Witnessing this scene, which was as shocking as the release of zombies, was the talisman practitioner Zou Wu from the Haoran Sect.

The moment they saw his sect attire, He Zhizhou and Xu Ye were both startled. They even forgot to swim and immediately assumed a defensive posture, as if they had just woken up.

“Be careful.”

He Zhizhou transmitted his voice in a low tone, saying, “He is Zou Wu, the third senior brother of the Haoran Sect. The Haoran Sect and Niguang Island are both notorious troublemakers in the Secret Realm. The former snatches treasures on sight, and the latter is cunning and has swindled countless people. Xu Ye and I were robbed by several members of the Haoran Sect in the woods before. But in the end, all the plans were actually designed by this guy.”

Ning Ning was puzzled: “Don’t the elders outside the Secret Realm care?”

In the Secret Realm, there are two well-known rules:

1. Unless there is no justifiable reason, disciples are not allowed to harm each other maliciously. They can only settle disputes through fair combat.
2. To prevent excessive looting, disciples are not allowed to bring storage bags into the secret realm. All items are carried in sachets or bundles. If someone is seen taking treasures from others, they will be punished when they leave.

“Of course, they exploit the loopholes. When we found a valuable wild jade spirit mushroom and had just defeated the guardian spirit beast, they rushed in and took it first. They even lied about being the ones who found it initially.” He Zhizhou’s face twisted in bitterness. “We couldn’t argue because they did indeed get the jade spirit mushroom first. If we had tried to snatch it back, we would have appeared unreasonable.”

Seeing Ning Ning’s understanding expression, he continued to explain, “Later, Xu Ye told me that they often lurk near valuable treasures, waiting for others to defeat tough spirit beasts and then swooping in to steal them with minimal effort.”

Ning Ning nodded in agreement. So, it’s okay to be a bit cunning and manipulative, as long as the disciples’s conflicts stay within certain boundaries. As long as they don’t cross the line too much, they won’t face punishment from the observers outside the Secret Realm.

Zou Wu looked unfriendly and directly pointed out that she had the Sky Heart herb, presumably for the sake of this rare treasure.

“I am Zou Wu from the Haoran Sect.”

Zou Wu smiled openly and said, “I won’t hide it. I discovered the Sky Heart herb before, but when I went to inform my senior and returned, it had disappeared. You should understand this principle of ‘first come, first served,’ right?”

Tian Xianzi, watching from outside the mirror, sneered.

Even a fool wouldn’t believe such an excuse.

Ning Ning calmly responded, “Where was the Sky Heart herb located before you saw it?”

With a shameless face, he replied, “Unfortunately, in my joy, I forgot.”

He paused and adopted a helpless expression: “The Sky Heart herb is nurtured by the spiritual energy of the Secret Realm and is extremely precious. If the young lady insists on claiming it as her own, I’m afraid I can only…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he abruptly stopped.

The beautiful little girl not far away, who looked harmless, narrowed her eyes and smiled, but in an instant, a rush of sword energy surged from Ning Ning’s side, heading straight for his sea of consciousness.

“What are you trying to do? Ning Ning is under my protection!”

He Zhizhou blocked Ning Ning and swung his two large swords in front of her. “You troublemaker, if you dare to act recklessly, I’ll make sure you’re sent down the path of beasts during the ascending to immortality!”

Xu Ye rolled his eyes and looked disdainful. “Are you stupid? Isn’t tomorrow the full moon celebration for me and my senior sister’s child? Oh, where’s my daughter?”

He glanced at his right arm, then happily embraced his right arm, kissing his elbow. “Good child, give Daddy a hug!”

Outside the mirror, a senior elder of the Wanjian Swords Sect spat out a mouthful of water.

Ning Ning.

Zou Wu had heard this name.

A natural sword talent, she not only gained the favor of Elder Xing of the Xuanxu Sword Sect but was also accepted as a direct disciple by Tian Xianzi upon entering the sect, and her cultivation progressed rapidly.

She appeared gentle and obedient, having concealed her sword aura earlier, making it easy for people to mistake her for an ordinary cultivator who had just reached the Golden Core stage.

However, Zou Wu clenched his teeth.

He was now at the Third Tier of the Golden Core stage and probably not too different from her in terms of cultivation level. However, if they were to truly fight, he would likely be at a disadvantage, especially with two other sword cultivators by her side.

