Jiu Shen stood up after eating his fill. Although the food wasn't that good in his eyes, it was still palatable and refreshing for him.

"Elder Xia, stay here for now and wait for my return. I'll just do something quickly." Jiu Shen's eyes flashed with a cold glint when he recalled the crystal ball that he had destroyed earlier. He knew that Liuli the proprietress of Green Wood Pavilion had something to do with it.

Swoosh.

Xia Xinyue wanted to speak up, but Jiu Shen's silhouette had already vanished from where he previously stood. She heaved a soft sigh before muttering silently to herself. "I wonder what will happen to that seductress..."

Inside the secret room within Green Wood Pavilion, Liuli was seated on a simple wooden chair with a thoughtful expression on her face as she cupped her chin with both her hands. "That woman called her as Lord Sect Master. That means he has a sect, but considering his strength, his sect should be well-known throughout the whole of the Profound Dragon Continent. Unless... Unless if he had ordered his sect to refrain from intervening in the affairs of the continent. Hmm... That should be the case."

Just then, Liuli's eyes suddenly dilated when she sensed an ominous presence appearing before her.

Swoosh.

A man with long silver hair and golden eyes stood in front of her with a cold expression on his face. He was looking directly at her which caused the hairs on her body to stand on end. She couldn't even muster the courage to stand up from her seat and she could only watch him in horror and surprise. "D-Dear guest, i-is there anything I can help you with?" She stuttered as she spoke with a forced smile while looking at Jiu Shen's face, but upon seeing his pair of icy-cold golden eyes, she hurriedly averted her gaze in fear. It was as if she was looking at a demon at the depths of hell!

Jiu Shen ignored Liuli and just quietly grabbed a seat from his space earring. He then placed the chair in front of her and took a seat with a nonchalant expression.

Liuli felt a bit embarrassed after having been ignored, but she didn't dare voice out any displeasure since she couldn't see through the man in front of her. However, when she saw him suddenly appear in front of her like a ghost, she knew that his strength was most likely greater than her own, so she could only watch as Jiu Shen comfortably sat before her.

Jiu Shen leaned on his chair and placed one of his legs on top of the other while looking at Liuli with a cold look. "Proprietress Liuli, do you know why I'm here?" Jiu Shen's voice was distant and aloof.

Liuli felt her heart turn cold when she heard his icy voice. She knew that Jiu Shen was offended when she had secretly peeked at their room earlier.

"D-Dear guest... Please don't misunderstand this little woman. I-I only did that out of curiosity and I have no ill-intentions." Liuli let out a pitiful smile as she replied in a trembling voice. She was truly scared at Jiu Shen's unfathomable strength, and she was afraid that he might do something serious for what she did earlier.

Jiu Shen's lips curled upwards to form a cold smile, causing shivers to run down Liuli's spine. She was already an expert at the early stage of the 9th-rank Saint realm, but she felt like she was just a hapless chicken in front of this man.

"Proprietress Liuli, I don't like the feeling of being spied, so I came here to punish you for that." Jiu Shen spoke as if it was only natural for him to punish her. His bloody aura suddenly enveloped the whole room, making Liuli feel as if she was standing at the gates of hell with a pile of corpses crawling towards her feet. Thousands of ghosts were wailing and screaming as they circled around her with baleful looks. This sensation made her tremble that she almost pissed her pants in fear, and the eyes she used to look at Jiu Shen contained extreme trepidation. Just how many lives had he taken for his aura to emit this kind of terrorizing atmosphere?!

Liuli's face fell and regretted her actions earlier. If only she knew that Jiu Shen was this powerful, then even she had the guts of steel, she still would not dare to spy on them.

Liuli's mouth was already dry and she tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth.

Looking at her expression, Jiu Shen lost his interest and he immediately recalled his aura.

Huff. Puff. Huff. Puff.

Liuli panted heavily as she wiped the sweat on her forehead with her quivering hands. She didn't even dare lift her head to look at Jiu Shen and her usually seductive expression was now dark with horror and fear. It was the first time she had felt that kind of overpowering aura and even those old freaks from the Alliance didn't give her that kind of suffocating feeling. Is he perhaps a 10th-rank God realm cultivator? She thought fearfully.

