Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

Wang Daoling stealthily approached a well, and after confirming that no one was around, he sprinkled poison into the well water. Then, he prepared to go to the next well.

Unbeknownst to him, a beautiful figure was secretly following him, observing everything he did.

Bai Suzhen, being a snake demon, was skilled at concealment, and her cultivation was far superior to Wang Daoling's, so naturally Wang Daoling could not detect her.

After poisoning the wells in several parts of the city, Wang Daoling returned to Jishetang and fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Wang Xuan and Mingzhu set off first, heading out of the city.

On the way, Mingzhu asked curiously, "Young master, are you and Sister Bai a couple?"

It's clear she's very interested in stories about transgender people marrying other women.

"yes."

How did you two meet?

Wang Xuan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, she, like you, came to the mortal realm to repay a debt of gratitude."

"Did you save him in your past life, young master?"

"No, she's not repaying a debt of gratitude to me."

Mingzhu became increasingly confused: "Then why would that be...?"

"I happened to be there the day she met her benefactor. I didn't know she was there to repay a debt of gratitude; I just thought she was very beautiful, and that's how we met. As we got to know each other better and more harmoniously, things naturally progressed from there."

"And what about her benefactor?"

"Him? I've secured him a stable job, guaranteeing him a comfortable life for the rest of his life." Wang Xuan looked at her expression and asked with a smile, "You seem quite surprised."

Mingzhu nodded slightly.

"That's normal. You pretty girls should marry the people you love, right? Think about it, if several people had saved you, would you have married them all?"

Mingzhu's pretty face flushed slightly, and she gave him a shy glance: "Of course not."

"So, were you trying to repay a debt of gratitude or were you just having romantic feelings for someone?"

Mingzhu was both embarrassed and ashamed, and said coquettishly, "Young master, why do you say that?"

Wang Xuan laughed and said, "I suddenly remembered something."

"What?"

"You'll stay by my side to repay my kindness. But once we find the Fire Spirit Orb, you'll have to return its inner core, at which point you'll lose your magic power. So, it seems you won't have the chance to fall in love."

Mingzhu felt somewhat downcast, not because she regretted not having the opportunity to fall in love, but because she regretted the brevity of her life.

After losing all magical power, it remains to be seen whether one can cultivate and attain enlightenment again.

Wang Xuan comforted him gently, "But don't worry, I will try my best to make these few years by my side happier than the thousand years of arduous cultivation you once endured."

The two arrived at a place twenty miles south of the city.

Daoji had been waiting there for a long time.

"Wow! There's a clam spirit!"

Daoji's expression was quite exaggerated when he saw the pearl.

Mingzhu became wary, assumed a fighting stance, and kept a close eye on Daoji.

Wang Xuan reached out and gently pressed Mingzhu's forearm, comforting him, "Don't worry, Master Daoji is not an evil monk."

He then introduced Mingzhu, saying, "This is my friend Mingzhu. She is kind-hearted and never harms anyone."

"Since you're not harming anyone, this humble monk won't cause you any trouble." Daoji then looked at Wang Xuan and sighed, "Amitabha, I never expected that Benefactor Wang would also embark on the path of cultivation."

"By chance."

Daoji then asked, "What about the poisonous monster you mentioned in your letter?"

"My wife will lure that toad demon here in a bit, and then we'll attack it together."

"Your wife?"

"Indeed. Now that things are settled, why don't we go to my place for a celebratory drink?" Wang Xuan warmly invited. "You missed my and Yan Zhi's wedding last time, so you can't miss it this time."

"No, no, I have other things to do later."

Daoji quickly waved his hand, mainly because he didn't want to see Yanzhi again, as it would only add to the awkwardness.

Seeing this, Wang Xuan didn't insist: "Alright, I'll call you next time I have something good to say."

Daoji was immediately taken aback upon hearing this.

I really don't know if it was right or wrong for Rouge to marry him.

"Mingzhu, stay hidden in the shadows for now, and make your move when necessary."

Mingzhu nodded, and then disappeared in a flash.

Wang Xuan then sat cross-legged, accumulating spiritual power.

As dawn approached but before sunrise.

While Wang Daoling was fast asleep, he vaguely sensed some movement.

I opened my eyes and saw a white figure hurrying away.

"Don't go!"

Wang Daoling quickly followed.

At this moment, Xiaoqing, accompanied by the Five Ghosts, sneaked into Jishitang and brought all the Panacea back to the county government.

Bai Suzhen led Wang Daoling all the way to the mountains outside the city, then stopped and turned around, quietly looking at Wang Daoling who was chasing after her.

"It's you!"

Wang Daoling recognized Bai Suzhen at a glance.

Bai Suzhen smiled slightly: "That's right, it was me. You poisoned the people of Qiantang, so of course I have to get rid of you for my husband."

Wang Daoling was furious: "You're married?"

He had always coveted Bai Suzhen's beauty. After three hundred years apart, when they met again, she had already married.

Looking closely at her eyebrows and eyes, she does indeed have a more mature charm.

"However, you're no match for me. Why don't you dump your man and be with me?"

At this moment, Wang Xuan and Daoji walked out from behind him.

Daoji asked in surprise, "Is this girl in white your wife?"

Isn't that a snake demon?

"Exactly."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xuan unleashed his full yang energy, condensing his rich fire-attribute true essence into a fireball, which shot straight toward Wang Daoling.

Wang Daoling was about to question them when he saw the fierce fireball rushing towards him. He was terrified and only thought of dodging.

Daoji simply waved his tattered palm-leaf fan, and Wang Daoling was instantly immobilized, unable to move.

The blazing fireball slammed into him, and after the loud crash, Wang Daoling staggered to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Wang Xuan frowned slightly upon seeing this; this attack had failed to end his life directly.

Next, Daoji and Bai Suzhen stepped forward together and attacked.

Wang Daoling was already injured, and his cultivation was far inferior to Bai Suzhen and Daoji. His mind was in chaos, and he had no will to fight. He only wanted to escape.

Where there is life, there is hope.

Just as he dodged a few feet away, he was precisely caught by the silk ribbon that flew out from Bai Suzhen's waist.

They pulled him back to the front of the crowd.

"Spare me! Spare me!"

Daoji retorted, "Judging from your attire, you're a Taoist priest, yet you do such despicable things."

Just then, a gust of black wind swept in, and a sinister voice came from within: "Bullying the few with numbers, what kind of skill is that?"

The Lord of Qiankun Cave is currently busy gathering his subordinates.

Black Wind's plan was to take advantage of the chaos to abduct the toad demon and bolster the Qiankun Cave's fighting strength.

Seeing this, the pearl in the shadows did not hesitate and immediately summoned its inner core. The fiery red light, carrying scorching spiritual power, swept towards the black wind.

Mingzhu's move was a killing blow.

Black Wind groaned as it was burned by the inner core.

The scorching spiritual energy was extremely difficult for him to bear.

He hadn't expected there to be a master hidden in the shadows, so he didn't dare linger and didn't even dare to utter any more threats before fleeing in a panic.

Wang Daoling was initially full of hope, but who knew that the person who came was also a useless person.

He had no choice but to kowtow and beg for mercy, saying, "Lady Bai, I promise, I will distribute all the antidotes as soon as I get back, and I will never dare to do it again."

"You want a next time?" Wang Xuan didn't waste any more words. He activated his spiritual power, condensed a raging flame, and slashed down.

The enormous toad fell to the ground, its eyes bulging and unseeing.

"You poisoned people, harassed innocent demons, and stole treasury funds. This way of dying is too lenient for you."

With a wave of his sleeve, Wang Xuan took the dead toad spirit into his pocket.