"Third Elder!" The middle-aged man quickly fell silent.

"You... you're truly mad! Aren't you going to hand over the antidote?!" Gongsun Ming's face was pale, wiping his mouth, he said hatefully, "Don't let a small loss overshadow the big picture!"

"...Fine, I'll hand it over." The middle-aged man nodded reluctantly, pulled out a porcelain vial from his bosom, and tossed it to Li Muzhan: "Dissolve it in water and drink it!"

With that, he turned and said, "Third Elder, let's go!"

Li Muzhan took the vial and handed it to Wang Tingyan behind him, the golden glint in his eyes slowly receding.

Wang Tingyan quickly called the waiter for water, dissolved the antidote into a basin, and distributed it to everyone. They all bowed in thanks, but she kept a cold face, silent, hearing nothing.

As Jiang Lanzhi watched them slowly depart, she urged, "Don't let them go yet! What if it's not the antidote..."

Li Muzhan shook his head: "It is the antidote."

"You haven't tested it, how can you be sure?" Jiang Lanzhi was suspicious.

Li Muzhan smiled: "Don't worry, there's no mistake. Otherwise, your Sacred Snow Peak will flatten the Gongsun family and avenge us all!"

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Aren't you afraid of poison?"

Jiang Lanzhi smiled proudly: "The cultivation method of our Sacred Snow Peak makes us immune to all poisons!"

Li Muzhan nodded and smiled: "Truly profound! ... No wonder you dared to deal with the Gongsun family, and with such arrogance!"

Although the Azure Sea Divine Skill was marvelous, it couldn't grant immunity to all poisons. The Gongsun family established its world through medicine, and their poisons were terrifyingly potent and hard to defend against. Without their poisons, they were like tigers with their fangs removed.

He had always wondered why the Sacred Snow Peak, as one of the Seven Great Sects, and the widely renowned Gongsun family would treat each other with such condescension. It turned out their cultivation technique neutralized poisons, making them fearless.

"The Gongsun family is just this sort of people. The Central Plains people are truly despicable!" Jiang Lanzhi showed disdain on her face.

Li Muzhan laughed: "You're casting too wide a net! I must speak a word in fairness; they were blinded by hatred and shouldn't be judged by normal standards."

"Hmph, you're no saint yourself!" Jiang Lanzhi gave him a sidelong glance and scoffed, "Are you deliberately sowing discord?"

Li Muzhan chuckled: "I haven't said a single word!"

Jiang Lanzhi snorted. He truly hadn't spoken; it was she who couldn't stand their gazes. These people were utterly infuriating, radiating wickedness—definitely not good people!

Li Muzhan sighed: "Junior Sister Jiang, with that temper of yours, you won't fare well wandering the martial world. Getting angry just from a few glances will make you countless enemies, leaving you unable to move an inch!"

"Hmph, I'll gouge out their dog eyes!" Jiang Lanzhi said dismissively.

Li Muzhan smiled: "Their eyes are on their own faces; you can't control that. Just ignore them."

Jiang Lanzhi shook her head silently, clearly unconvinced.

Seeing this, Li Muzhan smiled and stopped persuading her further. They were like flowers raised in a greenhouse, unweathered by storms, unable to truly understand, and unwilling to listen.

Wang Tingyan quickly finished distributing the antidote to everyone, and then the three left the tavern together, heading back. Li Muzhan was still in high spirits, observing their surroundings.

The two women, however, were completely dispirited. Their mood had been ruined by the Gongsun family members. Despite the bright sunshine, they looked like frostbitten eggplants, listless.

Li Muzhan took another turn around before returning. The three did not use any lightness skill, instead strolling back slowly.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered small groups of herdsmen. Seeing the two women, the herdsmen bowed in greeting. The women accepted it calmly, offering no words.

Walking across the vast grassland under the boundless sky and bright sun, Li Muzhan felt incredibly refreshed and laughed: "It's a pity we don't have horses. Galloping across this land would be a true delight!"

"We don't ride horses!" Wang Tingyan giggled: "The Sect Leader says it's improper for women to ride astride."

Li Muzhan smiled, largely agreeing.

They walked and talked. As they moved eastward, the area slowly became deserted. Suddenly, the urgent sound of galloping horses broke the silence.

The three turned their heads and saw over a dozen horses thundering towards them, arriving in front of them in the blink of an eye.

At the forefront was a dark red steed, upon which lay a young girl in red robes. Behind her, over a dozen horses carried burly, fierce-looking men, each with a saber slung at his waist, emanating a chilling aura.

They whipped their horses hard, trying to catch the girl. They drew closer and closer, the whips occasionally landing on the girl, drawing blood and tearing her skin.

She lay on the horse, making no sound, biting her lower lip and staring ahead with stubborn eyes.

Li Muzhan glanced over her; the girl was beautiful, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, captivatingly charming with an air of delicate fragility that naturally evoked pity.

