Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

There were no vegetarian dishes, all were non-vegetarian.

Roast lamb chops, roast suckling pig, steamed bear paws, and other hearty dishes were plentiful. Creatures that flew in the sky, swam in water, and ran on land could all be found on this table.

The most eye-catching was the main dish in the center of the table, which resembled neither a snake nor an eel and was as thick as a water bucket, coiled into a pile.

Yi Chen stared for a long time but couldn\'t figure out what it was.

To call it an eel, it had tattoos; to call it a snake, it had two big lumps on its head.

However, Yi Chen finally learned the name of the young lady in white before him.

The Governor of Longjiang Prefecture—Qian Yueru.

Only the Governor of Longjiang Prefecture had the power and strength to come to the top floor of Dragon Throne Hall and prepare such a feast late at night.

"So, Qian friend, you\'re saying that the two evil corpses I encountered tonight are from Yin Manor?"

"The bloody massacres they\'ve initiated in Longjiang Prefecture recently are to draw out the legacy treasures of the Evil Dragon Daoist, the Dragon Essence, the Great Destroying Divine Spear, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner?"

Yi Chen sat upright and still, not touching his chopsticks, and asked confirmatively.

It\'s best to ask clearly beforehand, as eating from someone\'s hand is to become soft-hearted.

Qian Yueru glanced at Yi Chen, then bit into a bone-in beef rib with the ease of chewing on sugarcane, crunching a few bites before swallowing, then comfortably squinted her beautiful phoenix eyes and reclined in her chair as she spoke,

"Indeed, I\'ve occasionally heard Lin Zhenbei mention that there\'s a Daoist in his jurisdiction, renowned for his peerless Pure Yang Daoist techniques. Seeing you today, truly, the famed are well-deserved."

"Presently, demonic powers, evil sects, and demon-worshipping forces are violently encroaching. Our Bureau of Peace is stretched thin, and reinforcements won\'t arrive for another seven days. Hence, I wish to invite you, Daoist, to help defend the southern part of Longjiang Prefecture for seven days."

Although the young lady in white was not tall, her voice was loud and clear, and she exuded an imposing aura with every move, especially when she ate, which reminded Yi Chen of himself.

This made Yi Chen have a favorable impression of Qian, the Governor.

However, admiration aside, Yi Chen was still prepared to refuse.

While Qian friend looked quite good, with eyes like stars and lips like she carried a pill of cinnabar, and with astonishingly long and slender legs,

women only slowed down his punching speed.

He pondered briefly, weighing how to politely express regret, strongly denounce, and urge both sides to remain calm and settle disputes through peaceful dialogue before making his leave, when Qian Yueru spoke again.

"I\'ve always heard how the Taoist Yi Chengzi is righteous, morally noble, and unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness."

"But it\'s always been about setting up the pot for cooking rice, not for cooking up reason."

"Privately, I, Qian Yueru, am willing to offer a storage ring as compensation in exchange for seven days of your assistance, Daoist. How about it?"

Upon finishing,

a dusty ring appeared on the table.

The moment these words were spoken, even the maid with a bun behind Qian Yueru couldn\'t help but widen her eyes.

"Damn, a storage ring right from the start."

"This... this woman..."

Yi Chen clenched his fists upon hearing this, and the words of refusal that had reached his lips suddenly felt difficult to utter.

Little Miao, squatting on the ground, meowed incessantly upon hearing this, frantically rubbing its little face against Yi Chen\'s pant leg, desperately urging him to agree.

It really didn\'t want to carry luggage anymore...

In this world, storage rings were incredibly precious and rare items. Not only were the materials required to forge them hard to find, but one also needed an expert True Person, at least at the stage of Refining the Spirit and Returning to the Void, skilled in artifact refinement to forge it.

In the world of cultivation, owning a spatial natured magical treasure was a symbol of status and identity.

Yi Chen had seen many ghostly things but had never laid eyes on a storage ring.

Seeing Yi Chen without a response, Qian Yueru sighed and added,

"Whether the Daoist agrees or not, Yueru will not retract her offer."

"For tonight\'s misunderstanding, I have already warned those merchants; no one is allowed to gossip. The Daoist can rest assured."

"Here is one thousand taels of silver as thanks for the Daoist\'s action this time."

Qian Yueru reached out her hand to take the storage ring back from the table.

Yi Chen painfully closed his eyes; his chance for a storage ring was slipping away.

No!

After an internal struggle, he quickly made a decision.

"My master once said that the struggle between good and evil is lifelong,"

"For the people of Longjiang Prefecture, for all the living beings of the world, I shall undertake this task."

"However, the storage ring must be provided upfront, and upon success, I want an additional three thousand taels."

Yi Chen declared decisively.

He had wanted to refuse, but Qian Yueru\'s offer was simply too generous.

Take the money, get the storage ring, cut down evil spirits, earn Deep Red Points.

Seven days\' work for so many benefits.

What a great deal indeed!

Longjiang Prefecture was like a powder keg, with who knows how many demons and evil spirits lurking about—their defeat promising a wealth of Deep Red Points.

Yi Chen had hesitated upon hearing the truth from Qian Yueru,

but the moment she took out a storage ring, it became the straw that broke the camel\'s back.

With a storage ring, his travels across the world would become much easier, and he would never again face an awkward situation of running out of food.

Besides, there\'s a darker thought in his mind—if the Evil Dragon Daoist\'s lair emerges ahead of schedule despite their vigilant guard, he\'s also very interested in the Daoist\'s legacy treasures.

If he could obtain the Dragon Essence, a treasure that significantly strengthens the physical body, his strength would surely advance further.

Sure, there were risks involved, but the benefits were immense.

