Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

As cultivation level increases, spiritual energy within the body becomes abundant, allowing for the stable and continuous use of secret techniques.

Li Shen retrieved the spirit insect, the soul slave, and the seven-colored python.

After skillfully extracting the soul, touching the corpse, picking up the bag, and burning the corpse, they set off to return.

Inside the courtyard, Liu Rou was extremely nervous, experiencing firsthand how Lin Xiaoxiao had felt back then.

Unlike him, she could read the hints Li Shen gave her, making her believe in herself.

About half an hour later, the figure Liu Rou had been waiting for appeared before her as promised.

"Fellow Daoist Li, are you alright?"

Liu Rou hurriedly stepped forward to express her concern.

Li Shen shook his head and destroyed the spirit contract in front of Liu Rou:

"Madam Liu, the matter is resolved. The other party has promised not to harass you again."

A thought struck Liu Rou as she gazed at the ashes scattering into the night, feeling as if an invisible burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Fellow Daoist Li..."

She opened her mouth, and her voice drifted out on the night breeze:

"I will repay this kindness in the future. It's chilly outside, would you like to come in and sit down?"

"good!"

Li Shen gave her a serious look, without the slightest hesitation.

He has done all this for this moment!

The simple and quick answer left Liu Rou momentarily speechless, so she turned to the side and invited Li Shen inside.

Stepping into Liu Rou's room, the fresh scent of soil and spiritual plants wafted towards you.

Following Liu Rou's guidance, Li Shen took his seat first.

Not far behind them was Lady Liu's bed.

He looked around. The room was clean and tidy. Following the smell, Li Shen saw a row of flowerpots for cultivating seeds under the window.

His eyes narrowed, and he probed with his divine sense. Sure enough, Liu Rou had already planted those seeds inside.

At that moment, Liu Rou, who was closing the window, turned her head and saw this scene, and a strange emotion welled up in her heart.

She walked calmly to a corner and took out two jars of perfectly sealed spirit wine.

This wine was brewed by her own hands, using many of the finest spiritual ingredients, and has the effect of cleansing the meridians.

Liu Rou brought over two jade cups, unsealed the wine jar, and filled one cup for Li Shen, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Li, you must have taken quite a few pills to break through your cultivation level. This wine can help you clear the accumulated pill toxins from your body. Try it quickly."

Li Shen's heart stirred; he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

He raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. The warm, mellow spirit wine slid down his throat and slowly dissolved, and sure enough, the poison accumulated in his body began to dissipate little by little.

"Excellent wine!"

Li Shen put down his cup and exclaimed in genuine admiration:

"Since Lady Liu's gift is so kind, I would be impolite to refuse it."

"I'm glad I could help you, fellow Daoist."

Liu Rou sat opposite her and started drinking as well, a faint blush rising on her face.

Under the flickering candlelight, the two chatted happily.

At this point, Li Shen's previous investigations began to take effect.

"Fellow Daoist Li, rest assured, I will repay those spirit stones as soon as possible."

"It's alright. We live in the same courtyard and are friends. It's only right that we help each other out."

Li Shen's words might fool Lin Xiaoxiao, but they couldn't fool Liu Rou.

She didn't believe in help without a reason.

She just couldn't figure out what Li Shen wanted for the time being.

One guess after another emerged, and one cup of spirit wine after another was drunk.

The effects of the spirit wine gradually took hold, but Li Shen, who had secretly taken the Mind-Concentrating Pill beforehand, remained sober.

But Liu Rou couldn't resist it; she suddenly felt her body getting hot.

Unconsciously, she loosened her clothes, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin, softly wrapped in purple underwear.

Li Shen hesitated for a moment, then quickly looked away. He wasn't a saint, but he couldn't let momentary pleasure ruin important matters. He had to wait until after he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Looking at the Yin Ning Flower, which he had been longing to see on this trip, Li Shen offered his suggestion:

"How about you cultivate the spiritual plants in your house and give them to me as payment, Madam Liu? I happen to be learning alchemy recently and I'm in need of spiritual plants and herbs."

Liu Rou turned around and glanced back, then said without the slightest hesitation:

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Li, once these spiritual plants have sprouted, matured, and been cultivated, they will all be given to you."

Upon receiving a definite answer, Li Shen was overjoyed. He then chatted with Liu Rou for a few more minutes over drinks before taking his leave.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Madam Liu. It is late, so please rest early. I will not disturb you any longer."

He didn't wait for the other person's reply, but turned around and pushed the door open to leave.

The door closed gently, leaving only Liu Rou inside.

She stared at the remaining wine in her glass, feeling lost, and then suddenly looked down at her open collar, which she hadn't noticed at the time.

