Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

At this moment, Xia Chunlian was so shocked that her spiritual power uncontrollably fluctuated.

She never imagined that the seemingly kind and tearful Liu would have such a plan in private!

What chilled her to the bone was that the deceased Xu Taibing had been plotting how to use their camaraderie to ensnare and possess her.

His purpose in obtaining her was to consolidate his family's position.

Haha, that's human nature...

"Damn it... how dare they scheme against me like this!!!"

Xia Chunlian gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with a cold light. "Xu Taibing, if I had known you were such a despicable scoundrel, I should have personally crushed you to ashes outside the sect that day, so you wouldn't even have the chance to be buried in peace!!!"

She was genuinely angry.

Although the cultivation world is cruel, she believed she had taken good care of Xu Taibing, yet this was the result of such insidious schemes.

She's feeling a chill run down her spine now!

If Xu Taibing isn't dead, doesn't that mean she's really been tricked?

Seeing this, Xu Yan, standing to the side, pouted and stuffed a spiritual fruit from the table into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "The first time I saw that Xu Taibing, I felt he was no good. His eyes were shifty and he looked like a thief. Now it seems this old lady is even more ruthless. Birds of a feather flock together."

"No, we can't stay here."

Xia Chunlian abruptly stood up, flicking her sleeve. "Since they have ulterior motives, there's no need for us to put on an act here. Let's go, let's go now!!!!"

"Hey, senior sister! Calm down!"

Seeing this, Wang Daqi quickly stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve, saying helplessly, "You can't leave now! We're already inside this house, and Liu herself led us in. If we disappear inexplicably or force our way out now, it will definitely alert the Xu family's higher-ups. If they see through our disguise and come after us, we won't be able to move an inch in this area."

"That's right, we're just imposters after all, and it's too risky to force our way out."

Xu Yan's eyes darted around, and her cleverness returned.

She moved closer to the two men, lowered her voice, and a mischievous idea popped into her head: "Since Xu Taibing and Liu Shi are such scoundrels, wouldn't it be too easy for them if we just packed up and left?"

Xia Chunlian looked at her coldly: "Then what do you want???"

"Now that we're using Xu Taibing's identity, aren't the Xu family's resources ours?"

Xu Yan chuckled, a greedy glint in her eyes. "Xu Taibing holds a high position here, so his family must have a lot of good stuff hidden away—spirit stones, pills, even secret treasures… Why don't we go with the flow and make a killing while our identities are still intact?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chunlian's originally cold eyes lit up slightly.

She was not a greedy person.

But Liu's scheming made her feel nauseous.

Since the other party wanted to take advantage of her, it seemed reasonable for her to take their assets as compensation.

"You mean, embezzlement?" Xia Chunlian's tone softened.

"This isn't theft, this is inheritance!!!!"

Wang Daqi immediately chimed in, secretly praising Xu Yan as a true genius when it came to making money.

Wang Daqi looked at Xia Chunlian and asked seriously, "Senior Sister, what do you say? Should we endure this disgusting act and continue to make a quick buck, or should we risk leaving now?"

Xia Chunlian took a deep breath, forcibly calming her anger, and finally nodded heavily: "Fine! Since they're unjust, then don't blame me for being ruthless. Not only will we take it, but we'll take it cleanly."

"Alright, after it's done, the three of us will split it equally, so no one will lose out," Wang Daqi decided.

Suddenly, the three people's plans changed unexpectedly.

"Alright, since we've made up our minds, we need to find out what the enemy is all about first." Xia Chunlian put away her anger and regained her calm and decisive demeanor. "I'll go outside now and try to find out what this 'bird hunting' activity is all about tomorrow. You two stay inside and don't wander around, especially you, Wang Daqi, don't give yourself away in front of that old lady."

"Don't worry, senior sister!" Wang Daqi chuckled.

…………

…………

…………

Late at night, the moon rises above the willow branches.

However, a secluded courtyard within the Xu family mansion was not as quiet as it appeared.

The room was filled with steam, and the bathtub was steaming hot.

If you're going to act, then you have to act it out completely.

