Chapter 26: Aphrodisiac Fruit Part 2

Shen Sheng laughed. “Seems you really don’t understand anything.”

“Understand what?” Jiang Wan was confused by her words.

Shen Sheng smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out when you get married.”

At this, Jiang Wan turned her head to look outside, reserved and silent. Yet the slightly red tips of her ears betrayed her.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly grew charged with ambiguity.

After a moment, Jiang Wan turned back to look at her, a bright smile on her face. “You know a lot, don’t you?”

“Not a lot. It’s all from books. Read more, and you’ll understand.” Shen Sheng narrowed her eyes, her tone teasing. Living ten thousand years, yet knowing nothing?

Remembering something, she asked, “Didn’t your Master teach you?”

“She died,” Jiang Wan said, her expression unchanged.

Shen Sheng felt a pang in her heart. “I’m sorry, I brought up a painful memory.”

“It’s not painful. She was an interesting person.” Jiang Wan was frank. “She didn’t want to abide by the world’s rules and loved to argue with others. She took me traveling everywhere. Her Spiritual Power was profound. Pity, she still died in the end.”

Shen Sheng’s eyes turned cold. She hadn’t expected Jiang Wan’s Master to be such a formidable figure.

“After Master died, I met another stubborn young girl. She often told me about things to come, about future gods and Devils. She told me not to come to the South River, to go to distant mountains, to the corners of the sea. In the end, I still came here to fulfill my mission.”

Jiang Wan’s tone was frank. Her heart had never wavered.

It was true now, and it had been true in the past. As for the future, that wasn’t up to her.

Shen Sheng listened, frowning. Something felt strange, but she still didn’t grasp the deeper meaning behind the words. All she could think about was the immediate predicament.

She kept trying to think of a win-win plan—preserving the South River while killing the so-called Evil Devil. The gods outside the South River were mostly apathetic. The South River had stood as a holy land for tens of thousands of years. In their eyes, the South River had always been powerful. No one believed it could be destroyed.

After sighing several times, Jiang Wan pinched her cheek. “General Shen, stop sighing. Let me take you down to fight. After a good fight, all your worries will vanish.”

“That works?” Shen Sheng was surprised. Here, she truly hadn’t been able to stretch her limbs.

“Let’s go. Taking you to fight.” Jiang Wan decided.

The two changed out of their Prajna City clothes into ordinary attire and, in the middle of the night, flew down from the city.

Prajna City kept its doors open at night. Down in the city below, half the Talisman Papers on the wall were gone. Shen Sheng was shocked. “Did someone steal them?”

“The South River Clan Leader is getting married. Immortals from all over have come. Naturally, there are conflicts, leading to more fights. Think about it—fighting leads to injuries, which leads to desperate situations. Stealing some talismans to protect themselves is perfectly reasonable.” Jiang Wan kindly explained. “Let’s go to the Spirit Abyss Pavilion.”

The Spirit Abyss Pavilion was a place where dragons and snakes mingled. Inside the Pavilion, no one dared to start a fight. But once you stepped outside, brawls were everywhere.

Sometimes even Immortals who came didn’t necessarily leave unscathed.

Dog-eat-dog was a common occurrence. Ignorant newcomers who came would definitely be skinned alive. Of course, if you were willing to pay the Pavilion to escort you home, that was possible too.

Just as they arrived near the place, they saw a group engaged in a magical duel. A Heavenly Thunder Talisman exploded with a deafening bang, blowing flesh and blood everywhere.

Shen Sheng watched with great interest. Jiang Wan gave her a stack of talisman papers. “Go try them. Have a fight.”

Shen Sheng: “…” Who urges someone else to fight? Weren’t we just here to watch the excitement and enjoy the show?

Pushed into the fray, Shen Sheng first steadied herself. Her opponents, seeing a newcomer and not knowing which side she was on, decided to attack first, ask questions later.

Shen Sheng was a martial artist by nature, with sharp hearing and quick reflexes. She showed no fear whatsoever.

Jiang Wan stood to the side, quietly watching. The familiar figure entered her vision. She was still her, just more youthful.

The one who’d once sheltered her under her wing… she never expected she’d also have to diligently learn magical arts.

Shen Sheng handled herself with ease. In two or three moves, she had resolved opponents on both sides. She quickly retreated to Jiang Wan’s side. “Who were they?”

“Rogue cultivators, stuck in the same place for years. Simply put, their talent is poor and it’s hard for them to take even a single step forward,” Jiang Wan said.

As her words faded, those people fled, leaving behind a ground full of magical artifacts.

Shen Sheng went over and picked them up. There were also some Spirit Stones and various strange magical tools—none were high quality, just average.

Jiang Wan reminded her, “You can take them to the Spirit Abyss Pavilion and sell them. Get a good price, then trade for something better.”

“Does this count as robbery?” Shen Sheng asked, puzzled.

Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow. “Counts, I suppose. But if you don’t take them, someone else will. It’s all a dog-eat-dog world. I wouldn’t even call it robbery.”

When a gentle person made a disdainful gesture, her expression became even more vivid.

Shen Sheng obediently gathered everything. She went inside and sold it all for over ten thousand.

Sure enough, making money here was easy.

Entering the auction hall, the two sat down openly without hiding their identities. With their strength, there was no need.

After they were seated, someone suddenly spoke. “Some time ago, the South River Water turned foul. I heard it’s the work of some Evil Devil.”

Shen Sheng turned her head to look. It was a bearded man.

The man continued, “Prajna City was built relying on the South River, all mysterious and secretive. For tens of thousands of years, no one could enter. Now the water is foul, and Prajna City will fall too.”

He sounded almost gleeful. Shen Sheng frowned. Jiang Wan pressed her hand. “Don’t start a fight here. No matter how angry you are, take it outside. Don’t ruin the rules of this place.”

Shen Sheng endured. But the man wouldn’t stop. He ranted on about how men had no standing at the South River, were even lower than Demons. Men couldn’t ascend to Prajna City—that was discrimination. Since the creation of the world, where was there a place women could enter but men couldn’t?

After a long, rambling tirade, Shen Sheng couldn’t bear it anymore. She kicked over the table and leaped across.

The man reacted quickly, casting a spell to defend himself. But strangely, before Shen Sheng could even touch him, the man flew backwards, smashing heavily onto the auction stage.

Bang! Everyone was stunned.

Jiang Wan’s cold voice rang out. “On my South River’s territory, spewing such disrespect. Who gave you the nerve?”

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Sheng threw a Heavenly Thunder Talisman at him. The man was blasted, coughing out a puff of black smoke. Shen Sheng blinked. “Where are you from?”

The auctioneers, realizing the situation was turning sour, immediately stopped the auction and helped the man up. Any cultivator could see the Heavenly Thunder Talisman was just a minor trick. The one with true power was Jiang Wan, someone not to be trifled with.

The man had accomplices, but now none dared show their faces. The man looked across the hall, but his associates had already fled.

So much for loyalty.

Shen Sheng declared, “Apologize, get out of the South River, and never come back.”

The man, swallowing his pride, apologized and slunk away.

The auction paused. After a short break, the staff ushered the two into a private room. They could still see everything clearly, and no one could approach them.

This time, they were spared any nonsense. But Jiang Wan found it boring. After waiting a while and seeing no good treasures, she pulled Shen Sheng away.

As soon as they stepped out of the Spirit Abyss Pavilion, they were blocked.

The man from before hadn’t left. He’d gone to gather reinforcements. Led by a thin, frail-looking old man with white hair and a beard, a group confronted them.

Shen Sheng was stunned. A follow-up ambush?

Before anyone could speak, the old man led his group in forming a battle array. Instantly, a dazzling golden light erupted, so bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.

Jiang Wan’s expression remained gentle. She lightly stroked the back of Shen Sheng’s neck and murmured, “Looks intimidating, but it’s nothing impressive. Five hundred years of life, wasted.”

Five hundred years old… Shen Sheng pinched her own cheek. She’d only lived eighteen years…

Jiang Wan didn’t intervene directly. Instead, she guided Shen Sheng step-by-step on how to break the array, her voice soft and patient.

“It’s all a bluff. Find the Eastern Gate; that’s the weak point. Actually, there’s an even simpler method,” Jiang Wan sighed softly. “Forget it, I’ll give you a chance to vent.”

Following her instructions, Shen Sheng located the Eastern Gate and used the Ice Crystal Dagger to break the formation. Instantly, the old man let out a shriek.

The Ice Crystal Dagger was an object of extreme cold. With one sword strike to break the array, everyone inside was frozen solid.

Shen Sheng learned a great deal. Before she could fully comprehend it, Jiang Wan spoke again. “Go check if they have any treasures on them. We can’t have fought for nothing, right? This time, it definitely isn’t robbery.”

Jiang Wan’s words were light and breezy. Shen Sheng, however, found it hard to believe. Could Anu’s vast fortune have been accumulated exactly this way?

The group indeed carried many magical artifacts. After gathering everything in one go, they turned back to the Spirit Abyss Pavilion and pawned them all.

Just like that, Shen Sheng became a minor wealthy tycoon.

Bidding farewell to the generous donors, Shen Sheng was in high spirits. Dawn was breaking. They returned, laden with spoils.

The day before the wedding, well-wishers from all corners arrived.

The South River Water was impossibly clear. The riverbed was visible at a single glance. A high platform had been erected over the river, surrounded by colorful celestial birds.

A wedding ceremony was a joyous occasion. Prajna City had not seen a wedding in over a thousand years. This time, with the Clan Leader marrying, it was being done with extreme grandeur.