Shen Wang suppressed a smile and shook his head.
"Oh, that’s good then."
Zheng Yunshu replied somewhat anxiously.
"You really believed it, huh? My parents aren’t even here."
Shen Wang laughed, "I’ve already left home and started my own life."
Zheng Yunshu responded in a daze.
Shen Wang could see this woman was truly naïve. Luckily, she encountered him; otherwise, who knows how miserably she would have been sold off if Xie Xianlong succeeded.
"Speaking of which, what brought you all the way to Wind and Thunder City this time?"
Shen Wang returned to the main topic.
"I’m buying medicine for my elder brother and inquiring about some medicinal herbs."
Zheng Yunshu seemed to truly trust Shen Wang and answered honestly.
"Doesn’t the Hundred Refining Sect have any?"
Shen Wang voiced the curiosity he had since first seeing Zheng Yunshu appear in Wind and Thunder City.
"Mm, my brother’s mind is injured by evil energy, requiring medicines that are extremely yang and firm for treatment. I heard that the Yun family’s Evil Exorcism Pill might be effective, so I came to see if I could buy one for my brother to try."
Zheng Yunshu showed a look of grievance: "Who knew Xie Xianlong would try to deceive me into leaving Jin Province and even wanted to force things to happen between us."
Shen Wang looked at the somewhat cute Zheng Yunshu, "Have you been studying arrays from a young age and rarely interacting with others?"
"How did you know? My brother has told me many times to interact with more people, but who knew people within the sect could be so bad."
Zheng Yunshu said dejectedly, "Arrays are more fun; at least they don’t deceive me."
Alright, Shen Wang understood why Zheng Yunshu was somewhat different. Her innocence had its reasons; she hadn’t faced the harsh realities of the Cultivation Realm yet.
He continued holding back his laughter, "You mentioned inquiring about medicinal herbs, what exactly is it?"
"It’s the Soul Condensing Grass. It’s a spirit grass that can cure my brother’s body and divine soul."
Zheng Yunshu gave a helpless smile, "Master Liu in the Alchemy Pavilion only told me that Soul Condensing Grass would be useful, but didn’t tell me where to find it, so I came here to ask about the specific location."
She sighed, "After asking, I realized why Master Liu didn’t tell me. The Soul Condensing Grass grows in the most dangerous forbidden places. Even if we know it’s there, we basically have no chance of picking it."
"Where is it?" Shen Wang was curious.
"Broken Soul Valley, one of the three forbidden places in Ningnan. Even Nascent Soul Great Cultivators have a slim chance of surviving."
Zheng Yunshu sighed, "I wish I were a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator."
Shen Wang said, "As long as your brother doesn’t die too soon, I’ll help you later."
"It probably won’t work. My brother has only a few years left."
Zheng Yunshu showed sorrow but then suddenly changed the topic, "We can first become Dao Companions to bring him some joy. Seeing me with a partner, he could leave this world with a smile."
She said blankly, "It would be best if we had a child; my brother would definitely leave with a smile."
Shen Wang’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say, is this the thinking of a female Array King? It’s so peculiarly eccentric. Zheng Bingzhong would probably be very touched, as this girl has really given up on treatment.
"Ahem, take it slow. You should first solve the problem on yourself."
Shen Wang stopped Zheng Yunshu’s odd thoughts, "As for the Spirit-Binding Silk on your body, I don’t know how to remove it."
"I don’t know either."
Zheng Yunshu realized.
"You’re very straightforward."
Shen Wang found that talking to Zheng Yunshu doesn’t involve guessing her thoughts at all, she’s truly too direct.
"Why don’t you try pulling it out for me?"
Zheng Yunshu uncertainly said, "I can’t use mana or strength right now, I don’t feel much, just a lot of pain."
"Don’t rush it. If it damages your meridians, the loss outweighs the gain."
Shen Wang looked at Zheng Yunshu’s wrist, white as jade. The black Spirit-Binding Silk looked like a vein, blocking the meridians and acupoints. Let alone using Spiritual Essence, even movement was difficult.
It must be said this is an extremely vicious magical artifact, capable of crippling even a cultivator on the spot, making it easy for Xie Xianlong to capture Zheng Yunshu and do as he pleased.
