"Then what will she do?"

"She’ll provoke the Immortal Sect."

"And what will the Immortal Sect do?"

"They will tolerate it, but I won’t. I’ll make her understand that the peace of the Immortal Sect is no joke. She can emerge through the Evil Dao, so how could I just let her out in the open?"

Jiang Man fell silent.

He felt like he had just met a very dangerous person.

Or rather, people like this could never be considered safe.

"You’re at the Early Stage of Golden Core now?" Ting Fengyin asked.

Jiang Man nodded.

"You need to work hard. My expectations aren’t too high—just form a Primordial Spirit within twenty years. Take your time, there’s no rush."

"It should still take some time on Meng Qiewei’s end, and besides, finding her will also take time."

"Killing her within twenty or thirty years won’t be too late," Ting Fengyin said magnanimously.

Jiang Man nodded.

Although he didn’t understand what forming a Primordial Spirit entailed,

twenty years...

He knew just by hearing it that he had been given a very generous amount of time.

’It won’t be a problem at all.’

"Also, while you’re getting stronger, you can use the Token to look for someone." Ting Fengyin wiped a freshly picked fruit and spoke slowly, "Meng Qiewei is married. Her husband might be an outsider."

"Start by searching among those who died suddenly."

"If there’s no one like that, then select suspicious individuals from among those with extremely high Talent."

"Don’t ask about anything else, and don’t try to know too much. It won’t do you any good."

Jiang Man nodded to show he understood.

’First, I need to clear my own name.’

After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "What if I can’t find him?"

"Then we’ll wait for Meng Qiewei to come out and investigate this person through her," Ting Fengyin said.

Jiang Man now understood his mission.

One part was to find Meng Qiewei and her husband—which was himself.

However, none of it was very urgent.

For now, he had received the identity of a Zhenyue Bureau inspector, tasked with targeting Evil Gods.

He was also considered a member of the Immortal Sect.

And he would probably have to meet this Ting Fengyin once a year.

After thinking for a long time, Jiang Man asked, "What happens if I fail the mission?"

Ting Fengyin looked at Jiang Man and said, "Just do your best first."

Jiang Man asked again, "And if I succeed?"

"I’ll write you a letter of recommendation to join the Immortal Sect and become a Direct Disciple." Ting Fengyin paused, then added, "But I suggest you do it cleanly. If anything is discovered, joining the Immortal Sect could instead become rather dangerous."

Jiang Man understood.

"Don’t feel any pressure. To me, you’re just someone I picked at random. Failure is normal, and slow Cultivation is even more common," Ting Fengyin said reassuringly.

’Slow Cultivation?’ Jiang Man felt that he, an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, was being looked down upon.

But he didn’t dare to argue.

’What if my speed really is slow in his eyes?’

’I’d lose all face as an Unparalleled Celestial Pride.’

After all, everyone said there were no true prodigies in Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

That meant many people advanced quickly at those stages.

It was only in the later realms that the specialty of an Unparalleled Celestial Pride would be revealed.

"The situation in the Zhenyue Bureau is quite complex. This identity you’ve been given probably won’t allow for a quiet life. Do you know anything about Evil Gods?" Ting Fengyin asked, handing Jiang Man another fruit.

Jiang Man took the fruit and nodded slightly, then told him that he had encountered an Evil God before. Not only that, but he also took out the statue he had just obtained.

Looking at the statue, Ting Fengyin gave Jiang Man a surprised look. "You seem to have quite the affinity with Evil Gods."

Jiang Man silently agreed.

’I even have one as a pet at home.’

After taking the statue and glancing at it, Ting Fengyin said nonchalantly, "A Talent-type Evil God. Just a worthless little thing. This thing is divided into yin and yang. Yours is the yin one, meant to absorb your flesh and blood to simulate your Talent, which is then borrowed by the other side."

Then, he casually tapped it a few times and said, "Alright. Now you can use this to find the other party."

After returning the item to Jiang Man and teaching him how to activate the measures he had left on it, Ting Fengyin said, "I have to go."

Before Jiang Man could speak, he continued, "The demon outside has already fled. You don’t need to worry."

"Build up your strength and wait for the time to kill Meng Qiewei."

As his voice fell, everything around them began to retreat.

The overgrown vegetation receded.

The stone tablet also moved away from him.

Ting Fengyin’s figure vanished completely.

