### Chapter 160: Entering the World, Encountering Bai Ningshuang Again - Ah? The Wives I Abandoned Turned Out to Be Real

### Chapter 160: Entering the World, Encountering Bai Ningshuang Again [Your cheap master then gave you a flying sword made from earthen sands, though its blade was chipped.] You felt somewhat disdainful and wished for Baiyang Zhenren to grant you better magical artifacts. Baiyang Zhenren boasted shamelessly, saying that due to the Law of Fortuitous Conservation, the worse the item you carried, the likelier you were to encounter something valuable. Upon hearing this, in your naivety, you didn’t even ask Baiyang Zhenren for healing pills or talismans for protection and departed the isolated island on your sword. Not knowing where exactly to head, you thought of your parents whom you hadn't seen in over ten years and decided to visit Tianzhu Mountain. Now, having reached the early stages of cultivation, you might lack various magical powers, but your practice was profound, allowing you to fly at incredible speed. In less than half a day, you'd already flown over a thousand miles. Growing hungry, you landed in a mortal town to rest and inquire about the direction to Tianzhu Mountain. This town, located at the edge of the wilderness, was notorious for its rough customs, with many human traffickers boldly abducting young maidens in broad daylight. As they shouted prices, these young women flaunted themselves, putting on performances, at times brazenly revealing their private parts to onlookers. Over the years, Baiyang Zhenren’s second astral spirit only taught you medicine, astrology, and the Baiyang True Explanation, never instilling any moral concepts or distinguishing good from evil. You merely recalled from childhood that your parents instructed you not to harm others randomly. Witnessing such a scene, you found it incredibly novel, watching the excitement without any thought of rescuing these poor women. "Finally found!" "Brother Zhang, let’s go!" While you observed the commotion, a gentle, lively voice suddenly reached your ears. Turning to look, you saw a woman in white, with a face like jade, eyes like bright jewels, and an ethereal aura like an immortal, flying towards you on her sword. With a wave of her sword, she unleashed countless sword lights, instantly slaughtering the dozen or so brutal traffickers. In no time, severed limbs and blood stained the ground, causing the crowd watching to scatter in terror, leaving you alone in place. "Who are you?! Why are you still here?" The ethereal woman saw only you standing motionless and couldn’t help but draw her sword as she advanced, mistaking you for an accomplice of these traffickers. But as she approached and saw your face, she couldn’t help but cry out in surprise. "Su... Brother Su, how are you here?" "I finally found you!" With those words, the woman unexpectedly threw herself into your arms, unable to control herself. Held against the softness and warmth, you merely felt harassed. "Miss, what’s this about?" "Hugging and clinging like this." "Do I know you?" You didn’t recognize the woman at first, as a broad-faced man flew slowly over. Seeing this man, your mind felt like it exploded. "Zhang Cangfeng, Brother Feng!" "Brother Feng, it’s me!" It was none other than Zhang Cangfeng, with whom you had lived in the miscellaneous courtyard. Though Zhang Cangfeng had grown, his appearance hadn't changed much. Seeing it was you, Zhang Cangfeng was equally surprised. "Su Mo, how did you end up here?" "After you were taken, Elder Yichen searched for you for so long, drinking his sorrow daily, lamenting over missing a promising disciple." "So, did you manage to escape that old Taoist by yourself?" Struggling, you freed yourself from the woman’s grip. "No, he said I should go out into the world for training." "Now that you're here, what about Ningshuang?" Hearing this, Zhang Cangfeng facepalmed and pointed at the woman in front of you. You carefully scrutinized her beautiful face and finally found it familiar. "Ningshuang?" The beautiful woman was a bit agitated. "You just recognized me?!" You awkwardly smiled, realizing that Bai Ningshuang had grown into a beauty akin to an immortal, entirely unlike her childhood self. After a brief reunion, you learned they had been traveling down the mountain for over a year. They happened to be here on behalf of the master of Yue Villa from several hundred miles away. His daughter, Yue Yinping, had been abducted, her whereabouts unknown. The first place they thought of was this Nanniu Town, infamously known for human trafficking in the surrounding thousand miles. With local