181: Each one has his own opinion

A month later.

Nether Fire Sect, Three Poisons Peak.

Zi Ling looked at the letter sent back by her trusted Disciple, Zi Lan, a slight frown on her delicate brows. A question arose in her heart, 'Has Zi Lan also betrayed me?!'

She had previously instructed Zi Lan to secretly infiltrate Liu Xuan's side and investigate his core secrets, including the specific source of the ice blue soul-stabbing talisman, the exact use of the large amount of monster beast flesh and blood, and Liu Xuan's financial situation.

A month had passed, and Zi Lan had only sent back one letter, filled with perfunctory content, occasionally even including a few praises for Liu Xuan.

Compared to the letters Lu Ping had sent back before, the intelligence provided by these two Disciples was identically perfunctory.

'What kind of magic does this Liu Xuan possess to make a girl like Zi Lan betray me so quickly?'

She could understand Lu Ping and Xu Bin's betrayal; after all, those two were driven by profit. Liu Xuan had a lot of money, and as long as he was willing to spend Spirit Stones, they would do anything.

But Zi Lan was different. Zi Lan was of her own clan and her true confidante, not someone who could be bought with a mere few Spirit Stones.

Zi Ling looked at another trusted junior female behind her, and after a moment of hesitation, she dismissed the idea of sending her to be a spy again... White Crane Lake.

Liu Xuan was boating on the lake, a hotpot simmering on the deck of the small boat. The twins, Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang (Younger Twin), meticulously prepared the spiritual fish the children had caught from the lake.

Next to them was a spacious lounge chair. Liu Xuan held his new favorite, Zi Lan, chatting with her about the Nether Fire Sect and Three Poisons Peak.

As they chatted, the topic was naturally steered by Liu Xuan towards the Foundation Establishment Ancestor Zi Ling.

According to Zi Lan, the Foundation Establishment Ancestor Zi Ling possessed extremely high talent, a second-grade Spiritual Root, and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty. Furthermore, she possessed a rare High Grade dao foundation, giving her a chance to Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

The Seven-Colored Primordial Qi Art she Cultivated was a High Grade Cultivation Technique of the Nascent Soul level, making her combat power extremely formidable. Ordinary Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were no match for her, and even Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were unwilling to provoke her.

Her innate Magical Technique, the Three-Colored Poison Light, corroded the Physical Body and Divine Soul. Once contaminated, it was like a maggot in the bone, difficult to remove by ordinary means, and even Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators would suffer if they were careless.

"That powerful?"

"Then do you know of any way to counter her?"

Liu Xuan asked curiously.

Zi Lan frowned slightly and hesitated, saying, "Husband, Old Ancestor has treated me well, and she is also my elder. I cannot do anything that would harm her!"

Liu Xuan pulled her onto his lap, making her face him, and staring into her eyes, he said, "Has Old Ancestor treated you well, or has your husband treated you well?"

"Do you still want to Cultivate tonight? You know, my other Concubines are all waiting in line!"

Zi Lan bit her lip, her face showing a struggle, but in the end, she compromised and whispered, "Poison arts are, after all, an evil demonic Dao, naturally countered by pure Yang attributes. Some overbearing sword Dao and blade Dao also have a counteracting effect. The Three-Colored Poison Light possesses some light attributes, so mirror-type defensive Magical Artifacts made of fire-attributed Materials can provide better defense..."

After Zi Lan finished speaking, her expression was somewhat downcast. Although what she said was not some core secret and Liu Xuan could easily find out even if she didn't say it.

However, her actions were a genuine betrayal, causing her heart to feel extremely guilty.

"Don't worry!" Liu Xuan kissed her on the cheek. "She's a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, and I'm a Qi Refining Cultivator. How could I possibly harm her?"

"Besides, this Young Master has no particular hobbies in his life, only a love for beautiful women. Your Old Ancestor's appearance is astonishingly beautiful, a top-tier beauty. How could I possibly harm her?"

"If I have the opportunity to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in the future, perhaps your husband will even become Dao Companion with your Old Ancestor. Then she will be your sister!"

"Pah!"

Zi Lan's face flushed, embarrassed by Liu Xuan's rebellious words.

"Old Ancestor is my elder, Husband, you... how can you say such a thing! At that time..."

Zi Ling's imagination was very vivid, and various scenes automatically appeared in her mind, her pretty face growing redder and redder.

The shyness of a cold woman was especially captivating, and Liu Xuan couldn't help but want to tease her further.

"What does that matter? We'll address each other separately. You call her Old Ancestor, and she calls you younger sister..."

"Husband~"

Zi Lan leaned into Liu Xuan's embrace, acting coy, her breath like orchids, her body growing softer and softer.

Liu Xuan dared not tease her anymore. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself later. In broad daylight, in front of everyone, with a group of children nearby, it would not be good to go too far.

"Come, let's eat hotpot first. We'll have a good exchange tonight!"

Seeing his son Daocheng swimming over with a large fish, Liu Xuan quickly pulled Zi Lan off him.

"Dad!"

"Can we start eating?"

Daocheng threw the spiritual fish aside and went to the hotpot, staring at the neatly arranged fish slices on the table, drooling.

Xiao Shuang (Younger Twin)'s craftsmanship was exquisite; each fish slice was uniformly thick and the same size. Just looking at them made one's appetite soar.

Daocheng couldn't wait and picked up a piece of snow-white fish slice, putting it directly into his mouth.

The spiritual fish meat was crisp and delicious. Even without any seasoning, eating it raw tasted good.

The snow-white fish slices were translucent, not only without any fishy smell but also had a faint sweet aroma.

Liu Xuan also picked up a piece of raw fish to taste. It was slightly sweet and had a good texture.

Then he picked up another piece and swished it in the hotpot. With the addition of various seasonings and the delicious, tender fish slices, the layers of flavor immediately became richer.

It was hard to say which way of eating was better; it entirely depended on personal taste. The eldest, Eldest Son, preferred cooked food, while the fourth, Daocheng, liked to eat it raw.

As for Liu Xuan, he had no preference. He felt that both ways tasted similar, it all depended on his mood at the time.

"Not bad! Da Shuang Xiao Shuang, your cooking skills are getting better and better!" Liu Xuan praised while eating.

"As long as Husband likes it!"

Receiving Liu Xuan's praise, the twin sisters showed identical smiles.

Their status was humble; they were originally just maids Liu Xuan bought. But Liu Xuan never treated them as maids, treating them better than many Cultivator Concubines.

Because of their close relationship with Lin Xue'er, their status among Liu Family's Concubines had always been high, and they often had the opportunity to personally serve Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan loved good food, so they studied cooking in their free time. Now, their skills were no less than those of some restaurant chefs.

They were both Martial Artists, usually responsible for assisting Lin Xue'er in teaching the children martial arts. After so many years, both of them had Breakthrough to the Innate Realm in their martial Dao Cultivation and had a deep understanding of the Green Wood Body Sculpting Art.

"Don't make so much, come and eat together!" Liu Xuan said to them.

Counting it, Liu Xuan and Da Shuang Xiao Shuang had been together for ten years. They, like Lin Xue'er, had accompanied him from his humble beginnings and had even given him several children. Liu Xuan truly never treated them as maids.

"Thank you, Husband!"

They didn't stand on ceremony either, washed their hands, came to Liu Xuan's side, and ate hotpot with him.