After the mountain bandits blocked the road the past few days, Chen Yi decided not to head to Chongyang Sword Pond immediately. Instead, he wanted to go to Moon Viewing Tower.

He had to figure out who wanted to put a bounty on him.

However, walking into a brothel wearing Daoist robes as a monk would inevitably arouse suspicion.

So before entering the city, Chen Yi changed out of his Daoist robes, put on a normal outfit, and stored his sword and knife into Square Land.

"Where are you going after entering the city?"

Lu Ying watched him change his clothes and couldn't help but ask.

"The brothel," Chen Yi replied with a laugh.

Lu Ying furrowed her brows. How could her highly virtuous master have such an undisciplined nephew?

Most young women dislike those frequenting brothels.

"Why... why?" Lu Ying asked persistently.

"Didn't you say earlier that I was indulging in lust?" Chen Yi said nonchalantly, "Well, now I'm overwhelmed by it."

His tone suddenly became steady, shifting from playful relaxation to seriousness. Lu Ying felt inexplicably uneasy.

She glanced at Chen Yi, unable to figure out what he was thinking. But she noticed a faint crease on his forehead.

Lu Ying, still at the age of awakening emotions, became alert and stammered suspiciously, "What... what kind of lustful indulgence? What kind of overwhelming passion? Don't go messing around in brothels."

Chen Yi replied, "I haven't eaten meat for six months. If I can't go to the brothel now, I'll be forced to endure it further, feeling worse and growing sicker. I just want a woman for company."

Lu Ying froze for a moment, bit her lip, and looked back at the distant city gate. Then she noticed their current location—neither a village ahead nor an inn behind. It was just the two of them, isolated. She broke into a cold sweat and said nervously, "You wouldn't... want me, would you?"

Chen Yi glanced at her slight figure and said, "I'm not that desperate."

Lu Ying was stunned, her cheeks quickly puffing up in anger.

Her rounded cheeks swelled up like soft buns, though still outmatched by certain other dimensions of her figure.

Chen Yi thought about it for a moment and explained, "I'm not going to solicit. I'm going to investigate something."

Lu Ying hesitated briefly and said, "Shall I go with you?"

As the top disciple of the Sword Armor Sect, her words sounded like she intended to supervise her master's mischievous nephew.

Chen Yi didn't refuse, nodding in agreement.

The two of them soon entered the city.

Compared to yesterday's dim and overcast skies, today's weather was blissfully sunny—exactly the kind of day people enjoy most.

The gloom that had weighed on Lu Ying's heart began to lift, her brows gradually rising.

Yet, when she turned to glance at Chen Yi, her expression dimmed again.

Chen Yi asked, "Am I some sort of frightening demon that can make the Immortal Lady's mood swing so drastically?"

Lu Ying retorted, "If you weren't here, my mood might be even better."

"Looks like you'll be in a bad mood for the rest of the journey then."

Chen Yi spoke casually and then transitioned, asking:

"Where did you say that secret realm was again?"

"Chongyang Sword Pond," Lu Ying paused and replied, "It's a Daoist temple affiliated with the Quanzhen Sect."

"Chongyang Temple? Ah, Wang Chongyang, one of the Five Greats."

"What Five Greats? What Central Divine?" Lu Ying corrected him earnestly, "Chongyang Zhenren holds the title of celestial being and is revered as the True Monarch of Enlightenment by the Chongyang Quanzhen lineage."

Seeing his tone lacking respect and recalling how he had worn Daoist robes for days, she scolded, "Fake Daoist—you're the very reason swindlers in Jianghu are ruining the reputation of Daoists, making them worse off than monks."

Chen Yi pointed to himself and asked, "I'm a fake Daoist?"

Lu Ying countered, "Aren't you?"

"Wrong. This is what they call 'Tao follows nature.'" Chen Yi paused and declared, "To follow nature means to act spontaneously and follow one's heart. If I want to call him the Central Divine, then he's the Central Divine. If I choose not to respect him, then I won't respect him. Whether you call me a fake Daoist or thousands of others do the same, I'll still embrace it naturally."

At first, Lu Ying didn't find anything odd about what he said, but after a brief reflection, she felt it seemed to contain... a subtle depth.

Following one's heart and embracing nature—wasn't this the truth?

Recalling how she had drawn a superior lot yesterday and now seeing the bright and clear skies, the more she thought about it, the more she realized—there seemed to be some overarching connection. She couldn't help but wonder if this journey would indeed be smooth sailing.

Chen Yi... he seemed to actually have some substance to him…

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