A hundredfold return! My unfilial disciples are all reincarnations of the Empress.

The innkeeper quickly replied with a smile, "You've come at the perfect time, sir! Only three top-class rooms are left, with excellent surroundings and the best views!"

Lin Feng paid the bill.

After receiving the room number and settling in, the group gathered downstairs for a meal.

The restaurant's dishes mainly consist of fish and shrimp, each with a unique freshness. Chi Yao picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily, while Liu Yushu slowly and deliberately picked up her food.

Lin Feng leaned against the windowsill, picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze casually sweeping over the night view of Yunyang outside the window.

Just as everyone was eating quietly, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from the street downstairs.

"Get the hell out of my way! All bystanders, get out of the way!"

Accompanied by harsh shouts, a squad of armored guards with long swords at their waists stormed through the crowd, kicking over many vendors' tables and chairs and scattering fruits and vegetables all over the ground.

In the very center of the crowd, a man in fine clothes walked out slowly, his face arrogant.

"It's the Third Prince, Zhao Hao!"

"Last month, he forcibly took the daughter of a merchant in the west of the city back to his home, and her family still hasn't gotten her back!"

"Oh no, judging by his expression, he's going to Yunshui Residence. Let's hurry back to our room and avoid getting into trouble!"

The whispers reached my ears, and many guests went straight back to their rooms.

Chi Yao frowned, her eyes blazing with suppressed anger. Liu Yushu gently pressed down on her wrist, shaking her head slightly, indicating that it was better to avoid trouble.

Lin Feng sipped his tea calmly, not taking it to heart at all.

But misfortune kept coming back to haunt them.

Zhao Hao looked up and swept his gaze across the pavilion, his eyes immediately locking onto Chi Yao, who was dressed in fiery red at the table. The young woman was bright and flamboyant, far surpassing all his concubines, and the fact that she was looking at him with a look of disgust was quite intriguing.

"That little beauty in red, I want her!" Zhao Hao pointed and sternly ordered the guards, "Go up and bring her down! If she dares to resist, throw them all in jail!"

Dozens of guards responded in unison, and charged forward with their long swords.

The lead guard, with a fierce glare, said menacingly, "Be smart and come with us! The Third Prince taking a liking to you is an immense blessing; disobeying is disrespectful to the royal family!"

Liu Yushu stood up half a step, subconsciously blocking the group, and said softly, "We are just passing cultivators and have no intention of provoking the royal family. Please step aside."

These words, when heard by the guards, came out as a sign of weakness and vulnerability.

"So what if you're a cultivator? In Yunyang City, the royal family is the most powerful!" The guard sneered and reached out to grab Chi Yao's fair arm.

Chi Yao could no longer restrain herself. Her crimson spiritual power surged suddenly, and she unleashed a spiritual palm strike that slammed heavily into the leading guard.

Lin Feng did not stop him.

As the most revered master among all masters, he would never wrong his disciple to appease him; if his disciple wanted to start a fire, he would only add fuel to the fire.

The other guards looked wary when they saw Chi Yao send him flying with a single palm strike.

Zhao Hao's eyes burned with even greater greed: "What a beauty! Not only is she beautiful, she also knows magic. I, Zhao Hao, am determined to have such a treasure!"

"All of you, come at them together! Take them down!"

Several guards hesitated and dared not step forward.

At this moment, the guards behind the group quietly approached Wang Xiao with knives in hand, which naturally did not escape Lin Feng's notice.

boom--

Another spiritual energy palm strike!

The guard was thrown two meters away, lying on the ground clutching his chest in pain, spitting out blood.

Lin Feng looked Zhao Hao straight in the eye: "Let me give you a heads-up, if you don't leave, you'll end up like him."

Zhao Hao's face flushed instantly, his blood surging, and he said angrily, "You dare threaten me? Let's see if you dare touch me! I am a prince..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Feng signaled Chi Yao to make a move.

A scream rang out: "Don't do it! Whatever you do, don't do it!"

The shopkeeper, with a long face, said, "Sir, you can't lay a hand on me! I still have business to do. How can my shop stay open if you all beat up the Third Prince here?"

"Oh~ We can't do it in the store, that's easy." Chi Yao said with a mischievous smile.

