Fairy, don't be afraid, I'm about to begin my strategy.

The mist in Ninglu Valley never dissipates throughout the year, except for the warm afternoon sun which can force its way in, turning into countless tiny raindrops of light.

At that moment, the light and shadow fell precisely on Lin Zhixia, brushing past her dark hair and finally settling on her fair, jade-like neck. She held a book in her hand, engrossed in reading. A gentle mountain breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, adding a touch of liveliness to the entire scene.

She stood there gracefully, as if she had stepped out of a painting, untouched by worldly concerns, making people unconsciously hold their breath.

"Does Senior Sister Lin also enjoy reading this book, 'Tales of Immortal Travel'?"

Shen Mo's words startled Lin Zhixia, who was engrossed in her book. She had clearly not noticed his arrival. First, she was surprised, then a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She tried to hide the book, but realized it was too deliberate, and for a moment she was at a loss.

A quick glance revealed that she was indeed reading about the Nine-Turn Soul-Eating Grass.

"Junior Sister Chen, I'm just taking a look around, just taking a look around."

"Nine-Turn Soul-Eating Grass? Senior Sister Lin is also interested in this strange spiritual plant? But speaking of which, the symptoms of dead gray leaf tips and ink-black spots are somewhat similar to the symptoms of the spiritual plants in our medicine garden."

"Oh, yes, I... I don't remember."

Lin Zhixia's eyes darted away, deliberately avoiding the topic.

Shen Mo stepped forward, his body suddenly closing to within inches of Lin Zhixia's. "I've already finished reading this book. I found the part about Gu worms even more interesting. I happen to have some questions that I wonder if I could discuss with you, Senior Sister."

The two were now very close, and Lin Zhixia's delicate fragrance wafted into Shen Mo's nostrils. The accidental physical contact caused Lin Zhixia's body to tense up, and her ears instantly turned bright red.

Faced with Shen Mo's sudden offensive, Lin Zhixia was clearly powerless to resist. She seemed to want to escape but hesitated to take a step, while Shen Mo, taking advantage of being a girl, pulled her along and asked her all sorts of questions. The two acted as intimately as best friends.

Little did they know that this seemingly ordinary discussion was actually a fierce tiger sniffing a flower, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.

Shen Mo's persistent and relentless approach was highly effective, and Lin Zhixia practically fled in panic.

What surprised Shen Mo even more was that Lin Zhixia's favorability rating actually increased by 5 points, reaching 15 points.

In the following days, Shen Mo repeated his approach, trying to get closer to Lin Zhixia. Lin Zhixia went from being slightly resistant at first to acting as if nothing was wrong.

With his two decades of experience flirting online, coupled with his witty and humorous writings, Shen Mo kept Lin Zhixia on edge, completely unable to resist him.

After Lin Zhixia's favorability rating reached 20 points, the effect stopped, which Shen Mo secretly regretted.

With little progress between them for the time being, Shen Mo focused on his cultivation and quietly waited for an opportunity.

Although this cultivation is tedious and boring, one can savor many flavors after a long period of immersion in it. When one enters that ethereal and mysterious state, there is indeed an indescribable sense of comfort.

After each practice session, not only did he feel no fatigue, but he also felt refreshed and energetic. This effect was not only reflected in the game, but also in real life, where his work efficiency greatly improved, allowing him to produce a large number of videos that his fans thoroughly enjoyed.

No wonder everyone wants to cultivate immortality. Putting aside the elusive and unattainable prospect of eternal life, the process of cultivating immortality alone is irresistible. One can hardly imagine what it would feel like to truly cultivate to the legendary realm of ascension to immortality.

Through Shen Mo's persistent and diligent cultivation, Chen Qingqing finally broke through to the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm, taking another step closer to entering the inner sect.

Actually, this is all thanks to Chen Qingqing herself. While Shen Mo was offline and slacking off, she cultivated with extraordinary diligence, making Shen Mo exclaim that she was the legendary King of Scrolls reborn.

