Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The pink mist inside the cave was mostly dispersed by the morning sea breeze.

Sunlight slanted down through the cracks in the cave ceiling, falling on the scattered pebbles of varying depths on the ground.

Jiang Yining sat up straight on the cool stone platform. The sluggish and heavy feeling in her Qi Sea had been completely dissolved by the divine wood, and she was now steadily at the early stage of the Void Realm.

She looked up at the tall, slender figure at the cave entrance.

Xie Wuwang's long robe was already neatly dressed at some point, all black and bound meticulously, with the white jade wine pot hanging empty at his waist.

He stood with his back to the cave, his shoulders taut like a fully drawn bow, casually tossing a black pebble up with his fingertips, catching it, and then gripping it tightly in frustration.

Jiang Yining glanced down at her oversized outer robe and calmly adjusted the collar.

Two faint dark marks remained on the pale side of her neck, standing out prominently in the morning light.

She took out a clean, neat blue outfit from her storage ring, changed into it, and walked out on the gravel.

The soft sound of boots rolling over pebbles echoed through the empty cave.

Xie Wuwang's movement of picking up the stones froze instantly, as if he were rooted to the spot, his back stiffening for a moment.

He didn't turn around, but let out a cold snort from his nose, his voice still carrying a lingering hoarseness.

"Stop pretending now that you're awake. Last night it was miasma that caused the trouble. Neither of us could control our own bodies. Don't expect me to take any responsibility for you."

Jiang Yining didn't even pause, walking straight past him towards the shallow waterway.

"Thank you for overthinking it, Ferryman. It's just adults helping each other detox and getting what they need. I'm in a hurry to get ashore."

Her clear, cool voice drifted away on the wind without the slightest hesitation, and she didn't even glance at his face.

Xie Wuwang was stunned on the spot.

A look of surprise suddenly appeared on that handsome face that was always etched with weariness and world-weariness.

He looked down at his palm, his fingers suddenly tightening, crushing the hard deep-sea ebony into fine powder.

"Mutual aid in detoxification?"

He gritted his teeth, brushed the lime off his sleeve, and quickly followed.

"Jiang Yining, what do you take me for? Someone you can just scoop up and drink from a well by the roadside?"

Jiang Yining stepped onto the bow of the lone boat and reached out to grasp the rough wooden oar.

"If that's what you think, I have no objection. After all, Xie the Ferryman himself said that living is too troublesome, and being afraid of pain and wanting to die are two different things. I stopped your pain last night, so you should thank me."

"Stop trying to shift the blame!"

Xie Wuwang stepped onto the stern, his narrow eyes fixed on her neatly tied-up black hair, the pent-up frustration in his heart impossible to suppress.

He originally thought that when the woman woke up, she would either be angry or bring up the fact that he had saved her life, and he even prepared a bunch of harsh words to shut her up.

As a result, the other party dismissed him completely with a casual remark about mutual assistance.

The small boat glided into the open sea through the underground waterway, the black seawater churning and surging beneath it.

A muffled, loud noise suddenly came from the bottom of the water.

Thick, jet-black tentacles burst forth from the water, accompanied by towering waves. They were dozens of feet long and densely covered with suckers, clearly belonging to a sea beast in the late stage of the Earthly Immortal Realm.

A foul-smelling mist was poured over their heads.

Xie Wuwang moved slightly, almost instinctively taking half a step forward, his broad shoulders firmly blocking Jiang Yining's path.

A deep purple light of destruction quickly gathered in his palm, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Get out of the way, this beast is tough and thick-skinned, it's not up to your current cultivation level..."

Before his voice was even out of his mouth, a blinding blue-purple lightning bolt suddenly erupted behind him.

Several resilient purple-gold demonic vines burst forth from Jiang Yining's fingertips, imbued with the domineering power of divine lightning from the heavens, piercing directly through the waving giant tentacles.

The purple-gold vines coiled and twisted, and lightning exploded along the black water, shredding the enormous creature into large pieces of minced meat beneath the surface.

The pure life force was instantly absorbed by the divine tree and returned to Jiang Yining's dantian, without even a drop of dirty water falling onto the deck.

The dark purple blade light that Xie Wuwang had gathered in his palm froze in mid-air.

He turned around, maintaining his protective stance, and looked at the woman who calmly withdrew the vines. A complex sense of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

This woman never intended to depend on anyone.

Even though he had just recovered from a serious injury, he still acted as decisively and swiftly as a seasoned veteran.

Xie Wuwang dispersed the energy in his palm, took a deep breath, turned around, and strode back to the cabin.

He slammed the wooden door shut, and then anxious footsteps echoed from the cramped cabin.

Jiang Yining sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing. The Myriad Spirits Divine Tree stretched its new branches and leaves in her dantian, nurturing the power she had just absorbed.

The pacing inside the cabin grew increasingly rapid, finally stopping with a muffled thud.

The wooden door was suddenly pulled open, bringing out a breeze mixed with the crisp smell of alcohol.

Xie Wuwang stopped a few steps in front of her, his tall shadow completely obscuring her.

Jiang Yining didn't even blink, only uttering three words.

"It's blocking the light."

The next moment, a large, slender, cold hand reached out and firmly gripped her wrist.

It wasn't a strong force, yet it couldn't break free at all.

Jiang Yining frowned slightly, opened her eyes, and met a pair of narrow eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

Xie Wuwang looked down at her, veins throbbing on his forehead, and gritted his teeth as he forced out a question.

"Detoxification mutual aid? Jiang Yining, confess honestly, did you also engage in this kind of mutual aid with other men when you were in the lower realm?"

The surrounding air seemed to freeze in that instant.

The sea breeze blew against both sides of the ship, creating a rhythmic splashing sound.

Jiang Yining looked at his handsome face, which looked slightly awkward because of his restraint, and her gaze followed his slightly tense chin to his slightly reddened eyes.

She suddenly chuckled very softly.

His clear eyes reflected his exasperated expression, and a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

"What's wrong, Ferryman Xie? Are you jealous?"

A crisp question echoed from the narrow bow of the boat, carrying a casual, tentative tone.

Xie Wuwang froze for a moment, as if he had been struck by lightning, and the five fingers that were gripping her wrist suddenly loosened.

He quickly took two steps back, his back hitting the mast, causing the small boat to rock slightly.

The earlobes, which were originally a pale white, were visibly tinged with a light blush.

He turned his face away, his gaze falling on the foam rising on the sea surface, his tone as hard as a rock.

"I'm too busy being jealous of you. Help whoever you want, and stop trying to make yourself look good!"

After saying that, he grabbed the empty wine jug from his waist, his steps even a little unsteady, and fled back into the cabin as if escaping, closing the wooden door tightly once again.

Jiang Yining looked at the slightly swaying wooden door, lowered her head to rub the red marks on her wrist, and shook her head helplessly.

"His stubbornness hasn't changed at all."