Agree nor Disagree

The Soul Gathering Lamp shattered into pieces as it hit the cobblestones.

Ying De Kangchen's hand remained suspended in mid-air, staring in disbelief at the shattered lamp. His expression quickly turned from shock to fury.

"You ungrateful wretch! You did that on purpose!" he roared, summoning his spear and hurling Li Minghan several meters away.

"Ha ha, foster father's skills are as sharp as ever. I guess I need not worry about your health," Li Minghan said, kneeling on one knee, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and shakily standing up, showing no intention of fighting back.

Ying De Kangchen's eyes burned with rage as he spun his spear and thrust it toward Li Minghan.

To Li Minghan, it was nothing. He pressed a hand against his chest, instantly awakening the Moon Shadow Core within him. With just two fingers, he caught the spear, smiling playfully at Ying De Kangchen.

As frost began to creep up the spear, Ying De Kangchen quickly pulled back.

"Foster father, there's no point in wasting your strength here. With my current cultivation, you can't harm me," Li Minghan said, his voice echoing as he transformed into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.

SiTu Fanzhi gazed at the last wisp of the Medicine King's remaining soul.

The door behind him slowly opened, and a man in white walked in.

"You really went through with it," SiTu Fanzhi said coldly, already knowing who had come.

"He saw something he shouldn't have. Only the dead can keep secrets forever," O Shinan replied, his voice both straightforward and elegant, coming from behind SiTu Fanzhi.

"He did raise you after all. Are you really willing to cut off your arm for the sake of our master's plan? If he was in your way, many things wouldn't trace back to you," SiTu Fanzhi finally turned to look at O Shinan.

"He never saw me as anything more than a burden. He only took me in to maintain his reputation as the benevolent Medicine King. When I was ostracized and bullied, when did he ever fulfill his duties as a father?" O Shinan replied lightly.

"Aren't you afraid of being discovered?" SiTu Fanzhi asked.

"Besides our master and me, no one else knows. Why would I not trust our master?"

"What do you plan to do next? You know what I need," SiTu Fanzhi said.

"Don't worry, my lord. I know what you want. However, that golden core must be willingly surrendered by its host to survive," O Shinan said, pausing to give SiTu Fanzhi a conspiratorial look before continuing.

"A willing surrender?" SiTu Fanzhi laughed. "Li Luoning is always so rigid and proud. Do you have a way?"

O Shinan leaned closer and whispered into SiTu Fanzhi's ear...

At midnight in The Flatland, Nan Zhe's residence was unusually quiet.

Yun Qingyi was left outside, pacing anxiously as his master had been inside for an hour. He dared not leave the meeting spot and could only wait.

Suddenly, he saw a figure descend from the roof. Recognizing his master, Yun Qingyi rushed over.

"Master, did you find anything?"

Li Luoning shook his head. He had hoped to find some clues about Xingzhe or Wuming Demon Mountain in Nan Zhe's residence. But the place was meticulously cleaned, without a trace of ghost servants. Only the backyard had a barrier enclosing something. Not wanting to alert anyone, he had refrained from breaking it.

"Could Xingzhe not be here?" Yun Qingyi asked.

"Nan Zhe's residence is empty, but there's a tightly sealed barrier in the backyard," Li Luoning said.

"Do you think Xingzhe is trapped inside that barrier?" Yun Qingyi asked urgently.

"It's strange. The barrier is of immortal origin, yet it encloses demonic energy," Li Luoning mused.

"An immortal barrier? It's not unusual for Nan Zhe's residence to be shrouded in demonic energy, but why is this particular barrier set by an immortal?" Yun Qingyi wondered.

"That's exactly what I can't figure out. If the barrier encloses demonic energy, Xingzhe isn't here. However, the overly clean state of Nan Zhe's residence is suspicious."

"Master, should we head to Wuming Demon Mountain?" Yun Qingyi asked.

"If Xingzhe isn't in The Flatland, he's likely been taken to Wuming Demon Mountain," Li Luoning nodded.

At Wuming Demon Mountain, inside the Demon Lord's hall, a demon soldier reported, "Master, they have arrived."

"That was quick," Li Minghan smirked.

