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

"Should I find you a horse?"

Zheng Zhuang looked back at Ye Chuxue, who was walking slower and slower, and asked helplessly.

"Thank you, sir. Chu Xue can still hold on." Ye Chu Xue gritted her teeth stubbornly.

"There's a small grove of trees up ahead, let's go and rest for a while."

Zheng Zhuang felt inexplicably excited; taking a girl into the woods always evoked pleasant associations.

He remembered that when he was in college, there was a grove of trees on campus, which was a popular spot for student couples to meet.

Perhaps it was an irresistible urge, or perhaps it was a pursuit of excitement, but some even staged passionate scenes in secret corners.

He didn't have a voyeuristic tendency, so he would deliberately pass by, coughing loudly a few times, and soon two panicked figures would be seen leaving in a hurry.

At that moment, he would feel a strange sense of accomplishment—protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility!

Grass that is constantly pressed down will not grow, and trees that are constantly shaken will easily become bare.

On Qiuming Mountain, Zheng Zhuang agreed to Ye Chuxue's request and did not take Ye Fu's life.

He had hoped to get some valuable information from Night Bat, but Night Bat only had a vague understanding of how to become a "ladyboy".

According to Nightbat's description, he and those chosen will be taken to a mysterious place.

It was an altar, but he couldn't remember anything about what happened after he arrived at the altar. He only remembered that when he woke up, he had superhuman powers.

As for those who went in with him, they were all dead, because the process of fusing demonic power was inherently extremely dangerous.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as the unfinished product that Zheng Zhuang encountered when he rescued Ye Ling'er's family last time. That person was someone who had not successfully integrated but had survived by chance.

However, it wasn't entirely fruitless; at least we learned that they came from an organization called the "Demon God Cult."

The highest-ranking figure in the sect is the "Demon God," but no one has ever seen the true face of the "Demon God." Below the "Demon God" are the Left and Right Envoys. The Left Envoy is also extremely mysterious, and the Right Envoy usually takes charge.

Below the two envoys are various "subordinate gods," such as the "Beast God" and the "Flower God," as well as the "Gu God" who was collected into the teapot by Zheng Zhuang.

Zheng Zhuang was somewhat surprised to learn that the "God of Gu" had fallen. The City God Zhao Gaoyi was indeed a famous general in his lifetime, decisive in killing.

Among the various "subordinate gods", the "Beast God" has the greatest power and the strongest strength. Below the "subordinate gods" are the divine messengers of their respective religions, such as the Night Bat, whose strength varies.

The mission of the divine messengers is to establish "divine religions" in various places, help their respective "subordinate gods" collect the power of faith, and then hand it over to the "demon god".

As an "inspector," Night Bat also knows a secret: to become a "subordinate god," one needs to be granted a "divine position" by a "demon god."

However, it takes a lot of faith to create a "god," so the number of "gods" is not large.

Zheng Zhuang originally planned to directly search the soul of the Night Bat, but he ultimately abandoned the idea.

That altar should be the most core secret of the "Demon God Cult". The other side couldn't possibly be unprepared, and might even alert them by doing so.

Finally, after careful consideration, Zheng Zhuang implanted one of his "marks" into the body of the Night Bat.

This "mark" was created in imitation of the primordial spirit sword in his sea of ​​consciousness, and its function is similar. The primordial spirit sword is for him to show off, while this "mark" is to control Night Bat to act as an undercover agent.

After releasing the night bat, Zheng Zhuang offered Zhou Quan a few more words of encouragement before leaving Qiuming Mountain with Ye Chuxue.

As for Li Qing'er and the others, they were sent away by Zheng Zhuang first. Ye Chuxue, on the other hand, got along well with the girl and whispered a few words to her.

But how to bring Ye Chuxue back was a problem for Zheng Zhuang. Should he carry her on his sword? Should he hold her or carry her on his back? Men and women shouldn't touch each other. Should he put her in a sack and carry her back?

Ye Chuxue seemed to sense Zheng Zhuang's predicament, so she suggested going directly to Yongning City. Yongning City was not too far from Qiuming Mountain, and even walking would only take a day or two at most.

Having already visited Jiankang City, Quliang City, and Zhengzhuang in the vicinity, I was planning to visit Yongning City, so I agreed to Ye Chuxue's suggestion.

So Zheng Zhuang sent a message back to Peach Blossom Courtyard via flying sword, instructing Chen Chui and Ding Wu to go directly to Yongning City to meet Ye Chuxue, while he himself set off with Ye Chuxue.

Zheng Zhuang hadn't expected that the empress was indeed pampered and walked very slowly, making him want to carry her on his back.

He wondered to himself, "Women in this world don't seem to bind their feet, do they?"

Zheng Zhuang shook his head and slowly walked towards the grove.

Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly, and he heard the call of a pheasant!

Zheng Zhuang was delighted. This was one of the good things about the world; wild game was everywhere.

He remembered the taste of that roast chicken from last time and unconsciously swallowed.

Zheng Zhuang deliberately slowed his pace and followed the sound, and sure enough, he found a chicken coop.

The pheasant's nest was located at the top of a large tree. The pheasant hopped around on the branches a few times before gently settling into the nest.

This made Zheng Zhuang even happier, guessing that it must be a hen, and there might be eggs in the nest!

Without hesitation, Zheng Zhuang leaped up and soared into the tree.

The pheasant was so startled by the sudden appearance of the human figure that it instinctively tucked its wings in.

This made Zheng Zhuang chuckle, saving him the trouble of using a freezing spell.

With a gentle flick, the plump pheasant rolled its eyes and fainted.

Zheng Zhuang didn't hesitate and happily removed the chicken coop, taking the pheasant and the eggs from it all at once.

"Um...ah..."

Just then, a strange sound came from under the tree. Zheng Zhuang looked down and his expression immediately turned strange.

Although he possessed profound cultivation, he still regarded himself as an ordinary person and did not have the habit of using his divine sense casually unless necessary.

At this moment, a man and a woman were standing under the tree. The man was holding the woman's hands tightly, while the woman was bending over with her back to the man, in an extremely ambiguous posture.

Zheng Zhuang sighed inwardly, "Aren't there any pure souls in this grove?"

In my past life, when we were in school, couples would sneak around in the dark to make love. But this is happening in broad daylight! The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be!

But since the couple below were mutually in love, he couldn't interfere. In the end, he was the one who disturbed them.

Zheng Zhuang slowly descended from the tree, about to say "You can continue!", when the man spoke first:

"What do you want to do?"

"Hiss...is this not a good idea?" Zheng Zhuang gasped. If he had encountered such a good thing in his previous life, he would have excitedly agreed.

But with his stunning good looks, finding a girlfriend would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

He scrutinized the woman for a few moments, then shook his head inwardly. Although she had a decent figure, her looks were rather ordinary. Besides, how could he be so shameless?

So he firmly refused, saying, "I... won't do it!"

Zheng Zhuang's answer surprised both the man and woman. The woman quickly replied:

"My lord, this man is a spy from the Kingdom of Rising Sun. I have been chasing him all the way from Yongning City to here, but I did not expect to be ambushed by him. I beg you to help me capture him."

Seeing that Zheng Zhuang landed steadily from the tree, she guessed that he must have extraordinary lightness skills and was perhaps a passing wandering knight-errant, so she addressed him as "Great Hero".

The man sneered, "You're quite the smooth talker. You're the real spy. I've been infiltrating the Rising Sun Kingdom for a long time, and now I've finally dug you out. Now that I've finally caught you, how can I let you get away?"

"Hey Yang, if you hadn't ambushed me, I wouldn't be in your hands. If you're a man, let's have a fair fight and see who catches whom."

"Hey, you old hag, you're just spouting nonsense. You think I'm stupid enough to let you go?"

Zheng Zhuang was speechless. You guys have been pretty aboveboard, haven't you? But this plot doesn't seem to be quite what I expected, but what does it have to do with me?

He gave an awkward but polite smile and said, "Excuse me!"

Just as Zheng Zhuang turned to leave, Ye Chuxue heard the commotion and rushed over.

"Mr. Zheng, what are you doing?"

"I didn't do it!"

Zheng Zhuang blurted it out, but then immediately felt something was off. Why did he feel a little guilty?

He coughed lightly and said, "You've come at the right time. Both of them claim the other is a spy for the Kingdom of Rising Sun. As... what do you think we should do?"

"Oh?" Ye Chuxue became interested and glanced at the two of them, saying, "I...I am a purple-robed secret agent of the Yao Guang Division of the Dark Moon Kingdom. Which division do you belong to?"

Ye Chuxue wasn't making things up. She was the one who established the intelligence organization of Cangyue Kingdom, and she also had the identity of the "Dark Moon" Commander-in-Chief. However, this was a top secret and only a handful of people knew about it.

The couple didn't answer immediately, but instead looked at Ye Chuxue warily and said:

"Why should we trust you?"

"How cautious!" Ye Chuxue nodded slightly, then recited, "South of Yaoguang Tower lies the Forbidden City, and the Pear Garden's Immortal Banquet graces the blossoming branches."

Upon hearing this coded message, the woman's face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "So it's you, sir of the Yaoguang Division. I am Ye Cangyue, a red-clad secret agent of the Yuheng Division. Greetings, sir!"

The man still held the woman's hands tightly, but introduced himself: "I am Yang Xuri, a blue-clad secret agent of the Greedy Wolf Division. I chose this name for better infiltration. As for my previous name, I have forgotten it."

