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

Inside the tea room.

After listening to the report from the guarding cultivator, Mu Fangxu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and showed no expression on his face.

The cultivator stood to the side with his hands at his sides and said in a low voice, "I heard it clearly. Ruan Ling'er did come to us because of the water element aura on Li Ping. She was not deliberately targeting the Mu family."

As for Su Mei, she herself said that the Giant Whale Gang couldn't be returned to, and she could only follow the Mu family's arrangements.

Mu Fangxu nodded and waved for him to leave.

The door closed, and the tea room returned to silence.

Mu Fangxu leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the flickering candlelight.

"For so many years, you've kept the master in the dark, thinking you could easily get away with it and change your ways, but things don't work that well."

……

……

The next morning.

Li Ping got up early, practiced a set of boxing in the courtyard to loosen up his muscles and bones, took a pill, and sat cross-legged for an hour to channel the medicinal power into his meridians.

Just as he finished his practice and stood up, a cultivator came to report that Mu Fangxu had invited him to come over for a meeting.

Li Ping changed into a clean black robe and followed Mu Fangxu to the east courtyard where Mu Fangxu lived.

In the courtyard, Mu Fangxu was sitting at a stone table with two plates of snacks and a pot of tea in front of him. When he saw him arrive, he raised his hand to gesture for him to sit down.

Mu Fangxu got straight to the point and briefly recounted the conversation between the two sisters the previous night.

Upon hearing this, Li Ping's mind stirred slightly.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked casually, "Senior Brother Fang Xu, what do you plan to do with these two?"

Mu Fangxu said calmly, "One is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and the other is at the fifth level of Qi Refining. They also possess mermaid blood. I must say, these two sisters are valuable."

Li Ping put down his teacup and tentatively asked, "Senior Brother Fang Xu, do you intend to bring him into the clan?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu's gaze fell on his face, and a slight smirk appeared on his lips: "What, you have ideas?"

The question was asked casually, but Li Ping could hear the scrutiny in it.

He didn't rush to answer, but hesitated for a moment before saying, "The island of Moon White is in need of management."

He said this casually, as if it were just a casual remark, but he had a different plan in mind.

He had always kept the matter of the iron-backed whales transporting goods on his mind.

However, the goods needed to be guarded. The five people he had recruited before, plus Hongxing, were barely capable, but their cultivation levels were ultimately lacking.

At the mid-stage of Qi Refining, one can handle ordinary petty thieves, but if they encounter a real tough opponent, they might not be able to hold their own.

Su Mei, however, was different.

With a cultivation level of eight in Qi Refining, he is already considered quite skilled among independent cultivators.

More importantly, Su Mei used to be in charge of intelligence exchanges in the Giant Whale Gang, and had dealt with all sorts of people. Her insight and skills were far superior to those of ordinary rogue cultivators.

If we could let her guard the goods, not only would their safety be guaranteed, but we might also be able to open up sales channels for the vines through her connections.

As for Ruan Ling'er, with her mermaid bloodline, she can sense the aura of aquatic spirits, a skill that should not be underestimated.

If we ever go to sea in the future, taking her with us will be like having an extra pair of noses that can sniff out opportunities.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal all of this.

After hearing this, Mu Fangxu raised an eyebrow slightly: "You need people?"

Li Ping nodded.

Mu Fangxu picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and slowly took a sip: "That's fine, but you'll need to pay the clan a sum of spirit stones."

Li Ping nodded: "That's natural."

He answered so readily, which made Mu Fangxu laugh instead: "You agreed so readily? Didn't you understand what I just said?"

Mu Fangxu leaned back in his chair, looking at him with a half-smile: "I said these two are valuable."

Li Ping's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and asked, "How many spirit stones?"

"The two of them, at least..." Mu Fangxu smiled, "will cost at least..."

Li Ping was stunned for a moment. Three hundred spirit stones?

Two Qi Refining stage cultivators, one with intelligence experience and the other with mermaid blood, together only had three hundred spirit stones.

He immediately realized that Mu Fangxu was deliberately doing him a favor.

Three hundred spirit stones wouldn't even be enough to hire someone at the late Qi Refining stage, let alone buy two people.

This price is practically the same as giving it away for free.

Li Ping breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Mu Fangxu waved his hand, picked up his teacup and took another sip, acknowledging it.

Li Ping didn't rush to leave, but instead asked, "By the way, senior brother, how much do the clan's soul tablets cost?"

Mu Fangxu put down his teacup and thought for a moment: "One hundred spirit stones per piece."

He paused, then added, "However, only three Foundation Establishment elders can refine this thing. There aren't any readily available in Xikou Market. You'll have to wait for Elder Zhihe to return and have him help you refine it."

Li Ping nodded.

One hundred spirit stones for one soul tablet, two people would cost two hundred spirit stones, plus the previous three hundred spirit stones, for a total of five hundred spirit stones.

With these spirit stones, he could exchange them for two capable assistants; no matter how you look at it, he'd be making a profit.

"Then I will wait for Elder Zhihe to return." Li Ping stood up and bowed again to express his gratitude.

After leaving the east courtyard, Li Ping did not linger and went straight to the seaside courtyard.