During this time, Lin Zhixia remained as dutiful as an NPC, showing no abnormalities, so Shen Mo was in no hurry to secretly monitor her.

Night falls in the herb garden.

A talisman suddenly began to tremble without warning and emitted a faint light.

Lin Zhixia, who was immersed in cultivation, suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes flashing with a sharp light, and her aura suddenly increased.

He exhaled a heavy breath and slowly finished his practice.

"As expected, I couldn't resist!"

He shot out a wisp of energy, turning the sensing talisman on the table into dust. He then affixed a concealment talisman to his body and stepped into the moonless night.

Tonight, dark clouds obscure the moon, and a chilly night wind blows, making the medicinal garden in the deep valley exceptionally quiet.

A slender figure dressed in a gray-blue Taoist robe carefully made her way into the depths of the garden, avoiding the houses and passing through layers of spiritual fields.

The woman was Lin Zhixia. At this moment, she moved nimbly without alerting anyone and quietly made her way to the steward's villa deep inside Jia Garden.

Although her movements were swift and decisive, her heart was not as calm as it appeared; she was so anxious that even her breathing became weak.

Unbeknownst to her, another person was stealthily following her from a distance.

It was none other than Shen Mo, who looked excited.

Unlike Lin Zhixia, he was dressed in a gray-black linen outfit and wore a mask, blending into the darkness and resembling an assassin from a TV series.

Shen Mo specially prepared this so that it could be used at this moment. In his words, this is what you call professionalism!

Soon, Lin Zhixia arrived at a secluded courtyard, but instead of stopping, she bypassed it and continued on her way.

This place is deep within Jia Garden. Shen Mo has never been here before, but Lin Zhixia is clearly very familiar with it.

She walked through the bamboo grove behind the villa and came to a pool. At the end of the pool was a waterfall, the water rushing and the sound of the crashing water was even more piercing in the quiet night.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Zhixia finally made up her mind to disappear through the waterfall.

"Wow, there's even the legendary Water Curtain Cave!"

Shen Mo walked across the waterfall without hesitation and with a practiced air.

What comes into view is a long, narrow mountain tunnel. It is extremely narrow at first, but after walking a few dozen steps, it suddenly opens up.

This is a natural valley, surrounded by mountains and blocked by waterfalls, making it extremely secluded.

There were no particularly remarkable sights or wonders in the valley, just a few houses and a large expanse of spiritual fields. Unlike the desolate Jia Garden outside, the spiritual fields here were lush and green, filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, and the spiritual energy in the air was much richer.

The houses were still glowing with firelight, indicating that there were still people inside.

Lin Zhixia quickly lowered her body and hid among the thriving spiritual plants, waiting for a moment before slowly making her way towards the house.

Shen Mo didn't dare to get too close. He watched as Lin Zhixia observed for a while before disappearing into a house on the side.

After waiting a moment, Lin Zhixia quickly came out of the room, clearly having gained nothing, and then slipped into another room.

Shen Mo followed Lin Zhixia to explore the houses in the valley one by one. The storage room, alchemy room, meditation room and library were nothing special until they entered a slightly larger house.

"Gu worms!"

Yes, they were Gu worms. The room was filled with various containers on the shelves, which contained many Gu worms.

The wide variety of species, including all sorts of rare and exotic insects, broadened his horizons.

Shen Mo saw the Soul-Devouring Yin Gu among them, exactly the same as the one he had learned about in "Tales of Immortals".

"Deacon Zhao, what is he trying to do?"

It's hard to imagine what one would think if they found a room full of Gu worms in the secret territory of an outer sect steward of the Lingyun Sect.

Just as Shen Mo was still immersed in the shock of the Gu worms, the creaking sound of the door opening and closing startled him into a cold sweat.

Without thinking twice, he quickly hid in the innermost cubicle of the room.