Ye Chuxue nodded approvingly: "You can release her now. I have some questions I want to ask you."

"But..." The man hesitated for a moment.

Ye Chuxue glanced at Zheng Zhuang and smiled, "With Mr. Zheng here, there's no problem!"

Zheng Zhuang found it quite interesting. Since Ye Cangyue called him a great hero, he would show off his skills and put on a little show.

He dragged the chicken coop with one hand and gently pressed the other hand against the big tree next to him, creating a palm print that penetrated deep into the wood.

Yang Xuri was relieved and slowly released Ye Cangyue.

Ye Cangyue rubbed his slightly sore wrists and bowed to Ye Chuxue, saying, "Thank you, my lord!"

Ye Chuxue asked the two a few more questions, and they answered them fluently, which basically ruled them out as suspects.

"Since we both belong to 'Dark Moon,' why would you persecute your colleague?" Ye Cangyue asked with some doubt.

Yang Xuri sighed sadly and said, "If not for this, how could I gain their trust? If you still don't believe me, you can come with me to Yongning City, where Commander Ding will verify my identity."

Ye Cangyue's expression darkened, and she did not refute him further.

"That's about enough! You, there's a stream over there. Clean up this pheasant and see if you can catch a fish while you're at it. Remember, make sure to clean the chicken's intestines thoroughly." Zheng Zhuang pointed at Ye Cangyue, handed her the pheasant, and also gave her a packet of salt.

Then he instructed Yang Xuri, "Go and pick some wild vegetables nearby. If you can find some mushrooms, that would be even better."

Zheng Zhuang had no time to concern himself with the matter of spies; eating was the most important thing. It would be best to stew this hen into a soup. With plenty of manpower available, why not use it?

"And you..." Zheng Zhuang wanted to ask Ye Chuxue to gather some firewood, but thinking that this might be a bit difficult for the Empress, he could only sigh, "You should rest!"

Yang Xuri and Ye Cangyue exchanged glances, both turning their gazes toward Ye Chuxue.

Ye Chuxue nodded with a smile and said, "Do as Mr. Zheng instructs!"

"Hurry up!" Zheng Zhuang urged, adding, "When you're picking wild vegetables, gather some firewood too."

After the two left, Zheng Zhuang found an open space, waved his hand, and moved a few stones to build a simple stove.

Then, under Ye Chuxue's dumbfounded gaze, Zheng Zhuang took out two pots, a stack of bowls and chopsticks, and even some bottles and jars containing seasonings.

"Sir, are you planning to...cook the meal yourself?" Ye Chuxue asked, somewhat uncertain.

"Yes, we do need to cook some rice. Luckily, I brought some rice with me." Zheng Zhuang nodded and took out a special pot for cooking and a bag of rice.

Ye Chuxue was completely stunned. In her imagination, cultivators should not eat human food. Not to mention cultivators, even ordinary men would not cook. But looking at Zheng Zhuang's skillful movements, it seemed that he cooked often.

"Is there anything I can help with, Chu Xue?" Ye Chu Xue asked, snapping out of her reverie.

"What can you do?" Zheng Zhuang asked curiously.

"I... I don't know how." Ye Chuxue lowered her head in shame. As an empress, she had never done such a thing before.

"Then why are you asking?" Zheng Zhuang rolled his eyes silently.

"I..." Ye Chuxue was speechless and turned her head away in annoyance.

A short while later, Yang Xuri returned with a pile of wild vegetables in his clothes and a bundle of firewood in his hand.

Zheng Zhuang opened it and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad! Go wash it with water."

Yang Xuri had only taken two steps when Zheng Zhuang instructed him again, "You must go upstream!"

After a while, Ye Cangyue and Yang Xuri returned one after the other.

Zheng Zhuang glanced at the fish Ye Cangyue was carrying and praised her, "You're not bad either!"

Then Zheng Zhuang clapped his hands and ordered a fire to be lit and food to be cooked.

Ye Cangyue looked at the pots and pans scattered on the ground in surprise, and secretly asked Ye Chuxue, "Sir, does Mr. Zheng carry all of these with him?"

Ye Chuxue glanced at Zheng Zhuang, who was skillfully wielding the spatula, nodded somewhat stiffly, and then suddenly smiled:

"Mr. Zheng is truly an interesting person!"

Ye Cangyue's eyes swept back and forth between Zheng Zhuang and Ye Chuxue, and a hint of ambiguous smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Ye Chuxue seemed to see through Ye Cangyue's thoughts, and explained with a slight blush, "It's not what you think!"

But for some reason, her heart started beating faster.

This peach blossom immortal, who was ethereal and otherworldly just a moment ago, but is now earnestly managing the mundane affairs of daily life, possesses an indescribable charm.