Chapter 669: What Senior Brother Lu Yang Said Is Correct

Liu Xiangyu did not dare to tell Xu An her true identity, so the two had never registered their marriage.

Xu An was not a man who clung to such formalities; if his wife was unwilling, then so be it, it mattered not to him.

The moment these words were spoken, the eyes of the three maidservants lit up with a sudden brilliance.

All this time, Xu An and Liu Xiangyu had addressed each other as husband and wife, yet who could have guessed they had never actually registered.

Indeed, to register a marriage with the authorities, the very least required was the verification of both parties' identities.

Their benefactor did not know that Liu Xiangyu was a snake demon, which meant they had naturally not yet gone to register.

What kind of primary wife did that make her then?

Since you, Liu Xiangyu, have not registered, does that not mean everyone is standing upon the exact same starting line?

The Grandmaster was truly worthy of his title, able to perceive the very problem they themselves had overlooked.

"As for the four of you taking turns to engage in relations with Benefactor Xu, causing his yang energy to become deficient, that exceeds this poor monk's abilities."

"However, this senior brother of mine can resolve your predicament."

"Then this poor monk shall return to Benefactor Xu's room with my three senior brothers and await the dawn."

Raising the price on the spot.

"Benefactor Xu is a mere mortal; a single drop of Yang-Boosting Blood must be diluted thousands of times over before it can be consumed. For the long term, this poor monk suggests the four of you purchase a few drops of Yang-Boosting Blood."

Xiao Zhu had brought forth a flurry of snow, and the courtyard still left one shivering violently from the cold.

This was the blood of the strongest single spiritual root since ancient times, possessing the efficacy to boost yang and tonify the kidneys, prolong life, grant immunity to a hundred poisons, enhance memory, and improve physical constitution. It was a precious treasure that could not be bought even with spiritual stones. Was a hundred thousand spiritual stones per drop expensive? Not in the slightest.

Xiao Cui cried out; the barbecue shop's business was thriving, and as the shop manager, she received a substantial commission, making her the wealthiest among the four women.

Meng Jingzhou maintained a solemn countenance as he produced small vials, each containing the Yang-Boosting Blood.

"I will buy six drops!"

"One hundred thousand spiritual stones per drop."

"We must also trouble the four female benefactors to clear away the traces of combat within the courtyard."

Liu Xiangyu cast caution to the wind; these three maidservants clearly saw an opportunity and intended to vie with her for the position of primary wife.

"I, I will buy three drops."

Tsk, earning these spiritual stones brought absolutely no sense of accomplishment whatsoever.

Shi Chan introduced Meng Jingzhou with great solemnity.

After its hot reception in the black market, Meng Jingzhou had realized he had been selling it far too cheaply.

"I will buy five drops!"

As for Xiao Qiu, her plight was even more wretched; she was merely an artifact spirit, possessing not a single spiritual stone.

"This senior brother of mine holds Yang-Boosting Blood in his possession, a substance with which Benefactor Liu is surely not unfamiliar."

Meng Jingzhou left behind fourteen small vials, retrieved the remainder, and casually pocketed one million and four hundred thousand spiritual stones.

If she were to lose her status as the primary wife and have to contend with the three maidservants over the frequency of bedchamber matters in the future, then whoever bought more blood today would possess greater confidence during those future contentions.

Xiao Zhu lacked confidence; she came from a rogue background and did not possess many spiritual stones.

Several hours later, Xu An awoke, feeling himself to be in quite a good state.

"Did the three Grandmasters glean anything last night? I felt considerably more spirited upon rising today."

Meng Jingzhou thought to himself, *Of course you do. If you hadn't drunk my Yang-Boosting Blood, having engaged in relations with a ghost, a demon, and an artifact spirit last night, you would be so deficient today you couldn't even rise from your bed.*

"Amitabha. Last night yielded some gains, and the matter has been resolved. In the future, Benefactor shall no longer experience a deficiency of yang energy."

Xu An's face lit up with joy; the expert recommended by Big Brother Zhong Ming was indeed formidable: "Grandmaster has labored hard. As for the fee..."

"Five hundred taels of silver shall suffice."

Xu An was startled, not because he found it expensive, but because the price was far too cheap.

How many experts had he sought out without finding a resolution, yet the Grandmaster had resolved it in a single night, and asked for a mere five hundred taels of silver?

