Chapter 726: Love Ordeal

A strange gleam flickered in Qin Sang’s eyes.

Ran Luo, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.

Qin Sang couldn't help feeling slightly suspicious. She didn’t seem to be using this matter to threaten him.

Even if she was, Qin Sang wasn’t afraid.

In the Thousand-Demon Sea, finding a place to hide was all too easy. Most of the Inner Sea was occupied by human cultivators. No matter how powerful Black Snake Mountain might be, it would never be allowed to stir up trouble in human territory.

As long as he didn’t step foot in the Witch God Continent, there was nothing to worry about.

"No wonder those men were so strong; they were personal disciples of a Spiritual Infant elder of the witch race. Fortunately, my evasion technique was decent enough to escape their pursuit. I’m deeply grateful to Daoist Ran and Elder Zhou for handling the aftermath."

Qin Sang stood up and cupped his hands respectfully.

Daoist Ran gave a faint smile. "There’s no need for such formality, Daoist Master. Those who are not of our kind must harbor different intentions. And you are also a guest cultivator of the guild. Both sentiment and duty require that we not stand by idly. Have you given any thought to Elder Zhou’s suggestion?"

Qin Sang pondered for a moment before replying, "I have two conditions."

Daoist Ran’s face lit up, clearly pleased he was willing to consider it. "Please, go ahead, Daoist Master."

"First, I cannot delay the matter of the spiritual herb any longer. I must retrieve it first. Second, as you know, Seven-Kill Hall is extremely dangerous. I cannot afford to be careless. I need to find a place to undergo bitter cultivation and do my utmost to reach the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm before the hall opens. Only then will I have a greater chance of surviving. Moreover, my cultivation art is unique and requires frequent excursions to hunt demonic beasts in order to comprehend the Great Dao of Slaughter. Because of this, I won’t have the energy to handle mundane guild affairs," Qin Sang spoke in a low voice.

"Daoist Master truly has astonishing talent, to be so confident about breaking through before Seven-Kill Hall opens."

Daoist Ran couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. She had reached a bottleneck ten years ago and had yet to find any solution. Hearing Qin Sang speak so assuredly filled her with envy.

"Daoist Master’s improvement in cultivation is also a great boon to the guild. Of course I have no reason to stand in your way. In that case, until the hall opens, you may take charge of a few smaller islands along the sea route. Our guild has only just established itself in the Demonic Sea. Those islands don’t have many affairs; your only responsibility would be to handle potential crises. As for routine matters, others will take care of them.

"However, Daoist Master should be aware of the chaotic state of the Demonic Sea. Those islands are nothing like Duyan Island. Their safety cannot be guaranteed. And once you accept the post, you won’t be able to move about freely. You must remain contactable at all times."

As she spoke, Daoist Ran unfurled a nautical chart before Qin Sang.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Several small islands along the trade route were marked, each serving as a minor outpost.

The guild lacked personnel in the Demonic Sea. Aside from major islands like Duyan Island, most stations required one person to oversee several islands at once. While the workload wasn’t heavy, it was still far from easy.

As Daoist Ran pointed out locations on the map, Qin Sang focused more on the surrounding environment. As long as there were suitable hunting grounds nearby, he could adapt easily.

"I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle so many islands alone. Could Daoist Ran assign me some help?"

Daoist Ran gave a meaningful smile. "If you can convince other Daoists to assist, I have no objections."

Qin Sang paused, deep in thought.

The two continued their private discussion for some time.

That night, Qin Sang boarded a ship headed for Tianwu Island to begin his journey. The Wang Sisters came to see him off.

The next evening, they would board a ship bound for Desolate Island, heading out ahead of Qin Sang to prepare the new post he had selected. Once he had gathered the Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansy, he would go and meet them there.

Besides Daoist Ran, the only people Qin Sang was familiar with on Duyan Island were the Wang Sisters. Once he had Elder Zhou’s approval, he went to speak with them.

He hadn’t expected that despite already having plans to leave with a companion, the two sisters would agree without hesitation after hearing his request. It seemed they hadn’t even taken the time to ask for details.

Their relationship with the guild was purely contractual. The guild had little power to restrict them. Daoist Ran had neither the reason nor the desire to interfere.

With their help, Qin Sang’s future duties would become much easier.

Naturally, he wouldn’t treat them unfairly. The elder sister had just reached the Core Formation Realm and still needed to gather resources for her sister’s Malevolent Demonic Pill. She didn’t even own an astra, putting her at the bottom tier of Core Formation cultivators. So Qin Sang lent her the jade hu tablet to use for now, giving her enough strength to hold down the fort.

He gave the sisters a few last instructions, then boarded the ship.

The Wang Sisters waved as they saw him off.

They stood watching as the ship cut through the waves and disappeared into the distance.

The younger sister leaned around in front of her older sibling with a mischievous smile. "Congratulations, Sister, congratulations! You finally got what you wanted!"

The elder sister glared at her and snapped, spitting lightly before pretending to reach out. "Watch that tongue of yours, or I’ll pull it out."

The younger one was unfazed. She waved both hands and bounced on her toes. "Tsk, tsk! Still pretending? Who was it that didn’t even let the man finish his sentence before accepting right away? Didn’t even ask what I thought, afraid he might change his mind... Was your heart already flying out of your chest?"

"We’ve never even seen Daoist Master’s real face," the elder sister suddenly muttered under her breath.

The younger sister froze, noticing the look on her sister’s face and no longer daring to joke around.

The elder sister gave a self-deprecating smile. "I never expected it either. After living like an old hag for a hundred years, I suddenly developed a young girl’s infatuation. I don’t even know when it started. Maybe it was all those years adrift in the Demonic Sea like a rootless duckweed, living from one day to the next, that planted the idea of finding someone to rely on. Later, when I met Daoist Master, the feelings just surged uncontrollably. "These past few days, I took time to reflect and realized that it might not have been love at all."

The younger sister quietly listened, then leaned closer and held her sister’s arm tightly.

The elder sister patted her on the shoulder and said gently, "This might not be a bad thing for me. After coming to terms with it, my state of mind has improved noticeably. I’ll treat this as a trial of emotion, a tempering of the heart. Daoist Master’s strength is unfathomable, and he’s a man of integrity. The fact that he’s willing to support us sisters is already an enormous blessing. Your Malevolent Demonic Pill will not be a problem. Hurry up and break through to the Core Formation Realm, so the two of us can walk the immortal path together and never be separated."

"We’ll never be separated," the younger sister murmured.

***

Aboard the ship.

Qin Sang knew nothing of the sisters’ conversation.

In his hand, he held a command token representing his status as a manager of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild.

Whether joining the Qiongyu Merchant Guild was a blessing or a curse, he had no way of knowing yet. But for the sake of obtaining entry to Seven-Kill Hall, he could not afford to hesitate.

Before his departure, he had exchanged the demonic cores and other materials in his Thousand-Jin Ring for spirit stones. He also borrowed a portion from the guild, barely scraping together enough to meet the required amount and secure his qualification for the Seven-Kill Hall.

As for the Dongji Alliance’s mission, he would play it by ear when the time came.

If it turned out to be too dangerous, Qin Sang certainly wouldn’t sit and wait for death.

The ship sailed smoothly over the sea, protected by spiritual arrays and carrying several high-level cultivators. There was nothing to worry about.

Inside his room, Qin Sang activated the barrier, then layered it with several more barriers. From his Thousand-Jin Ring, he retrieved a jade box.

The moment he opened it, a radiant blue light filled the entire room.

Qin Sang’s face was bathed in that blue glow.