Throughout the journey, he kept replaying what Mu Fangxu had just said in his mind.

Ruan Ling'er approached him because she sensed the aura of a water-based spirit.

A water-based spiritual object? The only one he had ever consumed was the Xuan Shui Ning Lu (Mysterious Water Condensation Dew).

Tie Fuhai approached him for this reason in the first place, and now Ruan Ling'er is doing the same.

"That's interesting," Li Ping muttered to himself.

Both the Ironback Whale with its extremely high bloodline and the Mermaid bloodline were so sensitive to the aura of the spring water dew, indicating that this spring water dew was even more extraordinary than he had imagined.

The guards in the courtyard saw that it was Li Ping and did not stop him, letting him pass directly.

The courtyard gate opened, and Li Ping stepped inside.

Inside the room, Su Mei and Ruan Ling'er were sitting at the table. When they saw him enter, they both looked up at the same time.

Su Mei remained calm, while Ruan Ling'er appeared somewhat flustered and unconsciously moved closer to Su Mei.

Li Ping didn't exchange pleasantries and sat down directly opposite the two men.

He looked at Ruan Ling'er and cut to the chase: "What do you smell on me?"

Ruan Ling'er was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Su Mei.

Su Mei paused for a moment, then nodded gently.

Having received approval, Ruan Ling'er then spoke, repeating what she had said to Su Mei earlier.

Li Ping listened without saying anything.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his right hand, and with a thought, a drop of essence blood appeared.

The essence blood was a pale blue color, hanging from the fingertip, emitting an extremely pure watery aura that spread out, making the air in the entire room slightly more humid.

Ruan Ling'er's eyes widened instantly. She stared intently at the drop of blood, her nose twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but lick her lips.

But she quickly suppressed the impulse, sitting there stiffly, not daring to move.

Li Ping took in her reaction.

He smiled, pinching the drop of blood between his fingers, and deliberately brought it close to Ruan Ling'er's nose: "Do you want it?"

Ruan Ling'er's body trembled slightly.

She bit her lip, struggling for a moment, but in the end she couldn't help but nod.

Li Ping withdrew his hand and dripped the drop of blood into the empty cup on the table.

"I've always been generous," Li Ping said casually, leaning back in his chair. "It's just a little bit of essence blood, nothing to worry about. Maybe I'll get it every month from now on."

Upon hearing this, Su Mei's expression finally changed, and she asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, what do you need Ling'er to do?"

Li Ping met her gaze and said without beating around the bush, "Simple, you've been implanted with a soul tablet and will obey my commands."

The moment the words "soul tablet" were uttered, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Su Mei's pupils contracted slightly, and Ruan Ling'er also came to her senses, her face turning pale.

They knew exactly what a soul tablet was.

Once planted, one's life and death are no longer in one's own hands. The person who possesses the soul tablet can destroy the soul and spirit of the planter with just a gentle squeeze.

This is the cruelest, yet most effective, method of controlling subordinates in the cultivation world.

After a long silence, Su Mei raised her head and looked at Li Ping: "Is this the way out that the Mu family has given us?"

Li Ping nodded, meeting Su Mei's gaze, without saying anything grand or embellishing the situation.

"Don't think we're cruel; the Soul Tablets are your best option."

"You have been lurking in Wenxianglou for so many years, keeping your master in the dark. Now that you have failed, it is a miracle that you have survived."

"By joining the Mu family, you can at least live a peaceful life from now on, without having to live a life of constant danger. Besides," Li Ping paused, his tone softening, "you will still have a day of freedom. If you do not commit any acts of rebellion within the next thirty years, I will voluntarily remove your soul tablets."

Upon hearing this, Su Mei's expression shifted slightly.

For mortals, thirty years is a long time, but for cultivators, it's just a blink of an eye. A Qi Refining cultivator has a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years, and if they can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, they can live for more than two hundred years.

Thirty years of constraints, in exchange for a stable home—the cost is not hard to calculate.

Su Mei turned to look at Ruan Ling'er, who was also looking at her with no fear in her eyes, only complete trust.

Su Mei withdrew her gaze, remained silent for a long time, and finally nodded slowly.

Seeing this, Li Ping was pleased and said, "The seal on your dantian cannot be lifted yet. Before the soul tablet is implanted, you two will have to endure this for a while."

Seeing the two nod obediently, he pushed the cup in front of Ruan Ling'er: "Consider this drop of essence blood a gift for our first meeting."

Ruan Ling'er glanced at Su Mei, and seeing that she did not object, she carefully picked up the cup.

He brought it to his lips, tilted his head back slightly, and the semen rolled into his throat.

The next moment, Ruan Ling'er's body suddenly stiffened, and an extremely pure water-elemental spiritual energy surged out from her body, enveloping her entirely.

Her cultivation level actually began to rise at this moment. The bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining showed signs of loosening under the impact of this drop of essence blood.

Su Mei noticed Ruan Ling'er's change, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

A moment later, Ruan Ling'er's aura gradually subsided. She opened her eyes and looked at Li Ping with a more complex expression.

Li Ping stood up and said with a smile, "Rest well. When Elder Zhihe returns, I will implant soul tablets for you."