officials bribed, human trafficking was increasingly rampant. Through thorough investigation, it was determined Yue Yinping was being sold here, and they coincidentally ran into you. As Bai Ningshuang spoke she began to shed tears. "Brother Su, I finally found you. Otherwise, I’d never forgive myself." "It’s all my fault back then." "For all the suffering you've endured these years." "If I could take your place, I’d bear all your suffering." Speaking, Bai Ningshuang burrowed into your embrace again, dampening your collar. You found yourself quite impatient with her frequent tears. Taking a chance, you gently pushed her away. "Honestly, I haven’t suffered much over the years." "Aren’t we here to rescue Yue Yinping?" "Let’s find her first." Upon hearing you, Bai Ningshuang snapped back to reality, then glanced at Zhang Cangfeng. "Brother Zhang." “Didn’t you bring that woman’s portrait earlier?” "Let’s check it now." "Alright." Because Bai Ningshuang had joined the sect half a year earlier than Zhang Cangfeng, her seniority was slightly above his. Zhang Cangfeng approached the women, pulling out the portrait for comparison. The women appeared dazed, wearing tattered clothes, clearly drugged, and followed wherever directed. Upon examination, Zhang Cangfeng identified a pale, slender woman. "Yue Yinping?" Called by her name, Yue Yinping still seemed dazed. Zhang Cangfeng then produced a vial of restorative incense, waving it under her nose. She immediately sneezed. After the sneeze, she regained consciousness, startled to see the three of you. "Who are you? My father is the Villa Master of Yue Villa. Whatever you want, I’ll give you." "Please don’t hurt me!" Zhang Cangfeng hurriedly clarified the situation, learning she had been trafficked hundreds of miles away to Nanniu Town. Yue Yinping slumped against Zhang Cangfeng, breaking down in tears, having no recollection of what nightmares she endured while dazed. Witnessing the despair of these drugged women, you felt a surge of anger. You couldn’t help but feel ashamed for earlier enjoying their performances. Extending your divine sense, you covered the entire Nanniu Town. You discovered numerous places where abducted women were still hidden. Unsheathing the golden sword, shadows dispersed, killing all men in the town regardless of age! Your indiscriminate actions sowed the seeds of misfortune. The town's mayor, Chi Wushu, was a registered disciple of Chu Yuan, the lord of Ghost Abyss. Chu Yuan loved beauty and feasted on the hearts of maidens. Chi Wushu catered to this, annually offering a hundred beautiful virgins for him. Over time, though Chi Wushu lacked cultivation aptitude, he was rewarded with many pills and artifacts, dominating the mortal realm. In his dominance, the quality of his offerings only improved. Your reckless actions ended Chi Wushu and severed Chu Yuan's supply, catching his attention. But seeing you were disciples of Shushan, he refrained from immediate retaliation, planning sinister sorcery to seize your true form, binding it with an underworld curse to eternally corrode your soul. However, your profound cultivation temporarily hindered his plans, forcing him to set up a shrine to diminish your power. Yet before Chu Yuan could act, a flying sword cleaving through space decapitated him. Soon, a small figure, emanating green flames, emerged from Chu Yuan’s severed head, his primal spirit, preparing to reincarnate. However, the sword’s bejeweled hilt gleamed, capturing the spirit within and flying away. ... Unaware of these events, you witnessed your ruthless massacre of all the men in Nanniu Town, leaving Zhang Cangfeng frowning slightly, while Bai Ningshuang clapped in delight. "Brother Su, that was brilliant!" ### Chapter 160: Entering the World, Encountering Bai Ningshuang Again "I've said before that we should eliminate all these people, but Brother Zhang was reluctant, claiming we shouldn't interfere too much in mortal affairs." Zhang Cangfeng gave a helpless look. "I'm just trying to avoid trouble; if we ever face a tribulation, the karmic consequences will surely catch up to us." With your thousand years of cultivation, you were unafraid, thinking of killing these people as equivalent to slaughtering cattle or chickens. You felt triumphant for the moment. "No worries, let them come." "When they do, I'll kill them a second time!" Zhang Cangfeng chose not to argue further and set about rescuing the other captive women. Eventually, you rescued over a hundred women from this Nanniu Town and prepared to take them to a nearby city called Chuxiang City, handing them over to the local authorities so they could