"It’s a special magical artifact, possibly crafted by the Hundred Refinement Pavilion. Maybe Xie Xianlong has a method to use it."
Shen Wang said, "After capturing you and having his way, he wouldn’t keep you forever."
Zheng Yunshu agreed and recalled, "Back then, he shot something like a flying needle into my back, and then I couldn’t smoothly use my cultivation."
Shen Wang quickly checked Zheng Yunshu’s back. There was indeed a tear in her clothes, with a finger-sized red spot on the skin beneath.
"Let’s study this at home; it’s not suitable outside."
Shen Wang carried Zheng Yunshu and continued through the forest.
His flying sword was damaged and now he could only walk, which was safer.
Sword Flight leaves behind spiritual power fluctuations and air turbulence, which can easily be detected by experts and pursued. Walking on the ground, hidden by trees, with only scent remaining, left little trace.
As for the scent, he occasionally scattered medicinal powder to remove it, giving no chance even if the pursuers had a dog’s nose.
Familiar with the route, they returned to Kunyu Mountain and entered within the array, where Shen Wang could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"This array here is a Dao Array, right?"
Zheng Yunshu observed around and commented.
Shen Wang thought for a moment and said, "I call it a Natural Array."
"Dao follows nature, also called the Natural Array. The advantage is it can use everything in heaven and earth to form an array; it has an imposing presence. The downside is the array’s power isn’t very strong, with many limitations, and it’s mostly lost, rarely used, mentioned only in ancient texts."
Zheng Yunshu explained knowledgeably.
"I didn’t expect you to research this too. As expected of a Female Array King."
"My cultivation isn’t enough, so I can only use the environment to form an array. That’s why I’ve studied this type of Dao Array that utilizes mountains and rivers. But what I’ve seen in ancient texts is quite mundane; this Dao Array here is more advanced and helpful to me."
The more Zheng Yunshu looked, the more her eyes shone, as if she had found a cherished treasure.
Shen Wang smiled lightly, "You’re now one of the mistresses here, so you can study it however you like. Let’s first go see the other sisters and children."
Back home, he didn’t have to worry about exposure. With Spiritual Essence supporting him, he quickly arrived at the mountainside.
"The master is back!"
Liu Shan, who was guarding the gate, called out, then added, "And he brought a new lady."
Zheng Yunshu’s face turned red as she shrank her head into Shen Wang’s embrace.
As she recalled today’s events, she felt things had progressed rather quickly.
However, she felt she hadn’t misjudged. Her brother hadn’t misjudged either, and her choice wasn’t wrong.
Lan Kui was the first to run out. Seeing the woman in Shen Wang’s arms, she said blankly, "Is this the master’s new lady?"
"Yes, her name is Zheng Yunshu."
Shen Wang nodded, jokingly, "A wife picked up along the way."
"Where can you pick up such a beautiful woman?"
"Liu Shan muttered softly."
Hongping elbowed him, "What, you want to pick one up?"
"Just kidding; this counts as one of my fellow apprentices. We have an eye for each other and plan to become Dao companions."
"Ah, you have three already?"
Zheng Yunshu blurted out, surprised.
"Yes, now with you, there are four of you, just enough to make a table for Mahjong."
Shen Wang nodded, not embarrassed. His system required him to take multiple wives and have many children.
"Oh." Zheng Yunshu blushed even more with a red face as she realized how fast things had escalated that day.
She did not feel she had misjudged him, though Zheng Bingzhong would probably be gratified, considering his sister had really given up on treatment.
Meanwhile, Jia’Er stood shyly aside, "I’m the eldest sister, Jia’Er, I share the master’s last name."
"Greetings to the three sisters."
Blushing, Zheng Yunshu addressed them.
"It’s alright. We’re not too big on formalities."
"Daddy, the third lady was deceived, surely it was father who saved her, so it was a hero rescuing the beauty."
Amid a crisp voice, their pretty daughter Shen Chuxue said.
Everyone at home is no longer averse to outsiders. On the contrary, the more people, the happier they are, and the stronger they will be to fend off outside enemies.
They looked a little embarrassed, "Alright, let’s just say it was fate."
Shen Wang felt a bit awkward, it was more like he stumbled upon a situation randomly.