A big man on horseback laughed loudly: "You stubborn girl, you can't escape! Come with me to be the fortress mistress, you'll eat well and drink merrily, what's so bad about that, ha ha..."

The girl bit her lip, remaining silent. Her clothes on her back were shredded, and blood flowed down onto the horse's back, dripping constantly onto the grass.

Wang Tingyan immediately shouted sternly: "Stop!"

The riders finally noticed the trio. Seeing the two women in white robes with veiled faces, they were startled, and their forward momentum immediately slowed, allowing the red-clad girl to gain distance.

The red-clad girl broke through their encirclement, suddenly dropped from her horse, tumbled a few times on the grass, slowly stopped, and lay still—she had fainted.

The dark red steed sped away.

The dozen horses came to a steady halt, their flanks sweating, their front hooves pawing the ground lightly. The men on horseback looked at the two women, then glanced at the unconscious red-clad girl nearby.

One burly man clasped his fist: "Are you the esteemed maidens of Sacred Snow Peak?"

"Indeed!" Wang Tingyan snorted coldly. Jiang Lanzhi floated to the side of the red-clad girl and knelt to examine her. Seeing the bloody mess on her back, pity crossed her eyes, and she turned to glare at the group of men.

The men on horseback chuckled awkwardly: "This woman is no good person, she stole something from us. May the esteemed maidens see clearly!"

"Who are you people?" Wang Tingyan asked coldly, her gaze, clear as water, lingering on the long sabers at their waists.

The man on horseback humbly replied: "We are from the Heavenly King Stockade, Immortal Aunt. We never slaughter the innocent!"

"Heavenly King Stockade..." Wang Tingyan pondered for a moment, then waved her hand: "Well, you may leave then!"

"But she stole our property..." the man hesitated.

Li Muzhan watched with a smile, saying nothing, curious to see how the two women would handle the situation.

"What did she steal?" Wang Tingyaned.

The man quickly said: "A jade pendant... one side carved with a dragon, the other with a phoenix, and the character 'Zhang' inscribed. I've worn it since childhood."

Jiang Lanzhi reached into the red-clad girl's chest and pulled out a palm-sized jade pendant of ordinary quality. After examining it closely, she casually tossed it out. The man swiftly bent down, catching it with his arm.

"Thank you, Immortal Aunt! Thank you, Immortal Aunt!" The man thanked them repeatedly, beaming with joy, and wiped the jade pendant vigorously with his sleeve after blowing on it.

"Enough! Why aren't you leaving yet?!" Wang Tingyan huffed.

The man immediately hung the jade pendant around his neck, cupped his hands, and bowed: "Then we shall take our leave. May the two Immortal Aunts take care!"

With that, he tugged the reins, the horses turned, and with a gentle nudge of his legs, the steeds bolted away. The others followed, and in a short while, they became small black dots, disappearing from view.

Li Muzhan stared after them thoughtfully, stroking his small mustache, his brow slightly raised.

The two women woke the red-clad girl and inquired about her situation. Her name was Zuo Jingjing, and she had a tragic past, having lived with only her father since childhood.

But last month, her father was suddenly killed by an enemy. She fled alone to the great grasslands. Having run out of travel funds, she had no choice but to rob bandits out of necessity.

She had thought her own martial skills would make it easy, like taking something from her pocket, but unexpectedly, these bandits were not weak in martial arts either. She couldn't defeat them and had to flee. Without their rescue, she would surely have fallen into a wolf's jaws.

Her voice was soft and sorrowful, bringing tears to the eyes of the two women, who were almost moved to weep.

Li Muzhan stood silent, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the surroundings, as if he hadn't heard her tragic story.

When she finished speaking, Wang Tingyan said: "Don't worry. Now that you've met us, the people of Heavenly King Stockade won't dare to bother you again!"

Zuo Jingjing dabbed her eyes and sighed: "Sister Wang, I'm afraid they'll come looking for me again once you leave!"

"Mmm..." Wang Tingyan tilted her head in thought, "The people of Heavenly King Stockade are quite bold; we can't entirely dismiss them! ... Senior Sister Jiang, what should we do?"

Jiang Lanzhi said: "Then let's go up to Sacred Snow Peak."

Li Muzhan coughed lightly and said gently: "Junior Sister Jiang, Junior Sister Wang, in my opinion, let's find a place nearby to settle her first. She is severely injured and cannot make it back to Sacred Snow Peak."

Wang Tingyan clapped her hands: "Right! I have healing medicine here!"

Saying so, she quickly pulled out a porcelain vial from her bosom, helped Zuo Jingjing lie down, and sprinkled the medicinal powder onto her back. Zuo Jingjing trembled, gritting her teeth.

"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?" Wang Tingyan put away the vial. "If it hurts, just cry out a few times; no one will laugh at you. This medicine is good, but it is very painful!"

