woman in red's beauty, nodding dumbly, "Good, good, if you want it, just take it." With that, he actually started walking away, only snapping out of his daze tens of meters later, scratching his head in confusion, as if waking from a dream.

"Then I thank you."

The woman in red turned to face Nie Kong directly. Only then did Nie Kong notice how scantily clad she was; the collar of her red garment was open exceptionally low, the fullness of her chest straining the fabric high, revealing vast expanses of snowy white skin and two hemispheres of creamy smoothness, like congealed lard.

"Little brother, here is two thousand two hundred gold coins; no change necessary."

The woman in red giggled coyly, reaching into her bosom, and astonishingly produced a spirit card from the deeply compressed ravine formed between her breasts.

A faint, delicate fragrance washed over Nie Kong as he accepted the spirit card, still warm from her body, yet a wariness settled in his heart. Her voice seemed to carry a soul-captivating power; a simple sentence had utterly charmed and bewildered the burly man just moments before.

"Wait a moment!"

Nie Kong glanced aside and saw a small donation box at the herb stall to his left. He inclined his head slightly toward the woman in red and walked over.

The woman in red crouched down, picking up a small wooden carving to examine it closely.

Hua Mei snapped back to attention. She couldn't fathom how wooden carvings that cost mere silver coins moments ago were now worth fighting over at two hundred gold pieces—it was utterly unbelievable. The little girl grinned with delight, saying sweetly, "Big sister, let me help you pack up all these carvings, shall I?"

"That would be kind."

The woman in red nodded with a gentle smile, her smooth, white jade hand inadvertently brushing against Hua Mei's palm. Then, casting a sidelong glance at Nie Kong's retreating back, she focused again on Hua Mei’s pretty, delicate face, smiling broadly, "Little sister, is that young brother your husband? He seems quite pleasant."

Another misunderstanding! As Hua Mei packed the carvings into a bag, she blushed shyly and explained, "No, no, he is my uncle."

"Oh, I see why you’re still a virgin then."

The smile in the woman in red’s eyes intensified, and she let out a soft, breathy laugh, "But it’s a good thing, too. Otherwise, your uncle would be in for a terrible time, hehe..."

Hua Mei had no idea this woman could see right through her private life; she blushed so deeply her chin nearly touched her chest. As for what the woman in red said next, Hua Mei heard none of it. Of course, even if she had heard, it would have been utter nonsense to her...

...

Minutes later, the woman in red appeared before a window on the third floor of the Sihai Tower. She looked down at her index finger, where a tiny bead of blood clung to the tip. Her rosy, small tongue darted out to lick the drop. As the blood entered her mouth, the woman in red suddenly raised her eyes, murmuring in astonishment, "It is Imperial Bloodline!"

Watching the two figures walk farther and farther below, the woman in red frowned. "Why has a descendant of the Royal Family of my Flower Spirit Clan fallen into this Jiyang City? I haven't heard of a child being lost from the 'Flower Butterfly Secret Realm' in twenty years either? Strange! Strange! Thankfully, I rushed over after hearing the news about the 'Fire Tree Silver Flower'; otherwise, once the bloodline awakening deadline passed, this little girl would surely die this year..."

She paused, then murmured softly, "And that little fellow—not only is he Wood Attribute constitution, but he carries the aura of an 'Yin Xu Blood Descendant' within him. Could he be the child of some woman from 'Yin Xu'? Tsk, tsk, when did 'Yin Xu' start intermarrying with the outside world? No, no, this little fellow’s bloodline clearly hasn't awakened; how can he look so healthy? However, if the bloodline doesn't awaken, he will still die eventually, and the higher his cultivation, the more tragic his end will be. Since he didn't cause my clan members to lose their virginity, I might as well give him a hint, so he won't even know how he died later. Coming to Jiyang City this time was definitely the right move. Though I didn't find the 'Fire Tree Silver Flower,' I discovered an Imperial Bloodline descendant and saw an Yin Xu Blood Descendant. Hehe, hehe..."

...

"Uncle, Uncle, did I really earn these two thousand-plus gold coins?"

Walking down the street, Hua Mei was ecstatic, her eyes shimmering with unrestrained joy, "I'm so happy! I can finally earn money to support the family too."

Seeing Hua Mei's delighted demeanor, Nie Kong also wore a broad smile. This lively side of Hua Mei was a rare treat and utterly delightful to behold.

"Oh dear."

Hua Mei let out a soft cry and stopped, looking at the shallow, short scratch on the index finger of her left hand, murmuring in confusion, "Huh? When did I cut myself here?" She lowered her hand and laughed again, speaking as she walked backward, "Uncle, why did nobody buy the wooden carvings when they were cheap, but now people are scrambling to buy them when they’re expensive?" This was a question Hua Mei truly couldn't wrap her head around.

"That's easy to understand... Watch out!"

Nie Kong’s smile vanished instantly. Just as the warning left his lips, Hua Mei collided squarely with an old man. The old man had snow-white hair and eyebrows, his face a landscape of deep wrinkles; he looked eighty or ninety years old. Struck by Hua Mei, he immediately tumbled backward and fell to the ground, lying perfectly still.

Hua Mei thought she had knocked the old man dead; her face instantly paled, her eyes wide with panic, stammering, "Uncle, he, he..."

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, he just fainted."

Nie Kong quickly checked the old man's breathing and then breathed a sigh of relief. "I know this old man; he owns a small pharmacy nearby. I visited his shop looking for herbs just a few days ago. Let’s get him back there first." Saying this, Nie Kong gently lifted the old man.

Hua Mei let out a long breath. If she had truly killed an old man by knocking him over, she suspected she would be wracked with guilt for the rest of her life...

...

Relying on the memory from when he was searching for herbs for the "Bewitching Scent" formula, Nie Kong, carrying the old man, ran with Hua Mei into the small pharmacy.

There was no one inside. Nie Kong scanned the room, placed the old man on the recliner beside the counter, and then raised his hand to check the man's pulse points. As he observed, a look of surprise crossed Nie Kong's eyes. He had assumed the old man was merely unconscious and would wake up soon, but the man’s pulse was chaotic.

Seeing Nie Kong's brow furrow deeper and deeper, Hua Mei’s heart tightened again, but fearing she would disturb him, she kept her lips tightly sealed.

Moments later, a flicker of green light flashed between Nie Kong's fingers, and a subtle stream of spiritual energy gently entered the old man's body. After a quick probe, Nie Kong was even more astonished. The old man's muscles were atrophied and withered, and his internal organs were severely aged. By all rights, a man like this should have died long ago, yet he was still alive.

"Spirit God Three Apertures?"

Nie Kong paused. This old man was actually a Spirit Master, but his apertures were severely desiccated, completely devoid of any spiritual power. Just as Nie Kong was about to maneuver his spiritual energy to bypass his "Spirit God Three Apertures," a familiar aura suddenly radiated from the central fissure of the old man's apertures...