To one who possessed the inheritance of his parents, five hundred taels of silver was of little consequence.

"Then my constant lack of energy, what exactly was it?"

"When the karmic affinity arrives, Benefactor will naturally come to know."

"Ah, oh."

Xu An thought to himself that the Grandmaster was playing the riddle game again, being entirely mysterious.

Xu An straightened his clothing, preparing to read the books of the sages after partaking of breakfast.

The moment he stepped out of his chamber door, he beheld his wife and the three maidservants standing neatly at the entrance.

The four women spoke in unison:

"Husband \ Benefactor \ Master, in truth, I have always kept something hidden from you."

"In truth, I am a snake demon \ a ghost cultivator \ a fox demon \ an artifact spirit."

The four women each displayed their divine arts, revealing their original forms: a white snake dozens of chang in length, a ghost cultivator surrounded by gusts of eerie wind, a furry fox, and an artifact spirit whose form faded into a jade pendant.

Xu An's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed directly into unconsciousness.

Lu Yang sighed; this courage of his was truly lacking.

However, the subsequent matters no longer had anything to do with them.

Taking advantage of the sparse crowds on the streets in the early morning, the three returned to the inn.

A pair of hidden eyes silently watched the silhouettes of the three vanish into the inn, then turned to instruct the subordinates.

"Inform the Lord that the targets have returned to the inn. We may proceed with the operation."

After a night of tossing and turning, even with the energy of the three, they felt fatigued and needed a proper rest.

Approximately half an hour later, a knock resounded upon Lu Yang's door.

"Is anyone there, please?"

Lu Yang sat cross-legged; opening his eyes, he still felt somewhat drained, not having fully rested.

Who was seeking him?

Under the probe of his divine sense, he discovered many people standing in the corridor. Judging by the style of their garments, they belonged to the official government.

Lu Yang rose to open the door, and standing at the threshold was a middle-aged man who was somewhat stout.

Upon seeing Lu Yang, the stout middle-aged man's face blossomed into a warm and enthusiastic smile.

"This must surely be Virtuous Nephew Lu Yang of the Daoist Sect. Allow me to introduce myself; my surname is Liu, and I am the City Lord of this Spring River City."

Lu Yang was stunned; how could the City Lord possibly know of his existence?

Lu Yang suddenly came to his senses—when he was showing off before Boss Hong, he had shouted out his own name. It must have been confessed during the interrogation of Boss Hong!

Oh no, at that time he was only focused on showing off and had completely failed to consider the consequences.

City Lord Liu also summoned Meng Jingzhou and Shi Chan from the neighboring rooms, inviting both of them into Lu Yang's chamber.

City Lord Liu spoke with practiced warmth, "My three dear nephews, arriving in Spring River City without a single word—you treat me too much like a stranger."

"Might I ask if you three have come to Spring River City bearing a mission from your immortal sect?"

"Amitabha. This poor monk and his companions have come to Spring River City merely on private matters."

Hearing it was a private affair, City Lord Liu’s smile bloomed wider, "If you three dear nephews do not mind, why not come to my manor tonight for a simple meal?"

Private matters were perfect; he would help them resolve their business posthaste, the sooner to see them gone.

Lu Yang suddenly spoke up, "We originally came for private matters, but by chance, we uncovered clues of the demonic cult here in Spring River City."

At the mention of the demonic cult, City Lord Liu visibly tensed, "Do you require me to dispatch men to assist?"

Lu Yang shook his head, declining the City Lord’s goodwill, his expression turning solemn, "Our investigation is strictly covert; if the authorities involve themselves, the situation will grow complicated and easily startle the snake in the grass."

"According to the current clues, we have found traces of the Nine Nether Sect operating within Spring River City, and they have been active for some time; we preliminary judge the leader of this operation to be a ghost cultivator with a penchant for consuming the yang essence of men, and one man has already fallen victim—though fortunately, we arrived just in time, allowing him to escape with his life."

"We also discovered that this ghost cultivator was involved in a chaotic brawl among four Nascent Soul experts, a fierce contention of various factions where no side would yield, making the situation exceptionally intricate."

"Senior Brother Shi Chan, is this not so?"

"Amitabha. A monk does not speak falsely; what Senior Brother Lu Yang says is without error."