Deep within the Ancient Forest Cave, in the center of the downstream cold current, the placid water suddenly erupted in a spray of droplets as Nie Kong surfaced, gasping for air.

Three days had passed since the little creature had awakened.

During these three days, Nie Kong spent his afternoons cultivating in the "Spiritual Cultivation Illusory Realm," and his mornings training his water skills in this frigid current. With the mermaid Bai Yuqing as his guide, Nie Kong's progress was astonishingly fast. By now, he could swim to the very center of the cold current using only his own ability.

Drawing on his previous experience, as soon as the dark green, smooth stone was in hand, Nie Kong concentrated and stored it in his Pet Pouch, consciously avoiding channeling any spiritual energy into the stone itself.

After all, this object was too peculiar; once spiritual energy made contact, it was impossible to shake off.

The dark green aura absorbed into his body could enhance the hidden power within his "Yin Ruin Bloodline." Nie Kong still didn't know if this change was ultimately for the better or worse. If the enhancement of this hidden power caused it to erupt prematurely, he would regret it beyond measure.

The safest method, naturally, was to store it in the Pet Pouch. This morning alone, Nie Kong added five dark green stones to his pouch—this was because he sought them along the center of the river for the first time; he might not find so many every day going forward.

"Hnnn... Ya ya ya!"

The little creature drooped its stem-like leaves and roots, murmuring weakly. Its spirit was somewhat listless.

After several days, it seemed to recognize that the source of its sustenance was problematic. Its cries were much softer now, lacking the easy confidence it possessed three days prior. Nie Kong sighed inwardly and quickly returned.

Three days ago, after exchanging two thousand points for an herb at the Inner City Pharmacy, Nie Kong had sought out Gu Changgong and asked him to pass along a message to Long Xuechan, conveying his desire to purchase a large quantity of poisonous grasses from her.

Unfortunately, Long Xuechan had already left Spirit Control City that day. The person Gu Changgong sent back returned empty-handed, having only relayed Nie Kong's request to the manager of the Red Tower Pharmacy.

The next day, the exchanged herb was consumed. Nie Kong had no choice but to swallow his pride and borrow an herb from Gu Changgong. As of today, only half of that borrowed herb remained, which Nie Kong kept in his attic lodging to prevent the little creature from devouring it all at once, leaving nothing for emergencies. If there was still no word from Long Xuechan by this afternoon, Nie Kong might have to borrow from Gu Changgong again, though this was hardly a sustainable solution.

Nie Kong hurried on, returning to the northern district of the Inner City at top speed.

"Mmm... Ya ya ya!"

Before he was even fifty meters from the attic, the little creature seemed injected with adrenaline, bouncing excitedly within the "Xun Yaochi Acupoint."

Good medicine! Nie Kong instantly understood Xiangxiang’s meaning and felt a surge of joy. He immediately activated "Flower Transfer Evasion." Green blossoms bloomed beneath his feet, seemingly lifting Nie Kong’s body as he shot forward like a wisp of smoke, trailing faint afterimages behind him. As he entered the courtyard, he heard sweet, crisp laughter drifting from the attic. Besides the two young girls, Long Yan and Long Ting, the third voice was intimately familiar—it was Long Xuechan.

Nie Kong let out a silent sigh of relief. He had assumed Long Xuechan would entrust Sha Yan to deliver the poisonous herbs he needed into the Inner City; he hadn't expected her to come in person. Of course, since she could bring the Yan Ting sisters into the Inner City, his own presence here was not entirely surprising.

As this thought crossed his mind, Nie Kong quickened his pace. Before he could reach the attic door, a radiant green silhouette appeared elegantly at the entrance. Her posture was graceful, her bright eyes flickered, and her lips curved into a captivating smile. Her tender face revealed skin so fair and rosy it seemed kissable, radiating mature allure and intoxicating charm.

"Master Nie."

The two little lolis, Long Yan and Long Ting, rushed out from beside Long Xuechan, happily running over to Nie Kong, their smiles impossible to conceal.

Although the Inner City had quite a few female disciples, and he often saw Miao Ge, Tai Ji, Bai Yuqing, and Gu Suo, they were mostly busy cultivating. The two little lolis were often quite lonely, and Long Xuechan's arrival had made them extremely excited.

Nie Kong affectionately pinched their chubby cheeks and walked up to Long Xuechan with a smile: "Sister Chan, you truly are my great savior. You must have brought plenty of poisonous herbs with you this time you came to the Inner City, right?"

As he spoke, Nie Kong's gaze impatiently swept past Long Xuechan, looking behind her.

Long Xuechan subtly shifted to the side, pointing to the dozens of stacked medicine boxes on the table behind her, and said with a smile: "Little brother Nie Kong, one plant per day, enough for you to last three months. Moreover, the toxicity of every herb here is no less potent than the Snowball Flower Gate variety—guaranteed to satisfy you."

"Oh? That's wonderful!"

Nie Kong clapped his hands, sheer joy lighting up his face.

When he had helped Long Xuechan identify the properties of poisonous herbs in the "Six Courtyards of the Pharmacy," the Bixuehuameng was the first poisonous herb he had tasted. While its toxicity didn't match the "Black Heart Wood Butterfly" and other herbs there, it was still fiercely potent.