Liu Rou quickly tugged at her clothes, then, as if remembering something, she shook her head and chuckled, muttering to herself:

"Liu Rou, Liu Rou, how could someone as accomplished as Fellow Daoist Li possibly be interested in a widow like you?"

As she spoke, she turned to look at the spiritual plants and made up her mind.

-

Back in his room, Li Shen's complexion had returned to normal.

He sat cross-legged and looked inward at himself. The effects of the spirit wine were indeed remarkable. The fine impurities that had accumulated in his meridians due to the frequent consumption of pills were being slowly dissolved, and his spiritual energy was flowing more and more smoothly.

"Now we just need to wait for the flowers to bloom."

He suppressed the slight ripples in his heart, calmed his mind, and sat cross-legged. Having been cleansed by the spiritual wine, it was the perfect time to consolidate his cultivation.

After about an hour, the effects of the spirit wine were completely absorbed.

Li Shen clearly felt that the flow of spiritual energy within his body was much smoother.

He then began to tally up his gains.

The result was a huge disappointment.

The four rogue cultivators, who belonged to various gangs, had absolutely no sense of saving money.

Although both were at the late stage of Qi Refining, Liu Poshan's storage bag contained less than half the number of spirit stones as Song Changshan.

Moreover, the various magical artifacts were severely worn, the kind that would be sold at a loss on the black market.

The pills and talismans were mostly common items, but there were two mid-grade first-tier Qi Gathering Pills and a sword talisman that Liu Poshan had used. Judging from the talisman's pattern and the effect of Liu Poshan's use at the time, it was probably a high-grade talisman.

There are two cultivation techniques, both of which are relatively ordinary Qi Refining stage techniques with low potential, so there is no need to cultivate them.

What pleased Li Shen the most was finding the jade slip containing the secret formula for the sound transmission technique in Liu Poshan's storage bag.

Now he can reply promptly when others send him messages.

The next day, at noon.

The Wild Wolf Gang, Council Hall.

Gang leader Lei Hong sat upright on a tiger-skin chair, his face ashen, his fingers tapping the armrests absently.

He was burly and rugged, with a menacing scar running diagonally from his left forehead to his chin, adding to his fierce appearance.

At this moment, his eyes sharpened as he surveyed the silent gang members below.

After a long silence, he slowly asked:

"Does anyone know why Liu Poshan didn't come?"

A moment of silence fell over the audience, who looked at each other, seemingly unaware of Liu Poshan's whereabouts.

"Boss, I remember Second Master Liu, he seems to have gone to collect a debt."

A tall, burly man near Lei Hong pondered before replying.

"Collecting debts?"

Lei Hong was silent for a moment, then shifted his posture and said in a deep voice:

"Then let's not wait for him. What are your thoughts on annihilating the Giant Tiger Gang?"

The robbery that the Wild Wolf Gang was investigating has finally come to a head; the robbers were indeed from the Giant Tiger Gang.

"Chief, the Giant Tiger Gang has been expanding rapidly lately, and has gained a group of independent cultivators under its command. A direct confrontation would likely result in significant losses."

A lean old man stepped forward, stroking his beard, and said:

In my humble opinion, it would be better to outsmart them.

Lei Hong raised his eyelids:

"Oh? How exactly do you plan to outsmart them?"

"Wang Meng, the deputy leader of the Giant Tiger Gang, known as the 'Blue-Faced Tiger,' is a womanizer who goes to the Sleeping Immortal Pavilion for pleasure every four or five days."

As the old man finished speaking, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes:

"We can set an ambush there. Once Wang Meng is dead, the Giant Tiger Gang will be thrown into chaos, and then we can..."

This statement sparked a growing discussion, with some agreeing, some disagreeing, and some wavering.

Lei Hong listened to the noisy discussion below for a long time. Then he raised his hand, pressed his five fingers down, and released the aura of the early Foundation Establishment stage. The council hall instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"This idea is 70% feasible."

Lei Hong stated his opinion in a deep voice:

"However, it's not appropriate to take action on the Sleeping Immortal Pavilion's territory. The Song family is the powerful force behind it, and we can't afford to offend them. It would be best to find another location."

After another heated discussion, the Wild Wolf Gang finally settled on a few ambush locations, mostly outside the market or inside the prison mountain.

They could bribe a few girls at the Sleeping Fairy Pavilion to spread false information and lure Wang Meng out.

However, the method of ambush still needs to be discussed further.

After the meeting ended, Lei Hong called out to a middle-aged gang member carrying a knife:

"Liu Feng, go find your brother and tell him to come back to see me immediately."