With a swift movement, she appeared beside Zhao Hao like a ghost, grabbed him, and left the shop, followed by a dozen guards.

Little did they know that this scene would become a legend in Hefang Street and a black mark on the Third Prince's life.

Screams could be heard intermittently in the distance.

"Aww, aww... Waaaaah..."

Liu Yushu and Wang Xiao behind him burst out laughing.

A quarter of an hour later, Chi Yao returned in high spirits. Lin Feng and the others had already packed their things and were waiting for her at the door.

They were naturally not afraid of Zhao Hao's retaliation, but they also didn't want to cause any more trouble for the shop.

Wang Xiao noticed that Chi Yao was also holding a money bag, and asked with wide eyes, "Sister Xiao Yao, where did this come from?"

Chi Yao rolled her eyes at him: "Of course I stole it. Enough said, I'll pay for this."

"Ding! Chi Yao's favorability +10, Liu Yushu's favorability +2"

"Disciple Chi Yao's favorability: 60"

"Apprentice Liu Yushu's favorability rating: 92"

"Trigger a 15x critical hit lottery"

"Reward: Disciple's cultivation efficiency +5%, 30 Earth-grade Spirit Gathering Pills"

Note: One Earth-grade Spirit Gathering Pill contains 1000 points of spiritual energy.

As night deepened, inside the hotel.

Lin Feng leaned against the window alone, his divine sense quietly spreading out. He could sense that his disciples in the next room were absorbing the Spirit Gathering Pill and cultivating, and their condition was very stable.

Twenty miles away, in a densely populated area, a wisp of demonic energy was detected.

A dozen days later, the two disciples' cultivation came to a temporary halt.

Liu Yushu's cultivation level broke through to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, and Chi Yao's cultivation level broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At night, Lin Feng went alone to the west, where the demonic energy had been.

Finally, we stopped outside a shop that was still bustling with people at night, and the signboard read "Yanyulou" (Rainy Pavilion).

"interesting."

A playful glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

Brothels are often a melting pot of all sorts of people, with the intoxicating scents of rouge and wine, which can conveniently mask any evil or demonic energy. Could it be that they deliberately chose to linger here?

Lin Feng concealed his cultivation level and used a disguise technique to change into an ordinary outfit.

Stepping into the Misty Rain Pavilion, the warm air carries a rich scent of rouge.

The madam at the door glanced over and immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.

"This young master looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our Misty Rain Pavilion?"

"Our building has girls who are proficient in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and they're incredibly beautiful. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Lin Feng, too lazy to waste words, casually pulled out a handful of low-grade spirit stones and handed them over, saying, "No need to serve me, find a quiet pavilion to sit in."

With a single spirit stone, all the madam's polite formalities were silenced.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly led the way: "Young master, you are so generous! The best room upstairs, the Moon Gazing Pavilion, is empty. We'll arrange this one for you!"

We walked through the noisy lobby and went up to the second-floor attic.

The higher you go, the stronger the scent of rouge becomes in the air, and the colder the atmosphere grows.

Upon arriving at Wangyue Pavilion, the madam eagerly opened the door: "Young master, please rest well. If you need anything, just let me know!"

"No problem."

The madam dared not say another word and respectfully withdrew.

Once the door is closed, all outside noise is shut out.

Lin Feng walked slowly to the window, pushed open half of the wooden window, lowered his gaze, and stared intently at the ground directly below the attic.

Through the layers of wooden floorboards, he could clearly see that a magical artifact was buried deep underground.

The object was surrounded by a ring of dark demonic mist, but its purpose was unknown.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was midnight.

The commotion inside the Misty Rain Pavilion, and even the ambiguous sounds from the private rooms, had gradually subsided.

Suddenly, a faint, delicate, and ethereal bell sound echoed throughout the entire building.

Fifteen minutes later, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Lin Feng had exceptional hearing; he clearly heard excited roars erupting from the other rooms, which had been quiet just moments before, followed by other noises.

The guests in the entire building seemed to have lost all reason, and their desires were amplified infinitely.

The commotion in the next room sent a chill down his spine.

A rough, violent male voice rang out, mixed with a madman's roar:

"Run! I'll let you run!"