At the little creature's current rate of consumption, ninety plants should sustain it for about half a year.

Nie Kong was quite grateful that Long Xuechan managed to procure so many poisonous herbs in just two or three days: "Sister Chan, you didn't empty out your entire Six Courtyards, did you?"

Long Xuechan giggled coquettishly, "Little brother Nie Kong, you guessed correctly. All the poisonous herbs my sister had are here. How do you plan to thank me?" As she spoke, Long Xuechan moved closer and closer to Nie Kong. By the time she finished speaking, her full, curved chest brushed against Nie Kong's arm, either intentionally or accidentally. Her enchanting, soulful eyes gazed at Nie Kong, a seductive smile playing on her lips, utterly provocative.

"This..."

The soft, round sensation nudged his arm. Nie Kong's heart skipped a beat. Glancing at Long Xuechan's seductive demeanor, memories of what transpired in the pharmacy's depths involuntarily flashed through his mind. Although his memory only held fragmented images, the tender intimacy involved was beyond words.

"Mmm..." Long Xuechan let out a soft, tender sound from her nose, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She bit her lower lip and hummed softly, "Little scamp, what are you thinking about?"

"Click," Nie Kong was startled. Judging by Long Xuechan's expression, she seemed to know what he was pondering. To be honest, his mind had been vividly recalling a certain position that appeared in the secret room that day—it was intensely seductive, the clearest fragment among all his memories.

"Stop your wild thoughts!" Long Xuechan shot Nie Kong a look, her breathing quickening, her eyes full of yearning, her cheeks so red and tender they looked as if they could yield juice at a squeeze. Watching this, the two little lolis were stunned speechless, never expecting Long Xuechan to suddenly adopt such an intensely bewitching appearance.

Nie Kong quickly banished that luscious scene from his mind, though he was utterly astonished. Could it be that after that incident, they had achieved some form of mental link? Unlikely. She could see what he was thinking, yet he had no idea what was in her mind.

There must be another reason for this!

Could she know the legendary art of mind-reading? No, that couldn't be right. If so, all his secrets would have been exposed long ago, and she would have known about the "Yin Ruin Bloodline" inside him!

Nie Kong suspiciously scrutinized Long Xuechan, then opened a medicine box containing poisonous herbs.

Long Xuechan casually stepped a few paces away from Nie Kong, letting out a long breath. The flush on her face quietly receded, but a wry smile bloomed in her heart. That little scamp had been thinking that just now; she nearly embarrassed herself in front of the two young girls, Long Yan and Long Ting.

"Dragon Couple Love Seal..."

Muttering these four words internally several times, Long Xuechan felt a degree of helplessness. Before that incident, she could tease the little scamp anytime, anywhere, without restraint. But now, it wasn't possible. If she made the little scamp restless, she would be the one to end up embarrassed. Perhaps due to the awkward situation, Long Xuechan didn't linger. She soon left the attic under the reluctant gazes of the two lolis. However, before leaving, Nie Kong handed her his Spirit Card, asking her to purchase a large quantity of poisonous herbs for him outside.

Long Xuechan's arrival solved Nie Kong's immediate crisis. In the days that followed, Nie Kong no longer had to worry about the little creature's rations. Aside from refining some spiritual medicines every evening to send to the pharmacy on the thirty-third floor, his life was a monotonous cycle of traveling back and forth between the Ancient Forest Cave, the Spiritual Cultivation Illusory Realm, and his residence.

More than two months flew by. The streets and alleys began to yellow, the weather turned cool, and the Inner City in September took on a touch of desolation.

Ancient Forest Cave.

"Hnnn..."

"I've cultivated for over half an hour and finally expelled the cold energy. Oh right, has Nie Kong gone out yet? I need him to refine a spiritual medicine for me."

"I don't think so. I haven't seen him come out at all."

"Not out? Hmph, when I came up, he was just going down. After this long, he hasn't come back up? How is that possible?"

"After half an hour, could he have frozen to death in the river?"

"Haha, stop worrying about him. Even if all of us froze to death, Nie Kong wouldn't be frozen. I saw him staying in the river for half an hour the day before yesterday!"

...

On the banks of the cold current river, several Inner City disciples, shrouded in dense spiritual energy, murmured by the gently rippling water, their expressions a mix of surprise and admiration.

At the river bottom, Nie Kong sat cross-legged in silence. A thick veil of green enveloped him from head to toe, forming a massive cocoon. Except for a very small fraction of wood-element spiritual energy elements, almost all the green energy surrounding Nie Kong was condensed vitality drawn from the center of the cold current.

Over two months, the amount of time Nie Kong could remain in the cold current continuously grew longer. Since he could no longer find those dark green smooth stones, Nie Kong would sit at the river bottom every morning to cultivate the "Spring and Autumn Life Spirit Art." The potent life force not only brought his spiritual power to saturation early on, but the "Four Apertures of Spiritual Consciousness," which had only the faintest hint of green, were now dyed emerald green by the condensed liquid vitality...

?P: Tomorrow we change dungeons. Everyone guess what the dungeon is! Prize for correct guesses! ~ ,——————