Night.
In the tea house.
Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li were sitting together, drinking tea and chatting.
At this moment, Bai Li's voice reached his ears: "Look, that annoying Ye Yan is here again."
"Huh? He's hooked up with another young lady from a cultivation family!"
"Tsk, this guy really has good luck."
The discord between Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, Bai Li, and Ye Yan originated from a gambling match.
Bai Li and Ye Yan bet one of the beautiful maids by their side. In the end, Ye Yan lost but refused to pay the bet.
Not only that, Ye Yan also taunted Bai Li a few times.
Every small group sticks together for warmth and presents a united front against outsiders.
A friend's enemy is my enemy.
"Hmm..."
The feud between Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Ye Yan was as simple and unadorned as that.
Ye Yan was quite handsome, came from a prominent family, and was a smooth talker. He had hooked up with many young ladies on the desert voyage who harbored romantic feelings.
As it happened, in the tea house.
Ye Yan quickly started chatting and laughing with a sumptuously dressed young lady. Judging by their interaction, it wouldn't take much more effort for him to win her over.
Late at night, this man and woman would spend a beautiful and romantic night together in a large bed.
And at this very moment, Ye Yan saw a few detestable people approaching. The smile on his face instantly froze.
"Oh my, isn't this Young Master Ye..."
Bai Li pulled over a chair and sat next to them.
Facing Ye Yan, Bai Li's smile grew even more radiant.
He said playfully, "About the chess match last time, you lost a woman to me... when will you hand her over?"
"What woman? Bai Li, I warn you, don't talk nonsense!"
Ye Yan immediately shook his head and denied it, thinking, "You want me to compensate you with a beautiful maid? Don't even dream about it."
Moreover, how could he appear so lacking in grace and character in front of the young lady he was trying to seduce?
However, no matter how eloquent Ye Yan was, one person could never outtalk four.
With Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li interfering, Ye Yan's pursuit plan was, as expected, in ruins.
Before the young lady left, she not only splashed tea all over Ye Yan's face but also slapped him.
Confused by the scene, Ye Yan touched his swollen eye and stood there dumbfounded.
At this moment, Bai Li, who was sitting on his chair and gloating, was doubled over with laughter.
Ye Yan, finally snapping back to reality, felt his anger surge like an erupting volcano.
Enraged, he didn't hesitate to slap his storage bag, pull out a top-tier magic artifact, the Ziwei Jingang Spear, and was about to attack the four of them.
But in the next second, a sharp, snow-white sword tip was pressed against Ye Yan's throat. Another inch deeper would have severed his throat and sent blood gushing.
Not only that, but Ye Yan also felt an intense killing intent that made his pores contract. He dared not move.
Cannot move!
One wrong move means death!
Ye Yan stood rooted to the spot like a statue, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
Ye Yan's volcanic anger was instantly extinguished due to the threat to his life.
It turned out that Wu Tao had arrived earlier, and seeing Ye Yan about to make a move, he had acted preemptively, placing his sword at Ye Yan's neck.
Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li, seeing that things were getting a bit out of hand, persuaded Wu Tao.
...
After Wu Tao withdrew the damaged ancient sword from Ye Yan's neck and re-sheathed it.
Ye Yan, with a frightened look, glanced at Wu Tao, then touched his neck.
After finding a trace of blood, he panicked and, completely losing his composure, scrambled away and fled.
Facing the strange glances from Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li, Wu Tao stood there and shrugged indifferently.
Skipping this interlude, Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li chatted for a while longer before returning to their respective rooms.
Meanwhile.
Back in his room, Ye Yan flew into a rage.
Ye Yan gathered his subordinates and prepared to find a suitable moment to teach Wu Tao, Ai Chen, Gao Chang, and Bai Li a lesson.
...
Standing by the railing at the edge of the deck, Wu Tao could see a protective shield three feet away. This was a forbidden formation designed specifically to protect the hull.
Looking through the protective shield, endless yellow sand stretched as far as the eye could see.
As the largest desert in Qingzhou, this desert spanned thirteen countries, including Hetian, Zhuque, and Xuanwu.
Nearby, five or six men and women were also standing on deck, chatting and admiring the scenery.
...
As dusk fell, it was time for dinner.
On the desert voyage, there was a free spirit banquet every day.
The spirit banquet featured various dishes containing spiritual energy.
Although most cultivators had辟谷丹 (Bigu Dan - a type of pill that allows one to forgo eating) in their storage bags and could sustain themselves without food, cultivators would naturally choose more delicious dishes when conditions allowed.
However, despite this, guests on the desert voyage rarely dined in the spirit banquet hall.
Cultivators generally preferred solitude and disliked gathering with large numbers of strangers.
