Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Qingyouzi withdrew her gaze from the coastline, and with a flicker of her figure, she appeared in the sky above the vast sea as if by teleportation.

A salty, damp sea breeze swept over me, carrying a scent completely different from that of the inland areas. Below, the azure sea stretched to the horizon, its waves undulating and reflecting the sunlight like scattered gold.

After a moment's thought, he realized that the situation on the mainland was treacherous, with the shadow of ancient demons looming over it. If he couldn't find suitable cultivation resources here, he might as well find a secluded island in the vast South China Sea with decent spiritual energy, open a cave, and cultivate in peace.

Once one's cultivation has been honed to the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, one can use the "Celestial Fruit" to break through the late-stage bottleneck in one fell swoop.

With this in mind, he no longer hesitated. He unleashed his powerful divine sense at the late Nascent Soul stage, and his figure transformed into a faint, almost imperceptible blue light, flying slowly towards the deep sea.

a few days later.

He set foot on Zhongqing Island once again. More than ten or twenty years had passed, and the place had not changed much, but there was a different atmosphere.

The scene on Zhongqing Island at this moment was completely different from the desolate and wary scene he had imagined due to the chaos caused by the ancient demons.

From a distance, one could see many brightly lit and decorated areas on the island, and the faint sounds of bustling activity could be heard on the sea breeze. Ships seemed to be coming and going in the harbor more frequently than usual.

"Strange thing."

Qingyouzi felt a slight unease. Even if the human and demon races had temporarily suspended their war due to the threat of the ancient demon and their relations had eased, given the sensitive location of this place, it shouldn't be so "lively," almost... celebratory?

He activated his escape technique and landed on a secluded mudflat on the outskirts of the island. He adjusted the black bamboo hat he always wore on his head, concealed his aura, and then stepped forward, blending into the flow of people heading towards the town on the island.

The streets were indeed more crowded than I remembered, and many shops even had red ribbons hanging in front of them. Although it wasn't exactly a scene of bustling activity, the relaxed atmosphere, so out of place with the tense atmosphere on the mainland, was quite evident.

Qingyouzi followed the crowd for a while, then gently patted the shoulder of a middle-aged cultivator who was watching the commotion ahead. This man was at the late stage of Qi Refining, dressed plainly, and seemed to be a local rogue cultivator.

The cultivator turned around and saw a mysterious cultivator wearing a bamboo hat with an ordinary aura. He was taken aback for a moment, then put on a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Fellow Daoist, are you new to Zhongqing Island? May I ask what brings you here?"

Qingyouzi lowered her voice, her tone carrying just the right amount of doubt.

"The matter of the ancient demons has caused widespread panic, and the entire continent is filled with fear and unease. How come your precious land is instead... decorated with lanterns and streamers, quite festive? This... is perhaps rather inappropriate?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator's embarrassment deepened. He first glanced instinctively towards the depths of the sea, as if something there made him wary, before moving closer and lowering his voice as well:

"Fellow Daoist, you must have just fled from the mainland, haven't you? You may not know this."

He sighed, his tone complex.

"This matter is somewhat related to the ancient demons, but not entirely."

He paused, and seeing Qingyouzi listening intently, he continued:

"It's because the high-ranking figures of the human and demon races have eased tensions due to the matter of the ancient demon. But just a few days ago, a powerful demon in human form from a neighboring sea suddenly sent an envoy to the island and made a request."

"What are your requirements?"

"That powerful demon... has taken a fancy to a woman on our island and wants to take her as a concubine."

The middle-aged cultivator lowered his voice even further, his face showing an expression that was hard to tell whether it was helplessness or mockery.

"And they specifically named names, it was absolutely necessary."

Qingyouzi raised an eyebrow slightly.

A demon taking a human concubine? That's quite unusual.

While intermarriage between demons and humans is not entirely unheard of, it is mostly due to marriages between people of special status or between individual cultivators and demons. For a powerful demon in human form to initiate and forcibly take a low-ranking female cultivator as a concubine, occurring in a buffer zone, is truly a delicate matter.

"The island lord... agreed?"

Qingyouzi asked.

"Can I refuse?"

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head with a wry smile.

"In the South China Sea, the demon race is powerful, and it's a sensitive time. After discussing it with the island's elders... they agreed. I heard that even the two Nascent Soul seniors who are stationed on the island... tacitly approved of this matter."

There was a hint of numbness in his voice:

"In the end, she's just a low-level female cultivator with no real background. Being able to maintain a semblance of 'harmony' between humans and demons is probably a 'worthwhile' deal in the eyes of those big shots."

Qingyouzi was silent for a moment, then followed up with a question:

"But who is it that has this 'opportunity'?"

The middle-aged cultivator looked around, his voice barely audible:

"I heard she's the daughter of the Chen family, deep in the alleys of West Street, her name is something like... Chen Wenjing?"

Chen Wenjing?

Qingyouzi's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly beneath her straw hat.

A corner of my memory was gently touched.

More than a decade ago, when he first arrived on this continent, he was at a loss. It was a father and daughter surnamed Chen, an honest and simple low-level cultivator father and a lively and spirited girl, who guided him and introduced him to the basic situation of Zhongqing Island.

Although their encounter was brief, the girl's clear and curious eyes, as well as the yellowed ancient book that her father later gave him, which was quite helpful in his study of formations, left a faint impression on him.

Unexpectedly, it was an old friend.

A faint, almost indifferent, complex emotion swept through my mind.

To say one feels regret would seem somewhat sentimental; to say one is indifferent is not entirely true either. In the end, she was merely a passerby in a fleeting encounter. Whether marrying a transformed demon was a blessing or a curse, a calamity or a destiny, it was all her own fate.

Qingyouzi gently shook her head, suppressing the ripples in her mind.

He himself is still facing adversity and danger, and has no intention or need to get involved in such trouble.

Just as I was about to change the subject, I heard the middle-aged cultivator add in a low voice:

"The date has been set, it'll be after March. That powerful demon said he'll hold a grand concubine-taking ceremony at the 'Sea-Viewing Terrace' in the center of our Zhongqing Island. At that time, I'm afraid every prominent figure on the island will have to make an appearance..."

Upon hearing this, Qingyouzi's heart stirred.

A concubine-taking ceremony? Hosted by a powerful demon in human form, tacitly approved by the human island lord and elders, and even the Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing the event might be present...

Isn't this the perfect occasion?

He had limited knowledge of the distribution of demon forces in the South China Sea and the availability of marine resources, and was worried about where to find information about high-level refining materials or special spiritual items.

If one could take this opportunity to get close to or even make contact with those high-ranking demon and human cultivators who might attend the ceremony, even just hearing some rumors or making indirect inquiries would be better than blindly searching on one's own.

There are risks involved, but it's worth a try.

In the blink of an eye, he had made his decision.

"I see, thank you for clearing up my doubts, fellow Daoist."

Qingyouzi nodded slightly to the middle-aged cultivator, said no more, and turned to blend into the crowd.

He stopped wandering around and went straight to an inn that looked quite quiet and was in a good location.

With a few spirit stones, I rented a nice guest room.

Qingyouzi entered the room and waved her hand to set up several simple soundproof warning barriers.

He walked to the window and looked calmly toward the "Sea-Viewing Platform" that was faintly visible in the center of the island.