Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 155 (The following is a separate, unrelated chapter): A sudden illness on horseback

"Miss Liu, what brings you back?"

At the entrance of "Yanyu Tower", a man who looked like the head of the staff stepped forward and asked.

"Something has come up, so don't ask about it. Quickly prepare the best banquet for me, and arrange it in the finest 'Tianxiang Garden' in the backyard. You all go and get busy!"

Liu Ruyan didn't say much, just gave an instruction, and then invited Li Yunjing into the "Yanyu Tower".

Li Yunjing was very familiar with this three-story building. It still had that ambiguous atmosphere, except that the red lanterns had not yet been hung up, making the atmosphere slightly less intimate.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Li Yunjing reminisced about those days and felt a mix of emotions.

Some dancers, singers, and servants all looked at Li Yunjing and his entourage.

I'm curious why Liu Ruyan, Xing'er, and Yue'er, who just joined "Yanyu Tower," are all surrounding a man.
Judging from this man's attire, he doesn't seem to be a wealthy person!

Only a few female cultivators at the Qi Refining stage had seen Li Yunjing that day, and they seemed to be deep in thought.

When it comes to the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", nothing is trivial!

Li Yunjing and his three companions did not linger in the building. Guided by Liu Ruyan, they soon entered the backyard through the back door.

The "Yanyu Tower" occupies a large area. In addition to the front building where it is open for business, there are several pavilions and towers hidden in gardens with different scenery in the backyard.

It can be said that "Yanyu Tower" invested heavily to rent such a large and prime location in "Chiri Market".

The annual rent is an astronomical figure.

Fortunately, the "Red Sun Market" is very prosperous, and cultivators from the surrounding area usually come here to make a living.

The path to immortality is long and arduous, and most cultivators walk this solitary road.

Sometimes, necessary entertainment is indispensable.

This is also why "Yanyu Tower" is so popular.

At this moment, Li Yunjing followed the three women through the garden, winding and turning until they reached a blue stone arch bridge.

Along the way, in the garden, the air was fresh and the surrounding scenery was beautiful in countless ways, and Li Yunjing couldn't help but nod in approval.

The place he was in now was not the courtyard he had visited for the first time.

This arched bridge, only 33 feet long, crosses a lotus pond and leads to a garden.

In the garden, the trees provide ample shade, and various flowers display a riot of colors. A gentle breeze carries their sweet fragrance.

"Huh? There's an open-air hot spring over there?"

Li Yunjing's eyes lit up. Suddenly, he saw wisps of steam rising in front of a bamboo forest. He immediately realized that it was a natural hot spring.

"Yeah! Shall we go for a soak together after we've eaten?"

Liu Ruyan chuckled softly and looked at Li Yunjing meaningfully.

Those alluring eyes made Li Yunjing's heart itch.

"Hehe! Really together?"

Li Yunjing glanced at the three women, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but show a hint of excitement.

"Giggle..."

The three women laughed heartily. Liu Ruyan pulled Li Yunjing aside and gestured for them to go to a pavilion in front of them.

From afar, Li Yunjing could see the two large characters "Tianxiang" written on the pavilion.

This small building has only two floors and is entirely carved from white jade. It is warm and lustrous, like a celestial palace in the heavens.

Stepping across the cobblestone path through the woods, Li Yunjing arrived outside the building and immediately sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from it.

There seem to be protective formations around here, so it seems that "Tianxiang Garden" is indeed one of the most important places in "Yanyu Tower".

"Miss Liu, you've arrived."

"Sister Xing'er! Sister Yue'er!"

Two young girls came forward to greet them at the door.

Li Yunjing glanced at them. These two women had no cultivation and were not virgins. It seemed that they were the real workers of "Yanyu Tower".

These two women were quite attractive, considered good-looking among ordinary people.

However, compared to Liu Ruyan, Xing'er, and Yue'er, they are like fireflies compared to the bright moon.

Women who cultivate immortality far surpass ordinary women in both temperament and skin.

The two cannot be compared.

Even within the "Misty Rain Pavilion," the prices for female cultivators and ordinary women are worlds apart.

Liu Ruyan looked at the two women and instructed them, "Today, I am entertaining distinguished guests here. After you have finished serving the food and drinks, you may leave. Tell others not to come and disturb us."

