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

The next day, early in the morning.

As usual, the wharf in Xikou Market became bustling with activity. Ferries came and went, and the noise of people filled the air. The sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, blew across the stone-paved road, and the shops along the street gradually took down their doors and began their day's business.

The scene in front of Wenxianglou was somewhat different from usual.

The time for opening the door had passed, but the door remained tightly shut.

A few guests gradually gathered at the entrance, some leaning against the wall, others pacing back and forth, their eyes occasionally glancing at the vermilion door.

"What's going on? We'd usually be open by now at this time," a cultivator in a blue robe said, frowning.

"Could something have gone wrong with the bill yesterday?" another person chimed in.

"Wenxianglou has been open for many years and has never been late."

As the group was discussing this, about fifteen minutes later, a sound finally came from behind the door.

The door was pushed open from the inside, and a maid with her hair in two buns peeked out, a slightly apologetic smile on her face.

"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Please come in."

The monk in the blue robe wasn't in a hurry to go in. Standing at the door, he asked, "Miss, why are you so late today?"

The maid smiled and said in a clear voice, "Wenxiang Pavilion welcomes guests every day. With so many days in a year, there are bound to be times when things go wrong. Please forgive us, sir."

Although the words were spoken tactfully, the monk in the blue robe was still somewhat dissatisfied, and he snorted, "We've been waiting for half an hour..."

Before he could finish speaking, the maid interrupted, smiling, "It's our fault for keeping you all waiting today. Steward Su specifically instructed that your tea be waived as an apology."

Upon hearing this, the dissatisfaction on the faces of the guests vanished instantly.

"That's more like it."

"General Manager Su is very generous."

The group laughed and, without saying another word, followed the maid into the building.

The maid led them to seats by the window and ordered tea and snacks to be served. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

But she couldn't help but have some doubts in her heart.

As the manager of Wenxianglou, Su Mei personally handled everything from closing the doors to tallying accounts and opening the doors to welcome guests every morning.

Over the years, minor mistakes have occurred, but this is the first time the main gate has been opened so late.

What made the maid even more uneasy was what happened last night.

When checking the accounts, Su Mei seemed absent-minded. She stopped after a few clicks on the abacus, staring out the window in a daze. She flipped through the account book three times but still couldn't get it right.

The maid had been with her for years and had never seen her like this before.

Suppressing her doubts, the maid shook her head and carried the tea tray to the kitchen.

The room on the third floor of Wenxianglou, facing the street.

Su Mei stood by the window, the sea breeze blowing in through the cracks, causing her long, loose hair to sway slightly.

Unlike the charming and alluring manager of Wenxiang Tower in the past, today she was pale and her eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that she had not slept all night.

She was still wearing the same light blue dress as yesterday, her hair was loose and uncombed, and she paced back and forth in front of the window.

After walking back and forth a few times, she stopped again, turned around, and walked to her desk.

This rosewood table was usually her dressing table, filled with rouge, face powder, bronze mirror, and jade comb. But today, the table was empty, with only a jade pendant and a letter on it.

The jade pendant is crescent-shaped and entirely green.

The letter paper was facing up, and there was a line of small print.

Su Mei sat down and reached out to pick up the jade pendant.

She held the jade pendant to her ear and concentrated.

A faint ripple emanated from the jade, as if something was gently vibrating.

She listened for a moment, her brows furrowing more and more, before finally shaking her head and placing the jade pendant back on the table.

There was nothing there.

Ling'er's communication has been cut off.

Su Mei's gaze shifted to the letter.

She personally delivered the letter yesterday, finding a wandering cultivator who worked at the ferry crossing, giving him a few spirit stones, and asking him to deliver it to that small courtyard.

I thought that after seeing the contents of the letter, the other party would be more wary, since the words "please be lenient" were already a sign that she was admitting defeat.

Whether you make some demands or set a price, there's always something to discuss.

But to my surprise, the other party didn't say a word more, only asking me to meet them on the desolate island.

It was swift and decisive, leaving her no room for negotiation whatsoever.

Su Mei stared at the line of words, feeling a surge of unease.

A desolate, rocky island.

She knew that place; it was a deserted island off the coast of Xikoufang City. The island was barren, covered only with jagged rocks, and no one ever went there except for the occasional fishing boat passing by.

What does it mean that the other party chose to meet there?

Are they planning to negotiate terms there, or...?

Su Mei dared not think any further, raised her hand to rub her temples, feeling somewhat anxious.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

There was no knocking or announcement.

A figure walked in silently.

The man was around fifty years old, thin, with a face full of wrinkles and dark, rough skin. It was clear at a glance that he was a monk who made a living at sea all year round.

He was wearing a faded brown shorts and had a fish basket hanging from his waist. If you didn't look closely, you would just think he was an ordinary fisherman at the dock.

The man stood at the door, his gaze sweeping around the room before finally settling on Su Mei's haggard profile.

"Madam Su, you mustn't be contacted without a valid reason. Have you forgotten the rules?"

Su Mei turned around, and Zhou Dahai finally saw the bloodshot eyes and pale face of her. He swallowed the words he was about to say.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "What happened?"

Su Mei sighed, her voice a little hoarse: "Ling'er has been captured."

"Ling'er?"

Zhou Dahai frowned, somewhat surprised.

"Wasn't she staying in the building perfectly fine the whole time? How could she have been arrested?"

"I don't know either."

Su Mei shook her head, her voice tinged with helplessness.