"How dare you abandon your husband and children and run away? You still want to hide from me today?!"

A woman's panicked pleas for mercy echoed from inside the room.

"Young master! Wake up! Don't do this!"

Then came the sounds of a physical struggle, and the bed next door was being kicked loudly.

Gradually, there was no sound from next door, but instead a suppressed, manic laugh could be heard.

Lin Feng's divine sense swept over the area, and the coldness in his eyes intensified.

The scholar was seen clutching a soft pillow, pressing it tightly against the woman's face, his expression twisted and crazed.

He roughly understood the purpose of the underground artifact.

This item is a mind-manipulation artifact that can amplify the deepest desires of others and interfere with their minds.

But what is the purpose of the person behind the scenes placing it here?

The next morning, it was broad daylight.

The Misty Rain Pavilion has shed its nighttime extravagance and madness, and is exceptionally quiet in the early morning.

Lin Feng changed into an ordinary blue robe and slowly walked down the second floor.

Only the madam was in the lobby checking the accounts. When she saw Lin Feng come downstairs, she immediately put on a familiar smile.

"Did you rest well last night, young master? The beds and bedding in our Moon Gazing Pavilion are all custom-made!"

Lin Feng nodded slightly, casually took out a mid-grade spirit stone and handed it over, then ordered breakfast.

"The environment is alright. However, this morning I vaguely heard some arguing, but I don't know what happened."

The madam took the spirit stone, a hint of anger on her face.

"To be honest, young master, there's a scholar who's always been a regular customer at the shop, but last night, for some reason, his personality suddenly changed, and he... sigh!"

The madam sighed heavily.

"Business has been getting harder and harder lately."

Seeing that the madam looked sincere and seemed unaware of the demonic artifact,

"I see, that's strange indeed."

Lin Feng didn't ask any more questions, exchanged a few polite words, and left.

Night fell in the blink of an eye, and midnight quietly arrived.

The delicate, ethereal sound of the bell echoed throughout the entire building precisely on time.

jingle--

The eerie sound waves quietly seeped into every room, and excited roars and noises once again echoed from some of the rooms.

Deep underground, the evil aura emanating from the demonic artifact grew increasingly intense.

Lin Feng stood on the first floor, his eyes sharp.

He raised his hand and focused his energy, gathering spiritual power in his palm before unleashing a barrage of wind blades.

Boom!

A large hole cracked in the floor of the Misty Rain Pavilion, sending pebbles and dust flying everywhere.

A jade bell, the size of an egg and entirely black, lay quietly, surrounded by thick demonic energy.

Lin Feng raised his hand and used his spiritual power to try to take out the Demon Bell.

But just as Marin was about to hand the ticket to him—

A chilling, sharp wind blade suddenly slashed out from the ground and aimed directly at his face.

The speed was so fast that it caught everyone off guard!

Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly activated the Illusory Shadowless Step, but it was still a step too late. He could only barely turn around and take the blow with his back.

Lin Feng staggered a few steps before regaining his balance.

He raised his hand to wipe the blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth, his face grim.

He had long anticipated that this magical artifact would not be unguarded, but he hadn't expected the other party to act so quickly.

The demonic artifact, drawn by spiritual energy, arrived beside the black-robed figure in front of it.

This person was shrouded in thick demonic mist, his face was blurred, and the demonic energy churning around him was powerful and domineering.

"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to ruin my grand plan?"

The hoarse, cold voice, like sandpaper scraping, echoed in the air.

The man in black robes slowly raised his hand, and demonic energy condensed at his fingertips, slowly forming a black demonic sword with strange patterns.

Lin Feng's brow twitched; his intuition told him that the sword was no ordinary weapon.

"Who exactly are you? Can you at least let me die knowing why?"

The man in black chuckled, his voice cold and hollow: "You do have some self-awareness, but my identity—you don't need to know!"

The tone shifted abruptly, and his voice suddenly became sharp.

He raised his sword and attacked, but Lin Feng had already activated the Illusory Shadowless Step, which he launched the moment he finished speaking.

The man in black was not surprised when Lin Feng suddenly disappeared.

He stood there for a moment, glancing at Lin Feng's retreating figure in the distance. Knowing he couldn't catch up, he put away his magical artifact and left.