This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

Zheng Zhuang took the iron plaque. It was much heavier than he had imagined. He didn't know what material it was made of. It was engraved with intricate patterns that vaguely outlined the shape of an ancient tomb.

"Where did you get this?"

“This…” Chen Chui hesitated for a moment, “The iron plate was actually obtained from two tomb raiders. At first, I didn’t care about it, I just thought its material was special, but after I injected spiritual power, a map appeared on it. Following the guidance, I found a celestial tomb.”

"The Immortal's Tomb?" Zheng Zhuang asked with a strange expression.

"Yes, it is a huge ancient tomb, but it once emitted a rich immortal light. My strength is too weak, and I originally planned to investigate after the great battle with the Rising Sun Kingdom. However, with your cultivation level, taking the treasure will be as easy as taking candy from a baby."

Chen Chui felt a pang of regret; he would never have taken out the iron plate if it weren't for the emergency.

This metal plaque is not only a map, but also a key.

However, he also had his own calculations. That ancient tomb was no ordinary place and must be extremely dangerous inside. If he went in with his cultivation level, he might not only fail to obtain any treasures but also lose his life.

It would be better to offer it up openly. If Zheng Zhuang really finds something in the ancient tomb, he might reward him with one or two items.

Zheng Zhuang's heart skipped a beat. That ancient tomb could suppress divine sense. Could there really be some treasure inside? However, when he thought of how poor Dongfang Wuming was, he felt that the chances were slim.

Although I have been in the ancient tomb for nine years, I can't say that I have been to every place. There may be some that have escaped. It seems that I should take some time to go back and investigate.

Zheng Zhuang glanced at Chen Chui without changing his expression. So this guy was planning to dig up my grave? No, he wanted to confiscate my property?

Although Zheng Zhuang was tired of staying in the ancient tomb, he had lived there for nine years and had developed an attachment to it. He couldn't allow others to touch it.

"Very well! I'll reluctantly accept this. Don't worry, since she's Xiu'er's junior, I naturally won't stand idly by!"

Chen Chui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As long as Zheng Zhuang was willing to help, Ye Chuxue would definitely be brought back safely.

"Do you know which direction the people who kidnapped her went?" Zheng Zhuang asked.

“I have thought this through carefully on my way here. Since it was sent by Ye Ningshuang, they must be taking His Majesty to the Kingdom of Xuri. And Yongning City is the only place we can pass through on our way to the Kingdom of Xuri,” Chen Chui said.

Zheng Zhuang nodded: "There's no time to lose. I'll set off now. You can wait here. I'll send a message back by flying sword after I find her."

Chen Chui watched Zheng Zhuang fly away on his sword, filled with admiration. This was a true cultivator!

Helpless, the young girl gestured for Chen Chui and Ding Wu to sit down and then turned to make tea for them.

This was Ding Wu's first time visiting Peach Blossom Courtyard. He had been worried about Ye Chuxue's safety, but seeing Zheng Zhuang take action put him at ease. Only then did he curiously begin to examine this mysterious courtyard.

Apart from the stone table in front of him, there was only the old peach tree with its profusion of flowers and a few ordinary houses, which appeared extremely simple and plain, yet had an indescribable tranquility and elegance.

His gaze lingered on the yellow ox under the tree for a moment. He had seen this ox before at the Green Grass Lake in the academy, but the ox raised by the immortals didn't seem to be anything special.

As if sensing his gaze, Niu Daben snorted, "What are you looking at?"

Chen Chui and Ding Wu were both startled: "You can talk?"

Niu Daben grinned smugly: "I am Niu Daben, the Ox God under the Lord's command. What's so strange about me being able to talk?"

Chen Chui quickly pulled Ding Wu along, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Lord Ox God!"

Seeing that they were so cooperative, Niu Daben could no longer maintain his composure: "You can rest assured, with the master in charge, these transvestites are nothing to worry about!"

“Master…” A childish voice suddenly came from behind Niu Daben.

Niu Daben hurriedly turned his head and was met with the tree face that the old peach tree had manifested: "My God! You can talk?"

"Speak..." Tree Face's lips moved.

Qin Qianqian brought out the tea and was immediately surprised: "The peach tree... spoke?"

"Peach...tree." The old peach tree repeated, as if it had learned a new word.

The blue chubby boy followed Qin Qianqian out, pointing excitedly at the old peach tree and exclaiming, "Waaah..."

"..." The old peach tree moved its mouth, indicating that it couldn't learn this sentence.