Even though those two individuals might have elongated their necks just to make themselves look taller,

“So, you’re Junior Sister Ning Ning.”

Zou Wu’s smile faded instantly, and if it were the 21st century, he might have become a famous Sichuan opera artist renowned for his “face-changing” artistry.

(T/N:Face–changing, or “bian lian” in Chinese, is an important subgenre of Chinese Sichuan opera.The actor can pull down a mask which has previously been hidden on top of their head, changing their face to red, green, blue or black to express happiness, hate, anger or sadness, respectively. The actor drags greasepaint hidden in their sideburns or eyebrows across their face to change their appearance.)

“I’ve long heard of Junior Sister’s extraordinary talent, and it’s an honor to meet you. Well, destiny has its own time, and we shouldn’t force it. While you’ve taken the Sky Heart herb, it’s not a bad outcome.”

He really emphasized the word “taken” as if acting.

He Zhizhou’s anger flared up, and he smirked with a half-cocked mouth. “Oh, still playing the innocent little white lotus here? I wonder how old the little brother is. Have you ever read a book? What kind of medicine have you taken? Why is your mind so clouded?”

Zou Wu: “You…!”

“Me? Me.”

He Zhizhou didn’t give him a chance to speak, and, whether it was the effect of the toxic mushrooms or his true nature, his mouth just kept going.

“I’ve never seen someone with such thick skin as a city wall. You’re eight yards away, and your skin thickness is reaching all the way to me. If it were up to me, you should be a chef. You’re so good at throwing the blame. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll have my Cui Mou shatter your balls!”

Not to mention Zou Wu; even Xu Ye, who was on the side, was dumbfounded.

The toxicity of the mushrooms was wreaking havoc in his mind, making him raise his hands and shout, “Long live the immortal Lord! Long live, long live!”

He Zhizhou waved his hand. “Minister Xu, there is no need to be polite. Take your daughter and step aside.”

Xu Ye: “Err…!”

He only realized afterward that something was amiss. How could he, with his battered body, have fathered a child with his senior sister?

Oh heavens!

Xu Ye knelt on the ground, raised his head to the sky, and wailed while clutching his right arm. “Senior sister, how many surprises do you still have that I don’t know about?!”

He Zhizhou let out a long sigh to conceal his tears, and he recited slowly with a broadcasting tone, “Unbelievable, like a miracle that flashes through your life like an electric shock. Different from any meaning, it’s just a green light, so unique.”

(T/N: green light means he was cuckold…what a drama..hehe)

……Anyway, the drama between these two finally came together.

Over on their side, there was chaos, and to Zou Wu’s surprise, Ning Ning, who was at the center of the event, showed little change in her expression. She even smiled gently while looking at him.

“Senior Brother Zou’s words make me feel a bit guilty.”

She seemed a bit shy, lowered her head, and smiled. “Although I can’t give you the Sky Heart Grass… I did find a treasure in the cave earlier, called the Golden Jade Furnace. Have you heard of it, Senior Brother?”

The Golden Jade Furnace?

Zou Wu shook his head.

“The human-faced scorpion in the cave told me that this furnace balances yin and yang, reaching the peak of perfection. It was made by ancient immortals and can duplicate spirit plants up to a precious level. While it can’t replicate the Sky Heart Grass, if you have other cherished spirit plants, you’re welcome to come and find me.”

Ning Ning spoke with great precision, but Zou Wu still found it hard to believe. “Is there really such a good thing in this world?”

“Replicating spirit plants with the Golden Jade Furnace takes time. For precious ones, it usually takes one to two hours. But if it’s common flowers and plants that can be found everywhere—”

While speaking, she took a palm-sized golden furnace from her pouch, bent down, plucked a sunflower, and placed it into the furnace. She softly chanted an incantation.

Zou Wu’s curiosity was piqued, and he dared not even breathe, but before long, he saw Ning Ning reach into the furnace and actually retrieve two sunflowers.

Zou Wu was shocked. “This…!”

“If I were to deceive Senior Brother, what would I gain? There’s no reward, and I’d have to provide the spirit plants myself, which isn’t cost-effective.” Ning Ning held the furnace close to her chest, avoiding Zou Wu’s attempt to touch it. “I’m telling Senior Brother in advance not to have any ideas about it. The Golden Jade Furnace has a unique activation incantation, and only I know it.”