"Yesterday, for some reason, she suddenly went out. By the time I found out..."

She paused, then stood up and handed the letter to Zhou Dahai.

"I received this."

Zhou Dahai took the letter, first looked at the crooked handwriting on the front, and then turned it over to the back.

After reading it, his furrowed brows deepened even further.

"Who is the other party?"

"Li Ping, the son-in-law of the Mu family," Su Mei said.

Zhou Dahai fell silent.

He placed the letter back on the table, his gaze shifting back and forth between the jade pendant and the letter a few times, before suddenly saying, "The gang probably won't get involved in this matter."

"Ruan Ling'er went out without permission, breaking the rules. Moreover, the other party's identity is sensitive, and taking action rashly would be too risky. Therefore..."

Before she could finish speaking, Su Mei suddenly raised her head.

"Zhou Dahai!"

She glared at the man, her eyes practically spitting fire, her tone extremely unfriendly.

"Just go back and tell them, whether they care or not is their business, whether you go or not is your business."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Dahai's lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing more.

He nodded, then turned and walked towards the door.

Just as he stepped across the threshold, Su Mei's domineering voice came from behind him again.

"Tell them they'd better come quickly."

"If I don't see you tomorrow, don't blame me, Su Mei, for not showing any mercy."

Zhou Dahai paused and turned around.

Su Mei sat in front of her dressing table. The morning light shone through the cracks in the window, illuminating her pale profile and giving her a sharp look.

He sighed helplessly.

The members of the Giant Whale Gang each have their own affairs and are usually scattered in different places with little contact. When they do contact each other, it is mostly to pass on messages and hand over tasks. They are all business and there is no real friendship between them.

Only Su Mei and Ruan Ling'er were exceptions.

Before they even joined the sect, the two relied on each other for survival, working their way up from the lowest level of independent cultivators. They went through many life-and-death situations together and became as close as sisters.

Later, he joined the Giant Whale Gang, where he openly ran the Fragrance Pavilion and was responsible for intelligence exchanges.

One of them, operating in the shadows, uses his mermaid bloodline to carry out shady missions.

Now that Ruan Ling'er is in trouble, Zhou Dahai knows perfectly well how anxious Su Mei is.

He didn't offer much advice, only saying one thing.

"I'll do it as soon as possible."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out, his footsteps quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

The room fell silent again.

Su Mei sat at the table, motionless.

After a long while, she slowly exhaled, reached out and picked up the crescent-shaped jade pendant, holding it in her palm.

……

……

The moment the earth's energy in the artificial hill was completely drained, Li Ping felt a warm current surge from the soles of his feet, rising upwards along his meridians.

This aura is completely different from spiritual power.

The spiritual energy was light and flowing like water through the meridians, while the earth energy was heavy, like fine sand and gravel, grinding over the flesh and blood inch by inch, bringing a dull, aching pain.

Li Ping did not stop.

He silently practiced the techniques of the Rocky Iron Bone Technique, guiding this earth energy to circulate back and forth within his body.

Each passage is like applying an invisible glaze between muscles and bones.

At first it was just a slight itch, but later it became tighter and more solid, as if the flesh and blood were being compressed little by little.

The sky changed from pitch black to deep blue, and then from deep blue to grayish-white.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the courtyard wall, Li Ping inhaled the last trace of earth energy from the artificial rockery.

Li Ping opened his eyes and saw a brownish tinge slowly fading from his skin, not disappearing, but settling deeper.

He raised his arm to examine it closely. There were no visible changes on the surface of his skin, but he could sense that beneath this seemingly ordinary skin, there was an invisible shell.

Li Ping's heart stirred slightly, and he silently recited the incantation.

A layer of earthy brownish-yellow light emanated from its body.

The light wasn't dazzling; it was even somewhat dim, like a thin layer of dust covering the body. Reaching out and pressing it, the touch from the fingertips was unusually hard—not a soft aura, but solid armor.

I've mastered the Rocky Iron Bone Technique.

Li Ping dispersed his armor, and the layer of brown light receded like the tide, disappearing back into his skin.

He stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and circulated his qi and blood, causing a light red qi and blood barrier to appear on his body surface.

Immediately afterwards, the layer of brownish-yellow gas armor lit up again.

The two layers of protection are superimposed, and the red of the blood and the brown of the earth intertwine and blend together, eventually forming a dark copper-colored light film.

Li Ping stared at the light membrane for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, clenched his fist, and with seven-tenths of his strength, punched himself in the chest.

With a muffled thud, the force of the punch vanished like mud entering the sea.

The light membrane on his chest only swayed slightly, without even a crack.

He added two more points of effort.

The light membrane vibrated, dissipating the force of the punch, yet remained intact.

Li Ping's lips curled up slightly.

The Qi armor of the Rocky Iron Bone Technique differs from the external release of Qi and blood in body cultivation.

The latter relies on one's own vital energy and blood as its foundation, and requires constant consumption during its application; it will inevitably weaken in prolonged battles.

The former is essentially the condensation of earth energy; once formed, it becomes self-contained and requires no additional consumption for maintenance.

The thin armor formed during the initial stage already possesses defensive capabilities comparable to the Qi and Blood Barrier of the mid-stage Qi and Blood Realm.

If used in a place with abundant earth energy, it can be even more powerful.

With two layers of protection, there are not many ways to harm someone at the Qi Refining stage.

To break through his defenses, one would need to employ foundation-building techniques.

Li Ping put away his armor, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.