Zuo Jingjing managed a faint smile and shook her head, her expression stubborn. Wang Tingyan praised her admirationably.

Jiang Lanzhi said: "I'll carry you. We'll go straight to Sacred Snow Peak."

"This..." Zuo Jingjing looked troubled.

Wang Tingyan smiled: "Don't be polite. You can't walk, and we have martial arts skills; carrying you is effortless. Hurry up!"

With her repeated urging, Zuo Jingjing reluctantly leaned onto Jiang Lanzhi's back. The three used their lightness skill and headed directly back to Sacred Snow Peak.

As soon as they arrived, Song Xinyi rushed over, saying sweetly: "Senior Sister Jiang, Senior Sister Wang, who is this? Is she injured?"

Jiang Lanzhi replied: "She's someone we rescued on the road, Zuo Jingjing, Junior Sister Zuo... Little Junior Sister, did any people from the Gongsun family come up the mountain today?"

Song Xinyi shook her head: "The Gongsun family members left the mountain yesterday... Did you run into them?"

Her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked towards Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled: "Junior Sister Song, you guessed correctly, we did indeed run into them."

"Then they didn't seek revenge?" Song Xinyi asked quickly.

Li Muzhan chuckled: "We fought, but they were no match and fled."

"Truly useless!" Song Xinyi scoffed, pouting. "The Eldest Senior Sister is back, and she brought a woman with her, supposedly from the Wang family of Penglai!"

Li Muzhan was startled and quickly asked: "Wang Shuangfeng?"

"Yes, that's her, and she asked about you," Song Xinyi glanced at him sideways.

Li Muzhan was contemplative. In his estimation, it should have taken another ten days for Wang Shuangfeng to arrive. He hadn't expected her to run into the eldest disciple of Sacred Snow Peak.

"Let's go up," Li Muzhan turned around.

Jiang Lanzhi said: "Alright. Junior Sister Zuo can stay next to Brother Li for now. I'll report to the Master and make further arrangements."

"That's for the best," Li Muzhan nodded and started ascending.

He returned to his small courtyard. Wang Shuangfeng, clad in a green silk robe, was sitting at a stone table reading. Seeing him enter, she quickly closed her book and came up to greet him, a bright smile on her face, executing a graceful bow: "Martial Uncle!"

Li Muzhan waved his hand and smiled: "Feng'er, how was your journey? Did you encounter people from the Gongsun family?"

"Yes, thanks to Sister Li for saving me," Wang Shuangfeng nodded.

"Sister Li?" Li Muzhan asked, sitting down at the stone table.

Wang Shuangfeng poured a cup of tea, saying: "It's Sister Li Yujiao, the Eldest Senior Sister of Sacred Snow Peak!"

Li Muzhan laughed: "The one who wanted to spar with me?"

"Exactly," Wang Shuangfeng pursed her lips and smiled.

She seemed much more cheerful and exceptionally warm, unlike her former distant demeanor. Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land felt wonderfully close.

Li Muzhan shook his head and laughed: "The world is vast and full of surprises, to think it was her who saved you!"

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping a bead of cold sweat. He hadn't expected the Gongsun family to be so wicked as to target Feng'er after he had separated from her—it lacked the conduct of a noble house.

Wang Shuangfeng said: "Although Sister Li is a bit cold, she is a very good person."

Li Muzhan smiled: "It's a pity that destiny has made her an opponent... You should rest well; your journey must have been tiring?"

"Sister Li carried me using lightness skill, so I wasn't tired at all."

"No wonder you arrived so quickly," Li Muzhan nodded.

He was inwardly shocked. Li Yujiao's cultivation was profound, and her lightness skill extremely high; carrying Wang Shuangfeng, she was only half a day behind him.

Wang Shuangfeng asked: "Martial Uncle, I heard people from the Gongsun family came looking for you. Did they cause you any trouble?"

Li Muzhan smiled: "I ran into them downstairs just now... It's better now. As long as we are on Sacred Snow Peak, we don't have to worry about them seeking revenge."

He brought the Azure Cloud Sword up to Sacred Snow Peak precisely to engineer the situation of today—to make Sacred Snow Peak openly hostile to the Gongsun family, ensuring that when he eventually confronted the Gongsun family, Sacred Snow Peak would not be implicated.

Although the Gongsun family was powerful, they couldn't compare to the Azure Sea Sword Sect, but Sacred Snow Peak was different. As one of the Seven Great Sects, they were not to be underestimated and required caution. This complex scheme had crossed his mind in an instant.

As they were speaking, Jiang Lanzhi and Wang Tingyan entered, greeting Wang Shuangfeng with smiles.

"Junior Sister Jiang, come here for a moment," Li Muzhan beckoned to Jiang Lanzhi and walked into the house.

Jiang Lanzhi looked bewilderedly at him, then at the two women, but ultimately couldn't suppress her curiosity and followed him inside.

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