Especially young masters from prominent families accompanied by servants often cooked for themselves and disdained taking advantage of the free meal.
Wu Tao did not have such privileges and did not care.
Since it was free and he had already paid for the passage, why wouldn't he eat?
Wu Tao went to the spirit banquet hall alone and ordered a meal.
Perhaps due to the small number of people, the food was served quickly.
What's more, the waiters were actually outer disciples of the Puppet God Crystal Sect.
At this moment, this outer disciple of the Puppet God Crystal Sect, performing menial tasks, showed no signs of resentment or humiliation on his face.
"Guest, the daily meals are provided by the hall and, by rule, do not require spirit stones. Of course..."
"If you wish to eat anything else, you can instruct the kitchen to prepare it separately, or send a servant to the kitchen to prepare it. This will incur additional spirit stone charges!"
This outer disciple of the Puppet God Crystal Sect appeared to be in his forties, with a seasoned and smooth demeanor.
"No need, this is enough!"
Wu Tao nodded and waved him away.
At this time, there were not many people dining in the hall. He occupied a corner by himself, enjoying the peace and quiet.
The dishes were not extravagant, but they were decent.
Four dishes, one soup, and one platter. The soup was ginseng and turtle stew, rich and nourishing, a potent tonic.
The platter was a fruit platter made of various spirit fruits.
The other four dishes included a plate of spiced yellow beef, a plate of stir-fried silver mushrooms with meat, a braised pork hock, and a dish of purple broccoli salad. Two meat and two vegetable dishes, all tasted excellent.
It was even better than the food he had eaten in other restaurants. Wu Tao couldn't help but eat heartily, finishing several bowls of rice.
"The staple rice used here is also spirit rice grown in spiritual fields. It contains spiritual energy and is quite good."
"Unfortunately, it's still a little inferior to Red Tooth Liang Immortal Rice..."
After eating his fill, Wu Tao patted his belly and sighed in satisfaction.
...
"Heh heh, Daoist friend, you truly have a grand imagination. Red Tooth Liang Immortal Rice is a superior spirit item among spirit rice, highly beneficial to cultivators like us. However, its growth conditions are harsh, making it a rare commodity."
"If the desert voyage used Red Tooth Liang Immortal Rice as the staple food every day, it would go bankrupt in no time!"
Just then, a soft voice came from behind him.
"Oh, Fairy Lan Yingxiang is here!"
"Quick! Quickly, please have a seat."
Wu Tao turned around and saw Lan Yingxiang.
Today, Lan Yingxiang was wearing a light green dress. She was like a young lady from a prominent family, smiling charmingly at him.
Wu Tao was not awkward. He laughed heartily and directly invited Lan Yingxiang to sit down.
Lan Yingxiang was not polite and sat directly opposite Wu Tao.
They chatted for a full half hour before Wu Tao stood up, cupped his fists, and left.
Lan Yingxiang watched his receding figure, smiled gently, and unhurriedly returned to her room.
"Miss, the hot water is ready!"
In the room, two maids in green clothes had been waiting and immediately bowed.
"Hmm, you may rise!"
Lan Yingxiang nodded and walked directly to the main seat.
...
"This person owes me a favor, which I can use immediately..."
Lan Yingxiang sat on a chair, tapping the table with her jade-like fingers, and murmured to herself.
"His combat power is not weak; he can be of great help to me. However, after I've used him, what should I do with him..."
Lan Yingxiang stood there, pondered for a while, and then waved her hand, signaling them to withdraw.
"As you command!"
The two maids immediately bowed and withdrew.
After a moment of thought, Lan Yingxiang slowly took off her robe and walked to the crystal-clear pool, revealing her slender and perfect figure.
Her jade feet entered the water, casting a dazzling glow on the water's reflection.
Lan Yingxiang bathed herself, her well-developed body and milky white skin faintly visible in the mist.
Meanwhile!
In his room, Wu Tao sat cross-legged, appearing relaxed.
"What exactly is the intention of this woman, Lan Yingxiang?"
Wu Tao rubbed his chin, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Although she had concealed her intentions well, giving no hint of them,
He just had a feeling that Lan Yingxiang harbored ill intentions.
Not to mention, once they reached Liangzhou, they would be on her territory.
Whether to kill or attack would be in her hands.
"However, I don't think Lan Yingxiang would dare to go too far, after all, I am an inner disciple of Taiyi Immortal Sect, one of the Ten Great Orthodox Sects..."
"So the only possibility is that she wants to use me!"
Wu Tao closed his eyes and entered a deep state of meditation.
...
(The new book is being updated. Please collect, recommend, and share. Thank you for your support, which is my motivation!)