Finally, Jiang Man was left standing halfway up the mountain. The fog had long since dissipated.

Everything around him had returned to normal.

He looked around. There really were no more Demon Beasts.

’A thrilling but ultimately safe encounter.’

’But accepting a mission to kill my own wife... life is truly full of unpredictable turns.’

’Just like that, I’m caught up in a struggle between powerful experts.’

However, he didn’t quite understand Ting Fengyin’s position.

Or whether he posed a threat to him.

He put away the Identity Token. He would ask Old Huang and the others about it when he got back.

It was getting late. He had to go and preside over the Yunqian Bureau’s assessment.

「 」

「In a Quaint Courtyard」

Qing Dai had been extremely busy recently.

She had to prepare to leave, scout for information, and also gauge the Immortal Sect’s attitude.

Most importantly, in order to leave, she had to find a suitable identity for her mistress.

But today, everything within the family had been settled.

All that was left was her mistress’s approval.

Although the clan didn’t need the young mistress’s approval for this matter, she had been in communication with them recently.

So they had to put on a show and let her review the plans.

Of course, everyone knew the young mistress would not object.

She wouldn’t even look at them.

At most, Qing Dai would take a look and then relay the information.

And that was exactly what happened.

Qing Dai came before Meng Qiewei, informed her of the clan’s arrangements, and explained the details: "Miss, your identity has been prepared. You are among the candidates this time. The five people going all have Primordial Spirit Cultivation."

"Therefore, your strength this time can be at the Primordial Spirit realm at most."

"Initially, we were looking for Golden Core cultivators, but they are too weak. It felt unnecessary."

"Besides, they are all too young, and it’s too early for them to be discussing marriage. Each has her own ideas."

"With such rebellious hearts, they would certainly prevent the marriage alliance from proceeding smoothly."

"To ensure the marriage alliance goes relatively smoothly, we could only look for more sensible Primordial Spirit cultivators."

"Of course, these individuals still have some issues."

"But what young people need is time to adapt to each other."

"They’ve sent the list over. We’re just waiting for your approval, Miss."

Meng Qiewei paid no mind to the list, only asking if the Immortal Sect had been informed.

Qing Dai shook her head.

She said she had just received the news and hadn’t had time to go yet.

"No rush. Let’s wait," Meng Qiewei said.

Qing Dai was puzzled. Why was there no rush now?

That afternoon, Meng Qiewei suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Qing Dai."

"Miss." Qing Dai immediately drew near and responded respectfully.

"Go to the Immortal Sect. Inform them of our departure, then return the list. We can set off at any time," Meng Qiewei said.

Qing Dai was confused. ’Now it’s okay again?’

She didn’t ask any more questions, instead rushing off to prepare excitedly.

The chance to go out and travel was a wonderful thing for her.

Her only worry was whether something unexpected might happen.

Her second worry was whether she might be secretly assassinated by her mistress, so that her mistress could get herself sent back.

Although Qing Dai herself wasn’t restricted, she was her mistress’s Maid, so her every move was easily noticed.

After Qing Dai reported the matter and returned the list,

she began to prepare alongside Meng Qiewei.

They awaited their departure.

It was now the beginning of the eighth month.

If all went smoothly, they would reach the Wuyun Sect around the eleventh month.

She wondered if she would have the chance to follow her mistress and find a trace of the young master.

「 」

「Meanwhile」

Jiang Man had arrived at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as he got down, he saw a crowd of people gathered there.

Song Qing was among them.

And Li Ji, from before, was standing in front of a man with slightly graying hair, saying something.

They had all just seen the mountain shrouded in a thick fog, and then watched as that fog was dispelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Not only that, but they had also heard the miserable cries of Demon Beasts.

For a moment, they felt an immense fear toward Jiang Man’s power.

Such a powerful expert surpassed all the previous hosts.

Thus, they were even more cautious and respectful toward the person from up there.

"He’s down," someone said immediately.

At that, the waiting headmaster immediately looked over, hurried forward to Jiang Man, and bowed respectfully. "Immortal Master."

This sudden action took Jiang Man by surprise.

Then the man continued, "Immortal Master, your methods are heaven-defying! To scatter the beast horde and part the mists with a single hand is truly a sight to behold."

’That was Ting Fengyin’s doing,’ Jiang Man thought, but he simply smiled.

He had to maintain the mystery.