The room was filled with rough breathing sounds from Liuli, and if someone from outside would hear her panting sounds, they would certainly misunderstand what was happening within the room. Luckily, only Liuli knew the passage to this room.

"Proprietress Liuli, I want you to work for me..." Jiu Shen's indifferent voice was filled with confidence as if he knew that Liuli would not decline his offer. At first, Jiu Shen wanted to discipline her even further, but since she harbored no malice, he decided to drop the matter.

Liuli revealed a stunned look and she could not help but lift her head to take a look at Jiu Shen, but when she saw his eyes, she hurriedly looked away.

"T-This lord... I-I don't even know your name and origin...I mean I don't mind working for you, but can you at least tell me your esteemed name?" She muttered helplessly. Her Green Wood Pavilion had many branches within the Silver Wing Empire, and she also had many experts working under her. She had been carefree and unrestrained for more than ten years, but who knew that she would actually provoke such a maleficent existence today...

Jiu Shen let out an amused smile as he looked at Liuli's quivering figure. She looked like a small rabbit trapped by a big bad wolf.

"My given name is Shen and my surname is Jiu, and I'm only a wine store owner, nothing special." Jiu Shen calmly said.

Liuli almost cursed out loud when she heard his casual reply. 'Wine store owner my ass! Who would believe that an expert like you is only a wine store owner?! Even if you beat me to death, I still won't believe your fart! Hmph!'

Although Jiu Shen can't read her thoughts, he could still sense that Liuli didn't believe him, but he didn't bother to explain it to her and just silently stared at this woman whose figure is as bewitching as a fairy.

When Liuli saw that Jiu Shen was staring unblinkingly at her, she felt a bit scared, but after she looked closely. She realized that his eyes didn't have any impure or indecent thoughts which were always present in the eyes of the men that she had interacted with in her life.

Most men would display a chivalrous and gentlemanly facade, but she could sense that they wanted to devour her body. However, the man in front of her was different. His golden eyes which were like two deep pools of ocean didn't contain any trace of impurity or obscenity. Liuli couldn't even see a ripple in his indifferent expression. Looking at this, she suddenly felt that her charm was ineffective against this man, making her feel a bit annoyed.

"L-Lord Jiu Shen, if you don't dislike this little woman, then...then I will serve you from now on." Liuli gritted her teeth after making a choice. Since she no longer had any choice, she could only accept his offer. Furthermore, it wouldn't be embarrassing to serve such a strong person. Just that, she felt a bit reluctant because this signified the end of her carefree life.

"Since you're already one of my people, I will drop the matter about you spying on me, but you'll have to follow me back to Beltran City to take orders from me." Jiu Shen already had the thought of poaching Liuli under his banner when he had first laid his eyes on her. It was rare to see a 9th-rank Saint in the Profound Dragon Continent, and he was also lacking in people with acute management skills like her. Although his senior disciple Lu San could handle sect matters, she was not as good as Liuli in handling people. Furthermore, the latter could lead her Green Wood Pavilion to such heights in merely a few decades, so she should be proficient in managing, right?

With the help of Liuli, the growth of his sect would surely increase tremendously. Of course, he still had to observe this woman and make sure that she wouldn't betray him, but Jiu Shen was certain that he could gain her absolute loyalty after some time.

Liuli heaved a sigh of relief and she felt as if she was given a new lease on life, and when she heard that she needs to follow Jiu Shen to Beltran City, she strangely felt curious as to what he was up to. "I obey, Lord Jiu Shen."

"Good. Settle your matters here since we won't stay in Green Wood City for long. Also, bring a few experts with you. I might need them for my plans..." Jiu Shen ordered with a calm look. He knew that it wouldn't be long before the Silver Wing Empire would be engulfed by the flames of war, so he had to make some preparations to make sure that nothing would go wrong. After all, if many people from the empire died, then how would he continue his wine business? He should at least do something to prevent the empire from falling apart.