Chen Chui clicked his tongue in amazement: "I didn't expect the peach tree to develop sentience so quickly. Mr. Zheng is truly a master. And this fox?"

"It's called Blue Fatty, and Young Master brought it back from Jiankang City," Qin Qianqian explained.

Chen Chui was somewhat puzzled. Both bull demons and fox demons were mentioned. It seemed that Mr. Zheng was not averse to demons, which was quite different from ordinary righteous cultivators.

Ding Wu stared at the blue chubby fox without moving. He didn't know why, but ever since he was castrated, he had developed a special fondness for furry little animals. This chubby fox was just too cute, and he really wanted to pet it.

The blue cat noticed Ding Wu's blatant gaze and jumped into Qin Qianqian's arms in fear. It had initially resisted the little girl, but now it had gotten used to it.

Qin Qianqian happily stroked the blue chubby boy's soft fur and smiled:

"Please have some tea, gentlemen. This tea is made from peach petals, and the young master quite likes it."

Chen Chui and Ding Wu quickly expressed their gratitude, but then they heard the old peach tree speak again: "Drink... tea."

The group found it amusing and laughed.

……

Night Bat flew with Night Snow for a while before finally stopping on a mountain. He could travel a thousand miles a day on his own, but carrying someone made him somewhat exhausted.

In front of a mountain god temple, he put down the sack, gently opened it, and was immediately met with Ye Chuxue's cold gaze.

Ye Chuxue had actually been awake for some time, but given her uncertain situation, it would be unwise for a weak woman like her to rashly resist.

She was visibly startled when she saw the night bat: "It's you?"

Night Bat smiled faintly: "It's me!"

Seeing the wings on the back of the night bat, Ye Chuxue sighed, "How did you become like this?"

"Isn't it all your fault that I've become like this, my dear aunt!" Night Bat sneered.

"You should know that I was also powerless back then, Ye Qin..." Ye Chuxue said.

"Of course I know you have no choice. My father is the crown prince. If I don't get rid of him, how can you sit on the throne?" Night Bat's face showed a hint of mockery.

"I don't blame you for hating me, but I've treated you well. Are you really going to side with Ye Ningshuang like this?" Ye Chuxue said helplessly.

The night bat picked up some firewood from the ground, then gently waved its hand, and sparks flew up:

“Let’s rest here tonight! We’ll continue our journey early tomorrow morning. She’s been wanting to see you. Look at me now, what’s wrong with me? I have power far beyond that of ordinary people, and I can control your life and death at will. It’s much better than when you imprisoned me.”

“I was protecting you. If I hadn’t imprisoned you, how could you have survived until now?” Ye Chuxue frowned.

"So, I should thank you?" Night Bat said sarcastically.

"you……"

"somebody is coming!"

Night Bat's ears twitched, and he reached out to stop Night Snow from speaking.

Ye Chuxue listened intently, and after a while, she finally heard a series of chaotic footsteps.

"Damn it, these sons of bitches are really relentless. They don't dare to go to the front lines to fight the people of the Rising Sun Kingdom, but instead they rob us. Should we fight them to the death?" a man with a scar on his face cursed.

Behind him was a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant, with a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old beside him. Behind them were several burly men who looked like guards, and the four characters "Yongwei Escort Agency" were embroidered on their clothes.

"Dad, I'm scared!" the little girl whispered, clutching the middle-aged man's sleeve tightly.

Her hair was a little messy, and her face looked quite disheveled; it was easy to see that she had suffered a lot along the way.

"Qing'er, don't be afraid. I've heard that this mountain god temple is very effective. Let's go and pray. Maybe the mountain god will help us get through this ordeal safely," the middle-aged man comforted her gently.

The scarred man curled his lip: "Hey Manager Li, now that disaster is upon us, you still believe in this stuff?"

The middle-aged man sighed: "Knifehead, this trip has dragged you into trouble. If you can escape danger, I, Li, will definitely reward you handsomely. Qing'er really can't hold on any longer, why don't we take a break?"

The scarred man waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Manager Li. Everyone knows the reputation of our escort agency. We certainly won't abandon you. As for the reward, we'll talk about it after we're out of danger."

The scarred man knew that normally, as long as enough money was paid, everyone could live in peace. But this time, the soldiers and bandits had taken a liking to the little girl and insisted that she stay. They had both lost some men in their previous battles, so this time it was destined to be a fight to the death.