be reunited with their families. Before leaving, Zhang Cangfeng took out a cloth bag. This was a Thunderfire Pouch, made by his master using heavenly fire and thunder, given to him for protection before heading down the mountain. He cast a sphere of thunderfire towards Nanniu Town as you departed. Thunder roared, fire and lightning spread like floods across the town, burning it and the bodies until Nanniu Town was but a white wasteland, differing from surrounding barren land only by its color. After handing the women over to the officials in Chuxiang City, you took Yue Yinping back to Yue Villa. Everyone in Yue Villa bore the Yue surname, forming a large estate of several thousand people. Upon seeing his daughter, the head of the villa, tears streamed down his face, and he offered you two hundred taels of silver as a token of gratitude. While Zhang Cangfeng and Bai Ningshuang declined, you felt there was no harm in accepting money, using a technique from the Baiyang True Explanation to store the silver in your dimensional sleeve. Seeing your method, the villa master was amazed, promptly asking if you were a disciple of Shushan. You simply stated you were childhood friends with Zhang Cangfeng and Bai Ningshuang, meeting by chance. Upon hearing this, the villa master immediately wore a mournful look, and the surrounding Yue clan seemed as if they were mourning a great loss. Unaware of the reasoning behind these expressions, Bai Ningshuang's compassion led her to inquire about the villa master’s predicament. The villa master proceeded to divulge the troubles plaguing the estate. The master’s brother had once followed a rogue immortal, who, upon failing to cross a significant five-hundred-year tribulation, disassembled his body to reincarnate. However, a mishap in the rebirth process turned him into a poisonous dragon inhabiting the Poison Dragon Pool. Eventually, an evil cultivator captured and refined him, transforming his primordial spirit into a weapon named the Poison Dragon Sword. Learning this, the villa master’s brother confronted the evil cultivator, intending to reclaim his master's spirit. But the evil cultivator, needing the Poison Dragon Sword for his tribulation, refused to return it, leading to a stalemate between them. Failing to reach an agreement, they decided to each gather allies and meet at the Guali Plain on the seventh day of the seventh month for a best-of-three duel. Whoever prevailed would have a request granted by the other. Now seeing you three, the villa master wished for your assistance. He mentioned the benefits of participation, stating that the rogue immortal’s treasures were with his brother, and that, win or lose, each participant could choose one artifact. Hearing about magical treasures, your eyes sparkled with excitement. The Thunderfire Pouch Zhang Cangfeng possessed had already stirred your envy, and you wished for a powerful artifact for protection. Simultaneously, you mentally cursed Baiyang Zhenren. That old man, sending you off with nothing but a chipped flying sword. What choice do you make now? Option One: Observe Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng’s opinions and follow their choice. Option Two: Step forward and agree to assist the villa master. Option Three: Refuse the villa master and persuade Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng to leave with you. ... Faced with the choices, you were engrossed in contemplating the Baiyang True Explanation. Your memory, now remarkably sharp, had recorded it entirely, but you could only grasp the surface. To fully understand it, like your simulated self, you’d need to study medicine, physiognomy, and astrology. Fei Lingxue was adept in these. Perhaps. When she returns, teaching her the Baiyang True Explanation could allow her to cultivate it and subsequently pass it on to you, Xu Miaoyin, and Huang Qingwan. Thus, everyone would possess the means to protect themselves. Yes, that’s the plan! Relieved by your decision, you then examined the simulation’s options. With a chance to claim a treasure, there was no reason to refuse. You were curious to see what the rogue immortal's treasures held. You opted for the second choice. [Without waiting for Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng, you proactively agreed to help the villa master.] "Since it involves confronting an evil cultivator, it should be eradicated." "This task, I’ll accept." Seeing your stance, Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng had no choice but to follow suit. Everything awaited the seventh day of the seventh month, three days hence, at Guali Plain. (End of Chapter)