The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

"After I arrived at Xikou Market," Mu Fangxu continued, "I specifically collected information about scholars and discovered something interesting."

"What is it?" Li Ping asked.

"The title 'scholar' can be traced back more than two hundred years."

Li Ping and the other three gasped simultaneously.

The Mu family has only been established in the outer sea for five hundred years, and its control over Xikou Market has been less than a hundred years.

If the scholar really lived for more than two hundred years, wouldn't that mean he witnessed two hundred years of ups and downs?

Over the past two hundred years, countless people and cultivators have come and gone on the eight islands in the outer sea, but he has always remained there.

"After discovering this, I specifically sought out the clan elders to investigate the clan's secrets and found that the scholar's strength was only at the peak of Qi Refining," Mu Fangxu said.

"What about the Zheng and Huang families?" Mu Ming asked.

"Same here, all three agree that the scholar is at most at the Qi Refining Perfection stage," Mu Fangxu said.

"Perfected Qi Refining?" Mu Ming couldn't help but interject. "That's not right, Senior Brother Fang Xu's lifespan during the Qi Refining stage is only 120 years. If he's only at the peak of Qi Refining, how could he have lived for over 200 years?"

"That's the problem." A glint of light flashed in Mu Fangxu's eyes.

Mu Ming speculated, "Could it be that the scholar has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Mu Fangxu shook his head: "If one were to establish a Foundation Establishment, one wouldn't stay in the Great Black Sea forever. The spiritual energy there is scarce. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator stays there, not only will their cultivation not improve, but it will also regress over time. No Foundation Establishment cultivator would want to stay in such a place."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Li Ping's heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly said, "Could it be that 'scholar' is just a fabricated title? The real scholar is long dead, and the one who came after him is merely borrowing his name to intimidate others? Anyway, since he's wearing a mask, no one knows whether he's been replaced or not."

Mu Fangxu glanced at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"I once had the same thoughts as you," he said slowly. "For this reason, I personally interrogated many cultivators from the Great Black Sea. As long as they were willing to talk, I would ask them about the scholar."

"And the result?" Li Ping pressed.

Mu Fangxu took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious.

"They all swore they had seen the scholar with their own eyes. Not just one or two, but several, and they were caught in different years. Their descriptions of his appearance and behavior were all quite similar."

"Moreover, the scholar has always been stationed in the Great Black Sea and has never left."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sea breeze suddenly picked up, causing everyone's robes to flutter loudly.

Li Ping remained silent for a long time, his thoughts in disarray.

A person who has lived for over two hundred years, but whose cultivation level is at most at the Qi Refining stage.

Who exactly is this scholar?

The moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the sea was plunged into darkness once more.

In the distance, towards the Black Sea, nothing could be seen but pitch black.

Li Ping raised his head and stared for a long time.

That place is a paradise for cultivators.

It was also a place where scholars congregated.

He had a premonition.

This matter will not end here.

……

……

Late at night, Xikou Market.

The sea breeze blows from afar, carrying a salty, fishy smell through the streets and alleys. The shops that were bustling during the day have long since closed, with only a few scattered lanterns still lit, swaying gently in the wind.

In a corner room on the third floor of Wenxianglou.

Su Mei leaned against the soft couch, wearing only a thin gauze dress.

The moonlight streaming in through the window outlined her graceful figure.

She half-closed her eyes, tapping the armrest with her fingers, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Su Mei suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of alertness flashing in them.

She sat up silently, her magic subtly circulating, her voice as languid as ever: "Who is it?"

"it's me."

A familiar male voice came from outside the door, sounding somewhat weak.

Su Mei frowned.

saber.

It's him again.

She showed no intention of getting up, and said coldly, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

There was a moment of silence outside the door, then Ma Dao's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of pleading: "Madam Su, open the door, I'm injured."

Su Mei remained unmoved.

She knew Ma Dao all too well; he was a compulsive gambler who would come to Wenxianglou every few days to beg for money.

When he wins money, he generously treats everyone to a meal; when he loses money, he comes to her place to freeload on food, drinks, and spirit stones.

