Yun Liu lowered his head, sensing trouble.
The unexpected had still happened.
That arrogant Old Villain Longyi had actually chosen to ally with the Seven Stars of the High Heavens.
If the already stunted Fallen Mysterious Woman had to navigate normally, wouldn’t it be starting a hell mode run?
Wanting to take Ah Lian away under these circumstances became even harder.
During the feast, the host and guests were in a mess.
The topics that followed were not suitable for open discussion.
The Seven Stars of the High Heavens also needed time to digest before making a decision, so there was no rush.
The bait had already been thrown.
How many big fish could be caught depended on who couldn’t resist biting first.
As the gathering dispersed, Yushen Longyi looked expectantly at Little Yellow Hair and spoke alone to detain him.
“Young Master Ji, please stay a moment. My words from earlier still stand, if Lord Tianji doesn’t mind?”
Old Man Tianquan tucked his hands into his sleeves, glancing at the peculiar mother and son, but his gaze lingered more on Ji Shiyu, taking note of this interesting child.
Ji Xingshu smiled, winking at Yun Liu, then left gracefully, meaning ‘I’ll wait for you in my room.’
If you dare sneak away, Mommy will be sad~
Yun Liu groaned inwardly, steadied himself, and decided to proceed with the original plan for now.
He walked together with Yushen Longyi, crossing the inner courtyard of the Root Mansion, then took a separate path downstairs and out of the pavilion.
A Sakura Path was the road leading to the shrine.
In the game, Huangmao was most familiar with it, often sneaking peeks at the shrine maidens bathing.
“Young Master Ji, what do you think of the Heavenly Cherry Pavilion?”
For a Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master who had come to him willingly, Yushen Longyi acted amiable, without any airs of a patriarch, clearly having ulterior motives.
Yun Liu looked wistful, longing to re-enter the Heavenly Dao and bask in the glory of the Divine Path.
“Very good, Lord Longyi. As I said, this is a blessed land for Shiyu’s first glimpse of the Heavenly Dao. If possible, I would truly like to stay here forever.”
Yushen Longyi was overjoyed.
Suppressing his excitement, he gradually lured the other party into his trap.
“I’m afraid what you wish to enjoy forever, Mr., is not the landscapes of Yingzhou, but rather the Divine Path Water, isn’t it?”
“Ahem, of course… that is also tempting.”
Yun Liu scratched his head.
He needed to cement his image as a Pill Fanatic in everyone’s mind, raising no suspicion.
“Then does Mr. know the origin of the Divine Path Water?”
The young man shook his head in confusion.
The old man leaned on his cane and pointed deep into the Sakura Forest.
“You will know very soon, Mr. The place I’m taking you to is the Hazy Sakura Shrine, the origin of the Divine Path Water, and also the origin of the Divine Tree of Yingzhou.”
“This… but the shrine is a sacred place. Would my intrusion as an outsider disturb Lord Sakura Dragon?”
Yun Liu was flattered.
Yushen Longyi, on the other hand, pretended to be displeased, still trying to win him over.
“You have only been here for such a short time, Mr., yet the contributions you have made to the Hazy Sakura Crowd are no less than any member of the Main Clan. Lord Divine Dragon is delighted! From today onward, you are a Divine Path Guest Elder.”
“You no longer have to reside in the Outer Island Estate. Not only can you freely enter and leave the inner courtyard of the Root Mansion, but you may also come and go from the shrine and enjoy the Divine Path Water as you wish.”
“Use it freely? Hmm, thank you for the recognition, Lord Longyi!”
‘Too fast, too fast!
I originally thought after offering the Heavenly Dao Mud Flow Pill, I would need to show off another skill to completely win over the old villain.
Unexpectedly, the exposure of my illegitimate son identity brought an unexpected joy—mostly because it helped win over Old Mother Ji.’
But with Yushen Longyi’s words, from now on I can see Ah Lian every day.
That old fox is thinking too well; he probably wants to have both mother and son, and even hopes I will help persuade Tianji Star to join the Fruit Set Meal?
The Root Mansion connects to the shrine, and no one knows how many Hazy Sakura Crowd experts are secretly guarding it.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the foot of the giant tree.
