As the Sect Master and the Head Chef, to not even get a mouthful of his own cooking, Li Yundong felt his life was rather bleak.

Feeling thoroughly dejected after finishing a bowl of plain rice, Li Yundong returned to the task of reallocating the sleeping arrangements for the group.

After some discussion, Ziyuan proactively offered, "Why don't I and the disciples from the Fox Zen Sect rest in the living room? You can take my room, Ruan Hongling can have her own, and the rest can stay as usual. What do you think?"

Li Yundong pondered for a moment, a hint of hesitation in his expression. Unexpectedly, Su Chan, upon hearing that Li Yundong would have a room to himself, immediately beamed with delight and chimed in first, "Perfect! That's settled!"

Li Yundong gave her a strange look, and Cao Yi and the others nearby nodded in agreement, "That works out perfectly."

Li Yundong considered it—Ziyuan was a woman, and the entire Fox Zen Sect consisted of women; having them together would also avoid suspicion. Li Yundong nodded his consent, but not before casting a subtle glance at Ziyuan. Their eyes met briefly, an unspoken agreement passing between them.

When night fell and everyone was asleep, Li Yundong performed an Astral Projection within his room. As soon as his spirit form arrived outside the door, he saw Ziyuan already waiting for him on the balcony of his home, ethereal and graceful.

Li Yundong’s spirit form retained the appearance of a young man for this projection. He smiled slightly at Ziyuan, "How long have you been waiting?"

Ziyuan returned the smile, "Not long. I only just performed my own Yang Spirit projection." She sized up Li Yundong from head to toe, sighing softly, "The last time you projected as a young man, and you are still a young man now—your cultivation has not advanced an inch."

Li Yundong also sighed, "Indeed. Before, I only needed to manage the little girl, two mouths were easy enough to feed. Now, there are over a dozen mouths clamoring for sustenance. The burden on my shoulders is heavy; I must find a way to earn money before I can focus on cultivation."

Seeing his troubled expression, Ziyuan tried to comfort him, "Don't worry too much. The road will appear when the cart reaches the mountain, and the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge. Things will get better."

Li Yundong was naturally optimistic. He chuckled and said, "I was merely sighing aloud. Let's go, we're leaving now."

Ziyuan nodded, and the two swiftly transformed into a streak of green light and departed.

When they flew to the hilltop where they had buried the two giant golden snakes, Li Yundong landed to inspect the site. The ground, which had been leveled before, had been dug up, and the two massive golden snakes were gone.

Li Yundong’s face grew grim. "They're really gone!"

Ziyuan's eyebrows furrowed tightly. She said, "I never quite understood why you suddenly felt the need to check if the golden snakes were still here?"

Li Yundong replied with a cold face, "I have continuously felt as if someone was secretly spying on our Fox Zen Sect. Especially after Changsun Hong died, and I saw a figure sneak-peeking at the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Technique in the secret chamber, this feeling has only grown stronger."

Ziyuan realized with a start, "I understand now. That's why you wanted to come here to check if the two large golden snakes remained. If they were here, it would suggest everything was just a coincidence. If they are gone, it proves someone was indeed watching you from the beginning."

Li Yundong nodded. "Exactly! This person most likely followed us, watched us bury the golden snakes, and only came back to retrieve their corpses after we left."

Ziyuan countered, "Could it have been Zheng Yuan?"

Li Yundong considered this. "Zheng Yuan might have doubled back, but the possibility is low. This mountain is vast; how would he know exactly where we buried the snakes? Someone who can trail us without being detected must have a cultivation level higher than ours! Having someone like that hanging over my back gives me a terrible sense of unease."

Ziyuan tried to placate him, "Don't overthink it. Perhaps some villager stumbled upon them and dug them up by chance."

Li Yundong let out a dry laugh. "You know that's impossible. This mountain is so remote and sparsely populated; no one usually comes here. The summit is rugged; only cultivators who can fly like us can reach it. Ordinary people couldn't manage it. Furthermore, we buried them so deep; unless someone saw us bury them here, they wouldn't notice anything unusual."

Ziyuan sighed. "Then who could it be? This truly is a time of great turmoil!"

Li Yundong pondered, "In my view, this person dug up the two massive golden snakes for one of two reasons: either to use their hide, scales, or venomous fangs to forge magical artifacts, or to use their cores and flesh to boost their own power. We will have to see what kind of artifacts related to these materials appear in the cultivation world, and we might be able to deduce who took the snakes. Once we find that person, we will find the mystery person spying on the Fox Zen Sect!"

Ziyuan nodded and said, "There is another possibility."

Li Yundong asked, "What is it?"

Ziyuan stated, "They might need the golden snakes' cores to refine the Golden Elixir! I mentioned before that the golden snake cores are necessary ingredients for refining the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir. Without this one ingredient, refining the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir is impossible."

Li Yundong realized, "So, whoever manages to refine one of the Three Great Immortal Elixirs might be this mysterious person?"

Ziyuan nodded. "Highly likely! Moreover, that giant golden snake previously mentioned the impending appearance of the Medicine King Cauldron, coupled with the theft of these two golden snakes now, I feel like a massive storm is brewing in the cultivation world. This incident is likely to drag both your Fox Zen Sect and my Spirit Palace Sect into it."

Li Yundong’s face was grave, and he nodded. After a moment, he let out a long sigh. "Yes, I have that same feeling, as if someone is plotting against the Fox Zen Sect."

