Chapter 658: Senior Brother Lu Yang's Words Are Correct

Liu Xiangyu dared not tell Xu An her true identity, so they never registered their marriage. Xu An wasn't particular about such things; if his wife didn't want to, it was fine by him.

At these words, the three maids' eyes lit up. All this time, Xu An and Liu Xiangyu had referred to each other as husband and wife, yet it turned out they hadn't registered their marriage at all. That's right, to register a marriage with the authorities, one must at least verify both parties' identities. Since their benefactor didn't know Liu Xiangyu was a snake demon, it meant they hadn't registered. "Then what kind of legitimate wife are you?" Since Liu Xiangyu hadn't registered, didn't that mean everyone was on the same starting line? The master truly was a master; he could see problems they couldn't.

“As for the four of you taking turns to be intimate with Benefactor Xu, causing his Yang energy to be insufficient, that is beyond this monk's capability,” Shi Chan said. “However, my senior brother here can solve your problem.”

Shi Chan earnestly introduced Meng Jingzhou. “My senior brother possesses potent Yang-enhancing blood, which Benefactor Liu is likely familiar with. Benefactor Xu is a mortal; one drop of this blood needs to be diluted a thousandfold before consumption. For long-term considerations, this monk advises the four of you to purchase a few drops.”

Meng Jingzhou, with a straight face, took out several small bottles containing the Yang-enhancing blood. “One hundred thousand spirit stones per drop.” It was a blatant price hike. After its hot sales in the black market, Meng Jingzhou realized he had been selling it too cheaply. This was the strongest single spirit root blood of ancient times, capable of invigorating Yang, nourishing the kidneys, prolonging life, making one immune to all poisons, enhancing memory, and improving physical constitution. It was a rare treasure, unobtainable even with spirit stones. Was one hundred thousand spirit stones per drop expensive? Not at all.

“I'll buy five drops!” Liu Xiangyu went all out; the three maids clearly saw an opportunity to contend for the position of legitimate wife. If she lost her status as the legitimate wife, and in the future had to compete with the three maids for intimacy, then whoever bought more blood today would have more confidence in future contests.

“I'll buy six drops!” Xiao Cui exclaimed. The barbecue shop was doing excellent business, and as its manager, she received substantial commissions, making her the wealthiest of the four women.

“I—I'll buy three drops.” Xiao Zhu's confidence was lacking; she was from a less established background and didn't have many spirit stones. As for Xiao Qiu, she was even worse off; she was merely an artifact spirit and had no spirit stones at all.

Meng Jingzhou left fourteen small bottles, retrieved the rest, and collected one point four million spirit stones. "Tsk, there was no sense of accomplishment in earning these spirit stones."

“Then this monk will return to Benefactor Xu's room with my three senior brothers and wait until daybreak,” Shi Chan said. “And I kindly request the four female benefactors to clean up the traces of the battle in the courtyard.” Xiao Zhu had conjured a snowstorm, and the courtyard was still freezing, making people shiver.

A few hours later, Xu An woke up, feeling quite well. “Did the three masters have any success last night? I feel much more energetic this morning.”

Meng Jingzhou thought to himself, 'Of course. If you hadn't consumed my Yang-enhancing blood, after being intimate with a ghost, a demon, and an artifact spirit last night, you'd be too weak to even get out of bed today.'

“Amitabha, there were some gains last night. The problem has been resolved, and Benefactor Xu will not experience insufficient Yang energy again.” Xu An's eyebrows lifted in delight. The expert recommended by Brother Zhong Ming was indeed formidable. “Master, that was hard work. And the fee…?”

“Five hundred taels of silver will suffice.” Xu An was startled, not because it was expensive, but because the price was surprisingly low. He had sought out many experts, but none could solve his issue. Yet, this master solved it in one night for only five hundred taels of silver? For him, with his parents' inheritance, five hundred taels of silver was insignificant.

“Then, why was I always lacking energy?”

“When the time is right, Benefactor Xu will know.”

“Ah, oh.” Xu An thought, 'The master still plays these mysterious riddles.'

Xu An tidied his clothes, preparing to eat breakfast and continue reading ancient texts. As he stepped out of his room, he saw his wife and three maids standing neatly at the entrance. The four women spoke in unison:

“Husband / Benefactor / Master, I have actually been hiding something from you.”“I am actually a snake demon / ghost cultivator / fox demon / artifact spirit.”

The four women each displayed their unique abilities and revealed their true forms: a white snake dozens of feet long, a ghost cultivator surrounded by chilling winds, a fluffy fox, and an artifact spirit whose body dematerialized into a jade pendant. Xu An's eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted.

Lu Yang sighed, “What poor courage.” However, the subsequent events had nothing to do with them. The three returned to the inn while the streets were still sparsely populated in the early morning.

A pair of hidden eyes silently watched the backs of the three as they disappeared into the inn, then turned to instruct their subordinates. “Inform the lord that they have returned to the inn; we can act now.”

After a restless night, even the three of them felt fatigued and needed proper rest. About half an hour later, Lu Yang's room door was knocked upon.

“Excuse me, is anyone in?” Lu Yang, sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. He still felt a bit sluggish, not having fully rested. Who was looking for him? Through his spiritual sense, he discovered many people standing in the corridor. From the style of their clothes, they appeared to be government officials.

Lu Yang got up and opened the door. Standing at the entrance was a somewhat portly middle-aged man. Upon seeing Lu Yang, the portly middle-aged man beamed with a warm smile. “You must be Lu Yang, the virtuous nephew from the Dao-Seeking Sect. Allow me to introduce myself; my surname is Liu, and I am the City Lord of Spring River City.”

Lu Yang was stunned. How did the City Lord know of his existence? Lu Yang suddenly realized—when he was showing off in front of Boss Hong, he had shouted his name. It must have been revealed during Boss Hong's interrogation! Damn it, he had been so focused on showing off at the time that he hadn't considered the consequences.

City Lord Liu also summoned Meng Jingzhou and Shi Chan from the adjacent room, inviting both of them into Lu Yang's room. City Lord Liu said cordially, “It's quite a formality for you three virtuous nephews to arrive in Spring River City without a greeting. May I ask if the three of you are here on a mission from your immortal sect?”

“Amitabha, this monk and his companions have come to Spring River City for some private matters.” Hearing it was for private matters, City Lord Liu's smile widened. “If you three virtuous nephews don't mind, why not join me for a simple meal at my residence tonight?” 'If it's private matters, that's excellent. I'll quickly help you resolve them so you can depart swiftly.'

Lu Yang suddenly said, “We initially came for private reasons, but we coincidentally discovered clues of the Demonic Cult in Spring River City.” Upon hearing ‘Demonic Cult,’ City Lord Liu visibly tensed up. “Do you need me to send people to assist?”

Lu Yang shook his head, declining City Lord Liu's kind offer, and stated gravely, “We are investigating privately. If government officials also take action, the situation will become complicated, and it might alert our targets. Based on existing clues, we have found traces of the Nine Nether Cult's activities in Spring River City, and these activities have been ongoing for some time. Our preliminary assessment is that the leader of these activities is a ghost cultivator who enjoys absorbing men's Yang energy. One man has already been victimized; fortunately, we arrived in time, and he survived, saving his life. We also discovered that this ghost cultivator participated in a chaotic battle involving four Nascent Soul stage cultivators, with various factions vying for supremacy, refusing to yield. The situation is extremely complex.”

“Senior Brother Shi Chan, is this correct?”

“Amitabha, monks do not lie. What Senior Brother Lu Yang said is correct.”