Before them stood rows of dragon-shaped root tendrils like gates, welcoming them into the interior of the Divine Tree.
The old man bowed his head in worship, and Yun Liu imitated him, pretending to be devout while curiously looking around.
Stepping through the Wood Dragon Mountain Gate, an ancient shrine came into view, causing Ao Tian to shout and exclaim.
There were no men here, only a group of graceful shrine maidens dressed in pink and white sacred robes bustling about.
When they saw the short old man, they all bowed respectfully, showing great fear.
Some of them were of the Yushen Branch Family bloodline, while others were women forced into tribute from other clans.
During Yushen Longyi’s thousand years of ruling Yingzhou, the various tribes on the island had suffered greatly.
Yun Liu was slightly moved.
He saw in the Sakura Forest a Divine Tree Pool with flower petals floating, its abundant Wood Spirit even surpassing the Qingxia Peak Forest Sea—this was the shrine maidens’ open-air bath.
“Oh my, is that the Divine Path Water!?”
“Not yet.”
Yushen Longyi smiled slightly upon seeing the young man’s fervent expression, thinking that he needed to let Ying Lian step in.
This was a matter of great importance and time was pressing.
He thought for a moment, seeming to have decided something.
“Mr., do you still remember the matter of help I mentioned? I would like to invite you to take charge of the shrine and become the Misty Sakura Priest. From then on, you won’t have to go through the Shishen Shizhe. Stay here to devote yourself to studying the mysteries of the Path of Alchemy, and incidentally ‘take care’ of these shrine maidens.”
“Finally, an invitation to collude. See, I was right, Silly Bird.”
Yun Liu first showed joy, then his expression changed and he stepped back, asking in a trembling voice:
“Becoming the Misty Sakura Priest means being able to touch the hearts of women with endless Divine Path Water every day. Could it be…?”
“Exactly.”
Communicating with smart people is easy.
Yushen Longyi coughed once, completely disdainful of hiding the deep-seated evil on this land, and even seemed proud.
“These shrine maidens are all living bonsai of the Divine Tree Seed, Divine Tree Medicine Humans. Their entire value lies in their hearts. In just a few minutes, we can cultivate a batch of Hazy Sakura Crowd Deadpool.
“And the priest’s task is to use spiritual medicines to ripen the Fortune Seeds, produce excellent fruits, and take up the duty of serving the Divine Tree, for Lord Sakura Dragon’s enjoyment.”
Yushen Longyi clearly saw where Ji Shiyu’s conflict lay—unwilling to get his hands bloody—so he tempted him in a deep voice.
“Those who aim for great deeds do not concern themselves with trivial matters. Mr., do you not wish to become a Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master?”
“But…”
“The Hazy Sakura Shrine is the closest place in Yingzhou to the Tree Core. The Divine Tree Fortune is inexhaustible—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You must know, this is a supreme treasure that all Elixir Cultivators dream of, second only to the legendary Ultimate Dao Fire.”
Yun Liu’s eyes flickered.
He pretended to go along, but showed a hint of difficulty at just the right moment.
“Regarding this matter, Shiyu must first consult my mother. You saw the situation earlier—I am not very welcome on Star Isle, which is why I was wandering the Outermost Sea. I never expected to encounter her here.”
Yushen Longyi sneered inwardly.
‘Precisely because of that, you are the most suitable candidate.’
Compared to the unpredictable Old Man Tianquan, this brat obsessed with the Path of Alchemy was easier to manipulate, and through him, he could ally with the Palace of the Heavenly Pivot Star.
“As long as Mr. is willing to stay, the Yushen Clan will not treat you poorly. I, Longyi, can fulfill any request.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I believe Lord Tianji will not refuse such a Blessed Fate either.”
Yun Liu’s eyes showed even more longing.
“Lady Lian.”
Just then, a pink-haired girl in a sacred robe walked by barefoot, with a Sakura wood longsword hanging at her waist.
The shrine maidens all bowed and greeted her.
“Ying Lian, come and pay respects to Mr. Ji. You two will be seeing each other often from now on.”
Yushen Longyi’s heart stirred, and he called out.