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "It's fine. The truth will always come out eventually. If someone truly intends to scheme against the Fox Zen Sect, you can counter their myriad moves with steadfastness, waiting for them to expose themselves first."

Li Yundong said, "You are right. For now, we should first resolve our financial issues and then figure out how to strengthen the Fox Zen Sect. Once we are strong enough on our own, whatever they plan to do to us won't matter."

Ziyuan praised, "Exactly!"

Li Yundong smiled, "Then let's head back."

The two lingered no further, flying back in a short trip that took only two or three hours round trip.

Meanwhile, Su Chan was in her room, secretly watching Zhou Qin to see if she was asleep. After observing her for a long time and hearing the light sound of Zhou Qin’s breathing, she confirmed Zhou Qin was asleep. She quietly got out of bed, pulled open the door, and prepared to sneak into Li Yundong's room.

But when she reached the living room, she saw Ziyuan meditating in the dining area, and the young disciples of the Fox Zen Sect were sprawled haphazardly on the living room carpet. Just as the little girl was about to tiptoe past them, all those young women suddenly snapped their eyes open, staring fixedly at Su Chan.

Su Chan felt a cold sweat break out. She felt caught red-handed like a thief, cold sweat trickling down her back. The little girl let out a forced, dry laugh, tilting her head back to loudly exclaim, "Ah, the moon is beautiful tonight. I, I'm just going out to catch some moonbeams. Yes, catch some moonbeams."

Those little foxes collectively uttered a meaningful "Oh," and then simultaneously declared, "We want to catch moonbeams too!"

The little girl cursed inwardly: These wicked girls! They dare to engage in games of wit with this young lady! They were actually waiting for me here!

She planted her hands on her hips, lowered her voice, and glared angrily, "This young lady is going to find my Master! Anyone with an objection, step forward!"

The little foxes collectively let out another "Oh," and then giggled before closing their eyes again.

Seeing that they stopped arguing, Su Chan quickly slipped away.

She knew where Ruan Hongling's room was, so she slipped onto their balcony. Pushing the door open, she stealthily crept inside.

The little girl was skilled in the arts of invisibility and concealment, and since Ruan Hongling was meditating, she managed to sneak in undetected.

When she found Li Yundong's room, his spirit form had just returned. The little girl watched as a flash of green light streaked, and a small figure resembling a young man plunged back into Li Yundong's body. Li Yundong slowly woke up.

The little girl watched from the side, holding her breath as Li Yundong woke from his meditation. His brows were tightly furrowed, his face etched with worry. After a moment, he sighed, rolled over, and lay back down, preparing to sleep.

The little girl tiptoed over, preparing to climb onto the bed. Unexpectedly, the moment her body touched the mattress, Li Yundong sharply turned over and hissed lowly, "Who!"

Su Chan materialized, shushed him, and giggled, "It's me, Master! Don't you recognize your little girl anymore!"

Li Yundong burst into a laugh. "It's you? What are you doing here?"

Su Chan gazed at Li Yundong with wide eyes and said, "Sister Zhou Qin stole my blanket while sleeping, and I was cold! I came to ask you for warmth!"

As she spoke, she thought to herself: Sister Zhou Qin, I'm sorry for making you play the villain this once; I will definitely repay you next time!

Li Yundong chuckled, "You want warmth? But I'm very cold too. What should we do?"

Su Chan didn't believe him in the slightest. She giggled, "No way! My Master is the warmest! No matter what, I'm climbing under the covers!" Saying this, she lifted the quilt and burrowed inside.

But as soon as she crawled in, she discovered that Li Yundong’s bedding was indeed ice-cold, and his body was frighteningly chilly. She cried out in shock, "Ah!" and tried to scramble out using all four limbs, crying as she struggled, "Why are you so cold! You're freezing me to death!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily, unwilling to let the little girl escape. He grabbed her back, "Where are you running! We share the blessings, and we share the hardships!"

The little girl struggled and complained, "I'm freezing to death, freezing to death! You're going to freeze your little girl!"

Li Yundong’s spirit form had left; the vast majority of his Yang energy had retreated to his lower dantian below his abdomen, and the remainder had left as his spirit form. Only Yin energy remained in his body, making him naturally frighteningly cold. He chuckled, "Little girl, little girl, your Master is also cold. Please warm up your Master!"

Hearing this, Su Chan stopped struggling. She turned her head and looked at Li Yundong pitifully, "Alright then, I'll warm you up for you, but you're not allowed to intentionally freeze me!"

With that, the little girl snuggled into Li Yundong's embrace, opened her mouth, and breathed warm air onto his chest. She rubbed her hands together vigorously, then vigorously rubbed his arms back and forth, looking up at Li Yundong through blinking eyes, "Master, are you warm yet?"

Li Yundong's body did not warm up, but his heart felt warm. He looked down at the little girl with fond indulgence, his gaze growing increasingly gentle. He suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms and said with deep affection, "Silly little girl!"

With that, the vast, powerful Yang energy hidden in his lower dantian surged out, and his body instantly grew warm.

The little girl, held in Li Yundong’s arms, had been worried about turning into an ice block. But the moment she touched Li Yundong, she found his body wonderfully warm. Her face immediately lit up, and she laughed, "Master, you’re warm now! Did I warm you up?"

Li Yundong smiled at the little girl in his embrace and said meaningfully, "Yes, you warmed me up! With you here, no matter how cold I am, I can warm up!"

The two looked at each other in the pitch-black room, their eyes gleaming faintly in the moonlight. They both smiled simultaneously, their expressions filled with sweetness and happiness.