"Yes! We got it!"

The two women were taken aback, then nodded in agreement.

This was the first time they had seen Liu Ruyan treat her guests so earnestly.

"Also, remember this: from now on, when Master Li comes here for leisure, it will be free of charge, and he will be entertained at 'Tianxiang Garden'."

Liu Ruyan thought for a moment and then continued to give instructions.

"Yes, Miss Liu, we understand!"

The two women then respectfully curtsied to Li Yunjing, silently memorizing his appearance so that they wouldn't make a mistake next time a distinguished guest arrived.

And after they serve the dishes, they must inform the others so that no one will neglect Master Li.

In the "Yanyu Tower", Liu Ruyan has a special status. She is not only a young lady, but also seems to have some of the characteristics of a boss.

This made everyone in the "Yanyu Tower" accustomed to obeying Liu Ruyan's instructions.

The boss even tacitly approved of this.

Upon entering "Tianxianglou", one is greeted by a living room, beautifully and luxuriously decorated, displaying great taste.

Li Yunjing scanned the area with his divine sense and found that the second floor was a living room, while the first floor, in addition to the living room, also had a private room, which was a place for eating and drinking.

This private room is quite large, and there's a small stage in front where a group of beautiful women can play music and dance.

Guided by Liu Ruyan, Li Yunjing took his seat. To his left and right were the twins Xing'er and Yue'er, while Liu Ruyan sat near the door.

The eight-immortal table has enough space for four people to sit.

The private room was filled with the fragrance of the beautiful women, and Li Yunjing felt quite full even though he hadn't eaten yet.

Liu Ruyan skillfully boiled a pot of water and brewed some spiritual tea.

"Hehe! The food and drinks haven't arrived yet! We sisters will use tea instead of wine to thank Brother Li for saving our lives!"

Liu Ruyan was as charming as ever, her face beaming with a captivating smile.

Especially her pair of delicate, jade-like hands, holding a teacup and offering tea to Li Yunjing, with her red nails and slender, jade-like fingers, made Li Yunjing want to grab them and play with them.

"Brother Li, we sisters also toast you!"

Xing'er and Yue'er, one on the left and one on the right, their pretty faces slightly flushed, their voices sweet and soft, each took a teacup, poured tea, and raised their teacups to offer tea to Li Yunjing.

"Ugh!"

Li Yunjing took the teacup from Liu Ruyan's delicate hand and drank it all in one gulp.

As for Xing'er and Yue'er, who were close by, Li Yunjing did not take the teacup. Instead, he grabbed Xing'er's small, white hand and brought it to his lips.

Xing'er blushed and, holding the teacup, slowly poured the tea into Li Yunjing's mouth.

"Mmm! Excellent tea! The aroma is wonderful!"

Li Yunjing chuckled and praised.

"Brother Li! Please have some tea!"

Following Li Yunjing's example, Yue'er picked up the teacup and fed it to Li Yunjing's lips without Li Yunjing's prompting.

"Hehe! Yue'er is very sensible!"

Li Yunjing laughed loudly and drank the tea in one gulp.

"Hehe! This time, we owe it all to Brother Li, otherwise we would have fallen into the hands of villains. Thank you so much, brother."

Liu Ruyan kept calling him "good brother," and Li Yunjing's bones almost melted.

He thought to himself, "This little vixen really wants to kill me!"

"This is nothing! We're all acquaintances. How could I not help such beauties in distress?"

Li Yunjing sighed; this situation was truly unbearable for him!
Time flew by as the four chatted and flirted.

Soon, two young girls knocked on the door and brought in dishes and wine prepared in the kitchen.

There were a full eight dishes and four jugs of fine wine.

The dishes were of good quality, including almost everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the water, and there was even a snake soup made from the meat of the "Red Sun Giant Serpent".

With wine and food, the atmosphere inside the private room became even more harmonious.

Xing'er and Yue'er served food to Li Yunjing from both sides, so he didn't even have to lift a finger. It was truly a case of being served food to others, which was incredibly pleasant.

The only pity was that Liu Ruyan seemed to have made preparations and hid on the other side, leaving Li Yunjing unable to obtain her.