"Qiuyuan, go and greet them. Just probe them a bit, don't engage in a full fight," Li Minghan ordered Hua Qiuyuan with a wave of his hand.

"Understood," Hua Qiuyuan responded.

"Let the show begin," Li Minghan muttered, his eyes gleaming with a manic light. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them slowly, a sinister smile creeping across his face. He then opened his left hand, revealing a black iron bell shrouded in dark mist, used to control the Qianmo.

By nightfall, Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi had reached the foot of Wuming Demon Mountain.

"Qingyi, the mountain paths are treacherous and shrouded in mist at night. We'll rest here and continue at dawn," Li Luoning said, surveying the pitch-black mountain path.

"Master, I'll gather some firewood and scout the area," Yun Qingyi offered.

Li Luoning nodded, then sat down to regulate his internal energy. The Hundred Blades Incendiary Strike he had used earlier had drained him significantly. Although Mu Han's assistance had helped, he had not yet fully recovered. His master, Liao Yin, had warned him that the Hundred Blades Incendiary Strike, while effective, also inflicted self-damage, and should only be used as a last resort. The warning proved true.

In just a few days, it was impossible for Li Luoning to fully restore his strength, but he had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. Fortunately, they had encountered no other demons on their journey.

As Yun Qingyi gathered firewood, he couldn't stop worrying about Mi Xingzhe. He started talking to himself, "I wonder how Xingzhe is doing? Why does that Demon Lord keep troubling Master?"

Then, an idea struck him. "Wait, could Xingzhe have been taken to lure us here to Wuming Demon Mountain?"

Just as he thought of this, he heard the sound of weapons flying towards him. He quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding several darts.

"Who's there?" Yun Qingyi drew his sword and shouted.

A shadowy figure leaped towards him, kicking at Yun Qingyi. Yun Qingyi used his inner strength to push himself backward, narrowly avoiding the attack. As Hua Qiuyuan landed on one foot, he hooked a branch with his other leg, swung around, and threw another hidden weapon at Yun Qingyi.

Yun Qingyi tried to dodge again, but Hua Qiuyuan's leg came crashing down from above. Instinctively, Yun Qingyi blocked with his sword, but Hua Qiuyuan's downward force was too strong, pressing Yun Qingyi to his knees.

A fierce struggle of internal energies ensued between them. Yun Qingyi saw Hua Qiuyuan's hand moving to thrust a weapon at his neck. Desperately, he thought, [This is bad!]

Just as the weapon was about to pierce his neck, a loud "clang" rang out, and the pressure on Yun Qingyi eased.

"Qingyi~" a voice called from behind.

Yun Qingyi turned to see Li Luoning standing there, holding his sword.

"Master," Yun Qingyi quickly retreated to Li Luoning's side.

Seeing that Yun Qingyi was unhurt, Li Luoning looked up at Hua Qiuyuan, "It's you again?"

"Master, do you know him?" Yun Qingyi asked.

Li Luoning nodded slightly and whispered, "He's the Demon Lord's shadow guard. I fought him last time at Wuming Demon Mountain. His presence here means the Demon Lord knows we've come."

"If he's here to stop us, then Xingzhe must be in their hands."

Li Luoning straightened up and addressed Hua Qiuyuan, "Are you Hua Qiuyuan, the brother of Miss Hua Ruoying?"

Hearing Li Luoning mention his sister, Hua Qiuyuan hesitated. He had been searching for news of her but had found none. Surprised that this person knew her whereabouts, he listened intently.

Seeing Hua Qiuyuan's hesitation, Li Luoning continued, "I know that you and your sister were poisoned with Crystal Orchid. If you are willing, I can help you both break free from this control."

Hearing that Li Luoning not only knew Hua Ruoying but also about the Crystal Orchid poison, Hua Qiuyuan's killing intent diminished.

Li Luoning signaled Yun Qingyi to put away his weapon.

Hua Qiuyuan stood silently, watching Li Luoning.

To show his sincerity, Li Luoning took out two different herbs and gently pushed them towards Hua Qiuyuan.

