The discovery of the Heavenly Serpent Palace

"Brother Shen, this..."

Xiao Yan hesitated, his words trailing off.

Shen Wen interrupted whatever Xiao Yan was about to say, "The matters between the two of you should be resolved by yourselves; I am only responsible for completing the transaction."

"Then I shall take my leave first."

Xiao Yan could only go and speak with Xiao Xun Er, leaving with a complicated expression afterward.

A moment later.

Cao Ying walked in with Qing Mei.

Her complexion looked better than before, and she bowed solemnly to Shen Wen once more: "Thank you, Master Shen, for your assistance just now and for the medicine you bestowed to heal my injuries."

Shen Wen raised his hand, signaling that there was no need for such formalities, but then asked, "I have some doubts.

The Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill is, after all, a seventh-grade pill of extraordinary value, and the Black-Corner Region is a chaotic place. Why did the Heavenly Serpent Mansion only send you, a Dou Wang, here?

Dou Huang experts should not be scarce in the mansion."

Hearing this, a trace of helplessness appeared on Qing Mei's face: "Originally, Elder Lv and Elder Hei were responsible for the handover matters in this region.

However... over a month ago, the two Elders received an urgent order from the mansion to handle important affairs elsewhere and could not pull themselves away. That is why I was sent here temporarily."

She paused without specifying what the important affairs were, and Shen Wen had no intention of probing further.

The storage ring on her finger flashed with a faint light, and a warm-textured Jade Slip appeared in her palm. She handed it to Shen Wen with both hands: "Master Shen, this is the information the mansion compiled regarding some of the Hall of Souls' strongholds in the Northwest Continent, based on our previous agreement and secret investigations.

In addition to the known main hall, several hidden branch halls suspected to be permanently stationed by Soul Hall Protectors are also marked."

Shen Wen took the Jade Slip and did a brief probe with his Soul power; it indeed contained many locations and brief descriptions.

He nodded, put away the Jade Slip, and looked at Qing Mei: "Your Heavenly Serpent Mansion put in effort this time and even lost personnel because of it. Tell me, what does your Elder Huang want?"

This was also the transaction he had previously settled with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. He glanced at the contents of the Jade Slip, and it did not seem to be fake.

Or rather, the Heavenly Serpent Mansion did not dare to deceive him.

Qing Mei bowed slightly: "Regarding the specifics, Elder Huang hopes to speak with you in person. I am only relaying the message."

"Very well." Shen Wen pondered for a moment. "I will stay here for a while longer, but not for too long. Have your people send the message back as soon as possible."

In this Northwest Continent, the only things he currently cannot handle are the Poison Saint's space in the Ancient Poison Marsh of the Izumo Empire...

...and the Dou Di Immortal Cave beneath the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.

These are not things he can deal with right now; at the very least, they require a Dou Zun to resolve. This period is a good time to return to the Central Plains.

"Yes, I will attend to it immediately." Qing Mei complied, bowed again, and then turned to withdraw.

The hall fell silent.

Cai Lin, who had been sitting quietly by Shen Wen's side, finally spoke indifferently: "She discovered Qing Lin's uniqueness."

Her gaze drifted toward Qing Lin, who was sitting obediently and looking somewhat dazed. "That Qing Mei looked at Qing Lin inadvertently several times just now; she thought she hid it well."

Hearing this, Shen Wen showed no surprise; instead, he smiled: "I noticed it the moment she arrived.

The Soul fluctuations of a mere Dou Wang are no different from speaking out loud under my perception."

He looked into Qing Lin's clear green eyes, where three extremely tiny dots were faintly visible.

Compared to their undeveloped state before, Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are actually quite obvious now, especially if it involves something related to snakes.

One can even more easily detect Qing Lin's uniqueness.

"Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils... such a rare talent holds too much attraction for the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, which is famous for taming snakes."

Hearing herself mentioned, Qing Lin looked at Shen Wen and Cai Lin with some confusion. Xiao Yi Xian gently took her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

A trace of coldness flashed in Cai Lin's purple eyes: "They dare to harbor designs on Qing Lin?"

"They don't dare to for now." Shen Wen tapped his finger lightly on the table, his tone calm yet certain. "They are just confirming first and then reporting back. After all, Qing Lin is now by my side."

He said this plainly, yet it caused the coldness in Cai Lin's eyes to dissipate, and she nodded slightly in return.

As long as Shen Wen made his stance clear, no matter how tempted the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was, they would have to think twice.

"However," Shen Wen changed the subject and looked at Qing Lin, his tone softening, "Qing Lin, your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are a special talent.

In the future, if you have doubts during cultivation or want to gain a deeper understanding of how to use this pupil technique, you might as well take the opportunity to ask their Elder Huang when she arrives.

They might actually have some unique insights in their legacies. Of course, whether you learn and how you learn is for you to decide."

Qing Lin blinked her large green eyes and nodded earnestly: "Mm, I'll listen to Brother Shen Wen."

"The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are a huge temptation for them," he took a sip of tea and spoke casually, as if talking about the weather. "However, that was in the past."

He set down the cup and looked at Qing Lin, who seemed a bit nervous from the conversation, giving her a reassuring smile: "Qing Lin, don't worry. Back when I only had the cultivation of a Dou Huang, I might have needed to be somewhat cautious.

But now..." He paused, a sense of calm confidence in his voice. "Even if the Heavenly Serpent Mansion came out in full force, it would be impossible for them to take you from my hands.

Besides, they don't have the courage to go to war with me."

These words were not boastful, yet they carried a weight of natural authority.

Hearing this, the last trace of coldness in Cai Lin's eyes faded, and she only gave a soft "Mm" in agreement.

Looking at Shen Wen's gentle yet certain smile, the bit of unease in Qing Lin's heart instantly vanished.

She nodded vigorously, her green eyes brightening once more.

After comforting Qing Lin, Shen Wen's thoughts turned to another matter.

His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the storage ring, which contained the incomplete map of the pure lotus demonic flame he had just obtained.

"That kid Xiao Yan..." he thought to himself, "I wonder when he won't be able to help himself and will bring up the matter of this incomplete map with me?"

Xiao Yan definitely wants the Purification Lotus Demon Flame; after all, for the Burning Technique he Cultivates to Breakthrough to the Heaven Rank, he must devour at least the top five Heavenly Flames.

It's just that now that the incomplete map is in Shen Wen's hands, it will likely be difficult for Xiao Yan to collect them all.

In truth, this incomplete map might not be that critical for Shen Wen himself.

Its main value lies in recording a method to purify the polluted spiritual intelligence of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame and return it to its initial state.

But Shen Wen possesses the Past Amitabha Sutra, and what he excels at most is suppressing and purifying various negative thoughts and Soul Impurities, so the effect might be more reliable than the method recorded on that map.

"However," the corner of Shen Wen's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc, "since the item has come into his hands, there is no reason to give it away for nothing."

If Xiao Yan wants it, fine.

But he must offer a sufficient price in exchange.

Shen Wen isn't running a charity.

If Xiao Yan cannot produce something that interests him, then he would rather keep this incomplete map in his own hands for now.

In any case, it wouldn't be impossible to see who needs to refine it when the time comes.