"Brother Li, have another drink!"

Seeing Li Yunjing finish a bite of food, Xing'er picked up her wine glass. Li Yunjing chuckled, tilted his head back, and drank the wine. It was mellow and sweet, a first-class wine.

"By the way! Brother Li, which peak of the Shenxiao Dao Sect are you on now? You seem to have quite a background? I noticed that the true disciples are all very polite to you."

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Li Yunjing's face turned red.

This spirit wine has quite a strong aftereffect!

Liu Ruyan took a sip of wine, her large eyes filled with deep affection as she looked at Li Yunjing and softly asked, "Hehe..."

Hearing this, Li Yunjing's drunkenness subsided somewhat.

Even in this gentle embrace, Li Yunjing wasn't truly relaxed; he was merely putting on an act.

Now, seeing Liu Ruyan testing him and trying to find out his background, Li Yunjing calmed down completely.

"Seven Star Peak! I'm just a nobody. My two senior brothers aren't doing this out of consideration for me. They just couldn't bear to see the three beauties suffer!"

Li Yunjing chuckled and spoke off the cuff.

You're overthinking it, Liu Ruyan, if you think you can get the truth out of him.

"I don't believe it! Brother Li must be a very capable person!"

Xing'er pouted and said softly.

"Xing'er, how can you not believe me? I'm an honest man! My fellow disciples all call me Li the Honest!"

Li Yunjing chuckled, turned to look at Xing'er, reached out and lifted Xing'er's chin, and said earnestly, "Did you see that?"

"what?"

Xing'er's face flushed slightly, and she seemed a little flustered.

"You're all I see! I would never lie to the person I love!"

Li Yunjing chuckled and pinched Xing'er's soft little face.

"Brother Li, you're so naughty..."

Xing'er blushed deeply upon hearing Li Yunjing's words.

Even Liu Ruyan was speechless; this man was not easy to deal with...

She couldn't tell how many of the ten sentences were true.

"By the way, Ruyan, have you ever heard of Gongji General Store?"

Li Yunjing suddenly remembered something and asked about it.

"Gong Ji? Is the owner named Gong Renju? That old man is a regular here!"

As if remembering something, Liu Ruyan chuckled, but a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.

"Yes! It's Gong Renju! How's business with that old man these days?"

Li Yunjing nodded and continued to ask.

"Not bad, right? He comes here more than ten times a month. Looks like this old man makes quite a bit of money."

Liu Ruyan thought for a moment before speaking with certainty.

"Oh……"

Li Yunjing nodded and said nothing more. In his mind, he was quickly calculating how to get rid of this old man.

Should we ask the sect for help?

Nowadays, Li Yunjing's status is not low. If he asks someone from the sect for help, someone will definitely do him a favor.

However, the fact that Gong Renju sent people to kill him was something that couldn't be made public!
The sect must never find out!
Otherwise, his account of the deaths of those people in the "Wanfa Association" would not match up with his previous statements.

Gong Renju is one of my weaknesses!
Whether it was a personal vendetta or a cover-up, Gong Renju needed to disappear, and his disappearance had to be reasonable and wouldn't attract attention.

That's a bit difficult!
Li Yunjing came here this time with the intention of taking care of Gong Renju before leaving!
If they can't get through the sect, then they'll just kill them by force?

It’s not impossible!
Li Yunjing was confident that he could kill Gong Renju with a single blow!
"What's wrong? Do you have a grudge against this old man?"

Feeling a chill emanating from Li Yunjing, Liu Ruyan couldn't help but shiver and asked.

"No! I don't know this person! However, a friend of mine came to 'Red Sun Market' on business and was ripped off by Gong Renju, so he told me about it and asked me to help him get justice if I had the chance."

Li Yunjing said calmly.

Li Yunjing would never admit that he had a grudge against Gong Renju.

"Oh! This matter! Since you're going to take action, then our 'Yanyu Tower' will definitely help."

"This guy seems to be coming over tonight as usual. How about I take care of him for you as a way of repaying your life-saving grace?"

Liu Ruyan said meaningfully.

"Hmm? There won't be any trouble?"

Li Yunjing was slightly taken aback and asked.

