A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"My lord, we mustn't get any closer! This Yin-Yang Forest is incredibly eerie; getting too close could lead to encountering ghosts!"

Fei Tu looked down and then whispered a reminder to Zhou Ping.

"You mean only the Second and Third Mistresses of the Three Flowers Gang came out with those three cultivators? Where is your First Mistress?"

Zhou Ping ignored the other party's reminder, and instead thought about the previous conversation and asked a question in return.

"Yes, the Empress Dowager is always elusive, appearing only briefly and never returning. Even I have only seen her back a few times from afar, and I have never seen her face."

"As far as I know, it was only after the First Lady returned to the Three Flowers Gang some time ago that the two ladies who stayed behind decided to take action against this demon."

Fei Tu told him everything he knew, but very little of the information was actually useful about the Empress Dowager.

"Even you, the second steward, haven't seen this First Lady before? That's a bit strange..."

Zhou Ping raised his hand and touched his chin, muttering to himself.

"My Three Flowers Gang... no, no! This Three Flowers Gang has always been like this. Cui Shui Town and Three Flowers Town are respectively guarded by the Second Madam and the Third Madam. The First Madam rarely stays in the two places, only occasionally returning to issue some orders. Almost no one has ever seen her."

Fei Tu nodded to Zhou Ping, then suddenly realized he had misspoke and quickly corrected himself.

"In that case, let's go down and see what happens. We don't know if they've made a move yet; we'll just have to play it by ear..."

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Ping carefully maneuvered the flying boat downwards.

Upon seeing this, Fei Tu immediately tensed up. Judging from the other party's behavior, it was clear that he wanted to cause trouble for those ladies. If a conflict broke out between the two sides, he would be dead either way.

If he dares to escape in the chaos, the deadly poison in his body will kill him. If he stays by the side of this immortal master, the two ladies will surely take action to clean up his sect after seeing his betrayal. What should he do?

Just as Fei Tu was caught in a dilemma and his mind was in turmoil, the flying boat silently landed on a secluded clearing, surrounded by lush vegetation that provided excellent cover.

Zhou Ping flicked his finger, storing the flying boat in his storage bag, before turning to Fei Tu, who looked nervous, and said...

"Stay here and don't go anywhere. If I find out you have other intentions, your death anniversary will be three days from now next year!"

"Yes, yes, yes! My life is still in your hands, so I dare not leave this place even for a moment. Immortal Master, you can rest assured. But... Immortal Master, you must return within three days! Otherwise, my life will be over."

Upon hearing Zhou Ping's arrangement, Fei Tu felt as if he had been granted a pardon and nodded and bowed to make his promise. However, upon further reflection, he became worried about whether Zhou Ping could return within three days and hurriedly reminded him in a low voice.

Zhou Ping merely gave a cold laugh, then vanished from the former's sight in a flash, stealthily making his way into the depths of the dense forest.

He naturally wouldn't take this burden along. Regardless of whether the child harbored ulterior motives, he didn't trust the child's ability to hide and lie in wait. If he alerted the enemy, he would only have one option left: to flee for his life.

While the two were traveling, Zhou Ping had already searched Fei Tu on the flying boat and confirmed that there were no more talismans on him.

This is understandable. Even if the Second Madam she mentioned is a rare low-level talisman master, she wouldn't allow the precious talismans she draws to be leaked out casually. Fei Tu being rewarded with one or two talismans is already considered a great achievement, so naturally there wouldn't be any other talismans left over.

As for the bone-corroding pills he gave Fei Tu, they were a completely fabricated poison made up by Zhou Ping; they were entirely fictitious.

What Fei Tu actually ingested was a medicinal ingredient from the Red Lotus Flower, which Zhou Ping fabricated to control him.

If the other party loses all value within three days, he can give them the main ingredient of the Red Lotus Albizia as an antidote. Once they take it, combined with the previously taken medicinal guide, they will surely die from poisoning.

As for the present moment, Zhou Ping did not intend to eliminate him yet. There was still Sanhua Town to deal with, and this person still had some value to him. Therefore, he could only temporarily keep him here for other purposes.

Thinking this, Zhou Ping had already reached the edge of the dense forest. Further ahead was the dangerous area that Fei Tu had mentioned. He used his Qi Concealment Technique to its fullest extent and nimbly slipped into the forest.

"I have personally experienced how terrifying this Yin-Yang Forest is. The demon wolf is alright, it's on the other side of the forest, but that mysterious and eerie white-haired mist woman appears in this area. Although Fei Tu and the others have already figured out her activity patterns, it's still better to be cautious. We must not disturb her, lest we be attacked from both sides."

For some reason, the two ladies of the Three Flowers Gang and the three unfamiliar cultivators, despite their apparent strength, did not make Zhou Ping feel overly wary.

On the contrary, the mysterious mist woman he had encountered once still sent chills down his spine and filled him with dread whenever he recalled the scene.

While using the Floating Shadow Step to flee forward, Zhou Ping also cautiously observed every blade of grass and tree around him, trying his best to make no sound.

A dark shadow, like a lingering shadow under the moon, constantly overlapped and separated from other shadows nearby, almost imperceptible to anyone. The extraordinary power of the Floating Shadow Step was on full display at this moment.

.......

Deep within the Yin-Yang Forest, the two ladies of the Three Flowers Gang and three cultivators led by a man surnamed Xie were perched atop a giant tree, gazing at a deep blue pool in the distance, a flicker of fervor in their eyes.

"Brother Xie, this is it. The Illusionary Sea Deer is hiding at the bottom of the Spirit Pool."

Gazing at the clear, deep pool under the moonlight, a woman's soft, alluring voice rang in the ears of the man surnamed Xie. It was none other than the Third Lady who had spoken on her own initiative.

"Let's begin! No matter why this beast appeared here, we must capture him alive today!"

The man surnamed Xie was surrounded by a fragrant breeze, exuding a seductive charm, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of desire as he looked at the Third Mistress.

"This slut's seductive arts are truly remarkable; she managed to influence my mind with a mere fourth-level Qi Refining cultivation... Since you took the initiative to seduce me, after this job, I wouldn't mind capturing you and enjoying you to my heart's content!"

The man surnamed Xie seemed to have heard of the woman's reputation for beauty before, but he dared not offend the Second Madam, who was chaste and aloof.

But he was very interested in this dissolute and lowly maid who had long been despised by the young master. Being able to enjoy the delicacies that the young master had tasted before was undoubtedly a stimulating and novel experience and temptation for him.