At first, she would help him out of consideration for their shared background as fellow members of the Giant Whale Gang, but later she got annoyed and simply shut herself off from him.

"If you're injured, go see a doctor. This isn't a clinic."

Su Mei's tone was indifferent.

There was no sound from outside the door.

Su Mei waited for a while, but received no response. She assumed that Ma Dao had left knowingly, so she leaned back on the soft couch.

But after a while, she suddenly realized something was wrong. She released her divine sense and swept it outside the door. Her expression changed abruptly.

The aura of the saber... is weakening.

And it weakens very quickly.

Su Mei hesitated for a moment, but finally got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

As soon as the door opened, a strong stench of blood hit us.

The saber leaned against the door frame, his robes were tattered, and his exposed skin was covered with wounds; he looked as if he had been pulled out of a pool of blood.

His face was ashen, his lips were blue, his eyes were half-open, and his consciousness was blurred.

Su Mei's pupils contracted slightly.

She had never seen a saber wound like this before.

Although this person is a gambler, his skills are genuine.

A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, having spent decades battling in the Great Black Sea, what kind of battles hadn't he seen? To injure him to this extent, he was no ordinary person.

Su Mei bit her lip, ultimately clinging to some old feelings.

She bent down, dragged the saber into the room, closed the door, and threw him onto the bed.

Ma Dao let out a muffled groan and completely lost consciousness.

Su Mei stood by the bed, reached out to his wrist, and used her magic to probe into his body.

A moment later, she gasped.

It's not just external injuries.

Most of the meridians in Ma Dao's body were severed, and his dantian was also damaged.

With injuries like that, let alone continuing to cultivate, it would be lucky if he could even save his life.

Even if they survive, their cultivation level will inevitably plummet, and the Foundation Establishment stage will be completely hopeless.

Su Mei paused for a moment, then took out a porcelain bottle from her storage bag, poured out two dark red pills, and stuffed them into the mouth of the saber.

The pill melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into a medicinal power that spread throughout his limbs and bones.

She took out another jade bottle, poured out some spiritual liquid, and dripped it onto the wound on the saber.

After doing all this, Su Mei retreated to the window and waited quietly.

After a long while, a faint groan came from the bed.

Ma Dao slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry, as if through a layer of mist.

He blinked hard, and Su Mei's graceful figure appeared in his field of vision.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blows, lifting her gauze dress and adding to her charm.

Ma Dao smirked, revealing a smug smile: "I knew it... Madam Su isn't a heartless person."

Su Mei turned around, her brows furrowed: "Look at the state you're in, still trying to be strong?"

She walked to the bedside and looked down at the saber.

Under the moonlight, Ma Dao's body was covered in particularly gruesome scars, making him look like a wrecked ship ravaged by a storm.

The coldness in Su Mei's eyes faded slightly, replaced by a hint of pity.

"What happened?"

Ma Dao was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply: "I've stumbled."

Upon hearing this, Su Mei was taken aback at first, then shook her head, a hint of disdain appearing on her lips.

"You stumbled?" She sneered. "When you joined the gang, the scholar said you were cautious and wouldn't act rashly, and that you were the one who survived the longest among us. But ever since you got addicted to gambling, you've become reckless in your attacks."

She grew angrier as she spoke, and her voice turned cold: "How many times have I pleaded with you? Did you listen even once? Now look what's happened, you've finally gotten what you deserved."

Ma Dao remained silent.

Looking at his condition, Su Mei sighed and softened her tone: "His meridians are broken, and his dantian is damaged. He has no chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime. Without a miraculous healing medicine, he probably won't even be able to maintain the seventh level of Qi Refining."

These words were blunt, but they were true.

Ma Dao remained silent for a long time, opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end he only let out a long sigh.

That sigh carried an indescribable desolation, as if it were a resignation to fate.

Seeing his appearance, Su Mei felt a little uncomfortable.

She pursed her lips and asked, "Tell me, who did you get hurt this time?"

Ma Dao raised his head, looked at her, and slowly uttered a few words: "Li Ping, son-in-law of the Mu family."