The sisters Le Qing and Le Tao were indeed exceptionally beautiful.
Le Qing was a rare beauty with a slender, delicate figure, exquisite features, fair and tender skin, and a serene demeanor that exuded a captivating vulnerability.
Le Tao, on the other hand, possessed a fair, oval face and large, expressive eyes that lent her a lively and endearing charm.
Both sisters wore matching azure dresses and sported the latest fashionable hairstyles, suggesting a background of good standing.
However, Wu Tao's heart had been largely deadened by the death of Lü Yuehua, and he had become indifferent to carnal pleasures.
Consequently, Wu Tao displayed no unusual reactions and did not appear overly enthusiastic.
...
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Le Qing, and this is my younger sister, Le Tao."
"We are both direct descendants of the Le family, a second-tier family in Yin Prefecture."
"We have come to Mingze Prefecture because we heard that Ginseng Fruits have appeared here, and we wished to try our luck."
"So, you are esteemed elders from a second-tier family. Wu Tao is truly honored."
Upon hearing Le Qing's introduction, Wu Tao merely nodded politely, his expression unwavering.
While he knew little about the Great Jin Empire, he was aware of some of the most prominent aristocratic families in the Chu Domain.
The Chu family, a first-tier family, and the eight second-tier families—these represented a significant portion of the Chu Domain's upper echelon, and none could be underestimated.
However, Wu Tao, being one who had nothing to lose, had his only two disciples hidden away in Tianshui County.
Alone, he feared no one.
"Your cultivation is far superior to ours, how dare we presume familiarity before you, fellow Daoist."
Seeing Wu Tao's indifferent demeanor, Le Qing's smile deepened. She cupped her hands and said softly.
Wu Tao understood that her words were mere pleasantries.
Given their status, even if they couldn't defeat him, they had no real reason to fear him.
...
With this thought, Wu Tao replied humbly.
"Not at all, you are too kind. Even we rogue cultivators have long heard of the Le family's reputation."
As he spoke, Wu Tao commanded two mechanical puppets to bring out two stools for Le Qing and Le Tao to sit on.
Upon hearing Wu Tao refer to himself as a rogue cultivator, Le Qing and Le Tao exchanged glances, their faces filled with suspicion.
They found it hard to believe that an ordinary rogue cultivator could be so wealthy.
...
"Fellow Daoist, you seem to be just one step away from the Nascent Soul stage. The Chu Domain has not seen a rogue cultivator of your caliber in many years..."
Le Qing pursed her lips and said meaningfully.
...
"Yes, even if you're trying to deceive someone, at least make your words sound plausible..."
Le Tao stuck out her tongue and chimed in with mild dissatisfaction.
"I am not from the Chu Domain, and the reason for my high cultivation is that I am an alchemist."
Wu Tao smiled and replied calmly, speaking a half-truth.
...
Le Qing blinked her beautiful eyes and scrutinized Wu Tao again from head to toe, but still found nothing unusual about him.
Despite her surprise, a radiant smile spread across her face.
"So, you truly are a rogue cultivator? My sister spoke out of turn, I hope you don't take offense."
"Offense? Not at all. I am merely a rogue cultivator from the Great Jin Empire, and I don't pay much mind to such things."
Wu Tao shook his head, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and then continued.
Did they really take him for a fool...
He could clearly see that the sisters were putting on a performance for him.
...
Meanwhile.
Le Tao's cheeks flushed, and she appeared quite embarrassed.
She said.
"Oh, so you're an alchemist, Fellow Daoist Wu. I do enjoy associating with capable people."
"I noticed you also seem to be heading towards the Demonic Abyss. Why don't we travel together? Could you give us a ride?"
...
With remarkable audacity, Le Tao boldly proposed hitching a ride.
...
Wu Tao, feeling somewhat speechless, touched his nose.
In his entire life, he had never encountered someone so brazen.
...
"Travel together! Alright."
After a moment's deliberation, Wu Tao readily agreed.
He was precisely looking for someone familiar with the area to learn more about Mingze Prefecture.
Given the prominent status of the two sisters, they were likely to possess a wealth of detailed information.
Following this, Wu Tao engaged in a lengthy conversation with the sisters.
Wu Tao briefly recounted his experiences of the past few years, stating only that he had been cultivating somewhere and had recently arrived in the Chu Domain.
Although Le Qing and Le Tao harbored suspicions, they did not pry further, as one cannot force someone to reveal what they are unwilling to share.
At this point, Le Tao brewed a pot of fine tea, and the three of them chatted leisurely while sipping it.
After tea, Le Qing began discussing ancient historical records with Wu Tao, who, lacking knowledge in this area, could only fabricate stories.
However, the erudite Le Qing, even sensing Wu Tao's fabricated tales, maintained a gentle and elegant demeanor, her conversation laced with a smile, truly embodying an extraordinary bearing.