"Gong Renju is so old, and he goes out to play every day. It's not impossible that he might have a stroke."

Liu Ruyan chuckled, having already thought of how Gong Renju would die.

"Won't it cause you any trouble?"

Li Yunjing hesitated for a moment, then asked again.

"No, there's no problem at all!"

Liu Ruyan said affirmatively.

Actually, Liu Ruyan had another thing to say: Gong Renju had been drained of his life force by his junior sister under the "Yanyu Tower" and didn't have many years left to live.

Now, repaying Li Yunjing's favor by having Gong Renju killed is a trivial matter.

"Alright! I'll have to trouble you with this. If you can do this, I'll have repaid you for saving you."

After some deliberation, Li Yunjing decided that Liu Ruyan's plan was the safest option.

Gong Renju was, after all, a shop owner of considerable standing in the "Chiri Market," and it was impossible for him to have died under mysterious circumstances.

If an assassination were to actually take place in the street, the management of "Chiri Market" would definitely investigate.

Nothing can be accomplished without taking things seriously!
If the market management office takes this seriously, they will inevitably investigate Gong Renju's interpersonal relationships in recent years, and the three Bai brothers and Li Yunjing will come into the public eye.

As long as there is any connection, these people will definitely be filtered out.

Li Yunjing might not have any major problems because of his status, but he really didn't want to have anything to do with this person.

There are no secrets in this world.

He came over this afternoon, and Gong Renju was assassinated that evening. Given that the two had business dealings, he's bound to be suspected.

At that time, Li Yunjing will be in trouble.

This is a last resort.

Gong Renju died of a sudden stroke at "Yanyu Tower," which became a laughing stock, and over time, no one paid any attention to it.

This is precisely why Li Yunjing agreed to Liu Ruyan's help.

"Alright! I'll inform Gong Renju's lover now!"

Liu Ruyan chuckled, and with a flash of her hand, a "Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman" appeared, allowing her to convey her instructions.

Before long, Liu Ruyan put away the "Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman" and said with a smile, "Now that we've had our fill of food and drink, shall we go soak in the hot springs? Perhaps we'll receive news in two hours."

"Okay!"

Li Yunjing's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.

He wasn't there to see beautiful women, but rather because he had been feeling fatigued from recent cultivation, and soaking in the hot springs would help him recover his physical functions!

Um! That's it!

That's true!

"Hehehe... Let's go!"

Liu Ruyan, Xing'er, and Yue'er all laughed. They didn't believe a single word of this nonsense!
"Brother Li, you go first! We'll change our clothes and then come back!"

Liu Ruyan chuckled and nudged Li Yunjing, signaling him to go out first.

"Okay! Hurry up!"

Li Yunjing shook his head, turned around and left the small building.

It was already late at night, around 7 PM, and the moon was high in the sky.

Although it's April, "Akahi Market" is very close to "Akahi Valley," and the temperature here is quite high at night, almost like summer.

Li Yunjing strolled under the moonlight and arrived at the hot spring pool.

This pool is quite large, larger than a normal swimming pool, more like a small lake.

The water surface is shrouded in white mist, making this place seem like a fairyland.

Li Yunjing took off his clothes and was the first to enter the hot spring pool.

In this kind of weather, soaking in a hot spring is definitely good for your physical and mental health.

Leaning against the edge of the pool, Li Yunjing comfortably closed his eyes.

As for his belongings, they were all placed on a small table next to the pool.

Li Yunjing would never allow such a treasure to leave his sight, no matter when or where!
At this moment, Li Yunjing began to ponder whether he should buy a storage ring.
Not only are storage rings convenient to wear, but they also have a huge amount of space inside, eliminating the need to carry five "treasure bags" and a dozen storage pouches when going out, as is the case now.

As Li Yunjing soaked in the pool, his mind was filled with a multitude of thoughts.

At this moment, the "Yanyu Tower" was extremely lively, with decadent music constantly emanating from the three-story building.

Gong Renju hummed a little tune and swayed as he entered the "Yanyu Tower".

"Mr. Gong is here! Please come in!"

The girls at the door recognized Gong Renju. When they saw him arrive, they surrounded him, calling him "Boss Gong" in a very friendly manner.

(End of this chapter)