Manager Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His daughter had been trapped in Yongning City, and this trip was to pick her up. For this, he spent a lot of money to hire the famous "Yongwei Escort Agency". Everything went smoothly at first, but unexpectedly, they encountered soldiers and bandits at the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, the escorts were brave and managed to fight their way out, but the soldiers and bandits still pursued them relentlessly.

"Hey? There's a light! There are people in the temple! Everyone, be on guard!" the scarred man shouted, drawing his knife.

The other burly men quickly drew their swords and surrounded Manager Li and his daughter, then moved step by step toward the mountain god temple.

The scarred man pushed open the temple door and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the seemingly frail man and woman inside.

"Turns out they're a pair of wild mandarin ducks, gave me quite a fright! Let's put them away!"

Ye Chuxue's eyebrows shot up immediately, and she shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting! He is...my nephew!"

Manager Li gave the scarred man a wink, then quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I didn't know you two were here. My apologies!"

The night bat had already folded its wings and said calmly, "Please, everyone, make yourselves at home!"

Manager Li said, "A group of soldiers and bandits are chasing us. We shouldn't stay here any longer. If you two have rested enough, you should leave quickly to avoid getting into trouble."

Night Bat didn't seem to care at all, saying, "It's alright, just take care of yourselves!"

Manager Li sighed helplessly. He had already kindly reminded the other party, but there was nothing he could do if the other party wouldn't listen to his advice.

The scarred man glanced at Manager Li with a smile, laughing at his meddling, but his eyes kept glancing at Ye Chuxue. This woman was really hot!

The little girl named Qing'er glanced timidly at Ye Fu, and when she saw Ye Chuxue, she was also in a daze. Even as a woman, she felt a little ashamed of herself.

"Sister, you're so beautiful. What my dad said is true, those bad people..."

Ye Chuxue felt a warmth in her heart for no reason. Even though she was in danger herself, she still comforted her, "Little sister, don't be afraid. My nephew is very capable!"

She knew very well that Ye Fu wouldn't let her get hurt before she met Ye Ning Shuang, and she was equally aware of what would happen to her afterward.

The scarred man and several burly men sized up Night Bat's thin body, exchanged glances, and smiled disdainfully.

Qing'er was also somewhat helpless, but she said nothing more. Instead, she walked to the mountain god statue, knelt down, and clasped her hands together in prayer:

"I, Li Qing'er, beg the Mountain God to protect us and help us escape danger safely."

As she spoke, she kowtowed several times to the mountain god statue, and then slowly stood up.

The scarred man chuckled, casually picked up a pear from the incense table, took a bite, and said:

"Hey! I never expected anyone to come and make offerings in this godforsaken place. Hmm, it's quite sweet!"

Qing'er rolled her eyes at the scarred man, but couldn't help but swallow; the pears smelled quite delicious.

"Give me one!" The scarred man finished his first bite and reached for another, but Qing'er stopped him.

"Father! Look at him!" Qing'er said reproachfully.

Shopkeeper Li was at a loss for words, while the scarred man withdrew his hand in boredom.

"Let's go! Don't let those sons of bitches catch up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of footsteps sounded, and a dozen or so people carrying long knives and dressed in rags surrounded the mountain god temple.

"Damn it, what bad luck! You all step back, Ah Long and Ah Hu, you two guard the window!"

The scarred man slapped himself, then pulled Manager Li and his daughter behind him and gave instructions to the other two bodyguards.

He himself, along with the remaining bodyguards, blocked the doorway and shouted:

"Brothers, we all live on the edge, so take all the money you want and let us go, okay?"

Outside the temple, a leader laughed and said, "It's a bit late to say all this now. Like I said, leave your money and that young woman, and we'll let you go."

As he spoke, he glanced into the mountain god temple and saw Qing'er tightly holding Ye Chuxue's hand. His eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed with delight:

"Damn it, there's another one. This one's even hotter. Brothers, get her! This older one's mine, and you can deal with the younger one!"

Upon hearing such vulgar language, Ye Chuxue's eyes widened in anger. How dare they say she was old!

The scarred man gritted his teeth. Despite his lack of education, a phrase suddenly popped into his mind: "a beautiful woman is a source of trouble."

The enemy outnumbered them, and several of our brothers were injured. They had no choice but to fight to the death and take a few of their own down with them!

"Step back! The Ye family members are not for these scum to insult!"

A soft voice reached everyone's ears, carrying a barely perceptible hint of anger. Night Bat had appeared at the doorway without anyone noticing...