Wu Tao couldn't help but develop a favorable impression of her, a genuine liking forming.
In truth, while Wu Tao knew little of the Great Jin Empire's history, he was well-versed in numerous pill recipes and cultivation techniques.
A few casual remarks he made elicited exclamations of wonder from Le Qing, who eagerly pressed him for more information.
In just a few sentences, Wu Tao and Le Qing found themselves engrossed in conversation, leaving Le Tao feeling rather neglected.
Seeing this, Le Tao let out a wry smile, feeling a touch of gloom.
Her elder sister, while excellent in most aspects and quite intelligent, had a penchant for gossip and legends, especially anything entirely new to her.
Now, this man before them genuinely seemed to be an alchemist, and with their conversation flowing, they felt an almost soulmate-like connection.
Le Tao found the situation rather amusing.
...
At this moment, the large ship Wu Tao was on suddenly ascended, ripples disturbing the water. A whirlpool formed.
Beneath the surface, a black expanse emerged, revealing that beneath the hundred-zhang ship lay a colossal divine beast, Bā Xià.
This divine beast was several times larger than the ship, its entire body spanning a thousand zhang.
The two sisters cried out in surprise and looked around, only then realizing that Wu Tao had strangely appeared outside the ship.
"Fellow Daoist, you actually managed to lure out a Bā Xià?"
Le Tao murmured in astonishment.
Beside her, Le Qing, though silent, was equally shocked!
"It's nothing, merely a young Bā Xià."
"Forgive me, esteemed fellow Daoists, for the spectacle. I will slay this Bā Xià before we continue our conversation."
...
Wu Tao's expression remained unusually calm. He cupped his fists slightly and said apologetically.
Without waiting for their response, the Chūxī sword flashed with multicolored sword energy, slicing through five thousand zhang of the lake.
Wu Tao let out a hearty laugh and declared, "Rest assured, I possess some defensive capabilities!"
Gathering the spiritual energy from the surrounding ten thousand zhang, he conjured myriad immortal swords in the air, raining them down upon the Bā Xià below, like a downpour of blades.
Wu Tao's materialized sword energy contained a subtle power of time, imperceptible to touch and invisible to the eye, only felt in the fleeting moment of being struck.
The young Bā Xià only managed a mournful cry before its mountain-like body crashed down, creating a colossal splash.
"Sword energy taking form, such combat prowess is not inferior to that of the scions of first-tier families..."
"It is likely that this person could kill an ordinary Core Formation cultivator as easily as slaughtering a chicken. Truly terrifying."
Le Qing's heart pounded with fear, almost prompting her to flee.
Le Tao, on the other side, was not faring much better.
Wu Tao glanced at the two sisters, Le Qing and Le Tao, as if on purpose, and murmured with a cold smile.
"Whatever your intentions, in the face of absolute power, everything is futile?"
"If you wish to play, I will play with you. Let's see what tricks you can conjure in the end?"
...
Slaying the Bā Xià, extracting its inner core, and returning to the ship with潇洒.
Wu Tao's sword strike against the Bā Xià had indeed intimidated Le Qing and Le Tao.
...
A few days later, leveraging the reputation of the Le family, Le Qing and Le Tao successfully befriended many young talents from local aristocratic families.
Wu Tao, naturally, also met many people during this period.
One day, several more scions of aristocratic families arrived!
Le Qing stepped forward to introduce them. "These two are brothers from the Shao family, a second-tier family in Sang Prefecture. Friends Shao Yang and Shao Dong..."
"Shao Yang, Shao Dong, this is Fellow Daoist Wu Tao. His pill refining is superb, and his swordsmanship is even more remarkable."
"I was fortunate enough to witness Fellow Daoist Wu slay a Bā Xià with a single sword strike, parting the waters for ten thousand zhang."
Hearing this, Shao Yang visibly bristled with unconcealed disdain and scrutinized Wu Tao from head to toe.
He then abruptly asked, "Fellow Daoist Wu does not appear to be from an aristocratic family, could you be a notable figure from a major overseas sect?"
Le Qing, standing nearby, frowned upon hearing this.
She mused inwardly, "I've hinted at this so much, yet they still lack discernment."
"Alas! This Fellow Daoist is definitely not a cultivator of the Great Jin Empire, but most likely a top prodigy from a major overseas sect in the wandering Purple Continent!"
"Such a powerful dragon crossing the river, unburdened by ties, can only be courted, not offended."
"Otherwise, if he truly becomes enraged, he might kill you both and simply leave. Can your family's patriarch pursue him overseas for revenge?"
...
Meanwhile.
Wu Tao nodded slightly upon hearing this and replied, "Indeed, I am not a scion of an aristocratic family, nor am I a so-called notable figure from a major overseas sect."
...
"Oh, I see. So, you are a rogue cultivator then..."