After weighing his current power, the risks, and the potential rewards, Yi Chen decided he could take on this task.

The threat of Yin Manor looms imminent, the blood-red meteor of earth-shattering change could descend at any moment. If I don\'t seize the present to enhance my strength, missing this crucial window, the future will be troublesome.

This time, the Longjiang Prefecture\'s emergence of the evil Daoist\'s abode managed to attract so many demonic ghosts and heretical masters—it\'s probably fueled by this same anxiety.

The pressure has reached everyone, daring many to openly defy the deterrence of the dynasty from the shadows.

Signs of great chaos under heaven have already begun to appear.

"Excellent! Taoist truly speaks and acts decisively. If successful, add another three thousand taels of gold," Qian Yueru said, slapping the table and pushing the storage ring towards Yi Chen.

Yi Chen: "…" Ah? Gold?

"Then I have to thank comrade Qian," he said.

After finalizing the matter, Qian Yueru pulled out a huge axe from behind her back, effortlessly splitting the main dish on the table into two halves.

"Taoist, come, try this snake dish. It\'s very nourishing and tough to catch."

"It took me three nights by the Dragon River just to catch it. I wouldn\'t have shared it if it weren\'t for treating you."

"Let\'s split it between us," Qian Yueru said with enthusiasm.

Yi Chen\'s pupils suddenly shrank at the scene.

It was his first time seeing someone with such divine power, especially a young girl.

And the tiger was a real tiger, simply using her dining tool to divide the dish, quite forcefully…

The long handle of the decorative axe was actually made of solar true gold and fiery crystal copper.

She really is loaded.

This Commander Qian is truly formidable; based on Yi Chen\'s estimation, her skill might not be inferior to his own.

This made him even more confident about the seven-day city defense to come.

Seeing Yi Chen staring at her decorative axe, Qian Yueru smiled proudly, her phoenix eyes turning into narrow slits.

She casually wielded the big axe, tossing a few decorative patterns and laughed, "Taoist, do you think my axe looks nice?"

"My dad even said it was ugly, he really doesn\'t understand aesthetics."

"Bigger is stronger, heavier is more beautiful."

"It can smash enemies and act as a shield; there\'s no more perfect weapon."

Yi Chen nodded in agreement.

Qian Yueru\'s large decorative axe was indeed beautiful, and he was quite envious.

Naturally, after his breakthrough in the eighth layer of the True Pure Yang Skill, he found the Dragon-Slaying Sword in his hand increasingly awkward to use.

Too light!

Womanish chatter.

It was simply no fun to wield.

However, the background of the girl in white made Yi Chen quite curious.

Thinking this, he couldn\'t help but ask, "Comrade Qian, forgive my boldness, but who is your father?"

The girl in white bit fiercely into the dragon-shaped eel on the plate, tearing off a big piece of meat. Her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish as she replied:

"Ah? My father is Qian Erhe."

"Everyone calls him True Monarch Ling Shui."

"He is now the deputy commander of the Town Safety Office."

Yi Chen: "…." I see, the infamous second-generation cultivator, truly loaded indeed.

"Taoist, you should eat quickly, it won\'t taste good when it\'s cold. This snake dish greatly nourishes vital energy."

"I\'m sharing half with you because I find you to be a congenial fellow."

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen also cast aside formalities and dug in.

In an instant, the two human-formed ferocious beasts tangled into a battle.

With every swallow, a whole dish of meat disappeared, both of them ruthlessly chewing without spitting out the bones.

They competed as if in a match, neither giving way.

The snake dish touted by Qian Yueru did indeed greatly replenish vital energy. After the meal, Yi Chen\'s excess storage was fully replenished.

Not long after, Yi Chen, with the storage ring and rubbing his round belly, stood up to bid farewell and returned to the Dusty Inn to rest. The next morning, Qian Yueru would send someone over for him.

Watching Yi Chen leave, the bun-headed maid Xiao Lian beside Qian Yueru couldn\'t hold back and hesitated.

Seeing her like this, Qian Yueru wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, smiling said, "Xiao Lian, are you wondering why I didn\'t personally test Taoist Yi Chengzi\'s skills before handing over the precious storage ring?"

"Hehe, don\'t worry too much. If someone can eat like that, matching me bite for bite, and also be capable of slaying those two evil corpses in Yin Mountain Prefecture, his skills must be no less than mine, surely with astounding talents."

"Moreover, he\'s highly regarded by the wily old Lin Zhenbei, so there should be assurance in terms of character and strength."

"Don\'t suspect those you employ, don\'t employ those you suspect. I appreciate this Taoist Yi Chengzi."

The bun-headed girl sighed helplessly and said to her somewhat naïve mistress:

"Miss, it\'s not about that."

"I\'m referring to the axe you used to split the snake dish earlier, you seem to have not washed it…"

"It was still dripping blood earlier."

Hearing this, Qian Yueru\'s face suddenly changed.

"Ah? Why didn\'t you say so earlier?"

"You were eating too fast; if I had mentioned it then, wouldn\'t it have been awkward for you, Miss? This way the Taoist also ate it, so it\'s not a loss for you, right~" Xiao Lian stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Why bring it up now then? Daring to play tricks on your mistress, you\'re asking for a ticklish punishment—prepare yourself for my tickle attack~" Qian Yueru was not angry. With her rough and tough character, she was not squeamish; she had endured much hardship for her cultivation.

However, she couldn\'t let Xiao Lian off that easily; the maid\'s boldness was growing too much and needed a lesson.

She cackled and pounced on Xiao Lian.

Although officially master and servant, they had grown up together and were close as sisters. The two now play-fought on the top floor, a delightful sight to behold.