"This is called Violet Flower Ground Ivy. It can help Miss Ruoying expel the fiery poison from her body," Li Luoning pointed to the herb with light purple petals on the left.

"And this Lantern Flower can alleviate the cold poison in your body," he said, indicating the white herb on the right.

"Why should I trust you?" Hua Qiuyuan's voice was cold.

"You don't have to trust me, but if you truly wish to break free from control, why not give it a try? The information I provided can be verified in any ancient medical text. You can check for yourself," Li Luoning replied. He knew that with Hua Qiuyuan's skill, Yun Qingyi escaping unscathed was already a sign of leniency. Hence, it was worth taking a gamble.

He didn't need Hua Qiuyuan to verbally agree. If he accepted the herbs, it would mean that Mi Xingzhe was indeed at Wuming Demon Mountain. If he refused, then he likely had other intentions for coming here.

Hua Qiuyuan pondered for a moment, his partially hidden face revealing no emotion.

"Try if you will." He left the four words behind, took the herbs, and turned to leave.

"Hey, you!" Yun Qingyi wanted to chase after him, but Li Luoning stopped him.

"Don't chase."

"Master, why not?"

"Because Xingzhe is in their hands."

In the Demon Lord's hall, Li Minghan sat fiddling with a shard of the Soul Gathering Lamp, the translucent fragment drawing him back into memories.

"Master Ou, Li Gongzi has arrived," the shopkeeper of Yuqing Treasure House announced at the door of the private room.

Li Minghan looked at the exquisite items displayed on the shelves. Although they were not rare treasures, they were clearly valuable. "No wonder Master Ou is so generous," he mused.

"Li brother~" Shortly after, Ou Xianzhang emerged, extending his hands in welcome.

"I didn't expect Master Ou to have such a large business," Li Minghan remarked, taking a seat of honor and glancing around.

"These are just small trades, earning some insignificant silver," Ou Xianzhang said modestly, waving his hand.

"What business brings you here today, Master Ou?" Li Minghan asked.

"Li brother, have you been enjoying yourself these past few days?" Ou Xianzhang inquired.

Thinking about how he had been dragged to a brothel for three days and nights upon entering the city, Li Minghan couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly. "Thanks to your hospitality, it has been quite...entertaining," he replied, somewhat shyly.

Ou Xianzhang laughed, "I find us quite kindred. If you don't mind, there's an empty courtyard in my mansion that you can use for your stay."

Li Minghan hesitated, recalling Shentu Zhajia's earlier warning.

Seeing his hesitation, Ou Xianzhang smiled and said, "Since you are here to explore the human world, it would be more convenient with a like-minded friend."

Hearing this, Li Minghan grew wary. "What do you mean by that, Master Ou? I don't quite understand."

Without speaking, Ou Xianzhang waved his hand, and the room door closed with a sound. Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, the wall behind him rotated, revealing shelves of glowing magical artifacts.

Li Minghan realized that Ou Xianzhang had already seen through his disguise. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. "You knew my identity all along?"

"I never intentionally tested you. It was this that gave you away," Ou Xianzhang said, pointing to the drunken demon shield at Li Minghan's waist, which had been disguised as a jade pendant. Its demonic aura was easily detectable by those with cultivation.

"This?"

"Your jade pendant is quite unique. I'm particularly fond of collecting magical artifacts. Where did you get it?" Ou Xianzhang asked.

"It was a gift from a friend," Li Minghan replied evasively.

"This friend must be very close to you to give such a valuable gift," Ou Xianzhang said, his eyes fixed on the pendant, then back at Li Minghan.

Feeling uncomfortable under Ou Xianzhang's gaze, Li Minghan gripped the pendant tightly.

Seeing Li Minghan's tension, Ou Xianzhang didn't press further and changed the topic. "I have no particular hobbies, just a fondness for collecting unique items," he said, pointing at Li Minghan with a smile.

"Master Ou, this jade pendant..."

Li Minghan began, thinking Ou Xianzhang was interested in the pendant, but was interrupted.

"No need to worry, I'm not talking about the pendant," Ou Xianzhang said, waving his hand.

"Not the pendant? What do you mean?" Li Minghan asked, puzzled.

"I'm talking about you..."