The next day, Liu Shan came over to report, "Master, Chunmei has returned and said she wants to work for us again."
"Oh, wasn’t she afraid of ghosts and spirits?"
Shen Wang was surprised.
"She went back and had a hard time, then realized making money was too difficult. Knowing that you, master, are like an Immortal, she wants to continue working here."
Liu Shan said, "When she left before, she took quite a bit of money with her. I escorted her home, and there were no problems at the time.
But within days of returning, her money was discovered by her husband, who took it for himself. Later, her husband even used that money to take another pretty concubine.
She was furious over this, couldn’t fight him, and even got beaten instead, so she had no choice but to come back to seek help from us. Now, she’s not afraid of demons and ghosts, just wants to learn some skills to deal with her husband at home."
Beside him, Hongping indignantly said, "Her husband is just heartless; doesn’t he see who earned that money?"
Shen Wang listened and could not help but laugh, "Since she’s no longer afraid of the ghosts here, let her come back and do odd jobs. Teach her some skills when you have time. No servant of ours should be bullied lightly."
"Yes, Master." Liu Shan happily replied.
The matter of Chunmei’s return was just a small episode, and Shen Wang didn’t mind it at all; his focus was on his family.
With a pregnant wife added to his family, the daily rewards Shen Wang received increased by about a third, significantly speeding up his progress.
After a trip to Baixi City to buy some medicinal herbs for stable and nourishing aura during pregnancy, he observed for a few days to ensure that Paper Kite’s physical condition was relatively stable, and then he began preparations to find the Black Silkworm Lady.
Since the other was also skilled in using poison, Shen Wang preemptively bought various types of antitoxic pills and carefully studied the Poison Canon again. He rehearsed various possible scenarios in his mind and supplemented with a large number of talismans. Only then did he set out early.
The Jade Silkworm Valley was over three thousand miles away from the ancestral residence, and even with sword flight, it took Shen Wang more than half a day to reach there.
From a distance, the Jade Silkworm Valley was a vast valley, with snow-capped mountains on both sides. Beneath the snow, the vegetation thrived, showing a fair amount of green even in the deep winter, suggesting that various precious medicinal plants grew within.
"The snow mountains on both sides look like jade silkworms lying sideways; no wonder it’s called Jade Silkworm Valley."
Shen Wang admired the magnificent landscape with a look of appreciation, and noticing the array power ahead, he decisively landed and walked over.
Soon, he was blocked. An old man with a white cloth wrapped around his forehead appeared and said, "Esteemed Cultivator, this is the vicinity of Jade Silkworm Valley. If you are not led by someone, please do not step in to avoid misunderstandings."
"I’ve come to visit a senior."
Shen Wang knew the other party detected he was a cultivator and came to stop him, so he didn’t hide his intentions and explained directly.
"Do you have an invitation?"
"Can you contact someone inside the valley?"
"Then you are here to ask for a favor."
The old man was not surprised and asked, "Who do you wish to see?"
"The Black Silkworm Lady."
Shen Wang stated the name.
The old man’s face changed slightly, frowning, "You’ve come to the wrong place. I advise you not to proceed further."
Shen Wang was puzzled, "Isn’t the Black Silkworm Lady from here?"
"She is, and she isn’t."
The old man shook his head, "You clearly do not understand the situation of our Jade Silkworm Valley. The Black Silkworm Lady is a criminal of our Jade Silkworm Valley, currently under punishment, so how can she meet anyone?"
Shen Wang was taken aback, "Do you mean to say that the Black Silkworm Valley refers to a type of people, not a specific individual?"
"Here that’s the case, but not necessarily outside. It depends on who you’re referring to."
The old man looked at Shen Wang, "What business do you have with her?"
Shen Wang had to say, unsure if he was poisoned or not. If he said he was studying poisons, he might get a different response.
"Indeed, ten come for the Celestial Silk, three for detoxification, and one for revenge."
The old man chuckled, "What poison do you need cured? If it’s a common poison, there’s no need to seek out the Black Poison Lady, other elders or disciples might be able to resolve it."
Shen Wang’s eyes lit up, "Black Poison, have you heard of it?"
The previously cheerful and calm old man’s face suddenly changed, exclaiming, "How could you have such a poison?"
"Why?" Shen Wang was confused, "Is this poison very special?"
"No, if you were poisoned by it, you couldn’t have made it here and spoken to me normally."
The old man shook his head, lost in thought, "Do you have friends or family poisoned by it?"
Shen Wang nodded, "I’ve investigated, this poison was used by the Black Death King hundreds of years ago; the last appearance was reportedly the Black Silkworm Lady."
The old man frowned, "Do you suspect someone from our Jade Silkworm Valley?"
"No, their poisoning was due to other matters, unrelated to your people."
Shen Wang shook his head, looking at the old man, "I wonder if you could introduce me to a master who can cure this poison?"
"This poison is too sinister for a steward like me to handle."
The old man shook his head, "But the person you’re looking for is probably that senior who has researched this. I can take you there, whether you meet them is not for me to decide."
Shen Wang took out a bag of spirit stones and handed them over, "A small token, please accept."
The old man gladly accepted it, seeing there were twenty spirit stones, his smile widened, "My name is Gui Xiang. Once you enter the valley, don’t wander around. I’ll apply for a temporary identity token for you to stay in specific areas for seven days as a visiting guest."
"Thank you, Brother Gui."
Shen Wang clasped his hands, following Gui Xiang towards Jade Silkworm Valley.
"May I ask for your name?"
As he passed a certain point, a powerful array fluctuation swept over Shen Wang, followed by two probing thoughts.
The scene in front of him changed, the distant vegetation transformed into a stone path, with a pavilion on the left, where two cultivators coldly examined Shen Wang.
"This young brother is here seeking medicine. Third Brother, could you issue a seven-day temporary token?"
Gui Xiang stepped forward to explain, handing over half of Shen Wang’s spirit stones to the two.
Having received a benefit, their expressions softened, and they readily threw Gui Xiang a token, recording Shen Wang’s cultivation level and name in the register, then routinely reminded: "Aside from the guest area, don’t walk around randomly, or don’t blame us if you lose your life."
"I will abide by your valley’s rules."
Shen Wang nodded, then continued following Gui Xiang forward.
He could sense various arrays nearby, and getting trapped was one thing, but triggering a killing array could indeed cost a life.
The green stone path stretched for two miles, elevating to a complex of palaces on a hillside. From afar, he could see the words "Guest Reception Hall", and there was a row of accommodations beside the palaces.
Gui Xiang said, "Younger Brother Shen, wait here. The person’s status is very high, and the report may not be immediate, and even if it is, you may not be able to see them."
He was giving Shen Wang an early warning to avoid excessive disappointment.
Shen Wang sensed that the person he was looking for this time was not simple, perhaps not too powerful, but definitely of high status.
Gui Xiang took him to a guest accommodation, found a room for him to settle in, and promptly went to report.
Shen Wang took a walk around the guest area, discovering it was well-populated, most likely with people seeking medicine or buying silks.
Returning to his room, Shen Wang waited patiently. After two quarters of an hour, Gui Xiang came back, shaking his head regretfully: "Younger Brother Shen, you might not be able to see the esteemed person anytime soon."