Xu Yan truly adopted the demeanor of a personal maid, rolling up her sleeves to reveal a pair of fair wrists as white as frost and snow, and casually splashing hot water to serve Wang Daqi's bath.

"You little rascal, you're really getting into character." Wang Daqi leaned against the tub, enjoying a moment of peace.

Xu Yan winked slyly and lowered her voice, saying, "That's called being dedicated. Besides, we're going to inherit the Xu family's fortune. If we don't behave properly, what if that old lady sends someone to eavesdrop in the middle of the night?"

"That's true, but I'll wash you later, so you won't get tired by yourself," Wang Daqi said jokingly.

"I think you have other ideas, don't you?"

Even though they were husband and wife, Xu Yan still couldn't help feeling a little shy.

Just as the two were joking in hushed tones, the door to the outer room was gently pushed open, followed by a series of soft but hurried footsteps.

"Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Xu!!!"

It was Xia Chunlian, who had returned from her travels.

"Hey! Senior Sister Xia, wait a moment, my master... no, my husband is taking a bath!"

Xu Yan called out crisply through the screen, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing.

"Um...oh."

Xia Chunlian, who was outside, paused in her steps, and her pretty face instantly turned bright red.

Although cultivators are not bound by formalities, the thought of Wang Daqi being completely naked inside while Xu Yan served him made this woman, who was focused on cultivation, feel somewhat uneasy.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how lucky Wang Daqi was to have such a beautiful female cultivator like Xu Yan serving him so closely!

Unlike her, who usually takes care of everything with a simple dust-removal technique when bathing.

Even if you want to take a bath, you have to do it yourself, which is cold and lonely.

After waiting for a short while, Wang Daqi put on a loose bathrobe, gestured for Xu Yan to remove the screen, and invited Xia Chunlian to sit down.

The room was filled with steam, and a trace of humid warmth lingered in the air.

Xia Chunlian walked into the inner room and subconsciously twitched her nose.

For some reason, besides the faint scent of soap, there seemed to be a faint smell of... seaweed in the room?

She felt something was strange, but didn't think much of it.

After all, some moisturizing herbs do have a unique scent.

Her expression turned serious, and she said earnestly, "I've just secretly investigated and found out exactly what this 'bird hunting' activity is all about."

Wang Daqi and Xu Yan exchanged a glance and immediately stepped forward: "Senior sister, tell us quickly."

"It turns out that the Xu family owns a huge spirit lake on the outskirts of the city. That lake is home to a large number of silver-scaled spirit fish, which is a significant source of income for the Xu family each year, specifically for supplying sects and major powers in the city. They also sell them to the public, making a considerable profit!"

Xia Chunlian paused, her tone becoming somewhat helpless: "But in recent years, a large group of uninvited guests have been inexplicably appearing in the sky above Spirit Lake. They are birds called Wind-Breaking Kingfishers. These birds are not particularly strong in attack, but they are extremely fast and naturally aquatic, specializing in swooping down into the lake to prey on silver-scaled spirit fish. Unfortunately, their numbers are extremely large, causing heavy losses to the Xu family."

"Therefore, every year the Xu family sends disciples to Linghu Lake in rotation to 'hunt birds,' which is actually to clear out harmful birds. This year, due to the high yield of spirit fish, the bird problem is particularly serious. So the eldest daughter and young master of the Xu family came up with a plan to organize a 'bird-hunting competition,' saying that it would motivate the disciples in the clan."

Wang Daqi stroked his chin: "This competition even has prizes???"

"Of course." Xia Chunlian gestured with her fingers. "First place gets twenty low-grade spirit stones; second place gets ten; third place gets five. Even if you only make it into the top ten, you'll still get a consolation prize of two spirit stones."

"In addition, the top three will receive two top-grade spirit fish as a reward. Those spirit fish are extremely nourishing for Qi Refining stage cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Wang Daqi immediately laughed: "I'll take this job!! It's just shooting birds, right? With my skills, I can hit the target every time."

However, before he could finish celebrating, Xia Chunlian poured cold water on him.

"Daqi, you absolutely cannot participate in this competition."