Chapter 203: Chapter 92: Rest and Reorganize

The scene of Yu Lian’s reunion with her parents was quite ordinary. Their exchange was likely more spiritual in nature. Wang Ping watched for a moment but couldn’t make anything out, so he turned to look at the Female Knight, who had been knocked unconscious by the shock. He waved his hand, and vines gently placed her on a flat patch of grass by the pond.

"You’ve come for the Holy Heart Grass?" Purple Pearl had finished communicating with Yu Lian through the Spirit Sea, and her vertical pupils fixed on Wang Ping.

"Yes!"

"We can spare three stalks at most. The others are needed for some of the younger generation." After speaking, Purple Pearl looked at Lan Yang, who was fumbling with a storage pouch beside her, and urged, "Take them out."

"Just give them away like that? This stuff is very expensive."

"..."

In a way, Yu Lian had inherited some of her father’s personality traits.

Purple Pearl’s response to her husband was to swing her snake tail directly at his face. "Missed me..." Lan Yang deftly dodged, and the couple began to fight right there by the pond. The other Spirit Snakes in the water became jubilant.

Even Yu Lian felt a surge of excitement.

Wang Ping continued to channel Wood Spirit Qi to heal the mind of the Female Knight on the grass, quietly waiting for the couple to determine a winner. But it seemed that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. The more they fought, the more spirited they became, and they were now locked in a tangled battle high in the air.

Just then, another Spirit Snake flew over. She looked Yu Lian up and down and asked, "Are you really Yu Lian?" She was also a girl, her voice sounding like that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old human.

"Yup..."

"Why did you transform so quickly? You were just an egg when you left, and I had already completed my first transformation back then."

"..."

"You’re the egg!" Yu Lian opened her mouth and snapped at the other snake.

"I surrender..."

The other snake immediately backed down, as the difference in their strength was immense. She then asked again, "So how did you advance?"

"I just slept and advanced."

"It’s that simple?"

"Yup."

The other snake was about to ask more when a resigned voice came from the sky: "I give up."

Then, Purple Pearl was seen dragging her husband down by her tail. They landed in front of Wang Ping and Yu Lian, and she shrank her body, saying, "Come with us."

...

Gray Water Pond wasn’t just a single body of water. Beside it was a large tribe—or more accurately, a Demon Race city dominated by the Water Race. It was situated at the entrance to Gray Water Pond, blocking most people who tried to enter from the land.

The city had a grayish-white color scheme. Most of its buildings were constructed over swampy waterways, making it look like a floating city from a distance. These structures were predominantly wooden, though there was a palace in the central area built of white jade stone.

Wang Ping was settled into a large courtyard just east of the palace. The courtyard was built from massive timbers, and its central atrium connected to the swamp waterways. From time to time, fierce underwater beasts unique to the swamp would leap out, only to be quickly captured by the guarding Water Race members. They would then become delicacies on the barbecue grill.

In a courtyard to the left of the central atrium, Yu Lian was currently flicking her snake tongue out repeatedly, her eyes fixed on a barbecue grill in the corner. The Water Race here was highly skilled at grilling; they used dozens of different spices alone.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, was examining the three stalks of Holy Heart Grass he had just received. They were stored in a special crystal vial, and the light they emitted made the vial look like a small lantern.

After giving him the Holy Heart Grass, Purple Pearl and her husband had vanished without a trace. They didn’t even come to speak with Yu Lian.

Yu Lian didn’t find this odd, nor did she feel any sense of loss.

Just as the barbecue was ready, the unconscious Female Knight woke up. She walked over to Wang Ping, cupped her fist in salute, and said, "My apologies. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way."

Wang Ping waved his hand dismissively. While the Female Knight was unconscious, he had used the Soul Searching Technique to read parts of her memory. He knew this matter wasn’t her fault; the blame lay with Internal Affairs for their lack of caution. But there was no point blaming them now, as they had likely already been eliminated.

"What do you want?"

The Female Knight’s name was Shen Xiaozhu. When her father named her, he probably never imagined she would one day walk the path of a Jianghu Traveler. She was supposed to have stayed out of this matter; delivering the message had just been a fair transaction.

"An opportunity."

After speaking, Shen Xiaozhu dropped to her knees. Performing a deep kowtow, she pressed her face to the ground and said, "I just want a chance to enter the Cultivation Realm."

Wang Ping fell silent. Shen Xiaozhu was a piece of uncut jade. Although she was over thirty, she had already completed all the foundational preparations for Qi Cultivation. Moreover, her disposition was stable. It was just...

"Are you worried she’ll become like Yang Zhiping?" Yu Lian asked in the Spirit Sea.

"She is too fixated on certain things. While her disposition is stable for now, that fixation could become an obstacle for her, or even a Heart Demon."

"I think she’s great. She might even be able to master the Taiyan Talisman."

"Why?"

"A feeling!"

Wang Ping couldn’t help but look at Yu Lian, who was now carefully sizing up Shen Xiaozhu.

"Alright, I’ll give you a chance." Wang Ping thought of the recent assassination attempt. The path of cultivation was always full of surprises; perhaps this was just another one.

"Thank you, Senior!"

"You should call him Master..." Yu Lian prompted.

Shen Xiaozhu was stunned for a moment, then immediately kowtowed three times, the sounds echoing clearly. She respectfully called out, "Master."

"Mm. For now, you will be a disciple in name only. If you succeed in your cultivation, I will formally accept you as my true disciple," Wang Ping said with a serious expression.

"Yes!"

’Another in-name disciple.’ This was mainly because he had read parts of Shen Xiaozhu’s memories and had some understanding of her.

Wang Ping wasn’t like he was when he took his first disciple. He would no longer invest all his emotions in an in-name disciple from the very beginning. The Shen Xiaozhu before him had average aptitude, but most importantly, she maintained a balanced Taoist mindset, which was very rare for a Jianghu Traveler. With a little guidance, she might truly be able to master the Taiyan Talisman, just as Yu Lian had said.

Just then, a cheer erupted from the barbecue area. Two members of the Water Race came over, carrying a greasy roast. They skillfully carved it up on a massive platter nearby, and in just a moment, it was sliced into plates of uniformly sized pieces of meat. As they served Wang Ping a platter full of meat slices, a Water Race manager walked to the passage leading to the outer courtyard and waved vigorously. Soon after, two Shrimp Soldiers walked into the courtyard carrying three jars of wine.

"Daoist Master, this wine is brewed with Spirit Medicines from near the Gray Water Pond. The recipe was passed down by our Lord. It can increase the strength of one’s soul, but an ordinary person can drink one cup at most." The manager, a large carp monster, followed the wine over. His voice was deep, and as he finished speaking, his slimy eyes casually glanced at Shen Xiaozhu.

Upon hearing this, Yu Lian couldn’t wait. She coiled her tail around a jar of wine and began pouring it into her mouth. After downing about half of it, her spirit wavered for a moment. She then put down the jar, picked up a platter, and started eating meat.

And so, Wang Ping and Yu Lian rested in the small courtyard for three days. During this time, Wang Ping entrusted some people to deliver a letter for him to Yuan Zheng Taoist.

On the morning of the third day, the Water Race manager of the small courtyard came to inform Wang Ping that he could leave.